Five things on Friday #365
Things of note for the week ending Saturday March 23rd 2024.
Things of note for the week ending Saturday March 23rd 2024.
INTRO
Hello lovely human.
For those of you reading this in the UK you might have had a glimpse of spring over the past few days. You could tell how unexpected it was as so many Londoners were spotted wandering around Soho carrying their big winter coats under their arms or over their shoulders (present company included).
BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. BECAUSE SPRING IS COMING.
IT'S NEARLY HERE. YOU CAN SMELL IT.
Yeah, it's been a fairly London heavy week this week. A few meetings here and there but mainly, upon reflection, I think it has been a week of needing friends and seeing friends.
I drank a fair few pints of Guinness with some, chatted about future work bits with others, and broke bread with some besties too.
So yeah, in no particular order: Emily, Dave, Ross, Angus, Naomi, Ade, Dena, Stephen, Lina, David, Olly, Sarah, David, and Marshall - thanks for just being great this week. I think I needed you more than I realised and just being among and around trusted friends meant the world.
Thanks x
Related: Milk Beach and Dehesa are both grand. The staff in the former were especially fab.
What else can I tell you?
I've recently switched to using the PRIMARY INBOX function in Gmail and being able to search "category:primary is:unread" has been hella helpful.
Just in case that's helpful to you..
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ONE FINAL THING before we crack on:
A dear friend's son is finishing up his graphic design degree is looking for respondents (specifically those who work in the creative industries) to fill in a ten minute survey on the impact of AI on the creative process.
If any of you have the time or inclination, your input would be v hugely appreciated.
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Right then, shall we crack on?
LET'S.
TO THE THINGS!
1.PROFESSIONAL LUNCH
No but actually.
To lunch is to engage in a lost/dying art. So says my dear friend (and old writing/sparring partner) Marshall Manson.
A few weeks ago Marshall put out what can only be described as the CASUAL MOTHERLODE of linkedin posts, dropping some 40+ lunch venue recommendations into one handy 'Quick' reference guide.
It went down so well that he's now rolling that up into a brand new blog/newsletter thing that specifically covers the best places to go for a professional lunch.
I appreciate this may have a London focus, however, it's still great to be the person that says 'Hey, you're going to London? You should totally read Professional Lunch and get the latest reccos on where to go...' - everyone likes to know the best places to go, and now can know too.
Work in advertising?
Now you've got a killer list to take clients.
Work in a C-level role?
Now you've got killer places to treat your teams.
Coming to London soon?
Now you've got a killer list to explore.
Know someone who works as a PA or an EA?
Now you've got a killer list you can send them.
Are you just living in London and wanting new places to go to?
Now you've got a killer list with more places than you can shake a stick at.
The point is, I've been to lunch with Marshall (on more than several occasions), the man has excellent taste.
So maybe you should sign up to Professional Lunch?
2. HOW A CULTURE FAIL RUINED BOEING
It's another week where I'm sharing yet another excellent perspective found in the always valuable, MAKE WORK BETTER - hi Bruce :)
This time, MWB is writing about how Boeing's switch in focus FROM a culture where people feel supported, safe and empowered to deliver quality TO a culture solely focused on profit (no matter the cost) and how that gap between values and culture has created the problems they find themselves in today.
It's interesting. Thinking specifically about values-based companies, how can you check if the culture of those places lives up to the values it professes to have?
Well, Make Work Better has that answer too:
There are three questions on how to help a firm audit the gap between their values and their culture.
“Do you understand our values?”
This can help communicators understand whether most employees have received adequate information about the company’s stated values.“Do you believe the company management lives these values?”
This can help communicators understand whether the company’s actions reflect these stated values, or whether they are regarded as mere puffery.“Do you personally feel empowered to make decisions based on these values?”
This last question can help communicators understand whether people believe they would be rewarded or punished for acting on company values—and also for pointing out that others are not living up to those values.
Simple, right? I think so. And powerful with it. Of course, all of this is predicated on the idea that the leaders of these companies recognise they have a problem and push ahead with this kind of audit.
