Blue Monday? Pah...we laugh in the face of that marketing ploy.

First blog of the New Year and it is being written on Blue Monday. What is Blue Monday?

Apart from being a fine tune popped out by New Order in the 1980’s (those were the days, breaking out of my all-girls boarding school with nothing more than a fiver in my pocket and jumping on the train to go clubbing in London...)...ahem... "Blue Monday" isn't what you'd call a widely accepted scientific fact; it's an idea coined in 2005 by psychologist Cliff Arnall, a former part-time lecturer at Cardiff University in Wales.

Somebody asked him to work out which was the most ‘depressing day of the year’ and by using magical wizardry he came up with…. January 17th. Now we don’t doubt that there were some fine reasons for choosing this exact day, credit card bills coming in, New Year’s resolutions broken etc, but legend has it that it was nothing more than a marketing campaign to encourage miserable sun deprived English men and women to start booking their summer holidays. What a cunning plan. And boy don’t we wish we had thought of it first.

So, not to be outdone, we have spent an unhealthy amount of time in the office, thinking of days that we could initiate and who could sponsor them. Here goes:

14 February Day most likely to have sex sponsored by Anne Summers
12 November Most dangerous day to drive your car sponsored by the RAC
21 August Day most likely to get fired sponsored by Gordons Gin
22 August Day most likely to get a new job sponsored by Reed Employment
22 December Day most likely to be burgled sponsored by - ADT
4 April Day most likely to get a new hairstyle sponsored by Blushes

……. And on and on and on!

On the basis that we have to get back to work we are going to stop here but please, feel free to send us your ideas to digital@thechagroup.com

The office is a hive of activity as always; work is well underway organising a Service of Remembrance at Memorial Woodlands. The event, on Friday 20th May, will be a chance for guests to pay their respects to serving men and women who have lost their lives in combat since 2000. The service follows last year’s moving inauguration ceremony and we are delighted to already have confirmation of some very special guests attending this year.

Our luxury bathroom designer client, Water and Stone, is looking forward to some great coverage in the ‘Weekend’ section of the Gloucestershire Echo and Citizen soon, and also a feature in glossy mag, Cotswold Preview. The articles will feature a stunning bathroom they did for a client in Minchinhampton recently, with photos taken by truly talented interiors photographer Nick Yarsley.

We have also streamlined the case studies section at www.waterandstonebathrooms.co.uk giving their fabulous work a chance to really be noticed and appreciated. More updates are coming soon.

We sent out our first e-zine to clients, friends, and interested parties last week. Focussing on Twitter and how ‘in cyberspace, everyone can hear you tweet’, and the debacle that was the communications crisis strategy at London Heathrow Airport in December when frozen particles of water ground one of the busiest airports in the world to a shuddering halt. If you would like to be included in our next e-zine then please drop us a line digital@thechagroup.com. You can view the last eNews here.

From a blue blue Monday, with best CH&A wishes

The Team
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