Category: Fun Stuff

5 Fun and Festive Marketing Ideas For Your Small Business

Competition is high during the festive period, no matter what industry you are working in. With so many different companies vying for the attention of your target audience it can feel impossible to stand out and be seen – especially if you have the typical tiny marketing budget of a small business!

Even if you don’t know exactly what to do, you know that doing nothing is not an option. You need to get involved to benefit from the extra traffic and spending that happens at this time of year. So here are five ideas for marketing your business in a creative, fun and festive way that should help you stand out from the crowd.

Countdown to Christmas

Two of the things synonymous with Christmas are Advent Calendars and ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, and both give you the opportunity for a ‘countdown’ campaign. Maybe you can offer 24 days of deals, or 12 free training videos, or maybe even a prize draw every day for customers who purchase.

A countdown campaign is a great way to engage your audience and remind them of who you are every day of their shopping calendar.

Help a Good Cause

This time of year is not just about consumerism, it’s about gift-giving and hospitality, so highlight the values that your company stands for by partnering with a charity or supporting a relevant organisation during the holiday season. Not only will it help you get on the Nice List, but it will also give your customers a great reason to do business with you. 

Whatever you decide to support, remember to do it with sensitivity. The current cost-of-living crisis will make the Christmas season especially difficult for a lot of people. Your audience may even be the recipients of the help you are giving. Focus more on the importance of helping than how wonderful you are for doing it!

Make Christmas Greener

Did you know that at Christmas in the UK 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging goes to landfill?  Consumers are becoming more aware of the problem of wasteful holiday packaging and are paying more attention to the environmental impact of the holiday season. That makes it a great opportunity to highlight your business’s green credentials, and promote what you are doing to reduce your environmental footprint over 2023.

Get Interactive

The Christmas period is definitely a time when we feel like we’re being yelled at by every shop we’ve ever bought from, so instead of shouting about your latest deals, give your audience the opportunity to get involved and take action.

Interactive content could include polls and surveys, quizzes, calculators and games. Anything that stops the scroll and gets visitors involved with your content is a winning campaign.

Don’t Stop on December 25th

When you’ve worked so hard to gain momentum over December, don’t stop! Make sure that your campaigns carry through the weird pause between Christmas and New Year when we all forget what day it is and struggle to eat anything that isn’t candy cane shaped. Give all the people who engaged with you the opportunity to take action again with more interactive content, chances to give back and countdown to New Year and beyond.

And remember there’s support available to help you at every stage if needed. If you’re interested in talking to our team about how we could help you up your marketing game during the festive season we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at here for more information or give us a call on 01600 891525.

How do you include Halloween in your marketing plan?

It’s October, the summer is over but it’s a little early for festive cheer, so what better way to fill the gap in your marketing plan than with a Halloween themed campaign? It sounds good, but for many small business owners it can seem a bit uncomfortable – how on earth could they link their business with Halloween? And why should they bother?

Simply because you can. Marketing for small businesses can get stale quickly with repetitive, predictable campaigns. By keeping your marketing flexible, and reacting to the season you can keep things fresh, and keep your customers engaged all year round. With that in mind, here are our top tips for a scarily good Halloween marketing campaign.

  1. Keep it simple

If you are a small business, focusing on B2B clients, don’t spend time trying to work out how to make all of your service offerings sound spooky! As you would with any campaign, keep the plan focused.  For instance, if you are an accountant, you could just plan around ‘making tax less scary’; or if you build websites you could offer one ‘horribly good’ deal for the week.

The same goes for B2C like hospitality and retail businesses. If you are a restaurant owner, you could have a spooky-themed menu for one week, or some Halloween themed cocktails; or in a retail store you could choose one small group of products to promote using your Halloween theme…which brings us nicely to…

  1. Choose a theme

No, Halloween is not a theme – it’s too broad!  If you choose a more specific theme, like scary movies, or Frankenstein’s monster, or even pumpkins – it will help all of the planning go a lot quicker and help you create a more coherent campaign. Step one is what you are promoting, step two is how you’ll promote it.

