Thompson Brand Partners

And another thing

Has anyone noticed how the banks are behaving at the moment in their marketing communications?

I'd use the word sheepish. I could also use words like chastened, invisible and phrases like elephant in the room are brought to mind. 

I can't help but thinking if Howies was bank, what would they do? Firstly, I don't think they would be in this situation in the first place (the power of brand surely) and secondly I think they'd come clean, admit the mistakes that were made and then work incredibly hard to fix the problems. Honesty is the best policy where brands are concerned.

I'm not saying the banks aren't doing this, but I've never heard a proper apology an an admission that they were in the wrong. 

If one thing the credit crunch can be thanked for it's the despatch of that annoying buffoon Howard who appeared on the Halifax campaigns. Of curse it would be interested to see what the reaction would be from redundancy-threatened staff and repossession-fatigued customers to the bespectacled idiot surking on a Hawaiian beach whilst a cast of thousands gurn foolishly at the camera.

The new Halifax TV spots have hundreds of members of staff making human ladders and the like to give customers a fiver set against the backdrop of serious, choral music. All signals of how seriously they're taking their responsibility to their ailing customers. All seems too little, too late doesn't it?

I think we've a way to go in the whole recession thing but as the worst of the financial meltdown seems behind us (I'm no economist, just optimistic) now is the time for the banks to stand up and admit their mistakes and move on. Then when things return to normal we might have a just small amount of trust and respect for them.

Two wins in a week

You'd kind of expect things to be winding down a bit in the run up to the Christmas break.

But things have been kind of hectic. 

Just found out today that we'd won our third pitch in as many weeks (we actually bagged two in a day, which is a record) so the festive break is made all the more sweeter knowing we've got a lot to do when we get back.

Perverse, I know, to be pleased about a full on January. But in the current economic climate we're just pleased that we're doing stuff that people like and that's winning us new clients. 

I'm getting very, very tired of reading about the forthcoming year being the 'toughest ever on record' and the media talking the crisis up to the maximum levels. I don't know about you, but if I never see Robert Peston ever again it would be too soon. 

This will be my third recession - and you what, I don't remember much about the first two, except that we survived them both and came out of the other end fitter and better and ready to grow. I believe that now's the time to be talking to businesses about how important brands are in these tough times. They can make all the difference.

Bring on January.