Cheers ‘til New Years

Deck the bells and away with that manger, it’s time for us to head for homes, families, fires, Quality Streets (other Christmas chocolates are available, but may not be accepted by Idealogy team members) and films we’ve all seen before. We’ve had our Christmas bash, weird to do it on a ‘school night’ this year, but tasty, jolly and more than a teeny bit merry it was nonetheless, cheers all!

We hope you’ve received our Christmas card by the way, and that you’ve visited the site – searching-for-stars.com – to watch our festive vid, fun to make and, we hope, fun to watch.

So ‘that’s all folks’ - all that remains for us is a smoked-salmon bagel, a glass of bucks fizz, a quick game of darts and the obligatory setup of the Out-of-Office Assistant, who’ll assist in not a lot of ways save to inform any who care to write in that we won’t be back until January the 3rd. Of course if you REALLY need us in the meantime, you know where we are, among the Quality Streets, watching films we’ve all seen before, so give us a shout if all hell breaks loose, we’ll still help.

Thanks all for a great 2011, see y’all in 2012… we can tell… it’s gonna be a blinder!

Posted by Idealogy

Some Simple Christmas presence...on Facebook

Since January 2007, Facebook has had an average of 250,000 new registrations per day and there have been over 52,000 apps built on the platform.

There's no getting away from it - with more than 800 million active users, these days it's vital for B2C brands to have a Facebook presence. It's the perfect environment to drive engagement and discussion between people, communities, and brands of all sizes.

An Idealogy Christmas in 3 parts...(or 3 bah humbugs and 2 Hail Marys)

CHRISTMAS CREEP (Part 3)

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Deadlines! Who needs ‘em?

They are the ultimate driver for everything we do in commercial life and at this time of year the ultimate deadline is Christmas. Having been in Brand and Market Communications for almost 4 decades it hasn’t escaped our attention that during December the deadline condition is amplified – creeping into the already exaggerated operational tension to create almost total panic! From the very start of the Advent season a form of terror sets in. It feels as if our partners, suppliers, even our clients, invent projects that seem to have appeared on schedules when the previous week they weren’t there. Budgets have to be spent (or we’ll lose them), when for the rest of the year budget management is always an unshakeable mantra. Diaries have spaces that need to be filled in an impractical attempt to continue the facade of ‘busy’, right up to the bitter end.

An Idealogy Christmas in 3 parts...(or 3 bah humbugs and 2 Hail Marys)

CHRISTMAS CREEP (Part 2)

For maybe the last 10-15 years, the spread of the festive season has crept into parts of our lives that many of us find astonishing.

Who would have thought, for instance, that the ‘competition’ for most decorated (not even ‘best’ decorated) family home would become such an emotive subject? There is no doubting the attention value of a local house illuminated from chimney to front door with snowflakes, Santa and his Reindeer, seasonal eulogies and even the Manger in Bethlehem – really! And, handled tastefully, it can create a sense of neighbourhood pride and a powerful festive fillip as we wander the streets posting Christmas cards to family and friends.

An Idealogy Christmas in 3 parts...(or 3 bah humbugs and 2 Hail Marys)

CHRISTMAS CREEP (Part 1)

Sitting here at the denouement of November, writing this 3 part set-up for how Christmas has changed over the years, I can’t help thinking that, just possibly, I am contributing to the condition of Christmas Creep – ‘if you’re not the solution you’re part of the problem!’ to paraphrase many awful movie scripts.