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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‘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 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

A step-by-step guide to killing your idols

Try to always keep an open mind and, eventually, consider becoming your own idol... 06.03.2023

The subtle art of creative destruction

Harpooning our supposed betters with creativity is a form of destruction more powerful than a moloto... 10.01.2023

The perfect side quest

We spend our lives thinking we’re playing the main game, before realising we were only ever on an ... 29.11.2022

Age and creativity

Does an artist's work improve with age? Ben Kay on the waning of brilliance, context, and creative q... 25.10.2022

Rogues and scoundrels in the internet age

For September's theme Ben Kay asks, can we truly separate art from the artist?... 01.09.2022

The yin and the yang

Writer Ben Kay reflects on 30 years of the internet, and how it remains both a good and bad thing... 10.08.2022

Demystifying dynamic creative optimisation in prDOOH

A love letter to OOH and the people behind the posters

What brands can learn from cosy games

Navigating Thailand’s evolving media landscape

Science In Sport launch ‘You can’t beat science’ with M&C Saatchi

Meta’s AI-focused Marketing Summit to take place on 24 April

illy partners with Feels Like to launch e-commerce platform

WPP and Google Cloud join forces for gen AI marketing

Claire Atkin on the disinformation economy

I’m a copywriter… get me out of here! With Glenn Fisher

Rani Patel on truth and lies, Gen Z, trust and transparency

We discuss beautiful magazines with Steven Watson

A love letter to OOH and the people behind the posters

What brands can learn from cosy games

Navigating Thailand’s evolving media landscape

The rise of influencers moving to 9-5

Ben Kay

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