Miscellaneous Bits And Pieces

We had a little snow yesterday- a brief fluttery flurry- but it didn't settle. Afterwards there was rain. Right now- that is to say at ten thirty in the morning- the sun is shining. 

Alice Skyped us at breakfast time with Ivy on her knee. Ivy had her tongue sticking out all through the call- almost certainly because she was enjoying the novel sensation of her FIRST TOOTH. Alice wanted to tell us that her mother and partner and Joe and Vicky will/may be there when we drop by the house on Christmas Eve- which'll be jolly. Skype is a wonderful boon for grandparents who live at a distance from their grandchildren.

I am very happy about Alistair Cook's 23rd Test century. What a pity he fell just short of making it a double. The arrest of Max Clifford suggests the Met are serious about investigating historic charges of sex abuse. Clifford is a powerful man (or would like us to think he is) and a more formidable proposition than the light entertainment codgers who have been collared thus far.  On the other hand it remains a scandal that no politician has yet been required to answer questions. 

Brands

One of the things I've learned from doing marketing surveys is how little attention I pay to brands. For me toothpaste is toothpaste and washing-up liquid is washing-up liquid and an ink-jet printer is an ink-jet printer. When they ask- for example- what kind of air-freshener  I'm using I have to go and look. As often as not the answer is store's own brand. The only brands I have loyalty to are those where a quirky product has become synonymous with the name it's marketed under (especially if I remember it from childhood.)  I'm thinking of  Marmite and Lucozade and Mars Bars. The idea that one might "love" a particular brand and despise the half dozen others that are offering approximately the same generic service or experience strikes me as inherently ridiculous. Coke or Pepsi? I've never been able to tell the difference.

The survey I just completed was asking if my perception of certain brands would improve if they were associated with musicians I like (or can tolerate). The short answer is "No". The more nuanced answer is my perception of the musicians would take a dive. It's like Nietzsche said about pits and how they gaze back into you. There's a price to pay for taking the advertiser's shilling. Your coolness rubs off on the product and its uncoolness rubs off on you.