Thompson Brand Partners

Great story about innovation (and Americans)

I believe true innovation can only come by breaking the rules. If you just do what you are supposed to do, how can you possibly discover new ways of doing things or new ideas? It simply just doesn't happen.

This week I read a great blog by Dave Trott (thanks to Dave Trott's blog), which had a wonderful story of innovation, which definitely happened by breaking the rules. Turning a jet fighter engine round in mid-air just to find out what might happen could be construed as pretty crazy. Listen to what happened...

The Harrier was designed as a VTOL aircraft.
 Short for Vertical Take Off & Landing: a jump jet.

Everyone in the world had tried to make a VTOL aircraft.
 No one could make it work.
 The Russians built a plane with a massive engine underneath, to lift it off the ground, and then switch to a conventional engine for horizontal flight.
 But this meant two engines, and all the accompanying weight. 
It was ungainly. Inefficient and impractical.

But the Harrier was truly revolutionary. 
Because it took off vertically, then switched to horizontal flight, using a single jet engine.
 So it was lighter, more aerodynamic, more fuel-efficient.
 The first truly practical jump-jet. 
It did it by having a rotating nozzle on the single engine.
 To take off, the nozzle would be pointed down, so the thrust was upwards.
 To fly horizontally, the nozzle would be rotated backwards, so the thrust was forwards.

Naturally, the Americans were very interested in this new type of aircraft.
 So they sent an evaluation team to try it out. 
Two of their pilots each took a Harrier up on a test flight. 
The two Harriers took off vertically, as approved. 
They switched to horizontal flight, as approved.
 Side-by-side, they flew at 700 mph, as approved.
 After they’d done everything that was approved, one pilot called up the other.
 He said “What did they say would happen if we turned the nozzles backwards?”
 The second pilot said “They didn’t say. I don’t think they’ve tried it.”
 The first pilot said “Well let’s try it.”
 And he disappeared.
 The second pilot kept going at 700 mph while the first pilot stopped dead.
 Because of the rotating nozzles, the plane could stop without falling out of the sky. 
The American pilots were so thrilled they tried it again.
 This could revolutionise air combat.

Eventually they landed and told the British what they’d discovered. 
It was totally untried, unapproved and unrecommended.
 But it worked.
 In fact the British then tried it for themselves. 
And it worked so well it became established procedure. 
It even acquired a formal name: VIFFing, for Vectoring In Forward Flight. At that time there wasn’t a name for what the Americans did.
 They just called it flying by the seat of their pants.
 Testing something to see what else it can do.
 To find out how far it could go.
 What works, what doesn’t work.

Now we have a formal name for that, it’s called Beta.
 Another name for it might be Initiative.
 Americans aren’t as obedient as the rest of us.
 They don’t wait around and just do what they’re allowed to.
 They have a country formed from rebels and rejects. 
It’s in their DNA.
 To question authority.
 To think for themselves.
Not to just do what they’re allowed to do.
 They don’t accept everything unquestioningly. 
They keep testing, and prodding, and poking, and trying stuff, and fiddling, and experimenting. And a lot of times it doesn’t work. And sometimes it does.
 And then they find out something no one else knew before.
 And that’s what truly creative people do.
 They don’t wait for a brief and then simply answer the brief.
 They go beyond the brief.
 They get creative. 
They get playful.
 They get surprising.
 Because they come at a problem out of a question, not out of an answer.
 Asking what don’t we know yet?
 Not just asking, what are we allowed to do?

As Orson Welles said “Don’t just give ‘em what they want. Give ‘em what they never dreamed was possible.”

BAE Systems, who developed the Harrier, is a client of ours and they absolutely love this story. They love the fact that in our world of hyper health & safety and the need to follow process, there is always a way to think differently, to do things differently and to make great new things happen. Inspiring story.

Not too proud to beg...

Some of us are eating carbs like we've never heard of Atkins, some stretching like Black Swan auditionees and others (like me) are just trembling in their trainers...

Why? Well, this Sunday come rain or shine the most dedicated members of the Thompson team will be taking part in the annual Age UK 10k, The Abbey Dash.

