Get Lost: Cambridge

I love traveling - and probably travel more than anyone I know - so it makes sense that I write about it. Get Lost is a series of short, snappy travel guides (250 words or under) where I write about the places I visit.

WITH ITS AIR OF CEREBRAL CALM, CAMBRIDGE IS A UNIVERSITY TOWN PAR EXCELLENCE. A BEACON OF ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE SINCE 1209, THE CITY HAS PLAYED HOST TO SOME OF HISTORY'S MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURES, FROM NEWTON AND DARWIN TO KEYNES AND HAWKING. 

Cambridge’s compact centre is dominated by its tight cluster of ancient colleges, each an intriguing ensemble of grandiose buildings set around secluded courtyards and immaculate lawns. The most impressive of these buildings, the iconic Gothic masterpiece of King’s College Chapel, dominates the city’s diverse streetscape. Behind King’s College you’ll find The Backs, an elegant sweep of lawns and gardens along the banks of the languid River Cam that drifts through the city. On summer days, this stretch of water is busy with locals and tourists enjoying that most Cambridge of traditions, punting.

Explore the university’s arts and antiquities — including works by Monet, Gainsborough, and Cezanne —at the ornate, neoclassical Fitzwilliam Museum or head south to the University’s tranquil Botanic Gardens. Central Cambridge has an impressive spread of shops and restaurants, particularly among its many meandering backstreets where you’ll find offerings for every eclectic taste. In the city’s main square, the daily market buzzes with stalls selling everything from fresh fish to second-hand bikes, before giving way to a specialised arts and crafts market every Sunday.

Immerse yourself in the living museum of Cambridge, where streets and colleges hark back to an alumnus of intellectual masters and leave you wondering what great minds are yet to call this city home.

Mind the Creativity Gap: Smirnoff

EACH WEEK, I MAKE THE MOST OF MY DAILY COMMUTE AND GIVE MY TAKE ON SOME OF THE ADVERTISING ON LONDON UNDERGROUND. SOME OF IT'S DECENT, SOME OF IT'S CRAP. THIS WEEK... SMIRNOFF.

The original Smirnoff tube ad.

This weeks MTCG takes a look at the latest marketing campaign from Smirnoff, one of the world's biggest vodka brands and a fixture in my life since my first underage Smirnoff Ice. This latest "We're Open" marketing campaign sees Smirnoff championing LGBT icons and nightlife, and highlighting their partnership with the LGBT Foundation charity, 

Firstly, I like the campaign a lot. Aside from a couple of notable exceptions, the LGBT community has been largely ignored by the big drinks brands so I think anything that seeks to rectify this — especially from a brand as big as Smirnoff — should be encouraged. The actual copy in the ad is a little on the nose for my tastes but it works well enough. 

For my reworked ad, I've hooked onto the "open" part of the "We're Open" marketing campaign. I feel that "Open up to new possibilities" has a number of possible interpretations which will strengthen the impact of the ad. For me, the "open up" could relate to opening a bottle of Smirnoff, which will loosen your inhibitions and lead to new possibilities during a night out. Or, "open up" could relate to a personal opening up about LGBT issues. 

My reworked Smirnoff tube ad. 

Mind the Creativity Gap: Drivy

EACH WEEK, I MAKE THE MOST OF MY DAILY COMMUTE AND GIVE MY TAKE ON SOME OF THE ADVERTISING ON LONDON UNDERGROUND. SOME OF IT'S DECENT, SOME OF IT'S CRAP. THIS WEEK... DRIVY.

The original Drivy ad on the Barcelona metro.

This week on MTCG we are doing things a little differently. In celebration of a recent trip to one of my favourite cities in the world — Barcelona — this week MTCG is taking a break from scoping out the ads on the London Underground during my commute and looking at an ad from the Barcelona metro.

Drivy is a company that I've come across in London and their tone of  voice is direct and to the point. This is continued in their Spanish metro ad on the Barcelona metro, which states simply "Pillas un coche en tu barrio y te vas de finde." This roughly translates as "Get a car from your neighbourhood and go away for the weekend". Succinct and to the point. 

