Dave Trott's Blog

    Rory Sutherland reminded me of a Bill Bernbach maxim. Bernbach said we deal in ‘unchanging human truths’. I’d forgotten that, I think we all have. We’re so wound up in chasing the latest marketing gimmick, the latest jargon, … read more

    When you hear someone great tell you how they did something it seems so simple, so obvious, you think anyone could do it. All great answers look simple and obvious afterwards. I’ve just watched a film of John … read more

    In 1929, William Van Alen designed a building for Chrysler. He wanted it to be the tallest and most beautiful building in the world. But several dozen blocks away The Bank of Manhattan wanted to put up a … read more

    When I was about 17, I did Economics A Level. I was crap at it but one thing stuck in my mind, the difference between real wages and money wages. Real wages are everything that you get from … read more

    Sue Unerman is Chief Strategy Officer at Mediacom, the biggest media agency in the UK. Recently I was talking to Sue, but not about media. She was telling me about her daughter. Sylvia is a seriously clever girl. … read more

    When Muhammad Ali was 26 he was found guilty of draft evasion. He said “No Vietcong ever called me nigger.” He was stripped of his world title. The next four years should have been the peak of his … read more

    The title of Paul Arden’s first book was “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be.” That book’s been amazingly successful. It’s been translated into a dozen different languages. It’s sold around 2 … read more

    Supposing you lost both your legs. You’d have to be pushed around in a wheelchair, right? Over time you’d have false legs fitted. Eventually you’d want to try standing on them. You couldn’t get out of the chair … read more

    In 1911 two teams of men raced to be the first humans ever to the South Pole. The teams were led by Amundsen for Norway, and Scott for Britain. The main difference between the teams was transport. The … read more