Mairi is the copywriter half of one of our Creative teams here at Signal. She helps turn a brand’s message into a conversation.

An interviewer once asked me ‘who would be your dream dinner guest?’ My answer is as certain today as it was then: Percy Pig. For those of you in the know, this needs no justification. But for those of you who need an introduction to this titan of the confectionery world, strap in.

In 2017, Percy Pig celebrated his 25th year as Marks and Spencer’s premiere chewy sweet. Since his debut, he’s travelled the world, had a family, invested in real estate and even got married to long-term love interest, Penny.

He’s a business mogul. A millennial icon. And most recently, he’s even dipped a trotter into the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), by removing all gelatine from his recipe.

This meant that almost everyone, veggie or otherwise, would be able to embrace this delicious porker - pork-free. And most importantly, the move implied that M&S were prioritising lessening their environmental impact even further, right down to their smallest team-member.

But as is now the tradition, when M&S announced that Percy would now be a pig of the people, the people did revolt. In small, Piers Morgan-sized numbers, but enough to cause a ripple in the internet. So now M&S have taken to Instagram to recruit 100 fans to form the #PercyPigPanel, and decide on the ultimate, Game of Thrones level plot-twist:

Should Marks & Spencer reintroduce pig parts to one special pack of Percy Pigs?

Obviously, this is not the first time a brand has done a U-turn. Some infamous examples include Gap’s universally hated rebrand in 2010. Or one that has somehow bypassed the pop culture subconscious: does anyone else remember when Pizza Hut tried to call themselves ‘Pasta Hut’?

 Nor are they the first company to attempt to capitalise on the growing veggie movement. The surprise hit of January 2019 was Greggs’ hotly (or at least ‘a wee bit o’ heat-ly’) anticipated vegan sausage roll. Seriously, if someone can get their hands on one for me, I’d greatly appreciate it...

 But the difference is, while Greggs and M&S were hit with both a mound of love and internet angst, Greggs stuck by their decision. And with some of the most delightfully satirical community management I’ve ever seen. M&S, however, seem to be giving themselves an excuse to back down.

Greggs on Twitter: "Doesn't really have the same ring to it… "

 So what does this mean for M&S? Does this change in stance signal that they value their customers’ opinions? Or does it mean that their attempt at CSR was merely them jumping on what they thought could be a lucrative bandwagon – only to jump ship when they realised their profits might start to sink?

It’s easy to see why brands can’t resist the lure of endorsing popular, social causes like vegetarianism or environmentalism. Often, they hold massive marketing wins, can be incredibly profitable and - from a creative perspective - can inspire some life-changing ideas.

But the danger begins when a brand has no authentic claim to its chosen cause; ‘brandwagoning’, as I like to call it. If they don’t actually care enough to follow through on a commitment - like pigless Percys - any previously warm messaging can come across as a mere marketing ploy. Worse still, some companies actively contradict their chosen cause; the most obvious examples are days like International Women’s Day, when some of the worst perpetuators of casual sexism come out to celebrate #Feminism. Such ‘brandwagonists’ risk devaluing the significance of the cause in the beginning.

When a social cause starts trending, it can become ‘trendy’ to jump on board the ‘brandwagon’. And as marketers, this is when we need to take a step back and make sure that we only get involved when it’s a trend that actually looks good on our brand. And not if we’ll look daft when someone asks us to defend our position.

Ultimately, authentic CSR has a sweet spot:

And if us digital marketers can spot it, it’s a win all round.

That’s not to say that your brand can’t change its ways. Maybe you’ve always been a huge environmental polluter. But now you want to clean up your act. That’s great - the polar bears thank you. But if you’re a huge environmental polluter except from #EarthDay when you make a point of sharing your new Keep Cups, the polar bears aren’t having it.

Overall, M&S actually have a good track record when it comes to sustainability. But their lack of pigheadedness in this case shows how easy it is to fall into the trap of inauthentic messaging. Perhaps the #PercyPigPanel (yes this has all been a shameless ploy to get me hired) will ultimately show that embracing vegetarianism is a good move for M&S. Perhaps not.

But for me, all it proves is that if your brand decides to take a stand, then make sure you can stand tall. If not, take a seat while you get to work on changing that.

Why have M&S been giving mixed signals about Percy Pig turning veggie? Could it be a prime example of brandwagoning?

Is your company guilty of 'brandwagoning'?

It’s February 14th. A day of love, lotharios and even arrow-punctured butts. But most importantly, it’s a day of passion.

As people who work in the creative industries, it’s no surprise we’re passionate about creativity. And it doesn’t stop when we leave the office. Here are a few labours of love our talented team-members try their hands at (when they’re off the clock):

“Outside the office, I like to tread the boards at our local theatres! My next musical exploit is West Side Story, coming up in Hereford in June. I also post covers of musical theatre songs (and other tracks) on YouTube.”

"I am chairperson of Puppet Animation Scotland. Unsurprisingly the organisation exists to nurture artists and promote the art forms of puppetry, animation and visual theatre. These are subversive artforms that allow stories to be told in imaginative and disarming ways. We run two major festivals each year, and we provide seed funding and mentoring to interesting creative projects. The board is full of creative people and I help with marketing and HR issues. It keeps me off the streets."

Find out more about Puppet Animation Scotland on their website, or check out manipulatefestival.org

“One of my passions is 3D animation and illustration. It's not too dissimilar to my role here, but having the freedom to explore and expand upon things without the confines of a client brief can lead to some pretty interesting (and surreal) results. Whether its a simple modelling project or an exploration of more complicated systems, it's always fun to create something from nothing and see where it ends up."

"I'm into crocheting at the moment, and one of my latest projects was inspired by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The pattern was provided by Stylecraft yarns & Janie Crow."

“Since I arrived in October, it's not really been the weather for me to reveal my passion. I have a small fashion brand devoted to beautifully crafted cotton shirt dresses, underpinned by the concept of luxury essentials with a focus on fit, fabric and quality. I spent months honing a shape that would work for women of all sizes (UK8 - UK18), researching the ultimate cottons and ensuring the best possible finishes. The result is a collection of timeless designs that simplify dressing in the morning and ensure effortless style. Most importantly, they are cut from fine fabrics that will last for years - this is not a fast fashion label.”

"I’m an Edinburgh based slow travel blogger at 'The Slow Travels'. Striving for sustainability and eco friendly tourism, sharing scenes of Scotland and beyond."

Follow Louise’s adventures on Instagram @theslowtravels or check out her website.

“As we are in a big pod, the tea/coffee making is a big task. I've have just finished my Python basic training and wanted to build something with my new-found skill. So I give you 'Whose Round?' my random tea making program."

Take a look at Philip's program to find out who is the ultimate tea-making champ in his team. 

ANDREW GIRDWOOD: HEAD OF MEDIA TECHNOLOGY

“Geek Native is a culture blog I started back before Dungeons & Dragons was cool again (it's cool now, by the way). The site is all about showcasing the interesting things gaming geeks get up to - as that's a far wider and more esoteric collection of awesome than getting your character beyond level 10.”

Head to Geek Native for more from Andrew (aka Girdy)

“After surfing in dirty water, I contracted cellulitis and ended up on an IV drip for a few delightful days in hospital. That’s when I decided I wanted to do more to protect our oceans. I wrote an article about the incident for Surfers Against Sewage. After meeting with their CEO, I now regularly design brand identities and social posts for them. The highlight so far has been seeing the ‘Message In A Bottle’ logo I designed being applied to a surfboard and displayed outside parliament as part of a (successful) attempt to encourage MPs to introduce Deposit Return Systems across the UK."

Find out more about Surfers Against Sewage on Instagram

“My passion is photography. I love taking photos of stuff and sometimes photos of people that don’t know that I’m taking photos of them…which isn’t great with GDPR but it really is the best way to capture natural and subtly dazzling shots that make you feel something when you look at them. I have taken photos of whisky, musicians - recently I shot Sigrid’s concert which was fun as she’s always cutting shapes about the stage - and my favourite thing I’ve shot was The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Oh, and NYC." 

“I spend a lot of my day behind a screen looking at the fine details. So in my free time, I like to be out in the world taking photos. Whether it’s the city, the countryside or getting nose to lens with a few neighbourhood cats.”

“Most of my weekends are spent covered in paint! I’ve got a passion for interior design and DIY…My husband and I spent last year renovating our 2 bed Morningside tenement flat. Then decided that wasn’t challenging enough. So we bought a 14 bedroom mansion…"

JEN LYLE & JOANNA HARROD: DESIGNER/STRATEGIST

“We have recently been indulging our passion for drawing and painting at @LeithArtSchool. After work, we get our hands dirty with charcoal, pastels and oil - and take time away from screens and devices in order to re-ignite our artistic fires.”

“One of my passions is DJing. I got into it far too late and I’ve been playing catch up ever since. I’ve always spent a wasteful/huge amount of time finding new music, listening to live sets and curating playlists. Now I’m putting it to better use and I've started playing at The Mash House in Edinburgh. I’m meticulous about the overall vibe a set needs to create and being able to adjust that on the fly is a really addictive challenge.”

“You can get pretty caught up only designing when at work for other people, so I set myself a challenge of designing four posters that I wouldn't mind hanging on my wall.”

"Ever since I got my teenage kicks in the punk clubs of Belfast, my passion has been going to live music. I even turned writing about it into a career for ten years. These days I prefer to take pictures – mostly for fun, occasionally for publication."

“Two things everyone knows about copywriters: we like writing and we wear daft clothes. My two passions are hats and writing, mainly short stories. I store them in my virtual hat box (each story is beneath an illustration of the hat I wore when writing it).” 