  1. Don’t just decorate your campaign

Don’t limit the Halloween theme to your campaign-related graphics and print work or it will feel completely out of step with your brand. If you have a physical location that customers come to, like a shop or restaurant, then get to work on the Halloween décor. If you are online only, you can get creative with your social media graphics, website banners, or even a temporary themed logo or profile picture. By spreading the theme subtly across all of your marketing, you will make it feel less jarring and more part of the bigger plan.

  1. Plan where and when to reach people

The next step is to plan out your campaign and include all of your marketing channels (e.g. social, email, video, website, direct mail, POS etc.) then plan the frequency of contact on each. Don’t go overboard with lots of extra posts or emails as you’ll frighten more people away than you’ll attract.

  1. Get creative

Just because Halloween isn’t an event that you automatically associate with your business, doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with it! Halloween is a fun time of year when you can get away with things being a little messy, so embrace it and test out some fun new ways to market your products.

If you’d like to speak to one of our team about how we could help you create a spooktacular Halloween marketing campaign, you can get in touch here. Alternatively, pick up the phone and call us on 01600 891525 – we’d love to hear from you!

 

Top Graphic Design Tips for Small Businesses

Design is probably not a priority for your business, but it should be. In fact, graphic design should be vital. It is what can make your business stand out from all the others. Without design there would be no logo for your company; your website would look boring; the packaging for your product will be overlooked. All in all, design is rather important.

For small businesses, design can present some challenges that may not be a problem for larger companies – for instance, budget size. Steve Jobs reportedly spent $100,000 for the Apple logo; this is a luxury that not every business has. However smaller bank balances do not mean that you cannot compete with the big boys.

Here are a few tips that you can take away to make sure that you get the most out of your graphic designs:

THE OBJECTIVE

Do not go into any design project without knowing exactly what you want to achieve. A clear objective is key to a successful design. What is it you are aiming for: raising brand awareness? Increase website traffic? Increase profits? Who is your target audience?  If you know what you are trying to achieve, you will be able to assess if the finished product has met your goals.

THE DESIGN

Now that you have your objectives, you can work on the design.  Here are some tips for ensuring it is a success.

Design trends – look at current trends and watch how this can change to keep your brand up to date. For example, popular trends this year include muted colours and clever typography.

Colours – try to keep the number of different ones used to a minimum; and if you have brand colours, make sure that you use them.

Colours can have meanings, e.g., green tends to be associated with health, growth and nature, so depending on your message, you could find a colour to match the theme of your design.

Fonts – like colours, do not use too many different fonts. By sticking with a couple, making sure they are the same as your brand usually uses, and ensuring that they are easy to read, your design is more likely to be successful.

Keep it simple – this does not mean plain. As the saying goes: less is more. Stick with clean lines and try not to add any unnecessary words or images; remember that every element must have a purpose in great design.

White space – do not think of this as empty space, use it to your advantage. Pick an image for the background; a colour or pattern; or even incorporate white space into your logo. By ensuring there is plenty of space around your message, you will make it easier to read.

BE INSPIRED

Looking at the designs of larger businesses can be beneficial.  Companies like Apple, Nike, McDonalds, have millions to spend on their design work and keeping up with the latest trends, so take a look at what they are doing and see if it inspires your work.

USE TOOLS

Hiring a Graphic Designer would be ideal, however, some budgets may not be able to stretch to that, so take a look at the online tools that are available to help you do it yourself. From photos to software, there are plenty of resources that can help small businesses produce high-quality designs and graphics.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for something bespoke and original, get in touch with our team and discuss your requirements. Contact us here or pick up the phone and talk to us on 01600 891525.

How to Get your Emails Opened and Read

In 2020, 306.4 billion emails were sent and received every single day. By the end of 2021, it’s predicted that there will be 4.6 billion worldwide email users. 

The email universe has a lot of traffic going through it, and the average email open rate in 2021 is just 16.97%. With the average office worker getting over 120 emails every day, it’s hardly surprising they don’t all get seen!

So, how can I make sure my emails get read?

