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  It’s hard to argue that Amazon hasn’t been one of ‘the’ stand-out companies of the last 10 years.

 

 

In this extract from his latest book, their former customer services chief sets out the golden rule of how to make the whole experience one that benefits the bottom line rather than being a cost.

The four clowns of the apocalypse

Our Planner Ian was rifling through the stock in the charity and fancy dress shops ahead of a forthcoming party this weekend and noticed the just how busy the shops were. After a bit of digging he found this nugget of information that seems to suggest that we'd be better looking to the footfall of our charity shops rather than the markets for indicators of the state of the economy. 

"Middle class shoppers are pouncing on bargains in charity shops and searching for savings in value supermarkets as the credit crunch bites. Oxfam reports a sharp rise in browsers in its 729 stores. 'We have had an improvement in footfall and sales in the last quarter, if not a little bit longer,' said its deputy trading director, Barney Tallack. He said that just as in the 1991 recession, customer numbers are increasing - but it is sometimes hard to get the stock, as hard-pressed consumers hang on to their old clothes for a little longer. In another sign of tightening belts, Asda reports this weekend that a quarter of its sales growth in the past year has come from 'AB' shoppers - those in the top social classes. Chief executive Andy Bond said 'a tough economic climate means that more and more people are shopping for value'."

Power of the picture

From Cartier Bresson onwards we’ve all understood the power of the picture but from time to time there are startling reminders of the impact a single shot can have.

Whether it’s photo-journalism or a captivating advert the skill of a photographer can persuade and influence more than 1,000 words ever could.

From time to time there’s pieces of work that really remind of you of this and for the many hundreds of thousands of words that covered the tragic events of the Sichuan earthquake it was these pictures from a wedding that really seemed to bring home the individual aspect of the events.

British Transplant Games 2008

Here's a quick look behind the scenes at an advert we've created for our friends at the British Transplant Games which this year will be held in Sheffield. It was great to be able to offer our help for such an important project and be just a small part of what will be a fantastic games this summer.