All posts by Sebastian

Lick me, I taste gorgeous…

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Actually I don’t. I’m a blog. But welcome to the world of wackaging as nicely described in this piece in the Independent. Innocent is obviously very good at it and it seems that consumer brands that push sustainability or their eco credentials are particularly keen to indulge in a bit of wackaging.

So what do we think? Is there a space for this style of communication, not just in the more casual world of consumer selling, but also in the more, stiff shirted, b2b environment?

Don’t take that tone with me
I suppose it all comes down to tone and matching it with the audience. If you’re selling nylon stretch trousers to a retired audience via a Sunday supplement, I’d probably say you’re better off telling it straight. That said, I think there is a place for a bit of a wackaging style communication if it can help deliver whatever the communication needs to deliver in an interesting, amusing, or just alternative way.

If you need to make inanimate objects come to life to get results, why not? Just choose your targets carefully and be subtle. Subtle wackaging if you like.

Anyway, thanks for reading me by the way…

Boris trips up

Communicating in a crisis, Working with the media

If you missed Boris Johnson get a good grilling on the Andy Marr show, you can still catch it here. ‘Bicycle crash’ TV it might be but it shows how even a savvy media operator like Johnson can fall foul of a savage inquisition.

Mind you, if Johnson had simply admitted he made up the quote (he was young and paid the price), his affair (he’s a politician) and agreeing to let a friend have the contact details of a journalist who the friend wanted to ‘visit’ (nothing happened), then he would have perhaps looked less foolish than he ultimately did.

A suprising lack of candour from the man who normally plays the media game with far more assurance.

Be a braveheart

Case Studies, Social media, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees

Bravery is a hard thing to define. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Here though I’m not necessarily talking ‘My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North … father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next,’ type bravery. That would be a stretch. I’m thinking more about how brave as a communicator you can be.

Being bullied by a brute nosed journalist can of course make you feel like Maximus, but how many times have you written a stock phrase in a press release such as:

“We’re delighted so and so has joined, bringing with him a breadth of expertise…”

Cosy and comfortable
Or resorted to overused sound bites, or just retreated to the cosy world of corporate jargon and acronym where you know what you’re saying might not have much impact, but hey, no one ever got fired for using corporate jargon did they?

So here’s a challenge. How brave can you be? There’s the CEO to defy, or the inhouse lawyer, or simply those people who expect to see the formulaic press release, intranet article, blog or whatever.

Maybe it’s time to put yourself out there and take a few more risks.

A lesson in communication

Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees

Have you noticed how good many schools have become at communicating with parents? I get regular text messages about school events, my daughters’ homework, as well as reminders about term dates.

They’re also good at using ‘real’ message boards (as opposed to digital ones) positioned at entrances to remind parents about events or simply to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Nice eh? It makes me smile anyway.

Many companies could do a lot worse than take a leaf out of a school’s exercise book when it comes to communicating with their customers and employees. Letter home anyone?

What a grind…Starbucks readies itself for the harshest of cuts

Communicating in a crisis, Social media, Talking to your customers, Working with the media

Poor old Starbucks. The 8th December looks like it could be a bad day for the baristas as UK Uncut takes its ‘day of action’ protest to the coffee giant, accusing it of dodging millions in taxes.

I’m sure their PR team will be in full crisis planning mode for what is guaranteed to be a day of less than positive media coverage.

So what’s Starbucks saying about it right now? Well, to be fair, it’s not the radio silence that many a corporation often employs when facing down some bad news. Check out their website and there is at least some blog content addressing the issue. But it’s a bit, well corporate, and frankly still seems to duck some of the issues.

When you have politicians on the radio (Today programme, 3 December) openly talking about boycotting your store, your brand is in serious trouble. If they used the same creativity when it comes to their crisis management as they do to market their coffee, they might have a chance.

A free coffee on the 8th December for any British taxpayer who can show their most recent P60 tax certificate? There’s an idea…