The power of the poppy as the symbol of Remembrance Sunday With August marking 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War, our troops leaving Afghanistan and ISIS marauding across the Middle East, remembrance seems ever more poignant this year. Growing up, I always thought Remembrance Day was about the First and Second World Wars, but these days there is so much more [...]
Can Tunisia survive the massacre? On 26th June Seifeddine Rezgui shot and killed 38 people in the Tunisian resort of Port El Kantaoui. It does not need stating that it was a devastating tragedy, which the families and friends of the victims will never recover from. The attack may also be a tragedy for Tunisia as a nation, as an [...]
William and Kate meet Jay-Z and Beyonce: How Brand Royal has finally entered the 21st century This week New Yorkers went mad for Will and Kate as they took a trip to the Big Apple for the first time. Crowds were out in force, media coverage blanketed the channels, hoards of people desperate to catch a glimpse. It was almost as if The Beatles had arrived once again. It’s incredible [...]
HP breaking in two: Is this good for the brand? October 13, 2014 So, Hewlett Packard is splitting its brand in two, HP on the consumer side and Hewlett Packard on the B2B side. From a corporate structure / investor perspective it's a clever move, but from a branding side it is fraught with challenges. When building a strategy and positioning for a brand, one of the [...]
Ukip party conference 2014: Three reasons Ukip might have the best brand in politics September 26, 2014 After Ed Miliband’s much-maligned slip-ups, this weekend it’s Nigel Farage’s turn to show the world he’s a man of the people, at the Ukip party conference. Farage may be mocked by some – but during his tenure as its leader, he has transformed it from a party on the margins of the political system [...]
Celebrity photos iCloud hack? Steve Jobs wouldn’t have let this happen September 5, 2014 So, it would appear that if I did take loads of photos of myself naked, shot a mucky video or a whole manner of other salacious digital tomfoolery, there’s a good chance it would get backed up to iCloud and I’d be hunted down by hackers who would expose me to the world. Thank goodness [...]
The return of the entrepreneur. How refreshing – City & Gild August 15, 2014 I was in LA last week to receive a brief from a well known rebellious soft drink company. There were several things about the meeting which were incredibly refreshing when compared with the other major blue chip, fast-moving consumer goods companies. First, we were promised a written brief. Now that might sound like normal practice, [...]
City & Gild: Rolf Harris, Andy Coulson and the business of image over behaviour July 4, 2014 I’m gutted about Rolf Harris. A budding artist as a kid, I watched Rolf on a regular basis, taking great delight in his incredible talent and bizarre catchphrases. I am loath to admit I have even hummed his songs every now and then. I believed in Rolf Harris. He cultivated an image of a genuine, [...]