It turns out there could be a bit of a science to fighting your way through the myriad of emails and making yours the chosen one. There have been lots of studies done on open rates and effective communication tactics. We have collated some of them to give you a higher chance of getting your message heard! Here goes…

Tuesday Mornings:

Studies have shown that after all the catch-up of Monday has settled down, mid-morning Tuesday is when a lot of people find the time to look at individual tasks and emails. 10AM shows the highest open rates across most of these studies. Thursday onwards and your luck might run out.

Subject Lines:

Personalising your subject line could give your email a 17% better chance of being read. But remember, in the mobile age we’re living in, there’s a high chance your email will be received on a mobile, so keep it short. What could be even more effective, if possible, would be to put the whole message as the subject, that way your recipient doesn’t even need to open it!

Short and Sweet:

If you can’t put your message as the subject, make sure the content of your email is short, sweet and clear. The sooner you get to the point, the quicker your needs will be addressed.

Extra Tip: Avoid the word “just” – it downplays the importance of what you’re saying.

Emojis:

Research suggests that emails are generally interpreted more negatively than they’re intended. This is down to the lack of face to face interaction. This poses the question: should we use more emojis in email?

Well, they are effective when it comes to conveying emotion, but they can sometimes have the opposite effect. Smiling in real life is interpreted as positive and competent, but it’s been shown that emoji’s could give the impression of less competency.

With emoji’s, we’d say it’s all down to who you’re emailing and your relationship with them. Tread carefully.

Culture:

Email etiquette varies in different countries and cultures. So if you’re emailing internationally – get up to speed on their communication preferences and err on the side of caution.

Keep it formal and be specific.

Email Charter:

If you want to implement some rules around your office, then the Email Charter could be a handy tool. Offering tips on how to cut down on emails and make everybody’s lives easier, it’s a good rule book to go by.

If you’d like to see it, click here.

LimeGreen Marketing can provide consultancy for your marketing communications and develop effective strategies, if you want to inject some fresh thinking into your brand, click here.

 

Source: BBC

What does Emerging Technology mean for Marketing?

In today’s world, there is so much innovation in when it comes to tech, it’s hard to keep up. The way many of us live our everyday lives has completely changed, which has also led to a complete shift in the way we connect and communicate with brands and the internet.

Knowing what technology is worth integrating into your businesses marketing strategy can be tricky. This post highlights some of the most popular technological advancements right now and some statistics that may help you in understanding if they’re worth it for your marketing plan.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality - The future of marketing

The difference between AR and VR is that augmented reality (AR) adds digital elements to a live view, like some of the filters you may see on Instagram/Snapchat. Virtual reality (VR) is more of a complete immersion of a virtual world, you will wear glasses similar to the image above, and be ‘transported’ to an imagined or real-world scenario.

-The AR/VR market is currently estimated to be worth $1.6 billion (source: IDC)

–61% of shoppers would prefer to shop in stores that offer AR experiences (source: Lumus Vision)

–64% of VR users believe that VR has the most exciting potential in the gaming industry, while 52% believe this for the film and TV industry (source: GlobalWebIndex)

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence - Emerging Technology

Many of us don’t even notice how much we interact with AI every day. Most of the targeted adverts we see on the internet are powered by artificial intelligence, and a lot of the instant chat facilities we use to communicate with businesses are AI, too.

-It is predicted that by the end of this year, customers’ will manage 85% of their relationships with enterprises without even interacting with a human. (source: Gartner)

-It is estimated that this year, 80% of businesses will have integrated some form of chatbot automation into their communication strategy (source: HubSpot)

–55% of consumers are excited to interact with businesses who use messaging to solve problems (source: HubSpot)

Voice Assistants and Smart Speakers

Voice Assistants and Smart Speakers

A huge number of people now have smart speakers in their home, and if not, then there is a voice assistant built into almost all smartphones. The future of voice searching looks big.

