LONDON
For once the phrase ‘better late than never’ was a reality but more than that it was reminder that cheating has no place in life in general or sport in particular. Justice was done and we all got to share a very special, if late, moment.
This is about transparency - both to the company paying for the exposure and influence (whatever form that takes) and transparency by the medium be that an individual or a publication about who is paying or gifting for what.
Back in 1998, when I moved to begin a 10 year period of living in NYC and working throughout North America, there were very few alternatives to the paper medium when travelling - no smartphone, no onboard Wi-Fi.
Although I had already registered that Microsoft were due to open their first non-North’s American “flagship” store in London it was only thanks to a piece of serendipity that I emerged out of the underground at Oxford Circus right in front of the store that had opened this morning.
We marketers, even reformed ones, can get very cynical about integrated marketing campaigns. They so often misfire or are done in a half-hearted way which made Saturday’s discover of the IWC ‘Spitfire’ campaign at Terminal 2 of London’s Heathrow Airport a very rewarding experience.
As both a beta customer (back in the days when they didn’t have a banking license and it was a prepaid card proposition) and an investor I was genuinely interested in finding out a little bit more about what made Monzo tick.
This morning a New Yorker friend messaged to say that the Four Seasons Restaurant will shutter on Tuesday. It has survived the move to its new location for a little under two years but for many the Four Seasons ceased to exit when it lost its lease in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue where it had been located since 1959.
A chocolatier, a concierge, a dress maker and an optician walk into a room - what happens next ?
Back in February, when we launched the Mission Critical Weekly Briefing, it was with the sole intention of delivering an uncluttered, focused and easily digestible summary of the most important news and insights that week.
For the last 30 years or so I’ve shaved almost exclusively using Gillette blades and gel. And then on Saturday I came face to face with a Harry’s aisle end display
It was on the second occasion when I met Theresa May that I knew she would become Prime Minister. I had listened to her speak at receptions and even once had a conversation with her on the tarmac at Milan Linate airport but it was on Thursday 22nd October 2015 that I knew it was a certainty.
No matter how much of an ‘expert’ you think you are in a subject matter taking time out to listen to other practitioners never fails to prove rewarding and this was no exception.
MIssion Critical spends a night in the magnificently restored, Eero Saarinen designed Trans World Airlines Flight Centre at Terminal 5 - now the TWA Hotel.
Neiman Marcus comes to Manhattan and brings with it retail perfection.
When the US bank Metro Bank arrived in the UK in 2010 it was the first new high street bank in 100 years. It was an exciting addition to the traditional British banking sector - no more.
It’s a skill to weave commercial objectives into a piece of free media but it’s one that Adam Welch, the Editorial Director at Mr Porter, seems to accomplish with ease - probably being with the brand for four years helps along with commissioning contributions from knowledgeable and relevant writers so that the whole publication is a seamless read - seeding purchasing ideas for when you hop back on-line later.
On Monday the CEO of Boeing, Dennis Muilenburg, faced a difficult AGM followed by more difficult media questioning. Nobody can claim that he has an easy time of it right now but his approach to Monday was far less than the flying public expects and Boeing needs.
Failing to “own the problem” is inexcusable and absolutely counterproductive. Facing up to failure (and these two fatal accidents were failures) would reinforce his leadership not undermine it.
This week I’ve been on the receiving end of three customer surveys - an airline, a hotel and a broadband supplier. Lot’s of questions, none of which I felt were asking me things that mattered to me, and more than a whiff of cynicism about them.
Our story to date - Back in February, when Mission Critical was first launched, the objective was to deliver, once a week, every week, a highly curated briefing to subscribers who were time poor and intelligence hungry. Eleven Weekly Briefings later we continue to deliver on that promise.
A few weeks from launch, broken screen reports with the Samsung Galaxy Fold suggest hardware trouble ahead and more brand risk for a brand trying to fight back from the last time hardware issues resulted in a global flight ban.