We're running in aid of a fantastic cause, the NET Patient Foundation - a charity close to our hearts.  The charity is the only one in the UK to offer advice and support to sufferers and families of those with NETs (neuroendocrine tumours), a relatively uncommon group of cancers. Symptoms are often confused with more common complaints such as IBS, meaning NETs are frequently diagnosed incorrectly or missed completely.  

The money you help us raise will enable the NET Patient Foundation to continue their amazing work offering up to date support and advice, raising funds for vital research projects and increasing awareness of this little known illness. Read more here:  NET Patient Foundation

So please dig deep for Sarah, Guy, Jonny, myself and the NET Patient Foundation and help us to hit our target of £1,000. And if we do, we promise to take share lots of pictures of Jonny's  goosepimply legs.

www.justgiving.com/thompsonbp

Thank you! x 

Thompson Brand Partners rebrands national charity to Young Epilepsy

Thompson Brand Partners has completed the rename and rebrand of the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) to Young Epilepsy.

Young Epilepsy is the only UK-wide charity exclusively supporting the 112,000 children and young people under 25 years of age with epilepsy and their families. Young Epilepsy is a leading provider of specialist education and health services to those most severely affected by epilepsy and related conditions.

Thompson started working with NCYPE in late 2010 after winning a 4-way credentials pitch. Since then the project has included an extensive research exercise prior to the decision to change the name to Young Epilepsy, followed by the development of a new brand identity.

The new identity was officially launched on 1 November 2011 and Thompson has been working with the Young Epilepsy marketing team to develop a range of applications including signage, new web templates, banners, corporate brochure and newsletters, as well as a set of brand guidelines to help ensure consistency.

The idea behind the new identity was to create a logo that changes from time to time, because it includes elements that have been drawn by the students from St Piers School and the FE College, which Young Epilepsy owns and manages in Lingfield, Surrey. As well as creating an identity that is credible for a national charity, Thompson also delivered a practical solution that is not too expensive to implement. Stars were chosen, as the child is always the star, and a project was set in the school and college for the children to create the artwork for the stars.

Nick Ramshaw, Managing Director of Thompson Brand Partners has enjoyed working with Young Epilepsy throughout and is excited about the effect the new branding will have on the charity: “The organisation began to change from a location-based health and education provider in Surrey, to a national epilepsy charity supporting children and young people around 3 years ago. What we have been able to do is help them decide on a more appropriate name and then use branding to communicate this re-position effectively and imaginatively.”

Young Epilepsy Chief Executive David Ford said: “Thompson has been an excellent partner throughout the process, adding rigour and inclusion when we were considering the name and fantastic creativity when developing the new identity. Everyone here loves the new identity, understands what our new brand stands for and can’t wait to stand behind it.” 

 

From Stables to Brewery

We've finally done it! The plans are drawn, the builders are in - and we've moved out of The (very lovely) Old Stables into an also lovely city-based office called The Old Brewery whilst we renovate the old place. And so far, so fabulous!

For those of you who've seen The Old Stables, you'll recall that it's already pretty great, but Mr Thompson has A Vision - and by gawd it's going to be epic! I don't want to spoil the suprise but think conkers, open spaces and a lots and lots of light. 

Stand by for photographic updates!

Rach x

Take That & Party!

After 5 hours sitting on the web I finally managed to bag a couple of tickets to see Take That in Manchester – how exciting, a hot date with 5 talented, good-looking, not to mention rich, men.

My tickets were for the last Manchester date. At the time I thought this was a good idea but there were so many pics and You Tube clips on Twitter and Facebook from previous gigs that I felt like I had practically seen the show and knew all the surprises, which was a little disappointing.

The day of the concert was shocking. It was raining and I’d been to a rather big party the day before so I had a raging hangover. After driving across the Pennines in torrential rain, then getting soaking wet walking to the venue – not to mention the frustration of my brolly turning inside out numerous times with the wind, I was not in the best of moods.

I sat down, cold, wet and pretty miserable – and our seats were in the Gods! 