-At the end of 2019, over 20% of UK households had a smart speaker, with over 70% of these owners use them every day (source: Voicebot.ai)

-It is predicted that digital voice e-commerce will rise to an $80 billion industry by 2023 (source: Juniper)

-By 2020, it is estimated that 50% of all internet searches will be done by voice (source: Quora Creative)

Smart Devices and Appliances

Smart TV - The future of marketing

Smart appliances can be seen in the form of smart TV’s, thermostats, kettles and more. Some say it’s going too far, while others believe it’s an efficient and simpler future.

-The number of houses with smart appliances is expected to double between now and 2024, with the average users being 25 – 34 years old (source: Statista)

–The most popular smart appliance is the Smart TV (38%). Followed by lighting (17%), thermostats (16%), and security systems (14%) (source: eMarketer)

-In 2018, 70% of all TV’s sold around the world were smart (source: Statista)

 

The last few years have seen some major changes in the way people live their everyday lives, and the next few years see even more to come. This means the future of marketing will be filled with change and adaptation.

We have to ask ourselves, are television adverts as effective today as video adverts played on catch up TV apps? Do we need to invest as much into voice SEO as search SEO? One thing that’s for sure, it is very important to keep up with the strides of technology and ensure your marketing strategy works for you.

If you’d like to book a strategy meeting and nail down the ways in which to incorporate technology into your brand, then get in touch with LimeGreen Marketing today.

National Work-Life Week

7th – 11th October 2019

Work-Life Balance; we all strive for that perfect mix of work and home life that complements one another and supports productivity. However, a lot of the time achieving this balance is easier said than done. This week is National Work-Life Balance Week, created by Working Families with the aim of getting both employers and employees talking more openly about well being at work and at home.

What is Work-Life Balance?

Work-Life Balance is the comparison of the amount of time and effort spent at work, to that spent on other aspects of life. A healthy work-life balance is when you can maintain your personal and professional life without one having an affect on the other.

The benefits of achieving a healthy work-life balance include better motivation, higher productivity and lower chances of burning yourself out at work.

Everybody’s lives, jobs roles and goals are different, so there isn’t really a one size fits all approach when it come to achieving this work-life balance, but there are a few tips and tricks you could try out.  

Play to your Strengths

Trying to be everything for everyone will often end up with you disappointing people. Understand your strengths and use them. If you’re not so hot at something, then delegate or outsource. If you’re trying to post for your brand on all Social Media platforms and can’t keep up, then assess which ones are most appropriate and utilise them well.

Prioritise and Manage

Just looking at that lengthy to-do list can make it feel like you’ll never complete it. Order your duties and prioritise them based on urgency and importance.

Understand yourself

If you work better in the mornings, then set yourself the more challenging, tougher tasks for the morning. If you’re more pro-active in the afternoon/evening, then give yourself the easier tasks in the morning. That way you are giving the tougher tasks your best level of concentration.

Utilise Technology

We live in the digital age, and there are countless apps, tools and automation devices that help us work more efficiently. Use these tools to support flexible working, rather than as a way to work 24/7.

Make some time for you

At least once a day, give yourself some time. Use this time to switch off and focus on re-charging. You’ll be surprised at how much taking this time out will benefit your well being.

Whether you’re an employee or an employer, striking the perfect balance between work and life can be hard. But if you try out some of these tips, and remember to be realistic in what you can achieve, then you might just be surprised at the changes you see.

If you need some help on utilising tools and effectively communicating your brand without burning out, then get in touch today and we may be able to help.

The Language of GIFs

If you haven’t used GIF’s in your communication before now, then there’s no doubt that you’ve seen them around. GIF’s have grown in popularity so much that you can even search for GIF’s quickly with a shortcut on many smartphone keyboards and on most social media platforms.

What exactly is a GIF? A Graphics Interchange Format is, in official terms, a bitmap image format for files that supports both animated and static images. In layman’s terms, it is, in essence, a digital flip book of images going around in a loop.

The popularity of the GIF is quite ironic, because GIFs were actually invented before the internet itself! The first GIF was created in 1987 by Steve Wilhite.

Twitter introduced GIF search back in 2016 in a bid to keep moving forward with culture. David Macintosh, CEO and co-founder of Riffsy, a GIF library platform, expressed his feelings towards the move; “So much can be expressed with GIFs, and the key is to find just the right one in the moment that quickly and efficiently expresses your emotions.”