It's also predicated on the idea the leaders of these companies listen to the results of the audit and action accordingly.
Often bad culture comes from the top and solving it is not easy. However, holding leaders to account, by demonstrating the gap between values and culture (with these questions) is one way to do just that.
Fantastic share from Make Work Better.
3.THIS WEEK IN... UNREAL
Normally it's THIS WEEK IN GAMING, but this week we're going super focused:
Per last week's GDC deep dive, it has indeed been GDC this week and there's only really one thing worth talking about.
This link should take you straight to the start of the show on YouTube.
But the Unreal Engine headlines are:
UE5.4 is powerful AF.
UE5.4 is powering a brand new Marvel featuring Captain America and Black Panther called 1943: The Rise of Hydra (this is the trailer but you should watch the tech demo that follows the trailer in the stream linked above is insane).
UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite) is now compatible with MetaHuman. Which basically means you can use METAHUMAN DATA When building FORTNITE ISLANDS.
More than 80,000 UEFN experiences have now been published in Fortnite, which have been played by 130 million players.
$320m for creators has been paid out over the past 12 months.
800 film and TV projects have now used Unreal Engine (a 45 percent increase on the same figure from last year).
And in arguably the biggest news: LEGO, Rocket Racing and Fall Guys elements are all being added to UEFN. This means UEFN creators can create and build their own LEGO mini-games, racing tracks and Fall Guys levels, and launch them in Fortnite.
Park the Epic-owned Rocket Racing and the Epic-owned Rocket Racing for a minute, but actual LEGO enabling actual LEGO assets for use in this way is MASSIVE.
There will be, of course, be [a new set of] restrictions around the usage. Such as (but not limited to):
No modification
No selling or redistributing LEGO elements
No trademark use
No politics/religion etc
Give the correct age-appropriate rating
Share 15% of your total island payout with LEGO
Which all makes complete sense. With Lego launching new islands itself (Prop Hunt, a Ninjago samurai Battle Arena and Cat Island Aventure) with more on the way - the future of LEGO and/in Fortnite has never been more clearer or more entwined.
Exciting times afoot.
The Fortnite platform is here.
UE5.4 continues to drive innovation across so many different entertainment platforms, it's incredible. Last year Epic revealed MetaHumans, this year creators can now use those MetaHumans in Fortnite.
The pace of this is incredible.
And DISNEY is coming next, remember?
QUICK GAME NEWS / RELATED BITES
Harold Halibut - the stop-motion video game - looks incredible, and it's out next month!
Culture... is not that bad actually (apparently)
Great words from Will Freeman re: the GREAT Trocadero.
4. A FANTASTIC FTOF CORRECTION
I don't have many rules for FToF however one rule I tend to maintain is that if there's something worth correcting, then it's worth mentioning.
It's rare but when it happens I'll put it away somewhere in the intro or outro to keep things transparent.
Last week however, I got a reader correction (well, in their words, more of a 'mildly annoyed ramble' - I strongly disagree) that I think it deserves its own thing.
Let's talk about this:
Last week I wrote about Groucho Club opening its first ever club outside of London ...in Wakefield.
Loads of press. Loads of pomp. Loads of hoo ha.
Except, as Tony Blow of Stand Agency, Glasgow was quick (and right) to point out: this is not true.
Tony writes:
"I don’t know why I feel compelled to do this, I’m not usually a ‘reply guy’ … but I just read Five Things on Friday (which I always enjoy – thanks for putting all the work in!) and I want to tell you about the Groucho club in Glasgow.
The Groucho expanding to Wakefield isn’t quite the revolution they might have you believe. Everybody always forgets there was one up here in Glasgow. Which is a shame, as it was a better bar than the one in London.
In 1999, The Groucho St. Jude’s opened on Glasgow’s Bath St – alongside some of the other coolest bars in the city at the time. It was half-owned by the Groucho Club in London, and half by two local Glasgow entrepreneurs, Paul Wingate and Bobby Paterson. The latter a well-known geezer about town, having played bass in an ’80s band called Love & Money. They insisted it had to be an open bar, not a member’s club – Glasgow doesn’t ‘do’ exclusivity. It’s a welcoming city.
