Positive Thinking Blog

Making a Positive difference

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:31:07 +0100

Here at Positive Thinking we’re all given an extra day off each year to take a Positive Day. This is a day that’s spent volunteering for a charity of our choice. I think it’s a great idea and chose to spend mine at Macmillan House in Wokingham, Berkshire.

Macmillan House is one of 13 Sue Ryder care centres across the UK, providing compassionate care and support for people with palliative, long-term and end of life needs.

As much as I wanted to volunteer for the day and was keen to give something back to the community, I was also concerned as to how I would cope emotionally when meeting people with such serious illnesses. I needn’t have been so concerned. Macmillan House is a very uplifting place, filled with a lot of laughter and smiles. The staff and patients are amazingly upbeat and their enthusiasm for life is contagious. I discovered that when the patients aren’t benefitting from the day care therapies that are provided (including physiotherapy, psychology and aromatherapy) they spend the day gardening, taking part in arts and crafts, playing bowls, chatting over lunch and drinking lots of tea! The main role of a volunteer at Macmillan House is to listen. I had long conversations with a patient recovering from cancer, Alby, who told me how important Macmillan House has been to his recovery and as a support network through such a difficult time for himself and his family.

My day at Macmillan House has really opened my mind and I found both the patients and staff totally inspiring.

Macmillan House in Wokingham is funded by the Duchess of Kent House Charity and the Wokingham District Cancer Care Trust. It’s crucial to people in the area suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses. They do a brilliant job, if you would like to help by making a donation you can find information on how to do this here:

Wokingham Cancer Care Trust http://www.wdcct.org/donations.html

Sue Ryder http://www.sueryder.org/Donate

For clever thinking - Just add chocolate

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:12:28 +0100

There’s plenty of positive thinking going on here, but we seem to have hit a rich vein of form recently and I think I know why.

There’s a lot of chocolate flying around this agency at the moment. There has been birthdays, babies and business wins so loads of cake. And it seems that whoever runs the nearest bakery here in Richmond only sells chocolate ones.

Mmmm...chocolate

Add to that Easter is fast approaching, so the eggs have crept in the building. Last time I was around this much chocolate, was at my last agency on a Cadbury’s Dairy Milk pitch.

It’s OK though, as it seems we are indulging for the good of our clients, taking one for the team. As it’s official, chocolate makes you clever.

The news recently in from the Asia Choco Congress is telling us that eating chocolate improves a nations chances of producing Nobel Prize winners.

Christopher Pissarides, from the London School of Economics, reckons his chocolate consumption laid the foundations for his Nobel Prize for Economics in 2010.

Robert Grubbs, an American who shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2005, says he eats chocolate whenever possible.

It might be worth remembering though before you start indulging, what Grubbs' countryman, Eric Cornell, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 has to say on the matter…

"I attribute essentially all my success to the very large amount of chocolate that I consume. Personally I feel that milk chocolate makes you stupid… dark chocolate is the way to go.”

That might explain why my last agency lost the Cadbury’s pitch.

Rob Macdonald, Group Creative Director at Group Positive

Poor old insurance companies...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:17:26 +0100

Firstly no one appears to like them. According to an Accenture Global Consumer survey in 2010, insurance was lowest-ranked of 13 business sectors, with 40% reporting that they trusted the insurance industry and loyalty towards insurers measured at a mere 25%. Other figures indicate trust levels may be as low as 15% in the UK. Ouch!

Then there’s the fact that the majority of UK consumers (53% according to a GoCompare/Warc study) don’t believe they are rewarded for remaining loyal to financial service firms. This erosion of trust and loyalty coupled with the tightening of the household share of wallet has compelled consumers to shop around for a better deal – particularly at renewal time. Which leads onto their second challenge: the dominance of price comparison web sites. Research by Mintel has found that as many as 60% of Brits are "most likely" to use a price comparison site when researching or buying a financial product. This effectively makes them the most popular source of financial information in the UK. And means the vast majority of insurers are invariably drawn into a price battle.

