Ideas Made Well

Did you know that the fuel efficiency of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft is 60% greater than a commercial airplane? Or that the cost of launching traditional spacecraft into space is eye-wateringly expensive and uses an incredible amount of energy? The thinking that has gone into the technology to enable Virgin Galactic to be a viable business proposition is revealed in the talk that Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic, gave at Start’s London offices earlier this month. The video reveals the answers to the questions above and gives some fascinating insights into the whole project. Will’s talk is the first in a series entitled Start Talk Tuesdays, where clients, prospective clients and friends of Start are treated to some mental stimulation for an hour or so. We then turn it into a 5 minute video, so that people who weren’t able to make it, can still see the best bits.

Next up we have the retail design guru and ex-boss of Mike Curtis and Darren Whittingham, Rodney Fitch. Enjoy.

Celebrity Big Brother has been the surprise hit of 2010, delivering far better ratings than were to be expected from what many see as a very tired format limping its way out of the limelight. When Channel 4 announced last year that Big Brother was to be no more, few were surprised. The racism row had totally undermined the celeb version and the “normal” (as in “other non-celebrity)” version was a freak show with weird and not very interesting people.

So, many people stopped watching.

The tabloids scaled down their coverage and the format was officially given one more year to live. It is unlikely that the “other” version’s last series will be a winner as, apart from being set in the same house and having evictions, there is a massive difference between the celeb version and its non-celeb counterpart.

The rise of celebrities and celebrity continues year on year, seemingly indefinitely. Many people are fascinated by each nuance of celebrities’ lives, most of which are kept well hidden and rely on speculation, conjecture, and – more often than not – total fabrication. The beauty of Celeb Big Bro is that many nuances are not hidden – hence the audience gets a lot out of it. They see what celebs are really like – or think they do. It therefore informs their lives beyond Celeb Big Brother the programme in much the same way as “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here” does.

If I was at Channel 4, I would keep the format and just do the Celeb version. They might even do two series a year? Although part of the reason for its success is probably the January time slot, when people are in various forms of hibernation /depression.

It just goes to show that two things that at first sight look very similar, aren’t in fact very similar at all, which is what everyone in brand and marketing knew all along.

A long time ago, everything used to go wrong all the time.

Repair services were on every high street and customer service was a very important part of any brand. Then came computers and call centres. Things began to go wrong far less often. Outsourcing became the flavour of the month, and when CEOs looked for cost savings, customer service was top of the list. Business models sprang up where customer service was non-existent, as anyone who has ever tried to have a conversation with Ryanair will testify, and customer service became all about metrics.

Yet brands need to be very careful about downgrading the importance of customer service, as it is a very real customer experience of the brand. If the person representing a brand is rude, unhelpful and disinterested, then it is human nature for those values to transfer to the brand in the minds of a consumer. Ocado sent a brilliant piece of direct marketing after the problems of the snow pre- and post- Christmas, which was a copy of an internal email sent from the CEO. The email congratulated all the staff for meeting more than 99% of orders in the most challenging conditions, drawing attention to various staff who stayed till deep into the night and occasionally through the night, in order not to disappoint customers. My impression of Ocado mushroomed as a result. If Ocado had started as a button mushroom in my mind, it had become an organic chanterelle after this demonstration of customer service in action.

This isn’t just a matter of good brand management, it is a means of adding real value to a brand. At Start, we are committed to bringing customer experiences to life using events, environments and digital media. We know how effective these can be in creating value, but we also know that when the experiences are at odds with the customer service experience, the potential benefits are suppressed. Let’s all hope that more companies take on board the Ocado philosophy – it will make all our lives considerably easier.

The topic most in the news this year so far has been the weather. How very British of us, the cynics might say. Snow has fallen in huge quantities across many parts of the UK and has even settled in central London, which is a rare occurrence.

For many it has meant misery, being stuck on motorways overnight, crashing cars on slippery roads, train nightmares, arriving home frozen and tired. All sorts of snow stories have appeared in the press; from the couple who lived 15 miles from each other but who were still trying to meet up two weeks after Christmas, to the school closures, to the sports fixtures cancelled due to the danger of the surrounding areas… It is reported to have wiped billions off the UK economy. Chaos has prevailed.

Yet snow also brings great joy, not least from the under 10s who adore it as much as celebs seem to enjoy Barbados in January. In reality, all sorts of age groups enjoy it, despite the inconveniences it brings with it. Snow has a romantic quality that makes us all excited, and feel as if it’s a special occasion, even though it’s a dark Monday in January. It is somehow magical. Workers delight in telling how they overcame the snow to get to and from work. People talk about how much snow has fallen in their area with a potential for exaggeration that would put a 3 year old to shame. If your area doesn’t measure up, (you only had a couple of inches whilst a neighbouring area may have had the full 6 inches), you feel somehow emasculated.

Snow brings back memories, creates things to talk about, has the ability to make everything quiet, and it will be talked about for months to come. How many brands would like to be like snow?
True it has some bad consequences but these are all somehow forgiven for the sheer romance of it all.

