Accident Claims Help Change Irresponsible Employers

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Alex

When people make accident claims against their employer their main interest may be in the accident compensation that they’ll receive. This is perfectly fine as they may need the money to cover expenses that arose from their injury, or to make up for any wages that they lost whilst they were unable to work. The employer’s insurance company pays out on behalf of their employer (if the accident claim is successful) as the employer has failed to look after the safety of their employees.

However, there is a bigger picture than just the settlement between the employer and the employee. An employer who is forced to pay out accident compensation for an accident at work claim isn’t going to want the same situation to happen in future and so will look at what caused the accident and address whatever issues may exist. This means that the accident claim launched by the injured employee has saved other workers from going through the same thing.

The employer may very well take it one step further and conduct a full health and safety review of all their employees’ workspaces. This is the ideal way to address an accident claim. The compensation is of course important, but the employer also needs to realise that they need to change their ways if they want to look after their employees properly.

If you believe you have a valid accident claim then you should collect as much information about your injury as you can and then consult an expert accident solicitor.

When Branding goes Wrong

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Geoffrey

It’s the dream of all UK Advertising Agencies to come up with branding that is that good it is universally recognised and appreciated. Take Coke Cola or McDonalds, we all recognise the infamous golden arches and coke cola swoosh’s, wherever we are in the world and when you achieve a formula that works and get an image and logo that is right then many people agree that it is best to leave it as it is. Why fix something that is not broken?

Unfortunately, one of the most recognisable brands in the world, Gap, decided that it was time for a makeover and having spent thousands of pounds rebranding their ever popular logo which is the blue box with capital letters reading ‘Gap’, they changed it to a white box, with a small blue box sitting over the letter P.

There was an online furore with 2, 000 people protesting through Facebook and Twitter collecting 5, 000 followers along with a ‘Make your own Gap logo’ site that went viral. Gap were forced to reconsider the launch of their new logo and in the end opted to do an embarrassing U turn on the whole thing. They have decided that if the Brand needs evolving in the future they will be much more inclusive and listen to what their consumers would like.

Gap is not the only corporation to get things very wrong. The Royal Mail decided in 2001 to rebrand their postal service and call themselves Consignia, after spending £2 million on the venture, they reversed the changes 16 months later.

If you are considering rebranding, then before you start to spend thousands of pounds it might be an idea to test the market and see what consumers views are on your existing brand first.

Facebook Furore

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Geoffrey

The leading social media network Facebook is once again in trouble regarding privacy issues. This time it concerns some of the popular applications on Facebook which can pass on the user’s identity and that of their friends to internet tracking agencies. It can affect even the most diligent of users who have the highest privacy settings.

Popular applications like FarmVille and Texas Hold em up were just two of many applications that grab a users ID number which is unique and transmits personal information to external companies. The data that can be captured allows these companies to look up the users name and also reveals any data that has been set to be visible to everyone on the site, which in turn means visibility across the internet.

Gaining data from users and friends ID’s allow companies to build up an individual profile of the user and many UK Advertising Agencies benefit from this by achieving highly targeted ads that go direct to the user based on their detailed profile, likes and dislikes etc. This is widely used across the internet and whilst it is not new, the latest revelation with Facebook which could affect the 500 million members is cause for concern as many people don’t know what data is held about them personally.

It has also been revealed that many people’s phone numbers are retained by Facebook without their knowledge, by capturing the details when the user uploads photos from their mobile phones or external systems on to their profile page.

How are you protected when making a Work Accident Claim?

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Alex

If you have had an accident at work then you may very well be entitled to accident compensation if the accident was somebody else’s fault. Making a compensation claim in instances like this is important as you may have extra costs to cover as a result of the accident as well as deserving some form of compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve been through. Another benefit that is often overlooked is that by bringing whatever caused your accident to your employer’s attention in a way that they can’t ignore you force them to address the problem so that nobody else needs to suffer.

Despite this, many people don’t pursue their work accident claim as they fear reprisal from their employer. It’s perfectly understandable as nobody wants to lose their job especially with the current economic climate, and being passed over for the next promotion or pay rise can be a concern as well. Luckily, claimants are protected against these sorts of practices by law as well. If an employer begins discriminating against an employee that launched an accident claim against them then the employee can bring them in front of an employment tribunal.

