I feel some discomfort defining Banksy as a brand. On the important attributes I am on solid ground: the artist's work is distinct, recognisable, and consistently purposeful in message. However, I suspect it is a label that the anonymous street artist who has deemed commercial success "a mark of failure" would dislike a lot. Labelling... Continue Reading →
There are many startups postponing launches, but not the money saving app Snoop. With many of us getting anxious about our finances Snoop was gently introduced two weeks ago. The app takes advantage of the disruptive potential of 'open banking' to review your spending and provide personalised money management tips. With a bit of artificial... Continue Reading →
Covid-19 has hurt the happy meal restaurant. About 25% of McDonald's restaurants are closed globally, including all of the 1,270 in the UK. Despite the sales impact the McDonald's brand looks set to emerge stronger post-pandemic. In recent weeks the global attachment to the brand born in 1940 has become very visible. McDonalds clearly has... Continue Reading →
The painful Brexit debate has sharply polarised the UK public in recent years, but that is changing. According to YouGov in March, 59% of UK adults believe we are closer together Vs 11% feeling more divided. The common enemy of Covid-19 will explain some of our growing togetherness. But our shared admiration and support for... Continue Reading →
How pharma companies such as Gilead are seeking to solve the new problem of Covid-19 offers inspiration and encouragement for innovators. With early trial results indicating that Remdesivir can speed Covid-19 recovery the drug looks it will help many of those hospitalised. It may be a modest success but Remdesivir is set to be memorable... Continue Reading →
Morrisons, the UK's number four grocery chain has faced increased competition from discounters and seen a steady market share decline in recent years. The very late arrival to on-line grocery delivery hasn't helped. Bigger rivals Tesco and Sainsbury have had more than a 15 year head-start. CEO David Potts understands the need to make up... Continue Reading →
Amazon likes Deliveroo, so much so the company has offered to invest £385m into the food delivery company. Encouragingly for Amazon the Competition and Markets authority have indicated they were minded to approve the acquisition of a 16% stake with a final decision due soon. Covid-19 has undoubtedly accelerated the consumer move to online apps... Continue Reading →
Zero waste shops can now be found on 100’s of high streets across the UK. Most are independent start-ups, launched by those seeking to be a catalyst for the behaviour change needed to avert a climate crisis. With more consumers seeking to avoid unnecessary and single-use packaging it is not just climate concerned individuals seeing... Continue Reading →
A UK Select Committee report on food and drink plastic packaging was published this month. It endorsed a number of government proposals to reduce environmental harm including the taxing of plastic packaging and introduction of a scheme where consumers pay an up-front deposit for drinks containers that can be reclaimed when they are returned. It... Continue Reading →
In the UK today, there are c60 million people now using subscription services and last week Apple unveiled further choices. Subscription models offer a number of attractions for business owners. These include sustained and more predictable revenue, increased customer engagement and a more confident calculation of lifetime customer value. In 2016 Unilever paid $1 billion for Dollar... Continue Reading →
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