So how can you create brand difference and preference in this new reality where, in a reversal of the traditional axiom of ‘Insurance is sold and not bought’, insurance is now in fact being bought by customers as opposed to being sold by insurance companies? The tail wags! Well, although PCWs are clearly here to stay and will continue to wield considerable influence in the price-driven insurance market, there is encouragement in the fact that, according to recent research by fast.MAP on behalf of the DMA, when it comes to consumer brand preference; ‘comparison websites have no traction once price and terms are excluded from the choice.’

If, as this study suggests, consumers are increasingly turning to more trusted brands, then the time is ripe. So what is the imperative for brands? Quite simply, to find points of differentiation – other than cost – and turn these into compelling propositions which feel relevant to the end customer. For example, these could be by:

Rewarding - or simply even acknowledging – the consumer at the point of renewal. Given surveys indicate that so many consumers feel unloved, how about giving something back and making the customer feel like more than just a number?

Developing third party partnerships that add value and bring a positive ‘halo’ or association. If insurance feels like a ‘cold’ product, find a brand (and potential customers) that you can cosy up to.

Highlighting quality of product and service. The consumer today also has so many means at their disposal to scrutinise the market (through PCWs, social media, blogs and watchdogs), coupled with a high likelihood of those sources containing a fair dose of criticism - of all insurance providers. Current opinion suggests that in this environment, the instinct for the consumer is to go with a brand that has associations with quality, and which they’re also familiar with.

Championing simplicity and transparency. Consumers have run to PCWs because they feel insurance providers can’t be trusted.... and frankly buying insurance is confusing. But investigations by the likes of Moneywise prove PCWs aren’t always that transparent, and can hit consumers hard with their commission rates, as evidenced by a YouGov survey which reveals that consumers think it’s between 5-10% on PCWs when actually the average is 24%! Perhaps brands should bark louder on this issue...

Positive goes all Red Nose Day

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:10:44 +0000

There’s been a great buzz in the Positive Towers because we pulled out all the stops for Comic Relief. Everyone came into the office dressed to the dons in something red. Even our Managing Director came in pyjamas and our IT Manager sprayed his hair red, now that’s dedication!

The wonderful bakers came with lots of lovely treats, including homemade cakes and pastries. Along with the cakes we had Keith’s very own punch which more than got us in the mood for the Cheltenham Gold Cup sweepstake!

Everyone in the office was more than happy to part with their cash for Comic Relief and we managed to raise a total of £80 from our bake sale, a further £70 from online donations and £40 from the Gold Cup sweepstake. Our CEO very kindly said that he would match whatever amount we made so in fact our grand total came to £380! That is enough to give 190 children in Africa a mosquito net to prevent them from contracting malaria.

A very big thank you to everyone who donated!

Season greetings

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:12:57 +0000

Check out our 12 gifs of Christmas here...

Wishing you all a Positively Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mo Positive

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:03:48 +0000

In true positive style, the gentlemen of Positive Towers have just completed the month of Movember with big fuzzy grins, having raised lots of cash for a deserving charity.

Movember is a global fund raising phenomenon, started 2003 by some Australians, which involves blokes committing their top lips to a month of shaving abstinence and the associated itching and unhappy other halves that come with it. The increasingly popular charity event seeks to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other men’s health issues. Specifically, the Movember Foundation, Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research.

Globally in 2011, Movember raised £79.3million, an increase of £30.8million on the previous year and almost double its number of registrants from 447,808 in 2010 to 854,288 in 2011. A stunning achievement I’m sure you’ll agree and one which bodes well for 2012’s final figures.

Our team: Mo Positive, have contributed over £400 so far, and with donations still coming in who knows what the final total will be.

For our Positive Mo Bros, it is an experience that will stay with them for some time. After the initial and compulsory full shave at the beginning of November, the rollercoaster ride began. Some started slow, with little hairs trickling out like bogeys on a cold day, while others became Burt Reynolds seemingly overnight. The first venture out onto public transport with a quiver of fur on your lip is a nervous one, as you wait for the ridiculing to begin, but when it doesn’t come and you start to see Mo Bros popping up all over the place and in the office as the weeks stroll by, you gather a sense of collective purpose and pride in your face slug and for what you are all doing collectively for men’s health.

