All posts by roger

Are you glad they let Sue Barker nuke the Go Compare opera singer

Marketing

Do annoying adverts work? When you see one on TV that makes you want to put your foot through the screen do you then buy their product or use their service?

Look at the Go Compare opera singer ads. They make me dive for the mute button the second that chubby guy with the scary moustache appears and starts to tenor. Do you do that? I’ve seen people post on Twitter that they want to take a base ball bat to him. Or that they would like to do unspeakable things to the agency that created the campaign.

nuke the go compare opera singer

When I was learning the ropes as a marketing assistant I learned about the traditional advertising formula of AIDA.

  • Attract the customer’s ATTENTION
  • Arouse INTEREST in your product or service.
  • Create a DESIRE for it
  • Make the customer take an ACTION – like buy your product

Whilst the singer might attract your attention for a moment, it seems he doesn’t arouse interest. More like derision that leads to an action like muting the sound. Plus it creates hoards of very annoyed people. And yet many months later when those same people get their insurance renewal they remember that jingle that was burned into their brain. And they buy from Go Compare.

So the opera singer has been very successful in building brand recognition and for that we will get no apology from their marketing people or their advertising agency.

But here’s the best bit. I always thought that eventually they should do an advert where THEY hit the mute button themselves. Well they went much further than that by getting Sue Barker to fire a bazooka at him. By suddenly doing exactly what everyone has been wanting to do they have turned a huge population of alienated and annoyed people into happy people engaged with the brand.

That is the genius of this latest instalment of the campaign.

Over to you: There are some great adverts out there and there are many more annoying one. Please share your favourites old and new. And I mean your favourite “good” ones and your favourite “bad” ones. Leave a comment below.

Is yoga any good for men or should they stick to running and weight lifting?

Fitness and Yoga, , , , , , ,

There are usually just two reasons why men will try a yoga class.

The first one is that they are dragged, usually kicking and scream, by their girlfriends or wives. These are the hardest for teachers like me to win over. They’ll stand there with a sullen look whilst I explain the basics, arms folded in defensive defiance.

And the second reason is that they are referred to class by their doctor or specialist because of an injury. I had one of these last night. His knee needed strengthening and the doctor told him that standing yoga poses would be of great therapeutic benefit. He didn’t look sullen nor were his arms crossed but he did look mildly worried.

yoga any good for men

Yoga has an image problem when it comes to men. Perhaps they think that it is something fluffy that just girls do. Or perhaps they think that it isn’t hard enough. Especially those who spend hours pumping weights or running until the treadmill is worn out.

The trouble is that all that pumping and all that running without an associated stretching regime can reduce flexibility and leave them prone to injury. Which is exactly why they should try yoga in the first place.

Despite their initial reluctance I find that once a bloke has been to a yoga class the chances are he will come back again. Because he will feel the benefits of the strengthening and the stretching and how it compliments his pumping and his running. He will see the improvement in his flexibility and his posture almost immediately. For single guys there’s also the added bonus that as a result of other men’s preconceptions there are rather a lot of girls in the class.

So is yoga any good for men? Absolutely. Yoga is great for men. The problem is getting them into the studio in the first place. So girlfriends and wives; please keep dragging them in kicking and screaming. Doctors and specialists; please keep on referring the injured.

I’ll keep on working on making them converts.

Over to you: Are you a guy who has been either dragged kicking and screaming into a yoga class or referred by a doctor? Or have you gone along because you heard about the benefits and how it would help with your other exercises? I’d love to hear your stories. Please leave a comment below and share your experiences.

If you think yoga is too easy – try Power Yoga. I bet you’ll sweat and find it really challenging.

The three minute 2012 Wimbledon tennis experience video

Entertainment, , , , , ,

Tennis is my favourite spectator sport. In truth it is the only sport that I can watch for hours on end. I hate Football. It annoys me and I hate all the posing and WAGery that surrounds it. Rugby is tolerable as long as the action is fierce. Golf is like watching paint dry. But a good long tennis match can provide edge of the seat excitement.

My earliest memories of tennis are watching Wimbledon finals as a child. I remember the five set marathon between Bjorn Borg and huge American ace serving Roscoe Tanner, and the “You cannot be serious” ranting outbursts of John McEnroe. Over the years I’ve followed Lendl, Becker, Sampras and shared the futile desire to see Henman and now Murray struggle to get their hands on the championships title.

But I’ve never ventured off the sofa and into a proper tournament until recently. I recent went to Wimbledon in week one to entertain some journalists and we enjoyed lunch and afternoon tea at the “Wimbledon Tennis Experience” before taking a wander around the courts.

Henman Hill is not as big as I thought. There are many restaurants and bars and everyone was dressed smartly for the occasion. Including the incredibly polite members of staff. What a contrast Wimbledon is to grubby football stadiums with their aggressive and unfriendly bouncers.

Wimbledon tennis experience video
Maria Sharapova on Number One Court
Sitting on a sweltering Number One Court we caught the end of an exciting match between Sharapova and Pironkova. My goodness doesn’t Sharapova make a noise when she hits the ball? What a racket!

As my skin began to tan, Brit James Ward came onto court to take on the American with the great name, Mardy Fish. And take him on he did. Ward hung on for 5 sets much to the approval of the crowd who always like to cheer for the British underdog. There were some real tense moments and everyone roared for more.

Other things I loved about Wimbledon:

  • The ball boys and girls choreographed moves are great to see. You miss this on TV. They obviously receive quite regimented training.
  • PIMS , the must have drink, is like weakly alcoholic coke but refreshing and welcome in the blazing heat.
  • The feeling that you are in a posh little village rather than a soulless stadium.
  • The slow hand clapping when a player challenges a line call.
  • The strawberries, naturally, but I put black pepper rather than cream on mine.
  • Lansons Black Label Champagne.

Check out my three minute Wimbledon Tennis Experience video which I think captures the atmosphere and thrill of this amazing competition.

If you liked the video please click on this link to tweet it.

What a great day out, and a flight delay on the way home meant that I watched Nadal getting slaughtered on a TV in the BA lounge. I fully intend to venture off my sofa another time. I should never have waited so long.

Over to you: Have you been to Wimbledon? What did you think? Who did you see play? Did you capture any interesting photos or video? Please leave a comment below and share your links and stories.

British Airways UK domestic two minute trip report video

Travel, , , , , , , ,

Here’s a little travel experiment. I set myself the challenge to create a trip report video that lasts less that 2 minutes. It’s harder than I thought to get across all the experiences of the flight in that time. And of course you cannot use electronics during take off and landing so there’s no footage of that.

So here is my two-minute trip report video of a British Airways UK domestic flight from Edinburgh to London Gatwick.

If you liked this video please click this link to Tweet it.

Over to you: I hope I’ve started something here and will find other travellers making two-minute trip reports. If you have one please post a link to it by leaving a reply below.

Here’s a picture from the return trip.

British Airways UK domestic trip report video
BA Lounge T5 Heathrow