Since I got into this whole working-for-myself lark, the line between work and leisure has got rather blurred. I now have the flexibility to, say, take Friday off to go and watch a horse show, then catch up with my invoicing on Saturday evening. The thing that worries me is that when I send out … Continue reading Does your work life have an OFF switch?
Category: agencies
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:
comparing and contrasting agency shop floors
In my new freelance life I‘ve been having lots of meetings with local agencies. From one man bands to UK top 30 agencies and from start-ups to old timers I’ve sat in a lot of agency receptions recently and it’s been a real eye opener. I’ve been amazed at the sheer diversity of approaches to … Continue reading comparing and contrasting agency shop floors
Front of House (or Farm)
I’ve had some uni friends and their toddler staying for the weekend so we headed out to the local farm park today. It was excellent – lots for little ones to see and do and the sun shone. What I really noticed at the farm was how professional everything was. The staff were uniformed, name … Continue reading Front of House (or Farm)
World Cup time again then
I’m not exactly what you’d call a football fan but I’m sort of looking forward to the Big Event that is the 2010 World Cup – but only in order to see what brands do to reach out to people like me who really can’t get excited about 11 men (is it eleven?) running up and down … Continue reading World Cup time again then
The negatives of being Up North
I’ve been working in regional marketing agencies for 12 years this Summer and I’ve written before about what I see as the positives of Life Outside London, but I thought it was probably worth mentioning some of the not so brilliant bits as well: - Your face, body, children, house, pet, car and all your … Continue reading The negatives of being Up North
The other side of the fence
After a few, shall we say, challenging emails from one of my clients over the last couple of days, it would be very easy for me to write a ranting post about how the ideal client would actually read and action contact reports, make decisions rather than simply forwarding emails and have at least some … Continue reading The other side of the fence
File as if you’re about to get run over by a bus
this Russian guy had a lucky escape last year when the brakes failed on a parked bus and it accelerated down a hill towards him (story & film @ The Telegraph) For a Planner, I’m probably a bit too organised. Which means I occasionally get lumbered covering client meetings for absent account directors or sorting travel logistics. … Continue reading File as if you’re about to get run over by a bus
not so perfect pitch
screengrab from the infamous agency.com Subway pitch video I’m prepping a pitch at the moment. So I was interested to read Merry Baskin’s piece in March’s Admap about the pitch process. Merry’s Ten Top Tips for Agencies includes ‘Rehearse. Three times- once for content and storyline, twice in front of an audience and thrice, the … Continue reading not so perfect pitch
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
I’ve been thinking a lot about how agencies are organised and subsequently reorganised recently and about how their systems work (or in some cases, don’t). Looking back at the agencies I’ve worked for, I’ve seen a LOT of different approaches to the organising and running of an Integrated Northern Marketing Agency and none of them … Continue reading Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes