livingbrands

10 commandments of Avril Lavigne

Up this month, Q gives us rules for life from pop punk sk8r girl Avril Lavigne...

1. Deal with it (whatever hassles life brings, only you can sort it out);
2. Develop an image (no matter how good the 'product', there are always other good things out there. Which is why you need a 'brand');
3. Don't get mad get even (take negative feelings and put them to positive use);
4. Party hard…but not too hard (live life to the full. But don't lose control, because that's when it all goes wrong);
5. Practise good karma (you get back from the world what you give out to it);
6. Be grateful (look on the positive side of what you have. Because there's always someone worse off than you);
7. Advocate spirituality (like it or not, there's a need for the spiritual, the transcendent, in all of us. So embrace this);
8. Find Mr Right (there is a perfect match for you out there somewhere);
9. Extend yourself (stand still and you stagnate. We all need to stretch if we are to grow);
10. Love yourself (no matter what others think, just make sure you love yourself and you'll be OK)

10 commandments of Matt Bellamy

This month Muse's professor of sound tells us what's what…

1. Bend the rules (want to fuse classical music with Jimi Hendrix? Well you can. Rules are only there for people who don't know how to change them).
2. Lighten up (if you can't have a good time doing something, is it actually worth doing?).
3. Relinquish gadgetry (they're meant to make life easier, but in the end they just get in the way).
4. Buck convention (seems a bit like a variation on bending the rules...but don't be what people expect you to be).
5. Shun celebrity (fame is superficial - it's who you are and what you do that is interesting).
6. Run! Hide! (we all need times of quite and escape).
7. Money is the root of all evil (there's got to be a bigger reason for why we do what we do).
8. Conjure ghosts (which I will translate as, embrace the spiritual).
9. Gamble everything (if you don't take risks you probably won't achieve anything).
10. Accept strife (life IS hard - but accept it and work with it rather fight and moan).

10 commandments of Jake Shears

Up this month, the Scissor Sisters front man giving his top tips for life...

1. Be exuberant (you don't say Jake!)
2. Worship your idols (it was Zsa Zsa Gabor)
3. Question your beliefs (or alternatively, I guess, make sure you have the right beliefs to begin with)
4. Embrace your sexuality (love yourself - your the only you you've got)
5. Come out, come out, wherever you are (the importance of being honest...whatever the issue)
6. Reach for the stars (because if you think mediocrity you'll probably get far less than even that)
7. Enjoy the moment (don't worry about tomorrow...seize the day)
8. Get serious (no matter how much fun you're having, don't shirk your responsibilities)
9. Seek therapy (or at least get some good advice - you can't know everything about everything)
10. Give advice (...and make sure you give back to others as well)

10 commandments of Al Gore

This month Q asks the green messiah what his rules for life are...

1. Face facts
2. War is hell
3. Beware awards ceremonies (one for all us ad people!)
4. Rock out (he does apparently)
5. Think globally
6. Accept your fate
7. Take action
8. The future is digital
9. Clean up your act
10. We are the world

10 commandments of Mitchell & Webb

What the comedy duo have to say for themselves...

1. Don't talk about comedy in front of us.
2. Don't be afraid to feel the fear.
3. Choose your friends wisely.
4. Laughter isn't the best medicine.
5. Be clear on kissing protocol.
6. Clothes maketh the man.
7. Work isn't everything.
8. School isn't what it used to be.
9. Let the natural gases flow.
10. We're not like the people we play in Peep Show (or to flip it, don't believe in the public personas people present).

10 commandments of Corinne Bailey Rae

So what's the ex-rocker turned songbird's view on life?

1. Choose you sandwich (because what you eat matters);
2. Fear the cheese (as in behaviour not the thing you have in your sandwich);
3. Give Gary Davies a break (yes,that's 'ohhh Gary Davies' the one time cheesy - see above - Radio One DJ, and now CBR's manager);
4. Never leave home without a hat (or some other handy disguise);
5. Embrace your inner geek (so be on the look out for Corinne, and her hat, at a Trekie convention near you!);
6. Love Courtney Love (one of her biggest inspirations back in shouty Riot Grrrrl days);
7. An English woman's home isn't her castle (why shouldn't a famous singer be allowed to live in a £130k flat in Leeds);
8. Yorkshire rocks (Human League, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Wedding Present, Gang of Four, Kaiser Chiefs, Cult, Sisters of Mercy...and Def Leopard...and Shed 7...so you can't have everything);
9. Mother knows best (which, of course, we all know);
10. Avoid the caviar (because it's well expensive...even for a successful recording artist);

And don't forget, I still want to know your 10 commandments as well.

What are your 10 commandments

Regular readers will know I've been looking at the 10 commandments of the great and (not so) good (scroll down after the jump, as this may still be the first post in the 10C's category).

Well I thought I should widen things out a bit, and invite contributions. So what are your big 10? Could be your rules for life, for running focus groups, for briefing creatives (or being briefed by planners), for mowing the lawn, or whatever.

Leave a comment here (or drop me a line), and I will (re)post. Let's see how many commandments we can amass. And if you know anyone who has some worth sharing, pass this on.

10 commandments of Alan Sugar

Bit of a departure for Q, as this month's tips for life come from Mr You're Fired (at least in the UK) himself, Alan Sugar...

1. Start young.
2. Dugs are for mugs.
3. Smarten up.
4. Don't buy a car from Elton John.
5. Protect the crown jewels (for those not up on UK slang,I'll leave you to work this one out!).
6. Embrace the 'tickle' (hairs up on the back of your neck).
7. Never duck a bet.
8. Quit while you're ahead.
9. Lock 'em up and throw away the key (Alan on crime prevention).
10. Greed is good.

10 commandments of mass market women

A slight deviation from my usual views of the rich and famous, thanks to Neil at IPC Media.

1. They value the traditional but are open to the new.
2. They are in touch with their emotions. They love a good laugh, and a good cry. But they don't let life get them down.
3. She tells it like it is - honest and direct.
4. She is most proud of...her kids, her husband, her home. Her family rules - she is the glue that holds the family together, her children are the centre of her universe. They are houseproud and invest time and cash in getting their home just right.
5. Friends are very important to them. They are her support network, they are who she has fun with, they are her escape from it all.
6. They live for the moment.
7. She is incredibly literal .
8. Tone is critical - not worthy, not threatening, not patronising, not blaming.
9. Simple and clear messages work best...messages that hold their attention.
10. Tell them what the benefit is to them.

10 commandments of Lily Allen

This months star insight, courtesy of Q, comes from Lily Allen.

1. Always say sorry.
2. Learn at least one recipe.
3. Ditch school.
4. Don't worry if your dad is a fairy (note to those outside the UK: lily's dad, actor Keith Allen played the tooth fairy in ads for Listerine mouthwash).
5. Feminism is not dead.
6. I will rule the country.
7. Money is the answer.
8. Alcohol makes me gurn.
9. Boys make me mental.
10. Therapy saved my life.