'Tis the season to be jolly

My last blog before Christmas and I'm pondering the real value of the season amidst the inevitable commercialism, shopping for presents, Military Wives Choir v X-Factor battle for number one and the office party (avoid calling me on Friday morning please).


Off to London tonight to meet up with my oldest (most long-standing, not necessarily in age) friends, my gang of five aka 'The Famous Five'.  Although tonight we're one down so it's just 'Four go mad in the West End'. It's got me thinking about the power of true friendship and what really matters in life.


We've known each other since we were eleven years old and joined the same girls school (thrown together and united against the veiled bitchiness of those 'gels' who joined the school years before).  We've been there for each other ever since - through the highs and inevitable lows that a lifetime chucks at you. Marriage; first, second and even third born children (yes, some of us were less than careful); divorce; sickness and health and death; business success, business difficulties; professional success and personal fulfilment; empty nests, pride and sometimes fear for our children.  We don't see each other all the time but I can guarantee that when we do get together we all go away recharged, revived and inspired.


Thinking about friendship, the miriad of 'friends', Facebook or otherwise, we gather at each stage of our lives, some of those friends are friends because of a shared, common experience but once that's gone the friendship can wane, it's transient.  True friendship is grounded in something so much deeper.  From each stage of our lives, personal and professional, we retain a small number of friends who will be with us for life.  My 'Famous Five' go back a long way and  the power of their friendship is a true inspiration and support to me.


Merry Christmas everyone - and as you enjoy Christmas with your families remember that we don't choose our relatives but we do choose our friends!

Will 'Herman' Survive???

The other Monday morning in our weekly "Brain Wakeup Workout after the Weekend" we were greeted with the smell of a brewery (no we are not going into distribution with a different kind of employee engagement). Sitting on the desk were two plastic containers with a bubbling mixture inside them. Jo explained that they were part of a German Friendship cake and had already been named Herman a long time ago. Charlotte and Dave agreed to be the next recipients to nurture and bring them alive and were given instructions of how to make Herman grow and survive (there's lots of stirring, leaving and feeding!!) to eventually be made into a cake and also extra mixture to be divided and given away to friends. Unfortunately Charlotte had other things on her mind that day and left her 'Herman' behind so Catherine took 'Herman' home to love and cherish.

On Tuesday of this week, I arrived at work to find my own 'Herman' on my desk. Catherine's had survived and she thought that I would like to grow my own!! Well he survived the trip home on the train and I've stirred him for the last two days and I think he will need feeding this evening. Will he survive? I'm taking day by day pictures and even my daughter Sophie (aged 13) keeps checking on him. I'll update you of his outcome and hopefully I will have, before I bake him and he is eaten, portions to give to friends to keep 'Herman' alive.

Watch this space....................

The best ideas are the simplest....

Here is a 48 sheet poster, which for me really stood out whilst I was trundling through by train from London Bridge to Charing Cross.

Big idea, usage ideas, but more significantly....strong branding.

Personalea, I love it (and the product!)

Hey, diddle, diddle!

Two weeks ago I babysat a friend’s child who insisted I read her something to help her go to sleep. From her bookshelf I plucked a book of nursery rhymes, which not only settled her down but also transported me back to my childhood. I suddenly remembered how lovely nursery rhymes are and for the first time appreciated the creativity involved in writing them. Here are a few of my favourites:

THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE

Hey, diddle, diddle!

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon

EENSY WEENSY SPIDER (Itsy Bitzy Spider)

The eensy weensy spider
crawled up the water spout,


down came the rain
and washed the spider out,


out came the sun and dried up all the rain,


and the eensy weensy spider
crawled up the spout again.

SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE

Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye,

Four-and-twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie,

When the pie was opened,

The birds began to sing.

Wasn't that a dainty dish

To set before a king?

The king was in the counting house,

Counting out his money,

The queen was in the parlor,

Eating bread and honey,

The maid was in the garden,

Hanging out the clothes,

When along came a blackbird,

And landed on her nose!

Angkor

One of my ambitions in life is to try and visit all the World Hertiage Sites so when I was offered the chance to visit the Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia I obviously jumped on it!

The Khmer Empire's architectural accomplishments (9th-15th centuries) are remarkable and so inspiring. Much of the site which spans 400 square miles is still being discovered and UNESCO have set up a huge programme to safeguard the temples from the mass of tourists that now obviously descend.

Angkor Wat, just one of the hundreds of surviving temples is the most famous and was built as a 'temple-mountain' as a spiritual home for the Hindu God Vishnu. A mountain it is - I was so surprised at the sheer size of the temples and with a fear of heights climbing up the huge stone staircases was fine, coming down - a little more of an issue! It was worth it though, every corner you turned was a treasure trove of scultpures, engravings and views. As the whole site is now in ruins you did have to stop... and try to imagine how this city must have looked before the rulers abandoned the site and theives could enter to strip the beautiful temples of just about everything.

My favourite temple was one of the smaller ones - Ta Phrom deeper into the forest. Here you can see how the years have taken its toll on the stonework and the trees have grown up, on, through and down the temple. It soon becomes clear talking to the locals that apart from safeguarding the structure from completely falling down, they will let nature take its course - I can see why, it is just breathtaking to see nature at its best.

Wherever you are - things that inspire?

I know this is getting coverage everywhere from Chris Evans' Breakfast Show to the Daily Mail and elsewhere but I need to throw in my two penn'th.  Gareth Malone's Military Wives Choir was one of the most inspirational pieces of TV I've seen in a very long time.  I so nearly didn't watch it as I thought it would be a bit cheesy and my musical taste doesn't normally run to the choral.  But I did watch it and am so glad I did. From start to finish it was beautifully made, sensitively edited, insightful and uplifting.  

