Finalists x2 ! Best Non-Profit Campaign, UK Agency Awards
Best Agency Culture, European Agency Awards
Our Health Is Our Wealth
Our last newsletter was brought to you by The Elements - earth, air, fire and water, but now we go back to our roots in 'Health'. And by that, we mean healthy body, healthy environment, healthy culture. In a potentially confusing period of flux, we think this is a helpful lens for observing our world, and to seek solutions, if not conclusions. After all, 2024 is witnessing around half the world's citizens go to the polls, an assassination attempt on a world leader, and further conflict in Ukraine and The Middle East. Not to mention the UK's worst civil unrest in a decade.
In terms of planetary pressures, we see new gravitas at play. Money talks, they say. A recent article in FT publication, Sustainable Views, entitled 'A New Definition of Farming' describes how one farmer (also the CEO of Nature Friendly Farming Network) now introduces himself as 'an asset manager of natural capital'. So here are a few questions we're curious about:
-
Will heatwaves be given names to lend greater concern, as with hurricanes such as 'Katrina'?
-
Will greater scrutiny of ESG data (environmental, social, governance) lead to added trust?
-
Can de-growth strategies take hold across relevant industries?
Aristotle taught us that it's people - 'demos' - that count. And when this is forgotten, we witness the human spirit rise in protest to do its greatest work. Indeed, we suspect our own sense of injustice at the growing, undemocratic invasion of people and nature by industrial-scale fish farming shone through, leading to our latest award nomination: We are a finalist for 'Best PR Campaign for a Non-profit' at the UK Agency Awards. Not only that...
.png)
People First: 'Best Agency Culture' Finalists
...we are also a finalist for 'Best Agency Culture' at the European Agency Awards, reflecting the high value we place on the working lives of our team and the people we work with and 'for'. The word 'curious' is derived from the verb 'to care', so we are thrilled about this news and have high hopes for the big day...
Meanwhile, our people news is bittersweet. Sophie flew Curious Towers for a life in Tech PR (gone, but still up for a Curious cocktail!) but we were thrilled to welcome Maddy Lowe from her prior role, marketing A.I. software for the property sector. Likewise, we're happy to see Isabella Annett join our team.
'Intelligently Artificial' or merely 'Sacrificial'?
Speaking of A.I., we’ve been working with Metadvice, a seriously intelligent company led by some major names in medicine. Its A.I.-driven software is improving patient outcomes by enabling primary care clinicians to treat the patient ‘according to their own biology’ as well as to latest clinical guidelines. This is crucial as our ageing populations face multiple conditions requiring several pharmaceutical or other interventions. (Geriatrics journal states 9% of UK adults aged 45-54 take 5+ medications, rising to 82% over 85.)
Whilst much media attention has focused on using AI to improve diagnosis (machine reading of scans etc), less light has been shed on how A.I. can be used to ensure patients get optimal treatment. So our role as story tellers is helping convey the 'how' by carefully explaining complex technical messages, as well as corporate ones. Our head of production, Jules, lent his many skills to produce this helpful animated explainer video for a global audience keen to know how the software helps improve clinical outcomes.
We were also delighted to secure interviews for Metadvice CEO, Andrew Rut, on several media platforms, including a trusted global TV news platform with around 100m weekly viewers - BBC World News. Speaking on World Business Report during primetime, his 3.5 minute interview detailed how Metadvice software supports a personalised approach to medicine. Likewise, how it alleviates pressures on healthcare systems around the world, amid ageing populations, financial restrictions and workforce shortages - plus an increased burden of chronic diseases and co-morbidities. (Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular obesity, chronic kidney disease etc).
.png)
Andrew Rut, CEO, Metadvice talks A.I. to
Sally Bundock, BBC World News
“Medicine is very personal. It’s about personalising treatment and accurately treating the person in front of you.”
- Andrew Rut, CEO, Metadvice
Without doubt, A.I. brings a plethora of benefits to industries such as healthcare, as discussed in our blog, but understandably, fears surround its impact on other sectors. (We advocate for a gradual, regulated, 'healthy' A.I. rollout.) The creative industries are particularly concerned. A survey by It’s Nice That shows, “Even the mere mention of artificial intelligence is enough to elicit a visceral response in creatives,” adding that 26% of creatives “feel it’s a terrible development for creativity overall.”
"We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run, and underestimate the effect in the long run."
- Roy Amara, futurist
As cautious optimists trying to keep up with the pace, we see demand for genuine originality and authenticity in culture enduring. Afterall, who’d queue for hours at the Louvres to view an A.I. generated Mona Lisa? Or watch androids perform pirouettes at The Royal Ballet? Campaign magazine ran the recent headline, "Creative will be automative, but creativity never will be."
