We sat down with Richard James MacCowan, Founder and biofuturist of the Biomimicry Innovation Lab, to learn why learning about Biomimicry is so useful for creative problem-solving and innovation. 1. Why is biomimicry a helpful tool for innovation? As designers, engineers, or innovators, we look for fresh ideas within and outside our industries. Looking to nature for inspiration is one such approach. What makes this useful is that you are opening up to phenomena in the natural world that overcome challenges in vastly different ways.  Instead of vast amounts of energy and materials, we can ..read more

Daniel Kahneman, the father of modern behavioural science, graced this world with his wonderful mind for 90 years. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, Daniel Kahneman profoundly altered our understanding of human decision-making. His groundbreaking book, 'Thinking, Fast and Slow,' played a major role in debunking the traditional economic theory that humans are rational agents who only pursue their self-interest. His work with Amos Tversky, particularly their 1973 paper "Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases," introduced the concept of anchoring, and in 2015, The Economist ranked him ..read more

We asked our newsletter readers to share their Top 10 Ads of All Time with us, and one did.  That reader is also the number one ranked learner at 42courses.com, having completed all 35 courses, which is impressive.  His name is Stephen Bray, a celebrated psychotherapist and author of Photography and Psychoanalysis and The Family Business Book. So, without further ado, here are Stephen’s Top 10 Ads of All Time. 1. Life Savers - Young & Rubicam, New York (1949) 2. Zippo - Ogilvy & Mather, New York (1961) Mr. Harry Best recounts how a Zippo lighter was found inside ..read more

Creativity is everywhere. Aside from all the great music, art and film it has spawned, creativity has also played a role in scientific discovery, advances in medicine and the invention of modern technologies that have transformed our lives. It’s arguably the most valuable skill you can develop because you can apply it to any aspect of life. We hope the following quotes inspire you to pick up a pen, a paintbrush or any other suitable tool and reawaken the creative child inside you.  Once you’re done, don’t forget to read Part 1. ? 22. “Chaos is the first step in the creative process.”&n ..read more

After many years of pretty dry and righteous Super Bowl ads, I was pleasantly surprised to find the 2024 selection was much more upbeat and fun than previous years, thank the lord, and of course, Taylor Swift! Below in order of YouTube popularity, I picked my top ten favourite ads from this year's Super Bowl. I’ve been doing this since 2012 and this was my favourite selection for many years.  I’ve also been judging the Webby Awards recently, and it looks like comedy is finally back in advertising ? Let’s get started. 1. Tina Fey books whoever she wants to be - Booking.com (109+ million v ..read more

Learning how to be more creative is something everyone can do.  You might not feel that way, but that’s because the school system does an excellent job of driving it out of you.  All children start out as creative, but less than half identify themselves as creative when they grow up.  This is a shame not only because being creative is fun but also because it creates enormous value in the world.  And it’s not just all the great music, art and film it has spawned. Creativity has played a leading role in scientific discovery, advances in medicine and the invention of modern te ..read more

For the last few months, we’ve showcased the Top Ten Ads of All Time as selected by some of the brightest luminaries in adland. So far, we’ve had Sir John Hegarty, Rory Sutherland and Emma de la Fosse, and now it’s Laura Jordan Bambach’s turn.  Laura was an experimental artist in Australia and came to Britain to earn a living. She became ECD at LBi, then Dare, and became President of D&AD. Oh, and she co-founded Mr President and then became a President herself at Grey UK.  In between times, she co-founded SheSays, now 80,000 strong; co-founded mentoring organisation OKO; created ..read more

Emma de la Fosse’s glittering career has taken her from Joint ECD of OgilvyOne London to CCO for the Ogilvy Group UK and on to CCO of Digitas before settling as CCO of Edelman UK.  Below are her ‘Top 10 Ads of All Time’, although some aren’t technically ads.   Nonetheless, they're brilliant examples of creative thinking. 1. Say no to No Say - The GLC (Greater London Council)  The ads for the GLC in 1984 had a profound effect on me. The posters were up all around the Hammersmith One Way System, and I’d beg my mum to drive around and around so I could gaze at them. The red t ..read more

Video killed the radio star… but who was the radio star? His name was Martin Block, and in the 1930s, he became the world’s first disc jokey to have mass appeal. Radio technology had been around for some time but it was still finding its forte. Most broadcasters were keen early adopters with a few hundred listeners. The industry norm was to broadcast live bands, but when the Great Depression hit, stations and hobbyists alike resorted to filling the airwaves with recorded sounds, and the voices of the early “disc jockeys”. Martin Block was one such individual, who created a “theatre of the mi ..read more

“The greatest impediment to creativity is your impatience, the almost inevitable desire to hurry up the process, express something, and make a splash.” — Robert Greene  The Mona Lisa is the most well-known painting in the world.  Historians believe the portrait depicting an ever-so-slightly smiling face is modelled on Madam Lisa Giocondo, wife of a wealthy Florentine. The Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci painted it, and it has hung in the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1804 and attracts around 10 million visitors yearly.  Whilst there may be more impressive works of ar ..read more