Oblique Messaging for Direct Truths

"Take the economist ad —“‘I never read the economist’—Management Trainee aged 42”—it’s a very boring proposition. It’s “read this magazine and you’ll be more successful at your job”, but by saying it in an oblique and funny way, it’s perfectly okay to say it."

"Particularly in England, where people are incredibly oblique and indirect, you have to use humour as a way of actually saying what you want to say to some extent, because you can’t say anything directly."

"To use a phrase popularised in a famous FT article: great brands are often built obliquely. They are generally a by-product of something (ideals, vision, focus) and not a product of anything. Saying that you build a brand by setting out to build a brand is a little like saying that you can end poverty by giving poor people money. It doesn’t work like that. So in building a brand, don’t necessarily start by looking at the brand. Instead ask a broader marketing question: how can I turn human understanding into business advantage? This may mean that you start with the transaction and work back. It may mean you look at changing behaviour first and let perception follow. It may mean you have good business ideas and then brand them (Tesco have been masters of this)."