apt blog

A sporting chance

This weekend saw our intrepid MD in action at an unforgettable Italian press weekend for the expansive Geovillage Sport & Wellness Resort, in Sardinia. The stunning location comprises of Europe's number one, multipurpose complex for just about every sport. It already attracts top competitive athletes, celebrities and sports teams - Roger Federer, Chelsea and Real Madrid, to namedrop a few!

The apt media party and camera crew soaked up the sunshine from the nearby beaches on the famous Costa Esmeralda and wandered amongst Geovillage's 14 hectares of lush Mediterranean gardens.

The complex features a spa managed by the prestigious Malo Clinic empire and its president, Dr Paulo Malo dropped in to give a press conference and presentation to the world's media about his exciting vision for combining health and wellness therapies at the Geovillage resort.

Our journalists were thrilled to get one to one access with the quintessential and globally renowned doctor of wellbeing! After their trial spa sessions, apt and their media guests found themselves overlooking the spectacular views from Geovillage's exclusive first class hotel , the impressive and elegant Meliá Olbia.

apt looks set to show the world just what a unique and cutting edge European facility Geovillage is. Watch this space!

http://www.geovillage-sportsclubs.com/

Friends Reunightmare

When ITV acquired Friends Reunited back in 2005, I remember thinking 'what on earth are they doing?!'

There had already been a clear shift in momentum towards Facebook and MySpace who did (and continue to do) so much more that FR.

So, little surprise then that the value of FR has dropped...considerably. Having picked up the business for a staggering £175m, it's rumoured ITV could now be selling for as 'little' as £40m.

Nice bit of business then for the already struggling ITV, who announced pre-tax losses of £2.73 billion last year!

Having said all this, ITV have raked in some decent revenue from the Social Networking dinosaur; reportedly £22m in 2007.

Story via SouthWestBusiness.co.uk

When to use billboards

Seth Godin's recent post caught our eye. A brief but interesting critique of billboard advertising.

Amongst his criteria for a successful billboard: "take action now" which we completely agree with. The example he used (pictured) demonstrates the point and makes a case for this seemingly outdated ad format.

Seth also acknowledges that billboards are "useful for building brand trust", if run over time. This is true but, unless budget is unlimited, there are far more efficient ways to spend marketing money...as I'm sure Seth would agree :-)

The 'cost' of Swine Flu

Swine Flu: a scary outbreak, signalling a global red-alert or a happy distraction, helping the government to divert public attention away from the floundering economy?

Whatever your viewpoint, one thing's for sure, the cost of Swine Flu is potentially huge in many ways, with lost staff hours, lost customers, lost time and lost revenue for starters.

There are some significant winners though, as there always are. We've been particularly impressed with the rapid flurry of activity to spread the word.

As if the attention of the world's media wasn't enough, a massive cash injection has been administered to fuel an extensive marketing campaign.

Newspaper, radio and TV ads have been running for a week now, and most of us should have received a leaflet through our doors. Just do the math on those print costs alone!

This text book, integrated approach should ensure that people will grow sick of the advertising, even if the virus has little chance of catching up with them!

Far from criticising the ethics of cashing in on the 'outbreak' though, we are just jealous we didn't get the job of running the campaign. Ch-ching! :-)