Andy Nairn is one of the 3 founders of Lucky Generals, a creative company for people on a mission. It's been shortlisted for Campaign's Agency of the Year for 5 years in a row. In 2021, Campaign named him the top brand strategist in the UK, for the 3rd time in a row. Business Insider has also named him one of the top 5 creative people in world advertising. He's won 24 IPA Effectiveness Awards (including the 2005, 2007 and 2010 Grands Prix) as well as the top 2 planning prizes in the USA (Gold Effie and Gold APGUS). And he's just launched his first book GO LUCK YOURSELF, with all the royalties going to help working class kids get a lucky break into the creative industry. What we covered in this episode:
How lockdown led to Andy writing a book
Why he went from law to advertising
Jon’s ‘lucky’ break creating a new business
Why successful companies use their luck better
Good luck is more how you handle bad luck
How being clear on your purpose helps prepare for bad luck
How Napolean inspired Lucky Generals
The importance of a popular idea rather than PowerPoint slides
Why strategists should make things simple rather than being super intellectuals
Lucky Lockdown and a socially distanced Teapot from Yorkshire
How Lucky General took Yorkshire Tea from No.3 to No.1
Lucky timing and how the Coop strategy would have been much cooler in Swedish
Trolling Tesco with the Coop’s recycling message
Premier league footballers lacing up in support of the LGBTQ community
Lucky dog story and the role of jeopardy in creating a good ad
Making the best Super Bowl ad for Amazon
Why the more boring the category the more interesting you become
How we lost our history and forgot the power of nostalgia
Why lucky mascots are unloved marketing gold
How Lucky Generals got everyone to complete their tax returns
How the navy beat enemy u-boats by using a new paint scheme
What took Taylors so long to put coffee in bags and how they turned this into an advantage
Going commando for a good cause and the power of a beautiful constraint
Lucky legacy and the battle of the bread brands
How they updated the legendary Hovis boy on a bike campaign a won ad of the decade