Online Business Blog

In the 21st century adverts are everywhere we turn and we can’t help but notice and be influenced by them. All manner of products and services advertise and compete for our attention, be they government services, recruitment adverts, the latest game or a tin of salmon. With so much competition advertisers are having to be more and more creative to stand out from the crowd.

Here are some of the ads that managed to stand head and shoulders above the competition

John West Salmon: Bear Fight

John Smith’s: Peter Kay ads

Sony Bravia: Bouncy Balls

Guinness: noitulovE

Compare the market: Compare the meerkat

Honda: Cog

Honda: The Impossible Dream

A while ago I wrote a blog about the effects of controversial advertising campaigns that Direct Response Advertising agents have used for the likes of Benetton over the years. The latest national campaign to cause a stir was designed to prove there is more to getting the message across than advertising on Google.

The 1.25 million ad campaign was intended to run on more than 11, 000 billboards and poster sites across the country and was backed by one of the biggest media owners in the sector. The three messages that were planned to run were: “Career Women make bad mothers”, “1966. It won’t happen this year” and “Educashun isn’t working”. Each of the ads asks the viewers whether they agree with the statement and pushes them to join a discussion on the website: Britainthinks.com.

The campaign, which launched with its first statement ‘Career women make bad mothers’ on Monday 4^th January quickly ruffled the feathers of women the length and breadth of the nation and an influx of angry and upset Mothers posted their rage on the Mumsnet website stating their contempt and hurt at the blazon statement.

The Outdoor Advertising Association had intended these posters run for a fortnight on buses and billboard sites but have had to be scrapped due to the bad attention it has received. The next to run is the statement “1966. It won’t happen this year” which is sure to risk offending football fans and rubbing salt in old wounds, but its got to be said that whilst this campaign has already offended a great deal of people, the attention it has achieved is exactly what it set out to do, which many UK Advertising Agencies often can only dream of.

In these current hard times of redundancies and the recession there is a large number of people looking for employment and it can be easy to get down about things. Many people get more and more discouraged as time goes by and they can’t find a position.

So what can job seekers do to make sure they stay positive when looking for work?

Well to start with making sure you partake in activities that make yourself feel good and highlight your strong points. If you are good with your hands why not volunteer to help build things in the local community or if you are good with an instrument you could volunteer to teach the instrument to local children. This will not only make yourself feel better but you can know you are making a difference to someone else’s life.

When looking for a job, you end up doing a lot of work that may not have an immediate outcome, so it is a good idea to set yourself tasks and activities with a tangible outcome. This can be something as simple as redecorating a room in the house or as complex as getting to grip with website design and building yourself a site on an area that interests you. No matter what it is, the feeling that you have accomplished something will make you feel great.

One of the worst things you can do while trying to stay positive is spending time with negative people, the ones who always see the cup as half empty. Talking to positive people is a great way of lifting your mood and reinforcing that everything will work out for the best.

Staying healthy and getting plenty of sleep always puts you in a good mood. It is very easy to get down and feel negative about things when you haven’t had enough sleep.

After a hard day of job hunting or interviews you should make sure you find time to relax and reward yourself. Whether it’s watching your favourite film or doing some exercise, you should make sure you allow yourself some time to take it easy.

Finding an accountancy job or an international job where there is a lot of competition can be a very stressful situation, so try following some of the tips mentioned in this blog to help you make it through.

Fishermen and Merchant Seafarers

Fishermen and Merchant Seafarer’s find themselves in the dubious position of working in the most dangerous profession in the country. The main reason for this is of course the unpredictable and treacherous seas. Since records of work related deaths have been kept, fishermen and merchant seafarers have topped the tables and are 50 times more like to die at work than anyone else. Currently 103 per 100,000 fishermen die each year, though incredibly high it is thankfully lower than the 1885 rate of 1 in 63 (10,000 a year) who perished while at sea.

Bomb and Mine Disposal

An unsurprising entry on our list Bomb disposal experts face danger and even death on a daily basis, thankfully though most survive which is why many have been nicknamed ‘Felix’ because they have nine lives like cats. Despite doing such a dangerous and important job the average disposal expert can look to bring home only £32,000 a year.

Oil and Gas Rigger

Oil and Gas workers have traditionally found themselves at risk due to the highly flammable and dangerous materials they find themselves working with day after day. The biggest cause of accidents is when rigs and pipes catch fire, though these are relatively rare when they do occur the lose of life can be high. In modern times rigs and are much safer but workers face a new threat. Terrorist have chosen oil and gas rigs as terrorist targets since the first Golf War. Some areas have become so dangerous for employees that oil and gas companies have been forced to withdraw there multi million pound operations from the area completely.

Construction Workers

Over the past five years 30% of all work related fatalities in the UK have come from the construction industry. Within the construction industry Scaffolders and Steeplejacks find themselves most at risk with 23% of all construction fatalities being caused by falls. As well as fatal injuries the industry also receive a high number of non fatal injuries. These can range from someone hitting their thumb with a hammer to more serious injuries such as white finger and Raynauds Disease.

