Heather has sent out the results of her annual Planner survey. It makes very interesting reading, but I especially liked the front page:
Author: Gemma T
Brand and Creative Strategist
Where would you chose to work?
My part of our building is the big, modern open plan bit, which I share with 75 others. I obviously did something wrong in a previous life because the other 100 or so agency bods are happily ensconced in the adjoining mansion (yes, really, with a secret staircase and everything), complete with French windows, original … Continue reading Where would you chose to work?
Why don’t Planners exist in films?
A link from the (other) plannersphere to this very funny ad from monster.com reminded me that Planning is the worst represented department whenever a film or TV program features an advertising/marketing/design agency. The worst offender has got to be What Women Want, where Mel Gibson as an Creative of some kind produces a campaign for Nike Women … Continue reading Why don’t Planners exist in films?
Information Overload
Is it too easy to get hold of information? With online news and creative databases, google, technorati and consumer reviews sites like dooyoo all only a mouse click away, its easy to find yourself buried under a mountain of information. But theres a difference between information and insight. The nugget that points us in the … Continue reading Information Overload
Can anyone top this?
Client at inter-agency client meeting: “Thank you all for coming today, but there are quite a lot of you and its crowded, so can we just have one person per company and the rest of you can leave”. Yes, it really happened. Can anyone top this?
All for one and one for all
Working in an integrated agency has its pros and cons. On the upside, there is the opportunity to think media/discipline/channel neutral (and really mean it). To actually recommend what is in the client's best interests. To take learnings from one discipline's activities to another via a chat in the office kitchen rather than a … Continue reading All for one and one for all
This is getting ridiculous
I'm nearing the end of a Big Pitch (the fact that most of my recent posts have comprised details of cross-country odysseys might have been a clue). The thing is, I've visited the same town in the South East of England three times in the last couple of months, but have I visited their famous … Continue reading This is getting ridiculous
There is more than one right answer
I wasn't fantastically academic at school. In a year full of Oxbridge candidates and aspiring doctors, lawyers and vets (I went to a Girl's Grammar School), I didn't exactly stand out. But then, according to the school there was only one right answer. Which didn't exactly suit the way my mind works. Its a lot … Continue reading There is more than one right answer
Should you be zigging if your customers want to keep zagging?
I've been thinking alot about brand repositioning recently. Its all very well deciding that from now on your brand is going to be aimed at Audience X, but what about all the Audience Ys that have been faithfully interacting with your brand? They might not be the most profitable or have the best long term prospects, … Continue reading Should you be zigging if your customers want to keep zagging?
Challenger brands have to think smarter
I've just come out of a meeting with a challenger brand who are launching into a market where their competitors spend at least £1M on media alone every year. Our launch budget isn't anything like that, so we're going to have to think a lot smarter. Which is actually more fun. The easy way (chuck lots … Continue reading Challenger brands have to think smarter