Last Sunday Facebook surprised the world. Without waiting for their market flotation later this week – and like a big shot investment banker casually ordering the 1900 Cristal Brut – the social network laid down $1b in cash and stock to acquire Instagram.
Posts Tagged ‘business’
Wedded bliss – discovering an inspiring media hub.
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
It’s a college. No it’s not, it’s a record label. Sorry, it’s a TV studio. Hang on, no, it’s a computer games firm.
Let’s start again. Confetti is definitely a bar and meeting place. And all of the above, it seems.
Nestling in the centre of Nottingham, Confetti is quite unlike any media company I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve encountered a few. Established in 1994, the organisation launced as a well-equipped, creative technology school for college students and school leavers. It was the vision of Craig Chettle and initially worked with The People’s College of Further Education. As Craig puts it, “We wanted to create a place and an opportunity that was not available to us when we were in further education.”
Help yourself
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Merry Christmas? Times are as hard as a granite boulder, encased in steel, painted in superglue and treated with a rare carbon compound.
Broke is what we are.
Blame a multitude of politicians and stab an accusing finger in the direction of international bankers and I will be with you, brothers and sisters. Had the former been watching the latter, we may not be in this sorry situation. Add to this negligence a patchwork government hell-bent on hobbling the voluntary and public sectors and we’re staring down the wrong end of a long, bleak winter. But again, what’s to be done? In the creative industries, can we really lighten this crushing load in any meaningful way? I feel certain we can.
Uncanny. The unexpected decline of Ant and Dec.
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
The nature of success is paradoxical. It seems there is a level, close to the very top of the showbiz ladder, where the popularity, credibility and sheer momentum which thrust a performer to the pinnacle of their career, begin to reverse their polarity and sabotage the ascent.
On the ridiculous …
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
As things currently stand, wealthy business men are far more likely to face a mob brandishing flaming torches than the accolade ‘national treasure’. Even Alan Sugar is, at best, a rather grouchy figure of fun. But if there’s one glaring exception, it’s Richard Branson. With his silly mullet and toothy goatee, he’s the capitalist it’s still okay to like.
So how did Ricky B set himself apart from the evil, bonus-guzzling fat cats? What makes him so different?
Perhaps it’s his hippy roots, or his bottle blond roots. Or maybe it’s his ‘jeans in the boardroom’, call-me-Richard, relaxed approach. Yep, our Richard sure is the ‘People’s Tycoon’. Which is quite surprising because his enterprises tend to be … well … a bit rubbish.
Torrential reign. Why the music industry is still on a wild goose chase.
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
“As things stand now, digital music has failed.”
So says Forrester Research analyst Mark Mulligan. Of course he doesn’t mean digital music isn’t being consumed – just glance around any train carriage – what he’s pointing to is an abiding anxiety that the MP3 revolution is almost over and the record companies still aren’t across it. Not that you’d find many industry executives echoing this sentiment. Most will tell you that, as long as they can continue to bear down on piracy and intervene to make it almost impossible to download music illegally, their fortunes will rally.
The ads don’t work.
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Advertising doesn’t work. There, I’ve said it. Sorry if it upsets you, but I think you deserve the truth. The notion that an advertisement plonks a product or service in a favourable light and inspires thousands of people to rush out and pay for it just isn’t true any more. If it ever was.
To expect a poster, TV clip, mailer or website to perform such a commercial miracle, is really to misunderstand advertising’s place in the world. To see ads as mighty, evil arm-twisters, permeating every aspect of our lives and every corner of our brains, is laughably glib and actually flatters the advertiser’s abilities.
Just say no. Should you ever refuse a brief?
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
Picture this. You’re working, quite successfully, as a copywriter with a well known agency when the MD announces how pleased he is to have won the British National Party account. And on returning to your desk, you find you have been assigned the first BNP brief.
Now imagine this. You’re a hard-up, jobbing freelance writer and you’re contacted by a PR agency to pen some press releases. Their client wishes to inform the media their competitor is in financial difficulty – but you know this to be untrue.
The question is: do you refuse one, both or neither of these briefs?
Brass in pocket. Are freelances getting paid?
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Chris Moyles hasn’t been paid. You may have heard. In fact, if you listen to Radio 1 at breakfast, you can’t have missed the fact, as he spent a good ten minutes telling his audience.
Now Mr. Moyles may well be an overrated oaf who sounds like a distant friend phoning you up after too many drinks, but his woe will be ringing bells with freelances throughout medialand.
The Devil’s deal. Are agencies really paying to pitch?
Monday, April 30th, 2012In London, he had a rude awakening. It was the nineties recession and I explained to him that the prevailing climate meant competition was so fierce, and agencies were so hungry to pitch, they wouldn’t dream of asking for any payment from the potential client, let alone expect a consolation fee from the winner. But I conceded the Caracas model was appealing and made everyone’s efforts more worthwhile. I even fancifully hoped such a routine could be established once the economy recovered.
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Tags: BAA, blog, business, client, cost, Leo Burnett, Magnus, Magnus Shaw, money, payment, pitch, PR, Sarah Williams, The Drum
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