Over the past week I began to notice these disgruntled faces plastered across London's underground. The new money transfer company, Transferwise, are using these HD images to illustrate ‘That Moment'. This refers to when the banks charges ridiculous fees to send your money abroad. Admittedly, its not often that we find ourselves with the need to send money abroad so it is unlikely that a straightforward ad promoting such services would draw our attention. Therefore, Transferwise needed a way to turn our heads and also get us to understand the need for their service. 

Now I think we can all relate to the feeling of being overcharged for something. That concoction of outrage, horror, and betrayal. Albeit slightly over-exaggerated, this is brilliant, humorous depiction of 'That Moment'. By first entertaining and intriguing the commuter in way,  makes them more willing to process the marketing message i.e TransferWise is the clever new way to convert money to send abroad and  is more than 8x cheaper than banks.

Well Transferwise, I will definitely keep you in mind if I find myself needing transfer money abroad. The only thing is, first I need to have the money to transfer! 

It turns out that showing a little bit of cleavage can be more of a distraction than an attraction. A recent study in the US has shown that graphic images have an adverse affect on consumer engagement. According to the results, people tend to overlook the marketing message because they are distracted by the image. The team at Ohio University also noted that this applies to ads shown in between sexual and violent programmes.The findings suggest that advertisers might want to rethink how they use sexual images to sell their products or services.

But I still think these types of images can be used to good affect. They just need to be used creatively and not to objectify or misrepresent. True, striking the right balance between sexy and just plain 'sex' is difficult but it is not impossible, and the Dove Real Women campaign is a testament to that fact. Research undertaken by their parent company Unilever, suggested that women no longer believed that their products worked because the women using them in the ads were so unrealistic. Dove's marketers sensed an opportunity, and they set out to reassure women about their insecurities by showing them as they are- wrinkles, freckles, pregnant bellies and all. As you can see in my cover photo, despite these women being in their underwear, they the 'object' of the advert rather the 'subject'. The women still look beautiful and sexy but it is an untampered, un-enhanced depiction of their bodies meaning the women themselves become the focus of our attention instead of their "assets". Indeed, the consumer's attention is initially caught by the sight of scantly dressed women on a billboard but how they are being presented means the consumer is also able to process the marketing message.

So, if marketers want to us sexual images in their ads they need to take a leaf out of Dove's book. This will ensure that that they do not offend or distract the consumer while still allow them to be used for the purpose of getting the prospects attention.

You know your brand is well-established when a government organisation incorporates your product into their system, and then advertises that fact for you! Well, that’s exactly what TFL did with Apple Pay. Released earlier this month, Apple Pay is a digital wallet service that allows users to make payments with their Apple devices. While the service in very much in its infancy and its usage is nowhere close to that of contactless bank cards, this is likely to change and TFL is well aware of that fact. 

Apple were recently disappointed with the sales of their Watch, but this is to be expected as it will first be bought by the wealthier "early adopters" before the masses jump on the bandwagon. Remember when they first launched the iPhone? It was only until the iPhone 5 that it became the No.1 mobile of choice. So going by the success of the iPhone and iPad over the past few years, Apple Watch and Apple Pay will surely play their role in ensuring that Apple hold their title as the King of Brands. I mean, when you top the Forbes Most Valuable Brand List for the second consecutive year, any of your market offerings are likely to be well received. 

Apart from accumulating a vast amount of wealth, the tech company has managed to cultivate a powerful brand image. It is this image that gives credence to TFL's decision to integrate Apple's new payment service . Over the past 12 years Apple have strategically and systemically diversified their product portfolio. Starting with a bold move into the music industry with the launch of the iPod and iTunes in 2004, the company has since branched out into the mobile phone industry and watch market. Apple have fingers in many different pies and now that their index finger is firmly in the digital payment pie, Apple will have to start using their toes! 

Unlike most companies who pursue a simple strategy of brand extension, i.e Google creating Gmail, Apple often pursue a far riskier one. But this policy of throwing caution to the wind is all part of Apple's desire to become a lifestyle brand; a brand so ingrained in our day to day life that it is seen as a necessity. Ultimately, just how we use brand names for certain daily activities like “Google it” instead of  "search it on the internet" or “hoover the carpet" instead of "vacuum the carpet", Apple want the same. Now I can't think of an instance when I said  “Can I use your iPhone" instead of "Can I use your mobile"(unless I knew they had one) and it seems that this kind of assimilation into our common vernacular is some way off. That being said, TFL's adoption of Apple Pay means the company is heading in the right direction. Honestly, how many companies do you know that get free promotion from the government!