All posts by : janinepaterson

But there’s some sense to it

I don’t know if you remember that joke about needing your passport if you wanted to go north of Watford Gap Services.

Well, I didn’t realise I needed one to visit my local recycling centre!

We’d taken some old bags of concrete that had got wet and therefore were solid and some old tins of paint.

We drove in and were looking for a space when a man indicated for us to stop.

When I wound down the window he said: Have you got proof of residency?”

I was a little taken aback by this, and as I don’t carry my driving licence on me and having thought I had no need for a passport, I said “No”.

After explaining we would need this the next time we visit, he let us in.

It seems that, as we live close to the borders of two other counties, some of their residents are driving across county borders to bring us their recycling.

As I know from my time on the District Council, recycling and waste services are not a cheap thing to do, so I can see they want to make sure it’s just county residents that visit.

Another example of the difficulty in keeping up with rules changing.

And the consequences of not knowing can be a lot worse than not being able to visit the local recycling centre.

… lessons for us all! 👩‍🏫

“Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I’ll show you someone who has never achieved much.”

This quote from Dame Joan Collins is so true.

If you’re trying something new, you’re bound to make mistakes.

The problem is not making the mistakes in the first place; it’s not learning from them.

And learning from someone else’s is even better!

The ICO knows this and the previously secret reprimands it issues are now public.

An organisation will receive a reprimand when the ICO has found breaches of data protection, but they aren’t serious enough for formal enforcement action.

To help us, the ICO recently reported on reprimands issued between March and June this year, with 3 lessons from the mistakes of others, which makes for interesting reading.

🛡️ Lesson 1: protect data

A combination of a lack of policies and staff training can lead to personal data being disclosed when it shouldn’t.

There was one case that seemed more serious to me and should’ve got, in my view, more than a rap over the knuckles. 14 bags full of confidential waste documents, including medical and security details, were left sitting in an unsecured prison area for 18 days. Some of the prisoners were openly reading the stuff, but the staff did nothing more than just tell them to stop!

⏳ Lesson 2: respond to Subject Access Requests on time.

Two councils, Norfolk County Council and Plymouth City Council received reprimands for failing to respond within the month. Norfolk managed to respond to just over half on time, while Plymouth could only get 45% done, and 18 requests took up to 2 years to complete!

🚀 Lesson 3: think about data protection from day one.

When coming up with new products and services or using new tools that involve personal data, always think about how you’re going to protect it from the start. Two police forces introduced an app that recorded phone calls and captured personal data, completely forgetting the data protection implications.

The report may not be the most engaging reading I’ve done, but they do bring up some interesting, and at times worrying, examples of people’s attitudes to personal data.

It’s so unnecessary 😕

My eldest daughter had both good and bad experiences during her university years. Well, now it’s my younger daughter’s turn to dive into this crazy adventure.

Maddy arranged her 2^nd year accommodation with friends she met in her 1^st year. I had heard there were a few things they had to bring to the attention of the agents, including where they said they’d had to take legal advice (which was true – guess who from 😊) in order for them to listen!

I was looking forward to seeing her new place when I went to help her move in some stuff she didn’t need at home over the summer.

It was in a row of terraced houses. It had a lovely bay window to the front room but this was overshadowed by the pile of rubbish in the small front garden, which should have been cleared weeks ago.

But wait, it got worse. The front door didn’t even open all the way, and the flooring in the hallway was as wobbly as a carnival ride.

And don’t even get me started on the shared spaces. Boxes and random stuff were strewn all over the lounge and kitchen area. It was like walking through a maze of chaos!

But then, I stumbled upon the grand finale— the freezer.

Brace yourself for this one. I opened it, and what did I find?

An arctic wonderland! I’m talking mountains of ice, stalactites, and stalagmites.

I kid you not, you couldn’t even open the only drawer.  It was like a scene straight out of an Ice Age movie! 📽

This was a property that was supposed to have had a deep clean after the previous tenants moved out, or so the lease says.

