Archive for May, 2010

I’ve just returned from several days at the Ipex trade exhibition in Birmingham. Why are these events never held in Mauritius or the Seychelles?

Ipex is an international print show – a once-every-four-years occasion that attracts all the industry big-hitters. Multi-million dollar marketing budgets are flexed as exhibitors jostle for the limelight amidst a fanfare of new launches.

Clearly, many months of planning had gone into some of the booth designs.  The sheer scale of many stands was impressive.  And yet,...

Cutting government spending is not enough.  There will have to be substantial increases in income tax, say Britain’s private sector finance managers, in a new research report from business analysts Lindsell Marketing.  Conducted amongst over 1,000 UK company finance professionals, the research reveals that income tax must rise to tackle the current public sector deficit. Moreover, spending cuts need to concentrate on central government departments and Quangos, and leave the NHS, the Police and local government largely alone.

Measures...

Every company has one.  They’re used on company stationery, websites, collateral, advertising and campaign activity – in short, everywhere associated with the brand in question. That’s right, it’s the trusty old tagline.

If got right, the tagline can be an effective and memorable device that is a true reflection of what your company does and your brand values. If got wrong, it could be the business world’s equivalent of an awful bar-side chat-up line.

While a number of great consumer taglines...

As the frenzied election of 2010 reached full swing, it was heralded as a campaign taking shape unlike any other – or at least that was different from any national political contest in recent history. With the spectre of a ‘hung’ parliament and the raised profile of the third party and its ascendant leader, it certainly was distinct from recent election campaigns.

What really helped make the campaign unique was the role of media – but the new-style media coverage...

So we Brits are all in the throes of having to make the dreadful choice when casting our votes this week.  Colleagues and clients across Europe and the US have been studiously telling us that there is either more definition or less corruption in the UK's political options compared to their own home turf, and that we should stop moaning and just get on with it with good grace.  Point taken.

In fact, there are two issues that the successful...