The Encounter Business

Criteria number one in acquiring a brand

iain — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:45:26 +0000

Prof John Deighton escaping from the usual Harvard pointy head trap to explain how Quaker managed to lose more than a billion dollars on Snapple in four years. The play and frivolity at the heart of Snapple stood no chance in Quaker’s corridors. It wasn’t a story Quaker could ever tell - unlike Gatorade, so attuned to the achievement / performance ethos. First criteria then: is there a home for soul of this brand, and not just its sales.

Oh for God’s sake

iain — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:27:32 +0000

Rent, don’t buy.

iain — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:09:50 +0000

It’s gradually becoming easier. Cars and bags for a start.

When did you last cry in the middle of the day?

iain — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:16:27 +0000

I hadn’t for a long while.

Toilets and shaving

iain — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:26:49 +0000

To Brainjuicer’s Innovation Oktoberfest. Maybe it was because it was hosted at the bodyparts and smells bit of Unilever in Kingston, but most of my attention went that way.

I don’t know, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen a condom machine in a corporate headquarters. (Never been to Durex’s.) Especially packaged goods businesses, where sex and sin are not to be contemplated, except in agency presentations. I mean they don’t even have them at beer companies. Perhaps here it’s the Lynx effect.

Also met the estimable Tim Wright of King of Shaves. They’re at that bottom clenching phase of the launch of the Azor, going straight up against the Dark Side (Gillette). Four fact-ettes.

1 Shave in the shower, not at the sink. Much easier.

2 Keep the skin tight with your other hand. We mean tight.

3 Gillette et al are perfectly capable of making blades which last 30 shaves. They just don’t do it - and we all know why - it keeps you and me repeat buying. Azor will do 30 shaves.

4 King of Shaves have registered www.thebestyourdadcan get.com. We can’t wait.

Illustrators rule

iain — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:26:50 +0000

Found a marvellous guy the other day, via a client. Stefan reminded me how helpful it is to have someone draw your thinking. Especially when the brief is ‘can you do something that sort of shows how one oil has better viscosity than another to someone waiting in a garage. And he does this in about 45 second.

Shocking crime figures

iain — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:43:36 +0000

Here’s the BBC’s Home Editor, Mark Easton, with the news that knife related crime and murders are DOWN a whopping 10-15% in the capital. But that’s not going to sell any papers, so you might not see it around much.

Don’t spit

iain — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:17:57 +0000

Didn’t take very good pictures when in Bombay. Fortunately, Becky of Holmes & Marchant was around, and did.

The day the SATS results come out, we should remember…

iain — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:16:19 +0000

Enough said

iain — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:18:00 +0000