Author: Razor

What Razor LOVES: September 2019

Posted on by Razor


We’re an eclectic bunch at team Razor.

Each month, we’ll share with the world a flavour of what’s caught our attention and influenced our thinking and conversations in the office.

 

Chloë F
I’ve just finished a book called The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold. Each chapter is a biography of each of his five victims. Crucially, she puts the flesh back on their bones. Her premise is that they’ve been undermined and disrespected by the passage of history which has focused on the mystery of the Ripper and labelled his victims as merely sex workers (in fact, only two of them were). The picture she paints of the squalid, desperate lives of these women is fascinating. And of course, truly tragic.

Gem
There’s something so satisfying about an old item of clothing or a piece of furniture being given a new lease of life; even more so now that waste reduction is such a hot topic. Sadly, I don’t have a shed at home to potter away in but I’m making more of an effort to repair or repurpose smaller items around my flat. One of the happiest hashtags I follow on Instagram is #TheRepairShop and, if you’ve ever watched the TV show, you’ll understand why I find it so heart-warming. I could wax lyrical about this programme but I’d encourage you to read this recent Guardian article about it instead. If you’ve never watched an episode, do give it a try. It’s wonderful.

Jill
It’s been back to school for me, this September, to (re)learn German at CityLit. I let my near-fluency slide over the last *ahem* years but it’s all slowly coming back to me thanks to a brilliant tutor. CityLit has such a great adult education curriculum; I learned to sew there and briefly dabbled in a spot of Russian. I can’t recommend going back to school at CityLit highly enough!

Kate
I know I’m late to the party but I was totally blown away watching Hamilton a few weeks ago and I’ve been chewing everyone’s ears off about it since! As a theatre lover, who wouldn’t usually opt for a musical, I was sceptical; but Hamilton is hands down the best show I’ve ever seen! I love how surprising, witty and clever it is and I truly admire Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ability to bring a (potentially dull) historical story to the stage in such a sensational way. I’ve still got the soundtrack on repeat!

Kenny
Inspired by our recent Razor VR experience in East London, I’ve become engrossed in the hypothesis that we’re living in a simulated reality. Elon Musk is probably the most highbrow believer and puts our chances of living in ‘base reality’ as one in a billion. According to this hypothesis, it’s far more probable that we’re living in a simulation. This idea has blown my mind!

Lindsay
We’ve turned to board games at home in a bid to watch less TV. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders is a big hit and proving to be quite addictive. We’re really enjoying putting on different character accents and solving crimes! (Editor’s note: Pleeease bring this game into the office, Lindsay!)

Nikisha
I’m interested in how food and drinks can be modified to help benefit the environment. Soy products have been on the rise in recent times, but we now have a tastier game changer…the love of my life; chocolate! Swiss chocolatier, Barry Callebaut, unveiled a new recipe that includes the entire cocoa fruit (cacao) as opposed to just the beans. Typically, 70% of the fruit is wasted during the chocolate-making process and, as we seek lower sugar content and less harm to the environment, this seems like the perfect solution – one that could also enhance juices, smoothies, deserts and bakery products. I really hope this trend catches on!



FOOD: Bigger than the Plate

Posted on by Razor

The kids recently went back to school and it didn’t seem fair to me that they get to crack on with that heady job of learning while all us oldies have is a more crowded commute.

To celebrate September, and to do some learning, the Razors went on a field trip to the Victoria & Albert Museum to feast on its latest exhibition, FOOD: Bigger than the Plate.

I love the V&A. I love wandering past all the ‘old stuff’ and into a space that, over the years, has given me McQueen, Kylie, Princess Diana, Bowie, and cruise ships. They’re nothing if not eclectic over there. 

What did I learn?
That pineapple fabric is pretty cool, that I need to watch more YouTube (Italian Grandmas Try Olive Garden For The First Time had me hooting in hallowed halls), that chickens are fabulous and complicated, and that the people who get our food to our plates – from cake to carrot – deserve all of our respect. 

