Tag Archives: Devon

Shopping for Christmas

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This morning I was listening to Amanda Holden on Heart FM as she decided the time had come to kick off Christmas on her breakfast show!  She started playing some reassuringly familiar Christmas songs, and for a little while, everything felt reassuringly familiar.

Retailers will be hoping that reassuring sense of a traditional Christmas will be be matched by consumer shopping habits this season.

A large part of any retailer’s annual sales and profits occurs in the three months before Christmas. For this to work perfectly, retailers know that having the right goods at the right price in the weeks leading up to Christmas is essential. But, this is far from a perfect year for so many reasons.

For the past six years, Retail Assist has conducted its annual Black Friday survey which gives a good insight into the mind space of consumers in the last few weeks to Christmas.  Whilst Retail Assist have asked many of the usual questions, they’ve added more questions to reflect the current COVID-19 situation and how it might affect consumer spending and behaviour.

This year, 1,200 people have been surveyed and some of the results are quite surprising, and in retail terms, there are some significant shifts predicted):
• This year, a whopping 67% of people said that they planned to shop Black Friday this year – a huge 10% rise on last year
• Whilst the majority of people (59%) said that Black Friday doesn’t usually kick start their Christmas shopping, 66% of people said that they were looking to start their Christmas shopping earlier this year
• 43% of people said that this was a budget-related decision, so they could spread the cost out. However, interestingly, the second most popular reason people chose was that it gave them something to do; as harsher restrictions were brought in in the run-up to Christmas, shopping from your sofa has become entertainment as much as necessity
• 40% of people said that they can get carried away with all the discounts – an increase of 20% from last year
• Every year, technology items have always been the most popular choice – but not this year. Clothes were the standalone winner at 55%, with beauty buys at 31% and technology shrinking to 24% of respondents.

To all colleagues who I have worked with on the seasonal gifting market, I do hope this is a good one for you.  And to all friends who run fabulous boutique businesses which desperately depend on Christmas sales, I hope you get the bumper Christmas you so dearly need and deserve.

 

Crafty Activities for the School Holidays at the Burton

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Children’s Workshops  (July – September 2014)

Six weeks is a long time to keep anyone entertained, let alone your toughest critics. Don’t panic, though, for those of you in North Devon, the Burton Art Gallery and Museum has got this year’s school summer holidays (24th July – 3rd September) sorted.

Bideford’s Burton Art Gallery has just announced their  “Summer School,” a huge variety of art workshops, all led by local artists, taking place across the holidays.

The eclectic range of creative activities for young people aged 3 to 11 year olds, and families, in its fully equipped contemporary workshop studio include drop-ins, art workshops and craft courses. Families are also encouraged to explore the gallery and museum using the free and self-guided Burton Family Trail (all ages).

Here is a preview of some of the workshops taking place:

Ghostly Sculptural Gadgets

Tuesday 29th July 10am – 4pm £15 Re-create everyday objects from umbrellas to tennis rackets, using a wire frame and tissue paper. Tour the museum and choose your favourite artefact to produce ghostly replicas.

Mad Mechanical Moving Models

Tuesday 5th August 10am – 4pm £15 Create simple moving models using levers and handles from painted & decorated card and recycled materials – mad, crazy characters of your choosing!

‘Up’ Cycled Accessories

Wednesday 13th August 10am – 4pm £15 One person’s trash is another’s treasure, and this couldn’t be more true with all of the emerging artists tapping into the creation of upcycled accessories.  Make your own original necklaces, bracelets, bags or brooches from throw-aways!

Ship Ahoy!

Friday 22nd August 10am – 4pm,  £15 Create a ship or seaside scene in a bottle, taking inspiration from Bideford’s rich maritime history.

Fat & Flat Fish Wednesday 27th August 10am – 4pm £15. Make colourful 3D paper fish; from sardines to sharks or even a whole shoal, hang your creation from a fishing wire to proudly display at home.

Windsock Whimsies

Friday 29th August 10am – 4pm £15 Create a fun windsock animal, fish or insect that will catch the wind & can fly all the way home with you!

Crafty Kids

Every Monday throughout the summer (except August Bank Holiday) from 10am – 12noon there are simple, fun and effective activities in the Crafty Kids class for under 5’s and their families.

Art Trolley

Out and about in the galleries every day of the school holidays, the Art Trolley is the perfect way to get creative at the Burton.  Free activity for you to enjoy.

Young Friends Art Group

On the last Saturday of every month, local artists run themed arts and crafts workshops. £1 donation per child.

Teresa Turner, Local Artist and on of the Workshop Leaders, said “I am really looking forward to the Summer School.  On Saturday I ran the Young Friends Art Group children’s workshop in conjunction with the Heritage Day taking place in Victoria Park.  The children learnt how to make their own book and then designed images across the book in relation to the heritage of Bideford and the surrounding area.  Children included, amongst many other things, Bideford Bridge, Bideford Pots, Hockings ice-creams, Bideford Bay, ships and dolphins.  I was blown away by the children’s knowledge of the Bideford area and how they confidently visualized that knowledge in the books that they created.  As always, an amazing display of young artist talent.”

Miranda Clarke, Visual Arts Manager at the Burton Art Gallery and Museum said, “We’ve got lots of gorgeous summer arts and craft activities for children at the Burton, and I am looking forward to seeing all the creativity from the children in the area, the next generation of artists!” 