At the kind invitation of Patricia Brown, MBE (recently honoured for her contribution to design and planning of liveable cities) we attended a #FutureHeritage event to open newly-restored Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road. Artificial Intelligence was one of many subjects debated by a panel of world class experts, and so was the value of Culture - plus, its 'big sister', Heritage.
Maddy at newly imagined Heal's, Tottenham Court Road
Heritage sites such as Heal's drive positive change by helping preserve a sense of history, character and place - qualities that cannot be A.I. generated. Creatives (and others) seek inspiring spaces to work because these spaces are valuable. From 2019-22 UK Creative Industries grew at 5% (versus 2% in other sectors). Hence the UK Government chose to boost support for this essential sector - worth £126bn and employing 2.4m people in 2022. Given today's poly-crises, we cannot afford to see such support end, especially in our era of A.I. flux.
"26% of creative industries are located in conservation areas, generating £22-25bn for the economy."
- Ian Morrison OBE, Historic England
The Value of 'HERITAGE’ to Iconic Brands
Of course, London endures as a world-famous hub for the creative industries, including all things ‘brand’ and branding. And if you question brand power, consider the fact Harvard Business Review found businesses with well-defined brand strategies can expect revenue growth of 10-20%.
But how ‘novel’ does branding have to be, especially for staple products we’ve known and loved for decades? Think Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce, Marmite, or Golden Syrup - all much loved by chefs, cooks, and the sweet-toothed amongst us. (Who doesn’t crave a sticky toffee pudding drenched in syrup, on a dark winter’s night?) This was a question on the UK's lips and news desks after Tate & Lyle's decision to rebrand its iconic tins to be 'contemporary' - 150 years on.
Sticky Label or Sweet Success? Tate & Lyle's rebrand
The issue was explored rigorously, and communicated succinctly, by Brigid McMullen, our client and the co-founder of branding agency, The Workroom. Brigid gave a stellar live performance on BBC Radio London for DJ Shay Kaur Grewal, showcasing her 40 years' experience. Being well-versed on all things 'brand' and brand identity helped her explain the role nostalgia plays in what we buy. For a case study in how Workroom deftly helped to project 'experience hallmarks', see its rebrand work for Humanist Ceremonies, the celebrant organisation which helps people mark life's key moments - births, death and weddings. Quite an achievement, given the complex brief.
.png)
On the subject of cultural moments, as Glastonbury festival was revving up on Pilton Down, we secured a supremely confident 'global leader' interview on BBC News for Annabella Coldrick, CEO of the Music Managers Forum, which represents managers of music artists large and small. Coldrick answered questions about the value of music festivals to the UK (a cool £1.75Bn.) With Britain seeing 800 independent music festivals this year, and Glastonbury hosting 2,000 artists on 100 stages, it can't be denied that festivals bring, "Brilliant benefits for the economy, people, and cultural wellbeing.” As we’ve said before, in uncertain times, art and culture bond us - for the greater good. We must support our creative output!
Annabella Coldrick, CEO, The MMF
Glastonbury '24 - 'World Leader' interview for BBC World News
Casting Light on Fish Farming's Dark Underbelly
Culture aside, there's nothing like an existential threat to pull a community together. With aquaculture being the world’s fastest-growing area of food production, it's not surprising that, around the world, communities are fighting undemocratic 'invasions' of industrial fish farms on their shores, given their polluting, ecology-wrecking nature, in return for almost zero jobs.
Last year on behalf of the US-based Rauch Foundation, we launched a campaign to #SavePoros - an idyllic, touristic island in the Bay Of Athens from a takeover of ¼ of landmass AND coastline by industrial fish farms. World Ocean Day was the obvious time to launch, and our dedicated team secured top tier, global and national media coverage in the likes of Euronews, Le Monde, France 24 and BBC World News. Fay Orfanidou, who leads the island’s non-profit cultural centre, Katheti, spoke passionately about the many threats at play, while standing on Poros's glistening harbour.
_JPG.jpg)
Fast forward to 2024, and our efforts became global. First, we helped organise a new summit, Seas Of Change, in beautiful Poros. 80+ global experts in science, conservation, law and other fields presented evidence, and discussed strategies, on this ever-more prescient issue. Some arrived fresh from Our Oceans conference hosted this year in Athens. There, decision makers in aquaculture could view 2 documentaries about industrial fish farming, which Rauch had supported, and we'd helped publicise.
Award-winning film on Fish Farming's Perils
Delegates were shocked by the evidence presented. Think extensive use of antibiotics to control lice and disease in pens containing hundreds of thousands of sea bass, sea bream or salmon. Or environmental impact assessments (EIAs) independently found to have downplayed the risk of development plans. Such was the level of alarm, that 3 mayors, plus, ministry staff arrived. And in their wake - Greek TV news crews...