Movember is not only a fantastic charity and a brilliant idea that has spread virally across the globe, it is a lot of fun too. To all Mo Bros at Positive and every other moustached hero who donated their face to charity this year – we salute you!

Check out our Mo Positive Team in all their Tache-tastic glory and their Movember page where you can still donate should you wish.

Lindeman's creating a buzz at the Social Buzz Awards

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:46:06 +0100

We’re proud to announce that Positive Digital, part of Group Positive, is a finalist in the Social Buzz Awards for our work with the Lindeman’s Wine and Book Club.

Check out the work, shortlisted in the ‘Best use of Group/Community’ category here:

www.wineandbookclub.co.uk | www.facebook.com/LindemansUKandIreland | www.twitter.com/wineandbookclub

Fingers crossed for the right result on the 28^th November.

Whose line is it anyway?

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:18:46 +0100

In the old days, you had ATL teams that wouldn’t dirty their hands with anything that wobbled. The DM Creatives, who only pushed the envelope. Then there were my favourites, the below the line creative, who, albeit naively, always fancied their chances of taking anything on. I include myself in this group; we weren’t afraid of any discipline and the fast approaching new world of properly thought through integrated campaigns should be ours to execute and execute alone.

With the shift from above and below to off and on, it’s really important for Creatives today to keep that attitude, to think confidently in any discipline... whether it’s the ever expanding opportunities in the offline world…the more creative use of the retail space, the ambient, the event, the gig, the pop up shop…

Or the on. That irresistible digital space. Whoooah, strap yourself in; it’s all going on here, the good, the bad and the ugly. The website that’s cool and engaging, the often more entertaining viral films, the games, those pictures, the soundtrack, that piece of animation, the cookie …all stuff you’re a few clicks away from sharing with the world.

There are so many more channels available to a consumer to consume and search for information now. The potential canvas for a creative idea/campaign is huge and Creatives should embrace and understand them all.

Agencies for a long while now have been positioning themselves as integrated…full service…multidisciplined…the shift is towards on and off expertise rather than above and below. Whatever, creative talent needs to be multidisciplined as well. It’s more important now than ever before.

It’s about ideas now as well as execution (it has to be good if it’s going to engage). You need to demonstrate the potential of your thinking. And you won’t do that if you walk the lines with your eyes shut.

Rob Macdonald

Joined up creative thinker.

Money talks

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:16:13 +0100

Many brands still struggle to understand the value in their customer data, or fail to realise the potential lifetime value they could be missing out on through simple customer service errors at the outset of the transaction.

So, here’s a an old client story that our Data Director was recounting the other day, which rings as true today as it did then.

Whilst developing a pan-European CRM database for a major American airline, one of our main hurdles was not IT or systems – it was simply data. We had very little to populate our database with, and were finding it hard to get the answers we wanted or buy-in from the various stakeholders. So, we called a meeting of their entire corporate sales team – a less data-friendly group you will never meet – and kicked off by asking one of them for a customer’s business card. When we then thanked them and gave them £150, which is what it would have cost them to buy a contact. Suddenly, the whole room wanted to know about data...

Independents Day - is the convenience sector bucking the trend?

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:58:34 +0100

There is no hiding away from it, the high street landscape isn’t looking like it’s changing shape anytime soon. Okay, so the biggies have the money to slug it out on TV/press/radio/social – in fact every possible channel available, but what of the independent and convenience sector, which, whilst not necessarily thriving through the woes of 2012, has been part of the ‘trend buck’ epitomised by the continued growth and innovation of Booker Wholesale.

It’s always surprised us that the wholesale sector is ‘cocked a snook at’ by many brand marketers. Booker alone boasts 78,000 independent retailers, in excess of 360,000 catering businesses via a combination of 172 depot and on-line sales. That’s a lot of customers, who in turn have a lot of customers, who in turn consume with others. With margins being continually eroded by the big boys, categories being hijacked by ‘own label/own brand’, we would have thought it time for brands to take a long hard look at the volume and value opportunities that exist in the wholesale/ independent sector. Indeed it is a truth that the independent sector is a more ‘natural’ home for many brands than the mults themselves - ‘graze’ food and drink, top-up emergencies, newspapers and tobacco.

