Ben Kay, Author at MediaCat

Ben Kay

Writer

Ah! The good old ‘about’ section. Time to decide whether to talk about myself in the first person or the third…OK, here goes: I’ve been a CD, GCD, ECD, Creative Partner and an agency founder (twice). I’ve worked on nascent start-ups and the biggest company in the world, and I’ve won dozens of awards and pitches. It’s been fun; it still is. It’s also been a fascinating series of challenges, from building creative departments to working with The Cookie Monster (surprisingly urbane).The older I get the more interested I am in the effect advertising has on the wider world. In 2017 I started an ethical agency and gave myself a very unofficial MBA in the moral questions advertising should consider within the conversations surrounding diversity, the use of global resources and of course the Climate Crisis. We still need to convey information on behalf of corporations and organizations, but we also need to be responsible for any secondary effects and unintended externalities that our work might create.Fortunately it seems that the acknowledgement of those responsibilities is becoming more obvious and more prevalent. If I can do my part in infusing that perspective into places where it can have a greater effect, so much the better. We all need to do our bit, and improved communication is usually the first step in making that happen.I look forward to getting more opportunities to make the kind of difference I think we’re going to need in the near future. And if, along the way, I get to work with Gonzo, Kermit or The Swedish Chef, that would be a welcome bonus.

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How do ad lengths impact attention?

‘The issue isn’t how long an ad is, but how compelling it can be’... 04.12.2024

The Taxi Test

'Clients usually want work that makes them known by cab drivers'... 07.10.2024

Sweet Child O’ Mine: balancing the new and familiar

Unusual ads exist in the context of the usual... 31.07.2024

Fame to response: how old media ain’t going nowhere

'Fame should still be the goal of most B2C brands'... 03.07.2024

What advertising should (and should not) learn from Nigel Farage

'His path to success isn't open to the rest of us'... 05.06.2024

Big business and the illusion of people power

'Surface power has become the perfect distraction'... 07.05.2024

‘Prosters’ and pushing funny ads out of vogue

If funny is out of fashion, a savvy marketer should lean in that direction... 13.03.2024

The problem with relevance in online advertising

We’re only human, our wants and needs constantly shift... 01.02.2024

Brands: new directions lead to better things

Ben tells us about the origins of Instagram, Flickr and Twitter... 06.12.2023

Corporate masks exist: what’s the real face of a company?

Ben Kay investigates the many masks of a brand... 06.11.2023

Deflecting harm with positive advertising

The corporate equivalent of putting a tenner in the RSPCA charity box when you run a dogfighting rin... 16.10.2023

Work should be the way Gen Z sees it

Older generations are jealous of territory Gen Z has gained... 07.09.2023

Burning the midnight oil and the tolerance of Gen Z

Sometimes your job is exactly that: a job, and it’s OK to treat it as such... 31.08.2023

Advertising: a fluid relationship with ‘truth’ and ‘lies’

One of the fundamental methods of advertising is couched in a lie: dramatise the benefit... 20.07.2023

Six ways we respond to fear, in work and life

Fight or flight? What about freeze, fawn or fortify?... 30.05.2023

Four favourite books: Ben Kay

From music to memoirs to sci-fi... 23.05.2023

Leaving a creative legacy: should we really care?

Be free of the feeling that we must make a mark... 26.04.2023

American melancholy: happiness is an abstract notion

The confusion between happiness and pleasure... 17.04.2023

How iProspect ran Capri-Sun’s biggest DOOH campaign to date

How VCCP made an anti-scammer AI granny for O2

Can a brand safety and performance mindset co-exist in 2025?

Don’t overthink economic factors — capitalise on consumer spending

We’re hiring a reporter

Revisiting EssenceMediacom’s 2024 media predictions

Reddit leapfrogs X in UK social media rankings

Diamond industry calls for urgent marketing revival

2025 media trends, with dentsu and iProspect

Tom Gent on creating standout multi-platform video content

Talking regenerative brand design with Bob Sheard

Simon Akers and Jaz Poke on neurodiversity in media

Spotify playlists for brands: more than just tunes

Why creativity matters more than ever in digital advertising

Low stakes and new intimacies: social media in 2025

How do ad lengths impact attention?

Ben Kay

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