(Not quite a ‘passion project’, but a proper love story)

“My dad and uncle are the new stars of the Guinness Six Nations advert.

It's based on the true story of how my nan, before she passed away, asked them what they would like to spend her inheritance on. They replied with 'Beer and Rugby'. Her Welsh purse went with them wherever Wales played. It was in a few national papers last year, and they have spent the last two weeks putting this together."

Passion Projects - Gorge on our Creative Eye Candy this Valentine’s Day

A selection of delightful extracurricular creative projects from the Signal crew.

Most of the environmentally damaging products that get the David Attenborough’s of this world in a rightful funk are convenient solutions e.g. single use plastic bottles. The thing is, we’ve organised our society in such a way that everything is as convenient as possible. And changing our habits isn’t easy. So what part can us marketers play in breaking the deadlock?

There are already plenty of environmentally sound, sustainable products popping up on our social feeds, e.g. Chilly’s bottles and Wild Rubber. What these have in common, and where their charm comes from, is that they are creative solutions. If we reframe sustainability from a ‘cumbersome problem’ to a ‘creative challenge’, it’s easier to get everyone on board. 

Given that Christmas is often a time of over-consumption, it seems like the perfect opportunity to start making a few changes for the better.

I was able to pick up a few tips at the recent #GreenArts Conference. It’s an annual meet-up of eco warriors who are on a mission to make the Scottish cultural sector more sustainable. Again, creativity was a common theme of the event. Talks from The Scottish Government, workshops with Creative Carbon Scotland and chats with local arts organisations left me feeling energised and inspired - from more than just the six cups of tea in my reusable mug. 

With all that in mind, here are a few creative ways to add a little Green to your Christmas. After all: Christmas trees, The Grinch and even the mighty, Quality Street Triangles are already Green icons.

Each year, we throw away 277,000 miles of wrapping paper. Most of which is unrecyclable and ends up in landfill. Which means it’ll probably outlast the presents themselves - unless you’re planning on gifting a Christmas Pudding to the back of the cupboard. Instead, why not try:

Furoshiki - it’s a wonderful, traditional Japanese wrapping style using scarves. It’s very en vogue this year. And if they don’t like your pressie, they’ve also got a snazzy new scarf.


Brown paper - if you’d rather not go cold turkey on the wrapping paper, wean yourself in with brown paper instead. It’s entirely recyclable and looks Pinterest perfect with a sprig of holly - just make sure you stick it together with glue instead of tape.


Cardboard boxes - this is a great way to combine recycling and wrapping (10 points to Green Gryffindor). Just fill a cardboard box with shredded paper. It actually looks surprisingly Instagrammable. And let’s admit it, shredding is such a satisfying day in.

If you want to end up on Richard Attenborough’s Nice List, you might consider a vegan Christmas. But for a more crowd-pleasing way to have a green Crimbo, give these a go:

Quality Street - fun for Christmas day. Frustrating for the rest of the year when your Gran keeps the tins and fools you by filling them with sewing stuff instead. But the good, Green news is you can keep the outer wrappers and compost them. Save me a Purple One.

Crisps - thanks to Geraint Ashcroft who led a public campaign to encourage big companies like Walkers to take on the sustainability challenge, you can now recycle your crisp packets. Find out more about this and other TerraCycle schemes here.


Recycle your wrappers - unfortunately not all plastic tubs are recyclable. So if you can, avoid black plastic as the machines can’t recycle the carbon in it (just think ‘no coal for Christmas’ and you’ll be on the right track). In better news, when you’re dropping off your old plastic carrier bags in the supermarket recycling boxes, you can also recycle things like beans wrappers/bread wrappers/cereal inserts too here. Now you can have a guilt-free Christmas breakfast.

While you’re in the spirit of giving, give the planet a little TLC too. Catriona Patterson, the Green Arts Project Manager’s tip is to do a Secret Santa. “Less stuff, often more thoughtful and resource efficient.” Combined with the fun of wondering who picked your name out of the Santa hat, what’s not to like? So here are a few of our fave good-for-the-globe gifts:

Who Gives a Crap Loo Roll - need a daft Secret Santa pressie? This toilet roll is made from entirely recycled paper. Because why are we ‘wiping with trees’? Like it says on the very pretty packaging…


4Ocean bracelet - two wonderful, best pals from Florida (what a great start, eh?) started a global business paying fishermen to fish plastic out of our oceans. They then make these unisex bracelets from recycled glass and plastic bottles, and fund further sea-cleaning projects with the sale of each bracelet.

National Geographic magazine subscription - naturally the articles are all about that big green and blue guy we’re trying to save. But their team have also opted for a biodegradable cover to wrap it in.

Adopt a penguin - OK, so more than a stocking filler - unless you count John Lewis circa 2014. But from £3 a month with WWF, adopting a penguin is an alternative gift that keeps on giving. You’ll know you’ll be helping conserve one of winter’s favourite friends, keeping them safe from pollution - and truthfully it’s cheaper than a doggo in the long run.

