News

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship”

Written by Beth Menear, Account Director. I’ve been watching “Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution” because it’s bloody hot and I couldn’t be all that bothered to change the channel. It was good though, and the Benjamin Franklin phrase stolen for the title of this stream of consciousness seems actually quite apt as I’ve also …

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship” +

Beware the finfluencers.

You may well have seen Manosphere, Louis Theroux’s latest compelling and disturbing documentary on Netflix. If you have seen it, you may have reached the very same conclusion as quickly as I did: namely, that it’s all just about making money.  Just hard dollar, and nothing more.  Because whenever the characters in question were challenged …

Beware the finfluencers. +

Sans woke if you please.

In December 2025, the US state department (headed up by Secretary of State Mark Rubio) pulled a long face about a certain typeface. ‘Calibri’ had been the font of choice for the state department since 2023 – coincidentally while Joe Biden was in power. Clean, modern and accessible was the thinking. Well at least to …

Sans woke if you please. +

A word about Brexit

Don’t panic, this isn’t a thousand words on the fineries of re-joining the custom union or soft cheese tariffs. Just a simple lesson from the past in regard to messaging. Now it may not feel like it, but we’re rapidly approaching ten years since that fateful day when we chose to leave the EU. Now, …

A word about Brexit +

Is performance still performing?

The performance marketing landscape is changing. Fast. For the first time in two decades Google has seen a drop in search activity, with January 2025 marking the fourth consecutive month its market share sat below 90%. Of course they still have a monopoly, but there’s no denying this is a significant shift as new ways …

Is performance still performing? +

Allow us to lend a paw

Of course we’ve had a read of ‘How Are Marketers Doing?’, the recent report from the team at The Marketing Meetup on the collective feelings of the industry and it’s certainly a mixed bag – pressured, excited, but undeniably drained. It’s a thoughtful, well-crafted report and it goes without saying, a huge credit to the …

Allow us to lend a paw +

An Intelligent Environment, or Artificial Commitments?

The world is competing in two races. One to halt the devastating effects of climate change. One for AI glory. The rise of coverage and subsequent interest in these topics has been meteoric. But how can they work together, and in 2025 what impact might this have on our industry and the wider world. Let’s …

An Intelligent Environment, or Artificial Commitments? +

The Social Saga Part One

On Friday 13th I watched something truly horrifying. Remember that scene in Scream? Well Channel 4’s ‘Swiped’ just took scary-phone-time to a whole new level. The show sees a class of year 8’s give up smart devices for three weeks, and is littered with spine-chilling facts about phone usage and the types of content not …

The Social Saga Part One +

Bears Broadcast

Our two creative partners both took to the online airwaves recently to talk to the world about very different subjects. First up, Rich was invited onto a panel discussion about the power of having a distinct tone of voice with the GO! Network – you can view his thoughts here: https://vimeo.com/1031905671 And a few weeks …

Bears Broadcast +

A quick word on the safe word

”So to summarise… we want something new and challenging. Something that pushes the boundaries. Something that will achieve our goals, and win awards. Oh, but don’t forget the safe options.” Ug. ‘Safe’. An option that wears high vis to eat vanilla ice cream while it toes the line in sensible shoes. You’ll more often than …

A quick word on the safe word +

Bossing It: Richard Elwell and Jon Harrison Were Raised by Wolves.

The self-taught founders and creative directors of One Black Bear on the importance of resilience in their journey to leadership.

Bossing It: Richard Elwell and Jon Harrison Were Raised by Wolves. +

Are you tech’in the p*ss?

Enough of the artificial already. Get real.

Are you tech’in the p*ss? +