Cheshire Cat

An unlikely pairing

2011-10-15T17:45:00.000+01:00

I like Mary Portas. Mostly, I think she talks a lot of sense.

I also like the fact that she's teamed up with Clarks to launch a shoe range (available at House of Fraser, along with her new clothing range.) It's a brave move. Clarks isn't the coolest of brands - and not exactly what you'd call 'aspirational', (which isn't a word I like but one that would doubtless have been flung around by Portas' team as they mulled this one over).

But someone has recognised that Clarks and Mary Portas both have a little of what the other one needs: Portas the high fashion edge which Clarks has tried (and largely failed) in recent years to inject into its range and Clarks, downright practicality and the trust of British women. We all know Portas knows fashion. But she's actually in danger of being a little too inaccessible for the masses - that impossibly sharp bob, those impractically high heels and a wardrobe full of top designers are not within the grasp of most women.

But in roping in brands like Clarks, Radley and Charnos as partners, Portas assures her target market that she's got their back. Not to mention reducing her own risk. Yep, I reckon she might actually be as sharp as her own hairdo.

Mary Queen of Frocks is available on 4oD.

Question du jour

2011-10-07T19:38:00.000+01:00

Why don't estate agents use QR codes on their For Sale boards? Surely this would be one of the few genuinely useful applications for the little blighters*.

Anyone who's bought a house knows how it works - you drive around the neighbourhood, checking out the nice roads and trying to note down the addresses of anything that looks hopeful so you can get home and check it out on Rightmove. How much easier if you could just scan a code outside and immediately have access to property particulars and price guide on your phone?

*Here's the best one I've seen in action:

Image: Diana Parkhouse

Bring back the brief

2011-09-26T19:51:00.000+01:00

I have found myself on several occasions recently wondering if a client would react badly to my sending them a brief template, with simple instructions on use. Because some of them seem to have abandoned this little tradition. In fact, I'm not sure some of them have ever actually seen one before. Maybe I need to go in there and give them a bit of a crash course?

Is it me or are clients in general getting worse and worse at briefing?

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not expecting a fully formed piece of insightful, inspirational genius to drop into our laps every time you send us a job – that's what the planners are for – but something more than a spec would be nice.

And even if you can't be arsed to give me the background, and really can't be sure what the proposition should be, you must have a vague idea of what the objective is. Because something has motivated you to send me that charming two line email demanding concepts.

So, I'm on a mission. Make briefing cool. Let's start a Facebook page. That should do it.

Here's a really good presenatation from Dare on creative briefing (go to the website and read the speaker notes too.)

Creative Brief Workshop

View more presentations from Nick Emmel

Very clever

2011-09-21T17:34:00.000+01:00

Anti-social

2011-09-09T17:15:00.000+01:00

Who told Tesco they should have a Facebook page?

I just don’t get it. Surely, they already know more about their customers than virtually any other retailer on the planet, and have one of the most successful DM/loyalty programmes in the form of Clubcard.

Yes, they’ve got lots of likes, because they’re Tesco. But the most exciting thing that seems to have happened on the page is a giveaway cock-up back in July.

In fact, the only reason I would visit the page is to complain.

I'd love to know what Tesco think they're gaining here. Yet again, proof that just because social media is easy to do, doesn’t mean it’s easy to do well. Or that everyone should be doing it.

A rare beast

2011-08-22T17:25:00.003+01:00

A standout piece of sports sponsorship, spotted at the weekend (Wales v Argentina rugby).

Cinemagraph

2011-08-16T20:08:00.003+01:00

Someone sent me this today which I thought was super neat.

The blurb on the website says
Visual Graphics Artist Kevin Burg began experimenting with the .gif format in this style in 2009 but it wasn't until he partnered with photographer Jamie Beck to cover NYFW that Cinemagraphs were born. Marrying original content photography with the desire to communicate more to the viewer birthed the cinemagraph process. Starting in-camera, the artists take a traditional photograph and combine a living moment into the image through the isolated animation of multiple frames. To quote supermodel Coco Rocha "it's more than a photo but not quite a video".

Check it out. The animated gif appreciation society would surely be impressed.

Toe Post

2011-08-03T14:26:00.002+01:00

It’s swelteringly hot in the office today and the old summer wardrobe conundrum has raised its sweaty head.

It’s definitely harder for the guys. Whereas the ladies have had their flip flops out since the ground frost abated, the sandal remains a contentious area for blokes, even within the creative industries.

Personally, whilst fully appreciating the lure of the open toe, I’m not a big fan of mandals at work. Boys, we may not want to be around when you remove your shoes after a long day in a hot office, but we’d much rather you kept ‘em covered.

And if you’re still in any doubt, check this out.

