Marketing Lego – modular vs. craft values

When I first started out on the qualitative research path, my boss and mentor (an eminent qualitative guru of the time), instilled a rule throughout her company which was this: when writing a project proposal, we were NOT to refer to previous projects from which we might draw inspiration.
This will undoubtedly strike many as [...]

Manners maketh the career

For a short time after Uni I was involved in social work. After realising that I was now despised by all – clients, media, employers and public – I decided that I had better things to do with my time and left to become a qualitative researcher. The transition from public to private [...]

‘Old fartism’

I recognise that I may be teetering on the brink of ‘old fartism’.  Before finally accepting having taken an irreversible plunge towards old age proper, I thought I’d have another rant about use of language, a topic fast becoming a bugbear, in order to check my bearings with possible passers by. 
As a qualitative research person, [...]

Where to write great copy

I’ve always thought that railway carriages were one of those places where people (especially when in commuter mode) genuinely welcome advertising.  Even a commuter in a city as beautiful as Sydney occasionally glazes over with the tedium of routine.
Devising carriage advertising is a whole art in itself.  The rules change and we can hark back [...]

Abuse of language

There is more bullshit in marketing now than ever.  I wouldn’t mind betting that being able to speak this crap is a more valued job requirement than clear and effective thinking. 
Occasionally I go off on one about market-babble in some social situation or other and notice the looks of horror on the faces (of some) [...]

Integrity and all that

As someone who has been banging on about the need for brands to actually stand for something, my heart took a little leap today when I noticed that B&T’s current front page heralds the virtues of honesty and integrity in marketing communications.  It strikes me as a no-brainer for client companies to leverage a meaningful [...]

Welcome to the fish tank

This is the blog of a qualitative research person based in Sydney Australia.  It will meander.  It will largely be thoughts, observations, rants and snippets around the topics of marketing, advertising and market research.  It may digress. 
It is probably worth pointing out that the opinions presented here are not necessarily shared by the happy band [...]