Posts made in July, 2015

on Jul 27, 2015

By Thomas Hobbs The accident resulted in four people being seriously injured and led to the temporary closure of Alton Towers, as well as a number of rides at its other theme parks. However Merlin said it lost significant value from the five-day closure and that visitor numbers at both Alton Towers and Thorpe Park have been down on usual levels ever since. Speaking on a conference call this morning (27 July), boss Nick Varney said that while its peak trading period is still to come in August, at the moment the trend in visitor numbers suggests a “material impact on the rest of Read full story › Source: Marketing Week...

on Jul 27, 2015

By John Glenday Gawker founder Nick Denton has sought to put recent travails to one side by insisting that the news and gossip blog was ‘growing up’ in a staff memo. It follows the resignation of Gawker’s executive editor Max Read and editor in chief Tommy Craggs after their article about a gay porn escort was abruptly pulled – allegedly under pressure from the site’s business interests. Seeking to tackle issues of editorial freedom and the reputational damage incurred by the incident Denton wrote: “We will face up to celebrities and other public figures who use the courts and other pressure to suppress Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jul 27, 2015

By Gillian West Welcome to The Drum Creative Department, sponsored by Workfront. As always this section is dedicated to showing the best creative work and gives you, the reader, the chance to decide what we show within The Drum magazine. You can vote for the work you like best, simply by clicking the ‘Like’ button beside the work, and the winner will be featured in the next issue of The Drum (22 August) in the Creative Department spread. Other popular entrants will also be considered for the print edition. Submit your vote before Monday 3 August to guarantee your favourite makes it into the printed magazine. To Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jul 27, 2015

By Lola Oyelayo Lola Oyelayo, director of strategy and UX at Head, is doubtful rapid innovation in retail is making any difference to customers. When considering what is exciting in retail right now, I thought long and hard about the last six months of my own shopping behaviour. As a user experience director, it’s my job to collect experiences and case studies and take a view on what might provide that extra point of customer value and delight. The problem is, despite all the noise about beacons, radiofrequency identification, smart wallets, e-payments, digital mirrors and robot assistants, not much is sticking and not much seems Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jul 27, 2015

By John Glenday UK consumer confidence has risen to its highest level since the onset of the 2008 financial crash with a sixth straight quarter of growth taking the country above the global average for the first time since 2006. The UK Consumer Confidence Index, compiled by Nielsen, rose to 99 points over the second quarter of 2015, up from 97 in the first quarter, leap frogging the comparative global figure which dipped from 97 to 96 over the same period. Burgeoning optimism has seen the country overtake continental powerhouse Germany (97) for the first time in five years to make Britain the most positive Read full story › Source: The Drum...