A tale of two robots

Hunch managing partner Michael Goldthorpe enters the world of robots to see how fast they are evolving while people remain the same.
Hunch managing partner Michael Goldthorpe enters the world of robots to see how fast they are evolving while people remain the same.
Hunch founder Michael Goldthorpe peers into the boiling cauldron to find out what goes into making creative magic.
Industry happenings at NZ Herald, IAB NZ, Cuisine magazine, TRA, Group M, Hunch and Hypermedia.
Having worked at TBWA\ from 2005 to 2010 alongside David Walden, Michael Goldthorpe was asked to share a few words about his mentor and friend at last night's Effie Awards, which fell on the same day as Devo's unsurprisingly well-attended and colourful funeral. And he decided to let Devo's words, which serve as the introduction to a book that will be available to buy soon, do most of the talking.
Michael Goldthorpe discusses the evolution/his changing understanding of direct marketing, otherwise known as DM, from when he was a youngster when those two capitalised letters meant one thing: Danger Mouse. And now, as an adult where technology has changed the game completely, where direct marketing is no longer just a targeted letter sent to your mailbox and finally, he discusses whether the fundamentals have really changed all that much.
As the nation readies itself for a long weekend of hot cross buns and relaxation, Michael Goldthorpe takes inspiration from Easter and points out that facts are largely irrelevant when someone tells a good story.
Michael Goldthorpe was inspired by Steve Bayliss last week when he said if it ain’t good, it won’t work, if it isn’t achieving a sales metric, it doesn’t belong in marketing, and if people don’t talk about it, it’s dead. And if you want to know how to do it, there's an acronym for that.
Plenty has been written about the passing of Robin Williams in the past few days. And Michael Goldthorpe thinks it's of relevant interest that one of his last pieces of work was a show about advertising, an industry that, like Hollywood, is pretty good at monetising mania.
The insight that kids are clever is nothing new, but Michael Goldthorpe's experience at his son's 'take Dad to work day' showed just how fearlessly they come up with new ideas. If you're looking for genius, unlearn what you know.
When it comes to agencies, is bigger usually better? Or can smaller shops be just as sharp? Michael Goldthorpe reckons the answer to both questions is yes.
Michael Goldthorpe runs his own consultancy called Hunch and, inbetween doing actual work, he has written some wonderful things for StopPress over the past couple of years, the most wonderful being his extremely well-received piece on how "mad people are attracted to advertising, just as advertising is attracted to us". So here he is writing some more about the year that was.
The classic 'work first, play later' incentive strategy works. But in this industry, Michael Goldthorpe thinks fun works better.
Michael Goldthorpe went along to TVNZ's new season launch at the Viaduct Events Centre. And he got inspired about the potential for New Zealand to become a branded content powerhouse.
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year it's themed around the idea of 'Connecting'. It’s when some of the smartest people in our industry do amazing work to help us better understand mental illness. But when it comes to understanding, the real heavy lifting is usually achieved through conversation. So, as someone who’s lucky enough to be relatively successful in spite of mental illness, Michael Goldthorpe has decided to open up in an attempt to kick-start some chatter.
If you get to know your customers, keep them engaged and talk to them occasionally without a hard sell, Michael Goldthorpe believes it will pay off in the long run.