Like any good schoolmistress, I naturally doled out some homework after our visit. Here’s what the team had to say:

Lindsay
“I was fascinated by the ingenuity of others and their desire to find ways to be more sustainable (who knew you could make cups and saucers out of used coffee grounds?!). With all the talk of global warming and how we’re ruining our planet, it was comforting to see many examples of people trying to make a difference. (It made me feel like I should do something too!) I also really enjoyed the video reel on how food is produced and farmed all around the world. I’d genuinely never given any thought as to how my iceberg lettuce is harvested and prepped to be sold. I often think about technology and the potential for it to render humans obsolete, so it was quite refreshing to see examples of humans and technology working together in food production.”

Chloe B
“I really enjoyed the exhibition. There’s something that stuck with me from the moment we walked in: 60% of the world still doesn’t have access to clean water. I had no idea it was that much and it’s already made me stop being so wasteful with tap water. I’m a big hypocrite when it comes to eating meat (I love eating it but can’t bear to think about the process behind it) so watching the video reel of a mass production line was pretty disturbing. It might not be enough to put me off meat for good but it’s definitely made me want to make my food choices more carfeully.”

Nikisha
“I thought the digital farming aspect was fascinating. Using computer robotic systems to adjust and monitor climate, energy and plant growth inside a specialised growing chamber really blew my mind. Creating varying climatic conditions for different products opens up agricultural research to the digital generation and could allow for more products to be grown here rather than imported from different countries. It was scary, but comforting, to see how the digital world could farm products locally and help reduce climate change. I like to think of my food being grown organically but if this method could help to reduce the global impact of exportation then why not? The marriage of farming and technology is a beautiful concept and I think it should be adopted everywhere. I also enjoyed LOCI Food Lab where you personally select what makes a great food system and they make an hors d’oeuvre snack tailored just for you. Yum!”

Kate
“This exhibition made me think how little I know (or think) about where my food comes from; and that I totally take for granted how accessible it is. I’m out a fair bit during the week which means I’m often guilty of food wastage. I actually stopped myself buying an iceberg lettuce the other day having had my eyes opened to the laborious process from field to supermarket. The final exhibit is LOCI Food Lab where we got to try a canapé of sustainable food which I found surprisingly enjoyable and made me feel positive about the future of food!”

Gem
“My general expectation was that I’d come away from this exhibition with some new ideas to help change my behaviours. What I hadn’t banked on was how charming it would also be. FOOD: Bigger than the Plate is as entertaining as it is informative. I could go on about almost every exhibit for hours, but my favourite part was a 13-minute silent loop of short video clips showing the sinister truths of food production (not just obligatory abattoir scenes but the crop-dusting and crop-picking too). When we see these kind of clips on TV there’s usually a narrator stealing focus. This time, the images did all the talking, leaving me with plenty of food for thought.”

Here’s to being well and truly back at school! (If we’ve whetted your appetite, the exhibition will be on until Sunday 20th October.)

What Razor LOVES: August 2019

Posted on by Razor

 

We’re an eclectic bunch at team Razor.

Each month, we’ll share with the world a flavour of what’s caught our attention and influenced our thinking and conversations in the office.

 

Chloë B
I’ve found Channel 4’s Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain fascinating. This three-part documentary explores her rise to fame as one of the first big reality stars ‘famous for being famous’ and how she carved out her career in the pre-social media age. It’s shocking, and sometimes uncomfortable, viewing but definitely worth the watch.
Click here for more info.

Chloë F
I, too, have been gripped by Channel 4’s Jade Goody series, not just because Chloe B’s been watching it. I was actually alive when Jade Goody was doing her thing; it was the last series I’d watched of Big Brother. I remember everything unfold in real time – horribly, meanly, tragically. I wept my way through the first episode in this series and had to fast-forward some of the second (the bullying and shouting was just too ugly). I’m steeling myself for the third episode because we all know how it ends. It’s fascinating, even beyond ‘just Jade’. It’s reminding me of a pre-social media time when we had to find other ways to follow obsessions. It’s reminded me how willingly manipulated we are by the media sources we trust (and love). It’s reminded me how much reality TV was once a delicious, thrilling, crazy adventure. I feel lucky that I was around for its infancy. I don’t know how I feel about it being all grown up. And I feel very, very sad about Jade.
Click here for more info.

