Tim Lodge on being Vision Critical

Friday 25th January 2008

Tim Lodge, sales and marketing director of Vision Critical, comments on the new corporate brand name and identity created by Strand Financial.

"Research conducted whilst meeting financial and business information services corporations in the US, as well as at the ABFA conference, indicates that the new brand, Vision Critical, truly connects with ourtarget markets. It conveys a powerful sense of dynamism, urgency and immediacy, summarised by the evocative wave icon. Yet, creating a strong brand with clarity, direction and momentum is much more than just about having the appropriate name and logo. It is shaped by experiences with the brand."

"The new Vision Critical brand represents all of our commercial activities under one banner - it gives us a single powerful voice. Not only does it signal our presence and convey our reputation,  but it also sets us apart from any other business. Our brand adds value to everyone that uses it. That is why we have made a significant investment in creating the right
image for the future of the business and most importantly for the future of the markets and organisations that Vision Critical is poised to transform."

The Changing Face of Advertising

Monday 21st January 2008

At the launch of Facebook's new advertising platform, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, presented his vision for the future of advertising:

"Once every hundred years, media changes. The last hundred years have been defined by the mass media. The way to advertise was to get into the mass media and push out your content. That was the last hundred years. In the next hundred years, information won't be just pushed out to people, it will be shared among the millions of connections people have. Advertising will change. You will need to get into these connections."

Social networking is still in its infancy. It is changing the way that people make connections. Financial marketers now have to change their thinking radically about online advertising to adapt to new challenges and adopt fresh new models, relevant to this exciting social media space.

Dedicated TV Channel for Financial Marketers being launched today

Wednesday 16th January 2008

I'm delighted to let you know that as you are reading this, Financial Marketing TV is being launched at an exclusive Seminar. Our key note speakers will tackle the four greatest challenges that financial marketers will face in 2008. This is a unique dedicated broadband TV channel, featuring quality programming, designed specifically for the financial marketing community. The global vision for the channel is "to become recognised by financial marketers as essential viewing and respected as a valuable resource and knowledge repository."

* Differentiating Your Financial Organisation ­ How to Create Your Own Space
* Treating Customers Fairly ­ A Source of Competitive Advantage
* Implementing Customer Marketing Technology ­ Real-time Portfolio Management
* Using the Internet as a Media Vehicle ­ Past, Present and Future

Mike Symes, Managing Director of Strand Financial and CEO of Financial Marketing TV comments, "Today, over 300 million people worldwide have broadband access. Recent research has also identified that the numberof people watching internet TV is rising significantly month-on-month and already stands at 4.3 million. Filmed exclusively for Financial Marketing TV, our Launch Seminar will be available to delegates on-line, on-demand, and this will be supplemented by insightful interviews, presentations and materials from leading experts in specific financial markets and disciplines. Unlike the plethora of generalist marketing sites on the web today, Financial Marketing TV will cut through the clutter to deliver totally relevant, class-leading content to meet the specialised and timely information needs of financial marketers head on. The time is right to launch such an important global, yet tightly focused channel."

Web 2.0 and Financial Services

Wednesday 02nd January 2008

In this Australian podcast, Simon van Wyk, founder of HotHouse, and Charis Palmer, editor of Online Banking Review discuss the issues and opportunities that Web 2.0 brings to the financial services industry. Who can doubt that we are in a multi-media age? 

http://www.hothouse.com.au/mp3/Charris%20Palmer.mp3

Cheque Ban in the High Street

Tuesday 01st January 2008

"Retailers would not ban cheques if they thought they would lose business. We’re seeing the end of the chequebook on the High Street."

So says Jemma Smith, of the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS), on the news that Sainsbury's has become the latest retailer to refuse to accept cheques. Large retailers including WH Smith, Boots, Currys and Argos are already turning paper payment away in favour of cash and plastic and 90% are said to be following suit. It seems increasingly likely that the cheque’s days are numbered!

Plans for Marketing Spend Positive

Tuesday 01st January 2008