Now, Riffsy has been re-branded as Tenor, and Google bought the popular GIF platform so that users can even search for them in Google Images. Our digital culture has GIFs ingrained in it as part of the language, and the marketing industry is jumping on the bandwagon more and more.

Why? Unsurprisingly, marketeers aren’t just using GIFs because they’re fun (but that is a bonus), GIFs make for much higher engagement rates and allow brands to express a lot in just one image.

Here’s just a few reasons that GIFs work so well for marketing:

They’re Easy to Consume

Keep Scrolling

With our attention spans getting shorter and shorter, conveying a message that’s easy to consume is more important than ever. You can convey a message to users without them even having to stop scrolling with a GIF.

The internet likes GIFs

The file size of a GIF is significantly smaller than that of a video, so upload time is much quicker than it would be for a video. The internet reads it as an image, whilst we get the benefits of a video.

They’re cheap and easy

The design and creation of GIFs is miles easier than video. It takes less time and less money, the two most crucial elements of a marketing strategy.

GIFs Add Personality to your Brand

Brand personality

People are much less receptive to traditional methods of marketing than they used to be, and they crave creativity and personality. GIFs are a great way to feed this need and can encourage more sharing and engagement.

We could go on with the list of benefits of GIFs, but we’ll just leave you with this:

If you’d like some help with your marketing strategy and the integration of modern trends, then please contact us and we’ll see how we can help.

Utilising National Holidays in your Strategy

If you were to look it up, the chances are every day is a national, international or awareness day of some kind. Some are serious, the intention to make us think – such as World Diabetes Day on the 14th Nov 2019.  Others are just fun and often a little bit whacky such as national wear your pj’s to work day  (It’s on the 16th April if you’re interested!)

With over 1,000 of these days and months, plus bank holidays and religious holidays, your calendar is jam packed, you could have a theme for each day!

In recent times, lots of companies have jumped on some of these national days and used them for their own marketing, and it proves to be a great way to add some personality to your brand image.

Depending on your business and industry, you can host marketing promotions and events for certain days that are relevant to you. For example, if you have an optical business, National Glaucoma Week could be your opportunity to run an event to educate your customers on the effects and causes of Glaucoma.  Run a bakery?  Then National Donut Day may be the one for you!

There are, of course, more well-known holidays that most businesses will use, like Christmas Day. Utilising the lesser-known holidays are a good way to stand out, though. Why?

– On a national day that is smaller and more unique, you won’t be trumped by huge corporations with an unlimited marketing budget

– The quirkier days can put a smile on your customers faces or brighten up their day, this can put you in a positive place in their minds

How can you use national days in your marketing?

– Create some interesting and relevant content for your blog or website

– Share this content on your social media – remember to alter the content to suit your platform though!

– Don’t forget to use the official and unofficial hashtags which are being used around the day’s theme so that you join in with the conversation

– Add a special sale or offer that relates to the national day – this will entice people to purchase

– Hold an event with a theme for the national day. If it’s a fun and quirky day, then maybe you could hold more of a party style event, if it’s a serious awareness day, then you could hold an educational event

To save you the time in hunting out all the relevant national days that you could jump on board with for your marketing, we’ve put together a handy document for our clients. Not every national day is on there, we’d have to publish a book for that, just some that we think are handy to know. Download the pdf, print it out and stick it up in your workplace, then you’ll know when there’s a date coming up that’s worth shouting about.

Download printable PDF here

Summer Drinks with Lemons and Limes

After a busy day at the office there’s nothing we like more than to make the most of the evening sunshine by sitting outside with a glass of something cold and – better still -alcoholic.

These fantastic recipes for drinks with lemons and limes have been taken from Ursula Ferrigno’s book – Lemons and Limes, published by Ryland Peters & Small.

So, here’s a little something for the Summer!

 

 

Salty Lime Soda – Serves 2

What you’ll need:

4 tsps. of good-quality sea salt

zest and juice of 4 limes

400ml of soda water

lime slices to serve

plenty of ice!

