If cats could talk, would they cry… by Anatoli Scholz
I kept the book for my holiday so I could read it cover to cover. I mean – if cats could talk… I have so many thoughts about that! Forget about Garfield, we’ve got a house cat and I do wonder…
The scene is set nicely to get you into the feline transformation universe.
I enjoyed the light hearted atmosphere the author creates whilst painting the picture of our main character’s background. I would have liked to explore a bit more what life as a cat is beyond the obvious challenges of food, communication and movement (although communication was unexpectedly uncomplicated).
The book moves through the various characters involved and you go with them until eventually you arrive at the place where it all comes to a finale with some catty surprises along the way.
It’s certainly been an entertaining and easy read and it did make me think (the end is interestingly ambiguous). As a fan of Felidae by Akif Pirinçci, I was perhaps hoping for a bit more intrigue and cat related observations, but the book is definitely worth a read, cat lover or not.
One detail I noticed which is totally ‘just me’ I suppose was the paper it’s printed on – it felt really coated and stiff, something I had to get used to.
I’ll definitely recommend it and perhaps there’s a part two…
175 days into life with Corona, businesses are getting used to developing ways of dealing with the volatility and uncertainty the pandemic keeps throwing at us.
Surveying smaller companies we work with, there is a shift in brand management emerging. Initially, it was key to keep customers informed of restrictions and closures. Since lockdown has been lifted for businesses, this has changed to communicating safety measures and new procedures.
In the early days of the crisis, we worked with our clients to prepare for internal and external communications. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital implemented new strategies straight away, realising the need for up to date information. We helped them to utilise their existing system to adapt for internal comms.
Another client of ours, a dental practice, supported people with ‘home dental kits’ and online advice on how to keep their teeth healthy without being able to see a dentist. Since they were allowed to open again, they worked overtime to get through the mass of emergency appointments and help those most in need. By working flexible hours and reacting to the immediate needs of their patients, they secured a lot of new clients who couldn’t get appointments for months in other surgeries. It pays to be flexible.
Most of the companies feel that they need to maintain and improve the ‘goodwill trust and understanding’ they have received from customers, especially on a local level. Brick and mortar shops more than ever rely on their community.
Rebrand and social media template designs
A beautician we’ve rebranded during lockdown had started doing online beauty tutorials, promoting selected products available to purchase online When it came to opening again, we created a social media puzzle grid to announce the news and inform customers of Corona related changes.
Another business, a tech skills company, changed all their focus to delivering courses online. There is a barrier of confidence to break through, but it’s also a great opportunity to reach a much larger audience.
The smallest local entrepreneurs and micro businesses have been hit enormously and are still struggling to make up for lost time. For them, communicating on social media has been the lifeline to keeping customers engaged without being able to take bookings.
Within all that, the overwhelming trend seems to be for brands to work their best to keep their promises. Everyone is tired and probably a little bit bored of this situation and it’s a delicate balance of pushing on within the limits and being able to fulfil expectations. The bigger brands have the advantage of networks, funds and processes.
For the little ones, however, flexibility in changing service delivery, product ranges and in some cases their entire business model offers a real opportunity.
Image from Twitter/@mmtowns
Nobody wants the patronising attitude of big brands jumping on the government messaging bandwagon. (Remember Dettol and their ‘back to work ad’ which recently got a lot of mocking?) Nobody wants to constantly be reminded of the crisis, either – another balance to strike in brand communications.
SMEs with their feet firmly in the community feel their efforts are best focused on excellent service delivery and customer communication without pretending all is rosy. With more and more businesses disappearing from the high street, there is a gap and a good chance for those with an open mind to create mid Covid brand loyalty.
Cover photo by Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash
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