Mark's Blog

Its a dogs life running a small business

2011-06-10T15:12:00.000+01:00

Based in a small business in the North East we seem to live in an era/area where almost every week we hear about another business going to the wall because of poor payment terms, cutbacks or just being choked by the recession. However I am pleased to announce the following:

Pedigree Chum have reportedly gone into administration

Rumours at the BBC suggest that they have called in the 'retrievers'..........

Well, it made me laugh.

Cowell

2010-12-13T23:48:00.000Z

I am not a fan of X factor.......

I think it polarises music and the rare positive is that it harnesses those who want to rebel against it.

However, as someone who watches body language and tries to read what people are saying, I would offer the following views on Simon's views about this years winner, Matt Cardle:

Simon was extremely dissapointed as Matt is the least likely to sell 'overseas' and so he has just given a £1million contract to someone who has a career probably as long as Shane Ward. Who?????? He just looked flat as the winner was announced.
Simon showed his lack of interest by not coming on stage at the climax of the show to congratulate the winner and using the word 'consistent' to best describe Matt's performances. That is code for Simon saying that he thinks Matt Cardle is shite.....
Simon openly offered contracts to One Direction and Rebecca Scouser during the show, which shows his lack of interest in the final winner, and also just how far he will go to devalue his own show, by basically making everyone the winner.

If you disagree please offer an opinion

Once upon a time....

2010-10-18T12:16:00.001+01:00

...........there was a fantastic annual gala called, the Northern Children's Book festival.....

And this year is no different, apart from the fact that the regional event is also promoting a new competition to find a new children's author. The Northern Star event is open to anyone in the region, who would like to put pen to paper and come up with an idea for the next children's classic. The winner will be revealed at the gala event, following a public vote on shortlisted titles, and the prize is a publishing deal for the 1st edition.

This is a great competition, and a fantastic event, so go to the website http://www.ncbf.co.uk/ to get the details, and if you can't write a book, get along to the gala day in November and meet some of the country's most talented authors.

Launching a Rude Website

2010-09-27T20:39:00.000+01:00

I have spent the day working on a brand new website for a client, and with the site going live I am interested to see how it will be received.

The site is called http://www.rudewrappings.co.uk/ and will raise an eyebrow or two for certain. The site is based on the view that current wrapping paper is dull and boring, and so the answer is a range of wrapping papers that pack a punch. With a range of special papers for every occassion and some general wrapping papers on the theme of zodiac signs, the site has something for everyone.

My favourite paper is as cynical as you can get, with a special wrapping paper to help your kids get over the idea that Father Christmas is real. 'Santa is a Myth' is very funny, but with a six year old daughter who still believes in Santa, Rudolph and the Elves, I may well be buying this one next year.

The site is well worth a look, so go to
http://www.rudewrappings.co.uk/ for a good laugh, a bit of fun and the best wrapping paper on the internet.

I am prepared to work on the Astraeus Airlines marketing account for free

2010-09-16T23:30:00.000+01:00

If you want to know why I have made such a bold offer in the title of this blog entry, then take a look at who the airline have just appointed as Marketing Director.

Bruce Dickinson, front man for Iron Maiden is taking over as head of marketing for the airline. He is already a part time pilot for the airline!!!, and will fit in his new role in between touring duties with the band.

No disrespect to any of our current clients, but if Bruce wanted to meet for a pint to have a chat about our next 3 month PR tactics, or discuss some ideas for online advertising, I would not be working out if I was going to charge for attending the meeting or if I should put the cost of drinks on expenses. I would be buying the first round.

So, in the very very unlikely event that anyone from Astraeus regularly reads my blog, and Bruce doesn't already have an agency in mind for their next campaign, the offer is there.

The Psychology of your Facebook Photo

2010-09-13T20:45:00.000+01:00

New research has been carried out to identify if there is anything hidden in the meaning of your Facebook profile photo. Why do some people show themselves out partying with friends? Why do some people show images of their cutesy children and babies? Why do some people choose to show random objects or bizarre images instead of a photo of themselves?

This fascinating piece of research has concluded that:

Young people show themselves with their mates and almost 5% are probably drinking!! - This apparently suggests that they have a life.
Old people show their children. - This apparently suggests they used to have a life, but now they have children, and their children have lives.
Some people show themselves smiling - This apparently suggests they want to appear friendly.
Some people show strange images like pictures of their pets, pictures of celebrities or just abstract cartoons showing the devil or something malevolent - I think this is because they are crazy...... (That comment is from me, and not the university researchers)

In terms of pointless research, I would say this is top of the charts for 2010 (and I really hope there is NO such chart). Who cares what profile picture you put on Facebook. It means bugger all, and genuinely doesn't matter. I have put up the only photo I had of myself on my computer the day I started the account. Is that relevant? Does it have some hidden meaning?