It is accepted wisdom that an independent retailer visits the cash & carry with a pre-determined shopping list – he doesn’t have umpteen facings for his coffee/sanpro/spirits ranges, he has to choose wisely, for his customers and for his bottom line.

Yet, talking a walk around the cash & carry environment, brands seem to be quite content to sit and ‘hope’ that they are the on the list, there’s no obvious fighting to secure a place, it all seems rather gentle, after-thoughtish and not very important – which is exactly not the support I (as a retailer) am looking for from brands in these tough times.

Perhaps one of the reasons that this environment enjoys less focus from brands is because brands can still do lots of other fun and funky stuff in consumer facing environments (even though the junk food squeeze is on) and I guess that feels more ‘marketing’, than trade support and promotions. Unless....of course... you work in tobacco where product and format innovation has never been so lively and strategic and tactical promotions are frequently in place. The competition in the Cash and Carry tobacco room is palpable, exciting and absolutely understanding of the independent retailer. There really is life after dark, pay a visit and see for yourself.

It's all in the finishing

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:40:00 +0100

How many times, in all facets of our lives, do we feel let down by poor finishing – tardy waiters, typo’s in print, never ending automated messages, late deliveries, you can probably think of many more. What is most disappointing about these last minute let downs is that they can completely overshadow whatever hard work, excitement or expectations we may have had. A bitter taste, what a waste.

So, what steps can we take to minimise these let downs beyond simply ‘having a word’ with those we deem responsible – the waiter, the account handler, procurement etc...

First step would surely be to take a long hard look at those ‘key’ staff who are ultimately responsible for delivering at the final touch point – what do they think of their roles, who has made it clear that their roles are absolutely crucial to the business? Has anyone recently gone out of their way to say ‘well done’ when things go well rather than the only interface being ‘the word’ when something goes wrong. Are they happy, valued, motivated and understood?

Every business should take a moment to consider this properly and to do that you really do need to get on the shop floor/call centre/kiosk/mailing house/behind the bar – you get the picture. This is the all-important Step 2 – being seen to care and wanting to understand the ups and downs of life at the coal face.

All too often our general respect (the nations respect?) is diluted as we move closer to the final consumer/customer experience. ‘I just work in a shop’, ‘I do the boring data’, ‘I answer the ‘phone’, ‘I’m only the messenger’. If your job is data, it certainly shouldn’t be boring and it is absolutely critical that it is accurate if a campaign is in planning, or customer service response relies on it. Same with most of the other ‘negatives’ many people attach to their roles, they are indictments of how they feel about their role, not really about the role itself. And that is where poor finishing begins.

Many big businesses are working very hard, and publicly so, to re-assure customers and consumers that they attach great value to their front line people – no longer staff but ‘colleagues’, colleagues as the face of the business, commitment to training as a key business message and so on – retail is leading the way. But what of others?

Our recent education and incentive programmes for Royal Caribbean, National Car Rental and Orange Home Broadband have shown us just what strong relationships, motivation, passion, pride -yes that’s pride - that front line men and women take in doing their jobs well. Much less ‘them and us’, much more ‘team power, significantly higher sales and significantly less need for a complaints department in customer services!

Perhaps we should all consider starting our planning with the finishing first.

What keeps marketing directors awake at night?

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:08:00 +0100

We asked marketing directors of brands, large and small, what their pain points were as Q4 swings into view. We share just three key findings below:

Unsurprisingly the number one pain point was being asked to do more with less.

‘Over the past few years we have seen reduced budgets, training cuts, huge technology driven change – how can fewer individuals stay ahead of the game?’ There are so many channels available to customers to search for – and consume – information, that to be able to make sensible, informed ROI-based budgeting decisions takes a lot of time, effort, knowledge and experience. At Positive Thinking we offer one central planning resource which oversees the strategic direction before joint implementation takes place. This ensures that customers see a more integrated brand image which gives them great awareness and penetration of message and greater confidence in the brand. We know how to make the whole myriad of media channels work as effectively, and as importantly, as efficiently as possible.

