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Gareth Kay shared thisVery good post from Zoe Scaman on the impact of AI on businesses whose success has been built on customer inertiaGareth Kay shared thisBenedict Evans is right, and most of the industry is looking at the wrong end of this. The current scramble is GEO: how do we get ChatGPT to recommend us? It's SEO, rebranded and wrapped in mystical dark arts again. And it’s absolutely worth answering, but it's also the smallest version of what's happening. GEO treats the LLM as a new shelf, somewhere to be seen. But the same models are moving from answering to acting. They research, compare, fill the basket, and handle the switch. Once the model is doing the work as well as making the recommendation, the question changes. The bigger shift is what this does to effort. A lot of commerce runs on the fact that people are tired and simply can’t be arsed. We don't compare fifty insurers. We don't check whether the broadband deal lapsed two years ago. We don’t switch to the best new savings rates at every opportunity. We renew, we default, and we pick the name we recognise, because working it out properly costs an afternoon. Whole categories are priced on that inertia. But an agent doesn't get tired or bored. It reads all fifty quotes, not the first three. It spots the price creeping up at renewal. It reads the terms nobody reads. It sits on hold so you don't. It cancels the gym. It haggles without embarrassment and switches without guilt. It's the customer every one of those pricing models assumed would never turn up. So forget which brand the machine pops on the shelf. Ask how much of your business only works because people don't shop around. If you work in insurance, banking, energy, broadband or mobile, I'd be on red alert right now. The same goes for anything that lives on the rolling renewal: pensions, gyms, streaming, cloud storage, meal kits, dating apps, the newspaper subscription you meant to cancel in 2023. And anything where the price is hard to read: vets, dentists, car servicing, estate agents, conveyancing, boiler cover, extended warranties, airport parking, printer ink, funeral directors. Every loyalty scheme whose points are worth less than they look. And if you’re the comparison sites and brokers, whose whole business is doing the checking we can't be bothered to do….then 😬 Being visible to the machine won't save a business whose margin depended on customer inertia, once that inertia is gone.
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Gareth Kay shared thisReflecting on last week’s D&AD , the thing that has maybe lingered the most is how we were able to be the third most awarded client of the year (behind Unilever and Apple) and second most awarded brand (behind Apple) given our relative size. Given revenue is a good proxy for marketing budgets and therefore creative at bats, pushing companies who are 8x (Unilever) or 60x (Apple) bigger than you with awards for three very different pieces of work is something to build on as we look to make creativity a powerful, differentiating muscle not just in marketing but across the business. Onwards Catherine Ferdon Joe Staples Jordan Pories Esteban Cardona Jiménez Wes Janisen Chelsea Elliott Lucia Riera Julie Gursha , all the CS and marketing crew and our great partners Isle of Any and Mother
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Gareth Kay shared this1. Can't believe Rich is stepping away 2. RichGPT is very good, funny, and somewhat terrifying (call 1-507-478-7424) 3. Learned so much from Rich. Incredible taste, references, and desire to simplify. He nearly made me quit GSP after our first pitch but then I buckled up for an education in ideas, ads, and always looking forward.Gareth Kay shared thisTomorrow, we are dedicating the entire live stream to Rich. It’s Rich’s Stepping Away Party. Segments include, but are not limited to: Rich’s Top Ads of All Time. Rich reviewing his former employees who are now leading agencies all over the world. Having Rich call RichGPT (you try it, call 1-507-478-7424). General grievances about advertising and life. Have a question for Rich? Comment it below and we may ask him live tomorrow. 12 PM ET. Breaking and Entering Media.