It’s not difficult to treat people right, whether it is your tenants or your customers, so it baffles me why this happens.

Hopefully, by the time she moves in for the new term, it will be a different story. I’ll let you know.

… it probably is!

You know how it is – we all want to save those hard-earned pennies on our energy bills, especially at the moment.

So when a company promises magical savings with their new product, people were naturally going to take notice.

“Lower your bills. Reduce your energy use. Protect yourself from price increases” they said, claiming you could save up to a whopping 20% on your electricity bills with their Home Voltage Optimiser.

That sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

Well, you’re right!

Fortress Energy found itself in hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making such bold claims without solid evidence to back them up.

There was an attempt to dazzle with some technical jargon about voltage fluctuations and how their nifty transformer gadget could prevent overloading electrical items, thereby saving you energy, carbon, and money!

But the ASA isn’t interested in magic tricks – they want hard facts, cold numbers, and real evidence!

Fortress provided industry guides, but these talked about voltage optimisation in general, not their specific product. They also cited a case study, but this was the result of just one test on one household.

And although this showed energy savings, there were no details on how the test was carried out, which meant there may have been many other factors, such as other energy-saving devices in the house or changes to the occupants’ energy habits that could have led to the savings.

Perhaps they turned off the lights when they left a room, or they unplugged all devices before going to bed!

You can probably see why this failed to convince the ASA.

When it comes to making big claims, you can’t rely on a single case study and a sprinkle of jargon. The ASA want all the info and data to back those claims up.

Otherwise, you will be on the wrong side of the ASA, and trust me, despite having no powers to fine you, that’s not where you want to be!

There are always lessons to learn!

Did you watch the Wimbledon men’s final? 🎾

I’ve always wanted to go, but I missed out big time this year.

The clash between the old guard, Novak Djokovic, and the young pretender, Carlos Alcaraz, was epic! It was like a masterclass in top-notch tennis, all condensed into five thrilling sets.

I thought it might be game over for him after that first set where Carlos lost 6-1.

But boy did he bounce back! He took the second set to a tiebreak, and suddenly, the momentum shifted.

After saving some set points, he won the 2^nd and then the 3^rd.

But then it was Novak’s turn to fight back, taking the 4^th set and setting up a last set shootout.

And after 4 hours and 42 mins, Carlos triumphed, denying his opponent a record-equalling win.

Now there was a lot of talk before the match about the 2 players.

Novak, the defending champ, was aiming for his fifth consecutive and eighth Wimbledon title.

On the other side, Carlos, the youngest world number 1 at just 20 years old, was hungry for his second title. The stakes were high.

There were some magnificent shots from both players, and as the match went on it was evident that they shared one essential skill.

They learnt from every point played. Whether they won or lost, they took it all in, adapting their strategies and outplaying each other at crucial moments.

That’s one thing that I share with both Novak and Carlos.

While I may not possess their extreme prowess on the tennis court 🤣, I do share their constant drive to learn and adapt.

It’s all about providing the best outcomes for my clients, just like they fought for every point on that court.

… Ladbrokes will be hoping not!

Have you been keeping up with the rollercoaster ride of Ladbrokes and their gambling ads

You may remember my previous mention of the ASA’s updated rules to keep betting and gambling ads away from the under-18s.

Part of these rules includes avoiding any association with youth culture by not using people or characters that appeal to those under 18 in ads.

This may seem straightforward enough, but when brands like Ladbrokes manage to stumble not once, not twice, but thrice since these rules came into effect last October, maybe they’re not as simple as first it seems.

⚽ First off, we had a football fiasco.

Ladbrokes sent out a promotional tweet right when the rules kicked in, raising interest from the ASA. The tweet posed the question, “Can these big summer signings make the question marks over their performances go away?”

The video embedded in the tweet featured Premier League footballers Philippe Coutinho, Jesse Lingard, and Kalidou Koulibaly, all surrounded by question marks, and the “Ladbrokes” logo.