Gem
Like millions of people, I struggle to remember a time before Brexit and the current US president dominating the daily news. As a result, I find it difficult to keep myself informed on what’s going on outside of that bubble because it means having to sift through acres of the same old rubbish before getting anywhere. Enter: The Week Unwrapped; a weekly half-hour podcast from Olly Mann, along with writers from The Week magazine, discussing global news stories passing under the radar. The topics might not be making the headlines but they’re likely to have repercussions for all our lives. (See: a) reliability of mobile phone data in court cases or b) facial recognition technology as examples.)  
Click here for more info.

Jill
August has been all about balls, bails and Ben (Stokes). Cricket has even knocked politics down my list of things to fret about. Now, if we can just get Stokes working on Brexit…
Click here for more info.

Kenny
This month I have been blown away by a blog site I’ve found called Farnam Street and its accompanying podcast, The Knowledge Project. I love nothing more than learning about new ways of thinking and this resource is a treasure cove of different mental models and insights more effective decision making. I’ve already pre-ordered the book which will be on its way to me in October!
Click here for more info.

Lindsay
Never would I have thought that one of my favourite shows would be about American football! However, Last Chance U is about much more than that. Each season it follows a community college team and their coach as they battle through each game to try and win the championship. It’s not a simple process because many of the players have had a difficult start in life and are struggling to overcome their own misgivings; that and the coaches are often battling with their own ego. It’s fascinating! You really feel for some of the players when things go wrong but get so excited when people make amazing plays on the field (seriously, I get on my feet and cheer at the TV!). I still have some favourites from season one who got signed and it warms my heart that they are doing well. What I can’t handle though, is that very few will ever make it to the NFL and, through chasing their dream, they’re putting their own health at risk.
Click here for more info.

Nikisha
At a time of peak climate crisis, I’ve been looking into what various companies and workplaces are doing to reduce their carbon footprint and give back to the world. ASOS’s corporate responsibility programme really struck me. Some of its projects include plastic free canteens, recyclable packaging, foundation funds in India and delivering packages using 100% electric vans. Their wider efforts to minimise environmental impact and giving back to the wider community is something I believe more companies should adopt. By implementing this they expect to reduce their carbon emissions in central London by 62% annually! It’s inspired me to use alternative methods in daily life to reduce my own carbon footprint.
Click here for more info.

Steve
I’ve been learning just how incredible and important virtual reality technology is rapidly becoming. Recent articles about the latest versions of Oculus Rift reveal how staggeringly absorbing and realistic the experience is. The applications for this technology are truly extensive, (and somewhat frightening!). Razor needs to get on board with this asap.
Click here for more info.

 

 

***

On your marks, get set, SPEND!

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I’ve always been in awe of my parent friends, always busy juggling their work and family lives. Some of them are super organised and do their best to stick to a schedule. Others are more laid back and have a more ‘reactive’ approach to whatever life throws at them. Whatever their method, I admire them all.

And, as I watch most of them counting down the minutes to their offspring being handed back to their hardworking teachers (and while I’m silently dreading the thought of my buses and trains being crammed with the little darlings from next week), I’ve had my eyes fully opened to the preparation going on behind the scenes.

In my clueless mind, back-to-school prep simply meant fresh pencil cases, shoes, bag, and a uniform that can mostly be bought from the major supermarkets. (Should add here that I’m not oblivious to the facts that: a) this list alone is too long for many families in the UK and b) that these costs seriously add up if you have more than one child to cater for.) Note: Reading this back, I realise I’ve not even included a coat in the above list. Like I say, I am CLUELESS. 

What I also hadn’t considered was the rising tech costs to be added to the list. Turns out, a smartphone here, a tablet there, and a laptop over there…has helped make back-to-school spending the third biggest retail spending event after Christmas and Black Friday. Yikes. 

