Impress invites friends and guests to attend the agency's monthly marketing forum at Babington House, Nr. Frome on Tuesday October 3rd 2006. Titled Second Tuesday, this event will feature a presentation from John Davies of Bath-based agency Salestar and will focus on the importance of the sales process to any business. The evening promises to be great fun as John is a vastly experienced entrepreneur and larger than life personality.

Places are limited to 25 so it is essential that those wishing to attend inform Rhian Williams (rhian@impress-marketing.co.uk) in advance. The event will be held in the library on the first floor of Babington and guests are encouraged to meet at 7 for a 7.30pm start.

For more information, please contact Rhian or Mark Cadbury at Impress.

I declare from the outset that I like my threads. A sharp suit from Boss or Hetcher used to be my favourites. Shirts from Nigel Hall, shoes by Oliver Sweeney or Jeffrey West all used to have me reaching for the plastic with barely a thought for the cost. So what has happened? Well, the aforementioned  brands all still produce great gear, but somehow they have lost me as a customer/client. Perhaps I am a clothes snob, but Boss & Hetcher are now stocked in department stores and Hall seems to have lost that edgy-cool design element that I used to love. West & Sweeney just don't seem to have moved on and clumpy, rounded toes have just never been my thing. It is, of course, hugely subjective and I thank these companies for raising the profile of male tailoring over the last five years in particular.

However, brand loyalty is rooted in the sub-conscious and my favour has been won by new brands that seem to stand for something that little bit extra. Reiss is one such brand. Every major city has a Reiss store in the High Street which are characterised by a slightly 'dark' image. I cannot speak for all the outlets, but recent visits to branches in Birmingham & Bristol seem to justify the statement. In a previous life, I was a regular visitor to Reiss' flagship store in High Street Ken. and adored their clothes even then. Now the brand seems to have upped the anti.

Beyond the shopfitting, the clothes are superbly stylish. Sharply cut and dominated by this season's greys, browns and dark reds. And of course purples. The pair of women's shoes that dominate the left hand window in the Bristol store are simply to die for. Purple with black pattern, heels that scream sophisticated girl power and a fabric as sensuous as a Saturday night, just demand to be worn. Matching skirts and blouses provoked a gasp from the girl on my arm and the plastic was unquestioningly removed from my wallet.

By the time I reached the men's floor downstairs, I was already a few hundred quid down, but captivated by the array of ties, suits and shirts that dominated my eye. The fact that the instore hi-fi started playing the second Nouvelle Vague (www.nouvellesvagues.com) album only enhanced the brand seduction that I was experiencing. I managed to resist the suits, but quickly purchased a couple of shirts and ties which I justified in my own mind as a much-needed Autumn collection. As if....

The staff were great too. Fun and informed without being pushy. Sympathetic and not at all patronising which is something many of those oh so trendy boutique shops in Bath could learn from.

The flash website (www.reiss.co.uk) reinforces all the company brand values with an emphasis on both sexy and contemporary. The global expansion plans of the group are outlined in the About section with an air of confidence and corporate ambition that captures the essence of the clothes themselves. So, congratulations David Reisse for the vision thing that your brand has become. Inspiring stuff for entrepreneurs and marketers everywhere.

Wonderland Magazine was launched in September 2005 after 29 year old entrepreneur Huw Gwyther managed to secure £175, 000 investment from telecoms millionaire and panelist Peter Jones on the Dragons Den TV show.

Quoting from the press release that followed the launch, Peter Jones says, ‘Huw was very impressive when presenting on Dragon’s Den and I was immediately struck by his knowledge of the international magazine and publishing markets, not to mention his passion for wanting to make a concept like Wonderland actually happen. For me, Wonderland is more than just a high quality magazine, it is a brand that can be nurtured and expanded in a number of exciting different ways. Huw has the vision and determination to make this happen and I’m delighted to be a part of it.’

The magazine is published on a bi-monthly basis and is a luxury publication aimed uniquely at both affluent men and women of sophisticated tastes, aged between 20 and 40 years. It promises to showcase the very best of the world’s best consumer goods and services as well as a stimulating round-up of contemporary visual culture. Moving away from the stereotypical ‘male’ or ‘female’ targeted publications of the past, Wonderland will focus instead on providing sophisticated, intelligent information and entertainment for everyone.

Huw Gwyther explains, ‘We aim to create an important, modern brand that will quickly become synonymous with good taste, style and originality, overflowing with the kind of information one might expect from a discerning friend.’ Wonderland will entertain, challenge and inform, assisting the reader rather than dictating to them, so that they may decide for themselves how to spend those two most valuable commodities: their time and their money.’

Wonderland catches the eye on the over-crowded news stands on account of an uncluttered cover design with a splash of spot uv gloss. The content is varied and style-conscious supported by global super brand advertising from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci. Throughout the magazine, the photography is stunning and many of the pages of the latest issue (5) could happily be cut out and framed.

The product clearly draws inspiration from titles such as The Face, ID and Wallpaper, but avoids the trappings of the now standard format of GQ, Arena & Esquire etc. Perhaps this is because the magazine adopts a format not governed by the sexuality of the audience. If you like cool then it doesn't matter if you are male or female, is the Wonderland mantra.

