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Showing posts from 2016

Feeling Festive?

With so much doom and gloom recently the media seems to be more Eyore than ever before! But never fear, the C word is (nearly) here! CHRISTMAS! Over the past week or so most of the major retailers have provided us with the excitement of their festive ads! Ho ho ho (where's the prosecco?!) So on a happy not let's take a look at them shall we... First up, John Lewis.  The anticipation was intense. How were they going to top last year? Well here we have the answer... Meet Buster the Boxer - watch the ad here . Now, hear me out here - but I now think that the John Lewis advert has more impact than the Coca-Cola ad?! When the email dropped into my inbox announcing John Lewis had released their ad I was on to the link straight away, cranking the volume and waiting for the Christmas feels to hit. And boy did they deliver. On a related side note... If you aren't sick of the election etc. take a look at the parody ad here . Keeping on the department store/clothing t

30 before 30...

100% stolen this from my friend Ross... but I am sure he won't mind! So he hit 25 and made a 30 before 30 list, which I think is awesome. What a great idea, perfect motivation! This week I celebrated my quarter century so naturally, I am now copying him! I was in two minds about sharing all 30 things, but hey, it's happening... If anyone wants to join me in making one of these things happen, let me know! Get social and hit me up! (Don't judge them though, they all have some form of meaning to me!) In no particular order... 1. Girls holiday with my uni girls 2. Vegas Baby! 3. Spend New Year in another country 4. Visit Barbados 5. Get another piercing 6. Learn how to Pole Dance 7. Go to a festival 8. Run a marathon 9. Buy a house 10. Invest in myself 11. Adopt a cat 12. Buy a homeless person a meal 13. Go wine tasting in a vineyard 14. Drive around a city in a limo 15. Weekend in Edinburgh 16. Go to a yoga class 17. Cross the glass in Tower Bridge 18.

Real-time Marketing

Quick catch up from me... September has been a busy one so far with lots going on! Being a busy bee is always good though, as well as maintaining my "social butterfly" status. WOO. Lots of trips out with the uni girlies which is my all time favourite thing to do. This blog is looking into the changes in marketing over the recent years, including the demands from customers... read on, read on people. Top tip... if you find my blogs boring, don't read 'em! This is my place to voice my own opinions, thoughts and musings. So, marketing has definitely changed over the last few years,  it's moved from planning and implementing, to real-time. Digitalisation is by far the largest contributor to this, with social media and website development. Maybe more prevalent in B2C environments, this is also evident in B2B (my primary knowledge). When it comes to a promotional campaigns, Marketers now need to plan for the unexpected. We have to be on our toes and be ready to co

Communication is key...

This point is one that I am extremely passionate about, so apologies if I sound like a broken record. To me, communication is essential in every walk of life, and I don't understand why not everyone can see that...! Outside of the workplace, we are exposed to "everyday" methods of communication. We communicate daily - verbally, digitally, yet are we actually communicating what we want to say? A lot of people hide behind their keyboards, never saying what they really mean, or being overly confident and saying things they would never say to your face. In every relationship and social interaction we have on a daily basis we communicate. Be that thanking someone who've served us in a shop, to discussing with your family what you're going to have for dinner. It's so natural and yet there's so much that is going wrong now that we have all these methods of communicating! The digital age is something I love, I've grown up with digitalisation of EVERYTHIN

Take two

So it's been a while... But I am back! There's a lot of blogs in the pipeline, so watch this space. A few marketing, advertising, personal and all sorts going on. But here's a short blog to let you know what's been going on with me since my last blog... So much, where to start. Promotion. Holiday. Sleeping. Wild times! But in all seriousness, I'm been so busy hence why the blogging has been serious slack. The summer has been so busy, but so brilliant. We had a little family holiday to Bergerac, in France. It was a lovely break, and so needed to just catch up on some chilled time. Sun, wine and cheese... safe to say Slimming World is back on now! But hey, enough about me, what's everyone else been up to? Comment below or get social with me! Lets get social! Get  tweeting  or  LinkedIn  or even Insta - helenc91 Disclaimer: This blog reflects my own opinions, not those of my employer

Look up, and smile

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I know I sound like a broken record but this is a topic of conversation again. Recently Marketing Week posted an article about brands needing to recognise and adapt to consumers wanting a "digital detox" - read the article here . The key feature of this article that caught my eye was Innocent Smoothies with their Unplugged Festival - pure genius, where do I sign up?! Last weekend I went camping with little access to my phone and the digital world, and it was brilliant! I then went out on date night, where we were out in a beautiful restaurant along with several other couples or small groups... 80% of which just sat on their phone, not actually enjoying each others company or the lovely surroundings! We are so immersed in the digital world that we are missing so much round us. Don't get me wrong, I know for a fact that I fall into this category, just writing this I have already sent three texts, snapchats and checked Twitter... What is wrong with us all?! My age brac

