Search results matching tag 'Virgin Atlantic'

Innocent until proven innocent

1725283 — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:32:00 GMT

Today is May 1st. The day that people dance around the maypole. Sometimes naked. And to celebrate we've decided to officially launch Campbell Lace (Beta.)

We start the day with a big meeting with a big potential client. It's a fascinating project, and not the sort of thing a traditional agency would get asked to do. The meeting is over by 10am. We really really hope we get this. It would get us off to a brilliant start. Fingers crossed.

Next we go back to the office to submit an RFI (request for information) for a pitch. We've been working on the RFI all week. We've put a fabulous team together. Experts from all sorts of disciplines. Our solution is anything but conventional. We stick the RFI on a bike and wave it goodbye. Toes crossed.

Now onto the next RFI. It also has to be sent off today. But Garry has other ideas. He has become obsessed with getting on the Innocent pitch. Even though the list has been compiled and is now shut. Garry is like a Pit Bull with lockjaw. He can not and will not let go.

Robert is delighted. Innocent are one of the best brands on the planet. We are unconcerned by Innocent's reputation for being difficult to work with.

When Virgin came to RKCR in 1993 they had a reputation for being the client from hell. They turned out to be the client from heaven.

Perhaps the difficulty is that Innocent have not yet found the agency that is right for them.

Ad agencies often have problems working with clients who have already had a powerful idea for themselves. Like Innocent and Virgin. They just can't accept that clients can be creative too.

Garry's Blackberry is smoking. Please Innocent. Put us on the list. Before Garry spontaneously combusts.

Two weeks down. Ten thousand to go...

1725283 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:17:00 GMT

It's Thursday Morning.

Garry and Robert sit in the Electric on the Portobello reading Campaign. The Electric is our unofficial office. We think Nick Jones should give us shares.

It's two weeks since Campaign fired the starting gun. We are very much still in Beta. What have we achieved so far?

Lots that we can't talk about . And a little that we can.

We've done the 'legals' and the 'financials.' We're delighted to say that Lewis Silkin will be our laywers and Kingston Smith or Accountants. This might sound dull to some, but it isn't. These two companies have nurtured many of the great start ups. They know how to do it.

We've looked at a few buildings. Rents are fantasticaly low at the moment. We love recessions! But we're not sure. We've had several offers of 'camping' at friends companies and this is what we'll probably do for a month or two.

We're genuinely humbled at the industry response to Campbell Lace (Beta)

Most people seem to be pleased to see us back, and there's a genuine interest to see how (Beta) tackle the issues that currently face the industry.

We've been overwhelmed with offers of help from individuals and companies. Which is brilliant, because we're hoping to take up on most of them. One of our core principles is putting collaboration, not competition at the heart of our organisation.

We believe collaboration is the way to solve most of this industry's ills.

Perhaps this is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius for Adland.

We've begun the process of finding our partners. We will have news on this front soon.

We're establishing the network of companies we're going to collaborate with. It's not complete yet. But these companies cross all media and all disciplines, in the UK and across the world.

And we've started talking to clients.

Have we got a client yet? No. But there are definitely some clients circling. And they are of the innovative and courageous variety. What more could you want from a client?

Both of us feel it is really good to be back. We're loving it.

We leave the Electric to discover Garry's been clamped.

He refuses to have his picture taken standing next to the offending object.

Age of Aquarius? Will someone please tell the traffic wardens.

Talent, collaborators, and frustrated traffic wardens, e mail hello@campbelllacebeta.com

AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW. .

Valencia. The new Cannes?

1725283 — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:31:00 GMT

This weekend Robert's judging at the Valencia Media festival. It is amazing how this festival has arrived out of nowhere, and now how big it is. The world's media buyers, planners, media owners, and some pretty major clients have gathered to discuss the present, and to carve up the future. Robert's in good company. Chuck Porter's come to speak. But apart from that no one else from above the line ad land. Pity. Lord Puttnam gives a truly scary speech at dinner about sustainability and adland's responsibility to embrace the cause. Otherwise we'll all be making like dinosaurs.

Garry and Robert take their hats off to Richard Huntingdon, Adliterate blog guru and head of planning at Saatchi. We've just heard Richard has landed the job of co-hosting the new tv ad show, The Gruen Transfer with Paris Hilton. Sorry. Not Paris Hilton, James Hilton from AKQA. Whatever, Richard is one of the best and most amusing presenters in adland. Can't wait to see the show.

Garry and Robert would like to point out that they are also available for tv appearances etc. With or without Paris Hilton. hello@campbelllacebeta.com

And speaking of tv, here's some ads we did earlier THE HISTORY OF CAMPBELL LACE (BETA)

Who's Beta?

