Posts in ‘We Think’ Category

“It’s not our fault” often seems to be the stock response of companies and government organisations when things go terribly wrong or spin horribly out of control. Instead, they explain that it’s beyond their control, an unforeseeable outcome, or the work of the previous guys in charge.

Trouble is, all too often, the public doesn’t buy it. It just doesn’t wash. And companies do too little to manage expectations or demonstrate to people that they are trying to cope. Their...

So our beloved, recently elected, most esteemed, coalesced leaders are doing something very important with Capital Gains Tax.  I thought that we had left the period of pre-election posturing and were supposed to be getting down to real policies to sort out the economic crisis.  Evidently not.  Do you know how much CGT raises each year?  Around £3-4 billion.  So alter that by, say 10% (a politically acceptable change for the electorate) and...

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,...

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...

So you're a major national and international telecoms company and you've recently had an incident at one of your exchanges that is affecting both telephone and broadband lines.  Here a few tips on what not to do.

1. Don't sit there while you try to fix the problem and hope that it won't affect your customers. Why not be pro-active and inform customers in the affected areas that you're working to sort the problem out? They'll appreciate your honesty and forward...

 

I booked a well-deserved holiday this month and conducted all of my destination research online. How antiquated the thought of browsing through dog-eared brochures in a High St. travel agency now feels. Online I was able to search on price and location, view videos of possible accommodation, read reviews from other travellers – everything but dip a toe in the pool.

However, one common niggle kept distracting me like a persistent Mediterranean mosquito. Too many websites offered inadequate translations.

The language...

When Gordon Brown shot the starting gun on the election last week, there were many questions and few answers surrounding the campaign, as Paul Lindsell, our managing director, noted in his blog.

One talking point that has emerged so far is that just about everyone involved in the UK election industry – you know, those politicians, party activists, journalists, PRs, ad agency mad men, pollsters, quiz-show comedians and assorted pundits who live for the big campaign...

So election fever has begun in earnest today.  Given the way vulnerable seat boundaries now lie, it may well go to the wire on May 6th, with the Conservatives having more of a battle than they'd originally thought.  Personally, I won't be deciding which way to vote until the last minute.  But Labour certainly seem to have missed a trick in one respect - the business vote.  We'll are in the process of launching a new piece of national business...