And it was a success.
Groucho St Jude’s was one of the best bars in town. A meeting place for people from all Glasgow’s creative industries – designers, game producers, film stars, the lot. I was there every Friday night. Two of the bar staff ended up being colleagues of mine at different agencies in later years. And Bobby ended up being my neighbour.
The Groucho name lasted until 2002-ish, when Paul & Bobby bought out the Groucho London team and stripped the name back to just ‘St Jude’s’. And then, in 2006, Bobby died. I think that’s why I wish the record was set straight.
He was the consummate host and ran a brilliant bar. Long, raucous lock-ins sharing bottles of absinthe with the regulars. Drunken singalongs on walks home after-hours. All that good stuff. And I see the Groucho’s London team erasing it from history like something they’d rather forget. Which makes me sad.
Anyway, I’ve rambled. Sorry about that. Just wanted to shake my fist in London’s general direction for forgetting about Glasgow. And forgetting a man I respected and liked."
Tony. You didn't ramble.
And you're not a reply guy.
This is on point, respectful, and above all else, really really appreciated.
Of course I googled it all and... yeah, wow.
So if the next time anyone tells you about the Groucho being in Wakefield FIRST, put them right yeah?
And tell 'em the people of Glasgow don't forget.
While you're at it, why not check out Stand.Agency - tell Tony I said hi.
5. MAKE BETTER DOCUMENTS (PLEASE)
Anil Dash here with a very bloody good - and arguably simple (this is a good thing) - set of instructions on how to go about making BETTER documents. Bookmark it. Read it. Use it.
I think I am pretty OK at putting documents together. It's something I realise I learned during my seven years at Ogilvy: how to tell a compelling story. You don't get through that amount of pitch experience (winning and losing) without picking up a thing or too.
Framing. Organising structures to wayfind. Creating a compelling narrative. Keeping people interested, excited, and keen to see/read/hear more... all of it crafted over several years of experience.
And honestly, when I'm teaching this stuff, you couldn't go far wrong with just reading Anil's blog post and go from there.
It's not just powerpoint, the same thing applies to word docs, reports - anything where someone else will have to read what you have written. Approach your writing with empathy for the person reading it and you'll be amazed with what you produce.
Promise x
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What are you waiting for?
BONUS SECTION
THIS IS THE BONUS SECTION. BONUS LINKS THAT BUMP US OVER FIVE THINGS BUT DUE TO TIMING AND SELF-IMPOSED WRITING RESTRICTIONS ARE LIMITED TO PITHY COMMENTARY ONLY.
Planners need to model themselves on the best Pro Golfers (I wasn't into this but then I was)
Nike Historian says 'AIR' is probably not accurate (again).
This is a lovely interview with Steve Martin (saw him once, at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal - he was sublime), ahead of a new documentary about his life coming to Apple TV.
Speaking of good interviews, this one Sajeeda Merali, CEO of The Professional Publishers Assoication from [new buttondown converts] Future Moves is a decent read too.
Me and the Mrs were watching MAFS the other night and the new McDonald's ad came on and we just stopped and watched it. Because it's great. Well done, Leos, again.
Grand Theft Hamlet - an amazing staging of Shakespeare in GTA
According WARC, these are the best campaigns in the world (yes, that OREO Cheat Cookies in at number nine).
Nike's layoffs of an estimated 1600 people seemingly includes Web3 studio 'NVS' - Starbucks last week, Nike this week. Who will be next?
YOU ARE REACHING THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER. MIND THE GAP.
It's been a lovely week. Feeling good about the future. Some amazing irons in the fire (MEG) and lots to talk about and tell you very soon.
It's Easter next weekend so there might not be a newsletter.
Well, I say that. There might be one but then there also might not be.
So... y'know. Like, Schrodinger's newsletter.
Usual expectations set then yeah?
:)
Until next time, take care fam -
Whatley out x