Simples

The power of TV advertising is a very strange and wonderful thing. Some of the best adverts will stay with you for ages. Guinness and Carlsberg, for example, have a real heritage for advertising campaigns going back decades. Other Companies use a particular style, and, dare I say it, IBM is one such with their blue banner wide screen format.

Catch phrases such as 'not just any mince pies....' or '....three weetabix' are instant hits and make their agencies a tidy profit.So too the awful adverts which none the less leave you with an indelible image of the product in your mind. You've been Tango'd, E-Sure and pot noodle all have that cringe factor build it, but boy, we remember the adverts.

The adverts which hit the bar are, if course, the wonderfully produced efforts which fail to burn the brand into our minds. We end up extolling the virtues of the 45 seconds of great TV but have no idea what its advertising. I would give an example, but I can't remember any!!

Then there is the merchandise spin-off aspect, which is what this blog is all about really. The Esso tiger in the tank campaign in the seventies had half the nation driving round with tigers tails dangling from the rear view mirror, self raising flower men from Homepride were found in every kitchen in the land, and, the classic, of course, the Robertson's gollywogs were a class act.

Many special items are issued attached to boxes of tea, and t-shirts can be obtained for a nominal sum and a few box tops, but the latest and greatest merchandise promotion surrounds Alekandr Meerkat, the main man in the comparethemarkets.com advertising campaign.

Harrods have the sole contract for providing the dolls based on Alekandr, they have a limited edition of 5000 and were selling them at £19.95. As is the case with many such limited offers though, demand from around the world has been huge. So the owner of Harrods, in another attempt to get UK citizenship, has decided to withdraw them from sale and present them to a number of childrens charities including Great Ormond Street and the Shooting Stars Hospice. A noble gesture, and one I hope will not generate a black market on e-bay. In the meantime I will have to look for another collectible for my son, this Christmas.

All this talk of adverts reminds me of the way a cruise ship singer gauged the age of her audience. She threw out a few punch lines like bum bum bum bum.... and....you'll wonder where the yellow went.....and waited for the strength of response. Very clever, but simples.....

Bing Crosby

The Christmas theme seemed to take me over this weekend, and it all involved London stuff.

I think its true that the majority of Londoners only do the sights and famous places when they have friends to show round. Its all there on our doorsteps but we never take the time to visit. I can't remember the last time I saw the crown jewels, although I know I have. Likewise a visit to Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral or St Pauls are distant memories.

So this weekend we ventured out,and how pleased we were to do so. On Saturday we went to the Winter Wonderland event at Syon Park in Brentford. Now this magnificent estate is 15 minutes away from home, and while I have been to the garden centre loads of times, this was the first time I had formally entered into the grounds. The whole woodland and lakeside environment had been transformed by a subtle array of lights, lanterns, smoke machines and fountains into a truly magical kingdom, and the shrieks of delight from the children indicated what a successful job the staff had made of it all. It took us over an hour to stroll round, and while I will post some photos on here later, I do wish I had taken my pukka kit rather than used the camera phone. Ah well. The trip finished in the palm house which is a classic of its time with its domed roof, giving the appearance of a glass equivalent of the afore mentioned St Pauls.

As if one adventure was not enough, on Sunday we 'did' Hyde Park. After dark the skating rink, and funfair take on a different appearance, one which was wholly devoid of gangs of kids with hoodies, who all too often make funfairs a place of trepidation and intimidation. The traditional German Christmas market was doing a roaring trade as was the mulled wine stall!

A trip then out into Knightsbridge to view the window dressing in Harvey Nics and Harrods completed a very satisfying weekend. Only two weeks to go......bah humbug!