Author: Gemma T

Brand and Creative Strategist

six degrees of mystification

Posted on by Gemma T in advertising, Campaigns

I was at a New Year’s Eve party where everyone else there was either a vet or a farmer (welcome to my life).  We were playing celebrity charades and Kevin Bacon’s name came up. No-one in the room understood why in the EE ads he keeps talking about how everyone is connected – because not-one … Continue reading six degrees of mystification →

is the answer to Shopping Hell that we need to be nicer to each other?

Posted on by Gemma T in consumers, customer journey, customer service, retail

I’ve been thinking A LOT about the retail shopping experience recently.  Partly because I’ve got relevant projects on the go or in the works and partly because I’ve been ‘impulse storing’ – which I’ve just invented to describe popping into a store on impulse to try and knock some items off the worrying large festive … Continue reading is the answer to Shopping Hell that we need to be nicer to each other? →

who’s that very thin not-quite A-lister, Topshop?

Posted on by Gemma T in advertising

I’m not very impressed by Topshop’s Christmas brand film, launched today.  They ran a load of teaser films online last week, along with the hashtag #whosthatgirl?, asking everyone to guess who the ‘Hollywood A-list star’ in their film was. The full film was launched today.  The Big Star is Kate Bosworth – who I’ve heard … Continue reading who’s that very thin not-quite A-lister, Topshop? →

when are not-that-bad ads actually good ads?

Posted on by Gemma T in advertising, agencies, clients

There’s been a lot of fuss on ad-industry-outside-the-M25-magazine The Drum’s website this week about the latest ad from Go Outdoors.  They’ve given it their Marketing Weak award, which “highlights an advert for its sheer uselessness”. In the comments below the piece, opinion is divided between those who think an un-creative ad should never grace the … Continue reading when are not-that-bad ads actually good ads? →

a festive tale of Johnny LouLous and the impromptu middle class sit-in

Posted on by Gemma T in promotional marketing, sales promotion

I went to visit a friend in London last weekend and we decided to brave Oxford Street since it was their special traffic free VIP shopping day. It was a great idea in principle, but thousands of soggy shoppers clashing umbrellas with each other doesn’t make for a very VIP-ish afternoon (although the fake snow … Continue reading a festive tale of Johnny LouLous and the impromptu middle class sit-in →

damn you, shoddy spontaneous awareness

Posted on by Gemma T in advertising, Campaigns

(title nicked from a tweet on the subject from @sweenagekicks ) Nice outdoor ad, right? The problem is that when I'd driven past it a few times and sat down to blog about it, I realised that I wasn’t sure which car brand it was actually for…it felt like it should be Jaguar, but nothing … Continue reading damn you, shoddy spontaneous awareness →

Christmas ads compared and contrasted

Posted on by Gemma T in advertising, Campaigns

Although it seems a bit early, what with Christmas still being six weeks away, all the big stores have rolled out their festive campaigns, so it’s as good a time as any to do a compare-and-contrast exercise.  Let’s start with the supermarkets: ASDA and Morrisons’ agencies seem to have been working from a very similar … Continue reading Christmas ads compared and contrasted →

a passport that’s also a branding tool

Posted on by Gemma T in brands, design

My new passport arrived the other day.  The cover hasn't changed much since the last one, but inside it’s gorgeous. image from the Home Office's new UK passport design set on flickr, CC applies I hadn’t realised just how comprehensively the design had been changed two years ago and I spent ages oohing and ahhing … Continue reading a passport that’s also a branding tool →