1725283 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:02:00 GMT

Robert had a brilliant client at RKCR called Alison Copus. She was marketing director of Virgin Atlantic. Alison's best description of the task in hand - marketing Virgin - was 'We are building an airplane in flight.' In other words, Virgin were always in Beta. And at Campbell Lace Beta, we think the best businesses are always in Beta. Always experimenting. Always changing things. Always having new ideas. Always aiming higher. These days to stand still, to claim perfection, is just foolish. That's why we're called Campbell Lace (Beta.) Will we always be in Beta? We haven't decided yet...we're in Beta.

This week has been very busy. We've been starting the process of build the alliances and relationships we need to achieve the total solution we intend. As well as all the practical stuff you have to do when you're starting a company. We didn't even have a place to sit when the agency was announced last week. But now we do. We're borrowing desks off some great friends who will add a whole new perspective to what we do. We'll be talking about who and how next week.

Meanwhile, here's some suggested logo designs. All in Beta at this stage. This one uses Jackson Pollock's painting 'Convergence.' Only problem is we'd have to buy the painting....

We like this one....The 'media maypole' metaphor is currently going down well with those who are struggling to master the chaos that is the modern world of media...

And for those heartless b@@stards that said Garry and Robert looked like a couple of spooks from the drugs squad in Campaign last week we've done this logo...

All comments gratefully received at hello@campbelllacebeta.com or Notting Hill police station.

Meanwhile if you'd like to take a look at some of the work we did in the days when television commercials were fashionable, check out THE HISTORY OF CAMPBELL LACE (BETA)

Virgin virals and bloggy legal suits

255762 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:47:00 GMT

Virgin is having a strange PR week. First the speculation that the "best letter of complaint ever" is a viral and now a legal suit against ad blog Adrants over a spoof Hudson river crash ad. Is any of that good PR

According to Agency Spy, Virgin America is suing Adrants in the federal court over a spoof ad featuring a picture of the downed US Airways Airbus with the copy: "The Hudson Crash: Just One More Reason to Fly Virgin."

It's alright as spoofs go, kind of obvious (easy to say after the fact, granted), but not earth shattering. Maybe it’s a little in bad taste? Maybe. But the thing is it would have passed pretty much without notice until Virgin got all legal gorilla on Adrants and now the spoof ad is all over the web. We've all seen it and we all know that Virgin is getting mean.

Weird thing is Virgin is always doing spoof ads of its own. It ran for instance the Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton themed ads last year. It usually has a fine sense of humour as brands go. So what's that about?

Apparently it wasn't the picture so much as the copy that offended Virgin. The copy sort of implied that the brand was good at turning ugly situations to its own advantage. The Spitzer ad is just that.

Virgin asked Adrants to take it down. The blog's editor, Angela Natividad, responded by adding this above the post: "UPDATE: Clearly, this ad is fake. A spoof. Virgin America has confirmed this. We were always suspect from the get go and didn't mean to mislead or misrepresent. So we'll clearly state now: the ad is a spoof. It's not real. Virgin America had nothing to do with its creation."

Oh hindsight. It's at that moment you take it down as the clarification was not enough for Virgin who wanted it deleted. I was in this mess myself recently and, well, it is quite scary when lawyers from large corporation send you emails and demand you call them back urgently (tip: leaving your phone on voicemail doesn't really help). At BR we deleted said post immediately and that was it.

Virgin America is suing for punitive damages and fees. That could get expensive. It is a ridiculous suit, clearly Virgin is trying to scare other blogs and websites to ensure people do not post this kind of material again. It could also put the little independent Adrants out of business. Shame.

Which brings us to the "best letter of complaint ever". Well that's what people are calling it. Personally, it goes on and on a little too long for me – I mean who has six pages of complaint in them? Not me.

But that is not to attract from the achievement of Oli Beale at WCRS who wrote the letter. Stand-up job Oli. You're like a web star. Question here though is the letter genuine? I mean really?

It has been so widely covered, spreading across the online world earlier this week and now today it appears as a double page spread in the Sun.

Beale has said it is not a viral. Hmmm. Maybe. Against it being a viral is that the impression it leaves you with is not totally a positive one.

In favour of it being a viral is that it feels like a joke waiting a punch line. I mean everyone knows airport food sucks, which has given rise to the rumour that Virgin is about to sign a top chef. Or something.

Also against it being genuine is that the timing is too good coming as it does in Virgin Atlantic's 25th anniversary. I'm guessing we will know soon enough one way of another.

Vote in BR's poll - Is Oli Beale's six-page letter of complaint giving Virgin Atlantic good PR?

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Re: What brands do you most associate with Bond?

758513 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:11:45 GMT

Virgin Atlantic