Year: 2016

Author: Michael Grass

Had you been wandering down the Southbank on the sunny morning of May 16^th this year, you may have noticed a giant green figure looming over the assorted dinghies and tourist boats docked on the river Thames. And while the movie geek in me would’ve loved to see headlines announcing Godzilla’s arrival to our UK shores, it was actually a statue of the PG Tips monkey (him from the Johnny Vegas ads) made out of 110,486 plastic leaves. As it turns out, the chimp’s merry trip down the stream was a PR stunt that aimed to raise awareness of a then soon to be released ‘green paper’ report by PG tips which promoted its green tea project.

Author: Alexa Mills

It’s that time of year again when my inner ‘video nerd’ comes out to play and I studiously watch the Christmas ads released by the big retailers. Each year (without fail) the concepts get cleverer, the wider campaigns (beyond the TV ads) get more creative and the parodies get funnier.

Author: Ellie Bunce

Did you know that UK homes throw away on average 7 million tonnes of food and drink a year, the total value of which is estimated at a massive £12.5 billion? It’s no wonder that food waste is high on the national news agenda at the moment with retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco taking a stand to help tackle the issue.

Author: Greg Mills

At the last Direct Container Print (DCP) conference in Dusseldorf last November, Douglas Hutt of SABMiller, who was participating in a panel discussion about direct-to-container printing, commented: “Digital (printing) won’t replace any of the analogue packaging formats; it will just complement it.” Although he did go on to say that it will provide “different, better… more efficient… more effective ways to manage your brand…” and may not be as far off the mark as Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, who remarked in 1943 that there would be “a world market for maybe five computers”, the continuous evolution of digital technology, even in direct to container printing, is likely to prove Mr Hutt wrong.

Author: Louise Lazell

With World Vegan Day held earlier this month and now over 540,000 vegans in the UK, I think it’s fair to say that veganism is becoming more ‘mainstream’.  And while when discussing this ‘lifestyle’ with friends, family and colleagues, their views on it can sometimes become a little heated, I think the one thing ‘omni’s’ and herbivores can agree on is that there is still a real inconvenience to being vegan when out and about.

Author: Lucy O’Dea

As the world continues its digital migration, with its subsequent growth in the use of online channels and social networking platforms to communicate, are we all in danger of actually losing touch with our customers? Whatever happened to all those face to face meetings?  Sometimes it even seems like a chore to pick up the phone and talk.  These days, it’s all too easy to hide behind an email, text or tweet rather than using verbal or face to face communication that are all too often considered ‘old-hat’ or too time consuming.

Author: Ellie Bunce

Browsing your local supermarket aisle or high street chain, and you’ll see shelves overloaded with brands calling out to consumers to ‘pick me’ over the numerous other brands and products competing in their product category.

Author: Michael Grass

Patricia Dunn probably summed it up best in Rebels by Accident: “Nothing on this earth lasts forever. Except maybe plastic”. And while its durability, low cost and predominant use throughout the 20^th century is enough to suggest that plastic was ‘fantastic’, the world has become a far more environmentally conscious place in the 21^st century, prompting industries across the globe to rethink their green credentials (for more details on the role millennials are playing in this eco-shift, click here) and take a firmer grip on waste management – and the management and recycling of plastic is central to this.

Author: Daniel Porter

“What’s the point of this?” a friend asked me recently – brandishing the cardboard sleeve she’d just removed from a four-pack of yoghurts. “It’s just totally unnecessary, a complete waste.”

Author: Rianna Julian

Luxury packaging is becoming a force to be reckoned with. As consumerism continues to be taken over by health crazes and a need to ‘look good’, there is continued huge potential in the food and beverage sector to invest in luxury packaging. I for one am guilty of buying a Fortnum and Mason loose tea set, over your regular box of 80 teabags, purely on the basis that the packaging was prettier… I didn’t even think twice about the price.

Author: Paul Spiers

We can all think of examples in both our professional and personal lives of great ideas – from funny or thought provoking advertising campaigns to industry-disrupting technologies like Spotify or the design and development of the iPhone and so on. Beautiful, fun, intelligent, clever and creative ideas are at the core of our very existence and the results surround us in our daily lives.

Author: Lucy O’Dea

When was the last time you took the time to look, touch, feel and experience a printed product, be it a letter, card, direct mail piece, magazine, book or brochure?