And here’s one final reminder. When you’re out picking up the last bits and bobs, heed the advice of two of my favourite actors: don’t forget your reusable bags.

Creative ways to save the planet this Christmas

Insights from The Harper’s Bazaar Literary Salon.

Co-written by Signal copywriters Mairi Wilson and Emma Townley.

Often the role of us copywriters gets reduced to ‘they deal with the words’. And to an extent, it’s true. An iconic tagline or show-stopping headline, even a witty tweet - that is our job. But there’s a difference between a copywriter and a great copywriter. The art of storytelling is a big part of what takes our work to the next level.

Last Sunday, we attended the Harper’s Bazaar Literary Salon at The Ned in London. A day of enlightening talks and discussion from female writers, literary agents and publishers - some of whom were the reason we started writing in the first place. 

As budding authors ourselves, there was a lot to learn about the writing and publishing process. But it was also more relevant to us as copywriters than we might initially have realised.

Don’t worry, there’s no ‘once upon a time’ here. Although, storytelling has been an integral part of advertising since its earliest days. Advertising may have started as a means to sell products, but it quickly evolved into an industrial storytelling machine. 

All of the iconic, golden-age adverts which make up college syllabuses took products and turned them into stories, dropping the viewer into them simultaneously as reader and character. The copywriting heroes of old were great storytellers; far more than just the sum of their great lines.

As young creatives, we’re encouraged to look up to such copywriters. And most of us do. But there's a danger in looking solely at their taglines and posters for inspiration:

A. 99% of them are gents - these days, we’re looking for 50/50. 

B. It wasn’t their taglines that made them great, it was their storytelling.

What advertising and literature have in common

Often the worlds of literature and advertising feel divorced from one another. One is an investment of time for the reader and flexible to interpretation. The other is immediate and requires you to just ‘get it’. But there are many ways in which good copywriting and good literature conflate.

We came away from the Literary Salon feeling very inspired and there were several practicalities for us to take away and apply to our jobs as copywriters too:

It’s a writer’s job to reconstruct their world in their writing. We often get told as copywriters that bad adverts ‘hold up a mirror’ to people. But possibly there’s a way of doing it well. If we can hold up a mirror to people and say ‘this is you, what do you think about that?’, then we’re doing something right. Which is something novelist and political activist Elif Shafak noted during her talk on ‘The Power of Storytelling and Liberating the Female Voice’:

“At its core, storytelling helps us to look at the world from someone else’s perspective.”

The same technique should be applied to advertising. We need to drop ourselves into the minds of our customers if we want to understand their beliefs, and certainly if we want to challenge or change them.

You may have noticed the most pervasive YouTube comment under successful ads is ‘that really made me think’. Great writing tends to do that, whether it’s an advert or a brilliant novel (or even the ending to Inception).

2. Both have great, timely stories that elicit real emotion

Anyone can write. As in, anyone can pick up a pencil or knock together an email. You don’t need to be an author to know that dropping ‘kind’ from your ‘kind regards’ is savage. But being a writer is different.

The third talk of the day was about how to get your first book published, with advice on finding the right agent/publisher and not being put off when your work is rejected. As advertising creatives, we’re taught that our ideas are what make or break us - just as the story does for the novelist. 

Karolina Sutton, literary agent at Curtis Brown, argued that the mark of a great writer isn’t the ability to string a sentence together, but to “have a good story…[one which] feels urgent and relative to the time.” As writers, we work every day on our craft, but the magic comes from the stories themselves. We also have to be mindful about our work. When we have ideas, they can’t just be interesting. They’ve got to meet the brief and be ideas we’d be happy to turn into a finished ad if they get the green light. Just a few things to think about...

We need to have our fingers on the pulse, watching and observing real people so our stories and copy also feel real and relatable. The second talk featured Jessie Burton and Tessa Hadley, and was based around the theme of magic and realism. Ironically, as Jessie Burton pointed out, there’s a lot of “faking we do in order to make the story seem real.” We never want readers to say ‘as if! That would never happen’. But sometimes, in real life, strange or unbelievable things do happen. When writing, or coming up with ideas for brands, events need to seem real without seeming forced. A bit of a fine line. Good writers and great copywriters have the same talent: the ability to make the randomness of reality seem realistic and believable.

All of the speakers were a touch rebellious, which we loved. But more than that, none had taken the safe route. Justine Picardie (Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, and a woman we both idolise) “took an enormous leap of faith and quit [her] job at Vogue to finish writing” her novel. Likewise, Ali Smith wanted her amazing novel Autumn to be topical to a post-Brexit-referendum audience. So topical, that she asked to bring her publishing date forward, giving her a terrifying seven weeks to finish it (a process that usually takes several months at least). Brave ladies.

We should apply the same approach to copywriting. Perhaps not the job-quitting, but the passion and courage to try something new - even if we fall on our face a couple of times. 

