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phil-adams.bsky.social
Phil Adams
@phil-adams.bsky.social
170 followers 64 following 210 posts
Lowfalutin® brand strategy. Your irresistible truth and how to tell it®.

Co-founder of All Hands On: NFP documentary production company.

Trustee on the board of Scottish Documentary Institute.

https://buttondown.com/Lowfalutin/archive
Posts Replies Media Videos
phil-adams.bsky.social
A big ball of wibbly wobbly brandy wandy stuff.

newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk/archive/the-...
The irresistible truth of Doctor Who
Exterminate! Regenerate! Yes, it’s one of those posts where the author contrives to wring lessons out of a hot cultural reference. But this isn’t LinkedIn....
newsletter.lowfalutin.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 10:13 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Rebecca (RF) Kuang last night. So smart. So articulate. So forthcoming. Turned a question about Nature Valley bars into a brilliant point of view about characterisation.
Photograph of two women sitting on a stage in front of an audience.
December 12, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Phil Adams
esherukweku.bsky.social
If handing someone their arse, was a video clip
December 12, 2025 at 8:12 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
When your analysis doesn't spoil your enjoyment, and your enjoyment doesn't dull your analysis, I think that's what they mean by appreciation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiV...
Paul Simon's 'Still Crazy...' Hits Harder Than Ever
YouTube video by You'll Hear It
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
phil-adams.bsky.social
My friend and ex-colleague, Tim, gave this perfectly pitched Time For Reflection address to the Scottish Parliament yesterday. Timely (timeless) messages, well packaged and well delivered.

www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/time...
Time for Reflection | Scottish Parliament TV
www.scottishparliament.tv
December 10, 2025 at 12:49 PM
phil-adams.bsky.social
"What she was great at was posing questions, listening, and watching. This is a habit many CEOs struggle to develop."

Margaret Heffernan on good decisions.

heffernanm.substack.com/p/what-make-...
What makes a Good Decision?
The Why and the How
heffernanm.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:36 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Lots of good stuff in Adam Buxton's chat with Zadie Smith, but I laughed out loud when she described the lyrics of Don't Look Back in Anger as, "Beatles wingdings."

www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/82d...
EP.263 - ZADIE SMITH — ADAM BUXTON
Adam talks with author Zadie Smith about fun, trivial things like Wordle start words, men who dress as if they're still young, and the sadness of podcasts becoming TV shows, and then not trivial thing...
www.adam-buxton.co.uk
December 8, 2025 at 9:51 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
For fellow alcohol-free drinkers, this is in my Top 5, especially at this time of year. Tastes how it looks.
Photograph of a beer bottle. The label sats, “You’ll enjoy alcohol free SAM’S BROWN ALE”. Next to the bottle is a pint glass full of dark brown beer.
December 5, 2025 at 7:58 PM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Marta from Company Bakery talking with great style about change and growth at Creative Mornings (Edinburgh) today. A lesson in how to combine personal and corporate storytelling.

@creativemornings.bsky.social
Photograph of a seated woman giving an in-person presentation. There is a screen showing a slide on which is written, "KNEADING CHANGE," and a sign which says, "CREATIVE MORNINGS EDINBURGH."
December 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
"With one eye on posterity." Love this. Brand management should be an act of stewardship; the manager in service to the brand. Too often it's the other way round.
December 4, 2025 at 9:43 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Dressing up and having fun. It feels like a radical act. Who knows, it might start making sense.

Groovy as fuck. I shall watch this many times.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmc...
David Byrne: Tiny Desk Concert
YouTube video by NPR Music
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:29 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
I was mesmerised by this beautiful documentary @filmhouseedinburgh.bsky.social this evening. Gorgeous cinematography and deft storytelling. Lots of Mongol Rally nostalgia for these people and landscapes too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Ow...
THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT - Trailer
YouTube video by Cinephil Docs
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:26 PM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Unemployable, Exhausting, Chaotic, Boring, and Indiscriminate.

