Creativity has got to be one of the most important skills in the world today. Take a look at any recruitment ad in the corporate world and you’ll see how much the skill is in demand. Right now all kinds of companies are looking for someone to bring a creative edge to their global operation, business strategy, product development or marketing plans. And if your CV shows you’re a great problem solver and you have a creative mind, bingo, you’re someone in demand.
Archive for the ‘blog’ Category
Can creativity be taught or is it something we are born with?
Friday, April 13th, 2012Thanks but no thanks – the rejection letter from hell.
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
The Great Depression aside, there has rarely been a worse time to apply for a job. And yet for anyone leaving college or school, or simply attempting to recover from the cruelty of redundancy, it has never been more essential. So with high hopes and trepidation, thousands of people are entering the CV bear pit every day – but the level of competition means success can be highly elusive and rejection a harsh and repetitive experience. Such is the joyous reality of a compromised economy.
However, the most common complaint from job seekers tends not to be the rejections but the complete lack of any response whatsoever. Personally, I consider this to be the height of rudeness, demonstrating contempt for talented people and reflecting extremely badly on the company. That said, the ill-considered, conceited rejection letter can be just as bad.
The yolk’s on us – the Creme Egg story.
Thursday, April 5th, 2012
Easter’s a bit confusing, isn’t it? I’ve managed to get my head around the crucifixion being on ‘Good’ Friday and Easter weekend falling on different dates every year – but now I find myself befuddled by the whole egg thing. Try as I might, I simply can’t find a reference to breakfasty ovoids in the Easter bit of The Bible. As it turns out, I’ve been looking at the wrong book and the wrong religion. The eggy stuff comes from the pagan tradition, representing new life and the emerging Spring.
Google’s top ten April fools.
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
I suppose when you create the most useful invention since the Corby Trouser Press, you have the right to outsmart your audience. And the good people at Google certainly like to take advantage of their elevated position on the first day of the fourth month.
Friends, for your inspection and enjoyment, we bring you the top ten Google April Fool gags.
One more thing. Only nine of these are real Google April Fools. One is an invention of the great minds at Creativepool. But which one?
RIP COI – the end of an era as the Central Office of Information closes its doors.
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
My late stepfather, Michael Paul, was a floor manager on Coronation Street and latterly a film producer with Sheffield University. But he began his career at the Central Office of Information (COI).
While Coronation Street continues to thrive, the COI is no more.
Quietly Redundant – the future for the QR code?
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
I’m not a classic early adopter. I don’t queue outside Apple stores every time a plastic cover for the iPad is released, but I latch onto technology fairly quickly. I was online in the late nineties, had one of the first phase of free Spotify accounts and even owned a mini-disc player when portable CD machines were the norm.
So why have I never used a QR code?
Do familiar brands make the world less exotic?
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
Remember the scene in Pulp Fiction when Sam Jackson and John Travolta are discussing Big Macs? Travolta (as hitman Vincent) is amazed to learn the burger is called a Royale in Parisian outlets, assuming McDonalds restaurants to be identical the world over.
In reality, of course, nobody dropping in for a Big Mac in any territory, from Red Square to Rangoon, would be too surprised. Allowing for slights tweaks in the recipe (halal in Muslim countries, kosher in Israel) and, as in France, some creativity with the menu, Vincent would always find his dining experience reassuringly familiar. Indeed, this is the food chain’s whole market position: wherever you are, whatever you’re doing you only need to look for the golden arches to be sure of a reliable burger experience.
Blow your house down – is the new Guardian campaign as clever as it seems?
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
In comparison with the tabloids, The Guardian uses television advertising sparingly. This may be a cost consideration, but actually ensures a rather pleasing impact when a spot does appear.
In the past, the paper’s TV efforts have been intriguing, thought-provoking and intelligent. The messaging always avoids pointing to features, writers or columns in favour of promoting an overall ideology of free-thought, objectivity and integrity. The Guardian knows its target audience well (left-leaning, intellectual, politically engaged and opinionated) and is very adept at reaching out to them.
Dishing the dirt – what is Cillit Bang doing on facebook?
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
Social media – that’s where it’s at. Who needs those expensive telly spots, press spreads and billboards, when hip digital networks offer untold benefits for your brilliant campaign at a fraction of the cost? In the past, I have written that customer engagement via these sites may well be the only game in town. I’m happy to admit I was probably being a touch bold. In truth, very few brands are actually taking the plunge and completely eschewing traditional platforms for the brave new world. But, Cillit Bang is the exception, promoting and selling the new ‘All In 1 Dish And Surface’ cleaner on facebook alone.
Snap decision – why Facebook bought Instagram
Thursday, April 12th, 2012(more…)
Tags: Android, billion dollars, business, Facebook, Instagram, iPhone, Mark Zuckerberg, million, mobile phones, photos, Social media
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