So, here is hoping that this particular project does not win the BBC Radio 4 'So you want to be a scientist?' competition, and something worthwhile wins instead.

Our 10:10 initiative

2010-09-06T21:22:00.000+01:00

Everyone at Adessi has embraced a decision taken earlier this year to register for the 10:10 environmental initiative with amazing enthusiasm and some great activities. We have started recycling more, reduced our energy consumption significantly, and numerous members of staff, and even I (the oldest, unfittest member of the entire company) have abandoned vehicles at least once a week to use a bike to get around instead.

The enthusiasm and positive activity is now being summarised in a new blog http://adessi1010.blogspot.com/ where every week we will share with the world our deliberate and sometimes amateurish attempts to do something good for the environment and reduce our carbon footprint.

Obviously looking to inspire from this blog, we were hoping to get some good comments or at least support from others in the blogging community and those who see initiatives like 10:10 as a positive step. However, almost immediately, we have come under fire from an alternative blog (Barkingside 21), who state that perhaps we should be buying fruit rather than recycling crisp packets!!!!

Let me offer an extremely personal view....

One of the reasons I think many people don't go the extra mile to save energy, reduce their carbon footprint or recycle effectively is because there are so many pious people out there, looking down their noses at you, and making your efforts look futile or irrelevant.

Barkingside 21 is clearly written by more educated and engaged environmentalists. It has the higher ground in many ways, and frequently draws attention to better ways of sustainable living. However, do they really need to slag us off, and suggest that our efforts are worthless!!

I just want to thank those good people at Barkingside 21, whose blog I won't be promoting again in the future, for putting the boot in, and being completely negative about a company who are trying to do something. Barkingside21 may well be an environmental community. For me, they are Idiots......

I want to applaud anyone who recycles, (cycles to work rather than drives), works to cut their carbon footprint and generally wants to contribute to a better more sustainable environment. Even if you get it wrong sometimes, I would not criticise you for your efforts.

Favourite Jokes at the Edinburgh Festival

2010-08-25T21:15:00.000+01:00

These are my favourite jokes from this years Edinburgh Festival:

'Dave Drowned. So at the funeral we got him a wreath in the shape of a lifebelt. It's what he would have wanted.'

'Being an England fan is like being the over optimistic parents of the fat kid on school sports day.'

'As a kid I was made to walk the plank. We couldn't afford a dog.'

'A smurf walks into a bar? The bartender says 'Why so blue?''

Just wanted to share these with you.

Great Website

2010-08-17T23:25:00.000+01:00

I was sent a link to this site today, and I love it.

http://producten.hema.nl/

Give it a few minutes to load, and don't lose patience as I think it is worth it.

Beans in a Jar......It's just not right

2010-08-02T22:47:00.000+01:00

I believe in innovation. I believe in evolution. I believe in technical improvements.....

However, when I heard that Heinz had decided to put beans in a jar with a resealable lid, so you can keep them in the fridge, I just decided that the world has finally moved on, and I have been left behind.

Beans come in tins......That's the law. At least it should be.

Airbrushed Advertisements - Do they need a health warning?

2010-07-26T20:41:00.000+01:00

It is fascinating to see the new Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone making a stand against airbrushed models in advertisements, with the recommendation that they carry a symbol in press and billboard ads, identifying that they are 'fake'.....

She is assembling a round table to discuss the subject in the Autumn, which will include members of mumsnet and Gok Wan among others!!!

Before I go any further, is anyone thinking the same as me? Branding ads 'fake' just because the advertiser has tried to enhance the appearance of the model in the photograph. Gok Wan as part of a crack team of experts discussing changes to legislation. Is everyone going bleeding mad????

I ask these 3 questions:

1) There must be something slightly more important than this, for our newly elected government to be wasting their time on?

2) Is a practice that has been ongoing in film, media, music and advertising for over 70 years, now so bad that we need to be warned about its existence?

3) Is Gok Wan really an expert? No disrespect, but if Gok Wan can help shape legislation then I think we should definitely have Gazza helping the Home Office with crime and disorder policy after his recent appearance in Rothbury.

Can the Rt Hon member for Hornsey and Wood Green please get a grip, and let's just have some perspective on the role of advertising. It's meant to be an advertisement after all. Boys and Girls, Men and Women, Cars and even I-phones all look better when they are in the advertisements. That is the point surely.

X Factor launches a magazine

2010-07-23T14:32:00.000+01:00

As if Cowell does not already make enough money, the X Factor have now signed with Haymarket to launch a weekly magazine to run throughout the next season. I assume the magazine will be part of the signing on contract for all the poor wannabes who get through the cattle market, and into the weekly programme. They will provide all their exclusives and main interviews to X Factor magazine, rather than landing lucrative extras from Hello, OK, Chat and all the others....