Karolina Sutton also implored us to “finish our work” to a level we’re happy with. Which is easier said than done when you’re up against a deadline. But, if you really believe in your idea, don’t be scared to push back a little. You, as a creative, need to be happy with what you’re putting out. If you know it’s good, convince an agent or a client that it is. It’s a challenge. But you’ll all be winners in the end.

As you can imagine, writing a novel takes a lot out of you. And even in a room of esteemed writers, it’s good to know that they don’t always hit the nail on the head on the first try either. Tessa Hadley gave one of the most down-to-earth talks of the day, about her earlier work. She talked about persevering when your writing feels like it’s losing its way, even when “you cannot bear that stuff came out of you...you have to do it.”

Once again, it’s the same for copywriting. There’s a ‘tah-dah’ moment when you eventually find the right tagline. But until that point, you thrash around hundreds (sometimes literally) of terrible stinkers. But you have to persevere. Set yourself reasonable goals and you’ll learn to meet them. Whether that be writing 500 words a day or doing that little bit of proactive work for a client.

One of the best, and simplest, pieces of advice came from Alexandra Pringle (of Bloomsbury Publishing) - “read your work aloud.” It may be oft-repeated, but there are few better ways to determine if a piece flows, or if any strange sentences or cheeky spelling mistakes have been hiding in plain sight. It’s the detail that matters, and it’s worth that extra hour or two.

And for one final piece of advice, we look again to Justine Picardie.

Insights from The Harper’s Bazaar Literary Salon. Co-written by Signal copywriters Mairi Wilson and Emma Townley.

‘Wellness’ is a bit of a buzzword at the moment. It’s all over Instagram, Buzzfeed and the cover of almost every magazine that our mums buy.

But for once, it’s a buzzword that actually means something: taking care of yourself.

In 2016/17, 526,000 workers reportedly suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the UK, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Not only does that result in the loss of 12.5 million working days, but we believe it should never come hand-in-hand with working.

At Signal, we already get free fruit, a subsidised gym membership and a cycle to work scheme - cushty. But we wanted to kick the feel-good vibes up a notch. 

That’s why our Edinburgh and Cheltenham offices have both recently devoted a week to wellness; to find out how giving our bodies and minds a little extra TLC can help lift the spirits of everyone in the office.

Who would have thought stepping away from your desk would make you more productive? It’s true. Because instead of stressing (and stressing out everyone else), learning to take care of ourselves means we’ve got time for the important stuff - like doing the best work of our careers and being the best versions of ourselves outside of work.

Cheltenham’s Wellbeing Week took place in January. Our colleagues tried their hands at a number of healthy activities including fitness, yoga, massage and physio sessions.

And they rounded off the week with some therapeutic teas and a hearty, healthy breakfast - even creating their own pedal-powered smoothies.

In Edinburgh, we waited for the snow to finally clear up (or so we thought), and teamed up with our sister agency Leith for a Wellness Week in April.

Here’s what we got stuck into figuratively, foodily and as a consequence of trying out yoga. 

“If it hurts and tastes funny, it's good for me, yes?" 

It’s fair to say we were well-fed this week (pun intended). But with great power eating comes great responsibility to work it off again. So we alternated between healthy grub and all things active - ranging from the reassuringly gentle to the impressively acrobatic.

We started off with a little boost from Quay Commons. They delivered some organic smoothies that turned out to be as healthy as they were tasty. Loaded up with vitamins and made to improve digestion and encourage healthy bones (which came in handy later in the week), as well as promoting healthy cells and brightening skin. Get in.

Starting our #WellnessWeek off with a little boost from @QuayCommons 🥦🍅🍎🥕
•
•
•
#💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️WellnessWeek #InsideSignal #AgencyLife  #WellnessWeekEdinburgh #Smoothies #FruitJuice #Boost #Detox #GreenDetox #OrangeHealing #Recovery #Wellbeing #StateOfMind #FeelGood #Fitness #Health #HealthyLife #HealthyMind #WorkHardRelaxHarder #LeithShore #Edinburgh #DigitalAgency #🔴🔴🔴signal

Next up, was yoga. Take one barge, invite along local teacher Emma with ten yoga mats, and 20 would-be yogis and you’ve got yourself a yoga studio. At least - for as long as you can hold the pose without falling.

And even though not all of us mastered the perfect downward dog, we still felt better for the effort!

Wednesday: The Big Breakfast, Mindfulness and Massage

What’s the best way to start Hump Day? A fantastic breakfast we hear you say (go along with it, even if you didn’t). That’s exactly what we got.

Quay Commons brought up their treat-filled trays once again. This time, filled with deliciously fruity bircher muesli. We were offered a whole range from pear through to watermelon, each as delicious as the next. Although we had to hold back some staff and remind them that it wasn’t a buffet and that they had to share.

