Five things on Friday #398
The one about culture.
Things of note for the week ending Friday May 2nd 2025.
#398
INTRO
Hello friends.
We will try for a newsletter this week. As I write this intro to you now it’s Tuesday April 29th. I’ve popped out of the office to appear on stage at The Future of Media and Entertainment at County Hall on London’s Southbank and, while the content will be light (we literally have 15mins), the main bullet points will be a reprise of the talk I gave in August last year at the State of Social 2024 (btw, for those of you down under or nearby - tickets for 2025 are on sale now).
Which means, when it comes to the question of ‘How can brands successfully navigate and activate in gaming?’ the answer is fundamentally about depth.
Depth of understanding.
Depth of investment.
Depth of time.
Depth of money.
Depth of ambition.
If you have the answers to those questions - if you understand the depths that you’re willing to go to (and hey, on this analogy, being shallow is completely fine) - then you’ve won half the battle.
There’s a whole other diagram I’ve built around this that I’ve been meaning to share for a while. But I’ll maybe do that next step we speak.
Back to today: George Osborn (he of VGIM fame) is going to ask the (what I am sure are) very good questions and I’m going to answer them. Wish me luck eh?
UPDATE: A FULL HOUSE!
Speaking of stage appearances, I have another one coming up later this month with Squiggly Careers, this time in support of The Marketing Academy Foundation.
Called ‘Navigating Success in a Changing World’, long-time marketing academy pal, Sarah Ellis, will be leading a (I am promised) relaxed panel ‘for leaders who care about growth, purpose, and doing business that matters’.
What else can I tell you?
It’s nice to be home. I’ve been travelling a lot this year - not least of all because we had to move out for a few weeks (OK, that’s the last I’ll talk about it) but also - being in Barcelona (for Gameloft - more to come on that in a later edition), Scotland (for whisky - see Thing 2), Denmark (for things I can’t tell you about) all of last week, AND the Mrs being away with the kids as well… well, we’ve not had much time together.
We’re planning on changing that now the sun has come out. Again, wish us luck.
I hope wherever you are in the world you are safe, healthy, and happy. And thank you for reading and subscribing to this part-newsletter, part-hobby, part weblog excuse for a semi-regular publication. I appreciate you.
Much.
Right then, shall we crack on the the things?
Let’s.
—
TO THE THINGS!
THING 1. THE POWER OF ORDINARY CULTURE
Possibly my favourite THING this week.
The original ambition for this week's THING 1 was to talk about this excellent article from Florencia Lujani - 'The Power of Ordinary Culture' -
I wrote at the time of note-taking: 'this is interesting to me because it doesn't matter what client you're on, or what category, or what brief - someone somewhere will always start wanging on about MAKING THE BRAND MATTER IN CULTURE.'
This is fine. It's part of the job. I get it.
But - more times than not - I'll find myself questioning what that person means when they say ’Culture’.
I was once in a meeting where someone said 'We need to make the brand matter in culture' and - me being me - I asked, 'What do you mean?'
They um'ed, they ah'd, and then they said: 'Maybe do something with a K-pop band?'
[this actually happened]
'So you mean borrowing brand equity then? Not culture? I just want to be clear'
'Yes'
'OK great - but let’s just say the thing we mean'
Culture is thrown about so willy nilly it drives me crazy. We’re making advertising, you guys. Pray tell, how is your YouTube pre-roll going to EaRn iTs pLaCe iN CUL-TCHA - because I can't see it me-sen.
Point is, when someone says CULTURE, ask them what they MEAN. And if in actual fact it is your job to Find The Culture™️ then perhaps start by looking at the ordinary.
Culture is dinner vs tea.
Culture is dipping French fries in your milkshake.
Culture is calling someone 'love'.
Culture is ordinary.
The whole piece is worth your time. Invest in it, reflect on it, and use it. See what it changes - if anything.
--
A couple more adjacent things on this.
First, I was lucky enough to attend a One Question conversation this week asking ‘What unites the UK?’ - a fascinating evening of thought and opinion over what does and does not unite the UK (humour, crisis, culture, class etc). A later conversation that evening lent on the purpose of unity, as in, why would we try to unite on anything? Well, to create a sense of belonging. Cultures and subcultures exist as forms of identity, recognition, symbols, signs and ultimately: belonging.
If culture is unity and therefore about creating a sense of belonging, then what does it mean to ‘drive culture’ - is it to cultivate a sense of [lost] belonging? Maybe.
