A news story in the paper last week was encouraging the electorate to vote. At the time, Boris was romping ahead in the polls and looked certain to win the majority he craves. However, the article highlighted the danger of electoral complacency, both on the part of the Conservative party, but also for the voters. … Read More

It’s dark for well over an hour before I leave the office. Our local in Soho, The Spice of Life, seems a lot busier than usual with jovial office workers – even on a cold Monday night – as I pop in and wait for the worst of the rush hour crowds to ease before … Read More

Some recent research conducted by Verint Systems in partnership with Opinium Research has revealed a rather distressing trend that suggests both customer loyalty and retention rates are declining. This is based on a sample size of 34,000 consumers worldwide, so by no means an insignificant study. Apparently two thirds of those surveyed are more likely … Read More

We’ve finally reached that time of year… I’ve been watching the clock tick down and counting the days until it happens and at last it is upon us. No more delays. No turning back. Just a group of narcissistic ego-maniacs displaying no morals whatsoever and caring about nothing beyond their own self-preservation and financial gain. … Read More

I was intrigued to read about LG’s cunning plan to partially subsidise the cost of their new smart TVs by placing native ad units in the launch bar. The idea is that a user will click on the ad and either be directed to the advertised program, or to the app store to download the … Read More

I sometimes meet agency owners who are still in the ‘start-up’ phase of their agency’s life cycle. Typically they have worked at larger agencies and decided to set up on their own for a number of reasons, including frustration with a large agency model and/or lifestyle (starting a family, moving out of London etc.). I’ve … Read More

Over the last 10 years or so, a significant proportion of the blogs that have been published on the Alchemis website have been tips and advice on the fundamentals of winning new business. If we break it down into three basic elements of that process it would broadly be: How to set meetings with marketing … Read More

“Uncertainty” is a word I think I’ve heard used more in the last three years than in the previous 43 that I’ve been on this planet. Not a day goes by now that I don’t see a headline or strapline informing me of the woes of the business world (well, the UK portion of it … Read More

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson Listening and talking it seems is a dying art. A moribund form of communication, superseded by emails, text and tweets etc. both in a private and professional environment. I am from a generation brought up … Read More

It’s the age-old cliché – quality over quantity. In fact, it’s an analogy that can be applied to most walks of life, not least in the lead generation game. Perhaps more accurately, it’s important to achieve a balance when it comes to the quantity and quality of leads into a business. Traditional, perhaps more dated, … Read More