Ladbrokes claimed they did everything to prevent those under 18 from seeing the ad, using their own targeting and age-gating techniques.

But there’s a problem here: Twitter allows self-verification, so Ladbrokes could not prevent children who had lied about their age from seeing the tweet.

🥊 Then we had a boxing blunder.

The ASA considers boxing an adult-oriented sport with a low appeal to under-18s. But when you pair this with a big social media following, the problems start!

A promoted tweet featured Jake Paul, a guy known more for his YouTube shenanigans and a whopping social media following of around 65 million people. Mr Paul turned his hand to boxing a few years back, and the tweet followed his defeat by Tommy Fury. It included a poll asking what’s next for him.

Paul’s under 18 following is only around 3 million across all the social media platforms, and he has no followers on Twitter. However, the guidance suggests that if a sportsperson has a limited following among under-18s but is widely recognised for their social media presence and media profile, this makes them more likely to attract the younger crowd.

And to make matters worse, Jake Paul was a child actor, appearing on children’s TV! No surprise then the complaint was upheld.

⚽ But wait, there’s more! Football strikes again.

Two promoted tweets featuring Premier League managers Eddie Howe, David Moyes, Frank Lampard, Brendan Rodgers, and Gary O’Neil caught the ASA’s attention.

These managers are well-known to football followers, especially fans of the clubs they managed, which include children.

And Premier League football managers are considered high-risk, as they tend to be of strong appeal to under-18s.

But guess what? Ladbrokes, once again, went with Twitter, relying on self-verified customer sign-ups. As they’d seen in the first case, this approach doesn’t exclude a young audience with the accuracy required for these types of ads.

Some people don’t worry about the ASA, well they can’t fine you can they, but the effect their rulings can have on your reputation can’t be underplayed.

The boxing one was unfortunate I think, but with 2 complaints involving football stars, I think Ladbrokes can do better!

… ask the right questions!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but companies seem to have forgotten the art of gathering the right data.

And this is an easy way to customer dissatisfaction.

I was on the wrong end of this recently when I was looking to renew my car insurance.

My current provider hit me with a renewal quote that’s almost 50% higher than last year!

Now, I’m no speed demon and nothing has happened on the roads in the past year to justify such a steep increase.

So, I did some good old comparison shopping.

Lo and behold, I come upon a quote that’s a whopping £75 cheaper!

Great, so I start filling out those online forms on their website.

As I’m diligently reviewing the information they have about me, I come across a question: “How many cars are there in your household?”

3 was ticked, which was true back when my stepson lived with us.

But times have changed, and it’s just two of us now.

So, I adjust the answer, thinking this could potentially lower my quote. But wait for it… my quote shoots up by nearly £12! What in the world?

Naturally, I wanted to know why.

When I rang them here’s what they said:

Apparently, the fewer cars there are in the household, the more I’ll be driving mine.

So more time on the road equals a higher risk of incidents and claims.

I can see that logic, except for one tiny detail—they assumed I had access to my stepson’s car, which I didn’t because, well, I wasn’t insured for it!

You see they made a wrong assumption because they asked the wrong question.

If they’d asked, “How many cars do you have access to?” instead of the misleading “How many cars are there in your household?”, they wouldn’t have gone down a rabbit hole of flawed risk assessment.

Sadly, they didn’t see things my way, so I took my business elsewhere.

This whole episode serves as a timely reminder: When you’re collecting data, it’s absolutely crucial to ask the right questions!

You’ll get the right answers that will lead you to better decisions and happier customers.

… which you can avoid

Promoting new products and services can be challenging, right?

Choosing the right channel for your business, audience, and offerings is no easy task.

A popular option is email marketing—it’s cost-effective and allows you to reach a wide audience.

You can create captivating copy tailored to engage your ideal clients.

But wait! Before hitting that “SEND” button, remember the rules.

Let me tell you about Bob.