Mintel valued the B-t-S market at £1.16 billion in 2018, an increase of 36% on the previous year’s £855million. Whether we’ll reach those dizzy heights in 2019 remains to be seen; but there are few things to consider rather than simply attributing any gains to forking out loads of money on expensive phones etc.

Pressure (brands)
There will always a place for brands alongside the traditional uniform. And parents will always feel a certain pressure to fork out for the ‘right’ trainers, coats, bags and so on.

Pressure (ethical)
There’s now a bigger spotlight on sustainability meaning that so-called ‘fast fashion’ uniform items bought from the discounters are being overlooked in favour of quality products that will last longer.

Price
There’s a lot of competition from discounters constantly trying to pull in shoppers unable to spend as much on higher quality/longer lasting items.

Convenience and value
Whether it’s buying everything under one roof or from the same website, the less ‘faff’ involved the better. This is why supermarkets do so well at this time of year – and why online retailers will come up with all kinds of incentives (free shipping/returns/gifts) to encourage parents to shop for discounted items at their leisure.

Which brings us to the ‘when’…

In the ‘smug’ corner, are my friends ‘T’ and ‘S’ who bought their kids’ uniforms etc. in July so that ‘it’s all done and we won’t have to think about it until September’.

Meanwhile, erring on the side of caution, are my friends ‘J & N’ whose kids go back to school on Tuesday. They’ve been ‘waiting to see how much they grow over the summer before buying anything’… 

Parents, I salute you. 


What Razor LOVES: July 2019

Posted on by Razor

 

We’re an eclectic bunch at team Razor.

Each month, we’ll share with the world a flavour of what’s caught our attention and influenced our thinking and conversations in the office.

 

Chloë B
Six the musical. I’ve had the soundtrack on repeat and have booked to see it at the theatre for a second time. For anyone that doesn’t know what Six is all about, it’s a sassy, poppy, girl power musical all about the six wives of Henry VIII. I recommend it to everyone!
Click here for more info.

Chloë F
I’ve been loving a podcast by a poet called Tim Clare. He spends each episode reading out the first 250 words of someone’s writing and then totally rips it to shreds…which sounds brutal but he’s funny and well-intentioned. His advice is always spot on. Precision, precision, precision.
Click here for more info.

Gem
I recently welcomed Adam Buxton back into my life. Not that I’d exiled him or anything; he just slipped off my radar since my Adam & Joe listening days on 6 Music. But I was thrilled to not only spot him in my podcast player but to also find an extensive back catalogue of conversations with his celeb pals. His interviews are so funny, warm and gentle that I find them a delight to listen to. People open up to him with ease – a dream scenario in the world of market research!
Click here for more info.

Danny
Facebook Spaces caught my attention this month. Facebook bought VR company Oculus and developed a VR messenger service where friends can hang out together as animated characters in an AR environment. Another example of how a Black Mirror episode (Striking Vipers) has become reality.
Click here for more info.

Jill
I’m nerding out about GDP as a measure of a country’s progress. I’m already a massive fan of the Reasons to be Cheerful podcast, but the episode discussing whether or not GDP was still (ever?!) the right measure of a country’s progress really piqued my interest. I know not everyone will agree with me, but I’m FASCINATED.
Click here for more info.

Kate
A podcast I’m really enjoying is called How I Built This; a series of interviews with innovators and entrepreneurs to understand the stories behind the movements they built. I love learning about how an idea turns into a successful business, and being inspired by the eclectic mix of people responsible. (Check out episodes on Five Guys, TOMS, Airbnb and Bumble!)
Click here for more info.

Kenny
This year, I’ve challenged myself to learn more about different branches of philosophy. I came across the BBC podcast series, In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg, who gives great introductions to a broad range of different philosophical fields. An episode introducing the idea of logic really caught my attention this month with a wealth of implications for how we use reasoning and argument in our work here at Razor.
Click here for more info.

