I saw a documentary once that studied the sensory engagement of motorbike rider. They used eye tracking sensors to see where the attention was.

Out on the road, the rider was constantly scanning the horizon to identify potential threats. Every pedestrian, side street and pothole was locked in on, and a micro risk assessment was made before searching for the next anomaly.

Advertising once believed it could shape culture. “Egocentric dickheads”, I hear you say.

But turn the dial back a few decades, and you’ll see examples of it being done.

Constant talk of recession and inflation means most business owners are firmly in ‘play it safe’ mode.

Marketing budgets are slashed and growth plans put on ice.

But not everyone is taking this approach.

The headline plays on the phrase “Would you buy a used car from this man?”.

Legend has it that it first appeared in 1960 to challenge the honesty and integrity of Richard Nixon, ahead of the US presidential election.

It seemed to do the trick, as John F Kennedy beat him to the top job.

When I’m discussing working with any business, the first question I ask is “What are your intentions?”.

Specifically, I want to know their commercial goals.

Why be distracted by such things, when the conversation is about comms?

I was recently working at a rather millennial agency, where an interesting conversation kicked off at the desks around me.

The question posed was “If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

As the recent fall-out between Adidas and Ye has demonstrated, the people that brands associate with, either in collabs, or as influencers, can have a big impact on their image.

While that particular image earned Adidas multiple billions during their 7-year relationship, it could now lose them an equal fortune far quicker.

The days of the full-service agency are well and truly over.

The marketing ecosystem is simply too complex for any one team to have the multi-disciplinary expertise to deliver the goods without compromise.

As a young art student, I remember being told a great quote from Pablo Picasso on sculpture.

When asked how he made a mighty bull from stone, his response was simple - “I start with a rock, then remove everything that’s not a bull.”

There’s a very good chance that you sit one one side of the marketing fence.

I’m not talking the old agency vs. client-side divide.