WAA

Shopping for stories

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:59:00 +0100

We may be in a new age of austerity, but according to a recent report, spend on luxury status symbols is showing no sign of abating. Apparently, while the rest of us have been swapping Sainsbury’s for Aldi, those with the financial assets to do so have been snapping up cars and jets, country homes and works of art.

Can social media compete?

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:52:55 +0100

I recently had the good fortune to spend a couple of days at the iMedia Brand Summit in Brighton, an invite-only event that brings together agencies and clients to discuss and debate the interactive marketing landscape.

Please, no more PR spam

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:36:50 +0100

It can be quite tough being a PR at times. Don’t worry, I’m not looking for sympathy, but there are antics some of the PR community engage in which gives us all a bad name.

Suffering for our art

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:44:21 +0100

Sufferance is something most of those reading this column will be familiar with. As creative industry colleagues, you will be only too aware of the mental anguish we go through in our search for right answer or the best way.

Judging the public mood

Tue, 04 May 2010 15:07:00 +0100

Over the last few days I’ve been catching up with family, friends and colleagues who were caught up in the travel chaos resulting from Eyjafjallajoekull’s volcanic tantrum.

The Future Gazers

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:40:00 +0100

As head of digital, I am often asked by clients and agency colleagues about future trends. Now I should warn you up front, that this article isn’t going to be a ‘top 10 digital trends for 2010’. Use that as a Google search, and you’ll find a load of interesting lists - mash-ups, social media, the cloud, mobile, apps, open source DIY culture, crowd sourcing, death of flash, to name just a few.

More gowns, less clowns please

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:40:00 +0100

A week or so back, I was sent a copy of a viral called The Last Advertising Agency on Earth. Personally I found it a little heavy on the clichés and a little light on the content – seriously, who has a clown in their reception (unless they work at McDonalds of course!)?

Business as unusual

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:04:45 +0100

The term ‘business as usual’ is frequently cited during times of change. But what is business as usual? And if usual is normal, isn’t it time for a new normal?

A refreshing way to reward us

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:43:12 +0000

Remember way back in the early noughties when Pepsi ran Pepsi Stuff (which Coke went on to rip off with My Coke Rewards)? It was an interactive campaign that focused on rewarding their customers’ investment in the product by allowing them to earn points towards stuff like cameras and iPods. Pepsi got increased sales; we got shiny new gadgets. Everybody won.

Ideas that create business

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:36:00 +0000

What’s an idea? It’s one of the most overused words in our industry and quite possibly one of the least understood. Just like us, ideas come in all shapes and sizes; there’s the idea for the logo, the layout, the design, the headline, the payoff, the in-store experience, the website, the TV spot, the viral, the PR stunt, the radio ad, the poster, the press ad.

Olympic innovations

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:20:00 +0000

Other than war, there’s nothing like a major sporting event to hasten the pace of innovation. We’ve already blogged about the impact 3D TV is set to have on this summer’s World Cup but what can the current Olympic Winter Games in Canada tell us about what we can look forward to for our own Games in 2012?

Missing a trick?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:21:00 +0000

Last week, I experienced a rather miserable train journey from London Euston to Birmingham New Street, whereby I had to stand in a packed doorway for an hour and a half due to the all-too-common problem, over overcrowding. Whilst I appreciate that this will always happen, what was frustrating was that there were no fewer than four first class carriages, but only a handful of first class passengers on the train, meaning that I was just a few sliding doors away from a sea of empty seats.

3D comes of age

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:25:44 +0000

At four o’clock next Tuesday afternoon (23 February), the fashion label Burberry will become the first brand to broadcast a show live from London Fashion Week in 3D. Guests at screenings in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai and Tokyo will be able to enjoy the show, as it happens, as if they were actually by the catwalk.

What’s the buzz about Google Buzz?

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Social media is, as I’m sure you’re aware, kind of a big deal. Facebook now has 400 million users worldwide meaning if it was a country it would be the 4th largest in the world. Twitter usage has increased to the point where one in five Americans use Twitter and other similar services. So it’s perhaps been surprising to see Google lagging behind in this area.

Back to the Future

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Opposites attract! With the possible exception of Nicolas Sarkosy and Carla Bruni, I’ve never totally subscribed to this theory. But having had a sneak preview of Tom’s article, I feel that there is an interesting relationship between highlighting trends for 2010 and reflecting on the creative campaigns and creative strategies of 2009, and even more interestingly (for me at least) using them both to help us engage with audiences and business opportunities over this coming year.

