I have always been captivated by the potency of a great idea and the process behind crafting award-winning work in the realms of advertising, film, and art. Having had the privilege of serving as President of D&AD, and in my role as a voting member of BAFTA, I always try to stay up to date with trends, attending exhibitions, reading articles, and following awards shows.

It's becoming evident that traditional capitalism has led us down a problematic path. Excessive waste, thoughtless consumption, and a lack of progress in both the economy and societal well-being are just a few of the issues we're facing. Many business leaders and marketers are more focused on maintaining the status quo than on inspiring change and promoting sustainable behaviours. Short-term goals have overshadowed the need for real transformation.

Purpose is a hot topic at the moment.

Has advertising become obsessed with purpose?

Has it distracted itself from selling?

Has it lost its way?

Are we going round in circles?

Questions. Questions. Questions.

In the era of climate change, coronavirus, and social disruption, for the first time in 50 years, the idea of growth is coming under scrutiny. Historically, one of the few things that agency and client marketers could agree on was that they were all there to deliver growth.

It’s getting cold outside, and your winter wardrobe is in need of a makeover. After some casual browsing on the web, your inbox is full of Black Friday and Christmas deals for winter coats, and some tasty new designs that might look good on the slopes in January. But one headline catches your eye. ‘Don’t Buy this Jacket… Reduce… Repair… Re-use… Recycle…’. What is going on?

We love reading for inspiration from as wide a range of sources as possible, to find new ideas, which can really make a difference. But every so often you stumble across something which really seems to hit the mark. So big thanks to #AdamBrandenburger for his March/ April 2019 article from Harvard Business Review – Strategy Needs Creativity – which has been central to our thinking in setting up CoEX.

It’s time to do something radical. We have a once in humankind opportunity. There have been 108 billion homo-sapiens that have walked this earth, and none have been faced with the multitude of challenges that we are faced with today.