In my reworked metro ad, I've kept the same simple and concise tone of voice as the original ad, replacing the main text with "De tu barrio a donde quieras" (From your neighbourhood to wherever you want). I feel this change keeps the Drivy tone of voice while providing a shorter amount of text. In addition, the "a donde quieras" could lead to a strong marketing campaign using various locations in posters or TV ads. 

My reworked Drivy metro ad.

The Big Campaign: Old Jamaica - Ginger Beer

THE BIG CAMPAIGN TAKES A BRAND AND CREATES A WHOLE NEW MARKETING CAMPAIGN OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW MONTHS. ALONG WITH MY FRIEND AND COLLABORATOR DANIELLE LEIGH, I GIVE A BRAND A MARKETING MAKEOVER. FIRST UP... OLD JAMAICA,

The current 'Totally Tallwah' marketing campaign from Old Jamaica

Today, Old Jamaica seems like a brand that marketing has all but forgotten. The soft drinks company, most famous for their particularly fiery brand of ginger beer, has been well and truly left behind by the soft drinks giants, who have bigger audiences and even bigger marketing budgets. 

But ginger beer is undergoing something of a renaissance in the UK. New brands have entered the market, complete with sleek marketing campaigns, glass bottles, and, in my opinion, an inferior product. Now is the perfect time for Old Jamaica to up its marketing strategy and start developing some excellent new campaigns. And, as it happens, we've been working on just that.

For Part 1 of the Big Campaign: Old Jamaica, we've taken a look at ginger beer and created a couple of design ideas for advertisements that would look great and get the Old Jamaica brand to whole new audiences. The slogan for the ginger beer is, quite simply, 'Release the Heat.' This is the perfect slogan for the fiery Old Jamaica ginger beer. It's short, snappy, and neat. 

The first two design ideas show the can with flames and fireworks coming out the top, showing the heat of the drink inside. They are both simple designs that show off the product as the main event, The catchy slogan adds to the simplicity of a design that would definitely get noticed!  Design 2 would be perfect for the holidays. 

More design ideas for ginger beer (and other Old Jamaica drinks) to come! 

Old Jamaica Ginger Beer - Release the Heat Design 1

Old Jamaica Ginger Beer - Release the Heat Design 2

Mind the Creativity Gap: Yolt

EACH WEEK, I MAKE THE MOST OF MY DAILY COMMUTE AND GIVE MY TAKE ON SOME OF THE ADVERTISING ON LONDON UNDERGROUND. SOME OF IT'S DECENT, SOME OF IT'S CRAP. THIS WEEK... YOLT.

The original Yolt at on the London Underground

In classic MTCG style, this week we are looking at one of the lesser-known companies that have taken up advertising on the London Underground. Usually, these are companies and products that I've never heard of before, which means I have a good excuse to get to know about some new brands!  This week, it's the turn of Yolt, a money management app that helps you keep track of your spending.

As I've never come across Yolt before, I am not familiar with their tone of voice but from the original ad it seems like they employ a fairly informal, chatty tone of voice. From reading the copy on the original ad, I would argue that they take this informality a little too far. The text doesn't quite read well  — the English seems a little off, and considering this app is a financial one I'm not sure whether the copy has been dumbed down slightly too much.

In my reworked tube ad, I've kept the same idea as the original ad — the choice between a great trip away and something a little more modest. I've used the comparison of Mauritius of Margate for a little  bit of humour. I've also tightened up the English as I think it works better with a slightly more formalised language. I think this would work better with a financial app such as Yolt. 

My reworked Yolt tube ad

Mind the Creativity Gap: TfL

EACH WEEK, I MAKE THE MOST OF MY DAILY COMMUTE AND GIVE MY TAKE ON SOME OF THE ADVERTISING ON LONDON UNDERGROUND. SOME OF IT'S DECENT, SOME OF IT'S CRAP. THIS WEEK... TRANSPORT FOR LONDON.

The original TfL tube ad.

This week MTCG goes a little bit meta and looks at the Transport for London ads on the Transport for London network. Unsurprisingly, TfL are probably one of the most prevalent advertisers on the tube network and have a variety of different campaigns and designs on the go at any one time.