Something else that came up at One Question - something that I’d been looking at already this week and was glad someone else brought it up - was Mark Hadfield’s recent post on Meet the 85% taking a look at that London. Something worth reading if you barely ever make it outside the M25.
Come for the Mash Report skit, stay for the insight.
Finally, Mark’s excellent work also links (and significantly fed into) to the Shaping the Nation report from GroupM.
Something else that is worth your time if you want a good understanding of the nation is feeling.
Go read.
Go think.
Go change the way you write your strategy.
THING 2. THE LENGTHY WRITE UP OF MY TRIP TO ISLAY THAT YOU CAN SKIP IF YOU WANT TO SEE IF I CARE
For the whisky lovers, buckle up. For the non whisky lovers, you may skip to Thing 3.
WELL.
The last time I wrote to you I had just arrived into Islay. 14hrs door to door (including a 2hr boat trip from Kennacraig) and to say this trip was the best thing I could've hoped it would be AND MORE would be an understatement.
Things we did (in order of appearance):
FRIDAY.
Islay Rum distillery (almost by accident), swam in the ocean (why not), Bowmore distillery tour + tasting (mad love to Margaret - our dead pan hilarious guide)…
…followed by making some new friends in the pub and then dinner at Bowmore Hotel.
Highlight? There aren’t that many cabs on Islay (pronounced eye-lah) and as Bowmore was a last minute booking due to the boat trip we had planned being cancelled, we hadn’t booked a cab to get us back to our hotel in Port Ellen.
So of course we couldn’t get one.
It’s a good hour’s walk, in the complete dark, and we were a little worse for wear and so our waiter in the restaurant, a lovely man named Peter, offered to drive us back (!) - this is not a thing that normally happens.
On the drive home, I remember two things so clearly. First, Peter refused to take any money from us. Second, being LONDONERS we of course asked said ‘Thank you but also why?’ and he said something along the lines of:
‘Look, there aren’t that many of us that live here…’ (around 3200 people) ‘…so if people are mean, or just a bit of a dick we find out about it. And we rely on tourists and trade and so we all go out of our way to make sure you have a nice time and feel welcomed and so you a come again and b) go back home and tell your friends - and bring them back with you next time.’
The following day, retelling that story to our self-appointed guide (and makeshift mother) at our hotel, a cracking Polish/Scottish woman named CoCo, she said ‘Oh yeah, that’s Peter all over - God love him’.
But Peter was right. What he told us that night set the bar for every single local we met thereafter and they either met that bar or smashed through it - smiling.
Stacking all that up against the points in Thing 1 about culture and belonging and you can suddenly see why this place is so special.
Saturday.
The Three Distilleries Path.
One gorgeous walk, and three banging distilleries.
Namely:
Laphroaig (full tour and tasting).
Lagavulin (a flight at the bar)
Ardbeg (walking tour and tasting).
Laphroaig do this thing (it’s a CRM programme) where if you buy a bottle, you can claim a plot. We did that. Super fun.
Lagavulin we couldn’t find time for a tour or an official tasting so we ‘just’ stopped in their bar for a flight of distillery exclusives (probably where we spent the most money if I’m honest). The Cabernet Sauvignon finish was the second best thing we tasted all weekend.
The best thing however - and the highlight of the day was Ardbeg, right at the end. It completely surprised us. For me a) it’s not normally a dram I drink and b) the whisky we tasted there was some of the best we had the entire trip.
Specifically a 15 year old direct from the barrel on the tour which they do not sell. We thought it would knock our socks off but it was sweet, caramelly, and just - well - we could’ve drunk it all day… although by that point it was probably a good job that we didn’t.
Sunday.
Bruichladdich and Kilchoman. Tours and tastings at both.
Bruichladdich makes the Bruichladdich, The Botonist (gin), and Octomore. We tried them all.
Kilchoman is the last surviving distillery which still operates as a farm (which means you can buy whisky there that is 100% made on Islay).
Both excellent distilleries in their own right. Both worth a visit. Extra points to Bruichladdich for not only clocking how hungover we were at 10am and deciding to treat that hangover with a dram of Octomore but also organising a Monster Munch pairing for the taste tour.
Monday.
The long, slow drive home.
So yeah, that was Islay. I say again, the best thing about the place is the locals. EVERYONE was lovely.
Everyone. E V E R Y O N E.