Lindsay
I’ve been learning about ‘Nutritional Movement’, which is being led by Katy Bowman; a Biochemist in the USA with a real interest in movement and the importance of it for our health. The idea is that she’s not just saying we need to move more than we do (in our very sedentary lives!). She’s saying we need to increase the amount and the type of movement we do to give all of our muscles and joints the movement they need to stay healthy.
Click here for more info.

 

***

Check it out

Posted on by Razor

If you know me, you know that I consider myself a late adopter. A tech ‘laggard’ if you will. But I do enjoy an experiment and, last week, one landed in my lap of the retail kind.

The UK’s first till-free grocery store recently started trading at Holborn Circus as part of a three-month trial. The Sainsbury’s Local is only a stone’s throw from Razor HQ (for those familiar with the area, it’s the little one between WH Smith and Boots) so it would have been rude to not give it a try one lunchtime.

It’s important to note that our office is in a Sainsbury’s-dominated part of London. Their head office is across the road from our building and there are around seven Local branches within a half-mile radius. Two of those are across the road from each other! There are, of course, other shops (only slightly) further afield; but, if you need to make a quick supermarket visit around here, Saino’s will more than likely be your first port of call.

At Razor, we’re awfully spoiled for delicious lunch options thanks to nearby Leather Lane market and to the many food shops in the surrounding area. But spending up to £8.00 a day on lunch very quickly adds up and, sometimes, when you haven’t brought in your own food from home, you want to look after the pennies. 

Enter Sainsbury’s.

Pre-task
To make it as seamless a process as possible, I fully set-up myself up tech-wise before leaving my desk.

  • Step one: Downloading the Sainsbury’s SmartShop app to my phone.
  • Step two: Logging in with my pre-existing online account details (inc. Nectar info).
  • Step three: Connecting a payment method (in this case, Google Pay).

                  


Lunchtime
I should mention that I only go to this particular branch on rare occasions – and that’s because there’s another branch directly across the road at roughly three times the size with a product selection to match. But I do pop in now and then when I need to buy something very quickly and can’t face joining the long queue over the road. (Seriously, we’re SO spoiled.)

Suffice to say, it’s a small shop. And it’s now had a refit to remove the kiosk and self-service tills that were at the front. For obvious reasons, all booze and cigarettes have left the building for the duration of this three-month trial. 

I’m greeted by a member of staff asking whether I need help downloading the SmartShop app to my phone. (Nope, ta. I’m already set. <smug grin>) Inside I find that most of the layout has remained the same, except for a coffee-making area by the bakery section. There’s also a customer desk in the corner where the tills used to be. Inevitably, there’s a growing queue of people at the desk waiting to pay by cash or card. Perhaps I’m not as much of a luddite as I first thought?  


The shelves are well-stocked which isn’t a surprise. Former checkout operators are now free to roam around filling the shelves and to help customers adapt to the new technology. Two things strike me as I scan the fridges wondering what to have for my lunch. The first is all the plastic packaging. Not that there wasn’t any before they got rid of the tills – but it now feels far more prominent due to the extra ready-to-eat breakfast and lunch products added to the line-up.

The other thing I noticed is the number of chilled products nearing their sell-by dates all covered in yellow ‘reduced to clear’ stickers. In a world where many of us are making an effort to change our plastic and food consumption habits, this sight is disheartening; especially knowing that Sainsbury’s’ goal is to transfer the till-free scheme to larger stores around the country. Food waste is already a huge environmental problem in the UK and we’ve only recently declared a climate emergency.

I do get – in this example – that products must be packaged as simply as possible in order to make e-payment a quick process; but supermarkets and manufacturers are currently under so much pressure to reduce waste that this set-up feels off to me. Where will it lead? 

To help do my bit for food waste, I bought a selection of reduced-to-clear items to make a delicious falafel and avocado salad. I had enough ingredients to last me a few days all for well under a fiver. Bargain lunching.

            

A quick scan of a QR code on the way out and I was free to leave with my swag. Overall, a super speedy shopping experience. One that’s definitely left me with food for thought. 

