Never move for money…
Many moons ago as a lowly account executive (with the world of everything seemingly unimportant resting on my weary shoulders), the holy grail of promotion was a carrot often dangled in front of my eager nose.
Like most account execs, I knew my worth.
I also knew I was being chronically underpaid for the never-ending hours I put in. Undaunted, I set about my tasks with vigour. A combination of luck and killer instinct meant I was fortunate enough to land a multiple award-winning project for my first solo suiting effort.
After a few very public thanks from the great Dr. Harrison in front of the agency, one day, he took me aside for a wee chat. A bit of doctor / patient advice if you will.
The upshot of this love in, was ‘Many outside this building will promise you the earth. But, Iain. Never move for money’.
My initial foolhardy response was along the lines of, ‘easy for you to say on a six figure package with very healthy WPP stock options!’. Knowing that a stonking pay rise should come alongside promotion (given I was a central member of the team that helped filled his awards trophy with everything from DMA’s, Campaign Directs to much coveted Cannes Lions), the advice left me somewhat confused.
Until we skip forward a few years and I made the mistake (twice), of moving primarily for money. After a very short honeymoon period where the earth had been promised and I had been swayed by the far greater £££ on offer, the wise words of one Dr. Steve Harrison once more rang deafeningly in my ears as I found myself surrounded by others that did not live by the same high standards Dr. Harrison and his cohorts prided themselves on…
Which leads me to the somewhat tenuous link of a certain BBC presenter (Adrian Chiles), who is being swept off to ITV with the promise of a truck load of cash. Quite why this made the TV news headlines and several front pages is well beyond me. Perhaps everyone is a little bored of ash?
But Adrian. Whatever they’ve promised to lure you to their commercial clutches. However big the paycheck. Did you leave Auntie for the right reasons? Or did you only move for money…
Iain G. Morrison is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. And would like to thank Dr. Steve Harrison (amongst others), for sound career advice…
Dear Britain…
Dear people of Britain,
I hereby solemnly swear on the Union Flag (the Palace of Buckingham, a piping hot pot of rosy lee and any passing British Bulldog or Hackney carriage), that I will not commission any edgy film directors to do what Lars Von Trier has done for Danish tourism.
Yours sincerely (with the stiffest of stiff upper lips),
Iain G. Morrison LLB (Hons)
Iain G. Morrison is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. At least until I find me a hot, cutting-edge film director with an appetite for risk…
Fly-fishing…
Remember this little gem from Yellow Pages? Particularly love the aggressive over the top ‘no’ from the man up the ladder 20 seconds in and the fuzzy warm glow at the end…
Really does take me back. And also reminds me how we used to hunt for things before we had google in our i-phone app ridden pockets…
Iain G. Morrison is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. And thinks there’s probably an app for fly-fishing too…
UPDATE: So, they tried to ride the nostalgia bandwagon with this new effort from Day V. Lately. Has all the emotion of a Posh Spice album track in my humble opinion…
The real deputy PM to get tourism brief too?
Looked better on Freddy Mercury (just)...
Well, not yet…
But the British Chamber of Commerce and Travelodge seem to think Mandy should take it on…
They have proposed that the responsibility for tourism be removed from the control of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and reallocated under the authority of Lord Mandelson’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
In response, Kurt Janson, policy director at the Tourism Alliance, said:
“We’re at the stage at the moment where there is less government funding for VisitBritain than there was when Labour came to power in 1997. “We have an opportunity for the sector to provide and maintain jobs… and to provide growth to help us out of the current recession.”
Good old BoJo (London mayor Boris Johnson) has also pledged his support and encouragement to the capital’s tourism sector in the run up to 2012. Which all makes for great talk.
But ultimately, it’s money that’s required. You’d be amazed how a little can go a long way…
Iain Morrison is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. And loves that Mandy is back making his presence felt…
Would you like a rectal with your staycation?
Can't find a holiday here...
I hate the word staycation.
Holidays are meant to invoke feelings of excitement, passion, longing. Glamour if you are lucky (and that’s way before we get anywhere near bragging rights).
The language surrounding your precious time off should amplify those sentiments, and not overtones of some kind of invasive medical procedure..
I digress.
For those of us choosing to holiday at home (or partake in a little staycation if we must), the British coast has some real hidden gems. But how does one unearth them?
Well, in conjunction with VisitBritain Scott Ramsay (travel writer, photographer and blogger extrarodinaire) is going to drive around the coast of mainland Britain, visit the ‘kiss me quick’ popular tourist traps, but also do his very best to take the a-roads…
He hopes to explore some remote spots, and unlock some of those gems for those looking for something more from a holiday at home…
Although we’re a tiny wee island, his tour will see him take right round virtually our entire coastline.
He’s also rather handily googlemapped his route, so people can not only follow his blog (a nice blend of photos, videos and wordage), but can immediately identify those gems close to them for a sneaky weekend away, as opposed to going the whole hog like him.
Not a bad way to spend a month. But for his sake, I do hope he’s a member of Shell’s loyalty scheme so he’s getting his airmiles for his next break!
Iain Morrison is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. And is thinking of offering up his blogging services to fund his next vacation…
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