“Cash only”. It’s a sign I’ve seen plenty of times, and it’s been met with frustration. Finding actual cash in my purse these days is becoming more and more of a rarity.

When the fate of 1 and 2p coins was momentarily thrown into doubt the other week, I felt certain that we were on our way to a cashless society. The news came alongside an announcement that a branch of Sainsburys in London had taken the decision to remove all tills in its refurb (80% of transactions in their store were now cashless), free ATMs were reported to be in decline and RBS became the first to offer card payment by fingerprint.

Read more “Money Money Money, it’s not funny, we’re confused”

The revenue generated through social media advertising spend in the UK is expected to grow by 12% a year. No surprise given the past 10 years development; both in the platforms themselves and how people use them.

Read more “Can you get anything on social media for free?”

Last week’s Euro 2020 qualifier game between England v Montenegro had racial discrimination front and centre. Personally, the most depressing part, was that the abuse from the Montenegrins towards several England players didn’t surprise or shock me. In fact, this abusive behaviour gave me multiple flashbacks of matches with poor treatment of players, at both international and national grounds. So if it’s happening so often, why haven’t we seen a behaviour change – not just from fans, but from clubs and football associations too?

Read more “For the world’s most international sport, we need to do more to support diversity”

In the wake of the worst mass murder in New Zealand’s history, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received a call from US President Donald Trump. After sharing his condolences, President Trump asked if there was any help the United States could provide. Prime Minister Ardern had a simple request for the commander in chief – ‘sympathy and love, for all Muslim communities’.

It’s been nearly two weeks since 50 New Zealanders were murdered in Mosques in central Christchurch, and the style and substance of Prime Minister Ardern’s response to the violence continues to make headlines around the world.

Read more “Strength in weakness – Leadership lessons from Jacinda Ardern”

Over the last six months, campaigns by big brands have become much more political. This is unsurprising, as everything is getting more political with Brexit and Trump dominating the news space. But it’s also down to the rise of social media.

Read more “Should we celebrate, or be cynical, about brands getting political?”

Stand Agency has been hired by the heart muscle charity, Cardiomyopathy UK, to work on a series of campaigns during 2019 as the organisation celebrates its 30^th year.

Stand Agency will be working with the charity to drive awareness and correct perceptions of the serious but little-known heart condition, cardiomyopathy, and to increase support for the charity’s vital work to support those living with the condition.

Read more “Stand Agency appointed by Cardiomyopathy UK”

Our campaign for SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) has been Highly Commended at this year’s Modern Law Awards.

With dementia set to overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death in England and Wales, the need to plan ahead for later life is greater than ever.

Read more “Highly Commended at the Modern Law Awards”

After two successful and award-winning campaigns focused on increasing seating on the high street, the third instalment of Anchor Hanover‘s Standing Up 4 Sitting Down addressed the issue of seating in public spaces more broadly.

Read more “SU4SD takes on poor public transport etiquette”

I was lucky enough to head to the AllBright Club for a talk hosted by the Women’s Prize for Fiction’s founder, Kate Mosse. Kate was joined by Cathy Newman, Channel 4 broadcaster to celebrate the launch of her first book Bloody Brilliant Women.

Read more “Bloody Brilliant Women: Celebrating the ‘forgotten’ women of history”

Up and down the country young people are currently undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They might not be embracing the frost and heading out for expedition practice quite yet, but thousands are volunteering their time to support their local community, or focusing on learning a new skill. I clearly remember doing my own DofE – helping out in a care home, learning to ride a horse, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the pure endurance of a leaking tent followed by a long hike.

Read more “#DofEDifference (thank you Mr Barker)”