***It’s been an interesting old week, for me in the dawning realisation that the bigger companies get (and the more they spend on CRM and all that stuff) the worse they become.
We’ve had two members of the energy cartel in the UK (SSE and British Gas owner Centrica) raise prices by ridiculous amounts when wages in the UK are rising by less than one per cent.
Can they get away with it? Yes, because UK PM David Cameron and his free market pals think that’s the only way you can do things. But they shouldn’t be able to, which might win Labour’s Ed Miliband the next election (against all the odds).
***And it’s emerged that Apple, Google, Amazon and co are still dodging taxes on a heroic scale. Why don’t politicians do something about it? What are they scared of?
Then, of course, we’ve had the US in danger of grinding to a halt on the say-so of Tea Party Republicans who think that the world was created in seven days – by Davy Crockett (above, in a rather fey encapsulation).
***Anyway, back to ads: here’s a nice one from AMV/BBDO in the UK for Eurostar.
Very oohlala. And witty with it – AMV/BBDO remains an estimable agency.
***Are you aware of a brand called Spontex? They make cleaning sponges, for most of us a commodity purchase when we go to the supermarket or the corner shop. Anyway, TBWA Paris has produced this perky ad for the, presumably, premium cleaning cloth.
If that ran in the UK it would be banned for treating the victims of bank robberies/terrorism lightly. It’s a tough brief but TBWA Paris is a good place to go to.
***A couple of media types approached me today and said that I should note that Sue Stoessl, a famed researcher and one-time marketing director of Channel 4 had died.
Actually this was reported in the Guardian by the all-seeing Mark Sweney a couple of weeks ago, but, clearly, my friends don’t read the Guardian. Anyway, Sue was apparently a most capable, well-liked operator at a time when the media business was just a few pals. And none the worse for that.
***Still thinking about big companies just not delivering; they’re mean bastards aren’t they?
Here’s a bit of Johnny Cash that seems to cast (some) light on all this dreadfulness.
