Author: Elinor Martin

Christmas is just around the corner and with that comes the excitement and anticipation of what presents will be waiting under the Christmas tree on Monday 25^th December. But when you’ve torn off the wrapping paper, what will the packaging underneath be like, and what does that packaging say about the brand?

Author: Louise Watson

This year I’ve again been sticking to my yearly tradition of watching The X Factor in the run-up to Christmas. If you’ve been following it too, chances are you will have noticed the glaringly obvious product placements. If however you haven’t been staying in every Saturday and Sunday night to watch it, let me explain – the lines the contestants deliver about a whole variety of brands, from airlines to mobile phone networks and even printers, are so blatant and frequent that they lack any subtlety whatsoever! Every time a brand is namedropped on the programme, I cringe at how unnatural and uncomfortable the contestants look using the product name in their everyday conversations.

Author: Tom Platt

Those of you following the news recently may have seen the story about reality TV star Marnie Simpson reportedly breaking the advertisement rules on Snapchat. The 25-year-old social media influencer has fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) rules against hidden advertising on social media.

Author: Michael Grass

Boy, what a difference four years make. It only feels like yesterday that I was blogging away on my keyboard about how my status as an avid book lover and closet Luddite had recently been threatened by the purchase of a Kindle Fire, only for me to realise by the end of said blog that it was indeed possible to have a deep appreciation for both digital and print media.

Author: Dan Porter

When Andrew Wilkinson, 39, of south-west London, boarded a flight from Heathrow to Cape Town back in July, he probably didn’t expect that in a few short weeks his name would be appearing in all the British tabloids, American news outlets such as the New York Post and USA Today and other media from Turkey to South Africa and from Hong Kong to New Zealand.

Author: Alexa Mills

There’s no doubt that video is one of the most powerful ways to engage an audience. However, despite a general awareness of this in the B2B space, I often hear comments such as, ‘The products/services we sell aren’t exciting enough for video’ or ‘Our products are part of a wider technology so you couldn’t see them on camera’ or ‘There’s just nothing sexy about what we sell’.

Author: Jonathon Barnes

Someone has just cold called the office. They didn’t get to talk to who they wanted or know who that was and their various questions show a lack of research. The call failed. Is there another way to engage with business professionals?

Author: Ellie Martin

Improved memory and concentration, reduced stress and a developed vocabulary are all said to be benefits of reading regularly. When was the last time you read a book?

Author: Sam Morris-Warburton

It’s essential that both your PR & digital marketing team are on the same page. Their relationship is integral to the success of your business & here’s why.

Author: Dan Porter

Those of us who write for all, or some, of our living may have been watching the rapid advancement of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in publishing with some trepidation. Is it coming for my job next?

Author: Tom Platt

If there’s one thing that’s clear from the rise of the ‘digital age’, it’s that social media has become an enormous force in the marketing world (though you probably already knew that!). There is more pressure than ever on brands to find the next best thing to catch the eye – social media being key in this regard. So with this in mind, how can companies be sure they’re making the most of their communications strategy?

Had you been wandering around Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal last month, chances are you would have spotted something unusual going on near the Virgin Atlantic check-in desks. No, not Richard Branson taking selfies with napping employees again, but a gallery of over 200 postcards curated by Tom Jackson, creator of the popular Twitter account “Postcard from the Past”. Displayed from May 30^th to June 23^rd, the collection stretched back more than 70 years, providing entertaining snippets from people’s trips to far-flung locations (the standout excerpt being: “I don’t know whether we are at war or not, but suppose it can wait until we return to find out”).