Planning, branding, and gibberish Podcast!

Okay, here's the first podcast with Simon McCrudden the self confessed 'blog hater', and our planner at W+K.

We chat through the following topics (among others);

1. Blogging - good or bad?

2. The blogosphere and the mafia that run it (Russell Davies et al)

3. Jimmy Carr's suits.

4. Wieden and Kennedy's approach to planning.

5. Brands.

6. Anchorman vs. Elf

7. Planning clothing.

Caveats; it's unedited, it's in a big echoing room, we swear, and it's over an hour long.

Hopefully though there is some interesting stuff in there. Simon is good sport and a smart chap, and Wieden's are a fascinating company from a planning point of view (not just from a creative point of view).

(Right click and choose 'save target as')

Download ICR_001.MP3

Comments

[Lebowski]

I should stress that:

a. I'm not a blog hater, just raise a sceptical eyebrow to it. This is a purely subjective point of view built from my own neuroses.

b. Paul won the blogging argument. I'm now a self-confessed blog-lover.

[Colman]

Damn - I knew we'd be the only ones commenting on it!

[Lebowski]

Probably a good thing. Glad to see you resisted the temptation to call it a 'blogcast'.

[russell]

I'm glad you've spotted my cunning plan to ensnare a vast customer base through personal revelations about my family. Curse you.

What an excellent chat. Paul wins. Obviously.

[Colman]

Russell has been offered a chance to answer the allegations directly (watch this space).

Also, a prize will be given to anyone who manages to listen through the whole thing (you don't count Simon).

[Lebowski]

I knew entering this blogging world would cause me all kinds of problems. I think I'm going to retire and move to the Oregon coastline, maybe Cannon Beach, and live out the rest of my days in happy, peaceful, isolation. I'll leave you lot to carry on 'blogcasting' with each other.

[Ben]

I win. I listened all the way through, yes even the bit about the evil brand pyramid.

My thoughts? It's too long. Waaaaaay, way too long. It's almost 1 hour long and it could easily be 20 minutes. Some more structure would help, there was a lot of, "errr yeh, no, no no, no, I mean" etc.

I actually thought the topics were interesting. The stuff about your Dad was good and I liked that Simon took on a view point for the sake of the interview.

You are both worth listening to.

On the topics discussed? Russell Davies is an evil mastermind who rules the blogsphere. He actually invented the internet.

You both sound very posh (that might be the reverb).

Narcissism? Yes, blogs can be narcissistic, but so can anything. Blogs are just a form of technology that allows anyone to create a presence on the web. What's a blog anyway? Is Boing Boing a blog or is it a website? Is Trevor Kavanagh's blog a blog or just a newspaper column?

My Grandfather (who was born in 1911 and died 10 years ago) kept a diary every day of his life. Basic stuff. Grandchildren visited today, had a meeting, went to bank, that kind of thing. Now he's gone the whole family find it amazing to read through them and see the minutiae of his life. Maybe your blog will end up like that? Maybe lots of blogs will end up like that.

(Sorry, that was about as long as your podcast.)

[Colman]

Well done Ben for lasting through to the end.

Brief (or not) rejoinder - I like the fact it's too long, I sort of pride myself on taking 10 mins to say what could be said in 1 minute - feels quite renegade in the modern world where everyone is constantly trying to make everything instantly digestible. It also means that most people stopped listening before Simon started talking sense.

Perhaps the answer is to make it more structured; though I'm not brilliant with the technology, I'll try and do better next time.

Agree with everything else you say about blogs.

Russell has agreed to answer all allegations in person, hopefully next week.

John Grant too has agreed to an interview when he is free.

I'll try and make these two shorter and more focused. With less 'umming and 'aahhing.

Would you be interested in taking part at some point Ben? I'd like to tackle the question of whether one can be too posh to blog, and maybe some stuff on graphic design.

Let me know, and thanks again for the useful feedback.

[russell]

"too posh to blog"

I could see that working as a t-shirt.

Maybe Simon could wear it.

[Lebowski]

Nice idea. Although I think the echo-ey room made me sound posher than I really am.

If you go here though, the second t-shirt down might be more appropriate.

http://www.questionablecontent.net/merch.php

[Lebowski]

My friend said he'd buy me a pint if I mentioned his most excellent meat blog on your site - http://www.thecarnivoreproject.com/ i can heartily recommend it to all Life in the Middle readers.

Welcome to the new world of blog-vertising. Or something.

[Abashed Carnivore]

It's a steep asking price for Simon's convictions, but I'm willing to pay it...

[Colman]

I'll go one better - put a link on my 'Nice Sites' section (which I feel I should re-name).

Top place as well (I don't know how to re-order the list).

Mine's a Guinness.

[Still Slightly Abashed Carnivore]

Thanks -

Er, mine's now a Yakult?

[Colman]

Careful.

[Faris]

Alternative blog t-shirt

http://www.cafepress.com/iblogiam.16760744

And, not having listened to it yet: Anchorman!

LOUD NOISES!

[Colman]

Wise t-shirt.

Be interested to hear what you think of the first 2 podcasts Faris (and yes I know they are too long).

"I ate a big red candle."

[Rob@Cynic]

Am I mad? This isn't a rant against blogs - it's a bloody Tech Nation podcast!!!

[Rob@Cynic - Whose A Complete Tosser]

Maybe it would help if I opened my eyes and clicked on the right bloody file on my iTunes.

Ahem.

[Colman]

Bloody cynics!

[Rob@Cynic]

Thank you - that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.

[jamesb]

Could you turn the lights on next time? I couldn't see either of you.