Cereasly delicious breakfast from @QuayCommons 🌾❤️🥣
•
•
•
#WellnessWeek #💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️WellnessWeek #InsideSignal #Signal #AgencyLife #AdvertisingAgency #Museli #BirchersMuseli #Granola #Breakfast #Fruit #Healthy #5aday StateOfMind #FeelGood #Fitness #Health #HealthyLife #HealthyMind #WorkHardRelaxHarder #Humpday #MorningMotivation #LeithShore #🔴🔴🔴signal

When you think of mindfulness, you probably picture a deathly silent room and a few confused faces. And you wouldn’t be wrong.

But it turns out there’s a lot more to it. Taking a few moments of meditation and mindful movement gave everyone a nice fuzzy feeling. Plus, even self-confessed slouchers like ourselves now have a new-found respect for sitting up straight. Take that stress/bad posture.

It also helped that our mindfulness instructor Stuart was also offering short massages to anyone who wanted one throughout the week. And relaxxxxxxxx.

Knot a bad way to start a Monday 💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♂️ •
•
•
•
#WellnessWeek #PopUpMassage #Signal #InsideSignal #AgencyLife #AdvertisingAgency #MuchZen #Health #Wellbeing #Relaxation #RelaxAndUnwind #MondayMassages #MiniMassage #HealthyLife #HealthyMind #WorkHardRelaxHarder #LeithShore #Edinburgh #🔴🔴🔴signal #💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️wellnessweek

Two things we are certain of: it’s pretty rainy in Scotland, and you can never have  enough cups of tea. So, we thought we’d combine the two, and switch a rainy Thursday afternoon for one flooded with tea.

Thanks to eteaket for bringing in a few of their tastiest flavours to try. Everything from their special Buckthorn morning pick-me-up to a love-it-or-hate-it Matcha latte. Special points to this one for #InstaValue.

thank you to @eteaket for the tea-licious treats💆🏻‍♀️
•
•
•
•
#WellnessWeek #💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️WellnessWeek #InsideSignal #Signal #AgencyLife #AdvertisingAgency #Tea #Rooibos #PurpleRain #ColourChangingTea #Matcha #MatchaTea  #HealthyStateOfMind #FeelGood #Health #HealthyLife #HealthyMind #WorkHardRelaxHarder #Humpday #MorningMotivation #LeithShore #🔴🔴🔴signal

Not too salty. Not too sweet. There’s a trick to making a delicious bowl of porridge - just ask Goldilocks! Luckily for us, Quay Commons were on the case again. Delicious, healthy porridge to kickstart our Friday. Can’t argue with that!

And for those up for a different kind of challenge, we finished off the week with a challenging session at Primal Gym. Think monkey-bars, rope-swinging, and everything you loved doing on the final week of P4 gym-class. Only this time, you’re an adult, and everything seems a lot more scary than when you were a kid.

Teams of five to seven took on the challenge. There were a lot of sore limbs the next morning. And a few smug face in Team 3 - the outright winners or ‘prime gymers’ if you will.

What better way to finish off #WellnessWeek than grown adults climbing walls and playing on monkey bars? 💪🏼
•
•
•
•
•
•
#💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️wellnessweek #WellnessWeek #InsideSignal #Signal #AgencyLife #AdvertisingAgency #Gym #PrimalGym #TeamWork #NinjaWarrior #Fitness #Gainz #HealthyStateOfMind #FeelGood #Health #HealthyLife #HealthyMind #WorkHardRelaxHarder #Humpday #LeithShore #🔴🔴🔴signal

We sent around a little survey to check in with our newly zen team. Out of 48 people who took part, only 14 thought workplace wellness was important at the start of the week. By the end, 34 did. That’s a massive 142% increase - who even knew numbers went that big…

And when we asked who’d want to do it again, almost everyone said yes. Or more accurately, “wellness week was WELL GOOD!” - we see what you did there. 

And while #WellnessWeek may be over, we’ve not given up our weekly yoga classes.

After all, the agency that Aums together stays together...

Shoutout to Mairi Wilson for co-writing this blog with me. If it wasn't for her, there would be spelling mistakes, grammar issues and way more GIFs.

From Noms to Aums: a week of wellness at work

How a week of healthy food, yoga and mindfulness helped highlight the importance of wellness in the workplace.

There are few industries quite so reluctant to join the online revolution as luxury fashion.

But then again, there are few experiences that seem quite as untranslatable to the online world as Haute Couture.

The luxury fashion market has sewn its foundations into sensory experience. Shopping at a high fashion boutique is a process; from the bespoke world created in store, right down to the artistry and craftsmanship of the garments themselves. The luxury price tag owes a few of its zeros to both of these elements - which are difficult, but not impossible, to recreate online.

But as London Fashion Week closes its wardrobe doors for another season, we’ve been asking if luxury fashion should continue to exclude itself from the highly lucrative world of e-commerce and, just as importantly, can it?

When do we want them? Next day delivery please.

