Simply Because

And another thing…

Okay, so it’s got bog-all to do with event-marketing other than being (allegedly) the most important event in the calendar of any country (apart from the Bank Holidays, obviously), and I know that I’ve technically missed it but I thought, given the result, that it’s only prudent to mention something about it while it’s relatively fresh in the mind. Particularly seeing as there might well be another one in the next eighteen months.

I am, of course, talking about the election. Being a very well-organised chap (as I’m sure all at the Staff Republic offices will testify!) I registered for proxy-voting before I went away. Though I be thousands of miles away, my vote was going to count, damn it! And count it did, though I shan’t be telling you for whom I plumped. What? You really want to know? Okay, I’ll give you a clue. They didn’t get in. Well, they did and they didn’t. They might as well not have.

And it struck me as I reviewed some of the footage (namely the Have I got News for You Election Special) that these politicians haven’t got a clue how to engage the public. And I thought, why the heck don’t they get promotional staff to do it? Honestly, some of the training info that I’ve seen in the past reads a bit like a manifesto, and some of the promo girls I’ve worked with could get Mussolini to vote (although, since Mussolini seemed a little like Burlosconi you would have to question his motives).

After all, to quote that great philosopher of our time, David Brent, there’s no “I” in “team”, but if you look closely, there’s a “me”.

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Posted by Pawan on May 23, 2010

Back in black, who’s the Mac? Sitting in the back of a cadillac…

I’m back!

What do you mean you haven’t missed me? You cut me deep, Shrek…

Okay, so I’ve been away for a month (hence my lack of bloggies on your screens). You have my sincere apple logies, and even if you haven’t missed me I just want you to know that I’ve missed you howibwy, howibwy.

But no more! I once again have a keyboard at my fingertips (while I was away I spent a total of 45 minutes at a computer and, the moment I entertained the thought of doing anything remotely work-related [as much fun as this is!] we had a rainstorm. In the Himalayas. In the middle of summer. I mean, what are the odds? So I guess you can call it time off for good karma, or something.).

Anyhoo, while I was away I took lots of photos, including some great posters and products that are abound over in India, and (somewhat bizarrely) I’ve got pictures of at least five different Indian dogs, amongst whom are two puppies and one old dog who slept with his lips and eyes open. You could definitely not teach any new tricks. In fact, he could barely do the old ones.

As for the marketing business on these shores, it’s a bit tough, having been away for a month…although…

...you know what it’s like when you’re away for so long. You come back and there’s a big pile of stuff to be done - laundry, cleaning, going through post, claiming cheese. Yes, you heard me correctly. Cheese. Before we went, my lovely wife and I purchased a bottle of J P Chenet‘s finest (well, it was white, so possibly not his finest), around which was draped a coupon for free Port Salut. “Hurrah!” we yelled on our arrival home, “We can eat tonight!” Alas, it was a tad more complicated than we thought. Having visited the website, it soon became apparent that we would not eat after all, as some problem with their server prevented us from printing off our voucher.

“What would you do?” I hear you cry, the saltiness of your golden, choking tears in fact the perfect accompaniment to the creamy texture of our fast-becoming not-so-favourite cheese. Well, I did the only thing I could do in that situation, the only avenue left for a desperate man teetering on the brink of starvation and the edge of madness, the last refuge for any travel-weary Brit refusing to be dealt that last fateful card of death in a world conspiring against him.

I wrote a letter.

Well, an e-mail actually. All very cordial, as you can well imagine, and lo-and-behold, a day later, the voucher can be downloaded. After a month of mountain roads and near-misses, it was actually quite a relief.

And I didn’t even have to out them on my marketing blog. Of course, I wouldn’t do that anyway, now would I?

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Posted by Pawan on May 19, 2010

The lighter side of Comparing Markets!!

Well, it’s that time of year again where I have to dig deep, sorry dig deeper into my pockets to find the money to cover my car insurance!!!