Volunteer Week

So this week is Volunteers Week - it's been trending on Twitter today as we see the start of June marking a week of celebrating volunteers. The aim of this is to celebrate those who currently volunteer, as well as encouraging more people to give up their time for a worthy cause. Volunteering is something I have done since I was 15, and is something I feel strongly about. When I was 15 I started to volunteer as a young leader at my local Rainbows (if you don't know what that is, it's like Brownies for 5-7 year olds). Then I got the opportunity to go to Mongolia as part of World Challenge Expedition in 2008. This provided the once in a lifetime opportunity to do some charity work in a school in outer Mongolia - we painter, lay flooring, fixed up odd jobs in the kitchen. It was a truly great experience and I am very lucky to have gone. Currently, I volunteer every week by running my local Girl Guides group. We meet once a week and do a wide variety of activities. They

The reason I hate my phone

My iPhone and I have fallen out. It's not the phone, it's me. Doesn't matter what model phone I have, I hate who it's made me become. All this technology at our fingertips.. tweeting, snapchatting, texting - it's never ending. Yes it is great, of course it is. But at the same time there's so many downsides... I was 12 when I got my first phone - a lovely Siemens phone (small enough to actually fit in your pocket!) Pocket money for my credit, no camera and it was only really used for emergencies. Good times. I would still use a landline, and actually see people for a catch up with them. Now? Well now I know what everyone is doing, where they are and who they are with - and they know the same about me! So out irregular face to face catch ups are "oh I saw you went to... on Facebook". Wild. I send my life looking at a tiny glowing screen and I am ignoring the most important people in my life. The worst part? I know all of this, I regret it and yet her

Drop it like it's Squat...

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If anyone knows me personally, you will know I like my running. Sure, I am not the fastest runner out there, but I love the freedom and fresh air, it's perfect for collecting my thoughts and for half an hour I am just thinking about myself or just enjoying my playlists booming into my ears. ParkRun is brilliant. Every Saturday running around the park on a 5K route, hundreds of other runners around me yet I feel like I am in my own little bubble. I love it. The chilly winter mornings and the warm summer heat first thing. Best of all, it's all free! I cannot recommend it enough! Find your local one here . I have also signed up for the Milton Keynes half marathon in May... which is crazy. Training is in progress, and I am pretty sure I might pass out half way through... Watch this space! I'm running the 13 miles for my personal achievement, not for charity, however... ... I am running Race for Life in June, along with a fabulous team of ladies from work. We are swapping

Easter

Right so Easter Bank Holiday weekend has been and gone... and what a weekend it's been. Wonderful, truly wonderful. Friday was spent in the Cotswolds - visiting several places, lovely walks, shops, lunch and time spent with my parents. Perfect. The weather was lush, the villages are beautiful (even if it does look like a setting for Midsommer Murders). If you've never been here before, you really need to take a drive on a sunny day.  Saturday evening I joined all the lovelies I met whilst on my placement year and celebrated a 30th Birthday... dressed as Wonder Woman! Cringe. Photos are on Insta. Sunday was a classic family day, big get together and roast dinner. Perfect. Along with Easter we get the Spring time, a time of changes and new beginnings. This has really got me thinking this year about all the new beginnings I have had over the past 2 years since finishing uni. It makes me grateful for all that I have, and realise all the positives in my life at the moment. So

Travel Review: Amsterdam

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First things first, I'm writing this with a mud face mask one - SEXY. If you've read any previous blogs or you follow me on Insta/Twittter you'll know that my New Year resolutions included travelling and saying "Yes" to more things. Well, in the last couple of weeks I have definitely started to tick both of these off the list.  The Circus of Horrors came to the Derngate in Northampton, and I said yes to going along (I wasn't entirely sure what I had said yes to...) Turns out it was actually a really good, albeit slightly odd night out! If you get the chance to go see this show, and maybe Google it beforehand... Then I would definitely recommend it! Then.. I jetted off on a 40 min flight to Amsterdam! This was my fourth visit to my favourite city (so far) , and before anyone gets in a flap, I'm not a "smoker". This was my first trip where people actually judged me fore not smoking (thanks guys). Anyway, despite that it was a great trip. Th

International Women's Day

Tuesday 8th March is International Women's Day.   International Women's Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. (see the official website  here )  Time to celebrate women all over the world - as Queen B herself would say: Who run the world? Girls. I would class myself as a feminist. My views are strong when it comes to equality between men and women. In recent years I have felt more empowered as a woman, I know how to hold my own and be strong on many different levels. Every day women across the globe are subject to inequality based purely on their gender and nothing else. It's time for this to stop, we're in the 21st Century! We are just as capable to do (almost) all the same things as a man is! These are just my opinions though, so don't go reading too much into it all. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, right? Every day girls and women are exposed to what they should look like, how they should act, and the med

The Digital Age...