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Gareth Kay shared thisThis from Giorgia Lupi in the The New York Times is a quite beautiful defense of the detour https://lnkd.in/gi7JFzk8Opinion | The Path to Great Art Is Not Through A.I. (Gift Article)Opinion | The Path to Great Art Is Not Through A.I. (Gift Article)
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Gareth Kay shared thisThanks for having us on On Strategy Showcase to talk about Coinbase and the journey marketing has been on over the last few years Fergus O'Carroll The full episode is even better because you get to hear from the far wiser and smarter Catherine Ferdon Joe Staples https://lnkd.in/gZB5hw-dGareth Kay shared thisEXPLANATION IS NOT PERSUASION In 2022 crypto collapsed, as did confidence in the segment. Coinbase was left with few easy choices. They could try to defend crypto, which would’ve been a significant uphill battle. They could’ve attempted to steal share from competitors, which would’ve led to limited returns at best. Or they could try to reframe the category and grow it. As Gareth Kay shares in our conversation "to get people to root for crypto, we had to identify a larger enemy. Coinbase had to fight against something bigger than itself." They found that enemy in the existing financial system. I love vilification as a strategy. But it is a tough battle. Brands like Monzo and Ally Bank have done it well in financial services. Audi did it beautifully against Mercedes in automotive (old luxury versus new luxury.) The Ordinary did it well in cosmetics. But its not an easy challenge to win. I’d love to know what you think of the choices Coinbase made. You can watch the full episode on our YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts. https://lnkd.in/gZB5hw-d Gareth Kay, Joe Staples, Coinbase
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Gareth Kay reposted thisGareth Kay reposted thisTODAY'S AD NEWS IN 60 SECONDS black pencils, big game james, its gut time. GUT GUT Toronto Jeremy Tucker Ryan O'Hagan Anselmo Ramos Dave & Buster's Inc. Tim Hortons Christopher Cicchiello Rebecca Stewart ADWEEK Hope Bagozzi Ben James Crispin Maggie Garrison Maggie Malek Coinbase Catherine Ferdon Joe Staples Gareth Kay Jordan Pories Esteban Cardona Jiménez Isle of Any Toby Treyer-Evans Laurie Howell Uncommon Creative Studio Nils Leonard Publicis Conseil AXA Geno Schellenberger Jack Westerkamp D&AD
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Gareth Kay shared thisWhy are D&AD Black Pencils like London buses? You wait forever for one and then two come at once. Incredible night, thank you to the crew who made it happen Coinbase Catherine Ferdon Joe Staples Jordan Pories Esteban Cardona Jiménez Lucia Riera Julie Gursha Patrick Marzullo Wes Janisen Chelsea Elliott Isle of Any Toby Treyer-Evans Laurie Howell Ben Brown Mateus DeFaria MJZ Selected Works CARTEL Editing & Post-Production Wave Studios NY Hand model (and best work partner you could have) Joe Staples
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Gareth Kay posted thisSome of the most consistently surprising work over the last few years has come from Bear Meets Eagle On Fire for Telstra . Always beautifully crafted, always smart, and not getting the attention I think it deserves. It shows that big, conservative, often soulless brands can make interesting work that makes them feel small, human and worth paying attention to. I’m sure lots of people have worked on this but huge shout out to Brent Smart and Micah Walker who paved the way.
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Gareth Kay shared thisYES Catherine Ferdon !Gareth Kay shared thisLives changed today as we unveiled the official B&E Mount Rushmore of CMO’s (As of September 2026) Tressie Lieberman, CMO at Starbucks Fabiola Torres, CMO at Gap Fernando Machado, CMO at Chipotle Catherine Ferdon, CMO at Coinbase Tune in to the Breaking and Entering live show Tuesday-Thursday at 12pm ET to hear more. Geno Schellenberger Jack Westerkamp Ellie McCarron Jack (JR) Williamson Svaja Nicklin Jonathan Kaufmann
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Gareth Kay reacted on thisGareth Kay reacted on thisI was lucky enough to start my career at Goodby Silverstein & Partners back in 2001. It definitely spoiled me because the work was incredible, and the culture was so much fun. Apparently not all agencies are like this?! Kudos to Rich, who, after I won Employee of the Month in 2003, stopped me in the stairwell and said: "Congratulations Brandon!" https://lnkd.in/gB5-gcFFAfter 58 years, the man behind ‘got milk?’ is walking away from advertisingAfter 58 years, the man behind ‘got milk?’ is walking away from advertising
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Gareth Kay reacted on thisNew drop.Gareth Kay reacted on thisEvery part of your trip is now the easy part. Starting today you can use Airbnb to: → Connect with friends and get inspired → Search in your own words → Get to know a neighborhood before you book → Compare homes side by side → Find helpful services for a smoother stay Not seeing something yet? Features are rolling out over time and may vary by location and device.
