Blog

Holidays – time to think about mums and dads

We’re now in a world where information is available at the click of a button, just a quick surf to a web page on our laptop or smartphone. It’s something that’s particularly useful when you are planning a holiday, or so you’d think. In our experience planning and enjoying a holiday can still be very … Continued

Is in house research enough?

We approach companies to talk to them about research, innovation and product development. One regular reply we hear is ‘we do all our research and development work in house’. It’s a reasonable response, after all who knows your products, processes and customers better than your company? You probably think in house R&D is easier to … Continued

Spreading the word campaigns

When we talk to clients about spreading the word campaigns we like to be clear about what we’ll achieve by the end of the campaign. Spreading the word is just that, getting a message out there through word of mouth. Because of the advent of the internet and social media that might also now include … Continued

Should you listen to your customers?

Last week I went along to The Talk of Manchester to meet up with other North West businesses. The day rounded off with a panel of successful business people including Jennie Johnson (Kids Allowed) and Tim Bacon (Living Ventures Group) taking questions from the floor. One of the questions directed to Tim was whether he … Continued

Supermarket sweep – mum insight

The battle of the supermarkets is a constant rumble in our lives, two years ago Tesco were shining bright but this week announced their first profit fall in years and a £1billion recovery plan. Part of that plan is to respond to the increasing amount of shoppers spending their grocery money online. And who are … Continued

Finding and filling the gaps – mum insight

We’ve all had those moments in life when we’ve thought up outlandish inventions or wished for a product that didn’t exist. I found myself doing this more once I became a parent and scouring the internet for the solution to problems I didn’t know I had before my children arrived (do you need to carry … Continued

Easter holidays and birthdays – mum insight

We’re in the midst of Easter holidays and Katie’s 5th birthday (Lynne’s daughter) is next week. That means we’ve been on the hunt to find activities to fill the days and some treats which don’t break the bank. Most mums, even if they have disposable income, have to constantly balance financial considerations – the household … Continued

Why you shouldn’t ignore research – The Apprentice

Last night we were glued to BBC1 watching The Apprentice. What had us so interested? The teams were asked to develop a household gadget that would solve a problem and could take a slice of the £10 billion pound homeware market. The boys decided on a home composter but we were much more interested in … Continued

Mums are already thinking about summer – mum insight

The first few rays of sunshine have only just appeared in the last few days but along with most mums we are already thinking about summer. Not necessarily about the wonderful long days but more about how it might affect our pockets. After Easter, I’ll have to kit my eldest out in summer school uniform … Continued