I know that as someone married to an ex-soldier and the mother of a serving one it could be argued I am biased and, yes, the military aspect of it was of course moving, but what got me was to see the unbelievable change that came over this group of ordinary women (the wives and girlfriends of Royal Marines and soldiers serving in Afghanistan) over the course of the programme. The growing confidence as much as their singing ability.  Most of all to see a young woman go from a nervous wreck stammering sorry at every moment to leading the choir in a solo at the Royal Albert Hall in front of Queenie and screened to millions on the Beeb was something special.  

Their song 'Wherever you are' is being released on December 5th and there's a campaign to get it to be the Christmas Number 1 to raise funds for the British Legion and the SAAFA - in my mind, there's no contest.

So like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryWivesChoir

Follow them on Twitter @Milwiveschoir and use the hashtag #MWC4XNo1

And buy the CD!

Something to cheer you up on a Friday afternoon

This has been doing the rounds on various Social Networks this week and I heard about it on Tuesday whilst listening to the Radio. I'm sure by now most of you will have heard of Fenton or, as many people are saying, Benton the "runaway" dog and the near heart attack he caused his owner whilst out on a walk through Richmond Park last weekend. If you haven't, this it is bound to make you laugh. I still do everytime I listen to it or watch it.

I've read that this was filmed by a young lad who was watching the Deer with his Father and I love the little chuckle at the end. The owner of the dog at the moment remains annonymous and I'm sure his own running and shouting didn't help matters!!! It made my week......... ;-).

This is curtousey of YouTube.com and of course the person who captured this magic moment. Enjoy............................. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmpONxJ7JSw&noredirect=1

Bantering bins, shouty signs and behavioural economics

Interesting to see recently how two different councils are approaching behaviour change campaigns.

Our own illustrious council ran a campaign recently to encourage people to bin their chewing gum. The ad features a frankly alarming c1980 illustration of a giant hand thrusting towards the unsuspecting potential gum litterer telling us to “bin it” or pay loadsa money (£80 to be precise)

Perhaps they should have wised up on behavioural economics as ‘The power of now’ principle frequently shows that immediate outcomes outweigh future or delayed outcomes. Take speeding cameras for example. Studies show that a smiley face as a reward for keeping within the speed limit (or a frown for not) is more effective than the threat of a fine weeks down the line.

10 out of 10 for one London council then, as they are about to launch a trial of talking bins that reward their good citizens with a verbal pat on the back from a variety of celebs. Forgive them their rubbish (sorry) choice of celebrities - Phil Tufnell and Amanda Holden are rumored to have been lined up, (although I can’t imagine most celebs being that chuffed when they get the call from their agents to say "hey buddy, crack out the Bolly - you've just gone and landed yourself a job as a talking bin") at least they are giving BE a good old go.

PS I am now chuckling imaging where this could be taken – a Bin Laden “Thanks for your rubbish Infidel”, a whole pavement rigged with the voice, of say, John McEnroe alarmed to go off on dog poo impact “You cannot be serious” or Mr T from the A Team “Get your poo off my pavement fool” oh I could go on all day….

Inspiration of a quiet and gentle kind

Aung San Suu Kyi on Radio 4's Today programme this morning.

Listening to her talk I was struck by her calm, gentle dignity and strength. Most strikingly how she is embarrassed when people talk about her "suffering" - for example prevented from being with her dying husband, separated from her sons for years and unable to lead a normal life due to house arrest.

She does not recognise this as suffering. She asks how can she be considered to have suffered when many have died for the same cause and she's still alive.

Those of us who are alive, she says, have no right to complain. What a brave and noble woman and what a great example to us whingeing masses.

Van graphics we have witnessed (No.4)

Continuing the popular blog series from Mr Wilson I couldn't drive past this van without first leaping out of the car and taking a quick snap - sorry to all those cars on the M1 last week, but sometimes these things have to be done.
So another clever little graphic full of hidden meaning. Not least of all what the company Green Apple actually does.
So you'd guess it would be a fruit wholesaler or a grower, perhaps a juice maker.

But no, Green Apple is..... any guesses anyone?

Yes, that's right they are interior designers and specialise in glass tables.

Of course, we'd all got that hadn't we?! http://www.greenapple.co.uk/

Funny Monday Limericks

Every Monday we drag our brains kicking and screaming into the week by putting on our brain trainers and doing a cerebral workout. Topics are wide ranging from 'invent a new product for a pet and create a marketing plan for it' (in 10 minutes mind) to 'come up with 5 key messages to sell ice to Eskimos'. One week we were all asked to write limericks about brands. Here are my favourites:




There once was a sports brand called Puma,
Who professed to be lacking in humour,
Then along came some folk,
Who shared a great joke,
And now this is just an old rumour

There once was a brand called BA
Who took holiday-makers away
The top man was Willy
He sometimes was silly
Cos he didn’t give his people enough pay

There is a cool dude in Salcombe
Who makes all the kids feel welcome
His name is Jack Wills
He doesn’t offer deals
But everyone still really wants some

Note: No brands were harmed in the making of these limericks

Proud but Ignorant?

We may well be proud being 'British' but how much do we know about Britain. I came across the test for citizenship a few days ago, and I was horrifed at how badly I scored.

Here are a few for you to try - answers on a postcard from Morecombe Bay...

Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

1) 'In the 1980s, the largest immigrant groups were from the West Indies, Ireland, India and Pakistan.'

2) How many parliamentary constituencies are there?
a) 564 b) 594 c) 654 d) 694

3) Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE?

'Ulster Scots is a dialect which is spoken in Northern Ireland.'

4)The number of children and young people up to the age of 19 in the UK is?
a) 14 million b) 15million c) 16 million d) 17 million

5) The percentage of people in the UK in 2001 who said they were Muslims was?
a) 1.2% b) 1.6% c) 1.9% d) 2.2%

6) TRUE or FALSE - Schools must be open 190 days a year?

7) A by-election is held

a) Every 2 years
b) Half way through the life of the Parliament
c) When an MP dies or resigns
d) When the PM calls one

News just in: The world has finally gone mad.

Forgive me having to report this; I have just returned from a short outdoor service to bury Rosemary's fathers ashes in a chosen plot at the cremetorium. Very moving.

There were only eight of us there but I noticed a lady standing behind us who I did not recognise.

I whispered into Rosemary's step mum's ear "Who is that lady there"

She replied "Oh that's a representative from Tunbridge Wells Health and Safety. She's here to stop anyone falling down the hole".

The hole was 1 ft square.

I get so fed up............

......when I see press ads like these.

For crying out loud, why, oh why would I want to go to these two destinations/venues based on these images and lines?

So here we have it then: Portugal, a Dulux painted door with a couple of manicured fashion statements gazing lovingly at each other, totally and utterly not interested in the "history that's apparently in every corner" ("my word that door is unbelievable, it's history you know").

Oh and the line: "The beauty of simplicity". Did the agency bother going to Portugal? It's a fantastically complex country, which is rich in history and culture and there's certainly much more to experience than a blooming red door!

And what about the CONRAD ad? What on earth is that all about? Once again, two fashion clad models, apparently eating some far eastern soup in a London photographic studio. Looks really convincing doesn't it? Or perhaps it's the one of the Conrad kitchens, in which case what the hell are they doing there? But of course they have "the luxury of being themselves". What a completely patronizing image, 2 prosperous pompous overpaid trend setters gobbling food in front of the very poor underpaid chefs who made it, and who work 24 hours a day just to pay for their cycle repairs.

I think I'll book the Hilton thanks.

What a legacy....

Steve Jobs - what a legacy he has created....
This week the world woke to the news that Steve Jobs had passed away which has crystallised both his status as a cult figure and his legacy to Apple.
Twitter and facebook were overcome with tweets and posts and the media showed groups using the candle app on their i-pad's to create vigils.
The majority of what I have seen spoke about Jobs as a dreamer and a visionary quoting him when he said, " have the courage to follow your heart and intuition,' not so much about his innovation.
I always thought Jobs had an air of mystique surrounding him, you rarely saw photos of him with his family. Even his biography eluded to the fact that he rarely spoke about anything other than Apple products. When mysterious people are successful you question what that special something is that most of us don't have access too, Jobs made you believe that you could be that successful person too. He did things his way, he believed in what he was doing, and he taught people that it is ok to be different.
To begin with Apple had an air of exclusivity surrounding it, but with the more mainstream products such as the i-pod it has grown to a global powerhouse. So what now. I have a gut feeling that as long as Apple continue with their 'non-conforming' ways people will continue to follow. Especially today in the current economic climate there is an air of, what was done before hasn't exactly worked so why don't we try something a little different.

Breaking out of the boardroom bubble – how brand can deliver a healthy internal culture and a healthy bottom line

Breaking out of the boardroom bubble – how brand can deliver a healthy internal culture and a healthy bottom line

Ideas Worth Spreading

If you are not familiar with it, TED stands for technology, entertainment and design. The body is a non-profit organisation devoted to ideas that are worth spreading. It launched initially in 1984 as a conference to bring people from the TED industries together and it has blossomed from there.
Accessible through a regular app, it's a fantastic way of spending 15 mins listening to highly engaging, interesting, challenging and thought provoking persons and subjects.
Doodlers unite......The conscience of television....selling condoms in the Congo....... check it out.

The X Factor bug

Every year I tell myself, “I will not be watching the X Factor this year.” I say this to myself because every year I get sick of watching desperate people embarrass themselves, the judges contriving situations where they reject and then call back people leaving them emotional wrecks, and the insane that walk off stage unknowingly humiliated.

But every year I get sucked back into it. I want to blame the people around me who go on and on about the contestants, teasing me about the good and the bad performances, some even having X Factor parties. So in the end when I’m worn down I say to myself, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

So I found myself watching the X Factor last weekend, one again startled by the ridiculousness of it all. I listened to contestants telling the cameras that they’re fed up of being a nobody and this opportunity will make them a somebody. It left be wondering, “What is the world coming to when people believe that celebrity status is their only salvation? What’s so wrong with building a career away from the cameras?”

The X Factor manages to create debate every year and surprise you with something unexpected. It also has a way of bringing you together with family, friends and colleagues because of its popularity and entertainment value. So as much as I want to pull my hair out sometimes watching it, combined with feeling disappointed for not watching something credible, I need to give myself a break. It’s not that bad, is it?

At last I get it!

We all struggle with it if we're honest. Even those of us who think we know it are sometimes stricken with a crisis of confidence. Is it before the s? After? Is my noun singular or plural? We confer, we debate, we type it both ways and try and decide which way looks right.

Well not any more folks. Last week I came across a website which makes it all CRYSTAL CLEAR! Brilliant. An apostrophe is used to replace missing letters - in ALL instances. Yes really, even when used in the possesive. Read this and you will NEVER make a mistake again.

