ISSUE 64 /

A BULLETIN FOR
BIG IDEAS AND
BETTER BUSINESS.

OPINION / MARKETING

Marketing will
never be science

💬 Sir John Hegarty 

Business loves certainty. The most successful companies tend to be those that are able to minimise the effect of chance. They relentlessly pursue reliable (and replicable) outcomes that keep the money pouring in, and the bottom line moving in a favourable direction. In the first instance, think about products themselves. If a brand ships faulty goods, then its reputation is destined for a sharp decline. The same applies to logistics, research shows that shortages and late goods have an impact on customers’ willingness to buy from you further down the line.

Being a great brand means turning these corners of a business into something that resembles science. And understanding things like probabilities, formulae and data to deliver the dependable returns that customers – and shareholders – expect. But somewhere along the line, companies started including marketing into the list of things that delivers certainty. But marketing (and advertising even less so) is not a science. The act of appealing to people through emotion, meaning and stories in a way that may – or may not – speak to some personal undercurrent of feeling they already have, has stubbornly unpredictable results.

Where marketing is concerned, the impact of chance is something that we must accept and learn to embrace. I have always found this invigorating. Your next campaign could have an impact of varying degrees. From moral panic or customer backlash, to igniting a cultural phenomenon. At the very worst, no one will notice what you have tried to do. And doesn’t that uncertainty make things interesting? We should never under-appreciate the value of randomness in communications, and in the world more broadly. Business loves certainty, but it should learn to love chance too.

THE AGENDA

🗓️ Diarise this: your agenda for the coming week

1.
Montana’s International Wildlife Film Festival is a big-screen celebration of the natural world. With documentaries on topics including the wolves of Yellowstone National Park and turtle conservation in India, the six-day event celebrates the power of storytelling in driving environmental awareness.
19th – 24th April

2.
From Donald Trump’s attempted assasination to the war-torn streets of Gaza, the brave work of photojournalists means key events from the past year have been captured on camera for posterity. These contributions will be honoured when the winners of this year’s World Press Photo Contest are announced on Wednesday.
17th April

3.
This week sees the return of Art Dubai, a vital hub for contemporary art across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. This year’s edition will be putting a particular focus on creatives from the Global South, with a series of solo exhibitions by artists from the region.
18th – 20th April

4.
Lights, camera, action — the 14th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival kicks off this week. With a mix of global premieres, industry forums and retrospective screenings, the nine-day event brings together filmmakers and cinephiles in celebration of movies from East and West.
18th – 26th April

5.
From AI breakthroughs to sustainable design, World Creativity and Innovation Day returns this Sunday with a focus on bold ideas shaping our future. Backed by the United Nations, the day encourages individuals and institutions alike to reimagine what’s possible across science, education, the arts and beyond.
21st April

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LOS ANGELES / ARCHITECTURE

Best in
show

The Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles has broken ground on a bold $100 million expansion, set to open in 2028. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the new wing will boost gallery space by 70 percent and introduce an innovative new art storage experience, where visitors can glimpse rarely seen works on custom painting racks. It’s part of a wider trend in museum design, where institutions are reimagining not just what they show, but how they show it. Diller Scofidio + Renfro are also behind London’s upcoming V&A Storehouse, opening this May, which similarly blends archive and exhibition. As museums grapple with overflowing collections and changing visitor expectations, architecture is playing a starring role – reshaping the cultural experience into something more open and immersive.

ON CREATIVITY /

BASEL / INVESTING

An artful
analysis

The newly-released Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report for 2025 paints a complex picture of a sector in flux. While global art sales dipped 12% last year—largely due to fewer blockbuster purchases – the overall number of transactions actually rose by 3%, thanks to the growing accessibility of online sales. Auction houses saw a 7% rise in sales of works priced under $5,000, and small dealers reported a 17% increase in business, marking a second year of growth. Notably, these smaller players also attracted the largest share of new buyers, underscoring their role in democratising access to art. As economic volatility continues to reshape spending habits, the report suggests the future of the market may not rest with blue-chip giants – but with nimble, community-rooted galleries connecting with the next generation of collectors.

BRUSSELS / TRAVEL

The EU
on track

For young Europeans, Interrail has long been a rite of passage. The scheme sees backpackers purchasing a single ticket that allows for unlimited train travel across the continent. It’s an affordable, and sustainable, means for a new generation of travellers to explore their neighbouring nations – and it’s set to become even more accessible thanks to the DiscoverEU initiative. The European Union is giving away 35,500 free Interrail passes to 18-year-olds this summer, offering successful applicants the chance to get their hands on a free 30 day rail ticket. Created to foster a shared sense of European identity, the initiative also taps into something more timeless: the power of travel to inspire young minds. At a moment when global connectivity often happens through screens, DiscoverEU champions real-world exploration, encouraging creativity and intercultural understanding through vital lived experience.

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