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oprah winfrey

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How to Brain Like Coca-Cola

By Michelle Francis No Comments
How to Brain Like Coca-Cola

If I was Oprah Winfrey, I’d buy a copy of Design to Grow: How Coca-Cola Learned to Combine Scale and Agility by David Butler and Linda Tischler and give it to everyone in C27 and their mother. I’d give it to every new hire, to interns, I’d leave it under the tree as a Secret Santa present, and I’d fling it with full force at people I hate.

Design to Grow

Alas, I don’t have handbags filled with cash. And so you’ll just have to read bits and bobs of what I’ve decided are the most interesting parts of this book. It’s a pretty spesh book that spoke to me on so many levels because the ideas and lessons in it have a self-help vibe to them. And we’re all about self-improvement and shiz.

Before we get into it, let me introduce the authors. The late Linda Tischler was a longtime Fast Company editor and David Butler was, at the time, Vice President of Innovation at Coca-Cola. What a badass title. The book is so seamlessly written by the two that you can’t tell which of the authors are writing which bit. It sounds like one amazing mind. Okay now let’s get into it. Imagine me rubbing my hands with glee at this point k.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the camel. This quote needs to be printed and stuck on the wall of our agency door. A0 size. David and Linda call this idea Systems Thinking; a discipline for seeing wholes. How does one thing connect to the next and form a cohesive thought or story? It’s a framework for seeing interrelationships and patterns rather than static snapshots. I honestly think this is where we fail when it comes to the work we do. Everyone is often so focused on perfecting their little part of the campaign, that when it’s all strung together, in the end, it can sometimes resemble a very hot mess. This is when we frantically try to put toothpaste back into the tube. This is also what causes my angina. So for the love of all things holy, think of the (forgive the cliché) bigger picture. Always.

Fun fact: Most people don’t know that WD-40 means Water Displacement, 40th formula. So my man Norm over here turned all his epic failures into the name of this now famous product we all use. Clever bloke. Lesson A: Mistakes are great. Lesson B: Be open about your failures. As creatives, we’re always worried about letting people see that we’re normal people who sometimes muck things up. But good old Norm decided to fuck it and show people how much work went into creating his product. Another fan of this idea of moving fast and breaking things is Apple.

“If you bought one of the earliest iPhones, you probably remember that it was very buggy and unreliable. However, this allowed the company to start learning what worked and what didn’t very quickly, which made them smarter.”

Copy of C27 Blog Quote Template (4)

Christ Almighty, what a quote. Robert Woodruff was the President of The Coca-Cola Company once upon a time. His words really do ring true – everyone who has ever created or built something was unhappy/annoyed/sad/angry about something. Their reaction was to create something better. Heck, that’s how C27 came to be. I know we’d all rather complain about things and then shrug it off, and let someone else deal with it. But if you hate something enough, fixing it could be the answer.

There are lots of good bits in this book that transcend its original purpose – to inform us about the inner workings of Coca-Cola and how the people who work there think. Some of it isn’t even related to advertising. Or is it though? Since it’s all very much connected at the end of the day. It leaves you questioning your role in the long chain of events from the second the product is assembled in a factory to when it hits the shelves in supermarkets. It makes you shift your perspective. I think all good books are meant to do just that. I leave you with this fellow readers: think of ideas from A to Z and then add your cool, expensive, award-winning ideas in between. Because as much as we try not to admit it, what we do is actually a very small portion in the grand scale of things. 

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By Michelle Francis
Honest Shit

Go Away, Imposter Syndrome

By Beatrice Tan No Comments
Go Away, Imposter Syndrome

Let me tell you a little secret: I’m nothing but a no-good fraud. A phony. A fake. An imposter.

I’ve never really felt like I belonged in the advertising industry. Sure, I have written a few things here and there, and I know the job scope fairly well – but I’ve never really believed in my achievements. Am I really a Copywriter? Do I deserve being called one? Maybe someone made a mistake. “It’s only a matter of time before people find out that you have no fucking idea what you’re doing,” says the little voice in my head. But in actuality, I have done nothing wrong.

People who feel the same way as I do go through a psychological phenomenon called Imposter Syndrome. Being caught up with the fear of someone “finding out” that our achievements aren’t real; that our successes come from serendipitous luck; that we’re never good enough. It’s a constant battle between knowing you’re competent and also a failure. But why do I feel this way?

(Even writing this article about Imposter Syndrome makes me question whether I’m capable enough to write it. Ugh.)

The true reality of dealing with Imposter Syndrome is that you can never get rid of it. But at the very least, you can stay on top of it. I’ve come to terms with my “imposterism” and instead of wallowing in my own self-pity, I’m trying to find ways to use it for good instead. So if you’re learning how to deal with this little soul-sucking demon like I am, I’m about to tell you how.

1. Recognise the signs and acknowledge it.

To be honest, I only came to learn about this syndrome a few months ago when my colleagues sent me articles and said, “Hello, this is you.” From there, I discovered that there are different types of people who experience Imposter Syndrome and you can take a test to find out your level of “imposterism”. Once you recognise which “imposter” you are, you can then start learning how to overcome it with solutions that best fit you.

2. Cut yourself some slack.

When you start to have these feelings of inadequacy, quickly shut down the voice in your head and tell the little fucker to go away. Nobody’s perfect in this world, and being wrong doesn’t make you a fraud. Instead, learn from your mistakes, see where you can improve, and focus on providing value—to yourself and to those around you. After all, going through Imposter Syndrome just shows how much you’re trying to be better at something.