Best part
Browsing while knowing you don’t have to queue to pay at the end. Scan your items, pop them straight in your bag, pay and leave.

Worst part
All the packaging. 

 

 

 

 

AQR’s Breakfast Bites

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The perfect topic for a young researcher!

The Nursery’s Kat Cunningham gave us some excellent tips on impressing clients – starting with the dos and don’ts for young researchers – during this week’s AQR’s Breakfast Bites session. (Yes, there was breakfast. And yes, I did have three croissants.)

We learned about the importance of preparing for briefing meetings where, even if you’re new to market research, you must always add value to the conversation taking place; whether that’s through listening and being insightful with your comments, or showing enthusiasm in your behaviour. There’s a lot you can do to contribute despite not having the experience and knowledge of a director.

The talk also focused on body language and its significance; whether it’s the image you portray to your client or simply boosting your self-confidence. (Enter: the ‘power pose’!)

Kat also recommended a captivating TED talk by Amy Cuddy (‘Your body language may shape who you are’) during which she demonstrates the importance of body language in showing authority and confidence; which then translates to being respected and heard. It’s people’s actions, and how they carry themselves, which act as a catalysts in the engagement of audiences. In other words, it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it! “People aren’t always listening as much as you think.”


**Keep an eye on the AQR calendar and members’ emails for details of upcoming events. Non-members also welcome!**

 

 

A word from our sponsors

Posted on by Razor

With each passing year, the challenge to create memorable Super Bowl advertising becomes increasingly complicated as brands try to navigate their way through social hot topics, political issues, and finding the right celebs to help sell products.

The ads are usually as eagerly-awaited as the big game itself; particularly unusual in the era of on-demand television where most of us tend to skip the advertising – if we can – to get to the shows we’re trying to watch. And if it’s a low-scoring game, as it turned out to be on Sunday, the ads need to work even harder.

I watched so many Super Bowl ads yesterday that I have to sit in a dark room for a bit today. While I’m busy doing that, below are the categories I’ve split some of this year’s ads into. As always, these examples only scratch the surface; but they’ll give you a good idea of the broad themes. I’ve not included film trailers by the way; they’re a given. And I think it’ll take a separate blog to cover some of the ads that outraged various groups of people. 

Before we get into the categories, let’s first watch an entertaining game…

MASHUPS

Bud Light/GoT – ‘Joust’ Judging by the Twitter reaction, this one gave viewers quite the shock. At first, you’re merrily following the standard ‘Dilly dilly’ malarkey when, suddenly, the Bud Knight faces a new challenger – cue skull crushing and deadly flames.

Doritos – ‘Chance the Rapper x Backstreet Boys’ An ad for nachos featuring BSB. That’s good enough for me. <<Drools over AJ>>

Pringles – ‘Sad device’ Okay, it’s not really a brand mashup but let’s pretend that they’re talking to an Amazon Alexa device.

Stella Artois – ‘Change Up the Usual’ Dude from The Big Lebowski hanging out with SATC’s Carrie Bradshaw. The ad supports Stella’s clean water campaign with Water.org and uses these iconic characters to change up their usual drinks and do good.

 

SELF-DEPRECATING

Amazon – ‘Not Everything Makes the Cut’  In a follow-up to last year’s ‘Alexa Loses Her Voice’, Amazon gives us a list of Alexa ‘fails’. Though it highlights the fears that many people have about artificial intelligence, including Harrison Ford getting angry at a dog makes it a bit of a comic highlight.

Bubly – ‘Can I have a Bublé?’ One from the PepsiCo family. A sparkling water brand featuring Canada’s Mickey Bubbles (or Michael Bublé as the rest of the world knows him) convinced that the drink is named after him.

Pepsi – ‘More Than OK’  Quite the bold move mentioning the Coke brand in the opening seconds (and reminding people that many prefer it to Pepsi). But there are only so many times a brand can hear the question ‘is Pepsi OK?’ and not answer it unashamedly – which is why Pepsi also covered Atlanta (Super Bowl host city and home of Coca-Cola) in blue with outdoor ads.      