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We live in a digital age, there's no doubt about that. I've grown up alongside the increasing use of technology and digital medias. Everything has been digitalised, even down to paying for items using your phone. MIND BLOWING! But in a digital age there is something concerning.. something that many people in my generation and those younger than me won't be thinking about. So we all get old right? That's just a fact of life. But what happens when our memory starts to play up? Where are all the tangible memories our children can use to help us? What happens if we lose our memory? Sure, you can show me pictures, tweets and all sorts, but would that really help us? Tangible memories are priceless. They mean something to you, and only you. Writing it down, buying a souvenir, anything. It's something that I really think poses as an issue for my generation. I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE social media and all things digital, of course I do! But at the same ti

The Little Chick turns 21

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My baby sister is officially 21! We've had a fabulous weekend in London celebrating... SO much cake was consumed, but it was 100% worth it! I'm going a bit personal with this post, a whistle stop of my weekend, along with a couple of reviews of the places we went to. Friday we enjoyed Afternoon Tea at Madd Hatters , which was lovely. Consisting of brownies, millionaires shortbread, teacakes, savory bites, Rooibos tea and an Oreo cupcake. Spot on!    Then we headed off to the Roadhouse in Covent Garden for a night of music, cocktails and dancing. A fabulous night out, live music is right up my street!  Saturday, along with ringing ears, we headed to Borough Market, the off to Tea and Tattle  - even MORE cake! It was a brilliant weekend though! I can't believe the little one is 21 though, she's my world and my twin (just a few years apart!) Happy Birthday to my sister! Lets get social! Get  tweeting  or  LinkedIn Disclaimer: This b

Social Media Etiquette...

Right, so the main focus of this is on LinkedIn. Quite frankly it's become somewhat of an annoyance. Why oh why have people forgotten that LinkedIn is a professional platform?! If I want to do a maths question or see a picture of cars I would just Google... LinkedIn is a professional networking platform! Yes, I post my blog, marketing articles and advertising things, but no I don't post selfies and all sorts of odd things! I think a LinkedIn connections cull might be in order...  The bad press that LinkedIn has received recently with it being used as a dating site etc is another fuel for this fire, let's leave that to Tinder shall we? So that's my opinion on the matter... Let me know your thoughts! Lets get social! Get  tweeting  or  LinkedIn Disclaimer: This blog reflects my own opinions, not those of my employer

The Detox

To start off with: I originally wrote this on paper... yup, paper. Old school. A couple of weeks ago (Mon-Thurs) I've had a social media detox - well not on the work accounts and snapchats were still sent... but all my other personal accounts I didn't touch. WELL DONE ME! No tweets, no FB posts, no Insta love... And do you know what, I felt amazing for it! So Liberating! I was sick of seeing everyone getting engaged, announcing their pregnancy or traveling pictures!  Anyone else ever tried the social detox? I have realised I need to post less... Facebook is only being kept for pictures and events (birthday reminders are essential!). Does anyone actually remember life before social media? MSN, Bebo, Myspace, Facebook... It's never ending and there is so much pressure to be involved with everything that is going on. "Did you see that on Facebook...?" "Oh did you see that tweet...?" Maybe its more my generation, I'm not sure. There is a guy I know,

In a perfect world...

This is an issue which has been in the media recently - the link between social media and loneliness. Yes, I know, the two don't seem like they would go hand in hand... Childline highlighted the issue amongst young people, but I definitely think it reaches out to an older generation as well. So you have hundreds of followers and friends on social media - great! But in reality what are you actually communicating out to them? Social media makes us all portray the "perfect life" - beautiful pictures, designer clothes, the high-flying lifestyle. Goodness knows that I am 100% falling into this category. We are all caught up in the social media bubble, which can lead to people being lonely an not actually interacting with people, or being desperate to get comments, likes etc. Come on guys, let's be honest here... I mean I am sat in my onesie, no make up on and my hair scraped back... and people still get a snapchat of me looking like that! Your real friends will love y

The January Blues

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We are six days into January and we have made it to Wednesday of the first week back at work, give yourself a pat on the back! *small applause* So are we all surviving? The conversations of Christmas and New Year are starting to die down and there's no longer the smell of cheese lingering around the fridge. This is it guys... the January Blues are coming. Brace yourselves. But never fear! The Chick is here. I've come up with a few ideas of things to get us through this terrible time that is January... 1. Consume your body weight in tea. But hey, let's mix it up (espeically if you've started your New Year diet). Why not try some different herbal teas - Peppermint, Ginger, Green, Lemon, Berries.. there's an endless possibility of teas out there. Sorry Coffee drinkers, you're on your own. 2. Get outside. Breathe in the fresh air. Get some mud on your boots and feel the chill. We spend all day inside, well most of us do, so get out there. Lunchtime walk

2016 is here...

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It's official. I've eaten too much, drank too much, indulged in too much cheese and barely been out running. But that's what Christmas is all about so hey ho... Did everyone have a good Christmas? I had a cracking one - filled with loads of presents, laughter and lovely country walks! I love the time spent with family, that's the most important thing to me at Christmas time. We all get some time off work/uni and get to chill out together, playing games etc.  2016 is here - hurrah. Happy New Year to you all, hope you had a great time celebrating!  So this year I haven't written any New Year's resolutions as such, but I have written down things that I want to achieve this year. Anyone else got any resolutions or big plans? One of my plans is to actually blog.. which I will do. Yes. Come on. There's so much I have planned for 2016, although I am hoping to just go with the flow and live for today. So far (one day in) it's going well! Right, I am of