This is one of the measures, along with things like ‘No Win No Fee’ claims, which open up the civil courts to everybody, rather than just those that can afford to do so. By ensuring an employer can’t dismiss an employee if they make a legitimate accident claim, or if they suspect they may have an accident claim, people don’t have to worry about sacrificing their job and livelihood by pursuing justice.

The Immediate and Ongoing Results of a Work Accident

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Alex

If you have an accident at work then there can be plenty of things to worry about. The first and most prominent thing in your mind will probably be the immediate pain that you have to deal with as a result of the accident. The amount of pain you suffer will depend on the severity of your injuries.

If your injury has an ongoing effect on your physical fitness or still causes you pain long after the accident leading to it took place, then this will also weigh heavily on your mind. You may find that you are unable to do the job you had previously been doing, or find that it is nearly impossible for you to do any work at all.

If your injury is bad enough to stop you working or permanently affect your health then you may well need to make adjustments to the way you live. These can range from having new equipment installed in your home to help you get around better, to needing to use a wheelchair, to having to move homes altogether or receive round the clock care.

If the accident at work was not your fault but was caused by somebody else’s carelessness, even if that person was your employer through negligence, then it is only fair that they compensate you for the injuries that they are responsible for. Receiving work accident compensation is best done by contacting No Win No Fee accident solicitors and having them investigate your case.

How to Write a Good Advert

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Geoffrey

Millions of pounds are spent on advertising every single month across the world. Advertising is a huge industry and one that people can make a lot of money from. Small businesses right up to global enterprises use advertising and often utilise the skills of UK Advertising Agencies to manage their campaigns

Many companies can spend a fortune on advertising but can get things scarily wrong. Even the perfect placement in a magazine with good and relevant readership cannot guarantee sales. People don’t buy a magazine to look at your advert. You need to be creative and draw that potential customer in.

The design needs to be clear and concise. It’s all very well having a glorious and sophisticated advert that is clever on many levels but unless it clearly states what you are advertising and the benefits this has to the customer then people will turn the page. Similarly, if the advert is too plain, albeit clearly telling customers what the advert is about, people will be less likely to be drawn to it and turn the page still.

The main thing people want to know when they look at an advert is ‘What will it do for me’. You have to sell the benefits. Whether that is making the customer more beautiful, saving them money or making them healthier, the customer has to see a clear benefit your product or service offers.

Once you have them captivated, which a good Direct Response Advertising agency will achieve, then you have to prove the benefit somehow. A testimonial is always a good option here. To finish, a successful advert will have some kind of ‘call to action’ whether that’s ‘Call us now’, ‘Request a Brochure’ or whatever else you choose.

Bearing these points in mind should help you along the way to writing a good advert and remember there are many good advertising agencies out there that can help with your campaigns.

Facebooks advertising revenue to reach £1bn

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Geoffrey

Facebook has just released a forecast for its advertising revenue for next year that cites the company will make just over 1 billion pounds. Facebook was created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and several of his college roommates whilst studying at Harvard University and has seen its popularity increase over the past few years immensely.

People could be wrong in thinking that this will be a trend within the online advertising market as other companies such as MySpace have unfortunately reported 14% shrinkage in their advertising revenues.

Facebook now has over 500 million users globally and relies on 65% of its revenue from the US. It is very big news that it has now dwarfed its rival MySpace that is currently owned by Rupert Murdoch’s news corporation. With advertising profits rising by 165% since 2009 the company is set to soar even further over time and reach its own goal of 1 billion users in the near future.

Most of Facebooks revenue is served by its advertising partner Microsoft in the form of Banner advertising. Facebook has a much lower click through rate than many other large websites but is still extremely successful and used by many UK advertising agencies.

One of its reasoning’s for its low click through rate is its reckoning that many of its users are very young and technically minded and in turn use advert blockers to bypass adverts. It has been reported that some adverts used within Facebooks wall posts have had click through rates as high as 6.49%, which is one of the reasons as a Direct Response Advertising Agency there is no better time to start using social website Marketing.

