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You didn’t stop to make me feel better by leaving me a card or a letter… « What I Reckon

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Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:03:33 GMT

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uberVU - social comments — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:15:47 GMT

This post was mentioned on Twitter by AmandaSanter: A tale of two Christmas appeals....http://alturl.com/7rr6

re: Are you sneering at the Royal Mail and its postal workers?

James Vigar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:57 GMT

So on the basis that your mum would be lost without it, we should prop up an organisation that has continually failed its customers over the last ten years, where poor management is endemic and financial performance desultory - in what was, for decades, a monopoly. Perhaps you'd advocate a nationwide return to Betamax too, just to accommodate those poor folk unfortunate enough to invest in the format. I would have found your comments about the Dixons campaign laughable were it not for the slightly sinister 'middle-class fundamentalism' that infused them. Can you not appreciate the irony when casting your spiteful judgements on the 'sneering tone of the affluent urban classes'? Presumably that's a swipe at people with more money than you but, in your estimation, less taste? And coming from a man who drives a Volvo Estate.

re: Are you sneering at the Royal Mail and its postal workers?

charlie robertson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:58:26 GMT

I agree - with an abhorance of the arrogant sneer.

It is a game though - a formulaic bad mouthing media manipulation of stories of tiresome spin doctor rhetoric.

Sensation sells - I assume is the what leads media to lose touch with people feel on the street.

More accountancy led closed systematic thinking crushes societal values, small businesses and those in need of local service.

Ho hum - it's the shareholder capitalist age still.

the way Royal Mail has been managed has diminished its value as a service - and now the guys doing the service get the blame?

Same old story

re: Any creative team without a good writer is seriously missing out

Sarah_Jean Duggan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:19:07 GMT

What can be done about this issue? I graduated a year ago and have had to learn it all from scratch in my first job. On my BA Advertising course they didn't teach us to write anything more than headlines, and it's only thanks to an amazing mentor that I'm becoming a confident copywriter now. I'll definitely be heading back to my old uni to put more emphasis on the importance of learning to write for advertising. We all should.

re: Are you sneering at the Royal Mail and its postal workers?

Ian Darby — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:57:17 GMT

I agree with you on the Royal Mail, well said. But I love the Dixons campaign. Sneering at lazy, non-essential companies such as John Lewis and Selfridges is fine by me.

re: Are you sneering at the Royal Mail and its postal workers?

Sue Buckle — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:02:07 GMT

Absolutely right Chris. Most people I know don't take Royal Mail for granted at all. We all use it regularly, and appreciate the effort put into a hand-written note or card, and on-line purchase deliveries. I'm lucky enough to know my postman by name, and we often have a chat. He even takes my outgoing mail. Life would be the poorer without him.

re: Are you sneering at the Royal Mail and its postal workers?

Emma Mitchell — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:08:52 GMT

Agreed. We are guilty of taking the Royal Mail very for granted. When I think back to the origins of the postal service, we have a lot to be thankful for. And I'm sure even the sneeriest of Crackberry users is not immune to the thump of newly delivered birthday cards on the doormat. The ping of a new email just doesn't compare.

re: Could the new Dixons campaign rank amongst the worst advertising ever?

RICHARD MATHEWSON — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:19:31 GMT

I'm writing a stern letter of complaint to the Daily Mail.

re: Could the new Dixons campaign rank amongst the worst advertising ever?

S P — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:06:26 GMT

Chris, agree on the warranty thing.

When asked if you want to buy a warranty, I usually find the best strategy is to ask loudly in astonishment "you mean you don't expect this product to last more than a year?"

re: Could the new Dixons campaign rank amongst the worst advertising ever?

gotnoteef — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:34:20 GMT

interesting:

www.marketingdirectmag.co.uk/.../COMMENT---Why-hidden-truths-good-direct-response-advertising-Dixons

re: Could the new Dixons campaign rank amongst the worst advertising ever?

stevie Rowing- — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:18:58 GMT

My mum bought her TV from the Dixons website after browing in store being pissed off by sales people and she hates using the internet, especially to buy from.

I think the ads are great because they reflect exactly whats happening. Especially with the new generation. The comments here about it reminding you of the good service in John Lewis are missing the point and are out of touch with their TA.

re: Could the new Dixons campaign rank amongst the worst advertising ever?

CHRIS BARRACLOUGH — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:05:53 GMT

Good points, but they don't reflect what's happening, do they? Or Dixons wouldn't run the ads. Or they would suggest why use Dixons.co.uk rather than another site.

With my house in Berkshire, 3 children, second hand Volvo Estate and a Nectar card I am Mr Middle England. And for people like me John Lewis (oooh I said it) is untouchable. You certainly don't sneer at them if you want my custom.

re: Could the new Dixons campaign rank amongst the worst advertising ever?

Oli Scully — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:04:10 GMT

The thing about their price promise that John Lewis don't talk about is that they don't price match with online retailers, only high street ones. Possibly something to do not wanting to (ie being able to afford to) compete with online retailers who don't have to pay for well spoken staff and the rented floor space a haberdashery department requires.

I think the Dixons work reflects the way that people shop for branded electricals these days, research online for specs and offline for picture/sound quality and then buy at the cheapest retailer. There are a couple more executions doing the rounds on the tube. It is not just John Lewis that Dixons are taking a pop at.

Telegraph.co.uk are showing them all.

www.telegraph.co.uk/.../Are-these-the-most-honest-adverts-ever.html