I received a text from my 19 year-old cousin the other week. It said, “Thx 4 bday gift gr8 2 cu lol. cu soon xxx.” I nearly disowned him on the spot. How, I thought, can so many grammatical errors be perpetrated in so few words? Of course I replied in three times the number of characters, without so much as substituting ‘and’ for an ampersand. That’ll teach him.

Until now I have viewed ‘text speak’ as a harmless lexicon of youth… so imagine my dismay to discover that LOL, FYI and OMG have made it into the canon of the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary. LMAO. Seems it might be time to reassess.

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We’re pleased to announce that Adrian Rowe will become Chairman with immediate effect, leaving Creative Director and Deputy MD, Julian Gratton to take on the full time role of Managing Director of the business.

Adrian Rowe has lived and breathed direct marketing for nearly 30 years, carving out a career first in the home shopping sector with spells at Empire Stores, Next and Great Universal Stores.  After moving agency side in 1991 with Interpublic agency SBW, he helped to found Red C (formerly RSCR) in 1994. His contribution to the industry was recognised in 2001, when he was made an Honorary Life Fellow of the IDM.

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Okay, I know what you’re probably thinking; geeky sounding TV show recommended by one of your geeky colleagues – but you are most definitely wrong – at least on one of these assumptions. And for those who are old enough to remember the cheesy 1970s version of the show please leave your preconceptions at the door. Battlestar Galactica is a revamped drama series that deals with terrorism, genocide, politics and religion. It has the weight and intelligence of the West Wing; enough dysfunctional and intriguing characters to engross any Sopranos fan; and a series of relationship issues that would fascinate any Sex and the City addict. Simply look past the spaceships and give it a chance – and you will be treated to one of TVs greatest triumphs.

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Our recent farce of a general election, where the bottom half of the UK turned blue and the top half red and yellow with some orange dotted around in between, brought it home to me how different the UK is and how we have gone back more to being four separate countries more than any time in our recent past. This has implications for us as marketers I believe that we need to take into account more.

Having spent the run up to, and the actual election, in Scotland it proved a very interesting experience. Travelling up through the country from Cambridgeshire – true blue agricultural East Anglia – into Yorkshire, Cumbria and then most of the length of Scotland, the blue conservative banners disappeared and the yellow banners (not of the Lib Dems) but of the SNP, started to appear everywhere.  Talking to Scottish friends, they feel very nationalistic and have no interest at all about what goes on in Westminster, identifying very strongly with the SNP and indeed that was borne out in the actual election result.

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If there was one good thing about getting caught up in the whole volcanic ash cloud saga, it was that I got to spend a few extra days reading books. I love reading on holiday. Sprawled on a sun lounger, cold beer in hand, swimming pool just a few feet away, in case it gets too hot…beautiful!

Of course, you’ve got to have the right books. And on this holiday I picked a couple of crackers…

Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.

I came across Gorky Park a few months back. I’d just finished Tom Rob Smith’s brilliant Child 44, a thriller set in 1950s Stalinist Russia. What I loved most about that book was the way it captured the claustrophobia of life under a totalitarian regime. Lots of the reviews of Child 44 mentioned similarities to Gorky Park. So when I found it for £2 in Fopp a few weeks later I thought yeah, why not.

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Sometimes the best ideas are done down the pub scribbled on the back of a fag packet. Or at least that’s what I was told when I started in this business. Who would have thought that someone would take that idea and turn it into a lucrative business… well that’s just what Hugh MacLeod did back in 1997.

When he first arrived in Manhattan to undertake a 2 week freelance Copywriting gig he had no friends and spending an evening back at the YMCA where he was staying did not appeal. So he basically sat in bars doodling on the backs of business cards just to give himself something to do.

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I don’t think many copywriters enter the ad industry believing they’re going to be paid millions, never mind millions every year, but in 1907 one copywriter came along demanding just that… and he got it too!

That man was Claude C. Hopkins, a legendary copywriter who worked in the early 1900s on behalf of many companies, including: Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Swift and Company and Dr Shoop’s Patent Medicine company.

It was only after making some very successful ads for Schlitz beer that his fortunes grew astronomically. He was 41, and was approached by the advertising agency, Lord and Thomas. He agreed to work there full-time after being offered a wage of $185,000 ­– the year was 1907 – by today’s standards that comes in at a whopping $2 million. Nice if you can get it eh?

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Shirley - Bottle blonde and proud of it

Shirley Polykoff is a legendary advertising personality whose copy revolutionised both the fortunes of Clairol and the lives of women in 1950s America.

A ballsy girl from Brooklyn, Shirley battled her way up the ranks at Foote, Cone & Belding agency from the position of junior copywriter to vice president and creative director, to finally, inductee of the Advertising Hall of Fame. On her way up, this flamboyant and brilliant woman gained a reputation as ‘a dynamo in selling and advertising’, with her copy for Clairol hair dye famous not only for its explosive cultural and commercial impact but also for persuading David Hockney to go blonde.

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Yep, it’s that time of year again where the whole agency get into the festive spirit and have a go at coming up with new ideas for the agency Christmas card! This year’s challenge certainly caused a stir with an extra sprinkling of motivation coming from the special prize of a brand spanking new iPod Nano for the winner. So everyone quickly huddled in their groups making sure their ideas weren’t over heard – we’re not competitive – honest.

And this year’s winner is… drum roll… Mrs Katie Shoard! Our Senior Copywriter.

The judges had a hard time choosing the winner but decided to go with Katie’s copy-based route that uses a quirky, colourful illustrative design that pokes fun at Christmas clichés and conveys Red C’s fresh approach.

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In Marketing there are many ways for us to communicate with prospects or customers. From TV adverts to Press Ads, Web Banners and Websites to Direct Mail packs and emails… we have a rich tapestry of communication tools at our disposal.

Only one of these ways, however, allows us as Marketers to address the recipient with the word ‘Dear’. Only one is a personal one-to-one communication that is signed by a spokesperson or company owner.

It is of course… the letter. Read more…