What song by Cyndy Lauper appeared on the 1984 promotional party record for KP Crisps?
How do you win the Wheat Crunchies challenge?
Who links Wotsits with The Damned?
In blind tests, which crisp flavour is recognised better than any other?
When it comes to selling crisps I probably know more than a planner would reasonably be expected to know. I’ve worked with some of the most famous brands (from Golden Wonder in the 1980s to Walkers today), I’ve spent years in the category, spoken with hundreds of crisp eaters (as a market researcher) and made scores of ads and promotions. I even won the first UK APG Creative Strategy Awards Grand Prix with a paper on Nik Naks(1). Read more
Agencies need to start being as honest about what they don't do well as they are about what they do well. Sure, it's much harder than it used to be in the ad business. Back in 'the good old days' when we had just a handful of TV channels (I sadly can remember the birth of Channel 4) and a well defined selection of well read press titles to chose from, our job was much simpler. You just needed to be bloody good at making ads and your work defined you. Agencies used to say no all the time. 'No' if they didn't like the brief. 'No' if they felt the client was making a mistake and 'no' if they were being asked to run work they didn't believe in. Perhaps most interestingly though, 'no' if it wasn't their core area of expertise. And that earned us respect as agencies.
I don’t think my children have ever been more visibly impressed with their father than when we were upgraded on a flight to New York. Admittedly they were young and impressionable but when the head steward came over to introduce himself, to ‘personally’ welcome us on-board and assure us of any assistance we might require on the flight, their jaws dropped. They had no idea that Daddy was such a VIP. Of course it was simply the precious metal status of my frequent flyer account that did it. As a global planner I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time on airplanes - when you know that the best business seat on a 747 is 64A you know you’re travelling too much.
Minimart has announced the appointment of Brent Gosling as the agency’s first Strategy Partner, a move that will further bolster the senior team of the independent advertising agency. With over 25 years of experience working with some of the world’s leading brands, Brent will play a key role in defining the strategic offering, with a focus on the company’s ‘fierce thinking’ approach.
Coming from a creative background and with a passion for advertising I hoped I would land on my feet in my new role on the accounts team of the Minimart. Little did I know I had a whole new language to learn and lifestyle to adapt to. I remember being asked on one of my first days on the job to 'take the RFI to the AAR'. At that point in time it might as well have been in Japanese. Seven months down the line those words are second nature to me.
There are many ways to spend your May Bank Holiday. Perhaps you could meet up with old friends for a lovely relaxing BBQ. Maybe you could travel home and enjoy being lovingly looked after by your good old mum? Or, if you’re like seven rather unfit Minimarters - you could head to Henley-on-Thames to take on what’s famously known as ‘Probably the toughest event on the planet!’ Tough Mudder.
As a fresh bunch of new young creatives put the finishing touches to their books (or rather online websites) at universities and colleges across the land, me and my Art Director must once again decide on what makes a good book, or rather a good placement team? What makes them standout from the crowd? And most importantly, what makes them a team you just have to get in… and hopefully one-day hire?
Confectionary adverts are the stuff of legends. They vary from being overly sexual, cringeworthy… and sometimes just downright bizarre.
This Easter at Minimart we’re playing homage to some of the most delicious ads of all time by setting this rather tasty little quiz. Question is, are you full of ‘cracking’ ad knowledge – or is your brain as empty as… well an Easter Egg? Let’s find out.
Nobody wants to hop on a Ryanair flight to Dublin, pay £200 for a Travelodge, just to then be crammed in alongside a bunch of tourists in giant green hats.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best St. Patrick’s Day offerings in Soho. Read on to find out how you can soak up the finest Irish ambience (and booze of course):
