Freelance Brand and Creative Strategist / Strategic Planner and Fractional Strategy Director
I've always struggled to understand why business owners feel that their reputation will be somehow enhanced by becoming the focus of a fly-on-the-wall documentary. BBC2's Life in the Freezer Cabinet did nothing for Iceland's positioning and made CEO Malcolm Walker look like an idiot. Which according to a mutual friend is a misrepresentation. the Chief … Continue reading documentaries – is all publicity really good publicity?
There's been the odd occasion over the last few years when I've felt like I've been researching something in order to get that box ticked on the client's project plan, rather than to use fresh insight to move things forward. There's simply no point in spending money on research if the answer is staring you … Continue reading do you really need to research this?
We've been doing a mini-refurb at home so for the last 8 weeks we've had a house full of tradesmen - plumbers, electricians, joiners and so on. Which it turns out isn't terribly conducive to working half the week from home. But aside from that it's been a real eye-opener in terms of client expectations … Continue reading what I’ve learnt from being the client for once
I came across this post from agency Sell!Sell! today, which basically says that agencies create unreasonable clients by consistently capitulating to unreasonable client demands. Which is all very well, but as an agency you have to be in a pretty strong position to consistently say No to clients - you need a cash flow that … Continue reading unreasonable clients? – well, they *are* the customer
I worked on a pitch last Spring that I was really pleased with. I like pitching, it's like Old School Planning but with the whole process set to fast-forward and this particular pitch prep went pretty much swimmingly with a talented team producing IMHO what was a very strong pitch. The research was robust, the … Continue reading do clients get the creative they deserve?
Marks and Spencer announced towards the end of last week that they were extending their payment terms for almost 500 of their suppliers (75 of which are based in the UK) from 60 to 75 days. OR, they’ll pay up straight away in return for a “substantial discount”. I can’t believe that there hasn’t been … Continue reading why payment terms take the p**s
There’s been a lot of fuss on ad-industry-outside-the-M25-magazine The Drum’s website this week about the latest ad from Go Outdoors. They’ve given it their Marketing Weak award, which “highlights an advert for its sheer uselessness”. In the comments below the piece, opinion is divided between those who think an un-creative ad should never grace the … Continue reading when are not-that-bad ads actually good ads?
My elderly Dad has been in and out of hospital a lot recently (long story, he’s doing better now thanks). It’s a small local hospital and the staff are all nothing less than amazing. Not just amazing on the nursing/cleaning/admin-ing front, they are all lovely people who take the time to chat and connect with … Continue reading do we care about our clients enough?
As a freelance, I inevitably get about a bit. So I hear an awful lot about how well (or otherwise) businesses and individuals round my way are doing. I can’t comment on the daily media stories about how the economy is getting better / worse / becoming more unpredictable by the day, but I certainly … Continue reading Northern agency Recession Watch
I’ve been working with a new client for a few months that, by virtue of their business model, have to be very focused on a few KPIs. They do a lot of digital activity and are also pretty hot on tracking where other incoming leads are coming from, so you can tweak an element of … Continue reading it turns out I give good spreadsheet after all