Thursday 22 July 2010

Bowlska

I hold a team meeting every month, where we review the previous month and look forward to the next one.
Today we did it differently. I booked a couple of tables at local pub The Libertine and did a six-month review, followed by a 'Lizard's Den'. The format was that everyone had two minutes to pitch an idea, which we all voted on. Amongst some very good ideas the winner was the notion of offering a free download with every CD purchase, which earned Ben a signed Basshunter poster and two moleskine notebooks.
Afterwards we went bowling at Elephant & Castle, followed by some hearty food at a Polish restaurant.
Good times.

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Monday 19 July 2010

Brief non-encounter

I've been here before. Well not exactly here - the last time I missed my stop and got to New Southgate, whereas this time they changed the train so it didn't actually stop at Ally Pally. So here I am at Bowes Park ( I don't even know where it is) waiting for a train back into London.

And not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips.

I could murder a drink though...


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Thursday 1 July 2010

Marketing and England

It's been a while - an age really - since I last posted, which means I'm probably writing for an audience of one.

But I feel compelled to write because I've just attended the Marketing Society's summer cocktail evening on the rooftop of JWT's offices in Knightsbridge. And it's been an interesting evening.

Arriving without knowing a soul, I chatted with someone in Business Development at JWT. We had an interesting discussion about branding and suchlike, and were joined by someone from another agency. She was there as a prospective new member, so when the President of the Society made a speech which included an incentive offer for members who recruit new members, it didn't take long for a quick scam/strategy to emerge. The splendidly named Emmaclare signed up, as recommended by me, and I earned £60 worth of John Lewis vouchers. Money for old rope.

Later, I met the usual bunch of bores and snake-oil salesmen, but as I was leaving I bumped into Carmen, the Business Development person at JWT, again.

Reprising our conversation, she told me that she didn't think we should pay agencies for anything. Rather, she suggested a strategy where we give agencies the chance to work with Ministry of Sound for nothing, but on something innovative, something that's never been done before, that they can pick up the awards and kudos for. An interesting and quite attractive approach, I thought, but then a Business Development person might say that. She then gave me her card and it turns out that she's only the Managing Partner...

The cocktails, provided by Courvoisier, were excellent, and the setting - a lush lawn 5 stories up, across the road from Harrods - stunning. And I didn't even have to miss the World Cup as there were no games tonight.

Talking of the World Cup, I'm loving the rumours emerging from the England camp. Apparently there are 4 big stories ready to break; one of which involves shenanigans by a senior player with a certain authority (let's call him Player SG), which angered another player who previously held that authority (Player JT) and whose authority was stripped for similar but arguably less serious conduct. The story goes that JT approached the manager (FC) to complain, and the England camp split into two factions - those for SG and those for JT. If true - and that's a big if - it explains a lot about that last couple of weeks.

Then there's the story about Rooney and another prostitute...





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