The second, possibly more surprising pain point was data – and its accessibility.

‘There are now so many mechanisms and technologies available for data collection, but what data do we have, where is it kept, what is its potential, and how can we mine it to draw out all those valuable customer insights and buying triggers?‘

If this ‘where do I start’ scenario strikes a chord, we’d love to talk you about the data strategies we have deployed for several of our clients, the ROI numbers speak for themselves.

And finally, and perhaps most telling, was the imperative to measure ROI and optimise it, whilst still building a brand.

‘With rapidly evolving digital landscapes and fluid consumer conversations, the risk of getting contact strategies wrong and wasting budget is increasing.’ This is where zero-based budgeting comes in – starting with no preconceptions or where or how to spend, but looking at every pound and what it will return to you. A multi-channel agency like us can start with zero-based budgeting and build a communications strategy that best fits a client’s individual requirements, based on known opportunities to reach, inform and convert. We offer specialist skills honed in a multi-channel environment, coupled with joined-up thinking that ‘answers the brief’ rather than simply gives you ‘what we think we are best at’. We’d like to meet with you and share findings, discuss your pains and opportunities, to see where our experience and your challenges might make happy bedfellows...

Mecca Bingo: Winners at Euro 2012

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:26:35 +0100

Oxfam joins Lindeman’s Wine & Book Club

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:50:39 +0100

Last month Positive Thinking and Positive Digital teamed up with Oxfam and PR agency Grayling to launch the Lindeman’s Wine & Book Club nationwide tour of Oxfam bookshops from Marylebone, London. I went along to tweet and blog live from the opening event, and also to eat more free canapés than was probably safe or reasonable.

The Wine & Book Club is an online community that Positive Digital created for Lindeman’s in February last year. Since then we’ve amassed more than 8,000 followers on Facebook, sparked our fair share of conversations on Twitter and used the Wine & Book Club blog as a platform to launch promotions and competitions such as the current Lindeman’s 1000 Kindles giveaway.

We were joined at the Oxfam tour launch night by TV’s Penny Smith, competition winners from www.wineandbookclub.co.uk and journalists from magazines including Fabulous and Company.

Penny Smith (second from left) lines up with the ladies of Lindeman’s, Grayling and Positive Digital

The tour is geared towards getting people to donate and buy books at their local Oxfam, but it’s also a great excuse for book lovers to mingle, chat and enjoy Lindeman’s wine and canapés together. Penny Smith even convinced me to buy a copy of a book I already owned, somehow. That’s the power of daytime TV charisma for you.

It’s not the first time we’ve taken the Wine & Book Club on the road. Last year we attended the Lindeman’s-sponsored Cheltenham Literature Festival to interview authors, gather content for the blog and spread the word about the Wine & Book Club. And eat more free canapés than was probably safe or reasonable.

There are still a number of dates left on the Lindeman’s Wine & Book Club tour of Oxfam bookshops. Take a look at the events section of the Lindeman’s Facebook page if you fancy coming along.

Winner: IPM Retail Promotion of the Year

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:04:00 +0100

No matter what team you follow, you couldn’t fail to notice the support for our Currys Cash for Goals promotion at last night’s Institute of Promotional Marketing awards. Following a hat trick of nominations, and with the competition watching on from the stands, the Group Positive team left the podium as outright winners, with the campaign winning Gold for Best Retail Promotion of the year.

A Triple at the 2012 IPM Awards

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:02:08 +0100

We are thrilled to be back at our desks as the proud owners of three industry ‘gongs’ - a Silver and a Bronze award for Treasury Wine Estates rose brand Bella Vie and a Bronze for Orange Home Broadband – no mean feat in a year that saw some of the ‘highest calibre entries and nominations for the IPM Awards to date’ .

The evening was a whirl of glitz and glamour, high heels, bow ties, big name brands and agencies and plenty of raised glasses!

As promised, we will be making a charity donation in the names of all our clients and future clients who wished us luck.

Bridesmaids get Partylicious!