So whilst my internet journey took me to the very depths of price comparison websites, the twisted maze that seduces with promises of an even better deal on the face of it, only to slap your face with a wet kipper should you fall for the enticing initial premium, that of course omits essential parts of the cover that you really need!!

Since when did car insurance policies slide under the surgeons knife, dissected into neat little packages, so whilst the initial premium put to you seems both reasonable and competitive, on closer inspection reveal - Ahh!!, no courtesy car cover, no legal expenses cover, no NCD protection cover etc etc etc!!! . Many days later once these have all been added, you are handed a re-mortgage form in order to raise the necessary funds!!

Anyway, much frustration and venting later, a compromise was met, never needed that kidney anyway….

So to the lighter side of comparing the markets, found this out-take video from Compare the Meerkat which was very amusing, enjoy….....

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Posted by Josh on May 08, 2010

Out and About!

Thought it was about time i did another VLOG!

This is me in Meadowhall, Sheffield - working on the Nutriganics Launch, for The Body Shop!

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Posted by Liam on April 20, 2010

The Other Side of the Fence

As the most famous race in the world, the Grand National needs no introduction. With over £100million spent on bets each year and attendances that reach upwards of 100,000, it’s no surprise that it’s a great target for your average field marketing agency - and some of the better-than-average ones as well! Obviously, my Liverpool location has meant that I’m primely placed for work, and while I’ve been at the last two Nationals sweating it out with Jacques and Fosters, I’ve got this one off (I must’ve been a good boy this year!).

So, like your average ordinary everday kid, I’ll be sitting in the sun with a glass of something cold, waving my racecard in the air and screaming like a fishwife for my pony to come through. As Liverpool sees some of the most beautiful weather of the year, my ironic tip is Snowy Morning. I’ve put all the money that I earned from promotional work last year on it. That’s a joke, by the way.

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Posted by Pawan on April 10, 2010

Kick-Ass Movie……

So I love my movies and this is one that has leapt out from under a stone!! Did’nt hear anything of it until just a couple of weeks ago and yet it is being pitched as a mighty beast of movie that is being hailed an “epic” already!!!

What makes this so much fun and ultimately so interesting to watch is that the main character is a mere mortal, a life transformed with the dream of being something more, so much more….

After a brutal ass-kicking on his first attempt our plucky hero through sheer determination and a lot of life-saving medical help becomes the urban knight in shining armour “Kick-Ass”.

It is at this point, if you hadn’t already realised that this film’s action is glued masterfully together with side-splitting comedy!!

I have just watched and thoroughly enjoyed Kick-Ass and you have to admit it stirs up a little adrenaline within you, thankfully most of us know where fiction meets fact!!

Humorous acknowledgments to Superman, Spiderman, Batman and the like are also expertly thrown into the mix, gently satirising the genre while at the same time paying tribute to what has gone before in the comic cannon.

Combine that with some hilarious interplay between D’Amico and his gang of hoods, and you’ve got some of the most smart, sophisticated and downright hilarious dialogue yet written for a superhero flick.

For that very reason, Kick-Ass is as good a superhero movie as has yet been made—storytelling of the very highest order, crafted by experts who know, love and treat the subject matter with the respect it deserves.

The result is utterly compelling from start-to-finish; an adaptation that perfectly captures the anarchic nature of the comic while at the same time eliciting unexpected emotions from a film about a crime-fighting kid in a wet-suit…… what are you waiting for the world needs you at a cinema near you!!!

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Posted by Josh on April 07, 2010

A campaign that really Paid Off!!

Late last year I was proud to manage a campaign with a fantastic team that was for the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368 hey - still know the number off by heart!!!)

The team at COI have just put together an awesome video and it’s only fair that we share it with you.  So let the actions speak louder than the words and please, pass on the message…...

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Posted by Josh on April 01, 2010

Spreading The Staff Republic Love!

