Author: Dave Trott

WHEN GOOD IS BAD AND BAD IS GOOD

    In 2007, Apple launched the iPhone. In America you could only use the iPhone on AT&T’s network. But a teenager called George Hotz didn’t want to use AT&T. He wanted to use T-Mobile. So he opened his iPhone, … read more

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DON’T JUST LEARN THE WORDS

    Recently I was talking to a young guy who had just finished training to be a copywriter. He asked me if I had any tips on how to get a job. I said, if you want a job … read more

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THE BEST ADVICE I EVER HAD

  I studied advertising at art school in New York. When I came back to London I didn’t know anything about English advertising. Or anyone in it. So the first thing to do is find out if there are any … read more

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CONFIDENCE v OVERTHINKING

    How important is confidence? When does thinking become overthinking? A good example is Malta in 1942. It was an essential British base in the Mediterranean, and a convoy was sent to resupply it. The Italians and Germans did … read more

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PURE CREATIVITY v APPLIED CREATIVITY

    When I was at art school in New York, one of my best mates was a guy called Artie Kane. We shared a flat in Brooklyn for a couple of years. Later, he went on to form a … read more

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CONTROL CONTEXT AND YOU CONTROL THE MIND

    Steve Jobs said the most devastating and exhilarating experience of his life occurred on the same day. He was a small boy and he was playing in the garden with a young friend. She told him he was … read more

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PREDATORY THINKING IS OWNING THE CONTEXT

    When I was young, I was a mod. We had the radio on all the time, small transistor radios. At home, in the street, in cars, on buses, on trains. And one sound was different to everything else. … read more

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ANGER IS GOOD

    Gary Neville played his entire career for one club, Manchester United. He also played for England more than any other right back. Neville said his greatest source of motivation was indignation. It provided fuel for him to go … read more

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WHAT’S WRONG WITH CHEATING?

  Akio Morita was the founder of Sony. One of his earliest products was the first transistor radio. By the standards of the time it was tiny, about the size of a paperback book. Akio Morita wanted to call it … read more

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DOES YOUR JOB COUNT?

    There’s an old children’s verse: “For want of a nail a shoe was lost. For want of a shoe a horse was lost. For want of a horse a message was lost. For want of a message a … read more

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