A high street renaissance?

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Amid the spoils of a slow news day – awash with hysteria about Cameron’s baby and yawnsome analysis of X factor’s first episode – not to mention a cat in a bin (it is August after all), I was heartened to read a small feature that will hopefully have much ...

Not bad for a 71-year-old…a social media campaign from Old Spice that got it so very right!

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Old Spice − a good Christmas present for granddad and a logo resembling the Blue Peter ship. These were the first thoughts that sprung to mind which is hardly surprising considering it’s a 71-year-old brand.  How very wrong I was… Something rather exciting was going on in the Twittersphere last night. ...

If the cap (or drink, or car, or shoe) fits…

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Yesterday, in my first glimpse of daytime TV since my student days, I caught a lively debate about the proposed guidelines for broadcast product placement.  The focus of the discussion was the ‘P’ symbol that will appear before and after programmes to warn viewers that they contain product placement. The gist ...

Sugar-coated marketing from cereal manufacturers

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Listening to this morning’s piece on sugary kids’ cereals on the Today programme turned my stomach.  Weasel words from Dr Clare Leonard, a nutritionist in bed with the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers.  Here’s an industry that shamelessly dresses up cereals laden with up to 30% sugar as a nutritious ...

Marketing lesson 521: How to make a total mockery of your client

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Every so often I read about an agency doing something so jaw-droppingly stupid that it makes me want to hang my head in shame to be working in the same industry.   This month, the gong must surely go to Be Brand who is responsible for creating an ad for the Costa ...