Like the beautiful flower that it is, Paris is opening up.   Restaurant tables are being wiped off. A thousand barmen are blasting dust from billions of glasses. Folk are smiling again. Parisians are shouting “Mais Non!” again (mind you, Parisian cynicism survives anything). Mates and muses are shuffling back into town, some rejoicing, some wondering why.   Personally, I’m a rejoicer. Three months on my own have been a trial. Yes, I’ve had work. Yes, I do Zoom. Yes, I got called and called. But even the best-crafted words will never replace touches on shoulders, handshakes, hugs and glances.…

Some little things lockdown has helped me realise. Maybe natural catastrophes happen to help us appreciate what we all have in common. Even when viruses, markets and consumer confidence all say no, clients still say yes. Thank you, I love you. When economies slow down, bank transfer systems don’t. Cheers, all of you, even more. When shares plummet, the value of thanks goes the other way. Boredom is probably a bigger killer than a virus, but easier to prevent. And even viruses can’t stop leaves unfurling, shopkeepers smiling or trees bursting into pink and yellow. Old ads are still great…

Thank you, thank you, Chas Bayfield, Mark Fairbanks and others. You turned my lonely lockdown into a joy.   You kindly posted some of the most memorable and effective ads of past times. The Guardian. PlayStation. Blackcurrant Tango. UPS. Hamlet. John West. BT. 27 years ago, they inspired me to get into this filthy game. Now, seeing them again reminds me it was all worthwhile.   They also reminded me of another David Ogilvy quote. Sorry to mention him so often. It’s just that he was so often right.   It’s this. When people aren’t having any fun, they seldom…

When this is all over, if it really ever is, a new species will emerge from the darkness and inhabit the earth.   What it does and looks like will depend on where it lives, but here are a few guesses. Hair right down to the knees, maybe. Guts down to the feet. Glass-smooth hands. An accumulated allergy to sourdough. Right-angled leg joints. A corkscrew-shaped right index finger. Technicolor livers. Rectangular eyes with a big red “N”- shaped iris.   There will be a rainbow plethora of regional and national variations, but one common trait. More space in our cerebral…