The Good Agency » Good thinking

How much is a charity’s soul worth?

Chloe — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:57:00 +0000

Last week, I went along to our annual campaigning conference, People Power to fly the flag for The Good Agency and see what tasty nuggets of brand insight I could pick up. I wasn’t disappointed. I managed to get into …

Read

Likes don’t build campaigns, people do.

charlotte — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:12:06 +0000

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet this week you’ll have picked up on the mixed reactions to UNICEF Sweden’s latest DRTV campaign pointing out that likes don’t save lives, money does. Cue the age old debate of activism versus …

Read

Making good things happen. It’s personal. Or is it professional?

reuben — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:33:29 +0000

Anyone who came to People Power this year can’t fail to have been struck by the contrast in the two plenary speakers who bookended the day. First there was Clive Stafford Smith – articulate, confident, privately-educated, well-spoken, professional (literally – he’s a …

Read

Campaigning and cultural memory

our guest blogger — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:20:47 +0000

This piece of Good Thinking was written by the head of the Activism Impact team at Friends of the Earth, and People Power speaker, Lucy Pearce. On my birthday in 2010, I found myself in a small room on the fourth …

Read

A spoonful of craft helps the activism go down

our guest blogger — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:31:47 +0000

This piece of Good Thinking was written Founder of the Craftivist Collective and People Power speaker, Sarah Corbett. 3 years ago I was a burnt out activist and was thinking whether I would have to give up. I had always …

Read

Do ‘big charities’ still speak truth to power?

our guest blogger — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:21:11 +0000

This piece of Good Thinking was written by our guest blogger, activist, writer and performer, Dan Glass. Truth speaks from the heart and comes from a place of genuine dialogue, integrity, listening, questioning, honesty and mutuality. Truth connects a story …

Read

Future proofing your brand

Caroline — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:37:04 +0000

Last week saw Nike criticised on Facebook for its “Winning takes care of everything” ad, coming in the wake of Tiger Woods’ return to the golfing top spot, and Lance Armstrong announce his return to competitive sport. It gives us …

Read

Managing risk and reputation

dan — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:41:04 +0000

From British Airways staff striking to Starbuck’s and Amazon’s tax avoidance. From the BBC Jimmy Saville scandal to WKD and St John Ambulance getting a wrap for their advertising. Or even the supply of horse meat perhaps. Brands in every …

Read

Turning a campaign into a movement

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:09:52 +0000

This week, we united some of the Advisory Panelists who helped create this year’s People Power programme and come of the excellent speakers who will be delivering workshops on the day to discuss turning a campaign into a movement in …

Read

Same, same but different: The power of differentiating your brand

dan — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:13:24 +0000

We’ve been discussing the new TV adverts from a clutch of cancer charities in the office this week: Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, Macmillan’s Not Alone campaign and Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal. Which one we prefer best is …

Read

How to have a happy Christmas

reuben — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:12:59 +0000

This piece of Good Thinking is a joint effort from Caroline Gibbs, head of planning and Reuben Turner, creative director. To me, to you, etc etc. There wasn’t a recognisable theme to the many appeals we produced for our clients …

Read

The value of mobile

charlotte — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:11:11 +0000

We’re all passionate about our organisations and causes. We all want to recruit as many people to support our mission as we can; to raise money, campaign and help spread the word. But it’s increasingly tough out there. Charities are …

Read

Telling your story in six words

andyp — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:50:45 +0000

Ernest Hemingway once told a table of writers that he could write a story in just six words. They each bet him ten dollars that he couldn’t. So he took his napkin and scribbled the following: For sale. Baby shoes. …

Read

Asking a lot. Nicely

Caroline — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:53:52 +0000

I got a letter from a charity that I actually wanted to read. That shouldn’t be unusual, but I’m afraid it is. It came from Action on Hearing Loss and it told me about an exciting research breakthrough that brings …

Read

Pro bono. Where’s the bono?

reuben — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:01:17 +0000

It’s quite difficult for someone for whom paid-for creative work for nonprofits pays the mortgage, to write objectively about pro bono work. I thought I’d better say that, in case you read this piece as a thinly-veiled attack on people …

Read

Juicy Brand Breakfast Treats

dan — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:19:58 +0000

This month’s CharityComms Brand Breakfast, Connecting people with your brand online, welcomed Carly Wilson, Head of Campaign Integration and Brand Advertising from Macmillan Cancer Support to share her story on developing Be.Macmillan and Carrie Longton, Co-founder of mumsnet.com to share …

Read

Moment of truth. Exceeding Expectations

matthew — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:00:14 +0000

I once had rather a nice Italian linen suit. Back in the day when a rather baggy dishevelled look was cool. Or so I thought at the time. One day when I went to collect it from the dry cleaner’s, …

Read

Just because you don’t get the strategy, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work

reuben — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:11:35 +0000

Save the Children’s new brand ad has confused a lot of fundraisers. Jeff Brooks doesn’t know whether to love it or hate it. Others praise the ad for using text-to-donate – but wonder why the number’s only on-screen for four …

Read

Feast and famine

matthew — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:15:29 +0000

That could describe agency life, though luckily it doesn’t. Feasts are upon us. Fortunately famine is not. But for many people, it’s close. Famine tends not to be a word we use much these days. Because on the whole we …

Read

My favourite Christmas brands…

dan — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:09:58 +0000

…charity and commercial, from childhood to today. When I heard about our Christmas website take-over one question sprung to mind: what are my favourite Christmas brands? After all, what better excuse for a frivolous festive blog? This is actually easy. …

Read

Christmas dinner: So much more than just a meal

charlotte — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:02:43 +0000

As Epicurus said, “we should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf.” If you think about it, Christmas dinner …

Read

Building your brand from the inside out

dan — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:16:21 +0000

It may be a Friday, but there is still time to bang out a blog following CharityComms branding seminar yesterday afternoon. I have long been an advocate of ‘branding from the inside out’. In the charity sector where staff, volunteers …

Read

Half full or half empty? Our view on the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement

Graham — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:49:40 +0000

The chancellor announced his Autumn Statement yesterday and depending on which side of the political spectrum you sit, it will either be viewed as courageous and trail blazing or misguided and deeply unethical. In addition, the tax justice issue surrounding …

Read

MyMoFundraising Review

matthew — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:09:28 +0000

Goal Raise funds and awareness for Men’s Health, particularly prostate and testicular cancer, by growing a Mo during the month of Movember. Objective Not to look a fool, since having a Mo was bad enough. However reluctant, in for a …

Read

What you can learn from a Sinatra-Beatles face-off

matthew — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 09:00:26 +0000

A short while ago I was working with an organisation on reviewing their past strategic plan, to inform the next one. As a courtesy, they sent me the first draft of the plan they came up with. My heart sank. …

Read