Radio gaga

2011-07-21T20:15:00.005+01:00

I was in the car last week with the local radio station on when I suddenly became aware of how intently I was listening to an Autoglass ad. Now that’s clever, I thought. It was pretty unassuming as ads go – and probably appeared, at first sight, a bit of a boring script on the page. But the storytelling and conversational tone demanded attention – as if someone had been sitting next to me in the passenger seat telling me something. I love a good radio ad, and I think it’s a great shame that it’s a medium that’s often viewed as ‘the poor relation’ to TV.

Anyway, this coupled with the fact that I was at an RAB Radiogauge research de-brief this morning seemed to demand a bit of a radio themed post. So here it is.

The RAB website is well worth a look by the way. They’ve got lots of stuff on effectiveness, response, brand building and other such useful topics with which to bamboozle clients and colleagues alike.

In fact, the RAB lady this morning was quite excited about a new piece of research they’ve done called ‘Radio: The Emotional Multiplier’

The key findings from the study are:

1. Consuming any medium (TV, Online, Radio) has a significant uplift effect on people’s mood

2. Radio generates the highest Happiness and Energy levels of the three media measured, and on more occasions

a. On average, when consuming radio, Happiness & Energy scores increase by 100% and 300% compared to when no media is being consumed

b. Radio is the highest scoring medium for Happiness & Energy in 70% of dayparts across the week

c. Radio is also part of the most potent mood-enhancing media combination, when consumed concurrently with online

So, you may be thinking, that’s no big surprise – the radio plays music, everyone enjoys listening to their favourite type of music.

Perhaps the more interesting bit then, is the finding that:

3. This mood-boosting effect of radio editorial extends into the ad break generating 30% higher levels of positive engagement with radio advertising

4. So for advertisers, radio represents a unique and powerful opportunity to reach consumers in a positive frame of mind, when they will be more receptive to advertising messages

5. Radio is a powerful Emotional Multiplier, boosting consumer happiness and enhancing receptiveness to advertising

So there you go, big up the radio briefs!

Image: Fernando Candeias

Rise of the machines

2011-07-12T20:30:00.007+01:00

My boss reckons it’s no coincidence that the artificial intelligence system in Terminator which took on a life of its own and threatened to destroy all of humanity was called Skynet. Certainly, the chaps from Sky who came to see us last week to tell us about the premise of their new AdSmart system were displaying all the mandatory signs – a gleefully smug manner and utter confidence in the ultimate superiority of their creation.

But then, Sky do appear to have nailed tailored advertising via TV in a way that’s never been possible before. Adsmart was launched last year on SkyPlayer. In a nutshell, it allows advertisers to deliver different ads to different households based on the viewer’s profile (Experian are on board to manage the AdSmart database).

The big development, however, will come at the start of 2013 when any household with a Sky HD box (and there will be some 5million of them by then) will have targeted ads (assembled based on the viewing habits and demographics of users) served during live TV viewing. And if you can serve ads in this way, you can also serve them sequentially and you can serve them exactly as many times as you deem necessary to get your message home.

Opt-out will be available, and Sky has already started contacted its subscriber base to let them know what’s happening and give them the choice – but of course, why wouldn’t people want to be told about products and services that Sky think are more relevant to them? Since you put it like that...

Of course, the other spin-off will be the ability to target geographically in a way that’s never been possible before. Forget the ITV regions, if Sky manage to get enough HD boxes out there, the potential for precise targeting based on location (or proximity to a particular retailer or outlet) is phenomenal.

Pretty interesting stuff. Even if the current phone-hacking scandal does manage to delay NewsCorp's takeover of BSkyB, I can't imagine it being anything more than a temporary blip in the company's quest for world domination in the long run...

Image: lensfodder

Hello again

2011-06-30T15:52:00.002+01:00

OK, I think I’m back. It’s been a busy 6 months. Between work and wedding planning (which I didn’t think I could give a stuff about but turns out I can) I’ve been a bit preoccupied. And whatever anyone says, you need a bit of headspace for this.

Anyway, I saw someone I used to work with last week (one of my 4 regular readers it would seem) who said she was missing my posts. So I decided the holiday’s over. She was probably just being polite.

Possibly my favourite ad of the year

2010-11-14T19:05:00.001Z

Strictly Come Dancing meets VW advertising. What more could a girl want?

Rules of corporate blogging

2010-10-12T21:32:00.003+01:00

Rule no. 278

Avoid having a comments section filled only with self-indulgent tripe from your own employees.

Mugg boots

2010-09-22T19:20:00.002+01:00

Right on cue, late September signals the return of the ubiquitous Uggs.

Quite how a brand continues to convince so many people that such an exclusive price tag can be justified for such a non-exclusive item is a mystery.

For big cocks

2010-09-16T20:12:00.004+01:00

Much tittering in the office this afternoon over Durex's new range of JLS condoms.

