pic nicked from The White Rooms in St Albans (UK) - not where I was last night but v. highly recommended I was at a viewing facility last night and in the second group there was one respondent who was a real pain in the neck for the moderator. There’s always one (let’s call him Bob), … Continue reading A rogue respondent as seen from the viewing room
Author: Gemma T
Brand and Creative Strategist
a brilliant list of what Britain’s rail network really needs
This is brilliant. Writing in Saturday’s Guardian, Lucy Mangan has made of list of what Britain's rail network really needs. It turns out the What Britain’s Rail Network Really Needs is not ever-so-slightly-faster high speed rail links, but instead Lucy proposes what she calls ‘a bit of tweaking to highlight its true attractions’: Make it … Continue reading a brilliant list of what Britain’s rail network really needs
its apparently Positive Mental Attitude week – and its catching
A couple of weeks ago, one of the Account Directors who sits near me at work merrily declared that for the foreseeable future, all weeks would be now be designated Positive Mental Attitude Week. Since then, she’s won two pitches. I’m not suggesting that the two are completely related, but spending every day alternating between … Continue reading its apparently Positive Mental Attitude week – and its catching
Aircel boat – brand to the rescue?
Via Springwise, I came across this special build billboard for Indian mobile company Aircel. In early July they tethered an inflatable dingy (complete with ‘cut rope in emergency’ instruction) to a billboard in an area of central Mumbai notorious for its flooding problems. Within a couple of weeks, it monsooned, the rope was cut and … Continue reading Aircel boat – brand to the rescue?
Asda rolls back the cliches for Yorkshire Day
So I’m guessing that Asda didn’t get a Yorkshire agency to write their Yorkshire Day ad in today’s Yorkshire Post newspaper… The copy reads: The flat caps, the whippets, the brass bands playing. The smoking chimneys from real coal fires. The cobbled streets. The dry stone walls. The unspoilt beauty of The Dales. Chips wi’ … Continue reading Asda rolls back the cliches for Yorkshire Day
Hurry Up and Wait
Following on from my bullet pointed rant about the pitch process, it now seems clear to me that the entire attitude of the UK marketing industry could be summed up as Hurry Up and Wait. From fast turnaround pitches that result in weeks of client indecision, to urgent meetings cancelled at the last minute and … Continue reading Hurry Up and Wait
A very cynical view of both sides of the pitch process (written by someone who probably needs a holiday)
The agency: I’m sure they hid the brief somewhere in this 82 page document Did you know that pizza is a major food group? Find what we did last time and change the client logo There is a Hell and it’s name is Powerpoint Yes, they do run trains at 5am Time waits for no … Continue reading A very cynical view of both sides of the pitch process (written by someone who probably needs a holiday)
the New Normal #3 – shifting values
In my last (at least for now) series of observations about the New Normal, we come to consumer values. Yes, I know there’s an online movement to eradicate the term ‘consumer’, but to be honest I’ve yet to hear a better alternative – ‘commonalities among people generally, who aren’t customers, but then again might be … Continue reading the New Normal #3 – shifting values
The New Normal #2 – if it moves, research it
So, after looking at the New Normal of measuring client’s bravery and budget we move on to part two – attitudes towards market research. Desk research tools like TGI and Mintel are becoming increasingly unhelpful as we slide deeper into this recession. Data that was collected twelve or eighteen months ago in happier economic times … Continue reading The New Normal #2 – if it moves, research it
the New Normal – measuring how far client’s bravery (and budget) will stretch
Firstly, apologies for the lack of activity here in the last week or two, the result of being manically busy at work combined with a horse-so-lame-it-has-to-go-to-the-horse-hospital crisis. Anyway. I’ve been thinking a lot about what is the New Normal, by which I mean what has shifted as a resulted of the downturn economy, but isn’t … Continue reading the New Normal – measuring how far client’s bravery (and budget) will stretch