Bad luck to all the rest of the 'tat merchants', as that is 50% of your content gone up the swanny from September until January. What will you be able to write about now. I expect they will be thanking God for Kerry Katona and Peter Andre.

My view - Let's hope the public turn their back on this latest cash loophole plugged by Mr Cowell. I doubt it will happen, but you have to have hope...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Facebook

2010-07-21T22:34:00.000+01:00

In reverse order, this is my view of Facebook

The Ugly
When people set up groups like 'Moat was a Legend', you see how ugly our society has become. Glorifying a murderer with serious problems, who shot himself in the most dreadful circumstances is hardly a free speech issue. It's just stupid, and those who want to use social networks to grieve or show support for someone like this are genuinely sad individuals. FB is ugly because it is accepting this type of rubbish.

The Bad
How many 'friends' do you really have. I may well be sad and lonely, but I am proud that I can count my friends using my fingers and toes. Is it bad that there is pressure now to have hundreds of friends on FB. I think younger people actually seem to consider the number of friends they have as a measure of their social status. FB is bad simply because it is now a tool rating your popularity, when anyone with any sense knows that 'real' friends are far and few between.

The Good
I recently had to attend a family funeral, and following on from this at the customary wake, I found out my Auntie in Australia was on FB. In less than a week, I have made contact with my God Mother, an Auntie, a Cousin and a Cousins sibling, all of whom know about other members of my extended family. I have seen photos from my relatives lives, I would never see, and gained an insight into an extended family which is a rare luxury. I am grateful that FB exists simply because it has openned up a small door to my own family (as my dad was one of 13, it is a very large extended family). FB is good because it is amazing technology and it allows people to simply share moments from their lives. In a world which is more accessible than ever, it is amazing how remote we still are from one another. FB is still an amazing opportunity to create a community.

So, whilst the press seem to daily find another reason to show Facebook is dangerous, sick, illegal and an uncontrollable 'big brother' with ownership of our every comment and image, I am actually a fan, because if you concentrate on the Good, laugh about the Bad and just work to alienate the Ugly, it has a great positive power.

Where was Cappelo really looking?

2010-07-20T22:59:00.000+01:00

As a genuine England fan, I just wanted to share a showreel for a potential England player, who has been ignored for too long.

Jimmy Bullard. He is surely a national hero. So what if he is always injured. So what if his biggest clubs have been Fulham and Hull. So what if he is crap. He is better than Rooney, Terry and Lampard for me.

Jimmy Bullard for England. Ring the FA on 0207 216 3427 to let them know that Jimmy is genuinely the next England Captain.

Late Night Blogging

2010-07-19T23:38:00.000+01:00

It is sad that when late at night when you have watched Sky News repeat the same news for about the 10th time (technically it has been on in the background for 2.5 hours), you end up finding the stupidest reason for a blog entry. Anyway, here is tonights entry.

I have just visited www.deathclock.com and filled in their easy to complete questionnaire to be told the date of my death will be..........................drum roll please.............. Saturday 22nd June 2041.

I am actually quite chuffed with that result. Over 30 years left.....

Bit dissapointed they could not tell me the actual time, but it will be a Saturday, so I am not likely to be at work.

How to make a difference

2010-07-19T09:57:00.000+01:00

Adessi has recently signed up to the 10:10 challenge, which we will use to monitor and reduce our carbon footprint. The reality of creating 35,000 metric tonnes of carbon as a company means that we are essentially doing the same amount of damage as taking 19 flights from Heathrow to New York. Good for the shopping and sightseeing, but pretty bad all round, if you want to consider yourself a champion of the environment.

We will cut our travel, reduce our electricity use in our offices and conduct some initiatives internally to maintain awareness and help everyone change habits which contribute to damaging the environment. We will make it fun and interesting, and ensure we promote our achievements.

However, our real challenge is getting others to join us. We are intending to pilot a scheme with a small number of clients in the next 3 months to help them make a real impact on their own carbon footprint. We intend to offer a specific set of incentives, promotion and bring together a package of measures which means we will hopefully get 5 other companies cutting their carbon footprint by 10% or more in the next 12 months. If we are successful, we will genuinely have made a contribution.

If you want to know more about our programme we will be starting a blog later this week devoted to 10:10, or you can just contact me, and I will speak to you.

Tendering for Fun!!!!!

2010-06-15T17:31:00.000+01:00

I just had to share this with you, and for a change name some names...

We were invited to tender for some work recently in what appeared to be an open and fair process for an organisation called Reaction. They are an organisation promoting enterprise in Northumberland based in Hexham.

The tender looked interesting and well within our capability. We spent a number of days pulling together a response and devising the various approaches and costings required. Because of the timescale, and as always a 'work to the deadline' approach, I had to drive Hexham to hand in the tender response by hand. To my surprise, the delivery address for responses to the tender was actually the offices of a competitor, and a marketing services company called R//evolution.

