October 2026 introduction – (39)
Welcome to the 39th edition of my newsletter or as a bingo caller would say ‘all the steps’. All the steps is named after The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. This has been made into a number of film and TV adaptations.
Buchan’s novel was serialised in a magazine first, before being published as a novel. I remember reading it as a child and watching the Alfred Hitchcock film adaptation late one night jet-lagged after flying to San Francisco for a pitch that got cancelled.
In Chinese culture 39 has symbolism and meaning in two ways. The numbers individually sound like growth and long-lasting. In internet slang their similarity in sound to the English for ‘thank you’ has found it used as a quick way to say thanks.
This month’s soundtrack is a 30-minute mix done by former DMC mix world champion DJ Rena. This demo was done at The Spot in Geneva, it’s amazing from a technical point-of-view. It’s also worthwhile having a look at a 12-year old DJ Rena performing his championship-winning set from 2017.
New reader?
If this is the first newsletter, welcome! You can find my regular writings here and more about me here.
Onwards!
Things that I’ve written
Hyperland and more things – a mix of vintage footage that inspired me from Douglas Adams future gazing from 1990 to Alan Whicker in Hong Kong prior to the handover to China.
ICYMI – Top five shares on LinkedIn
- Mark Ritson’s pitch for Evidenza sparked a debate on the role of synthetic data and synthetic personas.
- Reports presented at the IPA Effectiveness Conference highlighted the need for brand coherence and offered an alternative theory beyond the cost-of-living crisis for the decline in branded goods sales in supermarkets.
- Temu and how the thrill of gambling relates to ordering downmarket products online.
- The UK launch of Quince introduced a new approach to competing in a time of straitened incomes.
- How western luxury brands are failing in Asia and opening the door for the rise of local ateliers.
Books that I have read
The Foot Soldiers by Gerald Seymour. Seymour wrote this book after the Salisbury poisonings, but it feels especially fresh now given Russian hybrid operations. This has included sabotage, attempted drone strikes and murder. The Foot Soldiers has an MI6 team being dogged by Russian assassination attempts after they have extracted a Russian defector. His protagonist Jonas Merrick feels more believable because of his vulnerability.
I am currently just over half-way through Len Deighton’s Billion Dollar Brain. While it was written some time in 1966, its tales of algorithmic influence and control along with monied oligarchs with messianic beliefs seemed appropriate. l read my Dad’s copy as a child, but it hits very different now.
Things I have been inspired by.
Omar Oates‘ new LinkedIn newsletter Show Your Working – smart thinking for changing times.
I have loved the idea of agencies designing products as the creative outputs of campaigns back since Goodby Silverstein put a Sprint 5G wireless modem on the back of an iPad case to show, rather than tell about the benefits of high speed wireless. Japanese brewer Yoho Brewing created a wobbly beer glass to encourage responsible drinking of their Yona Yona ale.
Dentsu Creative’s CMO Report 2026 provides food for thought for agencies and their clients.
Chart of the month.
Edelman conducted a special research report in association with the Yale School of Public Health and looked into trust and beliefs around health. One of the key things that stood out to me was that exposure didn’t universally impact health beliefs in a positive way. Instead amongst the people surveyed there was a strong correlation between the degree of divisive health beliefs held and the frequency of interaction with the healthcare system.
Things I have watched.
I have been attempting to watch the latest series of Slow Horses. For various reasons I have found it slow going. The story is darker, but there is also a change in the way it has been filmed. It feels flatter, more washed out and less cinematic than ITV’s tentpole dramas. I will soldier on, but it isn’t the absolute recommendation that I could give for earlier series.
Useful tools.
Crest is an open-source browser that improves organisation and utilises AI a bit like Arch. For the right person it could be a game changer.
With the closure of Skype I have been looking for a low-cost VoIP solution for those times when I have to dial into US or foreign conference calls, or use a foreign customer services number. It’s early days, but I have found CallTuv to be a reasonable alternative so far.
Pawl is a useful timer, making it ideal for time-tracking that reminded me of the playfulness that you used to see in Mac utilities back when I first used the computer. The timer sits in your menu bar. You activate it by pulling its paw logo down to start and stop the timer, so very simple to use and designed with a bit of humour. If you like cats, or remember The Grouch app, then Pawl is for you.
The sales pitch.
I am a strategist who thrives on the “meaty brief”. The kind where complexity, business goals, and human culture collide, requiring synthesis into actionable insights.
I have a decade-plus of expertise across the UK, EMEA, and JAPAC, I specialise in bridging the gap between high-level strategy and creative execution. I have been embedded within Google Cloud’s brand creative team, where I helped navigate the “messy steps” of global pivots with the rapid rise of Gen AI. Following the completion of this engagement, I have continued to partner with agencies and founders on high-impact projects. My recent freelance work includes architecting the brand narrative for a fast-moving startup, driving strategic creative for new business pitches, and developing a dynamic sports partnership activation.
I focus on what actually works: balancing long-term brand growth with short-term sales. I do not just write presentation decks; I build campaigns that actually ship. Clients hire me to develop or perform strategic QA on their ideas before they go live, helping leadership teams avoid expensive mistakes. I prioritise commercial reality, smart budgets, and measurable results over cosmetic solutions.
How I help leadership teams:
- Strategy QA: I put clarity into complex roadmaps before you commit capital.
- Cultural Translation: I bridge the gap between technical infrastructure and human adoption, across EMEA/JAPAC.
- Commercial Grounding: I build strategy for campaigns that ship, prioritising measurable ROI over “hype” metrics.
The Strategic Toolkit:
- Brand & Creative Strategy: From B2B infrastructure to luxury travel.
- AI-Enhanced Planning: Literate in Google Gemini and prompt engineering to accelerate insights and creative output.
- Modular Strategic Leadership: A proven track record across Tech & SaaS (Google Cloud, Semiconductors), Consumer Goods (FMCG, Beauty, Health), and High-Interest Categories (Luxury, Sports Apparel, Pharma).
I am an operator who reads—using a deep archive of industry expertise to ensure your next pivot isn’t just “new,” but actually sustainable. If you have a challenge that requires an all-in, hit-the-ground-running strategic lead, let’s talk.
More on what I have done here.
The End.
Ok this is the end of my October 2026 newsletter, I hope to see you all back here again in a month. Enjoy autumn as it can often be fleeting, and most importantly enjoy Halloween.
Don’t forget to share if you found it useful, interesting or insightful as this helps other people and the algorithmic gods of Google Search and the various LLMs that are blurring what web search means nowadays.
Get in touch and if you find it of use, this is now appearing on my blog, Substack as well as LinkedIn.
