When I was a student, I did a placement at a major film school, where I served as production assistant on a graduation film.  Everybody involved was – apparently – working to produce a magnificent 20-minute short film, which they could then show to agents and producers to get work.

In practice, however, the various department heads were constantly at loggerheads.  The production designer wanted to create huge, lavish sets in order to show off his capabilities.  The director of photography ...

It’s a scary old time this week in the creative department, putting the finishing touches to the National Trusts midlands Halloween events campaign. Look out for the creepy downloadable masks, hats and bat map at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/midlandsfreshair and join in at one of their frightening family fun days.

Facebook is the second most visited site in the world after Google, it’s the rage among people of all age groups. To these people clicking through your Facebook friends windows is as natural as breathing. Facebook is not only used by individuals but by Corporates as well. Facebook pages are becoming an integral part of any business online strategy, so, good creative Facebook design is essential to get more fan followers than competitors.

It’s a fact that unique design and concepts ...

A little while ago Ella, our joint MD, received an e-mail from an American company, which she immediately forwarded so we could have a good giggle. It wasn’t the subject matter that caused such hilarity, but the authors use of jargon, some of which we’d never heard before.

Phrases included the likes of ‘greenwashing vulnerabilities’ which got us thinking – surely there’s enough jargon in the business world, without needing to invent more? To put our ...

People identify with brands and use them to portray a particular image about themselves, whether that is through the clothes they wear, the food they eat or the cars they drive. Protecting a brand’s image is therefore hugely important and everything from its logo, colours and adverts to the product design itself is very carefully constructed in order to appeal to a specific target audience.

Celebrity association, when carefully managed, has long been recognised as a hugely successful marketing tool. Links ...

The riots that began in London and spread nationwide have rightly dominated conversations this week, but amidst strong debate about crime and society, the impact on brands has been less discussed.

Partly, this is a matter of priorities, but it also reflects the complexity of the unpredictable effects the riots have had on brands.  Already, there have been winners and losers; for others, only time will tell how they come out of the crisis.

The most notable companies associated with recent events have been social ...

According to media regulator Ofcom, the British population is now ‘addicted’ to smartphones – especially teenagers, over half of whom now own a Smartphone to access email, Facebook and other social media.

That said, more than a quarter of adults are in a similar position, highlighting the increasing ubiquity of iPhones and BlackBerries.

Data for the first half of 2011 confirms that smartphone sales now outstrip traditional mobile devices.  This is unsurprising, considering the sheer versatility of the smartphone format.  It is a one-stop ...

When I read last week’s news that Murdoch had decided to pull the plug on the beleaguered News of the World, my first thought was ‘as a crisis management strategy, that’s not going to work’.  Why?  Because the public were out for blood, not print.

For those of you that have been in a media blackout, allegations of phone hacking by the NOTW have dominated the headlines.  Little attention was paid to the subject when it was celebrities’ phones being hacked, but allegations that ...

What a difference a few hours makes – since we posted our blog, more allegations have surfaced. According to The Guardian coverage and timeline, there are apparently 11,000 pages of notes which contain the names of 4,000 people whose phones may have been hacked. Allegedly £100,000 bribes had been paid to Met Police Officers.

By 4.26pm so many advertisers had pulled out there were reports that the NOTW would be running without advertising this Sunday.

At 5pm, News International announced that the News Of The World ...

The News of the World (NOTW) prides itself on making the headlines and this week it has – but not in the way we are used to. Rather than salacious celebrity gossip the paper itself has been thrust into the limelight as the subject of phone hacking hits the headlines.

Of course this isn’t the first time that the NOTW and its phone hacking antics have been the subject of scrutiny. The story first appeared in 2005 when the Palace called ...