When my first ever Planning Director was interviewing me for the job, he asked “when was the last time you were on a bus?”. He had a point. Its all very well for Account Planners and the like to say that they are ‘always listening’ (actually, I think I like that better than ‘always thinking’…), but … Continue reading don’t just ‘put a planner on it’ – understand your audience first
Author: Gemma T
Brand and Creative Strategist
mobile company in shock ‘here to help’ pledge
After my rant last week about customer service vs. customer acquisition, it seems that one mobile provider is trying to redress the balance. Hotfooting it through Leeds city centre earlier this week en route to the library, I came across O2’s Guru Roadshow, which seemed to be all about showing you how to get more … Continue reading mobile company in shock ‘here to help’ pledge
Putting my finger on an art direction trend
I’ve noticed a new trend in TV art direction recently – the Touchscreen Finger Effect. Watch how we slide seamlessly from one product benefit to another! That’s how cool and relevant to your tech-savvy life our brand and product is! Recent offenders include: Land Rover Recover Energy with .. Watch the ad... Toyota Auris Thousands … Continue reading Putting my finger on an art direction trend
why for some 70 somethings, digital exclusion isn’t fixable
At last week’s SupNorth we were talking about choosing the appropriate digital platform to communicate with your target audience (aka ‘the answer isn’t always an iphone app’). But I raised the thought that trying to use digital channels at all for some audiences is still inappropriate. I’ve posted before about my 70-something technophobe Dad who … Continue reading why for some 70 somethings, digital exclusion isn’t fixable
When I rule the world:
All marketing services companies and clients will stop work at 4pm every Wednesday to allow for a mid-week breather. All marketing trade magazines will include a ‘name and shame’ section citing bad pitch practice and unreasonable client demands. There will be a separate section in all the above magazines called ‘whoever thought that was a … Continue reading When I rule the world:
customer service vs. customer acquisition
I’ve had a bit of a bad run with technology recently. In the last couple of months, the following have gone wrong on me: two mobiles, PC, laptop, 3G dongle thingy, TomTom satnav, Bluetooth dongle, printer and broadband. Trying to get all these technology issues resolved has been a real eye-opener around customer service and … Continue reading customer service vs. customer acquisition
It might be Glamour-central in Manchester, but I live in Leeds
So there I was looking at the magazine rack in the Co-op today. I reached for Glamour…and then changed my mind. This was the cover: A special regional edition for Manchester. Which apparently sits alongside versions for Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Bristol, London, Newcastle and Birmingham this month. Except I live in Leeds (and only … Continue reading It might be Glamour-central in Manchester, but I live in Leeds
I love the library
I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago about the undiscovered mine of FREE information that is your local Central Library’s Business/Information centre. Since in Freelance Land I don’t have the luxury of access to desk research resources like Mintel and back issues of the trade press I’ve really rediscovered the library and am … Continue reading I love the library
Planner’s time utilisation report
what would yours look like?
the view from the other side of the research fence
I needed to get a quote from a research agency today. For the first time in eight years I don’t have the luxury of an in-house research department and it’s been a real eye-opener. Using the excellent MRS Research Buyers Guide as a starting point, I knew I’d like to work with someone local as I … Continue reading the view from the other side of the research fence