blog

you aren’t marketing to your mates

I was debriefing some work on Shopper Missions recently and there was a certain amount of disbelief in the room regarding some approaches to parenting I found that tied into a key Occasion customers were shopping for. I had to remind everyone present that the customers we were talking about were not necessarily the same … Continue reading you aren’t marketing to your mates →

why Donkey Football is great nudge marketing

I’ve found a brilliant example of nudge marketing – and a Planner (much less a Behavioural Insights team) hasn’t been near it. The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust‘s mission is to help keep working horses and donkeys in the area healthy – and a healthy working animal can increase its owners income by up to … Continue reading why Donkey Football is great nudge marketing →

retail winners and losers in a heatwave

images via the BBC online and TV forecasts I love all the weather-related retail stories that come out whenever there’s the slightest sign of a heatwave in the UK. It’s a gift for PRs (who are probably sitting on a load of Royal Baby press releases they can’t send out yet) and a fun way … Continue reading retail winners and losers in a heatwave →

we’re going to need considerably more Investigators of Interesting

In last week’s Radio Times (which is nearly as good as The Sun for a pulse of the nation type snapshot) Radio 4’s Today presenter Justin Webb wrote in his column about how his children will have a limited need to know actual facts, what with the world’s knowledge being there at their digital fingertips. … Continue reading we’re going to need considerably more Investigators of Interesting →

I think Carling’s new ad might have missed a trick

I got sent a link to the new Carling ad 'Trick Shot' this morning. It's good - memorable, on brand, a bit of a homage to the Honda Cog and OK Go school of communications and it’s a nice touch to have the original "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label" blokes looking on at … Continue reading I think Carling’s new ad might have missed a trick →

have O2 made a call that rubbish customer service pays?

I know I go on about consistent brand delivery across all customer touchpoints a lot, but below are some edited highlights from a 30 minute long online Live Chat between O2 and my sister (whose new phone doesn’t work and who would rather have called them but gave up after 2 ½ hrs on hold...) … Continue reading have O2 made a call that rubbish customer service pays? →

why agencies need to own their positioning

Over my career I must have been exposed to more agency credentials presentations than can be entirely healthy.  All three integrated agencies I worked for were rather keen on reinventing themselves every 18 months, complete with a new positioning to go with their new identity.  And I’ve latterly had reason to look over more than … Continue reading why agencies need to own their positioning →

should charity fundraising consider sufferers as well as supporters?

This is Campaign’s Ad Of The Day today (Thursday): By AIS London for Harrison's Fund (the Dad in question is a friend of the agency according to The Drum), it might well help fundraise for a less well-known and very serious illness, but I don’t imagine it will make the parents whose children are currently … Continue reading should charity fundraising consider sufferers as well as supporters? →

in praise of pitching

You may have already deduced from the lack of posts from me recently that I’ve just surfaced from spending a month immersed in a major pitch (*crosses fingers, waits for phone call*). unpublished creative work-in-progress for The Pitch by Empire Design taken from AMC's website Does your agency pitch, or do you make a point … Continue reading in praise of pitching →

the new BBC class calculator doesn’t get full marks from me

Have you had a play with the BBC’s new class calculator yet? Looking at the categories, most of the Planners I’ve met would slot neatly into the Technical Middle Class box: But when I tried with my own data, I came out as Established Middle Class, probably because thanks to my horsey friends I could … Continue reading the new BBC class calculator doesn’t get full marks from me →