So if you’ve read this and are now considering your own trip, here are some recommendations:
Accommodation. We stayed at the No 1 Charlotte Street Hotel. It was exactly what we needed. Welcoming hosts and a full english breakfast every morning.
Getting around on Islay. Book cabs in advance if you can. We managed to get stuff booked while we were there but consider planning ahead. Especially if you go bang in the middle of high season. Also, on that, book all your distillery tours in advance as well. We purposefully didn’t do everything (wanting to save some stuff for next time) so make sure you bag the ones you want and go from there.
Getting to Islay. Unless you are VERY LAZY AND JUST WANT A HOLIDAY (and this is fine, btw) then may I strongly recommend planning your whole thing yourself. Even consider driving (we took Olly’s electrified Polestar and managed it from North London in around 3-4 charges).
We took a couple of quotes from tour guides and it was all coming in around £1000pp before flights and accommodation. By planning it all ourselves, we saved about £500 all told, and that left more money to spend loading up the car with whisky. Which we did.
So yeah. If you like a peaty whisky then find time to make your trip to your own personal Mecca happen. Life is short. And it’s later than you think.
We’re already planning our return…
PS. I’ve tried to keep the photos minimal but if you want the full vicarious experience, you’ll find this one Bluesky thread from the full weekend should meet your needs.
THING 3. THIS WEEK IN… GAMING
We are SPOILT. SPOILT ROTTEN. Spoilt to the back teeth for choice on killer after killer game right now. And it’s only May for crying out loud.
I usually kick off with some big piece of news worth knowing and then do some news bites and then perhaps do something like 'what is James playing?' but honestly, the games out RIGHT NOW are spoiling us.
Literally, just off the top of my head:
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Forza 5 and Indiana Jones arriving on PS5, Split Fiction, Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - Remastered, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, South of Midnight, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage…
What is James playing?
James is FEASTING. First and foremost, BLUE PRINCE has been my gaming life pretty much since the moment it dropped.
A game that was EIGHT YEARS in the making that just plays like a bottomless onion with layers, upon layers, upon layers. Play this game. It’s one of the best [not-actually-a] couch co-op games out this year. What I mean by that is: it’s a one player game but everyone/anyone watching gets so invested it immediately becomes a social experience. Magic.
This is how mad this game is, here be a guide on HOW TO TAKE NOTES. Hahahah - are you insane?! Yes. I am. And it’s because of this game.
That’s my main big take out for you this week: play Blue Prince. It’s a puzzle game, a roguelike, a locked box, a trick, a mirror, an onion… grab a pen and paper and let it consume you. You have been warned.
PS. I’m also playing: AC Shadows (well, I will when I put Blue Prince down - day 70, seen room 46 a few times, just trying to get some final puzzles done), and Rogue Flight - an unexpected shooter that gives Starfox/Starwing vibes but with the action amped up to 11.
QUICK NEWS BITES
I saw the A Minecraft Movie and it was a 2hr reminder that Mojang and Microsoft need to update the graphics on their game.
Blue Prince is so good people (PIRATES) were making fake versions of it for mobile.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves came out - and this is the best thing I’ve read about why so many people will/should pass on it.
Reggie in unhappy about some of the Nintendo pricing (ain’t we all, Reg, ain’t we all).
Ghosts'n Goblins on LEGEND MODE made me chuckle.
Returnal (one of my favourite games of recent times) got a huge PS5 Pro update. Lovely.
Panel partner in crime, George Osborn, back again this time with some excellent Newzoo-infused words on How To Win The Playtime War.
And finally for this section: working (and mentoring) in agency land for as long as I have you hear some horror stories.
However, hearing what actually happens sometimes in gaming-specialist agencies has been a whole other eye-opening barrel of poisonous spiders.
Imagine being so bad at your job that you get completely rinsed for it on Reddit?
Yikes.
THING 4. A THING THAT IS BASICALLY A LIST OF TRAILERS BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN LOADS LATELY AND IT PROBABLY DESERVES ITS OWN THING
Let’s start with this, from A24.
THE SMASHING MACHINE - The Rock in an almost unrecognisable turn in the biopic of UFC fighter, Mark Kerr.
Next, two Predator things.
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS comes out June 6 on Disney/Hulu - and it has my attention.
Following that, later in November, we have the live action follow up to PREY, ‘PREDATOR: BADLANDS’ - yes, she is Weyland Yutani.
Changing gears, Wes Anderson’s new one THE PHEONICIAN SCHEME is apparently getting huge plaudits (from those who have seen it) as his best film in years.
