Blog entries

Amazon Lockers

Tony Franco — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:27:08 +0100

What's one of the biggest barriers to on-line shopping? Being home when the delivery is made. Amazon have got round this problem with the invention of lockers, located at shopping centres and train stations.

Simply state the location where you'd like the delivery to be located, enter the code and pick it up. Brilliant.

It seems blindingly obvious when you look back at it, but like most greatRead More...

Zipcar: business model innovation

Tony Franco — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:31:01 +0100

One of the topics we often talk about in workshops is ‘business model innovation’. Whilst innovation is usually about developing new products within the constraints of a company’s ‘normal’ way of doing business, ‘business model innovation’ is all about inventing a completely new way of doing business. It’s much Read More...

The Torres Vineyard Sustainability Projects

Tony Franco — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:02:02 +0100

One of the most interesting talks at the TedxObserver event (sorry to keep banging on about it) was by Miguel Torres talking about his Spanish winery's sustainability initiatives. His passion and commitment towards the environment were really impressive. There's a website that explains all the projects they are undertaking. It's a great case study. Click here to view it.

Why Videos Go Viral

Tony Franco — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:45:05 +0100

This is a great Ted Talk that explains why videos go viral. According to the speaker, Kevin Allocca, there are 3 reasons. Taste Makers, Communities of Participation and Unexpectedness. They played it at the recent Ted x Observer event. 7 mins long. Definitely worth watching. Click here to view.

Tedx Observer Creative Collaboration

Tony Franco — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:18:06 +0100

Last Saturday I was at the amazing Ted x Observer Event at Sadler’s Wells. It was a wonderful day of presentations from remarkable people and one of the most moving performances was a collaboration between the Buskaid string ensemble of Soweto and the Compañía del Cuerpo de Indias contemporary dancers of Colombia. Although both were made up oRead More...

My Olympic Journey Begins

Tony Franco — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:17:58 +0100

I’m a big fan of the Olympics and for London 2012 I’ve been lucky enough to be chosen to be a volunteer ie a Games Maker. I’ll get to drive VIPs and dignitaries to and from the Olympic sites in a new BMW as part of the Transport team. Cool job, eh?

So far I’ve been really impressed with the way they’ve communicated with us and how they’ve inRead More...

Lynx For Women

Tony Franco — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:54:08 +0100

I’m fascinated by the new Lynx for Women launch. The go-brand brand to help nervous boys chat up girls has now targeted women (or rather girls) to help them win in the mating game. Now, from a marketing perspective, is this a wise thing to do?

Well, my first inclination when I first heard about it was to think, no, no, no. It’s goRead More...

John West Traceability

Tony Franco — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:40:48 +0100

For many people, John West is most famous for its very funny Fighting Bear ad. A Youtube Classic. However, I’m particularly impressed by its recent ‘Fish Finder’ traceability initiative.

Knowing exactly where you food has come from has been a big consumer theme in recent years, particularly in the meat industry. For example,Read More...

Graze. One to Watch

Tony Franco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:43:44 +0100

I’m quite intrigued by the Graze snacks brand. I’ve started to see a few half eaten boxes on people’s desks at work. Now my daughter’s discovered them.

Essentially, it’s a delivery system of healthy snacks. I think the idea’s quite appealing. Nice website, wide choice of healthy looking snacks, looRead More...

David Hockney: lessons from a creative inspiration

Tony Franco — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:38:30 +0100

I’m so excited about the latest David Hockney exhibition, A Bigger Picture, at the Royal Academy, his new collection of East Yorkshire landscapes. He’s a true inspiration and teaches us so much about what it takes to be truly creative.

Be Productive

The exhibition fills Read More...

Christmas Ads 2011

Tony Franco — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:25:32 +0100

Christmas ads are in full swing, trying to persuade the hard-up British public to part with its cash. These are 3 of the most talked about ads this year

Littlewoods

Response: largely negative. Why? Effectively it destroys the myths and magic of Christmas, with kRead More...

My Favourite Energiser

Tony Franco — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:47:58 +0100

Energisers are really important in workshops, particularly with big groups and for those that last more than 1 day. My favourite energiser is balloon modelling. It's a great way to kick off a day or an afternoon session, often the graveyard slot.This is how it works:

Divide into teams of 4-5 and give each team a balloon modelling kit (pump and set of those long balloons) Ask them toRead More...

Byron Sharp's 'how brands grow'

Tony Franco — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:52:05 +0100

It’s hard to find a marketing book that feels fresh and ground-breaking . However, this is an exception. It’s a fascinating book and one of the few that I’ll re-visit on a regular basis, particularly when it comes to discussions around brand strategy.

What I particularly like about this bRead More...

The Omlet Beehaus

Tony Franco — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:31:40 +0100

I love the way the Omlet has extended its range of products from chickens through to bees (via rabbits and guinea pigs) I particularly like the Beehaus, with its bright colours and lovely designs.

Brume Wall Stickers

Tony Franco — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:13:04 +0100

I love these Brume wall stickers. A fab way to add colour and style to any room.

Why Are Women Better Than Men at Consumer Insight?

Tony Franco — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:51:07 +0100

The market research industry has always been a female dominated profession and in my experience of running insight generation workshops, the most insightful people in the room are often the women.

I think the reason is because the characteristics of insightful people are essentially female: empathy, intuition, listening, curiosity, open-ness.

So, to become more insightful, male marketers need to adopt a more feminine mindRead More...

The Cowshed Range Architecture

Tony Franco — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:16:26 +0100

On the subject of naming and range architecture, I’ve always been amused and intrigued by the way Cowshed – the terribly upmarket personal care brand describes its product ranges. Essentially they use Mood as the primary navigation vehicle

Depending on what mood you are, you could choose from the GrRead More...

Under Armour. One to Watch

Tony Franco — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:30:31 +0100

When I was in the USA, one of the most talked about brands was Under Armour, a range of high performance sportswear. What people loved about this brand was:

The strong visual identity

It’s single-minded focus on performance

It’s powerful communicationRead More...

Nice PG Tips Range Architecture

Tony Franco — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:45:54 +0100

I love this new PG Tips product line up. Easy to understand, simple language with clear differentiation via colour coded packed packaging. A great example of clean, efficient range architecture, making it easier for shoppers to navigate the fixture and find the one they want.

This is not usually Read More...

New BA Advertising

Tony Franco — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:09:03 +0100

BA have made a return to big cinematic ads with its latest execution ‘ To Fly To Serve’. (click here) . This is very much a ‘Hovis-style’ ad, with lots of nostalgic footage and reflections on the past . It’s nice because it puts clear blue water between itself and Virgin and re-asserts what it stands for and what Read More...