Bob is the CEO of a thriving tech company specialising in solutions for other businesses.

His marketing team gathered to brainstorm ideas for promoting a new service they’d developed.

One suggestion caught their attention: sending an email to their loyal clients and suppliers, treating them to exclusive offers and discounts.

It sounded like a brilliant way to reach their entire network, so they crafted a compelling email and eagerly pressed “SEND”.

However, instead of the positive feedback and requests for more info they expected, they received complaints from some of the recipients asking, “Why have I received this email?”

The marketing list included clients and suppliers without considering their business types.

While it’s acceptable to send marketing emails to individuals associated with limited companies without their prior consent, the same cannot be said for sole traders. As unincorporated businesses, they are treated similarly to consumers and require prior permission to receive such emails.

Bob swiftly took responsibility for the mistake, sincerely apologised to the affected individuals, and promptly removed their details from the email marketing list.

Determined to avoid similar mishaps in the future, he implemented stronger procedures and provided training to his team on compliance.

Fortunately, the repercussions for Bob’s company were not severe this time, but it reminds us that we need to know and apply the rules properly in our businesses.

If you’re unsure or want to discuss legal compliance in your marketing, you know who to ask, don’t you?

… well maybe 😂

One fine morning, as my husband and I were on our morning walk, inspiration struck me like a ray of sunlight.

A thought so brilliant, it could revolutionize the world of gardening! 🤔

Picture this: a duvet…for plants! I know it sounds peculiar, but bear with me.

Amidst our conversation about the state of our vegetable garden, brimming with onions, garlic, broad beans, squash, and courgettes, we’ve encountered a minor setback—the runner beans.

Although we planted them a tad late, they seemed to be catching up, flourishing in their own way…until the unexpected chill arrived.

In a typical summer, these sprightly beans would have raced up their canes, adorning them with lush green foliage.

Alas, the sudden drop in temperature seemed to displease them greatly.

If they had the gift of speech, I’m certain they’d grumble about their chilly roots! 🙃

And that’s when it hit me: the plant duvet! A cosy cover to keep those delicate roots warm and snug.

Now, I must confess, this idea may not be my greatest gardening brainchild. I’m more of a dabbler in the world of horticulture.

However, fear not! When it comes to marketing and advertising compliance, I’m your go-to expert, offering invaluable guidance and assistance.

… but an important one

Isn’t it amazing how sports, especially football, captivate the hearts of so many young fans? I remember my husband telling me about when he and his brothers were young, cheering for Manchester United (their dad’s team 😉) during exciting matches on TV.

But those famous football players can have an influence on young people, and we need to be careful if these stars are used to promote some services, like gambling for example.

The ASA, therefore, has some strict rules. They don’t want ads featuring sports stars who strongly appeal to those under 18, which makes sense.

So, when it comes to football, the ASA sees it as a high-risk area because of its popularity among the young. That’s why they’re unhappy about players from top British and European clubs featuring in gambling ads. But when it comes to other sports like boxing, which is more adult-oriented, this issue doesn’t arise.

Let me tell you about two recent cases that highlight this.

In one case, an ad featured FC Barcelona players Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

You may know how huge Barcelona is and these players are not only famous within the club but also in the Spanish national team, and they’re well-known even here in the UK.

They’ve played in major tournaments that received huge media coverage.

That’s why the ASA consider them high-risk and upheld the complaint against the ad.

On the flip side, we have the case of boxer Chris Eubank Jr.

Boxing, as we know, has a more adult fanbase and the data showed that most of the viewers for his matches were adults too.

Although Eubank Jr appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with his dad, a popular show for all ages on Channel 4, he doesn’t have a huge following of under-18s on social media.

So, the ASA concluded that the ad for his upcoming match didn’t strongly appeal to young people.

The real difference is the pull of various sports for young people. Promoting a gambling product or service can be done legally, you just need to know the rules and apply them.

Or speak to someone that does. 😊