General business
Avatar – terrible film, brilliant message for marketers seeking a new year’s resolution
OK, maybe you loved the film but I fell asleep about 15 minutes in. However, that is all I needed to hopefully get a key concept over to you about how to create professional marketing campaigns that actually work into your planning for 2021. I’d like you to use this as a new year’s resolution. …
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How I added Deborah Meaden and Sir Steve Redgrave to my marketing for under 500 quid
And still found space for the founder of Green & Black’s and Lord Archer… Yesterday I attended a business conference run by Nigel Botterill and his Entrepreneurs Circle team. I get great value from these days out of the office as I get to work ON the business not in it and pick up loads of …
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‘Guilt free chocolate – well, almost!’ How to win at PR with one sweet headline.
‘Guilt free chocolate’ – grabs the attention doesn’t it? It sure worked for Jo Fairley when she launched Green & Black’s back in the early 1990’s. Now, bigger than Marmite and cooler than Prada, Green & Black’s is a truly iconic British brand. Like me, Jo Fairley is a former journalist who switched to the …
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There’s a Hole in Your Bucket Dear Liza
OK, so you’re not Liza BUT I’m about to save you a fortune on wasted marketing anyway. All you need to do is find the holes in your bucket which sounds simple but after a number of similar different experiences in the last month, maybe it isn’t. In the last month I have sourced quotes …
More than a Lidl bit funny
I’ll admit this right from the start, I don’t really like the John Lewis ad. I am clearly soulless. Actually, it is great, it is warm, it is emotive but it’s just too ‘commercial’ for me, which sounds odd for an advert but it feels too much like a plug for Elton’s farewell tour. Although …
SEO v PR v Advertising v The Times – how NOT to win at media relations
The battle for hearts, minds and marketing budgets rages. Can’t we all just get along? The answer of course is YES, if you integrate these specialisms they wield HUGE power for the marketing arsenal. However, as with all weapons, they are dangerous in some hands. Especially if you throw social media into the mix…. Can …
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How to select the right PR agency for YOU
Some fundamental things apply when selecting a PR agency and it is not all about who walks in through the door on pitch day – firstly take a look at yourself. Why do you want external support and what do you want to achieve? Will the agency be an extension of your own efforts …
Scapegoat 0,Waistcoat ‘WON’ – football’s coming home
Has anyone seen a scapegoat? I’m sure we left it somewhere around here. There must be someone to blame, to rant against. Even a small burning effigy would do. But no, not this time. The man who missed in ’96, the chap with the bag on his head in the Pizza Hut …
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Why your charitable efforts get ignored by the media
Businesses are increasingly realising that Corporate Social Responsibility, or ‘CSR’ for short, can be a major asset when it comes to positioning positive public relations for their brand. There are various elements they can weave into their marketing mix around sustainability and ethical practice but the classic tactic that is normally the easiest to implement …
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