Nope. Human shaped marketing is, rooted in creativity.

Our brilliant band of associates, provocateurs and collaborators - otherwise known as the Fire Crew - are a key part of what makes Firehaus special. Drawn from a wide range of specialisms, they help us bring fresh perspectives beyond what you’d expect from a standard creative set-up. We thought it was about time we introduced some of them to you.

What would happen if a super-keen adland exec booked his first trip to Cannes, but ended up in Cann, the small village in Dorset, UK? Swapping high-flying ad types for normal people, yachts for bus-stops, and rosé for cider - what could go wrong?

How’s your marketing budget looking? Going up or down? I thought so. Research from Gartner shows a 10% decrease in marketing budgets since a peak in 2016. Scary times, but at least it’s happening to everyone, right?

And how about your time - got enough time to sort it all out? Oh. Damn.

New entrant to the shaving and skincare sector Kairn, has selected Firehaus to develop its Brand Idea.

The brand has completed an initial phase of product development, which has seen excellent results in-market, and is now planning for the next phase of growth.

I’ve noted in recent times that as the speed of implementation has increased through digital, clients and agencies have applied a similar urgency to understanding the problem – largely by not doing it at all.

Today, we’re proud to present our new creativity consultancy, Firehaus.

We passionately believe that creativity fuels competitive advantage. So we’re here to offer fresh perspectives to brands, agencies and startups who feel their full potential is yet to be realised.

Our response to the current status quo must be to step up our efforts to knock down walls.

Rachel Cooke's recent article in The Observer on lack of diversity in the advertising industry (Sexism in advertising: 'They talk about diversity but they don't want to change') made for shocking if unsurprising reading. A catalogue of issues - the size of gender pay gaps, cultures of silence around discrimination, the scarcity of true representation in creative output - painted a picture of an industry very much on the back foot. Out of touch. The sharp contrast between the forward-thinking bravery we extol for our clients and the entrenched, conservative behaviours we practice feels at best deeply ironic. At worst duplicitous.

Should we in marketing and communications accept the world-as-it-is, or look to make the world-as-it-should-be?

A while ago I went to an interesting APG event on what makes a great marketing strategist. There were great points made which others summarised at the time, but the bit that really stuck with me was the various speakers' reflections on changes in marketing strategy and by extension marketing generally. They all basically made the same point:

"When I started, I had time and training, and that was good. However, the world has changed so marketing needs to too, and you can't have what I had."

For marketers seeking fulfilment

During my wonderful sojourn of Watching/Reading/Writing/Waiting, I’ve listened too. Actually, done a lot of it.

What’s been unsettling to hear is that brilliant people I’ve known for years and new entrants to the industry alike, are unfulfilled. Even celebrated figures have admitted it once they’re off the podium. And not just creatives, across the board. Brands and agencies. Big and small. Weird isn’t. A creative industry that people don’t seem to be enjoying.