Lorry & Commercial Driver

Commercial drivers are involved in 150 crashes up and down the country each day and are annually involved in 54,000 per year. Often the main cause of the crashes is the longer hours drivers often have to work caused by tight deadlines that many companies run by. 1-in-4 of road fatalities involves a driver at work.

War Zone Security Guard

The most recent entry on to the most dangerous job list, War Zone security guards are finding themselves working in the most dangerous places on Earth. Security Guards are often called in to work in highly dangerous areas, usually Iraq and Afghanistan to protect organizations and people. As part of their job them find themselves daily on the front line and often come under fire.

Buying a franchise is a great way to get into an area of business and to become a success. The franchisors have a business for sale and want you to succeed. They want to protect their brand and image so they will be giving you continuing support, making sure you are able to run the business and make it a success. The opposite of this would be to start your own business and try and compete against already established companies, so this is where the old saying comes into place. If you can’t beat them, join them.

But franchises will suit certain types of people. If you are strong minded and have to have the final say and decision on everything, then they may not be for you. You will be told what suppliers to use, what products to sell, how to recruit and generally how to run the business. You can look at this two ways, that the franchisors are nosey busy bodies who want to control everything or that they are trying to make your business a success by using tried and tested business techniques that has seen the brand through to its current success.

As a franchisee you will also have to pay a percentage of your profits to the parent company, but this cut will not be buying the owner a flashy car. Most of it will be being used to help promote the brand you are part of and help improve business techniques and improve training.

When choosing a franchise you should take a long hard look at what they offering you. Franchise business opportunities are a great fast low risk method of expanding a successful business in new areas and across the world. They will take the majority of the financial risk and will provide local knowledge to help you along. But you need to ask yourself whether the support, training, business techniques and brand will be worth the investment you will need to put in. In many business areas there will be competing franchises offering different deals and packages, so you should carefully think about which one will be the best for you and your business in the long run.

Most people are agreed that 2009 is going to be a tough year for everyone. Many of the world’s richest countries are already in recession and those that aren’t will likely enter it at some point soon. With all the economic turmoil it’s easy to see why so many companies are cutting back on there advertising spend. While this will indeed save some money in the short term, long term it could have a negative impact.

Advertising now could give your company an advantage over your rivals. While all your competitors are scaling back there advertising now could be the perfect opportunity to try and win over some of their customers. The right advertising campaign could easily capture the customers out there that still have money and are still spending freely. With little competing against your ad campaign it is likely to have much more impact. Any advertising initiative undertaken now could also give you a head start in the future.

Most of the world leading experts agree that the resurgence in the economy will start either this year or next. A great advertising campaign during 2009 could see your company in a prime position as the economy recovers and more and more people begin to spend again. Research has actually proven that continued and extensive advertising during a recession does benefit business in the long term. In one research carried out in 1985 companies who continued to utilise their advertising agency during an economic downturn saw sales rise 256% while another study in 2001 found that some companies grow there market share by 2 ½ times.

There are so many possible advertising outlets available to people at the moment that it would be a missed opportunity not to try at least some of them to help your business beat the crunch. An Ad agency is a good place to head for help and advice on the best way to make sure that advertising works for you. Their expertise could prove invaluable in positioning your company ahead of your rivals and making sure you can come out of this recession ready and waiting to take advantage of the up turn.

“Good things come to those who wait.” A well known and excellently marketed slogan designed by Guinness has been chosen as Britain’s most popular and the one that is used most often in everyday life.

A recent survey taken by one of the largest UK advertising agencies has shown that nearly 50% of people frequently use the famous line from the Guinness TV adverts. The survey taken by 2,000 people decided that the Tesco’s advertising slogan “Every little helps” featuring celebrities like Terry Wogan and Jane Hurrocks was in second just slightly ahead of the simple “It does exactly what it says on the tin” by household products company Ronseal.

In fourth was the catchphrase used by fast food giants McDonalds “I’m Lovin’ It” and in fifth came Budweiser with their iconic “Wassssuuuuupppp?” commercial which was used by school kids everywhere.

A slight surprise to be as low as sixth is Nike’s famous line “Just Do It” with British Telecom coming seventh with their classic “It’s good to talk”

Tony the Tiger from Frosties comes in at eighth with “They’re grrrrreat’” followed by Orange the mobile phone company with “The future’s bright, the future’s Orange” Another alcoholic drink finishes off the top ten with “Probably the best in the world” from Carlsberg.

These results show that the advert doesn’t have to be beautiful or expensive (although Guinness do usually win awards for their adverts) to get peoples attention. The Tesco’s and Ronseal adverts are very to the point showing that an effective and catchy slogan can stick in people’s minds. As you’ll see below the slogans are short, memorable and creates an amount of trust .

The results also shown that 80% of UK residents use famous advertising slogans in everyday conversation. The most vital statistic however for direct response advertising agencies is that nearly 40% of people will be more likely to purchase a product if it has a decent slogan or advertising campaign.