 

Method:

In a jug, mix the salt, lime zest and juice and soda together with a little iced water. Pour into long, tall glasses and serve with ice and lime slices.

 

 

Lemon & Ginger Barley Water – Serves 4

What you’ll need:

125g pot of barley

zest and juice of 4 unwaxed lemons

100g brown sugar

5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly grated

lime slices to serve

plenty of ice!

 

Method:

Wash the barley and place in a large heatproof jug with the lemon zest, sugar and ginger. Pour 1.2 litres of boiling water over the mixture and leave to cool for several hours. When the mixture is cold, add the juice of the lemons. Strain, and then serve in a glass with ice and lime slices.

 

 

Sunday Mojito – Serves 2

What you’ll need:

1 lime, cut into eighths

4 lychees

6 sprigs of fresh mint

6 tbsps. Malibu rum

2 tbsps. lychee liqueur

2 tbsps. pineapple juice

plenty of ice!

 

Method:

Put the pieces of lime into a cocktail shaker along with the lychee and mint, then crush using a muddle. Add the Malibu, lychee liqueur and lots of ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into cocktail glasses and top with the pineapple juice (maybe throw in some extra ice?).

 

 

Paloma – Serves 2

What you’ll need:

100ml tequila

150ml pink grapefruit juice

4 tsps. fresh lime juice

2 tsps. vanilla sugar

lime and grapefruit wedges to garnish/serve

plenty of ice!

 

Method:

Put the tequila, fruit juices and sugar into a shaker, add some ice, and shake. Strain into highball glasses part-filled with more ice. Garnish with the lime and grapefruit wedges (we think you’re all good for extra ice with this one!).

 

 

Ferrigno Family Aperitif – Serves 1

What you’ll need:

2 tbsps. limoncelo

Prosecco

a slice of lemon

a sprig of fresh mint

ice

 

Method:

Pour the limoncello into a large wine glass and top up with Prosecco. Add the ice, lemon slice and mint. Serve at once.

 

 

Cheers!

LimeGreenery

Pantone have recently announced their ‘Colour of The Year 2017’ and we couldn’t be happier with their selection.

 

 

At a glance we could see that ‘Greenery’ closely resembled our own brand colours, but as we delved a little deeper into it’s colour story, we found some more similarities.

To quote Pantone…

 

“Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew.”

 

This concept isn’t so far away from our own ‘fresh thinking’ ethos, as we help our clients revive their brands and reach out to their audience in new and inventive ways.

When it comes to brand consultancy, we encourage our clients to take a step back and evaluate their current digital presence before helping them identify how best to inject some new life into their organisation. Likewise, Pantone claim that…

 

…the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.”

 

It would seem great minds think alike!

 

You can read the full ‘Colour of The Year 2017’ announcement and find more information on the Pantone website, including colour charts and ‘Greenery’ merchandise – we’ve already got our eyes on those mugs!

 

The image for this post was taken from the Pantone website.

LimeGreen’s Cocktail Club

Christmas is coming and the party season is well and truly in full swing! We thought we’d invite you into ‘LimeGreen’s Cocktail Club’ and share with you some of our favourite Christmas cocktails.

There’s a common theme of course. Can you tell what it is?

 

Margarita – with tequila, triple sec and fresh lime

 

Equipment

  • A shaker
  • A strainer
  • A sieve
  • Cocktail glass

Ingredients

  • 1 part Cazadores Tequila
  • ½ part triple sec liqueur
  • ½ part lime juice
  • 1 lime wedge
  • Salt
  • Cubed ice

How to mix

  • Chill your glass (the easiest way is to fill it with ice)
  • Put lots of ice and all of the ingredients into a shaker, then shake hard for about 30 seconds to chill the liquid really well
  • Run a lime wedge around the outside of the rim of your glass before rolling the rim in salt
  • Double strain the mix into the glass

 

 

Mojito – a Bacardi and lime refreshing Christmas cocktail

 

