Archive for February, 2010

Since the demise of IDMF, the Technology for Marketing show has become the trade show to be at – and not just because it seems to be the only truly direct marketing event in the UK at the moment.

Last year saw a turning point in its organisation. The organisers stepped up their game in terms of thought leadership, and this year are offering up to 80 sessions and keynotes from leading industry organisations like...

If the ‘noughties’ were the decade of celebrity endorsement, might the ‘teens’ herald a reversal?

The trend has already started with companies turning to everyday employees to promote the brand rather than expensive famous faces. High street banks are an obvious example (although, ironically, the gurning Halifax Howard has now become a minor celebrity in his own right).

Then, of course, there have been the major brand embarrassments. Tiger Woods, John Terry, Ashley Cole – all previously lending their name and...

Right now unfolding before our very eyes is a classic example of a major PR and customer communications disaster that is spinning out of control largely because the company in question, Toyota, waited until it was far too late before admitting that there was any problem at all and taking action.

First there was the issue of the apparently defective accelerators that led to lawsuits in the US and, splashed across the global media, the heart-wrenching...