You might need to brush up on your Canterbury Tales though!

http://www.dreaded-apostrophe.com/

Autumn

Whilst driving in to work this morning and looking at the varying shades of autumnal colour, I thought how much I love this time of year and can't wait for the colour explosion about to happen...made even more stunning with the autumn sun!

I stumbled upon this quote, which just about sums it up!

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic 

of them all.  

Stanley Horowitz

Image courtesy: shutterstock

Macho madmen..

Blimey, I'm just imagining an interim creative review with me parading these ideas in front of the ladies.

I don't think I'd live to tell the tale!

In practical terms, if I decided to buy my better half a Hoover or a blender for Christmas, then I'd get a Christmas cracker persuasively pushed down my throat.

But what about blowing smoke into a female face in order to become more attractive to her?

I suppose in reality in those days social behavior was laced with Victorian values, and the ad men weren't to know how things would change, and how regulatory forums would come into existence.

But really, still dire!

Do what you do best

Do what you do well and stick to what you are good at. That's what people say. But so often now we see multi-taskers in all forms of society and business. People and brands trying to be too many things to too many people.

I only mention this as I watched a documentary a night or so ago about the Australian Rock n Roll band AC/DC, and despite being at the top of their game for the best part of 30 years their vision and values haven't changed. Despite being multi, multi millionaires (did you know they recorded the 2nd best ever selling album of all time?) they are humble, don't flash their wealth and keep a very healthy sense of humour - Angus Young "I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sounds exactly the same, in fact, we've made 12 albums that sound exactly the same"

If only there were more people in the public spotlight who conveyed these sentiments. Now you have X-factor judges or washed up soap-'stars' who if out of the public spotlight for more than a week or 2 need to fabricate news or go on a another reality show just to remind people they are still there - why? because they offer no value or anything of real worth that people need or want.

I suppose what I'm getting at, is do your best at what you are best at doing, and people will respect that - I mean (for example), when was the last time you actually chose to go to an steak restaurant and then ordered the fish....

When the world zigs, zag...

Monday night and a works outing to the bright lights of London and the ICA in The Mall for an audience with veteran ad man John, sorry Sir John, Hegarty and Peter York, the spiky, witty social commentator and broadcaster and a former colleague of Hegarty's.
And what an inspiring night. So often these events can become self-indulgent, self-congratulatory affairs which totally exclude anyone who's not worked in, or been in the inner-sanctum of the advertising world for the past four decades. Not so Monday night. The chemistry between the two was excellent, Peter York was funny and engaging, but of course as billed Sir John was the craggy hero.
Of course he had a book to sell, why does anyone do these things if they haven't? But it didn't matter. Sir J was his usual engaging self and talked with humour, wit and a touch of irreverance about his decades at the peak of an industry he is clearly still totally passionate about - that despite his claim that 95% of advertising today is crap!
He talked about being honest with people's work - is it good? Is it great? How can we make it great? He talked about how he tries to see new talent - tells them to send in five bits of work they think are great and if he agrees he sees them. He talked about always first looking for the good things in an idea, what you like, what works, seeing the positives rather than jumping in with both feet to kill the idea dead or focussing, as so many clients do, on what the ad 'doesn't' do.
For anyone starting out in the industry I'd say he was inspiring, for someone who's been around the block a few times I wish a few of those laps had been working with him.
Oh, and yes of course I bought the book http://amzn.to/odLm14. I bought it as a gift for my 17 year old who's about to apply to study advertising at uni - if it inspires him to become as successful as Hegarty then maybe I'll have a comfortable old age after all.

Limitless

Has anyone seen this film? If not I recommend it. Starring Bradley Cooper it follows the story of a writer struggling to finish his book. He is offered a drug by his sisters' ex-husband which allows him to access 100% of his brain. His mental enhancements are illuminating and it leaves you wondering if a drug like that really existed where it could take you.

This is a wonderfully creative film and very thought provoking.

It's the weekend chaps, go rent it...

The Most Powerful Brand.......?

Last night I had the opportunity to attend an interview with John Hegarty the creative guru behind some of the most iconic ads of the last 30 years. He had some very inspirational thoughts, least being that great, not good design and craftsmanship is still so vital even in the face of new technology.

When questioned about powerful brands, he had an extremely interesting answer, one that many would raise an eyebrow over however - when you stop and think...... actually he is right. It wasn't Coca Cola, Nike, Apple but...

A brand that has potentially the most iconic logo - the cross
A brand that has and has had the most incredible architects - for instance Sir Christopher Wren
A brand that has and has had the most iconic designers/artists - for instance Michelangelo
A brand that went global - instantly
A brand that has and has had some amazing composers - for instance Bach
A brand that has published its main work countless times - i'm not sure of the exact answer but i'm sure it is billions

This powerful brand is - the Catholic Church

How an environment can change your behavior (or The Thames versus the M25)

A week last Sunday Rosemary and I were lucky enough to spend a day with friends on a boat chugging from Sunbury right up to Teddington and back, stopping at Hampton for a tasty picnic.

As the day wore on I realized that I was becoming increasingly more relaxed and laid back (and that wasn't the wine having its evil way), and within a couple hours I was happy and content with everybody and everything in my life.

And I suddenly realized why. Because on a river, everyone is happy. Everyone's smiling, waving, acknowledging each other, everyone's courteous and polite.

Not only the river traffic, but the families on the banks, revelers in riverside pubs, toe path cyclists, old ladies with what seemingly what looked like smiling dogs, children pointing as we happily passed them.

