The last couple of weeks for me have been about contrasts in customer service. And they’ve all been frontline contact, whether face to face or on the phone. Take Holiday Inn Express. Their website promises an improved experience with “Real Service. Really.” But trying to book a meeting room and couple of bedrooms was more … Continue reading what happens when the brand’s frontline doesn’t deliver – and why we should be bothered
Author: Gemma T
Brand and Creative Strategist
innovation and insight in perfume sample packaging
A sample of Thierry Mugler’s perfume Womanity fell out of this month’s Glamour magazine (don’t judge me, it’s buy that or sit in the hairdressers reading three month old copies of Hello!). I’ve never seen a perfume sample packaged like this before and a quick google only reveals examples of it used over the last … Continue reading innovation and insight in perfume sample packaging
another great annual Planner Survey
Heather’s annual global Planner Survey has just been released, complete with some lovely infographics (researchers, take note). You can read the survey and full appendix on Heather’s blog and I’ve popped the presentation below. The Planner Survey 2011 PS I'm in it. See if you can spot me...
maximum marks for moderating manual
After putting out a call for some reading recommendations in July, I got some great suggestions and am still wading through them. But the stand out winner has to be Sarah’s recommendation of Moderating to the Max: A Full-tilt Guide to Creative, Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews. For qualitative research types who want to … Continue reading maximum marks for moderating manual
Butt in, or Butt out?
There’s someone I come across regularly outside work who always has the answer. They honestly mean well and pipe up with the best of intentions but whatever the problem (or non-problem) might be, they know what should be done. And feel obliged to share their opinion, expertise and assistance with everyone, solicited or not. Being … Continue reading Butt in, or Butt out?
FAO agency MDs – you’re running a business, not an agency
There has been a depressing wave of news of agencies in trouble round my way over the last couple of weeks, which reminded of this post I wrote about how the people who run an agency actually need to know how to run a business. I’m not suggesting that every agency that fails does so … Continue reading FAO agency MDs – you’re running a business, not an agency
Before and After photoshop from Q magazine
Dear Q Magazine, if you’re going to photoshop out Jessie J’s back fat for your cover shot, remember to make sure that you use the photoshoped version when you repeat it in the feature: (thanks to Liz for pointing this out and lending me her mag)
Dear Spire: BIG mistake, huge, doubleDcup massive…
I was in Edinburgh with a group of friends last weekend and we were stopped in our tracks on the first day by this: No, not an ad for a women’s mag, it’s an ad for breast augmentation. From the national, respectable chain of private hospitals Spire Healthcare (who used to be Bupa Hospitals). Who … Continue reading Dear Spire: BIG mistake, huge, doubleDcup massive…
MORE words, more pictures please
I know I’ve been batting on for a while about why powerpoint presentations (and especially research debriefs) need to have less words and more pictures. I’d actually like to amend that assertion. They should have more pictures – and more words. I got handed an ethnographic research report last week, which had travelled from client … Continue reading MORE words, more pictures please
How do clients do it?
After spending a couple of weeks working at the lass glamorous end of FMCG I’ve found myself wondering how the average client stays motivated when they spend their working week worrying about cat food, toothpaste or vacuum cleaners. Having pretty much always worked in an agency environment (where you work on several different clients and … Continue reading How do clients do it?