As I drove back to Newcastle, I made a mental note and then transfered this to a post-it note in my office. The note said: 'The winning company in the tender for marketing support for Reaction will be a company called R//evolution.'

Low and behold we received an email confirmation the other day that we had been unsuccessful in our tender. I asked who had won, and was told by phone that the contract had been awarded to Revolution.

Now, I am not a soothsayer or the North Easts answer to Mystic Meg. Neither am I a trouble maker, or someone who does not respect the need for the procurement process. However, I am sick and tired of wasting energy, time, resources and cash on 'fishing trips' into oil laden waters.

My advice to Reaction and R//evolution is as follows. The next time you want to put on a charade and waste peoples time and efforts, just don't bother, as those of us who are confident in competitive pitching just can't be bothered with the likes of you.

If either company reads this and wants to put in a call, please do, as I would be glad to discuss my views directly with you. I will be blacklisting Reaction on all future pitches and encouraging other agencies to ignore them.

BA are just excellent at communications

2010-06-03T23:43:00.000+01:00

As if the ash cloud and the cabin crew strike aren't bad enough, then BA publish their own inhouse magazine, and feature on their front cover, someone carrying a boarding card with the name Bin Laden/Osama.......

I had to laugh....

Well done to whoever works in the graphics department for this excellent piece of work which has offended most of your diminishing client base in the middle and far east, and also upset the USA. Not a bad couple of weeks work for Willie Walsh.

Sky News impartial

2010-05-12T21:02:00.000+01:00

I love this. When the journalists believe they are more important than the guests.....

Sky News Hi-jack

2010-05-08T20:17:00.000+01:00

I watched in awe this afternoon as Mr Murdochs main tool for propoganda was taken off air temporarily. A live afternoon broadcast with Kay Burley from Westminster was following the slow but unfolding news that Nick Clegg was meeting his Lib Dem colleagues to agree what sort of deal to put in front of the Conservatives.

It was classic Sky News. Loads of hype about the meetings. Lots of subjective views about Mr Cameron and his need to take his position in No. 10. Occassional references to New Labour and general negative comments.

Then in the background of the live commentary somene started shouting. 'Sack Kay Burley. Watch the BBC. Sack Kay Burley. Watch the BBC.' At first they just laughed and commented about democracy. The voice grew louder, clearer and stronger. Kay looked less comfortable by the second. Her interview with Ipsos Mori started to collapse, as the voice continued to taunt Kay, and suggest a viable alternative broadcaster.

Finally it happened..... Kay suggested Sky News went to an advert break, only to hear that one was not ready. She looked at the camera, and listened. The voice behind her was strong and loud. 'Sack Kay Burley. Sky News is s**t. Watch the BBC.'

Then it stopped. The screen cut to a blank screen showing just the Sky News logo. The revolving Sky News symbol. A full 3 minutes later and they were back in the London studio for a more restrained bulletin. A full 3 minutes whilst Mr Murdochs machine had no response.
It was a moment of real joy. Sky was brought down by a single voice. One person with a loud voice, a blunt point and an ability to be in the right place at the right time.

If that single protester is out there, I would like to buy him a pint. For many years I have wanted to stop the news, when I felt it was biased. Today I saw a major news corporation stop broadcasting. No injunction. No terrorism. Just someone shouting. It was a great moment after a couple of weeks of uninterrupted rubbish.

Hung Parliaments.... Good or Bad

2010-05-04T13:09:00.000+01:00

In the last couple of weeks we have had:

A cloud of volcanic ash which caused global travel disruption.
A major environmental disaster off the gulf coast, being maintained by a British owned company
An attempted terrorist attack on a major western city, and potential disruption to interational sporting events where there is English representation.

Closer to home, we have had the usual amount of stabbings, robberies and banks making very large profits again, and discussing how they will share the unhealthily large corporate gains. The weather has been OK, with some days quite hot, whilst it still feels a bit cold considering we are in May.

My point is:

In all this time, we have not had an effective government, because they have all been out, giving speeches and telling us how to think. No effective leadership. No Westminster spin. No intervention in global affairs. The catastophes have come and gone with the same sort of consequences, and the world has kept spinning.

If anything, the world seems to be an easier place to live in, now that our politicians aren't allowed to be involved. I think a hung parliament would mean more of the same hopefully. I want to vote for this hung parliament. I may well ask on Thusrday if the officer at the polling station can just put my vote on one side, and add it to the pile, which ensures the most balanced set of overall results, therefore creating political limbo, and hopefully 12 months of posturing, talking, and very little else.

