Malcolm Costain

Author Website

We have to talk about Malcolm

Malcolm writes short stories, humorous novels about the advertising industry and time-travelling historical mysteries. He was born and raised in Australia but for many years lived and worked in Hong Kong, Germany and the UK. In a previous career he worked as a creative director for several international advertising agencies.   … Read More about We have to talk about Malcolm

Recent Posts

THE AD YOUR AD COULD SMELL LIKE

If you’re brilliant, that is, and you know how to come up with a truly original idea. That’s what this ad for Old Spice men’s body wash did in 2010. Titled, ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,’ it was so unexpected and so watchable, it knocked the advertising world off its feet, and breathed […]

Do Something, Or We’ll Never Get Out Of Here

You know the feeling. You’re stuck and not making any progress. You try, but you don’t move forward. You’re a car with its engine revving and the handbrake on. It’s so frustrating. In Ad Land, I knew the feeling well. I desperately wanted to achieve the industry’s idea of success: winning a major award, but unfortunately, I […]

The Secret Lives Of Billboard Models

High up inside the frame of a giant billboard poster, a beautiful model suddenly comes to life. She can see, hear and feel, but she can’t move. She is silent and still. But behind her eyes, lies a very active mind. A consciousness trapped and doomed to watch the world go by in total solitude. Then, […]

INSTANT KARMA–COULD IT SAVE A CAREER?

When you do a good deed, how long before good karma returns to you? A year? Ten years? Half a life time? If it returns at all. But what if you desperately need good karma now? What if you need instant karma? In “Springtime,” one of the stories from “ADLANDIA,” a desperate copywriter called Blaze […]

The Email You Wish You Had Never Sent

We’ve all done it: pressed ‘SEND’ and then instantly regretted it. The wrong person. Unchecked spelling. Insults we don’t really mean. But what if the email you just sent could do worse than damage a relationship? What if it could ruin your career and the careers of your colleagues? That’s the subject of ‘Natural Grace,’ […]

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