Writing for The Economist, Imran Amed states:

"In 2018 savvy brands will nevertheless find an opportunity for growth thanks to the rise of digital technology and social media. … [Millennials], Bain [& Company] reckons, will account for 45% of luxury-market consumption by 2025. The industry’s future depends on them."

It’s unlikely that there’s a major retail brand out there that doesn’t have a department dedicated to tempting this elusive market into its ranks. But for luxury fashion, Amed reasons it’s a necessity for survival. 

And for once, there’s a piece of the pie up for grabs. Young people value authenticity. We appreciate stories, and we’re looking for a chance to be part of them. We’re looking to join a movement.

Ironically, for a generation that thinks mortgages are a wee bit expensive, less than one in five of millennials polled in America think “luxury brands are a waste of money”. Essentially, the authenticity at the heart of luxury fashion resonates with us, and outweighs the price-tag.

And there are other parallels between millennial and high fashion ethos.

Fashion has always been a dictator of culture. When Dior ‘created’ the feminine silhouette of cinched waists, it was to counteract the seriousness of a post-world-war world; to add a little much-missed frivolity.

Almost 80 years later, Dior still upholds its position as cultural dictator. Its first female Creative Director’s (Maria Grazia Chiuri) iconic feminist t-shirts are celebrated across social media, slotting in nicely with the trend of Instagram activism.

Dior - S/S 2017 (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) & S/S 2018 (Linda Nochlin)

Dior has aligned itself with an online and vocal feminist community - a community with both gravitas and a healthy bank balance. Smart move. And they’re not alone in spotting the potential in aligning with a worthy cause. Just this month, Burberry announced its allegiance to three LGBTQ charities with a PRIDE edition of its iconic fabric.

In targeting these communities in the spheres where they are most vocal, luxury fashion is cementing its position in their minds and Fendi purses.

So, it feels like a natural next-step to move from social engagement to e-commerce. But where Burberry has recently signed a distribution deal with UK-based web retailer Farfetch, Dior remains uncompromisingly offline.

And they’re not alone. What this creates is a disappointing customer journey. Few of those who embody and adhere to the ethos these brands perpetuate on social media can actually follow through and buy.

But where they can complete their journey, there is creative success. Gucci, who made headlines with their appointment of Alessandri Michele, a relatively unknown designer, have seen profits rise in tandem with their increased online profile. Their customer journey is a cohesive, gorgeous delight. The Instagram content and e-commerce world fit together like a well-tailored Gucci suit. And with a complete break from high fashion rules - an online exclusive collection - it’s easy to see why 50% of Gucci’s sales are from millennials (Forbes).

What Gucci, and its sister brand YSL, excel at is creating a cohesive customer journey. A stunning social media world that stitches seamlessly with their e-commerce site. They’ve managed to recreate, in part, the experience of shopping in a Gucci boutique.

Writing for Drapers Online, Harriet Brown suggests there's even more to be gained from high fashion’s progress to e-commerce. She prompts:

"The timing for the shift to online also reflects a tipping point in tech, as brands are now able to create a bespoke luxury experience online, both in terms of customer service and brand identity."

This is the second part of the boutique experience: personalised service; a key part of high fashion. This is harder to replicate in the online experience, and relies, in part, on advancements with targeting and tech. But call me old-fashioned (pardon the pun) and a little biased, but a good copywriter can work wonders for your brand. YSL have ‘Client Services’ instead of the familiar ‘Contact Us’. It’s a simple, but subconscious nod to the expectations of their customers.

To counterpoint, this is what greets you at Marc Jacobs:

M.J. have spotted that their target market for their website are in search of community. And their copy reflects this.

Recreating a high-end and valuable online shopping experience definitely looks to be the main challenge of Haute Couture e-commerce. But an appreciation of both the millennial market and the expectations of online marketing, shown by these brands, prove it’s possible, and definitely profitable. 

With brands like Gucci and Marc Jacobs leading the way with e-commerce - and succeeding - it looks like others will soon follow suit. And it’s those who adopt social and e-commerce as a part of their brand world, instead of depart from it, who’ll gain the most.

The final hurdle for Haute Couture is to find a way to replicate the tangible, sensory feeling of their garments themselves. Obsess, an app designed to allow brands to create an immersive VR shopping experience from your mobile, is still in its infancy. But once its full potential is realised, we could see experiences such as the Gucci site made fully immersive. Will others then join in the fun?

London Fashion Week is no longer only accessible via a ticket or a copy of Harper’s Bazaar. It’s watched and enjoyed through the mobile phone screens of those recording it from the front row, and the budding fashion experts who play back all the action on Instagram Stories at home.

In future, luxury fashion will do well to think of these tiny screens from the moment they design a wicker basket bag, right down to the ‘add to basket’ button.

Why e-commerce should be the height of fashion

How the luxury fashion market can make the transition to online retail without losing its premium status.

Christmas adverts. Love them or loathe them, they’ve become as much of a tradition as dodging sprouts and dodgier Secret Santa pressies.

This year, generating some online buzz around the ads feels just as important as the ads themselves.

