Archive for November, 2008

When we’re meeting with clients, we often find ourselves quoting the work of some of the best known brands, highlighting the reasons behind their success. As well as being an interesting  subject matter, this often prompts ideas and inspiration… and can help give direction to a project.

We recently came across a great book which does this job far more eloquently than we could ever hope to do over a coffee… and with just the right amount of detail too. The book ‘How They Started – Global Brands’ looks at how 21 of the top global brands became successful, and includes stories on companies as diverse as Google and Volvo.

From the book:-

“Lots of us have ideas we think would make great businesses, yet most of us never do anything about these ideas. Probably because we just wouldn’t know where to start. But what if you took the first step? Where could it lead?

We reveal the stories behind some of the world’s biggest brands, including:

Where the initial idea came from
How the brand names were chosen
How and when the businesses first started
How long it took to make that first million
The challenge the founders faced
And the secrets to each brand’s success”

Whether you are managing an established brand, or are completely new to the subject, we think you will find this an interesting and engaging read. Who knows? You might even be able to learn from the ‘big boys’ and implement some of their ideas in your own business.

The book is available direct from: Crimson Publishing

Author: David Lester
Price: £12.99
ISBN: 978 1 85458 447 2

Arrrrrgh… it’s one of those phrases that really winds us up when we hear it, yet ocassionally (and embarassingly) we sometimes find ourselves uttering the very same words… “At the end of the day”. And yes, we’ve also been known to utter that classic “it isn’t rocket science“.

Well, we’re ging to try our very best to stop using these expressions… as a recent poll by Oxford University has highlighted them as some of the most annoying out there.

And if a point were to be proven about how annoying and overused “At the end of the day” can be, then you need look no further than this compliation video!

Can’t see the video? Click here to view it on YouTube.

So, in the future, you might want to be careful about the language you use in your marketing materials.
Avoiding these cliches isn’t rocket science you know! (damn… we just did it again!).

Via Lifehacker and The Telegraph

We’ve been resisting it for weeks, but since we’re nearly half way through November… we’ve finally succumbed to thinking about buying Christmas presents. As such, we really like this heartwarming TV ad’ from John Lewis.

If you’re in the market for a website, and need a new web address (a.k.a domain name) then you might be interested in a new suffix, that will be available in a few weeks time. From 3rd December, trademark owners will be able to apply for a website address ending with .tel e.g. mycompanywebsite.tel

General applications (for businesses without registered trademarks) will be processed from 3rd February 2009. The .tel domains are aimed at businesses who simply need a contact page website that can easily be viewed on mobile devices, without the need to build or host a site.

You can learn more about .tel domains (and watch an introductory video) at the Telnic website.

See if you can guess what the ad below is for.
We won’t spoil it by telling you the answer, suffice to say we think it a highly effective piece of creative.

Can’t see the video? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

Picture the scene… you’re about to set off for a meeting… you’re doing your preparation and you realise that you need a replacement notepad for your shiny corporate portfolio. You head off to the stationery cupboard, only to discover that those cheeky devils in {delete as appropriate} Accounts/Sales/Marketing/Operations took the last one, and didn’t bother re-ordering any!

You could of course quickly swipe some plain copier paper from the nearest printer… or you could instead head over to Printable Paper where you can choose from a selection of printable templates. Take your pick from lined paper, graph paper, dot paper, music paper, and oh so much more (in fact we didn’t know that there were so many different types of paper!). Bear in mind the site has a global audience, so if you’re in the UK, you will most likely want to head straight to the A4 section. The templates can be downloaded as a PDF or in Microsoft Word format. They are completely free (but then we would hope so given that you have to use your own paper and printer!).

As well as offering printable paper templates, you can also download 2009 calendars and cash receipts forms. Ok, so some of the designs leave ‘a little to be desired’, but if you’re simply looking for something functional then they will certainly do the job… at the very least helping you out until the replacement stationery order arrives!