A Roses shoo-in

As a rule, I don't normally criticise other people's output in the blog.

I think that should be the preserve of those who've demonstrated their creative credentials beyond doubt. And as I've consistently failed to trouble compilers of The Great Advertising canon, I hesitate to point fingers.

On this, though, I think I'm on pretty safe critics' ground:

Interestingly, the Tudor Rose blog proudly states: "we had a choice of paying for highly paid actors to do our new TV adds [sic] or keep it in house.We kept it in house, and used all our own family members. This keeps us in-line with who we are..."


That'll be rank amateurs with no notion of quality, then....

Trade secrets

Having promised to protect with my life the fine detail of the marketing revolution therein, I take delivery of another set of corporate design guidelines.

I skip past the  primary and secondary colour palette. Pantones 4625 C and 158 C. Radical

I glance at the chosen typfaces. Helvetica Black and Helvetica Neue Light. I can see why these guys don't want a word of this to leak out.

I arrive at the recommendations for copy. Incredibly, it suggests I make my writing 'friendly', 'approachable' and 'conversational... as if talking across the table to a friend.'

Not just that. They also I insist I make it 'clear', 'engaging' and 'honest.'

Jeez. It's going to be a wrench adapting my usual hostile, standoffish and downright deceitful house style, but I'll give it my best shot...