My latest newsletter.

buttondown.com/Lowfalutin/a...
The sound of distant living
Unemployable I’m back from a month away, in body at least. Dealing with jet-lag has been a doddle compared to remembering what work is. So I’ve been easing...
buttondown.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:58 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Nick Liddell's book arrived this morning. I haven't read a word yet but it looks gorgeous. And it's bigger than I expected; about the same size as Campaign Magazine, when the print version was a big thing too, literally and figuratively.
Photograph of "The Brand Architecture Book" by Nick Liddell. There are two subtitles: "Beyond House of Brands and Branded House" and "A different way to think about brand systems"
November 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
"Because if you don’t know what’s going to happen, how can you confidently stride up to your client and say “I’ll make you some magic, promise”? What are such promises worth?"

I promise Paul's post is worth your time. He's written some magic. And I do know what's going to happen; you'll enjoy it.
November 27, 2025 at 1:20 PM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Catching up on stuff after a month away. This is courtesy of the most recent Storythings newsletter. "Fruitionising". Perfectly observed marketing Zoom call.

x.com/RealChalamet...
x.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:28 PM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Still got it. And some.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Kl...
Pulp: Tiny Desk Concert
YouTube video by NPR Music
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Phil Adams
rutgerbregman.com
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Serving a niche in Osaka.
Photograph of the front of a clothing shop called Aura London Vintage. Text beneath the shop name says, “Purveyors of British Subcultural Clothing”
November 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Phil Adams
privateeyenews.bsky.social
BBC Under Attack: Pot and Kettle Special

The new Private Eye is out now.
A photo of the front cover of issue 1662 of Private Eye magazine with the caption "on shelves now." The front cover reads “BBC Under Attack: Pot and Kettle Special” and shows Broadcasting House with speech bubbles coming from the building. The quotes include “Donald Trump says we broadcast fake news!”, “Nigel Farage says we’re totally biased!”, “Boris Johnson says we’re liars!”, “The Daily Mail says we’re peddling conspiracy theories!”, “Kemi Badenoch highlights poor leadership!”, “The Daily Telegraph says we’re editing for political purposes!”, and “Liz Truss says we’ve done huge damage to the country!”
November 12, 2025 at 8:06 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Visitor map in a stationery/origami store in Kanazawa, Japan. There is one sticker for North Korea. Prank? Ignorance? Or a story behind the datum?
Photograph of a paper map of the world. Small circular stickers have been added to the map, based on where visitors have traveled from. There are heavy concentrations of stickers in Europe, the east and west coasts of the USA, south east Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore.
November 6, 2025 at 1:36 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
There are lots of these tall, boxy cars in Japan. Honda, Nissan, Toyota et al all make them. We’ve nicknamed them “Pixar cars.” This one is pictured on a street in Matsumoto.
Photograph of a white, box-shaped car with tree-covered hills in the background.
November 2, 2025 at 3:36 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
It's 2025. You have to find a way to confuse the artificially infallible bot in order to get human help.

When we got there, the "live" human did explain the issue but couldn't resolve it. At least I got a reliable answer.

It's 2025. Just providing basic service is now a USP for a service business.
Screenshot of a snippet of a customer service chat conversation with the British Airways bot. Customer says, "This is useless. A doom loop of inappropriate options. Artificially intelligent? I don't think so. More like deliberately obstructive. You're meant to be a service business." The bot replies, "I'm sorry, I'm still having trouble understanding. Would you like to speak to a live customer support expert?"
October 25, 2025 at 10:51 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
"Creative work begins with an impulse for WORK, the kind of thing you want to spend your time doing, to which narrative and emotional material is quickly added."

Interesting (shortish) take from Robin Sloan on the genesis of ideas.

www.robinsloan.com/lab/shape-of...
The shape of creative ideas
Maybe not what you think.
www.robinsloan.com
October 25, 2025 at 9:10 AM
phil-adams.bsky.social
Good news that this is on until March. I should be able to get down and pay a visit. Excellent write-up as usual by Jim.

www.jimcarrollsblog.com/blog/2025/10...
Blitz: The Art of Cultural Commentary — Jim Carroll's Blog
www.jimcarrollsblog.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:18 PM