I had loads of fun in London this week to promote THE STAFF REPUBLIC

Sarah (from the office) and I went to visit loads of P.R and Marketing agencies to spread the word.

Not only did we tell them about the The Staff Republic, we gave them cocktails as we all know keeping a brand moving is thirsty work. The cocktails were gorgeous (I couldn’t help but try them over at Academy (a.k.a. LAB Bar) on Old Compton Street and Lounge Lover in Shoreditch – GORJUZ!!!! 

Can’t believe how many different agencies should be using The Staff Republic but aren’t.

If you are on here, reading my blog give the office a ring and find out a bit more. What harm can it do?

I promise we are the best brand ambassadors in the business!

Call 0207 244 4934 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Posted by Liam on March 21, 2010

Roadtrip in California!!!

Just once every 20 Blogs a little self-indulgence is allowed, ok every 10 blogs, ahh come-on your killing me, is it that often…..... I need my therapist!!!!

So I have a little time off with my lovely wife and California beckons, in particular Los Angeles where our beautiful daughter lives with her talented husband, talented as he is a drummer in a band and boy does he spank those drums, I left with extreme motion sickness after one his gigs!!!

Now if you are going to La La land and more importantly you are me, then you have to pose…. and that means having a killer set of wheels ( it’s a guy thing!!) so a 4.6litre Mustang convertible left me shall be say aroused!!!  A growl that was more impressive than if King Kong had a momentary lapse of concentration and suffered the embarrassment of flatulence, this was a head turner!!!

With our main base in LA, I quickly started plotting a variety of locations to travel to; The Hills, Sunset Boulevard, Las Vegas, New York, London……..!! Thankfully my wife was with the remind me of how ridiculous I was getting and we settled for San Diego and Las Vegas amongst other more local sites……, thank the USA that they don’t share our fuel prices!!!

So you have to admire the Americans when it comes to Customer Service, every place we visited, it’s that kind of attitiude I love to replicate when doing promotions in the UK, when your having fun, it’s contagious and this makes experiential marketing so much more rewarding as well. Involve your crowd in everything you do and they will in turn want to be involved in whatever you are promoting. The experience staying with them once you have moved on.

Living the Dream…......

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Posted by Josh on March 16, 2010

The Future, And Not A Bit Of Garlic In Sight.

I was going to post this last week, but the sheer, raw pain of it all prevented me from doing so. The thing is - and every Liverpool fan out there will agree - this season has been a distaster. A complete disaster. No amount of “Well, we’re still in the Europa League and the race for fourth” (I mean..fourth? Really?) can soften the fact that we’ve taken a step backwards, and a big one.

Small wonder, then, that Sky chose February’s clash of the titans between Arsenal and Manchester United as their pioneering 3D broadcast. That’s right, now you could see Fabregas, Berbatov, Arshavin and Nani weave their magic across the pitch and into your own home. Of course, quite what it would feel like having Wayne Rooney hare towards you as you take a sip of your tea is worth considering. It gives a whole new meaning to the idea of hot pants.

Spillages aside, the point is that for this particular piece of event marketing they chose two of our biggest rivals to launch the revolution, and who could blame Mr. Murdoch in his floating cloud fortress? After watching Liverpool slip to their ninth league defeat of the season with a dismal display at Wigan (Ninth! Wigan!) last week (hence why I couldn’t bring myself to post this then) I’m positively thrilled that we weren’t chosen. We would have bored the audience so much that nobody in their right minds would have wanted to watch 3D sport ever again.

Yet this is the future. On a recent promotional tour, I got chatting to one of those chaps who works for Sky, and he said that even watching golf was amazing in 3D. Maybe watching us lose our tenth game of the season would still be worth watching. Or then again, maybe not. I’d definitely prefer to catch fellow blogger Liam’s new Vlogs in 3D, even if it did mean technically being in the same room as Perez Hilton.

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Posted by Pawan on March 16, 2010