Breakfast in Stockton

2010-04-29T23:20:00.000+01:00

I was a guest speaker at an event in Stockton earlier this week, and have to say I was really impressed with the number of companies who attended. The event was to let companies know the benefits of working with schools and to explain in more detail the experience of employers who have worked with education on the new Diploma, Apprenticeships and through work experience.

Adessi took the lead on talking about the new Diploma, as we are in our second year working with schools in Sunderland, and are now assisting with the launch of the creative and media diploma in Stockton.

As I spoke to 2 groups, I was genuinely energised by the real enthusiasm of companies who want to work with education. The Diploma is a fantastic development in 14-19 education, and we have really seen some of the benefits of getting involved early in the programme.

We understand that the Diploma is much more than just an equivalent set of qualifications to existing GCSE's delivered in a vocational or work related framework. We see the Diploma as an unique way for business to engage with young people, and help influence directly the development of the curriculum, to stimulate the development of young people, to get a better and focussed education, alongside real preparation for the world of work.

I am glad to say that it looks like Stockton will become a real hotbed of education/employer interaction, and this will be better for both those who educate and those who employ, but more than anyone, for the young people coming up through our education system.

Well done to the Stockton 14-19 Partnership.

Absolutely Disgusted

2010-04-29T20:14:00.001+01:00

I promised when I set up this blog, I would never put up statements which are just a rant, but today I just can't help myself.

In a conversation with HM Revenue and Customs today, a Mr Smithens who works at the VAT office here in Newcastle Upon Tyne was just about as rude, arrogant and unhelpful as anyone we have ever dealt with in 12 years in business. He was deliberate in his attempt to humiliate my colleague and he suggested heavily we were liars about information which was supplied in good faith, but which arrived late because of a postal error.

As a company we have never been in arrears, defaulted, had a CCJ registered and we contribute significantly to the state through a wide range of taxation. We as a company believe that our taxes are necessary, as they contribute significantly to the needs of this country, and we have never disputed anything or commented negatively on the taxation system.

Our attempts to make a complaint about the disgusting behaviour of Mr Smithens following a highly unprofessional and undignified phone conversation, have been met with over 2 hours of holding on phone lines, and repeating the same request about a dozen times.

I will not use this blog to make personal attacks again, but I expect that those who work in HM Revenue and Customs, to be courteous, respectful and show some professionalism. What we experienced today was a disgrace, and this individual should be throughly ashamed of his attitude and rudeness, which was completely unwarranted and undeserved.

We will continue in our efforts to make a formal complaint about this individual, and if you have had a bad experience of dealing with someone working in HM Revenue and Customs, I would encourage you to complain. These people are paid out of the tax we generate. They work for us, and should not deal with business owners and managers in a negative way.

Rant over...

Ethical Business

2010-04-19T20:11:00.000+01:00

2010 will be a very different year for everyone at Adessi.

In March we announced our intention to join the 10:10 initiative, which is basically a campaign to make 10 environmental/carbon reducing pledges in 2010, and then measure the reduction in your businesses carbon footprint. We started the initiative with a whole day of activities and discussions and will now move forward with a whole host of actions throughout the rest of the year.

In April we have just launched a new online print management service, www.yourprintquote.co.uk which will help people in organisations where 3 print prices for every job has become the procurement norm. One of the main reasons we launched the site, was to ensure that in every 3 quotes, one of them is 100% recycled or ideally produced on FSC stock. Our hope is to get clients to switch their purchasing habits to use FSC or recycled materials and dispel the myth that FSC is an expensive printed option.

In September of this year, we hope to relaunch our online events and research service www.biggreensheep.com which will take on a whole new form, following a year long trial in 2009. Our site, which allows organisations to run a data collect, survey and report at an event, and in return offer all those completing surveys with a complete box of free products was a massive success in its first 12 month trial. We learned a lot from running over 40 events the length and breadth of the country, and when we relaunch the service, we will be able to maximise the use of ethical products, and conducting research and collecting data in an ethical way.

So, whilst I dont normally use my blog to promote Adessi and its various other activities, I just wanted to say how great it is that everyone in the company has embraced our focus on being greener, leaner and definitely not meaner in 2010, and hope that all the new and revised ventures and our own efforts have a significant impact on helping the environment, and ourselves.

Leaders Debates

2010-04-09T19:45:00.000+01:00

I watched the recent Channel 4 debate, which profiled the potential and existing chancellors, and I realised a couple of things.

1) Channel 4 are sitting at the childrens table still, and their debate was the 'junior' version of the real debates. My reaction to this is, 'how humiliating is this?' Is Channel 4 so weak that it has to play second fiddle to ITV, which is basically the worst of terrestial television, which only actually exists because of Simon Cowell and Ant and Dec.

2) I then realised that the 3 debates are likely to be completely non events. The 3 leaders will get a chance to trot out their pre-prepared statements without interuptions, and so we will have to sit through 3 hours of boring statements, which feature the following words:

Honesty
Transparency
Recovery
Fairness
Change

If you put these 5 words in the correct order, you may well be able to stand for leader of the country yourself.

