Everybody’s heard of the code-crackers of Bletchley Park. The boffins at this Buckinghamshire mansion were responsible for British Intelligence’s biggest breakthrough of all time and were instrumental in turning World War II in the Allies’ favour. They deciphered the Germans’ infamous Enigma code, were hailed by Churchill as “the geese that laid the golden eggs but never cackled” and have been immortalised in several blockbuster movies and books.
So we’ve moved into our first office, at 24 Greville Street in Clerkenwell. Everything’s new – from the fridge (there goes the first month’s budget) to the ‘phone (which I can only assume is broken, as it hasn’t rung yet).
One of the great clichés of starting your own business is that it’s an extraordinarily liberating experience. As I take the plunge with my partners, I can confirm that this is indeed the case: so far, our little enterprise has already relieved me of all my money, time and holidays…
No, this isn’t going to be a tirade against Twitter. Or a paean to the days when creatives threw TVs out of windows, while snorting coke from the rolled up manuscript of their latest novel.
The idea that it’s “not what you say, but the way that you say it” has been around for a long time now. So why is “Tone of voice” invariably the least well written part of any creative brief?
As a grad at AMV, I once saw Peter Mead give a fantastic talk on the secrets of great account management.
As you might expect, it was full of inspirational stories, practical advice and the odd expletive. But surprisingly, for such a paragon of persuasion, there was very little about selling work. Read more »
The Spring traditionally sees a peak in car sales, thanks to the issuing of new registration plates. This year has been no exception, with 394,806 new vehicles sold in March 2013 – a 5.9% increase on last year, and the 13th consecutive month of Y.O.Y. growth.
Do you know where the word Dunce comes from? I do – because I come from the same place. It’s the name of my home village in the Scottish Borders and was also the birthplace of a philosopher called John Dunse Scotus (John, the Scot, from Dunse).
The 18th century political activist Thomas Paine wrote that “Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and Angels know of us.”
I like this distinction.
Traditionally, marketers have spent more time and money on the former: the focus has been on cultivating good appearances rather than doing good deeds. But in the digital era, the notion of Character becomes more important. Because while people aren’t quite omniscient yet, they are increasingly clued up about the companies that lie behind the communications.
The FT carried an interesting article the other day, about how the French IT services firm Atos has banned internal email and is turning its sights on PowerPoint next. Read more »
© Haymarket Media Group Ltd.