Cornwall Village for Sale

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Alex

cornwall-village Cornwall is one of the busiest and highly sought after location for family holidays and is now hosting a quite unique battle between one of its villages and a local school.

Residents of the small village of Trevalga are coming to terms with the news that their homes could be sold due to a loophole in the law that was recently discovered.

The small hamlet of Trevalga was left to the local public school Marlborough College back in 1959 by Gerald Curgenven, a trust was set up to ensure that the estate and its buildings would be maintained for future generations. The ex-pupil and lord of the manor’s original agreement has been marked as legally flawed by the local public schools solicitors and as a result the school has decided to sell the entire 3,000 acre estate. The £28,000 per Year College has cited that the original agreement contained no end date and no ultimate beneficiary which is enough to cancel the arrangement.

Many of the local inhabitants are facing an unclear future and have formed a campaign called ‘The Battle of Trevalga’. The village is nestled between Tintagel and Boscastle both tourism hotspots for Family Holidays with no holiday parks situated in the vicinity.

The estate is expected to go on the market at the end of the summer for an estimated ten million pounds. Property developers and holiday parks are expected to be very interested in the estate due to the sheer size and location.

One great concern from the residents newly formed group is that villages in the past have been ‘trashed’ by large scale buying. It is suggested that if the estate was sold off as second homes or turned into holiday parks it would go against Gerald Curgenven’s original plan for safeguarding the hamlet.

At present, the entire village is occupied by locals and does not have any holiday lets or holiday parks within the area making it a very viable business opportunity.

The campaigners plan to launch an appeal against the college’s action but fear that if all else fails then hopes of a sympathetic buyer could be slim.

What Does No Win No Fee Really Mean?

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Alex

No Win No Fee Accident Claims have been around for centuries and there has, in the past, been some controversy surrounding them. Nowadays, that controversy is long buried and the No Win No Fee structure is one that’s advantageous to both the client and the solicitor.

Previously, a No Win No Fee arrangement would be entered into and it meant exactly that. If the lawyer pursuing the No Win No Fee Injury Claim didn’t succeed in the case then the client would not have to pay them anything. However, if the lawyer won, then not only did the client have to pay the standard fees, but in most cases they would also have to pay a ‘success fee’ to the lawyer, which is where the controversy arose. Although it meant that anybody could pursue a lawsuit, regardless of their financial situation, it also meant that people would see any compensation they received dramatically reduced as they then had to pay the lawyer.

This all changed in 2000, when the Access to Justice Act 1999 allowed success fees to be recovered from the losing party. With the standard lawyers fees also able to be recovered from the losing party, there now exists a ‘No Win No Fee, Win No Fee’ agreement. The lawyer agrees not to charge the client if they don’t win, but if they do win it is the losing party that must pay all of the lawyer’s fees. This means that victims can keep 100% of their compensation and has removed the controversy that previously existed in the No Win No Fee field.

So, what does No Win No Fee really mean? Well, it means that whether you win or lose you don’t pay a penny.

Media Sector set to lift

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Geoffrey

It has been a turbulent old time for Direct Response Advertising and other elements of the media sector which over the last three years have seen a drop in revenue. Today there seems to be a surprise recovery though on the global advertising markets, having seen for the past three months some positive growth. Some large UK Advertising Agencies have actually boosted their forecasts for industry spending this year by more than 50 per cent and have predicted a further spike in 2012 which can only be good news for an industry that has been suffering.

Drastic falls in advertising have historically been followed by a good rebound approximately three years later, so for example, after the big slump of 1991, spending went up by 6.8 per cent three years later. The same can be said for the dotcom bubble when spending went up 7.4 per cent about three years later.

Whilst the media industry diversifies all the time and opportunities arrive in all manner of new places like online, via mobile phones and even through television programmes with the latest allowance of product placement then the scope for companies to get their products and messages across to consumers is as exciting and innovative as ever. Companies need to lead with their innovations and pave the way against their competitors in what is an incredibly cut throat, competitive industry. Consumers are more demanding than ever and expect great value for money along with well designed, high quality finished products.

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