3) I realise now that the only real challenge from the 3 debates will actually be which channel actually offer us something interesting.

BBC - Dimbleby - Will the son of the great orator show he can ask difficult questions, and enable 3 very bland leaders to look a little bit different

Sky - Big Boulton - Will he be able to show any real impartiality, or will he sit there chomping on popcorn and shouting 'hear hear' whenever Cameron speaks.

ITV - Will it be Cowell, McPartlin or perhaps Wor Cheryl who actually hosts the show, and will all questions be by text, with leaders being able to 'ask a friend' or just 'pass' on difficuly questions.

I look forward to the 3 hours of mundane, bland statements, and ask you the public to not vote Labour, conservative or Lib Dem, but vote for the debate host......Dimb, Boult or Syco......

How do you suck the life out of a creative agency?

2010-03-06T19:22:00.000Z

We recently entered a PR pitch for a large organisation based in Teesside. The tender was advertised on a regional portal, and we completed a long and time consuming PQQ.

We were advised that we were one of 3 agencies shortlisted and given 45 minutes to present to an SMT of 8 people. The details of the pitch process were rigid, and so our preparation was very specific. I travelled from Newcastle and my colleagues travelled from Middlesbrough and Milton Keynes to attend the presentation. Combined the 3 of us travelled almost 500 miles to attend the pitch, and return to our various locations, and the whole exercise took approximately 5 working days between the team preparing the pitch.

That was almost a month ago, and we have heard absolutely nothing. This is not a rant or a complaint. The nature of our business dictates that we have to pitch for work, and frequently we are required to put significant amounts of time and effort in, for a process which we then fail to gain anything from. This is the risk, and we are happy to accept this.

I would ask 2 simple questions:

When a company does not have the courtesy to come back to you, and even offer you an explaination, should you name and shame them in a public domain, like a blog?

If they don't have the decency to let you know the outcome of a pitch, should they be allowed to use the public procurement tendering process? Should they not just get blacklisted from being able to waste peoples time, money and genuine efforts? (Sorry that was two questions in one)

Answers on an email please........

Make the vote compulsory

2010-03-03T15:35:00.000Z

Without a particular agenda, I think we should introduce a compulsory voting system for the general election. In 2 conversations in recent days, with people at opposing ends of the age scale, I have encountered a 'not that interested' view of the election.

I am not suggesting that people are forced to vote for a particular party against their will. On the contary, I would advocate that there would be a simple box to tick 'none of the above' if you were that uninspired by your choices of local MP, so that you could formally register your apathy.

However, the benefits of getting people engaged with our politics are significant. Firstly, we need a governement elected by a majority and not a minoirity who are zealots. Compulsory voting would stimulate higher levels of engagement and turnout. Secondly, we need more debate and discussion about how this country should be run, and that should come from the public and not a self interested media. Finally, we need to find more people who want to enter politics, and the only way of doing that in the next couple of years is by forcing the issue.

I pick up regular fines for parking in the wrong space, or just staying in the right space for too long. I would much rather that fines are issued for something like failing to walk a couple of hundred feet and put an X in a box.

I dont think Simon Cowell, live television debates and Facebook are the answer for a public who are genuinely sick of politicians. I would rather be told that living in a democracy is a great privilege and pay for my vote if I can't be bothered to turn up and cast it....

Recruitment Advertising Reaches a New Low

2010-02-15T16:00:00.000Z

I heard a couple of weeks ago that a Jobcentre staff member refused to advertise a vacancy for a cleaner for a company because the vacancy had a requirement that 'only reliable people should apply.'

The concerned Jobcentre employee felt that to put in a requirement that the person had to be 'reliable' may be discriminatory against those who consider themselves unreliable, or in fact had a previous track record of being unreliable.

After senior consultation, which was apparently necessary, the Jobcentre in question decided to let the advertisement appear with the necessary clause left in place.

As an employer who considers IIP very important and wants to run a business which conforms with all types of equality and diversity best practice, I just shudder to think what the Jobcentre would make of my recruitment techniques. I may as well put it on record now that not only do I specify reliable as a characteristic, but I go much further and try to discreminate against people who are not hardworking, not honest, not highly motivated and from now on not part of that particular Jobcentre's staff.

Leaders Debate - Good for Democracy?

2009-12-21T21:18:00.000Z

The announcement that BBC, ITV and Sky will each host a live debate by the 3 main party leaders has been met with a range of interesting comments today.

Cameron stated: "I think they can help enliven our democracy."
Clegg stated: "After a terrible year for politicians because of the expenses scandals, these debates will be an opportunity to start re-engaging people with politics."
Brown stated: "I relish the opportunity provided by these debates to discuss the big choices the country faces."