Impress loves the vision and ethos behind the magazine and congratulates the team for putting something unique and creatively compelling on the racks of WH Smith et al.

Mark Cadbury, my co-Director at Impress, mentioned in his last Blog entry a site that we have built and managed for a local double glazing company. Many of you will need no convincing that the Internet provides an essential marketing or information sharing tool, but perhaps a belief in the absolute power of the Net needs a little reinforcing for some. Double glazing is not the most glamorous of sectors and yet, www.thermaglaze.com, proves beyond all doubt just how influential a website can be.

The site is interactive in every sense and enables users to find an online quote for double glazing products without even having to submit an email address or phone number. The site mirrors the transparent pricing structure of Thermaglaze which flys in the face of the stereotypical image of the double glazing business. No hard sell here and barely even a soft sell. The site simply tells you how much the company's products cost, allowing the user to make their own consumer choices without fear of a cold call or intrusive visit from a salesman.

Of course, thermaglaze.com took a long time to develop and the hand-coded technology that enables a user to get an instant price for any number of doors (with or without a door knocker or brass numerals!!!) is sophisticated. However, the Thermaglaze website now attracts 50+ unique visitors per day and a significant stream of online leads. The company's superb conversion rate ensure that the site is an essential profit centre for the business and now forms a integral element of the group's marketing strategy.

I recently pitched to another double glazing company who were interested in the same system. They had never seen anything like it online and are in the process of deliberating whether to change their business model to accommodate this wonderful online tool. I hope they do as Impress want to further refine the technology prior to marketing the system more widely.

Feedback from Thermaglaze customers has been very positive and the site continues to generate significant revenues. If you are a double glazing company and wish to discuss how this website can transform your lead generation strategy, then get in touch.

In my experience at Impress and before that in the corporate world, what people want from their website, is for it to be a lead generator.

Now, what that means, is someone showing an interest in the product or service that you offer and a willingness to give their details for information in return, or to be contacted for further information. What is doesn’t mean is providing sales. That is another process which demands commitment and securing the sale.

However E-commerce sites can generate the lead, then the sale, there and then, leading to a low cost of sales and a good profit margin.

The psychology of today’s internet browsing consumer or business customer is such that, generally speaking, they do not want to commit to a sale there and then and the use of Froogle to find the best deal is testament to the fact that people want to find out the price first and then commit to giving their hard-earned cash for a service or product later.

Impress have spent a great deal of time and energy putting into place a website for a double-glazing company that allows consumers to go into the website, put in the details of their requirements and get an online quote there and then with no commitment. The prices are guaranteed, they include VAT and installation. When customers find out that the cost is transparent and that they don’t have to be called by a salesperson, they are delighted.

When they submit the details and then talk to a salesperson, they are committed, they have printed off the quote and the conversion rate is approaching 100%.

Now, have a think about your website offering. People may or may not be able to find out what you do – make is simple, then put yourself in their shoes and allow them the opportunity to get a good idea of the costs without commitment and then you will see the benefits of being open and transparent.

The biggest brands in the world - loved, hated or even respected - I lived and breathed the brand.

I worked for Maxwell Communications Corporation, Microsoft, Vodafone and Plantronics - all well-known and perhaps somewhat notorious. I loved each and every brand, having a great deal to do with their constant brand recreations, averaging 18 months between different brand iterations.

Why were they huge brands?

Certainly the advertising spends were enormous; Vodafone is its acquisitive pomp spent £5 million a year in advertising at Heathrow Terminal One alone.

Why did they need to be constantly revamped?

Was it to do with people justifying their jobs or was it to do with creating a constant competitive edge and natural brand evolution?

The power of a brand truly lies in the relationship between the customer and the product or service, that relationship has to go beyond the logical to something more emotional or even magical. In the corporate world that is rarely a close relationship due to their channels to market and sheer size of organisation.

The corporate world is fun, is hard work and entertaining and I have made some friends for life, however they are also life pervasive, too much and ultimately draining. They say that the average shelf-life of a Marketing Director in a corporate is two years.

I left each one in turn for pastures new - perhaps for better stock options, better opportunities and fatter cheques, but herein lies the truth, if I had won the lottery I would have left them all, forever.

I have joined the world of the entrepreneur, controlling my destiny and now work as one of two Directors of Impress, a full service marketing agency based in Wiltshire.

It's hard work, it's entertaining, it's frustrating, in many ways the same as a big corporate with the exception  that they seem to have endless cash showered on them by The City, but if I win the lottery tomorrow I would stay and work at Impress. Why? Because I love it, because there is real passion for marketing, there is a real need and desire to do well and to create a difference for our clients. This inspiration is due to the indefatigable passion for marketing of the Impress creator - Andrew Pinnell.

A friend and business ally said he found the people in the corporate world frustrating (and they are his clients) because more often than not those people had reached their position of power not because they were inspirational or truly creative but because they played the corporate game.

Impress deal with a variety of clients, most of whom are entrepreneurs to the core - they have passion, belief, vision, creativity and are inspirational - that's what drives me and Andrew and Impress!