A (comedy) textbook lesson in why it’s vital to check existing trademarks and uses before launching a new brand, as the latest branch of the US military discovers that Netflix got there first…
Notes and Essays
To help shape my thinking, I write essays and shorter notes examining the ideas and narratives that shape media, marketing, technology and culture.
A core focus: The way context and assumptions can radically change how ideas are interpreted. Much of modern business, marketing, and media thinking is built on other people's frameworks, models, theories, and received wisdom. This can help clarify complex problems – but as ideas travel between disciplines and organisations they are often simplified, misapplied or treated as universal truths. I'm digging into these, across the following categories - the first being a catch-all for shorter thoughts:
- Marginalia (51)
- Narratives & Meanings (37)
- Structures & Models (21)
- Systems & Technology (37)
Recent Posts
- The AI Productivity Paradox 13 April , 2026
- Review: Landscape and Memory, by Simon Schama 3 April , 2026
- Review: Becoming a Philosopher: Spinoza to Sartre, by Jonathan Rée 1 April , 2026
- Beyond SEO: What Makes Content Valuable in an AI Era 1 April , 2026
- Why the Best Strategies Often Sound Too Simple 24 March , 2026
- Why Brand Momentum Is a Structural Problem, Not a Media One 20 March , 2026
- AEO = SEO? Or is something more needed? 19 March , 2026
- Review: Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits, by Debbie Millman 8 March , 2026
- On LLMs and “GEO” 25 February , 2026
- Review: Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age, by Ada Palmer 25 February , 2026
By Topic
Adtech (6) Advertising (8) Artificial Intelligence (29) Audiences (8) Book Reviews (48) Branding (6) Business Models (19) Content Strategy (11) Corporate Culture (3) Creativity (5) Critical Thinking (3) Culture (3) Data (15) DEI (6) Design (5) Economics (4) Engagement (10) Essay (4) GEO (6) Google (6) History (17) Intent (4) Interpretation (10) Journalism (13) Language (6) Leadership (3) Marketing (15) Omphaloskepsis (2) Perception (3) Persuasion (3) Philosophy (3) Politics (3) Publishing (27) Regulation (3) SEO (11) Social media (7) Strategy (9) Style (10) Systems Thinking (3) Tech (7) The Media (2) The Pandemic (5) UX (6) Ways of Working (7) Writing (9)
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