How will a 'presidential style', 'X Factor approach', 'point scoring sound bite' set of events actually achieve any of the above.

Enliven democracy? I thought we already had a working democracy. 3 people making statements to set questions, one after another, and then endless judgements about who actually 'performed' the best. Sounds like the opposite of democracy, with limited questions, limited answers and limited people taking part.

Terrible year for politicians? Self inflicted injuries by a bunch of greedy liars, and somehow, this roadshow will give us all some comfort that they are good guys really. How gullable are we supposed to be? I don't need to see these 'spectacles' to form an opinion about the honesty and ability to lead the country these three possess.

Discuss the big choices? And so the rest of the 6 weeks of campaigning won't provide an opportunity for the 3 main parties to outline their policies, and provide us with an opportunity to undestand and decide what they actually stand for?

I am genuinely bored with the concept already, and that is before the beauty parade even begins. Why don't the politicians start thinking about governing and leading the country, rather than populist activities. I am confident that Sky will offer us all an option to push the red button and vote for a winner during the 'show' and why not get Dermott O'Leary to bring them on stage, and ask them why they think they deserve to be Prime Minister at the end of the broadcast.

God help our democracy if this twaddle is some sort of a symbol of how we operate as a democracy. Let's hope someone sets up a Facebook page, and then we can elect Rage against the Machine as the new government.

Is Twiggy really worth complaining about?

2009-12-17T22:44:00.000Z

I love moaning, and many of my close friends would say I am exceptionally good at it. However, I have never taken moaning to the extended levels of actually picking up the phone, writing an email or a letter of complaint. I just dont understand how you can get so upset.

That is probably why I just laughed when I heard that there had been 800+ complaints about Twiggy having her photo airbrushed for use in an Oil of Olay advertisement. As someone who hates their own photo, I just wish I had the money or knew people who would be able to airbrush my photograph, and make me look better.

I understand that in the case of Twiggy, it is not just the fact that she has been made look younger artificially, but the fact that this gives a misleading interpretation of the abilities of the product.

However, the point of advertising is surely to provide the most positive possible view of a product. Is airbrushing a photo any worse than Davina McCall having a phone call after her weekly hairwash, with a mother she she did not talk too for years in real life, and who in actual fact, was dead when the advert was recorded. Is this not misleading the public that haircare products can radically improve the quality of a family relationship?

I suppose my main question is, what possesses people to complain about something as harmless as a photo enhancement? I am pretty sure they used a professional photographer, decent lighting, and had a couple of make-up and hair experts on hand the day the advertisement was shot. Should they have also been banned, so that we could see just how wrinkly Twiggy really is?
I still love moaning, but I worry for those who believe that they should moan at a level that gets advertising banned. My only objection to Oil of Olay, is that it used to be called Oil of Ulay, and there was really no need to change the vowel in my opinion....... Please don't ban advertising for silly reasons.

How to manage LIVE.......

2009-12-13T23:07:00.000Z

The sudden and rather rapid decline of Tiger Woods from the worlds squeakiest clean sporting phenomenon to a rather dodgy looking bloke with sponsors like Accenture running for cover, shows just how difficult reputation is to shape and manage in a media world which reacts instantly.

In the good old days, not that I can actually remember them, news filtered out slowly, and rumours were often allowed to develop for weeks or even months, before the truth came flooding onto our television screens. In this era, an opportunity existed, for all parties to confer on the best way to handle a potential scandal or negative story, and a whole series of tactics would be employed to help shape the final story.

As Tiger found out, as soon as you slam your car into a tree at the bottom of your drive, and your missus comes at the rear of the vehicle with a nine iron, the reality of reality television comes knocking, and no amount of 'this is a private matter' will be accepted.

My advice for Tiger, not that he is asking is:

1) Play on...... The one thing people can't argue with is your ability to hit a golf ball. In moments when you look dreadful at just about ever other aspect of your life, you should be maximising the one thing that makes you actually worthy of media attention.

2) Take some stick......You have earned some scorn and so the embarrassment is all part of the recovery. When Woods accepted the many sponsorship deals which helped make him a billionaire, he had to accept that he was now a public commodity. Hiding away will only delay the eventual ridicule, which is bound to come, and can't be avoided. Just get on with it.

3) Show some humility.....And that means face a camera, take some interviews and pose for some photos. The shocking set of press statements, and blog entries show that managing damaging press coverage through a spokesperson or via a computer link, only makes you look colder and even more spineless. Dont rely on a PR for the moment when live becomes life.

As a final word, and I hope I speak for many people, this whole drawn out episode is so insignificant and so inconsequential, I just wish he would face some press directly, and stop dragging out this completely inane story. In a week when Copenhagen should have been the media focus, we are distracted by this drivel, and to see Tiger Woods sponsorship deals being discussed ahead of the worlds needs on global warning just makes me sigh.