One of the benefits to a week and a bit off work at the end of the year is that you get a chance to think and read. Or read and think. “The 86 biggest lies on Wall street” by John R Talbott is one of those books that make you think whilst you are reading it. Not only does it give a very credible reason for the banking crisis/credit crunch or recession – basically a rotten system that allows corporations of various types to charge outrageous fees for poor advice that has used the lack of regulation in the financial industry to exploit individuals and companies alike for years on end – but the lies themselves are fascinating.

In at number 8 on the biggest lies list is “Corporations are just like people, only more rational.” Talbott argues very persuasively that corporations are nothing like people – they are far more greedy and have far fewer morals. In short, corporations are like the people that most people hate. Why is this? Simply because there is a short-term profit objective that overrides all other objectives and is inextricably linked to the remuneration of the people running the company. Clearly this isn’t true for all corporations but as generalisations go, it’s probably one of the truest.

So, what does this mean for brands?

Quite a lot is the simple answer.

Most decent communications agencies have extolled the virtues of long-term vision regarding brands for many years, indeed decades. Exploitation of brands is a bad idea – rather like exploitation of a child or a woman working the streets of Soho. Brands are, or at least were, things to be cared for and nurtured. Radical brands like Apple and Virgin were slightly different but they innovated far more than ordinary brands, so the innovation led and defined the brand.

Now it is true that brands have to work far harder than ever before to maintain their reputations. New brands are born and established way quicker than they ever used to be. Think of Facebook, Twitter and Google. Then think of American Apparel, Bench and All Saints. All established in the blink of an eye relative to the old timescales. A traditional “softly, softly” approach is not what corporations’ moneymen are looking for any more. They want quick results, which means when brands have good ideas, then brands need to ‘go for it’.

Consumers though are the people who are really driving this – rather than the moneymen. This is the real power of digital. The fact that consumers and moneymen both have the same objective is coincidental but if agencies don’t recognise the fact that the objectives are strikingly similar, then those agencies will wither and die. There is no point in extolling the virtues of the old way if no-one really believes in it anymore. Without a willing audience, every show, however worthy, will fail.

So here is the 87th biggest lie – “ Tradition defines the future”. It was true for so long – but not any more. What an opportunity that provides for agencies with an entrepreneurial slant. Quick intelligent thinking will define the successful agencies of 2010 and those agencies with a pedigree will be the ones best able to prosper if – and it is a big if – they allow themselves to do so.

Read the book – it’s a very good read.

What sight, experience or cultural phenomenon best sums up 2009 for you? Was it the inauguration of Barack Obama? Was it Twitter reaching critical mass? Was it the hype juggernaut that was SuBo? Or was it the cannot-bear-to-look-yet-cannot-turn-away spectacle of Jedward, who stole the show in this year’s X Factor?

One thing is for sure, we all entered 2009 full of trepidation about what the financial crisis would mean to us. There would be very few people in the UK – or indeed the world – who were untouched by the recession.

However, there are ways to tackle the recession head on, and in some cases the downturn offered up new possibilities. Start took the opportunity to grow internationally, and this year expanded its operations in Dubai, Hong Kong and China, and we are now reaping the rewards of our bold actions.

There is no doubt that it has been a year in which it has been necessary to move with the times, and adapt to market pressures, or else risk being squeezed out of the market. Start has always been a fluid organisation, keen to steer its own course while remaining at the cutting edge. This year we made some heavyweight investment in our digital capabilities, adding significant talents to the digital team and throughout the agency, meaning that we are confident in our capabilities and offerings for 2010.

We have also brought our retail expertise closer to the heart of Start, and worked with some great retail clients internationally, in countries including Russia, China and Hong Kong (not to mention Manchester, the home of our retail experiences partner agency JudgeGill).

This year we have also embraced local philanthropy, in supporting the work of The House of St Barnabas, following an introduction to the local homeless charity by Quintessentially. In order to support their great work, we decided to photograph, design and publish Soho Lives, a beautiful photography book which was the subject of a three-page feature in the Evening Standard and is currently doing great business on Amazon and from startcreative.com.

However, the single most important asset we have is our motto of ‘ideas made well’, as it asserts what’s most important to us – brilliant ideas, delivered in a creative and compelling way that fit our clients’ briefs, and which keep our clients coming back for more for years on end. We have delivered some amazing work for our clients this year; for both long-term clients such as Virgin Media, and new clients such as Barclays and Greyhound. All appreciate that the key to great work – whichever platform it is delivered across – is a great idea.

So, what lies in store for 2010?

Well, in Start’s case we will continue to evolve, as we always have done over the last 14 years. We will bring our specialisms of branding, digital, retail and brand engagement together for a truly integrated approach. We will continue to invest in our international footprint, and we will continue to work with inspiring clients.

Most crucially, we will continue to keep delivering ideas made well.