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:02:00 +0100

The Bella Vie team are thrilled to see the latest on-pack promotion showcasing in independents nationwide. Bella Vie, the rosé wine with a partylicious twist, has teamed up with Universal to offer ladies the chance to get their hands on a copy of the newly released hilarious chick flick Bridesmaids, as well as the opportunity to win a trip to the Big Apple with three friends. Details of how to win are on those lovely pink shiny neck collars developed by the Positive Team.

Our great British summer is just about to get a whole lot greater.

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:32:00 +0100

If you take in staple events such as the FA Cup, Wimbledon, the British Open Golf and then add into the pot the small matter of a Diamond Jubilee, the European Football Championships in Poland and Ukraine, and the Olympics and Paralympics in London you have the biggest confluence of events that will engender a heightened celebration of Britishness.

Will it offer us, as David Cameron said in his New Year Message, a chance to “to look outward, look onwards and to look our best: to feel pride in who we are and what – even in these trying times – we can achieve”? Or will it be, as Kevin Maguire of the Daily Mirror alluded to on BBC Breakfast, the modern day equivalent of the 100 days of Games at the Coliseum that Emperor Titus Caesar laid on to appease and distract the plebs during a period of severe economic hardship in Rome?

One thing’s for sure – we think it’s going to be one hell of a party. And no one will want to be left on the outside looking in, wondering why the invite didn’t come through the letterbox. For brands – especially those retailers on the high street – the 6 months from April provides an unusually long period of sales opportunity. It’s a case of ‘on your marks, get your promotion set and go!’

Problem is, the world and his wife will be jumping in the pool. For example John Lewis in Kingston has had a whole area dedicated to the Games since the Festive period. So will the public actually be ‘fatigued’ before the Olympic flame is even lit? It’s a risk everyone will have to take.

But if you’re not an official sponsor or supplier then things are going to be pretty tough. Brands will need to decide whether they want to risk taking on Locog’s lawyers – we’ve been to one of their ‘do’s and don’ts’ briefings so good luck with that! – or instead think laterally and seek to exploit the positive vibes this summer through other means than sporting themed promotions.

We think they should take their inspiration from Dick Fosbury, the American athlete who, contrary to his peers, decided there was another way to conquer the high jump and promptly ‘flopped’ his way to Gold and a new Olympic record at the 1968 Mexico Games.

We are working with a number of clients to help them ‘kick off’ the 2012 Summer season with a ‘Street party’ strategy – joining communities across the country, celebrating the start of a Summer the UK will never forget. We’d like to share our plans with you and see if you’d like to join in too.

Currys and PC World – Valentine’s Day

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:09:58 +0000

Building on the success of our ‘Christmas Appeal’ video ad for Currys and PC World, we were asked to do something similar for Valentine’s Day. This time we’ve upped the game, with the help of a giant teddy bear.

We had three days to crack the idea and the storyboards, find actors, props, locations, crew, make-up etc. We did the shoot on Monday and were live by Friday.

Check out the videos below which will be appearing on AOL, Yahoo and Facebook.

Awarded Two Stars by Sunday Times 'Best Companies to Work For'

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:20:10 +0000

Our employees have voted and as a result, Best Companies, compilers of the ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to work for’ awards, have awarded us a Two Star Accreditation. This Michelin-style, elite Accreditation system recognises organisations by Star Status.

- One Star is acknowledged as First Class

- Two Stars as Outstanding

- Three Stars is Extraordinary

The survey, participated in by well over 250,000 employees of thousands of British companies, is widely considered to be the definitive guide to British employers. Having been ‘ones to watch’ for two years and a ‘one star’ last year, we’re delighted to have be an oficially ‘Outstanding’ company to work for. Being a ‘best company’ goes beyond the bottom line. It’s about excelling in every area throughout the workplace and an organisation’s commitment to its most important assets – its people. The majority of our score comes from an employee survey and is depending upon how highly they score us according to the factors the survey measures. It is therefore fantastic recognition from Group Positive employees that we have a created a positive environment in which to prosper. The plan, of course, is to build on this in 2012 with our Positive Days, Thinking Days and other workplace initiatives designed to nurture a culture of positivity and forward thinking. While we’re thrilled with our progress, we now have our sights set firmly on not just being Outstanding, but Extraordinary too.