Strands of Genius: Harvey Burton + Consumer Trends 2024: Mid-Year Report
Strands of Genius: Harvey Burton + Consumer Trends 2024: Mid-Year Report
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
The Consumer Trends 2024: Mid-Year Report highlights a strong consumer economy with reduced inflation and stable unemployment. Key trends include increased spending, particularly in online groceries and beauty products, and the rising popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, which is influencing the food industry. Younger, digital-first beauty brands are gaining market share, and overall life satisfaction is improving.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
HARVEY BURTON, ASPIRING COPYWRITER
>> Harvey Burton guest curated Strands on July 19th, 2024. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
When I was a child, one of my most vivid memories is sitting with a laptop writing 'Tooth Shard', a story about an old wolf who was captured into a zoo against his will and his fight to escape. Incredibly no publishers picked up the scrawlings of my ten-year-old self, though I've written ever since, with this passion eventually taking me to King's College London, where I wrote essays on a range of topics from my dissertation on erotic imagery as an expression of trauma in poetry, to an analysis of Medieval science-fiction. Outside of uni I wrote my own collection of poetry in 2020, which I sold to raise money for mental health charities amidst the pandemic. After graduating, I knew I wanted to do something that involved other aspects of creativity, namely design/art direction, which led me to doing an MA in Advertising at UAL. It was there I decided copywriting, storytelling through ads, is what I wanted to do. The rest is history.
What excites you most about what you do?
I love the problem-solving and variety that comes with selling various products to various audiences. My partner Lauren and I's portfolio contains everything from hamsters sneezing to death in a vodka ad, to trojan cows made of Oatly cartons for aliens to abduct. Each brief provides a new challenge, and I find that really exciting.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
I think an open-mindedness to ideas and to sources of inspiration is key. You really never know when or where you might find inspiration or ideas, and so it's important to be open to them in any and all forms. I think another quality is to never be too precious about your work - sad as it is, some things will not make the cut when it comes to a portfolio, but one bit of advice that I've carried with me was to not be precious about your work, but instead just be precious about being good at what you do.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
The first thing that comes to mind is my final project - 'How can broadcasters encourage viewership of women's boxing amongst middle-aged men in the UK?' as it taught me a great deal about conducting interviews, speaking to communities I might not have thought I had anything in common with, and addressing really important issues. My project showed me why current ways of advertising women's sports aren't working for this audience, and how deeply this refusal to watch women's sport is not a problem, but a symptom of a much larger and more multifaceted problem about identity, and the feeling of being forced to change who you are, which these men feel as a result of the changing state of society.
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
I've not yet had these conversations as I'm yet to step onto the first rung of the career ladder, though I definitely do agree with these values. Coming from a working-class background I think it is extremely important that those lesser heard voices are given the chance to be heard, not only for themselves, but for the audiences that they'll be able to connect to, the insights they can provide, the cultural knowledge that only they have. In an industry that's built upon storytelling, it is crucial that we hear from all storytellers.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
I think a work/life balance is not only possible but is entirely necessary for good work. Not only because a good balance will lead to a happier individual, but because there are so many sources of inspiration that you won't find in the workplace - getting stuck with the pub regular and their wacky stories, or witnessing a special moment between a mother and a son, or generally seeing how people interact with the people, products and environments around them. That said, I am currently unemployed so for me this work is manifested in building and amending my portfolio, and engaging with opportunities like writing this newsletter! Outside of work I'm a keen amateur boxer, so finding the time to do that which I'm really passionate about is key.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
Honestly I do find myself seeing a lot of inspiration on Instagram and Tiktok. There's a lot of brainrot on those platforms too for sure, but I'm always amazed to see people, especially young people, doing insanely creative things - the talent some people have is unbelievable. Additionally, as a copywriter, I find inspiration in creative writing wherever it lives, be it a cool bit of copy on a juice carton or a poem I've read, or an interesting turn of phrase in a newspaper or conversation.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
I think the best piece of knowledge I've found was actually a quote from Confucius which goes, 'Every man has two lives, and the second starts when he realises he has just one'.
You can keep in touch with Harvey on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)