why do the brits grill tomatoes?

We had Russell at LBS last night, showing us some interesting ads and trying to tell us what makes a good ad. One of my goals in organising the event was to see what happens when you bring a very good advertising person in a business school environment.
It turned out to be a bit of a clash of cultures for me, at least semantically: on the one hand we had Russell talking about 'interesting', 'negative emotions', 'cultural phenomena'. On the other hand, you had an LBS professor arguing about 'strategic alignment', 'effectiveness', 'positioning'. On the third hand ( :-) ), you had the students who pretty much wanted to see some ads and have a laugh.
I suspect all parties left slightly annoyed, and I pretty much spent all night thinking about it.



I woke up this morning and I was still thinking about it. I left home to go for an interview with a very intelligent woman at one of my favourite advertising agencies. It was more of a chat rather than an interview, as we both new that they don't have openings at the moment.
It turned out to be a very pleasant experience. We talked a bit about what an MBA is and how it might help in an advertising agency. Also we talked about how advertising is a discipline caught in between art and business (i.e. about the clash of cultures), and how exciting this is.

After leaving the building I got caught in 'severe tube delays on the circle, district, hammersmith and Godknowswhatother line'. It was pounding with rain, so I found shelter in a very British cafe and spent a good half-hour there, meditating over a lovely English breakfast. why the hell do the Brits grill tomatoes?

Persil washes whiter ... since always

Went to see the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in London yesterday. It is essentially a private collection of branded products, although a stunning one, spanning from Victorian age to today.
Interesting to see how many of today's brands were already around over 100 years ago (think Cadbury, Rimmel, ...). Also funny to see how some others haven't changed a whole lot in the past 60 years or so:


(Rolo, ww2 time. The pack hasn't changed a bit since then. Apologies for the poor picture quality)


(a 1950's Polo poster. It was already about mints and holes)


(a Persil pack from the early 50's, with a coupon! wow)

disproportion

Hilarious flyer handed out by the police (yes, the police! :) ) last night in the streets of Soho.

pop art portraits

Went to see this exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this afternoon. I am trying to take advantage of being a student with a lot of spare time while it lasts (it won't last).

I was taken back into the age of 'mass consumer culture' for an hour or so, and it was really interesting. I was tempted to look for dissimilarities between that age, and this one now, in which we all strive to find and offer as much customisation as possible. But I couldn't really.


(Andy Warhol, Double Elvis, 1963)


(Mel Ramos, Hunt for the Best, 1965)


(Andy Warhol, Self-portrait, 1964)

London therapy

If you ever are a bit stressed in London, jump on the bus. Go upstairs, sit in the front row and let the city roll past. Very calming. It cleared up my head from all the tension of interviewing.