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As the clocks turn back and the days shorten with the UK’s annual daylight-saving adjustment, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on the profound and elusive concept of time. Though the turning back of the clock represents a mere hour, the symbolism resonates deeply: time, the most intangible of our resources, is also our most valuable. Its fleeting nature can feel both empowering and overwhelming, leaving many of us to wonder, how should we be spending this precious resource?  What Modern Marketing Can Learn from Classic Film-Making: Insights from Sherlock Holmes to the 4 Ps1/10/2024 “Over the past 30 to 40 years we have replaced things that work with things that sound good.” — Thomas Sowell, an American economist, social theorist, and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. In recent weeks, I’ve been watching some old movies—specifically the classic Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone from the early 1940s. It’s fascinating to see how much these films, made over 80 years ago, still feel familiar in many ways. Despite the technological limitations of the time, the essential principles of film-making—strong scripts, storyboards, camera angles, dialogue, and sound design—are all present, and in some cases, they outshine many of today’s modern productions. The simplicity of technology in those films is striking: electricity, telephones, and battery-powered torches are all present. There are no computers, no Internet, no mobile phones. Yet, the films remain engaging, largely because of their rich storytelling and tight scripts. It got me thinking: are there elements of classic films that modern movie-makers—and indeed, modern marketers—can learn from? And beyond that, have we, in the rush toward new technology and innovation, lost some of the essential qualities that once defined excellence in both film and marketing?  |