My mood mellowed slightly when The Pet Shop Boys came on. They played lots of old songs which brought back some fab memories. And by the time Take That came on I was singing with the rest of them.

Take That didn’t disappoint. The gig was great – more of a show than a concert.  I loved every minute of it. And while I really enjoyed the music, the performances and the singing what really did it for me was the crowd. From my position (in the Gods) I watched over 55,000 people swaying and clapping all together in time – truly synchronized. The image of everyone dancing to Never Forget will live with me forever. 

 

 

More tortoise than hare...

...but I got there in the end!

Yesterday, I had a FABULOUS morning running the 5th ever Leeds 10k Run For All - and I'm now feeling very proud!  

Over 9,000 runners took part, despite the astonishingly bad weather (apparently it's the first time in the 5 years that it's rained...), and as my first 'proper' race it was really something to be part of! My only target was to finish without stopping and not only did I do that, I also did quite the sprint finish. Unfortunately, according to the official photos, I look like a complete idiot when I sprint...

Here are my vital statistics:

Time: 1 hr 16 mins 41 secs

Position: 5691st

Blisters: 2

Money raised: £182.00

 

Thank you to all those who sponsored me - Cancer Research UK will be very happy indeed.

Rach x

We're looking for a new Account Manager to join our team

If you have at least 4 years experience (maybe more) and have lots of design and brand work under your belt, we'd like to meet you. We need a new account manager to join our team, and all we ask is that you are super organised, can spin a few plates and can build sustainable client relationships.

In return we'll provide an excellent package, lotss of lovely clients to work with and some of the very best creative to work on.

Just forward your CV to nick@thompsonbrandpartners.com and we'll be in touch.

One innocent question later…

This month we witnessed one of the most shocking natural disasters to have happened in my lifetime. A massive earthquake, subsequent tsunami and then nuclear disaster that seems to have devastated the majority of Japan’s East coast. What has made this series of events so shocking to us, watching on in horror from our safe little tax ridden country is that we have been able to watch live footage of the disaster as each event occurred. I’m not really sure how to describe the images of that massive wall of water literally swallowing buildings/ cars and anyone in its path including the Fukushima l Power Station.

The coverage of the Earthquake/Tsunami combo has now quickly been dropped whilst the world watches a nuclear disaster evolve from the aftermath at Fukushima. People within a 30 mile radius have been evacuated and may already have been exposed to high levels of radiation and the workers desperately trying to fix the problems at the plant have been dubbed the Nuclear Ninjas on a suicide mission to save Japan. This got me, and evidently some of my younger cheerleading students thinking:

Why can’t they just turn the Power Station off??

I laughed when I was first asked this and then realised I didn’t actually know the answer. I had no idea about how Nuclear power works or is created. The only thing I really know about Nuclear anything is to be afraid of it? So I thought I’d spend some time actually finding the answer to that question. Why can’t they just turn it off??

Here is the brief explanation from my masses of research: (and helpfull diagram!)

Nuclear fuel comes in the form of enriched uranium, which naturally produces heat as uranium atoms split. (A similar process is used in Nuclear Bombs)

This heat is used to boil water, which then produces steam that drives a turbine, which then spins a generator to create electricity; the steam is then cooled and fed back through the system in a cycle. The amount of heat generated by the reactor is so vast that it needs a constant flow of water in order to ensure the fuel rods (made of uranium pellets) don't overheat and therefore melt down which would be catastrophic.

The temperature is also controlled by aptly named control rods, which control how much heat is generated by the fuel. When fully inserted they have essentially shut down the fuel rods, when pulled all the way out the fuel produces maximum heat. Now when the earthquake hit the control rods automatically inserted fully into the fuel rods and the plant went into shut down. Done! Well not quite….

Uranium fuel doesn't have an off switch and even in shut down continues to produce heat for quite some time and therefore needs the cooling system to continue operation to prevent meltdown. Obviously this was already considered and the plant has back up systems in case the electricity to the pumps supplying water was ever cut.

1: Their main electricity source

2: The main grid can then supply the power

3: If that fails they have back up diesel generators

4: If they fail they have battery-powered pumps that can last several hours until electricity is restored.

