You’re not the boss of me: Dissecting the aggressive trademark tactics of Hugo Boss Dissecting the aggressive trademark tactics of Hugo Boss One of the most critical assets of every company is its brand. In fact, it is so important that the brand value of a company can be greater than its stock market valuation. Since the late nineties, an increasing number of successful companies have been “brand-led” — the concept that the character of the company [...]
Is Valentine’s Day just a marketing gimmick? Is Valentine’s Day just a marketing gimmick? Nicholas Mazzei, a corporate social responsibility adviser, says YES. Love is a commodity in much demand, and there is little enough of it to go around. The decline in the amount of sex men in the US are having has been linked to the rise of popularism and [...]
DEBATE: Should Big Ben bong on 31 January to mark Britain’s exit from the EU? Should Big Ben bong on 31 January to mark Britain’s exit from the EU? Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says YES. Whether a bell rings at a certain time is a trivial thing. But it is symbolic, and symbols matter — to people, and to nations. Stymieing the ringing of a bell that rang two [...]
DEBATE: Will we see as much seismic political change in 2020 as we did this year? December 20, 2019 Will we see as much seismic political change in 2020 as we did this year? Nicholas Mazzei, a corporate social responsibility adviser, says YES. Despite the vast amount of news we’ve consumed on Brexit and British politics since the EU referendum, very little has actually happened policy-wise. Do not expect more of this in 2020. [...]
DEBATE: Are there any signs that UK retailers could be in for a merry Christmas this year? December 4, 2019 Are there any signs that UK retailers could be in for a merry Christmas this year? YES, says Nicholas Mazzei, a corporate social responsibility adviser. There has been much lamentation of the declining retail sector as a mark of our age, but this Christmas is looking to be very merry for retailers. Black Friday was [...]
Whoever you support, this culture of MP abuse is utterly unacceptable November 5, 2019 This year, I stood as an MEP candidate. I was tremendously excited – it had been a dream of mine since I was in school to be a politician. The debate on Europe was exhilarating, new parties had entered the fray, and digital platforms meant that engaging the public was easier than ever. Within an [...]
DEBATE: Could the BBC survive becoming a subscription service? October 21, 2019 Could the BBC survive becoming a subscription service? Nicholas Mazzei, a corporate social responsibility adviser, says YES. The BBC is a well-loved and historic British institution, but it needs to move with the times. Ending its guaranteed income and making it compete for its customers through a subscription model would drive it to become more [...]
BP and the Royal Shakespeare Company: A drama of misplaced corporate philanthropy October 8, 2019 Last week, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) ended its eight-year sponsorship programme with BP. This was the result of a campaign led by Ella Mann, an ecology student from Oxford, who pleaded with the RSC to end the deal, saying it was clear that the arrangement was “putting a barrier” between young people and the [...]
DEBATE: Did Jacques Chirac leave France in a better state than he found it when he became President? September 27, 2019 Did Jacques Chirac leave France in a better state than he found it when he became President? Alastair Benn, news editor of Reaction, says YES. Jacques Chirac’s legacy is hard to define – he was certainly not a great President, and the old fox, as he was often known, never really shook off a (justified) [...]
