Marketing Intelligence by Iain Johnston

One of the best benefits of working in our industry is that you get not only to meet but to actually work alongside some of the most inspiring people around.
It’s not just the many unsung heroes across our businesses; I’ve written before about the amazing work of people like Richard Seymour (on tele three of [...]

[Read more →]

There must be something in the air. And I don’t mean an ash cloud.
Since February we’ve had one pitch after another, often two or three at once. Not only that, but there are some really quite exciting ones. Briefs which ask for an agency to really make a difference. ITT’s for significant major new brands. [...]

[Read more →]

OK, I see the strategy now.
I wrote previously about how utterly terrible the Ignis advert was by Blackfriars bridge. Well, now I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. They have  compounded the problem by…..wait for it ………. throwing large sums of money at the campaign.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
The good news is that no matter how poor the [...]

[Read more →]

So what is it with Fund Management firms?
Why when they have access to obscene amounts of money, do they skimp on the marketing? Why, oh why, oh why is so much fund management advertising complete rubbish?
Case in point: on my walk to the office each morning. Three poster sites, right next to each other on [...]

[Read more →]

So if you are running a creative business, or indeed any professional services firm, how should you spend your scarce marketing budget?
�
I suppose this begs the question: “what budget?”
�
We’ll have to suspend the normal subject matter of this column at this point. Here, we’re not talking about the £1-30m our clients spend every year. We’re [...]

[Read more →]

As you might expect from someone who pitches an alternative approach to clients, I have strong views about challenging traditional media channels and priorities.
�
It never ceases to amaze me why we sometimes persist with a formula, no matter how well rooted in historic performance or current research, which simply takes what we spent last year [...]

[Read more →]

Forget The Apprentice, Design for Life is the next bit of so called reality TV to attempt to appeal to a wider audience.
Philippe Starck is the “guru” this time, though our own Dick Powell seems to be getting more air time and I would hope the audience can already see who is talking more sense
Think [...]

[Read more →]

As well as being a world famous product designer, and on the BBC again this week, Dick Powell also organised our latest Loewy Masterclass, this time the theme was Pitching.
Neil Christie of wieden & kennedy whose presentation was extremely well received, has beaten me to it and already summed up proceedings well here, and Wadds from [...]

[Read more →]

We’ve moved.

We’re in our wonderful new home in Park Street, in the heart of the South Bank.
�
If you have read my previous 32 posts, you will know I believe the culture of an office and its setting in the local environment do have a material impact on how a business performs.
�
I’ve worked in all parts [...]

[Read more →]

I have tried many news feeds over the years, and eventually end up un-subscribing due to lack of relevance, or problems with filtering or optimisation.
Brand Republic I still use, partly because it’s highly relevant, but also there’s enough to amuse and broaden what in many marketing feeds can often be a boring list of wins/losses/people [...]

[Read more →]