In one of the locks we came across four giggling old ladies in a small motorized boat, who were getting into a bit of a pickle. One of the lock keepers came down to help and in no time he was giggling with them. Yet no one was getting irritated because it was taking twice as long.

An idyllic panorama of contentment and enjoyment.

I then compared this vista to the M25. An environment so aggressive, so intimating, where no one smiles, no one is ever courteous, no one is relaxed, where everyone is tense and anxious.

Imagine 4 old ladies holding up traffic on the M25?

I want a boat on the Thames!!!!!! It inspired me!

The Hand Written Project

Hoxton Hoxton Hoxton - love that area!
You always stumble across unusual pop up kookie stores, market stalls, coffee shops and exhibitions and it is a mecca for people watching and the huge array of fashion that you see walking down the highstreet. This is where I stumbled across The Hand Written project, a small exhibition set up by Craig Oldham who had invited the world's leading designers, design studios and creative thinkers to share their thoughts in handwritten form on their own letterhead. I do think it is sad that much of our communication is now reduced to under 141 characters, frantically typed out on email or hurridly auto corrected on phones. So handed a sheet of paper to write someone a letter - where would you start? The exhibition showcased just this, it was fascinating to see what people would write from, 'Hello Craig, how are you today?' to 'Work hard and be nice to people.' And the handwritting - so many styles, some legible, others not! And the letter heads - conventional to a die cut flying pig! The exhibition has now finished but check out this website http://handwrittenletterproject.com

A real page turner

Given all the recent campaigning to save our UK libraries from closure I was fascinated to come across an initiative called 'living books'. Of course it's in North America, where else? The example I saw was in Surrey, Canada where they are about to open a new city library and will be lending out human beings alongside the more usual fare.

I'm intrigued as to how this will work. How many can you have at a time? Are they wrapped in plastic covers? Are there different ones for kids, teens and adults? Do you stuff them in your bag and take them home with you? Do you pay their bus fare? And what happens if you're late bringing them back? And what about the smell, do they have that library book smell?

No, it seems readers 'borrow' a living book, who are all volunteers, which basically means they can sit and talk to them about their particular specialist topic over a skinny latte in the cafeteria.

And unlike real books it's not a one way street - the reader doesn't just read the living book, the living book reads the reader too.
Unnerving yes, but fascinating and actually quite inspiring as to the possibilities.

Remember life before the app?

Up until a couple of years ago, I had a steam driven Mobile - it could text, make and even receive calls (if on top of a tall building)! The came my first i-phone. I vowed it wouldn't change me, but blimey, did it ever. Now I haven't fully fallen into the app trap whereby my evenings are totally taken up fiddling with new puzzles and creating new photos, but it's close.
Hipstamatic - a great app for getting that 70's feel to your photos - you know, the orange and soft feeling shots for those old enough to know the 70's...
Then there's Endomondo - fantastic for nerdy tracking of how far you've cycled, at what speed and at what splits times...
and finally there is Fotofitti - be your own Banksy at the touch of a button.
Now, for 69p I think you get excellent V.F.M and much as I loved my Heath Robinson Nokia, I can't do without a good app!

I can't figure out why people love figurines

Having been invited to one of my strange relatives up north to see her newly decorated bungalow (she's younger than me), I flinched when I entered her front room (her parlour).

Right there in front of me, on her hideous mantle piece was a selection of Royal Worcester figurines, each of them telling little strange tales; a boy playing a harmonica with his dog smelling his crutch (see above), an evil looking infant throwing a ball at a bird, a young man stamping on ducks tail).

She even got her husband to insert two expensive spotlights in the ceiling to accentuate the horrible little things

I love good pottery and ceramics, but I just don't "get" figurines. They're not beautiful, they're not graceful, they're not even nice looking and the hand painting looks as though it's been done by an artist who's got a studio on a train.

So why do they adorn so many peoples glass shelves in abundance. I wouldn't mind having one on my bookcase, but a collection? And they sell for over £150 on e bay second hand.

As an art form, they are in my opinion........dire.

However, there may be someone out there that might disagree.

Lake Como

I have just spent a wonderful week in Italy, part of which was spent on Lake Como, for me one of the most inspiringly beautiful places I have visited.

The sun shone for us, the water was glistening, every garden was immaculate, the food devine, wine superb, and far too much of it, the people ever so friendly, and the water taxi drivers lots of fun!

The highlight for me was a little place called Villa Monestario in Verenna. The gardens are the main attraction as they meander along the river side being flagged on the other by the mountains. The terraces are filled with exotic plants and flowers and some of the most unusual statues I have seen. It was just beautiful, definitely a photographers paradise and what a place to be a gardener!

A sign story

When our creative team were busily researching road signs for a recent automotive project, we stumbled on this ingenious and witty story using road signs.

A stunning, if a little saucy, creative piece...... enjoy!

If you can't read it or want to hang it on your wall, then go to:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://9.forumer.com/uploads/universal/post-19-1142915767.jpg&imgrefurl=http://universal.9.forumer.com/index.php%3Fshowtopic%3D1408&h=566&w=816&sz=112&tbnid=kkuGP5gKx95KoM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=130&prev=/search%3Fq%3Droad%2Bsigns%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=road+signs&docid=_w_-v57rlaYL_M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=obsyTsHTIob0-gaspICODQ&sqi=2&ved=0CHYQ9QEwAg&dur=276

Follow That Spielberg!!