Why did the banks give up on PR?

2009-12-05T15:01:00.000Z

As I watch the latest RBS debacle over bonuses I cant help but think that the banks seem to have decided that they can't win over the public, so they might as well not bother anymore. The basis of the recent row is that banks believe that senior executives deserve large bonuses.

Obviously the tax payers who have already stumped up £850bn to help stabilise the banks and the government who own the majority share in the banks, believe this culture of greed, reward for failure and the timing of these huge rewards for a minority are just disgusting. But that is the starting point, and it is the banks who need to change peoples opinions.

So, what should the banks be doing. Well if you ask me, they need to articulate their argument and answer 3 basic questions:

1) Are the same people now getting bonuses, who got the banking sector into the mess in the first place?

2) Considering the fall in share values in the Autumn of 2008, an idiot would have been able to make money from share trading in the last 12 months. Are the bank traders just doing their jobs, and benefitting from the natural recovery of the share market, or are they performing exceptionally in tough conditions?

3) If they don't pay these bonuses, exactly where will these executives go? What about the executives showing some loyalty and helping the economy and the RBS recover without holding a mercenary and greedy approach to rewards?

If the bank sat back and considered these 3 fundamental questions, and put together a coherent and planned argument, they may get some of the public back on their side.

Why not find the people who were completely outside the 'risky' strategies of the past, and show that they are the people who can help the economy recover more quickly and deserve these rewards. Why not find case studies of individuals who have done exceptional work in recent months, and not just traded successfully because of the natural recovery. Finally, why not put a face on these bankers and field some of the people who these bonuses will be paid too, and get them to explain what they are doing to help the bank, rather than just the mercenary perception.

I have always believed that the guiding principle of PR is to try and articulate your clients message in a way that persuades the target audience to support their opinion or stance. RBS seem to have given up on this approach, and just decided that they are damned whatever they say.

That is why the public opinion is hardening against them.

There are obviously many good people who work for banks, but at the moment, they are perceived as greedy, deceitful, failing and ignorant by the public, because their public relations efforts are lamentable.

Should the BBC try reporting the news rather than trying to make it?

2009-11-19T15:04:00.000Z

The recent ‘BNP on Question Time’ circus is just the latest example of how the BBC have forgotten what their remit is in my opinion.

In the last 12 months we have seen the BBC making the news rather than reporting it more than ever, and this does make me wonder whether our licence fee is really being used appropriately.
First there was James Martin and his watch showing us that LIVE television was a myth. Then there was Jonathan Ross behaving like a complete fool, and making prank calls to pensioners.

They choose not to broadcast DEC appeals in aid of Gaza because it would be wrong, but feel compelled to allow Nick Griffin onto Question Time just because they have a rule which states that if you get enough votes, you are suddenly worthy of a seat next to Dimbleby???
This, combined with the frequent commentaries from Robert Peston and Nick Robinson (I thought journalists were supposed to report the news rather than apply their own opinions to every aspect of political and business behaviour), and we have a BBC which is frequently the top story.

I watched BBC 24 in the immediate aftermath of Question Time, where the anchorman described the BBC as ‘brave’ and suggested we ’should have sympathy’ with the organisation, for creating a huge news story which made them the centre of their own manufactured story.
My view is that the BBC should possibly stick to reporting the news and stop trying to be the news. We already have Sky and ITV, if we want info-tainment and if we want overstated opinionated views on everything. The BBC should be impartial, it should report the news, and it should try a little harder not to be the news.

I love the BBC website, quality dramas, documentaries and natural history programmes. I think the BBC commissions outstanding comedy, and has the best radio stations in the world, so I am not a moaner, who thinks they are a waste of money.

The licence fee is a bargain just for giving us the iplayer on the website. However, they should stick to spending the money they receive on doing all the above, and not wasting money, trying to be the main news story, or having a news output which offers more opinions than reporting of the facts. Populist approaches just dont work, when you want to uphold the view that you are independent.

Brand Values

2009-11-17T15:17:00.000Z

I regularly get involved in discussions with clients about 'brand values' and I hate to admit I am a bit of a philisptine and a cynic when it comes to the subject.

This is mainly because of my own limitations, and poor vocabularly, rather than a view that brand values are not important. I always prefer to illustrate a subject rather than discuss it, as I sense this is more useful. So when it comes to brand values I wanted to share what I believe is a fantastic example of a company who really understands their brand values.

I suggest to everyone who sees this blog entry to take the time to view the following advertisement for Johnie Walker. It is definitely self indulgent, very expensive and to be honest it is so long I am uncertain when it would have been shown to a mass audience. Having said all that, it is absolutely outstanding, and for a company who wants to communicate its brand values, it does so brilliantly.