And in order to keep coming up with fresh ideas, we will have a jolly good rest over Christmas to recharge our batteries, ready to face the challenges of the year ahead. I hope you will all do the same.

Merry Christmas and happy new year from all of us at Start.

Jen McAleer
Managing Director

2009 is the year when suddenly real Christmas cards fell out of fashion. It’s not really anything to do with the ability to send an ecard – that has been the case for many years. It is as though several things have come together at one time.

We have never been better connected – whether it is the rise of smart phones, the continued rise of email, the increase in awareness of green issues, the unreliability of the postal service, the need to save money, and the realisation that a hastily scrawled signature to someone you don’t know particularly well is probably not that meaningful. The ones that do get sent are consequently much more meaningful – and it is no surprise that Moonpig are probably having a great Christmas. Superficial relationships can be sustained in easier ways than sending a Christmas card though – be it Facebook or a blanket email to your inbox.

Christmas is still the event of the year for most people, and insanity still rules in terms of interaction. “I must see you before Christmas ….” will have been said or typed by many people in December. Why? Wouldn’t it make more sense not to meet a valued client in a crowded restaurant surrounded by people wearing hats, who never normally go to restaurants, and instead opt for a date in January?

If the printed card with scrawled signatures has had its day, then perhaps next year the mad surge to have Christmas lunches with all and sundry may dissipate.

January would then be a little less depressing. Start, as ever, has been ahead of the game for many years – always having its client party in January / February. How many clients protest “Not another party in January!”?

Happy Christmas everyone

December 10th is the day that boasts the highest internet traffic of the year. A few years ago, that would have been mildly interesting, but because internet shopping was such a small percentage of overall shopping, it really wasn’t that significant.

Now though it is hugely significant. For retailers, whose business is only online, they know whether to go into sale mode on the 26th or leave it till January – an option not available to conventional retailers who do little online. But what about those retailers who have a large number of shops and a big web shop as well?

What do they do with internet sales data? These days internet sales are in fact a really good indicator of what will happen off-line. So for executives waiting for the text message with the sales results on Christmas Day, that used to be their excuse for running away from the family mayhem, this is bleak news indeed.
Web sales and retail sales are as inextricably linked as Mary and Joseph – which is actually really helpful in terms of forward planning. Christmas has come early for all those responsible for planning what to do after it is all over.

In fact Soho Lives is perfect for people who don’t read a lot, as it is, to be honest, lots of pictures with very few words.

Nonetheless, it is an extraordinary book and as fine a piece of social history as you will find anywhere. It came about because of several things coming together.

Firstly there was a meeting between Nick Poulton (of Randall & Aubin and Soho Books fame) and Mike Curtis (CEO of Start), where Nick mentioned the House of St Barnabas charity, (where the disadvantaged of Soho are helped to rebuild their lives). Ben Eliott from Quintessentially then entered the equation – he is the man behind Quintessentially Soho, the pop-up club at 1, Greek Street – the home of the House of St Barnabas charity. A ball to take place at the end of November 2009 was mentioned. How do we maximise revenue for the charity? Mike and Darren Whittingham, the co-founders of Start, agreed to design the logo and the website for the ball for nothing, but then decided to go one step further…

The result is this amazing book, that would make any coffee table proud.

Various employees of Start set about the task of taking over 250 photographs, getting the permission of the people to use the photographs for no charge, set up Amazon accounts, artwork it, find a good (but cheap) printer, edit the copy, proof read the copy, and then deliver it in time for the ball. The result, after a couple of all-nighters, lots of miles clocked up on foot through Soho’s streets, and a sore right finger for the brilliant photographer, Start employee, Cat Garcia, has surpassed all reasonable expectations.

It is a very important book.

Important because it is for charity (all profits from the book go straight to The House of St Barnabas).

Important because it it is a great example of what communities are capable of when the community works together.

Important because it shows what can happen when people are inspired even when there is no commercial gain to be had. If ever there was a counterpoint to the bankers’ bonuses, this is it .

So if you are looking for that unique Christmas present, forget the celeb autobiographies or the copy of the latest celeb chef recipes and go for Soho Lives (it ‘s even got a few celebs in it).
Go to Startcreative.com or Amazon or Soho Books.

Do it now!

This week saw the launch of Start’s latest brand campaign for Barclays, Barclays Ball Kids, at the world’s biggest indoor tennis event, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2. As part of Barclays’ sponsorship of the ATP World Tour Finals event, they are launching Barclays Ball Kids, a nationwide search for the most talented Ball Boys and Ball Girls in Britain. The Barclays Ball Kids competition will involve a year-long search to find 30 ball boys and girls to participate in the next ATP World Tour Finals event next year.

The campaign developed by Start includes the Barclays Ball Kids brand identity, brand guidelines, and a wide-ranging on- and offline communications campaign. Start has also created a 60-second animated Barclays Ball Kids film which has been showing at The O2 throughout the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals event, to publicise the launch of the competition to both young tennis enthusiasts and their families.

www.barclaysballkids.com