If This Is A Blog Then What's Christmas?

Here.

Happy New Year.

xxx

I think the UK advertising industry is in a funny old place. Rather like the Premiership, it seems as if no one really wants to take the thing by the scruff of the neck and show us all how it’s done (actually, that might be a global thing; is an agency dominating in the US like CP&B did in recent years, or Cliff Freeman before them?). The giants are playing the game well below their great peaks of the past, leaving the also-rans looking better than they really are.

But will that change this year?

I have to say that I’m somewhat optimistic (I really can’t be fucked to be pessimistic. Of course, we could continue the run of underwhelming work for another year – that would make four in a row – but there’s not a lot of point in predicting that. Better to stick out the neck and risk falling flat on my face. Again.).

A trend seemed to take hold last year in which great US creatives began to leave their humongoshops and start up on their own (I think Vinny Warren may have started this exodus; he always seems to be having a great time; maybe that inspired the others): Eric Silver, Gerry Graf and Ty Montague all broke for the border and I expect to see some stellar stuff from their hotshops in the coming year.

But then the same thing started happening over here: Richard Flintham and Tony McTear, two creators of D&AD Gold-winning ads, both started up their own places after years inside Fallon and TBWA (two once-great agencies now going through somewhat dry spells). Will this result in a flood of great work? Let’s wait and see, but the sure thing is that something different is happening, and that’s the very least that’s needed to make a difference to the quality of the work.

If you add in Ed Morris taking on the CD-ship at the independent Rapier, then we could have the start of a creatively-led shift in the landscape that might just kick things up the arse.

Fingers crossed and all that.

A few people have sent me this but that doesn’t stop it being very, very funny.

The Santa Brand Book.

So here’s a smashing bit of global statistics for you (thanks, D):

A while ago my publisher suggested I get myself a website so that anyone who likes my book can find out more about me.

Although that seemed to make a lot of sense (the same advice led to my Twitter account) I didn’t really fancy making a website about myself. Despite the fact that I write this blog, which is a series of my personal opinions, I’m somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of a Ben Kay-based site, particularly as there is very little about myself that I would consider to be interesting to a wider audience.

I was also concerned by the amount of money it would take to build something that would not be considered shit. I’m too technocrap to make the site myself, so the only option would be to skin www.ben-kay.com with a WordPress site or similar and hope the available themes would be OK.

Then again, there was option two, which was to ask my friend Paul Belford at This Is Real Art if he could help. He immediately said yes, insisting that he would do it for free. In return I declined to charge for some freelance I writing I had done for him and promised that he could make whatever he wanted, just as long as it presented some basic information about me in a way that was clear and navigable.

He asked me if there was anything about myself that might work as a foundation for the site, and I suggested that I’ve tended throughout my life to be somewhat irreverent. A few weeks later they showed me the idea that someone else was compiling an online dossier about my subversive behaviour. That seemed great, although my one stipulation was that I would not look cool in any way.

I was then placed in the hands of Andy, Natalie and Megan at TIRA who, along with Paul, suggested ways in which information on me might be collected (surveillance footage, bank statements, medical records etc.). It was then up to me, 99 times out of 100 to agree to these (so long as they made me look like a bit of an arsehole) and either write them or be filmed or photographed by Paul, Nat and Megan.

So here we are: whois.ben-kay.com

I think it looks brilliant, and it certainly presents ‘me’ as something of a cock, so as far as I’m concerned that’s the job done. There’s also a gratifying attention to detail (click on any of the sites in the ‘Web History’ section).

Yes, it sends you round the houses to some degree, but to me that’s all part of a personal website: the style and the content should reflect you. Laying things out in a dull, straightforward way would be simple, easy and the way my publisher might prefer things, but this is an opportunity to be creative, something that I believe motivated all concerned to do a good job and enjoy it. I loved writing the copy, and I get the impression that the others liked the fact that I was game for whatever they suggested (I can’t complain about the rarity of that in advertising then practice the same lack of trust when the opportunity came my way).

So the bottom line is: I hope you like it.

If you do, get in touch with This Is Real Art (particularly if you can pay them properly). If you don’t, that’s fine by me. Get in touch with TIRA anyway because they’re really good at what they do, and a pleasure to work with.

Best Christmas lights ever (Thanks, K).

An awesome roundup of 2010’s movies, and an object lesson in editing (thanks, M):

This is a lovely Christmas tune:

Interesting Facebook map of the world (thanks, G).

Lego Black Ops (Thanks, D):

Jimmy Saville summed up in a song (thanks, J):

Still looking for that special Christmas gift for a toddler? (Thanks, same J):

Stunning fluid sculpture (Thanks, same J).

Best Schwarzenegger quotes (‘Get your ass to Mars’ wins for me):

(Thanks, whoever left it on my blog yesterday.)

And for a little more food for thought, here’s a very funny blog.

I’ve been getting emails about a link or something that appears on this site then goes to another site that’s eerily all about me (there are a few mentions in this comments section).

To be honest, I’m a bit confused. I haven’t had this link appear on my site so I haven’t seen what it’s about, but I’ve now had a bunch of emails asking what it’s for.

Dunno.

Has someone got the link to the actual site? Or maybe a screen grab?

I’m intrigued.