When the earthquake hit the worst-case scenario unfolded. The plant went into shut down and therefore their electricity supply went too. Next the main power grid became unstable and therefore also shut down. Then the tsunami hit and destroyed the diesel generators, which were not high enough to withstand the force or quantity of water. The batteries were therefore the last source of electricity but only lasted a few hours. More generators were sourced but weren’t hooked up in time and without power to the pumps the fuel rods began to overheat.  This cracked the metal tubes holding the uranium, exposing the fuel to water where it began producing hydrogen gas. This is called Thermolysis! As you are probably aware, hydrogen is highly explosive and as the pressure built up we saw a series of explosions. These were hydrogen explosions not nuclear explosions.

In a last ditched attempt to contain the situation they flooded the reactors with boron infused seawater. The boron similar to the control rods acts as a coolant to the fuel. However flooding the reactor has now permanently damaged the plant but this was a better alternative to a complete meltdown, which would have been catastrophic.

The uncertainty now comes in Japan’s future supply of electricity. About half of Japan's power came from these plants damaged by the tsunami and they are now potentially permanently shut down. Building a new plant may take a decade.

To put it in perspective, Three Mile Island disaster was a level 5 incident... this is level 6, Chernobyl was a 7.

So there it is the not so simple answer to why you can’t just turn a power station off.

Coral

Read more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Nuclear_Event_Scale

http://science.howstuffworks.com/japan-nuclear-crisis.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

 

 

Musical Photoshop

Sometimes the simplest of methods can beget the most fantastic results. A perfect example of this is the loop pedal, a seemingly magical foot pedal allowing a performer to loop sounds to create untold depths of sound from just one input. There's no limit to the imagination when it comes to the sounds that can be used, beats that can be laid down, or the genre - just keep on building the layers and slowly but surely something amazing might well happen.

Here's an entirely captivating example from www.TED.com and Andrew Bird, a "Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and whistler" (thank you Google).

We need more of this....

I'm old enough to have worked through a number of recessions, and have the grey hair to prove it. I have found that one of the things you need when faced with economic challenges and all the difficulties that come with it, is a fantastic and positive attitude to life. I firmly believe that hard work and honest effort can get you a long way to where you want to go. It might not take you all the way, but believe me, it really helps.

I know loads of people out there are out of work right now and they are undoubtedly finding it very hard. However, I am surprised by the lack of ingenuity and creative thinking that takes place when they are looking to improve their situation. It might just be me, but the lack of new ideas and thinking has been pretty stark.

How refreshing then to receive this email the other day. Titled "Fed up with unrealistic world-owes-me grads?" Its a superb example of creative thinking and writing, and a great way to stand out from the pack. I might not be able to help with a job, but am meeting Chloe next week for a cuppa to see how I can help. That's the least she deserves.

Please find attached my CV, enclosed in the hope that you might have a position of some (any!) kind within your company that would be suitable for me.

 Although a graduate, I am not precious about the role that you may have available.  I want to carve out a good career for myself in the creative arm of strong brand, but in order to get to that point, I fully realise that I will have to take what’s on offer.  I am working on the basis that once I get a job within a fast moving and forward thinking company that I can prove to them what a great decision it was to employ me, and so move up the ranks on my abilities and merit and not on the back of a degree (or even an MA!).

So you won’t find me saying ‘that’s not my job,” or “I’m a graduate I can’t do that.”  You won’t find me rolling into work late or only just on time so I’m not at my desk and ready to get on with things when the working day begins.  I won’t be sniffy about staying on to complete work or helping others to complete theirs. I have a strong work ethic and I don’t mind getting stuck into whatever is required of me.  I have enjoyed my time as a student but I am ready for the real world and I know that it’s nothing like the one I have been used to for the past few years. I don’t mind that.  I want a decent career and I want to work for a company that appreciates and rewards hard working people. 

So if you have a job available, please consider me for an interview.  I will ensure you don’t regret it.

If you want to contact her, the email is chloe@designbychief.com. You won't regret it!