The Blandemic: Distinctiveness in the age of slop Written by Ben Mitchell, Head of Strategy at Red Brick Road Distinctiveness is all around us, but it’s not brands who are nailing it What caught your eye recently? Was it the Russian couple scaling the Empire State Building, unfurling a large banner and then getting engaged? Maybe it was Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka arriving in a dazzling white kimono on her first day at Wimbledon? Or even the amazing Norway football fans doing the Viking Row in Dallas, Miami and beyond..? Well, that’s what Distinctiveness looks like. Unique, original, full [...]

Skipton Building Society has been shortlisted at the 2026 Marketing Week Awards We're delighted to announce that our work with Skipton Building Society has been shortlisted at the 2026 Marketing Week Awards in the Excellence in Financial Services category. Together, we've helped reposition Skipton around its founding principle of fairness, transforming its 170-year heritage into a distinctive brand platform. Through Founded on Fairness, we've shone a light on the everyday unfairness people experience in financial services, positioning Skipton as the fair Building Society and a compelling alternative to the high-street banks.  The campaign has broadened Skipton's appeal amongst younger audiences and helped grow membership among under-40s, showing the impact a [...]

The Human Touch: What MAD//Fest 2026 Taught Us About Marketing in the Age of AI Every year, MAD//Fest gives the industry a theme to argue with itself about. This year it was "The Human Touch" — a direct response to a moment when AI-generated content has become so ubiquitous that "AI slop" was named Macquarie Dictionary's Word of the Year. Co-founder Dan Brain framed the festival around the evolving relationship between AI, creativity, human connection, and effectiveness, and the question hanging over the Truman Brewery all week was whether brands can have their cake and eat it: use AI for [...]