Trendspotting 2010

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:27:00 +0000

The traditional and social media channels have been buzzing during the past few weeks with trend predictions. The pace of change today is so fast, you could be forgiven for not knowing every innovation or even what’s on the cusp of becoming mainstream. So we’ve done the hard work for you and picked out the five trends for 2010 we think are the most relevant to you.

The start of a promising journey

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:22:00 +0000

Opportunities in creative departments come few and far between, especially during a time of recession, where even more people are fighting for that same break.

Talking Turkey

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000

The season for eating turkey has well and truly passed. However, the time to ‘talk turkey’, to cut to the chase and be honest in business is nigh.

The cardest job in the industry?

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:19:00 +0000

The Christmas card, be it agency or client, cursed by creatives, argued by art directors, disputed by designers, even whinged at by writers, is still the hardest job in the industry to crack... or is it?

Happy Christmas?

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Last week I spent an enjoyable few hours with my head buried in the latest Trendwatching report, gaining a detailed insight on this period of exponential change we are living through.

Back to the Futura

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:32:00 +0000

Despite the ever-evolving range of media channels, typography has historically always been at the heart of great design. However, web design has, until very recently, always lagged behind.

Trending the year on a high

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:46:00 +0000

We had our monthly trends briefing at WAA on Tuesday and as usual it left my head spinning with the wonderment of the age we’re living in. Tom’s excellent presentation has become a monthly highlight for me (and indeed everyone else from what I can tell), never failing to spark my imagination and think about how we can apply these lessons in the work we do.

Starting out

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

As part of my degree, I got the chance to complete one of the modules by spending some time, gaining experience in an advertising agency. Through a friend, I was given a contact at WAA to see if there was an opening for an intern in the creative department. My journey at WAA started on 12th August ’08.

Local apps for local people

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:16:20 +0000

The one thing the digital industry never stops talking about is who is going to be the next big start-up. Take a look at Techcrunch - it’s the equivalent of Heat magazine for us digital folks.

Death of the URL?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:54:00 +0000

The role of URLs in advertising has come a long way. First, the use of AOL keywords disappeared, then we dropped the http://’s, then the www’s, now some brands are dropping URLs altogether. How far should we go in deleting the URL in favour of directing the viewer to follow-up online via their favourite search engine?

Popped up, sold out

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:17:00 +0000

Richard Ash is chief executive of retail design agency Green Room Retail, one our much loved partner agencies. His article on pop-up shops for Marketing Week gives food for thought for any consumer brand owner, so we thought we’d share it with you here…

The relevance of eloquence

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I’ve recently graduated and according to popular belief, I am not acquainted with the apostrophe, vowels R my wrst NME, and I can barely string two words together (and if I did, they would probably be ‘like’ and ‘totally’).

Happy halloween holiday for high street

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:22:00 +0000

With another Halloween passing us by, the shops certainly weren’t ghost towns in the lead up to it, with Planet Retail predicting that the day will work out to be worth £235m to retailers in the UK, up from £195 last year. While it’s too soon to know what the exact impact has been, the supermarkets in particular did their best to ensure it was at the forefront of minds of customers.

Engaging with truths

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0000

I spent a very enjoyable few days on the P&O Aurora a couple of weeks ago. Not soaking up views of the Med from the sun deck alas, but circumnavigating Guernsey with a few hundred fellow marketers at the latest Marketing Forum.

Really lovin’ it

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Many happy returns, literally. This month, McDonald’s celebrated its 35th anniversary as a UK restaurant by launching a new campaign by Leo Burnett London entitled ‘Favourites’. It features all kinds of people coming and going, each enjoying the McDonald’s experience in their own ways.

Looking, but not reading

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:52:00 +0000

How many times have you heard the old saying, ‘hearing isn’t listening’? This highlights the truth that the act of receiving the message doesn’t mean you actually take conscious note of the content of the message itself.

Nothing is original

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:45:00 +0100

We all do it. We copy. We steal. We pass it off as our own. Perhaps that’s a little strong, but in essence we see something we like, make a (sometimes conscious, sometimes subconscious) mental note and later, when we’re looking for inspiration, it takes us in a new direction, a new style, a choice of typography, a line, a colour palette, a look and feel. By the time your project is over the final result is normally so far removed from the source material that something new and original has been created and the spark that set you off in that direction is long forgotten. The two are so different it’s impossible to make the connection between the two.

