nothing beats a londoner

London in 1981, as depicted in Linton Kwesi’s Brixton riots poem ‘Di Great Insoreckshan,’ was an unimaginably different place from the London presided over by Sadiq Khan. A lot has changed. One would expect a crippling recession, the string of terrorist attacks and a brutal tide of gentrification to dampen the united spirit of our […]

the manhattan institutes warped view

A recent report by Oren Cass of the Manhattan Institute dismisses scientific evidence on the impact of climate change with a simplistic solution: when global temperatures rise, people just need to turn on their air conditioners. Since its founding in the late 1970s, the Manhattan Institute has released several controversial studies. However, it has also […]

a positioning stress test

Here’s a straightforward framework to guarantee your positioning statement is solid. It focuses on what matters — no room for jargon, or fluff. Give it a try ⛽

iPhone forges a new wave of cinema

By now, cinema aficionados like myself know how to manage their expectations when a noteworthy film director claims they are leaving the industry. Steven Soderbergh quit filmmaking back in 2014 but returned to directing last year with the heist film Logan Lucky. And now he’s back with the horror movie Unsane. It seems all the […]

the value fork

With this fork, you’ll be able to do two things: A) Distil your strategic value into a top-down structured, holistic value.B) And focus on underlying value drivers to avoid the trap of thinking in products or services. It’ll help you cut through the noise and clutter. See, the idea of value is often misunderstood. Many […]

project 84 on southbank

On my bike ride past London’s South Bank on Monday morning, I caught sight of all the iconic riverside landmarks, from the Shard to St Paul’s Cathedral. One view, however, looked dramatically different. ITV had placed 84 statues across their buildings, which I first confused for a hostage situation. The statues are for Project 84 […]

sacrifice in strategy

A brand aiming to cater to all often ends up engaging none. The landscape is cluttered with brands that deliver a fog instead of a guiding light. This happens because the brand says too much, spreading itself too thin, and erodes its core strength. This will often involve some hard decisions. It requires sacrifice. The […]

jeff’s appetite

Amazon just leapfrogged Apple and Google to become the world’s most valuable brand in a new ranking dominated by tech firms. Currently valued at $150.8 billion, it now peddles everything from soap to TV soaps. The company has grown so large and complicated to comprehend that it’s easy to understand why the rest of corporate […]

name the enemy

Less a framework, more an optimal mindset for a strong start. Apple battles ‘Complexity’—focusing on making tech as simple as possible. Netflix takes on ‘Inconvenience,’ offering shows whenever you want, so you no longer have to wait for TV schedules. Amazon tackles ‘crap access’ by leveraging logistical power, making it easy to get what you […]

ovo energy meets slayer

Never thought I’d have the joy of hearing Howard Beale’s famous line alongside Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’ wrapped up in a potent message that gives a middle finger to climate change deniers. It goes to show that being environmentally conscious isn’t fringe anymore. This spot is a bold and optimistic embodiment of OVO Energy’s underdog stance […]