One of my favourite innovations over the past year has been Spotify, which has revolutionised the way I listen to music. Spotify is a web-based music library that allows you to listen to millions of tracks through your computer. Simply tap in the name of the artist, genre, album and listen to your heart's content. There are lots of other clever features and its really easy to use.

Access is free, as long as you're willing to put up with an advert every 30 mins or so. For a small fee, you can remove this - although I can't imagine many people do. Not tried it yet? Click here.

The only drawback is that its not currently available on mobile devices. However, I'm sure this will happen soon. (It may well be available now....) When this does, what will happen to the iPod and the iTunes library?

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I've been doing  a lot of innovation work recently in the area of pet care and have been fascinated by the differences between dog people and cat people. Last week, as part of our creative process we watched consumers respond to some ideas we'd generated and visualised.

In short, cat people are sensitive, caring folk who treat their cats as mythical beings who deign to give them the privilege of their affection. Dog people are outgoing, energetic and love the power and attention that dog ownership gives them. Most people are either one or the other.

We learnt so much from listening to them and the key lessons for me are:

- People never cease to amaze you. They're full of surprises and continue to challenge your perceptions and assumptions.

- As marketers, directly interacting with people is irreplaceable - reading reports or looking at data points is no substitute for seeing real people express their views. It's like watching a movie in a cinema vs reading a critic's review.

- Any creative process MUST involve consumers in generating and shaping ideas. Never underestimate their intelligence, creativity and ability to bring you back to reality.

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Continuing with the theme of sport sponsorship...I'm not a big fan of Formula 1, but the I imagine that Red Bull must be really pleased with the sponsorship of their  F1 team this year. At the moment, their cars are winning races and are consistently at the front of the grid. They're referred to as 'the Red Bulls' in the media and their photographs / logos are everywhere.

There's a perfect match between the adrenalin of the sport and the energy giving properties of the drink. All in all, it's a really good association. Haven't got a clue what it cost them, but the impact has been huge.

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Later today, Andy Murray will play Andy Roddick in the semi finals of Wimbledon. Win or lose, the Fred Perry brand, worn by Murray is sure to get a boost.

In addition, at Glastonbury, Damon Albarn of Blur was also wearing a black Fred Perry shirt during their headline performance last Sunday. Don't be surprised if you start seeing them everywhere this Summer.

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