Issue 84: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ TRUTH

💬 Sir John Hegarty

We’re living through an age of doubt.

People don’t trust politicians. They don’t trust the news. They don’t trust what they see or hear now that most things can be replicated almost perfectly with AI. Screens are full of distortion. 

This uncertainty has become background noise. Most people have learned to live with it. But for those of us in the business of creativity, it presents a challenge. Trust, which once anchored communication, now seems almost old-fashioned. But in this confusion lies something rare. A creative opening. When trust is low, the truth becomes rare. And when something’s rare, it becomes valuable.

When trust is low, the truth becomes rare.

Dove understood this. Its ‘Turn Your Back’ campaign, asking young people to turn away from artificial beauty, was powerful because it didn’t decorate the message. It didn’t apologise for being direct. It took a stance. And in doing so, it earned respect. That’s the thing about truth. It may not win you universal approval, but it gives your work strength. There’s too much pretending in modern marketing. Too many brands trying to sound right instead of being right. Too much effort spent polishing the image, and not enough spent looking in the mirror.

If you work in branding, now is not the time to play safe. It’s time to say something real. If your company believes in something, show it. If it doesn’t, ask why not. The public are not waiting to be dazzled. They’re waiting to believe again.

So forget the tricks. Forget the gloss. Focus on the truth. It still works.

THE AGENDA

✏️ Pencil it in: your agenda for the coming week

1.
Even Venice dresses for the screen. The Venice International Film Festival wraps up this weekend, reminding us why cinema’s old guard still commands its own gravity. A-listers arrive by boat; auteurs deliver gravitas. It’s still the most stylish of festivals.

27th August – 6th September

2.
This Wednesday, Seoul becomes the nexus of art power with Frieze Seoul, returning for its fourth edition. Expect over 120 galleries, global names like Gagosian and Hauser & Wirth, and performance, film, and installation programs that blur the boundaries between art and city life. Korea’s creative moment, amplified.

3rd – 6th September

3.
No apologies for optimism in Helsinki. Helsinki Design Week begins this weekend with the theme Celebration. Expect architecture walks, public‑space interventions, and a dose of Nordic serenity.

5th – 14th September

4.
Art in the streets, not the galleries. Charlotte International Arts Festival launches this week, serving up everything from aerial dance to kinetic installations. Community creativity, unrestrained.

1st – 30th September

5.
Detroit builds better futures out of old parts. Month of Design begins today, with solar-powered DJ sets, public‑space projects, and storytelling installations in repurposed lots. A city reimagining itself through design and determination.

1st – 30th September

GLOBAL / SPORT

McLaren’s Master Plan

Photo by Sports Business Journal

Starting next season, the McLaren Formula 1 Team will race under a new name: McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team.

The naming rights deal – announced last week – marks a major creative and commercial move for both brands. Mastercard, already a prominent sponsor across tennis, rugby, and the PGA Tour, is shifting gears into motorsport for the first time. The company has also partnered with McLaren’s e-sports outfit and driver development programme, suggesting this is more than a logo on a car – it’s a full-spectrum storytelling exercise.“ With more than 700 million fans across the globe, it is a perfect match for our brand, enabling us to engage with consumers in new and innovative ways.” said Mastercard Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Raja Rajamannar. For McLaren, it’s a brand alignment with a financial giant that shares its global ambition. For Mastercard, it’s the start of a new creative chapter – one that places storytelling, access, and speed at the heart of its brand experience. Fanfare with horsepower.

Credit: Clo’e Floirat

GLOBAL / LOGISTICS

Return to Sender?

Photo by Grooveland Designs on Unsplash

The humble letter is fast becoming an artefact. Denmark will officially cease state-run letter deliveries by year’s end. In its place will be a streamlined, parcel-focused model that reflects a digitally dominant era. Meanwhile in Britain, Royal Mail is retrofitting its iconic red postboxes with solar panels and parcel drawers – proof that even tradition is being rewired to fit the age of e-commerce. Across the globe, the decline of physical mail is no longer a forecast but a fait accompli. Denmark now averages just one letter per citizen each month. In the UK, second-class letters will soon only be delivered on alternate weekdays. And across the US and Europe, letter volumes have plummeted by over 50% in the past decade. The culprit? Digitalisation. What used to be scrawled on paper is now swiped into apps, typed into forms, or sent as emojis. The question becomes: in making everything easier, are we also making everything flatter? What happens to creativity when the medium of expression is reduced to a screen and a send button?

US / ENTERTAINMENT

Netflix gets physical

Photo by Venti Views on Unsplash

Netflix is expanding its universe – from screens to spaces. This November, it will open two immersive venues called Netflix House in Philadelphia and Dallas, transforming some of its biggest hits into walk-in worlds. Located in former department stores, the spaces will feature over 40,000 square feet of show-themed experiences, including Stranger Things mini-golf, Squid Game obstacle courses, Bridgertonballroom sets, and a revolving cast of interactive pop-ups, food, games, and retail. As Marian Lee, Netflix’s Chief Marketing Officer put it: “We’ve launched more than 50 experiences in 25 cities, and Netflix House represents the next generation of our distinctive offerings.” It’s the next phase in Netflix’s experiential playbook. If streaming redefined how we watch, this move suggests Netflix now wants to reinvent how we live stories. From bingeing to belonging. One interactive pop-up at a time.

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

/Blaise Pascal