Editors album reaches destination with Google Street Map

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:13:00 +0100

In the on-going battle of music downloads versus physical purchases, illegal file sharing versus free music, and live bands versus ticket retailers and their service charges, the one thing people seem to have forgotten about is the bands themselves.

Transparency Triumph has its drawbacks

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:08:00 +0100

When it comes to people power, it seems even rock gods and screen idols are no longer safe on their pedestals.

Digital lifestyles

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:40:00 +0100

Whether you are following GPS directions on your mobile phone or snapping photos of barcodes for discounts, there is no denying that the new digital is all around us.

WAA! - What An Adventure!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:07:00 +0100

My first day at WAA was pretty busy. A new mobile phone pitch had come in and everyone was working really hard to meet the deadline, with the creative team working over the weekend to come up with some really great ideas. Because I was part of the target market for the pitch, I could give comments on what the creative team were doing and contribute my own input.

Advertising in a recession

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:57:00 +0100

A particular movie genre has been in the news a lot recently…that of ‘Film Noir’.

Great PR is great for SEO

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:50:00 +0100

Keeping an eye on websites within your industry is simply a must and should be a regular activity for SEO companies that are tasked with improving search engine presence. More often then not any SEO worth his salt will tell you to create a website with good, quality content and build relevant links from authoritative sites and directories.

The point of pointless babble

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:44:00 +0100

When is pointless babble not really pointless babble? When it’s irreverent banter that cements relationships, raises a smile and builds bonds.

The truth about work experience

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:16:00 +0100

When I was arranging my work experience I decided that I wanted to work in an office. That may seem a bit strange but my parents don’t work in offices so I really had no idea what they were like, except from what I’d seen on TV. I had been told that WAA was quite casual as offices go but I still didn’t know what I’d find and think about everything.

A surprising CV boost

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:48:00 +0100

In July of 2009, having recently graduated from Nottingham University I was eagerly seeking work experience at an advertising agency. At that time, under the title “Work Experience” my C.V read “Pizza Hut”. Believing this not to be a major selling point for prospective employers in the advertising industry I started to get desperate. After phoning several agencies and offering to work for them for free I was still getting nowhere. Fortunately I was phoned by Sarah Asprey from WAA who said they were offering work experience places throughout the summer. Perfect.

Washout summer highlights need for flexibility

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:25:00 +0100

Now, I haven’t held a barbeque for many a year due to a disastrous attempt at a family party a while back, but even I considered popping down to the local convenience store and buying a throwaway job in the Spring in anticipation of the great British Summer we were all promised. However, I should have known what was coming as the Summer failed to deliver on promises... so much so that the Met Office announced a reforecast at the end of July.

WAA is fertile ground!

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:41:00 +0100

WAA certainly is an interesting place to be not least because of the diversity. With clientele from big high street names and local businesses to luxury brands there’s always something to get involved in.

De-branding has its limits

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:02:00 +0100

What springs to mind when you think of Starbucks? You might associate it with a plethora of American influenced coffees that leave you spoilt for choice.You might associate it with serving a massive 500 calories in a single cup. You won’t associate it with your local, friendly neighbourhood independent coffee shop. But that’s what they’ve started to work towards.

My few weeks at WAA

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:59:00 +0100

I heard about WAA through a friend who recommended doing work experience there throughout my summer. I worked at WAA for two and a half weeks and really enjoyed it. As I study Graphic Design it was the perfect place and really wanted to learn more about advertising.

Supporting the development of my creative career

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:48:00 +0100

Having previously completed a number of work placements at other agencies my expectations for my time at WAA could be described of as average. I imagined the usual approach to work placement candidates, a few old briefs and the promise of as much help as I needed..

When Pay What You Want pays off

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:54:00 +0100

It’s a bold company that will quite literally put its money where its mouth is and proclaim: ‘If you don’t like it, don’t pay for it.’ But it’s happening – the Pay As You Go model has evolved into Pay What You Want.

Nostalgia beating the recession

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:28:00 +0100

You can’t beat a bit of nostalgia. We all like to reminisce about times with less risk and stress, and it’s that affection for the past that has seen a massive upsurge in communications from brands we grew up with and trusted.

Don't forget the face-to-face

Mon, 04 May 2009 17:42:00 +0100

The buzz around Twitter is reaching a giddy crescendo right now and one of the most popular trending topics is #goodmeeting. For the uninitiated, this is simply a way of sharing the news that you’ve had a productive, physical meeting with a fellow human.

Everything has a silver lining

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Jedi guru Yoda once said: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” But excellence is increasingly giving way to mediocrity, and it’s just – quite literally – not good enough.