In a stroke of genius, they've gone with 'Just Love Safe' for the range name (although surely 'Just Lie Still' must have come a close second...)

As one of the boys pointed out, 'it's important to put your love in a glove.'

Legal Eagle

2010-09-09T19:14:00.006+01:00

A slightly sensitive campaign topic combined with an ultra-twitchy client has recently seen me embroiled in way more to-ing and fro-ing on matters of legality than is normally healthy for a account handler.

Whereas the majority of campaigns tend to require nothing more onerous than a vague reference to Ts and Cs being available on the website, this one has unfortunately left me with various sections of the CAP code marked indelibly on my brain.

Should you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here are some of the resources you might need:

CAP (Committee of Advertising Practice) Codes

There are new UK CAP (non-broadcast) and BCAP (broadcast) codes which came into force from 1 September which are available for download here.

ASA (Advertising Standards Authority)

CAP codes are independently administered by the ASA who, as well as proactively monitoring ads, are also responsible for investigating complaints from the industry and members of the public about specific ads.

Quite interesting is their Adjudications section where they publish weekly rulings on possible code breaches. You can search for rulings around a particular topic which can be helpful in terms of showing how the codes are interpreted in practice and ascertaining whether there are any precedents set.

Clearcast

Clearcast is the body responsible for approving TV ads before broadcast to ensure they are compliant with the BCAP code. They publish their own specific guidelines for TV ads here.

RACC (Radio Advertising Clearance Centre)

Similarly, the RACC approves radio scripts before broadcast and also publishes guidelines – with subjects helpfully arranged alphabetically!

So these are your first stops for the basics. But then there are various specialist areas where regulations from other bodies come into play which require you to jump through their own specific and myriad legal hoops.

For instance, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) works with other statutory regulators and self-regulatory bodies to ensure advertising is fully compliant with EC and UK medicines law.

And for food claims you’d need to check out the FSA’s guidance on compliance with EUROPEAN REGULATION (EC) NO 1924/2006 ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH CLAIMS MADE ON FOODS.

These are 2 potentially sticky ones that I’m aware of but there are no doubt plenty of others.

Bespoke advice

CAP has a free advice service for non-broadcast communications materials which is pretty useful – they promise to get back to you within 24 hours on whether your creative is compliant.

And don’t forget if your agency is a member of the IPA, you can get free legal advice from them too.

The joy of the account handler’s lot, of course, is that once you’ve been through all this rigmarole, you may well then have to face your client’s internal compliance review team. Who tend not to publish their guidelines, typically preferring something of a more ad hoc approach. Good luck!

Image: law_keven

Light reading

2010-09-06T19:45:00.002+01:00

Ofcom's seventh annual Communications Market report can be found here, with a summary press release here.

Headline stat is that consumers are now spending almost half (45 per cent) of their waking hours watching TV, using their mobiles and other communications devices.

It's worth a skim.

A hunter and a bear

2010-09-03T17:13:00.002+01:00

Via the Creative Review blog, here's a fun new interactive YouTube campaign from Tipp-Ex. Basically, you get to fill in the gap in this sentence: A hunter_____ a bear and watch the characters do their stuff.

Would it make me any more likely to buy Tipp-Ex? No. But it's quite clever.

Spot check

2010-09-01T18:35:00.004+01:00

Oop north, we get a bit excited when we do TV. Having circulated the spot list to everyone who had a sniff of involvement, from the music arranger to the girl who does the tea at the production company, we all settle down with our popcorn at the alloted hour to watch the first 'live' airing.

Tonight, dear readers, is one such occasion. Having failed to convince Mr CC of the importance of the 'pre-spot build-up', I am guarding my bag of jelly snakes in readiness. Bring it on.

Image: Cloudzilla

Friday fun

2010-08-27T14:27:00.002+01:00

Via Creativity Online, perfect Friday afternoon fodder in the shape of The Ugly Dance.

Wordle

2010-08-24T17:05:00.000+01:00

Just came across a neat tool via Buy me, I'll change your life called Wordle.

It's basically a word cloud generator that works from either pasted text, the URL of a blog or website with a news feed, or even from a delicious username (creating a cloud from tags.)

You can play about with fonts and colours and then either upload to a public gallery or save for your own use via screen grab.

Beats trying to do your own in Powerpoint anyway...

Rules of advertising

2010-08-22T16:45:00.003+01:00

Rule No. 436:

Don't mix your Shakespeare references.

Typo of the week

2010-07-30T09:07:00.000+01:00

Skyscrappers.

Image: Corelliano.

The Creative Sell

2010-07-28T08:03:00.000+01:00

Good article here on the Denver Egotist on How to Sell Creative Work to Clients. It's aimed at creatives but all highly relevant for suits, planners and anyone else who might find themselves presenting new work.

Via ITIABTWC.

Genius

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000+01:00