«We want you to work your magic», clients sometimes tell me, when they ask me to add a bit of sparkle to their annual report, or rewrite their bland press release. The magic they're after has no special ingredients, just energetic English with a dash of humour. But I'm glad I possess it, because it's something people are willing to pay for. And right now, I think we're all willing to pay for a bit of magic.
I've just finished watching a Christmas gift from my parents: all the Harry Potter movies in one box set. It was supposed to be for my son, but he's only eight months old so they knew very well who'd be watching the wizard's wand-waving adventures.
Harry Potter is a good example of the power of magic and the spell it casts on the public. Magic symbolises the impossible, the enchanting. When I look at the movies that will come out in 2012, I see lots of magic: Dorothy of Oz; Snow White and the Huntsman; Jack the Giant Killer and of course The Hobbit.
We live in grim times, so it's natural that we want to escape into magical worlds. What it all boils down to – once you've stirred the cauldron – is a desire to hear a wonderful story. I've heard that the Super Bowl ads will be longer this year, as clients and brands want to tell stories. Once, we were told that our attention spans were getting shorter. Turns out we were just missing a touch of magic.
