William, Kate and lots of fun in between

I do love a good wedding. Granted, I’m not going to this one, but I’m still excited about Will and Kate’s forthcoming nuptuals (and not only because we have two mammoth bank holidays to look forward to!)        

It seems I’m not alone in my excitement – retailers are going nuts and Will and Kate seem to be everywhere I go, on everything I look at.

Over the past few months hundreds of pieces of merchandise have flooded the market promoting the royal wedding, and whilst some have celebrated the old sovereign values of ‘British – ness’ , others have provided a tongue in cheek perspective. My personal favourite were the ironically marketed Royal Wedding themed contraception  -somewhat suggesting that we can all be replicating what the newlyweds will be up to.

Whilst contraception seems by far the most tongue in cheek of the items on sale, they are by no means the most outlandish. Some companies are offering goods which allow us to knit the royal wedding (that is knitting dolls of all the main attendees of the wedding), and others are offering ‘sick bags’ with a brand image of the royal wedding, appealing to the anti – royalists of the world.

Then on the more serious side, there are many companies offering commemorative memorabilia such as Gold coins, and engraved plates celebrating that are the wedding. It’s just never ending!

It would seem that regardless of the individual’s prerogative towards the royal wedding events, there is a form of memorabilia for everyone. Even more importantly it would just seem that the nation is up for a celebration, and what better way to have a party than with banter and satire.

Whether the Royal Wedding will deliver the expected uplift for the businesses and brands riding the promotional wave remains to be seen.

A very merry office warming

Our Christmas party was a little early this year, much to do with the fact that we couldn’t wait to celebrate our brand new space with everyone.

Last week we had all hands to the deck getting our lovely new offices ready for a party. Fairy lights, canapés, ice buckets, majestic wine deliveries, balloon blowing and music, it all came together for what was a great party.

We were a little worried about how we would all fit in our rooftop space upstairs with a guest list of over 100, but actually it worked out fine. A busy party is always a good party!

It was so nice to see so many of our clients and other Limelight friends, thank you all so much for coming – we hope you had as much fun as we did!

Admittedly, out office didn’t look to great the morning after, but that’s always the sign of a great night isn’t it?

Nike – They really did write the future

I’ve loved the World Cup so far, in fact I’ve come to a loss now there isn’t a game every day.  And to be honest, the games are rather more exciting now that one team has to win.

Admittedly, the World Cup hasn’t been without its disappointments, and I don’t need to state the obvious as you all know what I’m talking about. But it’s not only the English, French and Italian fans who are feeling totally put out by their national side.  One has to spare a thought for the king of football brands –Nike.

Nike spent an absolute fortune on their TV ad for the World Cup, and most of that money most probably went on the starring footballers. But not one of the star-studded players has even remotely performed at this year’s World Cup and now they have all gone home and left the tournament with their heads bowed.  Ronaldhino wasn’t even picked for the Brazilian side, Ribery was part of the shocking debacle that was the French team, whilst Wayne Rooney was voted as one of the most disappointing player of the tournament so far by a Guardian poll.

I’d personally love to see Wayne Rooney grow a beard and move to a caravan (I’m an Arsenal fan)…! But what really struck me, now that England are finally out, is the truth in the Write the Future ad. Nike tapped into the real emotions that a nation feels around a World Cup and magnified it, brilliantly. A whole nation can turn hope and belief into hatred and contempt and put all that on the shoulders of one person. Wayne Rooney has even pulled out of the A3:K challenge scheduled for the 19^th July at the O2 for fear of the public backlash after his poor performance in South Africa. Just look at the public reaction after Beckham’s red card in 2002; at least this year we’ve not seen any effigies, thank goodness. 

Perhaps Nike are to blame for his shockingly bad performance – Wayne saw the future and it scared him, scared him so much he forgot how to use his legs and feet.

Oh, and just for the record my money’s on Spain.