On an outing to the glitter and lights of good old London town last weekend, we finally went to see WarHorse. I'd read a lot about it when it first opened, and intrigued though I was, put it off for a good many months (and year) dare I say until finally we took our seats.
It was probably one of the most emotionally draining stage productions I've seen. The sheer brilliance of the model makers, the artistry of the 'puppeteers' in bringing a wooden and fabric skeleton to life and the simplicity of the set made it an absolute marvel.
I have to admit to getting a lump in my throat in certain scenes, but surely isn't that what a production should offer? Tip one or more of your emotions over the edge and leave you in a state of amazement.
I worry that a film is being made of this, and fail to see how they can convey the same raw and innocent emotion. Special effects, casts of thousands recreating the battlefields and horrors of The Somme won't be a patch on the simplicity, lightness of touch and raw emotion that the theatre production offered.

US DEBT

I have to admit to not being completely up to speed on the whole US debt crisis however an article in the Metro got me thinking just how dire the situation is and how BIG the debt is

$14.2 TRILLION - yes trillion.

America's debt could...

Pay for Nasa's annual budget for another 771 years. The space agency stopped sending people into space because of the lack of funding.

Pay Britain's NHS budget for 80 years.

Pay for the US healthcare bill for 151 years.

Pay for Britain's entire defence budget for 234 years.

Pay for the eight year war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan nearly four times over.

Feed all of the 10 million people currently starving in east Africa for 4000 years.

(All facts courtesy of the Metro)

Summer is officially over!!!!!

Having just made a trip into Tunbridge Wells Town Centre I was saddened to find out that our Summer is over before it's begun!!!!!!

It may well be the beginning of August and we are in the midlle of our mini heatwave for 1 week only (although I've got my fingers and toes crossed for more sunshine preferrebly from the 20th August just for selfish reasons only - I have my two week holiday from work then).

As I looked into a few of the clothing shops they are all displaying their Autumn/Winter collections. I know the evenings are getting shorter and yes there are a few items of clothing that have caught my eye this lunch time but whilst walking around in +25 degrees C all i want to see are lovely Summer items of clothing and shoes, not thick jumpers and Winter boots.......

Never mind it happens every year and I know that in a couple of weeks time "CHRISTMAS" decorations will be popping up all over the place waiting to be bought...........

Twitter – Washing your cyber laundry in public

Like a kind of chatty fungus, twitter’s totally grown on me. I love it. It satisfies those less than lovely character traits in me – my incessant need to know stuff first, my slight nosiness (which my husband will testify to having witnessed me peeking round the blinds in our flat in Stoke Newington when we lived in London at 4am on a Saturday morning looking at the gang fight happening right below our window – “will you come away from the window you crazy staring lady you’re going to get us killed”).

Twitter’s a strange bird. It’s allowed us to get close to the innermost feelings and opinions of people whose comment and copy are otherwise generally edited and misquoted, retouched and twisted. It manages to be crazily intimate (Holly Willoughby’s contraction-by-contraction birth report from her mate Fern - eugh enough already) and massively broadcast at the same time. The difference and distance between being a celebrity and an unknown was already becoming blurred and shortened with the explosion of reality shows, celeb magazines and the Internet. Twitter has made the distance seem minute. Stalkers must be having a field day.

What I think I love best though is how it puts us all on a level playing field,– i.e. those on t’telly and those not. Demystifying them once and for all, proving that really they are just like us, just a bit more famous. My favourite recent example of this was a theatre writer taking umbrage at having been, in his opinion, unfairly interviewed by one of Radio 4’s presenters. The theatre writer tweets his annoyance and the presenter then fired back his response and voila – supposedly reserved and professional blokes on the radio having a row in our full glare. Oh the joy – and so much safer than watching rival Stoke Newington gang fight each other!

By the way if you’re not following us, do so right now @TunWellsWoodies

Inside out thinking for brands

Proof that getting the inside right is as important as getting the outside right.

According to Design Council innocent drinks ability to develop and sustain a creative culture has enabled them to remain true to their brand values.

“Crucial to the company’s success to date has been its employment strategy, striving to employ experts in every relevant field from ethical procurement to web design. Last year, Innocent was named as top employer by the Guardian newspaper. In the same year, the company recorded a turnover of £38 million – proof, if proof were necessary, that a commitment to company culture and wholesome brand values really can lead to outstanding commercial success.” (http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/innocent)

A lost art of the Acct Manager

Back in the day, one of the main attributes that set good suits apart from the average was their ability to get scripts (both radio and tv) past the regulatory bodies. The old BACC and RACC as it was.
I'm sure we all watch ads now, and think 'that's a tad risky...' and indeed it may be. But pushing things to and past their limits is what it should be about. If it's not memorable for whatever reason, people forget it, don't buy it, and that campaign is deemed a failure. Even ads that get banned get coverage, and with the advance of YouTube it'll get aired no matter what.
The Lynx Acct Agency team have clearly got their defence / substantiation down to a fine art, as on the surface you'd argue that pretty much every one of their ads contravenes sections regarding 'enhancing perceived attractiveness to the opposite sex'.
Having a well structured and persuasive argument for supporting a principal, a thought, a creative route, a recipe.... is a skill in itself, and sometimes we are in too much of a rush to properly consider it. You wouldn't buy a half baked cake now would you?

All aboard the boat

One of my favourite shops is Magma Books in Covent Garden, you always find some absolute treasures and during my latest visit I spotted the first edition of a new magazine called Boat.

What caught my eye initially was the headline SARAJEVO.

The editor has one goal - to tell a story.

So... he picked up his studio and moved it to Sarajevo for a month. The idea is to get people to take notice of amazing but forgotten cities around the world and update people's views of these places when the only information out there is dated and tied to past events.