 

TRUMP’S AMERICA

Hulu/The Handmaid’s Tale – ‘Wake Up America’ What starts out as being very similar to Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign ad quickly develops into a dark promo for the upcoming third series of The Handmaid’s Tale. Yikes.     

Washington Post – ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness’ No doubt of mixed reactions during this era of ‘fake news’. But Tom Hanks is the voice of WP’s first ever Super Bowl spot which honours murdered and missing journalists, while highlighting the importance of fact-gathering and the risks the profession involves.    


INCLUSIVITY

Coca-Cola – #TogetherIsBeautiful With Atlanta being the home of Coke (and Pepsi being plastered all over the place during Super Bowl) it seems odd that Coca-Cola chose this year to scale back the advertising. Rather than run ads during the game itself, Coke ran its commercial just before kick-off.

Google Translate – ‘100 Billion Words’ Captivating and definitely on brand. It’s easy to view an ad like this through cynical eyes but I’ve chosen to remain hopeful for humanity.

Microsoft – ‘We All Win’ An uplifting ad showing off accessible game controllers for passionate young gamers. Truly a great example of how technology can help those who need it. (No, YOU’RE crying!)

 

AND FINALLY (It’s not an ad but still…)
Have you ever wondered what happens inside the control room during the Super Bowl halftime show? Well wonder no more. I watched a bit of Coldplay’s 2016 performance and had a mini heart attack trying to keep up. Hats off to all the hard-working people behind the camera; especially those in live TV.

 

*Read our previous Super Bowl blogs:

Super Bowl 2018
Super Bowl 2017

Innovate to resonate

Posted on by Razor

Despite the odd bump in the road, Tesco has enjoyed a stellar century and is understandably marking it with a high-profile campaign; the launch of which coincided with strong Christmas sales figures.

Mods on mopeds, disco divas and sepia-toned shoppers highlight just how ingrained in the life of our nation the retailer has been for the past century. And the ‘Prices that take you back’ strapline links the brand’s heritage to a tangible benefit for shoppers.

A 100th birthday is undeniably worth celebrating; but heritage and price may not be what keeps Tesco at the front of the pack. The traditional ‘big four’ constantly hail their low prices, even though it’s the discounters winning on price perceptions. And with all of the ‘big four’ plus M&S, Co-op and Waitrose able to boast long histories, nostalgia alone doesn’t differentiate Tesco.

Meanwhile newer-to-market disruptors feel fresh and exciting and are winning more and more fans. Subscription services like Gousto and Hello Fresh provide new ways to shop and discounters have challenged the way own brands are perceived.

As Tesco enters its second century, playing to the pioneering spirit which saw it innovate in areas such as large formats, online, non-food and loyalty is likely to be crucial in building relevance to shoppers and retaining top spot. The brand has a commitment to innovation, as demonstrated by its latest robot delivery trial. The challenge for Tesco and its rivals will be to find ways to innovate quicker and more effectively than the rest.

 

Poetry corner

Posted on by Razor

Christmas is coming, and everyone’s preparing.
The countdown is ticking, the music is blaring.

For it’s a joyous occasion, with a gifting mantra.
Sort of like Thanksgiving, but we also get Santa.

For me it’s a test, one I cannot fail.
Who do I know best? This challenge I’ll prevail.

I’ll get what Mum wants, new lights for the porch.
But will ignore Dad’s wishes, he’s not getting a Porsche.

We’ve got a big turkey, and Yorkshires with gravy.
Must start cooking early, or the fam will go crazy.

There’ll be singing with carols, some people will shout.
And if there’s one thing to forget, it’s the Brussel sprouts.

We can hope for snow, and a sugar-coated cane.
But we live in Britain, so it’ll probably rain.

Time’s marching on, there’s a feeling of hurry.
Let’s forget our troubles, tis the season to not worry.  

We’ll be back in January, rested not wrecked.
A brand new year, with brand new projects.

From all of us at Razor, may your break be full of cheer.
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a happy new year.