So if the rain is beating against the window and you’ve got cooped-up, bored children on your hands, or if the sunshine has stayed and you need to do something other than a “beach-day,” then booking in a workshop at the Burton might be just the ticket!

To book a place contact The Burton on 01237 471455 or download a booking form from

www.burtonartgallery.co.uk.

Venue Contact Details:
THE BURTON ART GALLERY & MUSEUM, Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ
(e) burtonartgallery@torridge.gov.uk   (t) 01237 471455 (w) www.burtonartgallery.co.uk

Opening Hours:

Monday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm, Sunday 11am – 4pm.

 

Bold Marketing

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Just wanted to clock in! All fine here at the Marketing and PR Clinic, just been a busy few months.. sorry I have not been regularly blogging.

I have been spending my time with a wide range of businesses, mainly in Devon, from commercial agents, new product developers, charities, beauty brands, schools, and health and fitness businesses.

A similar theme amongst clients at the moment seems to be emerging. I am noticing an increased willingness to be bold and take risks with new product extensions, partnerships or simply in looking at new ways of doing business.

Often it is the marketing department that pushes decision makers into trying all things news, and now visionary thinking and willingness to take risks appears to becoming wider spread amongst businesses.

I am sure this is not just me noticing this shift, and I would really like to hear from others on whether they too are seeing businesses taking a more positive approach to taking risks, and decision makers beginning to enjoy being more bold in their marketing, to ensure their competitive advantage.

Is this the beginning of the end of austerity marketing?

 

Lucy Goaman

Over 200 sites live in 2 months!

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The team at White Label Greeting Cards (WLGC) are delighted with their first 2 months since launch.  In this short time we have 239 sites now already live! 

Some of the partners are recognised brands, whereby they have just plugged a WLGC personalised greeting card site within their website, talking about the new product offering to their already established audience. 

Other entrepreneurial partners have used the WLGC technology to create a brand new business.

We are delighted that 2 charities are now using the service, Devon Air Ambulance and Community Foster Care, and both are now creating news about their new online greeting card shops within their marketing campaigns, to all their fabulous supporters.

Great start.

For other charities wishing to create a new revenue stream, FREE of charge, please get in touch.

Lucy Goaman

lucy@whitelabelgreetingcards.com

www.whitelabelgreetingcards.com

07974 431285

Terrific Day with Devon Air Ambulance

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It is not often that you have a day that you know you will truly remember.

I was fortunate enough to have one such day today – the PR launch of the collaboration between Devon Air Ambulance and White Label Greeting Cards.

Devon Air Ambulance is the first charity to launch the new online personalised greeting card service, provided by White Label Greeting Cards.

To celebrate Sam Heaton (MD of White Label Greeting Cards), Jack Lomas (Devon Air Ambulance Trustee) and I were invited to be shown around Devon’s Air Ambulance – a EC135 Helicopter – based at the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary Air Support Unit at Middlemoor in Exeter, by Helena Holt (CEO Devon Air Ambulance) and Sarah Burden (PR Manager Devon Air Ambulance).

On arrival to the air base, the red glistening helicopter was a wonderful sight, parked up, in the clearing fog.

Paramedic Helen comprehensively explained exactly what happens when an emergency call is put out, how the equipment is efficiently stowed, and how cleverly treatment is carried out onboard.

The air ambulance is used extensively everyday in Devon for emergency medical assistance in situations, where either a traditional ambulances cannot reach the accident scene easily or quickly enough, or where the patient needs to be transported some considerable distance.

The team at White Label Greeting Cards is extremely proud of the collaboration, and look forward to it turning into a successful fundraising initiative for this essential live-saving Devon charity.

To view the cards on the Devon Air Ambulance site, please follow this link. http://www.daat.org/shop-cards/

Lucy Goaman

Are you thinking of setting up a new business? Or working with someone who has?

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I have been meeting some fascinating people, mainly in Devon, many of whom are tempted to take the big step and set up a new business.  I have started to develop  a quick way of telling whether I think they are up for the challenge, which helps me decide if I should be working with them.  My mental checklist is as follows:

1) Good innovators and creators: Some people have a strong history of creating, and starting things on their own.  From selling freshly caught mackerel on the beach as children, through to doing 3 jobs whilst paying their way at University, to creating additional revenue streams alongside their “day job.”  The skills acquired are those of immense resourcefulness of successfully building something from nothing.

2) Thought and planning: Successful entrepreneurs have thought, or more likely dreamt, about running their businesses from a long time, and are not acting on a whim.  They are deliberate in their intention, and have fully thought through the possible serious downsides.

3) Excitement: They are excited.  Genuinely thrilled that they are working on something that they have created.  Getting them to talk about anything else is actually quite difficult!

4) Resourceful: The business owners also are fantastic at turning their hand at whatever is needed. One minute product developing, the next on business development, the following day cleaning the loo’s!  In start ups there are simply too many roles and too few people to do them.  So the ones that are working well are where the business owners are experts in their fields, and importantly are willing to step out of their comfort zone and roll up their sleeves!

5) Good at prioritising: And finally, I had a boss once who called projects “The Big Rocks (TBR’s).”  It is really important new start ups identify “TBR’s” and prioritise them,  keep them running to budget, and to time.  Smaller, less important tasks should be only completed once TBR’s are in good shape.

If you look out for these little clues when working with a new start up, hopefully you will avoid wasting time on ones that have simply not had enough planning time or a strong enough desire to succeed.

Lucy Goaman