Einstein and the new science of marketing

Remember the scene from Back to the Future when Marty drops into Doctor Emmet Brown’s lab on his way to school? Dozens of wall clocks explode in a chorus of chimes triggering a gimcrack machine that opens and dumps a tin of dog food in the already overfull bowl of Einstein (the Doc’s dog). You have there the future of... No Comments

Another safety first from the advertising archives

History repeats itself, and it often brings with it the fashions of its day: witness the phenomenal success of the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster from WWII that has struck such a chord with us in the stressed-out Noughties and Tens. It’s nostalgic and tongue-in-cheek, sure, but there’s no question that it taps into the zeitgeist and inspires... No Comments

I used to be a copywriter. Now I write my own slogans – for the Big Issue!

There’s a little ditty that’s often recited by advertising people which goes: ‘If the client moans and sighs / Make his logo twice the size / If he still should prove refractory / Show a picture of his factory / But only in the direst cases / Should you show the clients’ faces! It’s a reminder that, when all is... No Comments

KISS – The first law of successful copywriting

Now hands up those of you out there familiar with the terms ‘blastocyst’, ‘Bratt pan’ and ‘graphic filtering’. No? Neither was I at the beginning of the week, but they’ve all been added to my vocabulary over the past few days, and I gather exotic new specimens all the time. Such are the joys of being an advertising copywriter. It’s... No Comments

Nivea’s new face is as ugly as ever!

Do we love people because of their quirks and idiosyncrasies, or despite them?  I mean, you’ve got to love a woman a lot before you can tolerate the way she wears her hair curlers in bed or leaves her stockings to soak in the kitchen sink. On the other hand, as the old song has it (the way you... No Comments

Why we should be blogging

Why Blog ?

Like the Cheshire cat’s smile, only Nike’s stripe remains!

The publication of the annual Newspeak dictionary in George Orwell’s 1984 was deliberately designed to dumb down the population by progressively reducing the vocabulary at their disposal, with the result that words (as well as politically suspect individuals) simply disappeared without trace. I can’t but help wonder whether a similarly dastardly plot is afoot in the branding world. First Starbucks... No Comments

Name the Movie Character

We had a great response to our logo competition in October, and we’re expecting an even better response this time, because our Christmas challenge to you, once all the turkey is eaten and the last mince pie is looking sad, is to identify 36 movie character names – that’s the character names, not the actors. Send your answers to sally@simpsonscreative.co.uk... No Comments

Selling to consumers who no longer ‘know their place’

The famous Class Sketch from the Frost Report which featured John Cleese (Upper Class), Ronnie Barker (Middle Class) and Ronnie Corbett (Working Class) discussing their various stations in life was already out of date when it was first broadcast in 1966 and satire, sexual revolution and the ‘youthquake’ of that decade began to shake the foundations of the old... No Comments

Sweeping up the star dust

Some reflections on celebrity sponsorship ‘With friends like these, who needs enemies?’ is a phrase that must have come to the mind of celebrity sponsored organisations who have had the misfortune to link their names to the likes of Tiger Woods and Jimmy Savile; a query that begs the further question of whether celebrity endorsement is worth either the risk... No Comments

On the delicacy – or otherwise – of the deep-fried mars bar

When asked what he would like for his tea, my Uncle Jack would invariably reply ‘Kippers and custard’, an old joke that drew a collective groan from the family, but never failed to evoke a shudder of disgust at the very idea of such a combination. No doubt Rowntree’s brand managers experienced a similar feeling of repulsion at the idea... No Comments

Life after death on Youtube

At Simpsons we like to think of ourselves as pioneers in the use of new media – certainly we were amongst the first to introduce our clients to the potential of QR codes which, for example, can allow a home hunter to download property particulars from a for sale board, or link them to a company website from a... No Comments

“Having great creative ideas is like angling for a wily old carp”

“Lack of experience can be a good thing.  Not knowing the ‘right way’ to do something can produce innovative results” says John Barnbrook, a design school tutor in his booklet ‘Aesthetic Sense’, produced as a guide to graduates seeking employment in the commercial world. He’s got a point.  In the creative world ignorance can sometimes be an advantage, and one... No Comments

The world’s going to hell in a handcart, and has been for generations!

When I was a junior copywriter I remember posting a sign on our studio wall which read “You don’t have to be a philistine to work here, but if you are it helps”.   The reason for this impertinence was frustration at having a series of my witty, carefully honed headlines rejected in favour of slogans like ‘50% Off, Buy... No Comments

Powerful but perishable – use social media whilst it’s hot!

The bauble reputation has always been elusive, and the bar to achieving it gets higher and higher with each passing year. Yesterday you might have won it by eating the most baked beans ever consumed in a minute with a cocktail stick (258 according to the Guinness Book of Records); smearing yourself with honey and being eaten alive by... No Comments

Limited edition corn flakes – how exclusive can you get!

In most people’s minds the words ‘limited edition’ are synonymous with exclusivity and ruinous expense – say an original Picasso print from a Cork Street gallery or a Ferrari FXX (£1.8 million a pop, and you’re not even allowed to drive it on the road!) So I was amused to learn that Kellogg’s has got Twitter all aflutter with the... No Comments

On finding inspiration in the bottom of a glass

As an agency copywriter I like to think of myself as a member of a noble profession: an articulate, influential guild of craftsmen with words.  But reading this month’s issue of Creative Review, which nominates The Top 20 Slogans of All Time, I have to admit to a certain disillusionment.  The history of the fraternity’s most lauded lines turns... No Comments

We’ve not only taken the craft out of art. We’ve taken the craft out of craft!

‘Every artist is a craftsman, but not every craftsman is an artist’ was the credo we used to live by when I served my apprenticeship, back in the dark days of Magic Markers and Layout Pads. And it’s an observation you’ll know to be true if you’ve ever asked a house painter to advise you on interior décor, or... No Comments

Retail Revival Demands Ideas – Not Just Money!

The Mary Portas plan to revive the ‘outdated’ high street is very much in the news at the moment, and most would agree with the spirit, if not the detail, of her proposals. Certainly our own Bishop’s Stortford high street has an increasing number of voids, and the ominous incursion of its first pound store – a cut price one... No Comments

Now even baked bean tins have celebrity designers!

Imagine picking up a can of baked beans and finding a note on the tin from the label designer describing his creative rationale and artistic influences, together with a potted biography of his professional career. Well, it hasn’t quite come to that yet, but judging by a paperback book I picked up this week, the day can’t be far away... No Comments