“I want to build my reputation, but I’ve been stung by PR agencies in the past.” Sound familiar? Sadly, I hear it a lot, particularly from SMEs and owner-managed businesses. I’m not in the business of PR-bashing – there are enough people out there doing that – and often when you probe a bit, the problem isn’t bad [...]
Social shaming is becoming a bit of a problem for brands. They struggle with the question: how can you stop people from expressing themselves on social media? The answer: you can’t. Clear communication, excellent levels of customer service and a cohort of loyal brand advocates are really the only defence for brands. What is social [...]
The horsemeat scandal isn’t really about food safety, it’s about trust. How can people trust the food that they’re eating? How can the brands involved reassure consumers that they’re taking the issue seriously and doing everything in their power to ensure the safety and quality of their food? Tesco and Waitrose have both promised changes [...]
As I posted this over on my blog earlier today, I realised that although written from a creative writing perspective, voice is something that copywriters also have to wrestle with. Advertising copywriters are use to writing punchy, direct prose, but give someone a 1000 limit and they can easily slip into a lazier writing style. [...]
Love it or loathe it, you certainly can’t get away from Valentine’s Day. Brands have come up with some cracking ways to celebrate the ‘special’ day and drive brand awareness. Here are four examples of campaigns that have caught my attention. Feel free to highlight your favourites (or highlight some stinkers…) in the comments. IKEA [...]
It costs an impressive $4 million to buy a 30 second Super Bowl ad spot. It’s understandable that brands want to make the most of their investment. The ad has to be memorable, to tap into the zeitgeist, or just be funny. It needs to be talked about in the office, at home and online. [...]
In our last post, we looked at how Sainsbury’s, Smart Car and O2 handled social media criticism by stepping out of the corporate drone mentality and showing the world that there are actual living, breathing humans at the other end of the computer. It’s one thing to poke fun at, or in some cases pour [...]