The TfL tone of voice is essential an accessible one. TfL's audience is the millions upon millions of people who use their buses/tubes/trams/trains/bikes/taxis/cable cars (did I miss anything?) each and everyday, so it's important that their tone of voice caters for everyone. To do this, TfL use simple, plain English in short sentences that are easy to understand. 

This ad looks at the range of night services that TfL are currently providing across London. It reads very much like a standard TfL ad, which works well for the audience because you instantly know that it is trustworthy and factually accurate. The use of the owl works well visually, although I wouldn't have chosen it personally. 

In my reworked ad, I've tried to keep the TfL tone of voice while making it slightly more fun. Seize the night is a play on "carpe diem/seize the day" and reflects the fact that people are using the night network for a variety of reasons, from clubbing to shift work and everything in between. "Get more" also works well in highlighting the possibilities that the city has to offer after dark. 

My reworked TfL tube ad.

Get Lost: Bugnara

I love traveling - and probably travel more than anyone I know - so it makes sense that I write about it. Get Lost is a series of short, snappy travel guides (250 words or under) where I write about the places I visit.

NESTLED ON THE SLOPES OF COLLE ROTONDO, THE SLEEPY VILLAGE OF BUGNARA TUMBLES DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE ALONG TIGHT, TWISTING ALLEYWAYS AND STEEP LANES THAT OFFER BREATHTAKING VISTAS OVER THE PELIGNA VALLEY BELOW. 

Life in Bugnara centres on its cosy piazza, where you’ll find locals spilling out onto the flagstone to catch up with neighbours over coffee and focaccia. Above the square, the imposing 12th-century Castello Ducale looms over the village, closed for restoration since heavy earthquake damage in 2009. Walk downhill and you’ll find the Church of the Madonna della Neve, dating from the 10th-century and rumoured to be built on the site of an ancient pagan temple.

A short drive down into the valley brings you to the ancient city of Sulmona. A buzzing provincial hub, Sulmona attracts visitors from across the region to its lively twice-weekly markets held in the spacious Piazza Garibaldi, beneath the city’s striking 13th century aqueduct. Despite its wealth of history, Sulmona is best known for confetti — sugared almonds coloured and crafted into various guises by local artisans and traditionally given to guests at weddings. Further afield, the emerald waters of Lake Scanno provide the perfect complement to the bustle of Sulmona and the heat of the Italian sun.

Warmed by the charm of the Italian countryside, Bugnara is the ideal place to relax into the calming routines of rural life. So grab a seat on the main square, order your first coffee, and watch the world go by.

The Big Campaign: Santander Cycles - Tintin and the Red Light Etiquette

SANTANDER CYCLES ARE A MAINSTAY OF CENTRAL LONDON, WITH THE CITY FULL OF PEOPLE ENJOYING THE CAPITAL ON TWO WHEELS. BUT THERE IS A DISTINCT LACK OF MARKETING FOR THE BIKES. TO ADDRESS THIS, I'VE TEAMED UP WITH DANIELLE LEIGH TO CREATE A TINTIN THEMED AD CAMPAIGN! THIS WEEK, WE LOOK AT RED LIGHT ETIQUETTE!

Tintin and the Red Light Etiquette 

The focus of this poster is to remind people using Santander Cycles that they need to adhere to the various red lights and other road signs and signal that exist on the streets of London. To get this message across, we have appropriated several existing Tintin drawings and put them together to form this poster. 

The copy on the poster — Please respect all traffic signs and signals when riding a Santander Cycle — fits the well-established TfL tone of voice, using plain, simple English and being accessible to all users of the network. The tag line "It's your London. Bike it." would work across the TfL campaigns, for both Santander Cycles and the bike infrastructure across the capital. 

It is important to note that this poster would require a little more design work and modelling before hitting the streets, but we have worked with what we have been able to acquire re. drawings. Although we have tried to Santander-ise Tintin's bike, this would need to be re-drawn on a final poster to make sure that this reflects the design of the Santander cycles as accurately as possible. 

A huge thanks to Danielle for creating this poster! Make sure you check out her website for more excellent graphicsy-type stuff - http://dansamleigh.com/