Equipment

  • A muddler (or rolling pin)
  • A spoon
  • A long glass

Ingredients

  • 2 parts Bacardi Carta Blanca
  • ½ fresh lime
  • 12 fresh mint leaves
  • 2 heaped bar spoons of caster sugar
  • Dash of soda water
  • Cubed ice
  • Crushed ice
  • To Garnish: Sprig of Fresh Mint

How to mix

  • Put the four lime wedges into a glass, then add the sugar and muddle (squish everything together) to release the lime juice
  • Put the mint leaves on one hand and clap. This bruises the leaves and releases the aroma. Rub the mint leaves around the rim of the glass and drop them in. Use a muddler, bar spoon (or even a rolling pin) to gently push the mint down into the lime juice
  • Half fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in the Bacardi Carta Blanca. Stir the mix together until the sugar dissolves
  • Top up with crushed ice, a splash of the soda water and garnish it with a sprig of mint

 

 

Daiquiri – with lime and good rum

 

Equipment

  • A shaker
  • A strainer
  • Cocktail glass

Ingredients

  • 3 parts Bacardi Carta Blanco
  • 1 part lime juice
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • Cubed ice

How to mix

  • Chill your glass (the easiest way is to fill it with ice)
  • Add the lime and sugar to your cocktail shaker and stir until the sugar dissolves
  • Put lots of ice and the remaining ingredients into the shaker and shake hard for about 30 seconds to chill and dilute the mix
  • Strain into the glass. You don’t need a garnish for this drink, but a lime wedge or pinwheel (a pinwheel is just a thin slice) won’t go amiss

Enjoy responsibly!

My Favourite Christmas Adverts

This week the LimeGreen team have been joined by Beatrice Smith from Monmouth Comprehensive School. Beatrice has been spending time with us and learning all about digital marketing as part of her work experience placement.

With less than six weeks until Christmas, now is the time we start to see seasonal adverts creeping into the schedule so we asked Beatrice to put together some of her favourite festive campaigns.

 

My Favourite Christmas Adverts

By Beatrice Smith.

 

John Lewis: The Long Wait – 2011

 

John Lewis is renowned for its tear jerking adverts and this one is no different. The advert itself appeals to me because of the simplicity of the piece. It brings out emotion that’s hard to explain. You feel almost bad for assuming that the young boy’s interests were selfish ones when actually, all of the impatient glaring at the clock was only him willing the time to go quicker, in order for him to give a present to his parents on Christmas Day.

 

Sainsbury’s: Christmas is for Sharing – 2014

 

Sainsbury’s definitely did a good job in attracting my attention with this advert. As 2014 was the 100th anniversary of the spontaneous truce that took place along parts of the western front, during World War I, the brand decided to mark the occasion. Showing how the two countries were able to put the fighting behind them for one day to mark a time of peace and goodwill to all men reminds people of what Christmas is truly about.

 

Coca-Cola: Holidays Are Coming – Annual

 

The Coca-Cola Christmas advert will always stand out to me because it’s always shown in the same format. Although they may change elements of it, the majority of the time, the advert has the same classic theme. As soon the Coco-Cola advert comes on, no matter what room of the house you’re in, you know Christmas is on its way – “Holidays are coming!”

 

Irn-Bru: The Snowman – 2007

 

As a child the story of The Snowman was a popular at Christmas time, and even more so after the animated film release. The music “Walking in The Air” is instantly recognisable and makes you think of Christmas, so it’s clever that Irn-Bru have used a parody of this to promote their product. Re-working a childhood classic brings back many memories and emotions.

 

John Lewis: The Bear and the Hare – 2013

 

This advert is a particularly memorable one, due to the kind nature of the animals. The alarm clock is an endearing gift, that doesn’t just display a material value, but something truly thoughtful. Without it the bear would not be able to wake up and enjoy the Christmas moments with the other animals, making memories which are a gift themselves.

 

I think all of these adverts appeal to my age group as they play to our emotional side and we are able to connect with them on a deeper level. The music chosen for each Christmas advert helps create a big impact. Whether it’s to instantly grab your attention or simply to help tell a story, music makes a strong visual advert even more memorable. This is why adverts such as ‘The Snowman’ and ‘The Long Wait’ are such massive hits.