'What's the right PR Strategy?' Hannah with Fay at
Seas Of Change Summit
After several sessions, including a PR-focussed one led by our founder, attendees decided to take action on World Ocean Day in June. Soon after, we helped devise #FishFarmsOut - a campaign involving a letter sent to the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) asking it to stop describing farming of carnivorous fish as ‘sustainable aquaculture': It is anything but. Our efforts, alongside those of our Brussels-based policy partner, secured signatures from 175 global organisations and experts from 6 continents. We worked tirelessly with other partners to create campaign elements: web copy, infographics and social media assets, including this video featuring voices from around the world, with a clear call-to-action!
Global Voices: Fish Farms Out!
These helped our team secured top-tier global coverage, including a live interview for Eva Douzinas, Rauch Foundation president, on BBC World News, a Page 6 article in the Financial Times (print and online), and a long report in Mail Online including interviews with residents living under the ‘sword of Damocles’ expansion plan. The top tier, global media coverage about this issue achieved in just over a year reached an audience of approximately 1.2 billion (in terms of MUU), setting a new internal record for Curious PR.
Soon after, a letter of reply came from the UNFAO indicating willingness to engage on this complex issue. Douzinas has since met its head at a key conference, and our team hopes to continue placing this critical issue high on the agenda of multiple stakeholders as one that needs tackling urgently.
Filmed From Above
Interestingly, it's often only by viewing things from above that we see their magnitude. This includes marine pollution (vast slicks of fish faeces and waste feed, in the case of industrial fish farms). Our high flying client, Jeremy Braben Assoc BSC, a world-renowned aerial director of photography, has seen these slicks from the air on recces or when filming in the Mediterranean.
As the CEO of Helicopter Film Services, filming from above is what he and his crew continue to excel at, despite industry challenges explored in our blog, Cinema: What does the future hold?. Latterly, these include the Hollywood strikes which greatly impacted global movie production. Yet we continue promoting HFS's aerial cinematography for the likes of Marvel, Disney, Netflix, via articles such as July's British Cinematographer and Definition magazines. Recent productions involving the HFS crew include Wicked, The Union and House Of The Dragon. If you are a fan of the latter, glimpse the HFS crew in action at 1 min 27 seconds:
Cameras with wings: BTS on 'House of the Dragon'
To Help Is To Be Human
A.I.'s disruption on the film world is partly what led to the strikes mentioned above, and another reason we've been digging into the unique qualities that makes us human. Some would include altruism on the list, a quality we see in droves, working with the Women's Royal Army Corps Association (WRACA) to raise the profile of female veterans. One such veteran is Wendy Hooton, whose inspiring, inclusive activities have raised over £100k via tireless fundraising efforts. Each year, she organises female veterans to run, walk or wheel as part of the W.R.A.C. Lionesses team. This year's Great Bristol Run marked a 12th year of 10k runs, marked in the charity's 75th year.
W.R.A.C. Association's Wendy Hooton + female veterans finish 10K at the Queen Victoria statue in Bristol.
Curious At Play
Another 'human' quality (albeit one A.I. aims to tap) is play, which we share with fellow mammals. Play has evolved over millions of years, and in our view, it should be 'protected' given its importance to bonding, learning, communication, conflict resolution, creativity and solution finding. Sadly, studies show childhood play is being eroded by digital forms of recreation, so we follow media and regulatory scrutiny of children's use of phones and social media. Even as adults, work is filled with virtual meetings, meaning fewer 'water-cooler' moments to share jokes, ideas or gossip (a.k.a 'social cement'). Arguably, this culture takes us far from where we've evolved. As a team fortunate enough to work in a shared office, we know great ideas can stem from a doodle shared over coffee, lunch, or maybe an ice fight on a hot day!
"Hundreds of studies on young rats, monkeys and humans show young mammals want to play, need to play, and end up socially, cognitively and emotionally impaired when deprived of play."
- Jonathan Haidt - social psychologist and author
With art and play so intricately linked, it's no surprise that both help to keep work, and other pressures, at bay. We're fortunate to have a resident artist on our team in Maddy, and we value comparing notes about shows and exhibitions. Recent ones include the poignant Art Of The Ukraine at the Royal Academy Of Art. Likewise, we're fans of surrealism (surely the epitome of 'play in art'), including the newly opened Musée Magritte Museum which we visited on a trip to Brussels.
EU Parliament: Sophie and Hannah
If you've reached the end of this newsletter in any doubt that we must protect the health of people and nature, take a look at this footage: A group of male humpbacks were ardently pursuing a female until they realised she was trying to give birth. At that point, they formed a protective circle underneath her, blowing bubbles upwards to calm her as she brought forth the next generation. One of the most moving sequences we've seen. It seems nature has all the answers: humans can merely try to emulate its intelligence.
Thank you for reading! We love to communicate, so please let us know your thoughts about any of the above. Whaving (sic) goodbye for now!