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Good ads never die as long as they surprise you
When I’m not PR-ing, I work with Louise Dyer, founder of Dart Design, as a brand consultant. I love it, because I love the whole process of branding. And that started at Ogilvy & Mather, a great ad agency, my first job, and where I stayed for 10 years, it was THAT amazing. Promoting, […]
Skin-deep branding
The vast majority of us understand the importance of building and maintaining a brand. I was 20 and working at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather when the principles were drilled into me. That was the 80s and, while the comms landscape continues to change, the rules […]
It’s World Alzhiemer’s Day today. Some of us know, or knew, a friend or relative who has or had dementia and this poem by Owen Darnell resonates so perfectly… Do Not Ask Me to Remember Do not ask me to remember, Don’t try to make me understand, Let me rest and know you’re […]
Ultimate multi-tasking
The East Anglian Daily Times ran my article on what some of us do when the going gets tough. I’ve reproduced it here for you: As single mum of three teenage kids, one at Uni, two about to go, and still paying off a huge mortgage, job insecurity was the last thing I needed. Then […]
Sticks and stones
Whoever said “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me” didn’t really understand how the world works. I’ll never condone violence, but today, thanks to the ease with which anyone can post an unkind remark or wage an unrelenting bullying campaign, thousands of people can behave in the most appallingly violent way. […]
The culture of a company: it can make or break you
The news of Rod McKenzie’s departure from the BBC isn’t so much a surprise as a shock. The shock is that action was finally taken. That so many people felt under such threat for so long, complained and absolutely nothing was done about it, speaks volumes about the culture still well-entrenched at this bastion of […]
Minds are like parachutes – they only function when open
As we’re entering the season of good will everyone is swiftly becoming overtaken by Christmas ads, Christmas card lists, presents lists, shopping lists, and just more lists really. And, if you’ve got children, the race to reach the bottom of those lists becomes that little bit more frenzied. The next three weeks will be full […]
Why the UK should take tips from the German car industry
The UK car industry was once one of Germany’s biggest competitors; now it has become one of its biggest assets, says author Dominic Sandbrook. How did Germany accelerate away? Forty years ago, Germany’s biggest carmakers were putting the finishing touches to a product that would change their image forever. The Volkswagen Golf is one of […]
The successful art of networking: it’s all in the feet
Years ago, when I was working at an advertising agency in London, I was asked to help someone out. He was down on his luck and my husband thought, as we worked in the same industry, I could help. (I should mention that my husband was a Freemason and helping other Freemasons who were down […]
It’s been a disaster darling!
To directly quote Craig Revel Horwood, not having a ‘to do’ list “has been a disaster darling.” I’ve been a little out of step all month and feeling bad about it too. I’m really sad that I couldn’t make it work, but I have discovered that my ‘to do’ is invaluable, but it’s just too […]
