Looking back, looking forward

What would you think was the most read post of the year – and by a country mile? I’ve got to say it caught me by surprise. ‘Darkly Dreaming Dexter’ a review of the book by Jeff Lindsay. Jeff is the pen name of crime writer Jeffry P. Freundlich (nice branding shift Jeff) whose wife, Hilary Hemingway – yes, those Hemingways, she’s a niece – is also an author. As most of you will know by now, the TV series was closely based on the Lindsay book but I hear series two will be written as original story lines. A word of caution to the Showtime network: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Make sure Jeff Lindsay is part of the mix to preserve his compelling tension between empathy and horror.

Number two? You loved the idea of the Cartier LOVE bracelet. Let’s hope some of you got one for Christmas.

Third was my top ten list of magazines. You have to admire the magazine business. Every month I hear that it is all over for them and every day I spend some of my most enjoyable moments flicking through their pages. If magazines are heading for the exit, someone needs to come up with a fantastic alternative. I certainly don’t fancy a long flight without an armful, and although I respect the ambition of Amazon’s Kindle, I just can’t love it.

Your fourth most read post was my thoughts on where high-definition TV might take us. You must rate the prospects for human authenticity in the high-def world as I do: high.

I was touched to find that my piece honoring my great friend Bob Isherwood came in at number five. As Susan956 commented, Bob is a hard-to-beat mix of savvy, humility and an intuitive sense of what’s important; making his the driving passion behind Saatchi & Saatchi’s creativity. How fitting that he was recently awarded a Doctorate by his alma mater, RMIT, in Melbourne.

And that brings me to slot number six, the post on Every Day Matters for JCPenney and a good way to go out. I think Every Day Matters is one of the great ideas for any brand and a philosophy that will make JCPenney a great Lovemark.

It’s been quite a year.