So much of my focus as a planner is at the start of the communications process: is the consumer insight right?  Is the brief right?  Is the concept right?  Is the targeting right? How will we know if it is successful?  But the actual execution of the piece – especially a personalised mailing – can make all the difference. 

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve received two mailings using a very similar creative idea.  The first a Dine Around offer from Amex - every time I use my card to pay for a meal in selected restaurants I will be entered into a prize draw to win a holiday.  A good offer, but the execution let it down: a long, large envelope contained a much smaller folded piece, which it took me a moment to realise was supposed to be a napkin.  It was just a folded piece of card at first glance. 

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Around about the same time I received a mailing from The Marketing Society about the annual Scottish dinner.  This was a standard size envelope, but contained a real paper napkin, overprinted with a call to action to book.  Excellent production values – putting the Amex piece to shame. And I wonder if it was that much more expensive to produce?  

We’re in the midst of moving to Glasgow at the moment – moving house, moving the fraoch office and moving the McKinlay Kidd office.  Yes, it’s a stressful time, but also exciting.  We first got the keys to our Glasgow flat on 31 March, and although we move properly at the end of this week, we’ve already spent a couple of nights there in a very minimalist environment – futon to sleep on, bar stools to sit on and table football to keep us amused! 

The Ultimate Gift hd The flat – and base for the fraoch office for the foreseeable future – is in Cowcaddens, just to the North of Glasgow City Centre, three to four minutes’ walk from Sauchiehall Street – a world away from the peace and quiet of an Edinburgh suburb.  In the vicinity we have a police station, ambulance station and Strathclyde firemen’s training college…and some of the training seems to be how to use the sirens!  And even though we’re further from the river and sea than we are in Edinburgh, we still seem to have seagulls as neighbours.  The joys of City Centre living! 

It’s wonderful to be able to walk everywhere, and I’ve just secured a new client in Glasgow – all of five minutes’ walk away.  Just need to remember to take the brolly – it’s true that the pavements in Glasgow rarely dry out…   

download I’ll Be Home for Christmas I’m planning to have a bit of fun with this.  Every now and again I will comment on something I’ve seen, received or experienced.  Chances are, it will be quite opinionated, hence the title. 

Last week I received a simply addressed letter.  I mean really simply addressed – my name wasn’t on it, the company name wasn’t on it, there was literally just the address.  I assumed it was from a company with which I had no relationship.  How wrong I was!  I opened it and found the letter started ‘Dear Customer’. It was from HSBC, my business bank.  Not only that, but they wanted something from me: it was a questionnaire asking for my very important feedback.  Well, Mr ‘Head of Customer Experience’ at HSBC, here is my feedback – rule number one is address your customers personally.  It’s really not that hard to do.

I founded fraoch marketing in late 2005, so it’s early days for this small consultancy venture, and as with any business plan, I am sure the shape it ultimately takes will not be exactly what I have in mind right now!

In recent weeks I have asked a number of colleagues and clients what fraoch should offer, and the common thread is always the word thinking. I suppose it is the essence of my own personal brand, and is therefore at the core of fraoch too. I have always believed that marketing is essentially applied common sense. The only way to do it better than your competitors is to think about it more: think about the relationship between consumers and your brand; think about your strategic approach; think about your creative approach; and think about how you are going to measure success. Then do it, learn from it, and watch results improve.

We’ll update this front page with news and comment every now and again. In the meantime, enjoy the site, and do get in touch if you would like to know what fraoch thinks about your marketing problem.

Heather McKinlay, January 2006

It’s official! fraoch feels very real now, after our PR debut in The Drum, the rag of the Scottish marketing community, and our wee launch do last night at The Leith Gallery in Edinburgh.  It was a civilized event, with champagne, canapes and the New Faces art exhibition.  It also gave me the opportunity to personally thank Shona and Heather of Locofoco for the design of the fraoch corporate ID, and to catch up with clients past, present and (optimistically) future.  Best excuse for non-attendance, though, goes to my accountant, who was knocked over by a hit and run cyclist on the pavement earlier in the afternoon.  Wishing you a speedy recovery, Ian. 

Work is gathering pace.  The VisitScotland Segmentation project is a major focus, with a full-scale online survey underway.  It’s wonderful to monitor the results as they come in through Experian’s online tracking.  It does mean it feels like it’s with you every minute of the day though – don’t mention the S word! 

I had a new business meeting earlier this week where I was outnumbered five to one.  A lot of thinking on my feet, but I believe I held my own.  Time will tell when we go back for the presentation!  The first milestone for another large review project is looming in the next couple of weeks too, so there’s plenty happening.