I can’t not mention FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS here. I’m excited, are you excited? I’m excited.
TRON: ARES arrives in October. LEGACY holds such a special place in my heart, I’m terrified this will sod it up. We live in hope.
Yay for WEDNESDAY SEASON TWO.
I don’t know HOW we have another sequel to NOW YOU SEE ME but I guess that’s where we are now.
—
PS. I had some squid content in this thing originally, I was going to move it to the bonus things but the squid looked so happy I decided to leave them there.
Enjoy:
THING 5. GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF AN INSANE REVENGE OF THE SITH FAN THEORY
I love this for a) how nerdy it is and b) the efforts gone to uncover the mystery.
Did you know that for AGES there has been a STAR WARS fan theory that Anakin was actually being controlled by a secret force ghost in Revenge of the Sith because of a blink and you miss it ‘face’ that appears behind him in literally one frame a shot toward the end of the movie.
Well, maybe you did. Maybe you didn’t. Here is a fantastic blog post exploring just how that happened and the wonderful work that went into figuring out what (and who) that was.
BONUS SECTION
THIS IS THE BONUS SECTION. BONUS LINKS THAT BUMP US OVER FIVE THINGS BUT DUE TO TIMING AND SELF-IMPOSED WRITING RESTRICTIONS ARE LIMITED TO PITHY COMMENTARY ONLY.
ENJOY.
AGES AGO (long before I started actually working on LEGO Fortnite) I wrote about Disney's investment and partnership announcement with Epic and what that might look like. Well, one of my first predictions (Thing 1 here) has just come true.
McKinsey in 'Not understanding Marketing' shocker. If I were a consulting firm that tried to extract six/seven figures out of clients, I would simply not publicly let everyone know I knew nothing about the job of marketing.
‘Check-out time’ is worth your time.
Huge wraparound ads are coming to those gorgeous Liz Line tunnels. Hey adland, use them wisely. Please.
WPP offering free lunches to get people back in the office is a hoot - and it turns out it was only for April. For a moment I considered doing the math on the cost/benefit of: train-to-work, child-care, coffee, etc in exchange for beef ragu but it’s so achingly obvious there was no point).
Being bad at an agency is one thing. Having a review from a dev on reddit? That's gotta hurt.
John Oliver wants you to change your Facebook and Instagram settings. Why not?
'James, why don't you trust Meta?' - well, aside from having a front row seat on literally its entire history of being caught out fibbing about data (among many other things), here's yet another example of that, this time caught lying about AI benchmarks.
Related: The Washington Post is now handing over more and more to OpenAI. Next round of redundancies before Christmas then?
Sticking with AI, this next thing is a) not AI generated (but about it instead) and b) kind of beautiful. Watch it.
FINAL THING ON AI (for this edition at least), Ed Zitron is on form again on why the AI market is a bubble waiting to pop.
You know, like that Metaverse thing that Zuck was wanging on about (and making more associated lay offs). Honestly.
Ladies and gentlemen, please, a standing ovation for Roy Hudd’s gravestone.
Jim Downey talking to Conan about Norm MacDonald was a highlight this week (and sent me down a proper Norm rabbit hole).
And finally… do you need to get into flow? Try these non-stop ambient TARDIS noises. Bizarrely they worked really well for me. YMMV.
YOU ARE REACHING THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER. MIND THE GAP.
Right. I think I’m going to call it there. As I glance at the clock on my macbook, it’s just turned 09:00 on Saturday May 3rd. The kids are playing LEGO next door, there’s new Star Wars content on Fortnite waiting for us, and me and the eldest have an 1130am showing of THUNDERBOLTS to look forward to.
I might make coffee.
Some other stuff I’m looking forward to this month includes: The Unlikeable Woman Conference (some tickets still available) - the speaker list for this is insane; Interesting 2025 (sold out) - it’s always interesting, and it always runs over; aaaaand at the end of the month, a family trip to Pompeii (tickets unavailable) - the kids are abnormally excited about visiting an actual volcano. I blame Horrible Histories.
And that’s just May. It’s gonna be busy this month so we’ll see if you get another edition between now and June. You never know.
In the meantime, I hope wherever you are and whatever you’re doing this fine weekend, you’re taking things at your own pace, breathing, and unclenching that jaw.
Oh and hey, stop running for the tube. It helps.
Until next time,
Whatley out x
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