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Gareth Kay liked thisGareth Kay liked thisAnyone who knows me knows how proud I am to be Australian, and how grateful I am to call two great countries home as a dual citizen. So it means a great deal to have been asked to join the board of the American Australian Association. For decades, the Association has worked to deepen the ties between the US and Australia through business, education, culture and the people who move between both. It's an important mission, and a relationship that matters more now than ever. I'm humbled to be in such good company around the table, and I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and contributing wherever I can. 🇦🇺🇺🇸
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Gareth Kay reacted on thisGareth Kay reacted on thisWe asked Rich Silverstein, Co-chairman of Goodby Silverstein & Partners , about how he got into creating his musical project. “These are projects I really want to work on. They don't involve advertising, but they involve every single thing I've ever learned in advertising.” For Rich Silverstein, one of those projects takes decades of creative experience and channels it somewhere completely unexpected: musical theater. “It's called “13 Days the Musical or the Most Dangerous Moment in Human History” And if you think things are scary now. I was on a school bus going to junior high, I think, thinking this is the last day of the world.” “I like projects, and it's time to leave the advertising world and move on.” Full Conversation in the comments below Geno Schellenberger Jack Westerkamp Ellie McCarron Jack (JR) Williamson Jonathan Kaufmann Emelia Owen
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Hacker, Maker, Teacher, Thief: Advertising's Next Generation
Creative Social
What does the industry need to do today (not tomorrow) to stay valuable and relevant? Is digital collaboration the death of idea ownership? How can copying make you more original? I feel connected, but do I feel more human? How are the porn industry, illegal black market and bitcoins changing online culture today? How do we 'do' innovation'?
If you want to get a point of view on these and a whole host of other questions, just pick up this book which features a collection of essays from…What does the industry need to do today (not tomorrow) to stay valuable and relevant? Is digital collaboration the death of idea ownership? How can copying make you more original? I feel connected, but do I feel more human? How are the porn industry, illegal black market and bitcoins changing online culture today? How do we 'do' innovation'?
If you want to get a point of view on these and a whole host of other questions, just pick up this book which features a collection of essays from 35 leading creative directors and business owners. Creative Social celebrates hackers, makers, teachers and thieves - advertising's next generation.Other authorsSee publication
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The RSA (the royal society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce)
Fellow
- PresentThe RSA Fellowship is a global network of people who support the RSA's mission with access to the brightest new ideas, innovative projects, a diverse network of like-minded people and a platform for social change
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Noah Greenberg
An Inconvenient Truth: the number of storyteller/editorial roles at brands doubled in 2025. But in 2026, many of those teams will make cuts. Here's why, and how to avoid it, based on 3 years working with these teams: I have seen this story play out a dozen times: 1) brand hires journalist talent, is excited about building newsroom 2) new content team spends a year on a *great* content strategy 3) 1 year in, team has target on their back, and nothing but great content to show The starkest difference between running a newsroom in traditional ad-supported media and in-house at a brand isn't content standards. It's what you're judged by: eg.... business outcomes. Here are the 3 reasons brand newsroom teams typically make cuts: 1) Investment was too large. The brand got excited about the strategy, and went big. Put $1M into payroll. Now there is a massive target on that team's back. You need more than a year to get things rolling and prove impact. Solution: start small. Don't be tempted by big budgets. Prove things out, make sure you understand what success looks like to leadership. then grow. 2) Forgot about distribution. The founder of streaming platform Twitch (justin kan) once said "first time founders obsess over product. second time founders obsess over distribution." The same will be said about content leaders taking in-house brand newsroom roles. You will need to show you actually have readers, and you can't just rely on the "if you build it, they will come." Solution: think about distribution *early.* There are 100 ways to do this, but don't ignore it. 3) Misaligned expectations and and/or moving goal posts. You thought the job was X, but the C-suite thought the job was Y. Or worse... the C-suite said the job was X, then changed it to Y halfway through the year. Solution: make sure you are 110% on same page as leadership as to what success looks like. It feels very "Grinch mode" to call this out, but better to see these things coming. I've seen this story play out too many times. The good news is, plenty (I'd say at least 80%) of the brands that built out newsrooms have actually *increased* the investment this year. Don't be the other 20%. I am putting together a full article on the dirty details of all this in my 2026 lookahead, but wanted to share as counterbalance to the Katie Deighton/WSJ article hype 🤷♂️. Follow along if interested.
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