"Since the war in the Balkans ended in 1996, the media has left and haven't returned, leaving the images and ideas we have in our heads of Sarajevo war-torn, gruesome and depressing."

Boat Magazine has been an inspiration to me on this very much forgotten city. The writing leaves you feeling connected to the lives of the people there, the photographs are breathtaking and moving, the stories humbling and haunting but most importantly the articles present a city of hope, of youth and of extremely talented people.

A must read if you happen to see this new and exciting magazine.

Inspiring olfaction

That's the sense of smell to you and me, and a nice simple one today. My mascara smells all wrong - its not a designer brand, just good old Boots No. 7 but it smells of rotting fish. I've never known cosmetics smell of rotting fish before - makes me wonder what's in it. It's all wrong.

And yet smell can be such a wonderful, evocative thing. Some smells are just so right and some just so wrong. They can transport you back to places and people from decades past. Here are just a few of my faves and my hates - some predictable and some less so. And you might spot a theme in the hates.


Inspiring smells
The top of a new born baby's head (thanks Bono)
Home baked bread
Newly mown grass
Freshly brewed coffee
Summer rain
BBQ wafting in from next door's garden
Tanquerey and tonic, with lime of course
Lilies
Baked dry oregano and thyme on the air when you get off a plane in Greece
Slightly rotting damp vegetation when you land in SE Asia
Mint Source shower gel
A log fire, burning apple wood

Dire smells
Teenage boys
Lynx
Dog poo on your shoe
Car park stairwells
Burning rubber
Crop spraying in the orchards
One term old sports kit festering in a bag
Wine bottles waiting to go to bottle bank
Trainers
A log fire, burning a telegraph pole (oh yes!)

Anamorphiques trompe-l'oiel

I'd like to share with you this guy's amazing talent.

English street artist, Julian Beever’s sidewalk chalk drawings have been a viral hit all over the internet, and it’s easy to see why: he’s a master of the anamorphic technique, which he’s been perfecting since the mid 1990s.

Each of Julian’s creations take a full day to complete, and by the next day they’re just a memory, washed away by rain or walked upon by pedestrians.

Anamorphic illusions drawn in a special distortion in order to create an impression of 3 dimensions when seen from one particular viewpoint.

Images courtesy http://www.julianbeever.net

The selfish elite

My Friday nights are often spent in a bar catching up with friends. Most of the time conversation is light and friendly but on the odd occasion an interesting debate emerges out of a passing comment. Last Friday someone started ranting about iPad users.

Since then I discovered this article published on the 'mail online'.

"Are you wealthy, sophisticated and smart but don’t care about anybody else?

The chances are you own an iPad.

A survey has revealed the typical person who has bought Apple’s latest gadget is unkind and has little empathy for others.

They have been branded the ‘selfish elite’ by a poll of 20,000 consumers carried out by an American research company.

The £429 device has become the most desired gadget in Britain since its launch in May and 600,000 are expected to be sold before the end of the year.

But the next time you see someone sitting on a train smugly using theirs, take comfort from the fact they are probably not a nice person.

According to Tim Koelkebeck of MyType, which carried out the survey, iPad owners are six times more likely to be ‘wealthy, well-educated, power-hungry, over-achieving, sophisticated, unkind and non-altruistic 30-50-year-olds’.

They are self-centered workaholics with an overwhelming interest in business and finance who cherish ‘power and achievement’ and will not cross the street to help others, he added.

Mr Koelkebeck said that the high price was one reason why the iPad attracted such a specific clientele" (the mail online) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1298722/iPad-users-selfish-elite.html

Comments anyone?

How lost are we without technology?

This is a real test and not rehearsed, written, to be re-written or carefully edited. As I type, my PC has been taken over by Cyrus the Virus and I find myself at the mercy of a pad and pen ( oh and this I-pad)
The point is, what happens when technology fails us.
We end up failing.
The average family spend 9 hours watching TV every week. What happens when that blows up?
What happens when the electricity shorts out for a bit - minutes end up feeling like hours or even days.
So reliant are we on gadgets and appliances we forget what it is like to do without.
Don't get me wrong, I like my tv and gadgets, but we need to be better rehearsed at what to do when technology fail us.
Dont Panic I believe the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy suggested - may be we should just open a book.

Sent from Si Pad so excuse grammatical and punctuation issues.

The erosion of trust

Sorry to sound all maudlin on a Friday, I am coming over all Winston Smith - there’s something on my mind. It’s trust or rather the utter lack of it

Trust is such an evocative word. I’ve been thinking about it lots recently. It’s the most over promised and undelivered word there is. I saw a van the other day proclaiming that the company was ‘trusted to deliver’ Trusted by who, why should we believe them? Then the biggest explosion of trust occurred, the NOTW hacking scandal (creating one of the best headlines I’ve seen in ages in the Times this morning “Hacked to death”.)

Yes I know you can’t trust the media, which was no revelation in itself but the news the police had potentially received payments from journalists for information rocks the very foundations of trust in the UK. Can’t trust the media, can’t trust the police, can’t trust the politicians (see expenses scandal), can’t trust the banks. Those four institutions that potentially have so much power over our lives and not one of them can be trusted it seems. Too much knowledge, too much power too much greed.

