He may be a Spuds Spurs fan, but Red C Account Director Steve White is not completely useless. He knows an awful lot about Email Marketing for one thing. So when he gave me a 700-page document from MarketingSherpa called Best Practices in Email Marketing I thought to myself, this is probably worth reading.*

MarketingSherpa is a research firm that specializes in tracking what works in all aspects of marketing (and what does not.) Their goal: to give marketers of the world the stats, inspiration, and instructions to improve their email marketing results.

According to their Research Manager Stefan Tornquist this guide was written “to provide one-stop guidance on building a ‘best in class’ email program, whether you’re managing an enterprise level marketing department or a small business.”

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When we were tasked with giving High and Mighty a new look and feel we didn’t want it to just be pretty graphics and pictures with no substance behind it. We wanted to create something that explored High and Mighty’s passion for helping men look their best even though they need clothes in hard to find sizes. I mean, just because you are high and mighty it doesn’t mean you can’t look good!

We wanted to create a look and feel that also encapsulated the great people who work on the shop floors of High and Mighty. Unlike normal clothes stores, High and Mighty’s assistants are skilled at finding men clothes that not only look good, but fit perfectly too. So they are well educated in how to dress a man, no matter what height or width he may be.

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I like it when someone shares something with me that I have never heard of before. So I have the very talented retoucher Dan Watkins to thank for this posting. A few years ago Dan did some retouching for me on a shoot we did for Marisota that was shot in Portugal… fast forward to a few months ago and Dan and I bumped into each other at a talk I was giving about how Advertising Agencies are embracing all forms of digital video.

Yesterday Dan shared a riveting talk with me by Malcolm Gladwell on spahetti sauce, which if you get time you simply have to watch. But what Dan has done is more than that. He has shared with me a fabulous website that is full of inspiration… a website that I have never come across before but I am now kicking myself that I have not known about sooner.

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N Brown Group, whose catalogues include JD Williams, Oxendales and Simply Be, has turned to Red C to rebrand High and Mighty, which they purchased out of Administration in 2009.

The new look for the clothing retailer sees the brand repositioned as a place that understands that it is the clothes that make the man. As well as a new logo and positioning, Red C has been involved in producing all store messaging, from window graphics to in-changing room advice guides.

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It’s no big secret that I’m a bad loser. I hold my hands up and fully accept that my inability to be gracious in defeat is one of my weak points. Yet it is also a strong point too… as it drives me, pushes me harder and makes me ensure I have explored every opportunity for my clients. Simply because I want to create something special that will not only exceed the goals set in the brief… but also deliver some awards because the strategy is sound, it looks damned good, is incredibly well written and has pulled like a freight train.

For me, winning is key to a passionate, productive, purposeful, and prosperous life. If I were to value it less than I do, then I fear I would begin to say goodbye to my talents as a creative. The will to win is what drives me to be the best I can be in everything I do… and I have seen first hand what a winning mentality can do to an agency.

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If you’re from north of the Watford Gap, you’ll know that southerners can be a bit snooty about the north at times. In fact, I bet the idea of a visiting a ‘provincial’ northern town like Bradford or Warrington would get those Kensington yummy-mummy sorts quaking in their Manolos. Not that it bothers us lot – after all, us northerners are made of far sterner stuff.

How refreshing it was therefore, when I stumbled upon the work of John Bulmer, a photographer from the home counties, who during the 60s and 70s captured the stark beauty and honesty of working-class Northern people and their communities. In a time when industrial landscapes and economic deprivation meant that for many conditions were more than a little grim up north, he scratched the region’s soot covered surface and revealed its character and charm.

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I really like Andy Maslen. Next to Drayton Bird he’s probably the man whose books I’ve learnt most about copywriting from. I’d recommend his first, Write to Sell to anyone, and do quite frequently in fact.

He’s just released two new ones, the first of which I’ve just finished. It’s part of a series called 100 great ideas. Andy’s contribution is called 100 Great Copywriting Ideas.

It’s not a book you should read from start to finish. As the dust jacket says it’s “more tapas or dim-sum than three course meal. You can start anywhere you like and pick and choose whatever takes your fancy.”

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I was overjoyed when I was offered a placement at Red C. Determined to get the placement at that company; I researched it as thoroughly as I could, so that I stood a good chance of success. I am glad I did.

Initially I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that I would have to assimilate. However, I found the team I was working with to be informative, helpful and friendly. The amount of knowledge that I have gained working at Red C has far surpassed what I have learnt at university. I think the best way of learning about a job is to actually do it.

What I have learnt is to prioritise my work, use my initiative and play an active and cooperative role in the team. I have learnt that Red C is a dynamic company with an innovative approach to marketing.

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Everyone at Red C today is chuffed to bits after hearing that our TV Commercial for Cottages4you has been nominated in the ‘TV Commercial Over 30 Seconds’ category at the 2010 Roses Advertising Awards. Attended by around 400 key individuals from the advertising industry, the Roses Advertising Awards allows the creative community the opportunity to demonstrate and prove their innovation and creativity.

The nominated advert aims to highlight the benefits of a self catering holiday by focusing on the experiences guests take home with them. Customer research carried out by HCG showed that the main features of a cottage holiday were relaxation, freedom and enjoying being ‘back with nature’. The scenarios depicted in the 40 second advert reflect these feelings and capture the essence of a cottage holiday.

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The famous saying goes ‘there is no such thing as bad press’ but is this true? We now live in a society obsessed by celebrity culture. And celebrities are more than just ‘well known names.’ They’re carefully crafted, aspirational brands, as famous for the products they endorse as they are for their ‘talents’. The question is, what effect does negative press have on these  celeb brand business.

As you know, over the last few weeks, celebrity scandal has been everywhere. Even the highbrow broadsheets have been dedicating serious column inches to the state of Cheryl and Ashley Cole’s marriage.

In a recent article, Guardian reporter Deborah Orr wondered what Cheryl would now do with the tattoo on the back of her neck, the one that brands her ‘Mrs Cole’ for life? She concluded it would have to be painfully removed and noted: “the pain of breakup can be great to bear. And sometimes it’s the thought of all that rebranding that hurts most of all.”

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