Cat-cher in The Rye
posted 24 Jun 2009
There is nothing Firefish staff like more than a good old debate and debating their favourite old books has been made easier by the creation of the Firefish library. Basically, to fill the fabulous but huge bookshelves in our office, Alison had the idea of creating a library full of everyone’s top ten books and the lists came flooding in – albeit with a little literary posturing from some! Now, we can all enjoy a wide variety of books from the ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ to the slightly more populist tome ‘That extra half inch’ by Victoria Beckham.
So, Firefish are never short of a holiday read and passing clients are also more than welcome to check a book out of our library. All the books are bought from the Cat Care and Control Consortium second-hand bookshop in Blackstock Road so not only are Firefish staff expanding their mental horizons, they’re also helping to rescue lost pussycats in North London. Everyone’s a winner!
Fish Around The World – International Expertise
posted 24 Jun 2009
Firefish has been trotting the globe to research all manner of brands, communications and cultural differences over the past few years and has quickly become a leading light in this glamorous (!) world of international business exploration. Over the past year alone our intrepid Fish have been spotted in four continents and over 20 countries worldwide, but we’re always excited to have the opportunity to explore new destinations and cultures to expand our understanding of this ever-shrinking global market.
We have always had a particular strength in Asia with many client projects focusing in on this corner of the planet where economies are growing at an unprecedented rate and societal shifts take place in a matter of years, not generations. We’ve been spending a great deal of time in the three ‘Asian Dragon’ cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong this year and we’re constantly surprised at what we learn each time: these cities never stand still – not in terms of traffic, culture or values. Excitingly, Hywel, our resident Asian Expert, is off to Vietnam for a month to conduct our first ever project in the self proclaimed ‘happiest nation on earth’; the question is will he feel the same after 3 weeks in the middle of the monsoon?!
Scott Ramsay - Head of International Research (scott@firefish.ltd.uk
Hywel Reed – Asia Expert (hywel@firefish.ltd.uk)
Champ-i-o-ne
posted 24 Jun 2009Never one to shy away from blowing our own trumpet, there is one more bit of glorious news to report in this month’s update. New fish on the block Martin Smith, who joined us in January 09 and beat all comers to bag various book and alcohol related prizes at the AQR foundation course for new researchers held in February and March.
Fast work from a new and very able member of the team. Well done Martin.
MRS Awards 2008 - Winner Insight Management Category
posted 8 Apr 2009
Often referred to as the second best thing about the month of December, the MRS Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel saw Firefish in the running for a potential hat trick of success. The eminent judging panel had seen fit to shortlist us in 3 categories: Insight Management, Research Breakthrough and the coveted Agency of the Year. We therefore scrubbed up, turned up and awaited our fate over what could equally be considered a pre match meal or last supper – depending on your point of view and that of the judges.
To the general delight of the Firefish table, and general applause from the floor, we were winners in the Insight Management Category for a collaborative piece of work involving ourselves, Firefilms and The Guardian. The paper was based on our interactive project DVD that has successfully been developed to allow easy navigation of project findings and research materials away from a more formal debrief presentation. In particular the panel were particularly impressed by its ‘searchablity’ that mean clients can easily find references for their own use and even revisit research ‘source’ materials with questions that occur after a discreet research project has finished. We see this as information recycling and therefore something that can reduce waste and help clients derive more value from projects. Saving money and waste – very ‘of the times’.
Rebekah Yocks’s paper in the Research Breakthrough category introduced an ingenious and successful way of unlocking emotional response in advertising development using emoticons. Though it didn’t win out in the final reckoning, its place on the shortlist in a very competitive category showed that the judges were impressed by the development of an effective and genuinely useful new tool for creative communications development.
While the Agency of the Year award managed to elude us this year, being a runner up is something we are very proud of and plan to rectify this year. In the meantime, we’ll reflect on a great year, a fun night and wait for the scars to heal (ask John).
Business and Pleasure
posted 25 Mar 2009
With the sun beginning to shine we can now look forward to the prospect of summer client entertainment, which we hope you will all suggest some great ideas to combine business with pleasure! Last year, 2008 saw boy-racers from Nokia, News International, Ladbrokes, Wrigley and GSK take to the tracks at Glorious Goodwood for a day of go-karts, skid-pans and classic car driving. Some highly competitive behaviour was exposed and with trophies to the winners, a happy day in the British sunshine was enjoyed by all.
Not to leave the ladies out, we organised a traditional Sports Day in Battersea Park to celebrate our wonderful and longstanding relationship with GlaxoSmithKline. The day was filled with juvenile games and behaviour, reviving such greats as The Sack Race, Rounders, The Egg and Spoon Race and The Three Legged Race. Trophies, medals and certificates in hand we ended the day by relaxing at a posh restaurant to congratulate the winners.