Then there’s Google, one of the above or a genuine force for good? Unsure. They know more about us than all the others put together, they know what colour our curtains are for god’s sake. Knowledge is power, power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely after all. However in a similar way to how Bill Gates has used his fortune as a force for good, Google seems to be using its global reach to try to begin to tackle the world’s biggest problems. Google Ideas is forum that seeks to unite people to trust each other to search for solutions to world problems. The other week they had amassed the who’s who of the extremist world (the reformed types I hasten to add) to talk about how to fight extremism.

Perhaps it’s true that the older the institution the more likely corruption is going to happen while the optimism of youth keeps the new global super brands honourable in their motivations. But can we trust them? Who knows?

Cobbler, baker, what next a candlestick maker?

What do you get when you combine the skills of a high fashion cobbler and a master patissier?

Trendy cupcakes!

A photographer I know who uses a unique light revolution system was commissioned to photograph not only the featured cup cakes, but also some noted neon signs in central London where the patisserie is.

Although not partial to cup cakes, I think the styling ideas and look of them is sensational.

You can actually leaf through some of the pages of the finished book, and read the story of how these two guys got together by going to this Amazon link (and read the forward by David Furnish and Sir Elton John).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cox-Cookies-Cake-Eric-Lanlard/dp/1845336445/ref=sr_1_4

Copyright Eric Lanlard, Patrick Cox and Patrick Llewelyn-Davies

Incredibubble....

Marketing Age's piece on Salman Rushdie's recent speech at the IAPI's Advertising Effectiveness Awards is a great read. Here are some highlights. Of course we all know Sir Salman as an author and unwitting recipient of a fatwa from Ayatollah Khomeini but before that he was a copywriter - memorable campaigns like 'Naughty. But nice.' for fresh cream cakes and 'Irresistibubble' for Aero chocolate.

He talks about failing a copy test at JWT - including 100 words explaining how to make toast to a Martian who mysteriously spoke English (Charlotte one for the Monday workouts perhaps?)

He recounts working at Ogilvy's where you saw large numbers of people wearing red braces, because that's what David Ogilvy liked to wear - such sycophancy. “The other thing that we all knew about David Ogilvy was that when he was in the building you had to lock your desk before you left work because he would prowl around the agency and open people's drawers to see what was in there. Of course everybody there had sitcoms and novels and first drafts of plays, all kinds of unsuitable things, so you had to keep your drawer locked." So Dave, is that a film score on your Mac book?

But the story I really love is about Aero 'Irresistibubble' and how the campaign was born out of panic. He believes panic to be very helpful in the creative process. "The writer whose job it was to do this had frozen and was panicking and when he was panicking he'd begin to stammer". Rushdie was asked into his office to help as the client was due in that day. He describes the phone ringing and this poor chap panicking so much that his stutter became very pronounced and whatever he was asked he said he couldn't do - "It's impossib-ib-ib-ible". That was enough for Rushdie who thought ... ping! While the guy was still on the phone sweating and stammering he wrote down every word he could think of that ended with 'able' or 'ible' and turned it into 'bubble'. Hence, 'Adorabubble', 'Delectabubble', 'Irresistibubble' and 'Incredibubble'.

Rushdie says one of the most important things he learnt from his time in our industry was personal discipline. "One of the great things about advertising is you have to say a lot in very little. You have to try to make a very big statement in very few words or very few images and you haven't much time.

"Beyond that, it taught me to write like a job. If you have, as my sweating friend did, the client coming in that afternoon for his new campaign, you can't not have it. You have to have it. What's more, it has to be good. You can't afford temperament, you can't afford days of creative anguish; you have to sit there and do your job and you have to do it like a job, get it done on time and well."

Pretty inspiring stuff wouldn't you say?

If you want to know the story about 'Naughty. But nice' the read the article in full at http://www.businessandleadership.com/marketing/item/11676-a-writers-tale

Disney - what a brand!

As soon as I landed into Orlando everything that had been on my mind evaporated. I was transported into a fictitious world of craziness; everything was huge, colourful and shiny. I remained in a trance for two weeks and not a single thing would break my reverie.

Although I'm not a lover of contrived settings I loved Disney. It took me back to my childhood and my husband and I played like kids for the entire holiday. It was also refreshing that everything worked, toilet paper was always in the holder and there was free water in all the parks, unlike everywhere else on the planet. The people were incredibly happy despite having to repeat the same script over and over again; I was treated like a true Princess.

The sweet shops were like a Willy Wonka wonderland. Everything was huge and I watched everyone indulging. People were ordering the entire shop whilst I ordered my one chocolate covered strawberry, the size of my head! Still the shop assistant at the till looked at me like an alien and asked disapprovingly, "Is that all?"

Disney was the best adventure I've had in a long time.

Get on your bikes and ride!!

Boris has got one thing right – it’s great that he wants to get Londoners out on bikes. The pay as you go bike system seems to have slowly taken off, but it isn’t actually until you get out of London that you really begin to appreciate being on 2 wheels.

Last weekend I made my maiden voyage on the London to Brighton bike ride. I started with a small dose of trepidation, as everyone had told me about ‘The Green Monster’ and at 54 miles it was a little way further than I had trained for. But soon after starting and seeing unicyclists, long-tail skateboarders, shuffle-boarders, tandems and all manner of fancy dress this soon disappeared.

Being out in the country with the roads to yourself felt incredibly liberating. Passing fields of livestock, seeing cars giving way to you and seeing signs reading ‘Is your bum hurting yet….gel saddle covers 100yards!’ added to the enjoyment.

All in all it was a fantastic event / race / ride / day out, made all the more acceptable that any funds raised, went to a worthy charity.

It’s not for everyone, but even if you only do a few miles at the weekend, getting out on a bike is still one of life’s simple pleasures.