But are big brands using the full potential of social media to not just live up to the public’s expectations, but surpass them?

Some 22 years ago, Coca Cola’s respectful December entrance to our television screens heralded the entrance of Christmas. And it kept a tight grip on this title until 2011.

Enter ‘The Long Wait’ - the first of a long line of adverts which managed to seamlessly show zero products, whilst simultaneously making me want to buy everything from John Lewis. To pull from the soundtrack of my personal favourite from the JL canon, they sure understand the power of love.

But this year, with almost every door on the Christmas advert calendar opened by mid-November, we’ve found ourselves asking, does this strategy still work?

The queue inside John Lewis may give the answer shareholders care about. But so far on social media, there seems to have been a lukewarm reaction to the adverts - could this be a warning that the great British public might not be so easily bought next year?

It’d be a brave brand to forgo its Christmas marketing budget completely. So, which household names have spotted the importance of social media, and are using it to its full potential?

Here are the brands we think have taken their Christmas game up a gear in 2017.

As advertising creatives, our narcissistic side would love to believe we have ardent fans following all of our work. But truthfully, few adverts have the Stan potential the John Lewis ads have claimed.

There is undoubtedly an appetite to discuss and debate these ads in detail, particularly in the Twittersphere. An awareness of this captive audience saw John Lewis and M&S release both a teaser and a ‘Coming Soon’ video. With everyone speculating as to who was #UnderTheBed - was it a cat, a monster, the set of Season Three of Stranger Things? - this was a bold move. Your advert is already up for speculation and ridicule even before it's released. But it’s also a guaranteed way to get your brand trending on social a full week before you release the big dogs.

Plus, shout out to the creatives who argued that Christmas adverts deserve the same (and frankly better) cinematic treatment as the 50 Shades of Grey franchise.

Few brands have done this quite so successfully as Aldi.

Back for a second year in the spotlight, Kevin the Carrot is everywhere on their social channels. But they’re not spending their marketing budget trying to make you fall in love with Kevin. They’re just trusting you will.

Instead, they’re using him to sell their products, from Prosecco to Parma ham. It’s working - and I’m sure they’ve shifted more than a few carrot toys too.

As a copywriter, I’ve always had a soft-spot for long copy. So fair play (and thank you) to Aldi for bucking the trend that intricate copy (check the credits) has no place on social media with their movie-poster social spots.

Sure, everyone has a #. It might make you say ‘so what?’. But take one of our office’s favourite Christmas adverts from Vodafone, and the lack of # immediately stood out.

We loved the ads, but a quick Google of #Vodafone and you’ll sadly only find negative reports about their network coverage - oops. Seems like a wasted opportunity to us.

Boots Christmas | TV Advert 2017 | #ShowThemYouKnowThem

Unlike Boots, whose #ShowThemYouKnowThem is central to their advert and online campaign. It asks people to share their gifting stories – hopefully no Christmas spoilers – alongside a tidy collection of gift guide videos and Facebook catalogue ads. Smart.

A quick scan of John Lewis’ Facebook, and you’ll quickly realise that Moz and the team have been hard at work tackling every form of tech, from interactive storybooks to Spotify.

For me, the Facebook filter immediately stood out as an awkward antagonist to Snapchat. But with an older target audience for both Facebook and John Lewis, have they got it bang on?

And complementing their on-screen effort, McDonald’s have created a reindeer Snapchat lense. Very cute, and only unlockable in store.

TK Maxx entered the Christmas race with a colourful, eclectic effort - exactly what we’ve come to love and expect. But TK Maxx have gone one stage beyond all the others, and lay their social strategy right at the heart of their TV spot.

It prompts you to go online for a chance to secure your very own white Christmas. Or, you can go in store and find one of their hidden snow globes for another chance to win.

They’ve taken the brand-truth that shopping at TK Maxx is effectively a treasure-hunt, and injected a hefty dosage of Christmas spirit. The genius here is not only a fully integrated social and TV strategy, but almost guaranteed potential for some user-generated content. And for taking this snow-loving strategy right down into their community management, we give them extra kudos.

Lastly, Debenhams’ TV spot transposes the traditional Cinderella story into the online world in a charming, theatrical romp. Thus far, ironically, it doesn’t have much social extension beyond the advert itself. But by being (IMO) the most romantic, will it take Debenhams up a level all on its own? Without any Christmas bells and whistles, the original John Lewis adverts had just that effect. So, I guess it’s watch this space…

Mairi Wilson

Copywriter

Is your company guilty of 'brandwagoning'?

Passion Projects - Gorge on our Creative Eye Candy this Valentine’s Day

Creative ways to save the planet this Christmas

Why advertising needs great storytellers

From Noms to Aums: a week of wellness at work

Why e-commerce should be the height of fashion

What does social media mean for the Christmas advert race?

17 years later, and we’re still asking ‘what do women want?’

Cheltenham

Edinburgh

London