UK | Dubai
During recessionary times such as these, you rather think that it will be the forward-thinking, smarter companies that not only survive, but actually prosper. I’ve just been reading about one such company on the BBC website. They’re called Moneypenny and they provide call centre staff for 6,000 clients in the UK, handling over 8 million calls a year.
Anyone who has read my blog posts before will no doubt be aware that I am quite a fan of Sainsbury's - particularly the mega Sainsbury's we have here in Welwyn Garden City. In the past, when the DIY checkout spewed forth Nectar bonus point-earning coupons, I have taken them with a pinch of salt (particularly if they have been for money off salt).
Let's get one thing straight: I love music. And so, naturally, I love iTunes too. I've been using Apple's music playlist app for over eight years now, and I have never had a problem with it. So, when I was told by my pc that I probably should update my iTunes software to the latest version the other day, I happily acquiesced, as per usual. How I wish I hadn't.
We all know that coffee shops are places for creative types to meet and greet, plan and plot, and generally just fiddle around with their laptops and iPads. But I was most intrigued the other day when I came upon this card in Starbucks - featuring their App Pick of the week.
Twitter. You either love it or you hate it. Or, if you’re like me, you sit somewhere in the middle.
In Howick, South Africa, an honorary sculpture was built by Marco Cianfanelli to mark Nelson Mandela’s arrest 50 years ago by the apartheid police. The installation includes 50 steel columns that symbolize prison bars, and regardless of which angle you view the piece, you can see Mandela’s face. Amazing.
Since I first came to Campaign Works eight months ago, there have been plenty of interesting developments. First the big new Sainsbury’s opened, unveiling a veritable cornucopia of retail delights across two floors. Then I moved desks so that I had a wonderful view of John Lewis and the surrounding manicured roundabouts.
I’ll freely admit that I don’t ordinarily read articles on the Harvard Business Review blog pages – but here’s one that caught my eye (mainly because Linkedin sent it to my Yahoo! Mail inbox).
There are some really important qualities any successful international football manager needs. Tactical awareness. Man management skills. That little bit of luck at the right time. Oh yes, and being able to speak the same language as the players helps quite a lot too.
Interesting article in The Telegraph last weekend, all about likeability in advertising. Market research group Nielsen have named a short commercial for cut price supermarket chain Aldi the ‘most liked commercial’ of 2011. The ad finished top of Nielsen’s ‘likeability index’ - which is essentially based on the number of people who liked an ad they saw and can subsequently remember the brand.