Copy, Copy, Copy: How to Do Smarter Marketing by Using Other People's Ideas

2 HOW TO COPY WELL Good, bad, tight, loose, close or far away

“ Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows … Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. ”

— Jim Jarmusch²⁶

HOW

What this chapter will cover:

This chapter is more practical than the last: it will help you understand HOW to use copying to make new, original and more effective strategies and ideas.

We'll show how error and variation are good and useful.

We'll explore how who you copy from and where can create error and value.

We'll suggest games, techniques and examples to put all of this to work.

And why what kinda thing? questions are often more useful than more specific ones.

But first, ‘more songs about buildings and food'²⁷*

*Yes, I know. Showing my age.

A RACE TO THE TOP

The British-Iranian architect Zaha Hadid is undoubtedly one of the cultural rock stars of the modern world. Her elegant and striking buildings, with their characteristically simple flowing organic forms, regularly win awards and media plaudits in equal measure.

Having a ‘Hadid' is great box office, whether or not your development is commercial, civic or some version of the two. ...