Ewe must be joking? – Add some Apple thinking to your agency’s efforts

I attended a seminar a couple of years back which featured Steve Wozniak , the co-founder and original brains behind Apple.

He came across genuine, down to earth, and incredibly clever but I was bored by the end of his talk – so much so that I vividly recall wondering why Gangsta rappers don’t attract stalkers. Maybe something to do with packing Uzis and stuff like that.

Anyways, the wizard of Woz is a genius despite not being a charismatic speaker (didn’t need to be really as his sidekick at Apple was). One thing he did say has stuck deeply in my mind.

“If you want to create conventional minds give them a conventional education.”

When Wozniak and his more business focussed partner Steve Jobs set up Apple they defied conventions.

Their products were better, marketed superbly and were seen as being ground breaking by customers who were drawn to them like seagulls to a busy beachside cafe.

My daughter started school last Monday. She tells me she’s been told to colour her pictures in between the lines. Boll#cks to that.

Colouring in between the lines is the first step on the road to conventional  thinking and as discussed cultivating conventional minds might get jobs done but I’m pretty sure it ain’t gonna come up with world changing ideas that move society forward.

I see conventional thinking every day with my work alongside estate agents, I’m guilty of it sometimes.

Doing things just the way they’ve always been done and expecting different results is mental.

But I also see agents doing things differently, slightly unconventionally and doing really well because of it.

My most successful client with a string of offices open seven days a week – a move they introduced more than 20 years. At the time it was unconventional. Back then no one opened in their area past 2pm on Saturday, and often closed for half day on Wednesdays.

An agent I spoke with this week has sent his team on basic sign language courses to help communicate better with deaf or hard of hearing clients.

When he told me I thought wow that is different and grabs the attention. Plus it racks up some decent PR points for his agency.

But perhaps the most recent evidence of how breaking convention can lead to agency success is Ewe Move.

I’m not talking about its business model either.

For me from a PR and marketing perspective it’s a BRILLIANT example of going against convention.

For the record I don’t or never have worked alongside Ewe Move although from the outside looking in I bet it’s a great craic.

What Ewe Move have done differently is communicate their brand using sheep, woolly puns, lamb photos and a total focus on attracting franchisees using a lot of automated and tech savvy marketing.

They were brave enough to invest heavily in this ‘wacky’ branding and marketing approach.

Looks like there’s been a good ROI on that as last week they were bought by Martin & Co for a baaarilliant £15m!!

Some of the industry forums have mocked the deal. The owners of Ewe Move probably haven’t noticed, too busy being different and unconventional for caring about the utterings of people who are obviously not that busy.

Finally another great example of breaking an industry’s conventional approach to things is Paddy Power bookies.

Good luck and here’s to your next instruction.

Jerry

PS: Off to a tour of the Innocent smoothie HQ today. Anything I learn I’ll share next week.

 

 

 

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

small house bird box
Breaking News

UK First Time Buyers better off than many other global nations

Is it really that bad being a first-time buyer? UK better off than many other global nations when it comes to affordability The latest market analysis from Yopa, the full-service estate agents, reveals that first-time buyers (FTBs) in the UK may be paying 63% more to get a foot on the property ladder than they…
Read More
new build homes colchester essex
Breaking News

Building Safety Regulator Reform

The Government has announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator, including leadership, process and investment. The changes are hoped to deliver 1.5 million homes. The reforms pave the way for creation of a single construction safety regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower enquiry. David Smith, property litigation partner at London law firm Spector Constant…
Read More
Breaking News

New anti-money laundering rules now in effect: what landlords need to know

New anti-money laundering (AML) rules came into effect this month, marking a significant change for landlords and the lettings industry as a whole. The new rules mean financial sanctions checks are now required for all lettings, regardless of how much rent is charged. Here, Steve Bond, managing director of residential lettings for Beresfords, explains what…
Read More
Breaking News

What landlords need to know about the upcoming Renters Rights Bill

The government’s long-awaited Renters Rights Bill is one of the most significant overhauls of the private rental sector in decades. While it has not yet received royal assent, the legislation is expected to come into effect late this year, or early in 2026. With the bill moving closer to becoming law, Steven Bond, managing director…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals bounce back in May

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for May sat at 63,032 up 3.9% from 60,656 in April. The monthly increase seen in May marks the end of four months of previous decline, with approval levels having fallen each month since January of this year. Approvals are also 2.5% higher than…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – May 2025

Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased by £2.8 billion to £2.1 billion in May, following a large decrease in net borrowing of £13.8 billion to -£0.8 billion in April. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 2,400 to 63,000 in May. Approvals for remortgaging also increased by 6,200 to 41,500…
Read More