3. Give yourself some credit.

While others love receiving compliments, I get super awkward and tend to make up some excuse as to why I don’t deserve the praise. That’s because I find it difficult to believe that I’m responsible for my achievements, and constantly think my success is just based on luck. Well, no no, that has got to go! If you can’t take praise like me, remind yourself that you are where you are because you deserve to be there, and you’ve received a compliment because you freaking worked hard for it. If you think you’re just a potato, remember you’re also a beautiful french fry.

4. Know that you’re not alone.

No. you. are. not. While it can feel extremely isolating to deal with Imposter Syndrome on your own, this phenomenon is more common than you think and many people feel the same way. In fact, 70% of people experience Imposter Syndrome at least once in their lives, and even big names like Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Reynolds, and Neil Gaiman suffer from it. So don’t be afraid to talk to others about it—they’re most likely dealing with the same thing!

To anyone out there who has Imposter Syndrome like I do, I hope these “tips” are helpful in some way. With a little bit of effort and awareness about yourself, you’ll be able to overcome these stupid feelings and own your accomplishments like the true boss you are. (I know, I know. It’s easier said than done, but we all try la k.) As for me, I’m not sure where this Imposter Syndrome will take me, but you can be sure that I’ll be trying my best.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors on this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of C27, our CEO, the management, the fish in our fish tank, and/or all the awesome people within the agency. The content and opinions shared are the personal views of the author so please don’t sue us.

…or the author.

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By Beatrice Tan
Hit or Shit?

Oprah’s Running For President

By Rathika Sheila No Comments
Oprah’s Running For President

Okay, she’s not and she probably won’t because she’s got zero time to correct the fuck-ups 45 men have left for her to inherit. Speaking of mistakes men make that women have to clean up, the theme of the Golden Globes this year was #TimesUp; it was in response to the ludicrous number of sexual assault and harassment reports, and inequality that we’ve put up with for decades. It’s essentially saying that we’re not making anymore time to listen to excuses for inappropriate behaviour; a strong statement dressed in black tie, of course.

There were many moments throughout the show that were worthy of ‘Who Run the World? Girls!’ playing in the background. Some of our favourites were:

1. When Natalie Portman called out the all-male nominees for the Best Director category

I suppose it was rather difficult to find successful films directed by women in 2017 to nominate. There were only productions like A United Kingdom, The Zookeeper’s Wife, Lady Bird, I Think We’re Alone Now, The Beguiled, Mudbound and Wonder Woman — which is considerably one of the most influential movies of 2017 and was even listed to be the highest-grossing live-action movie directed by a woman, to choose from. Why any of those titles didn’t qualify will be a justification that only the Lasso of Truth can give us.

The lesson we learned here is this: It is important to call things out.

While the nominees for this category were deserving (The Shape of Water is brilliant!), completely sidelining titles that created a great impact in the industry as well as its overall contribution to pop culture was not cool. There is a dubious historical pattern with the Globes to only nominate one woman every few years. Hell, the last time a woman won in this category was in 1984. That was 34 years ago when we made room for sexism but as they said: time’s up. 

It’s not like we’re asking for women to be nominated because of their gender — if that thought crossed your mind, you need to learn how to outgrow your ignorance before breeding — it’s because women are putting in just as much (or more) work in the entertainment industry as men but aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. It has to change.  

Browse through Netflix’s section of Women Who Rule the Screen here to expand your watchlist.

2. Handmaid’s Tale’s wins and encouragement to be more than just gaps between stories
 

Handmaid’s Tale took home 2 awards that night for Best Drama TV Series — fun fact: 8 of the 10 episodes were directed by women — and Elisabeth Moss won the Best Actress in a Drama TV Series award for her spectacular portrayal of the main character, June Osborne.

In Elisabeth’s acceptance speech, she (sort of) quoted the writer of the show, Margaret Atwood, saying:

“We no longer live in the blank white spaces at the edge of print. We no longer live in the gaps between the stories. We are the story in print, and we are writing the story ourselves.”

What we learned here is direct; when stories and opportunities aren’t accessible to us, we have to create them ourselves.

If you’d like to induce yourself into an existential crisis of personal reflection, we’d strongly recommend reading Margaret Atwood’s work; she has the ability to make you want to curl up into a ball and cry while also empowering you to do better.

3. Oprah’s speech when she accepted the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement

What a time it would be if we were able to live in the United States of Oprah. She’d be the president, the emperor, and the queen. She’d be Michael Jackson, and we’d all be Tito.

Oprah shared anecdotes of what it was like for her watching the Golden Globes as a little girl seeing Sidney Poitier, a Bahamian American actor, being celebrated on television:

“And I’d never seen a black man being celebrated like that. And I’ve tried many, many, many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl — a kid watching from the cheap seats, as my mom came through the door bone-tired from cleaning other people’s houses. But all I can do is quote and say that the explanation’s in Sidney’s performance in “Lilies of the Field”: “Amen, amen. Amen, amen.”

In 1982, Sidney received the Cecil B. DeMille Award right here at the Golden Globes, and it is not lost on me that at this moment there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given this same award.”

All the feelings! But wait, Oprah isn’t done. She hits us with another one.

“What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories.”

What everyone can take home from Oprah’s speech is this: we need to both listen, and speak up.

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By Rathika Sheila