Last month the northern office waved goodbye to Huddersfield and said hello to the brand spanking new Leeds office, located right next to the Leeds Liverpool canal.
After 6 years at New North Road, things were starting to get a little cramped, so we upped sticks, packed crates and made a hop, skip and jump down the M62 to Graingers Way (conveniently located right next to a well known wine merchants – score!).
It didn’t take us long to ‘Manifest’ the place up, either, check out the rest of the office after the jump.
In a quiet corner of a state-of-the-art gym facility in Finsbury Park, I found myself sat propped against a wall and panting. Ciaran, the personal training expert who had kindly offered to help my weedy frame through an hour-long taster session, hovered before me with apparently undimmed enthusiasm. I’d completed the mini circuits and learnt how to correct my crooked posture, but I still had my warm-down stretches to come. The easy bit…surely the easy bit?
We’ve all been there; you’re just taking a gentle stroll down the shops on an overcast Saturday morning when a troupe of fully costumed flamenco dancers suddenly burst into synchronised song and dance. No? Well, if you happened to be in Leeds city centre a few weekends ago, you may well have experienced exactly that. Hot on the heels of the Windsor event (see above) the La Tasca Flamenco Flashmob struck Leeds.
As a means to publicise the new concept/ menu of the La Tasca restaurant in Leeds, Manifest organised a crack team of Flamenco dancers to storm three locations across the city with handclaps, foot-stomps and ‘OLEs’. Over an energetic hour, Millennium Square, The Light complex and Briggate were all subject to quick-fire, spontaneous Spanish dance.
We’ve all been there; you’re just taking a gentle stroll down the shops on an overcast Saturday morning when a troupe of fully costumed flamenco dancers suddenly burst into synchronised song and dance. No? Well, if you happened to be in Leeds city centre a few weekends ago, you may well have experienced exactly that. Hot on the heels of the Windsor event (see below) the La Tasca Flamenco Flashmob struck Leeds.
As a means to publicise the new concept/menu of the La Tasca restaurant in Leeds, Manifest organised a crack team of Flamenco dancers to storm three locations across the city with handclaps, foot-stomps and olés. Over an energetic hour, Millennium Square, The Light complex and Briggate were all subject to quick-fire, spontaneous Spanish dance.
Last night saw the announcement of the “new” iPhone and after working at Apple for quite some time, I have a few things to say about it.
In June 2010 the iPhone 4 was released, a fresh and different device from the technology BFG. At Regent Street alone we had queues outside the store for days and the daily takings were unbelievable. Personally, I tried to be blasé and said that I didn’t want one. I was locked into a contract and when it was up four months later, I decided that it would be foolish to sign another contract when the iPhone 5 could be announced shortly. So I waited. And I waited some more. A full year went past and nothing had been mentioned. Now, a full 12 months since I decided to wait, the announcement came and so did the groans from the public.
The first thing to note is that the 4S is not an unusual move from Apple. Yes it’s delayed by a few months – for good reasons; Steve Jobs unfortunate resignation for one – but it does follow the pattern Apple has set with their small devices.
After the announcement of the iPhone 3G in June 2008, the iPhone 3GS was its successor in June 2009. The 3GS boasted faster speeds, a higher resolution camera with video capability and voice control. Though not ground breaking, it was received well with all 3G owners coveting this slightly advanced piece of kit. So what makes the 4S so disappointing?
The iPhone 4S has some major upgrades that are being overlooked due to the expectations of a complete overhaul:
- A5 processor (same as iPad2) and an improved graphics card.
- Two antennas – fixing the antenna issues which, in my experience as a technician, was overhyped.
- 30% sharper camera capable of HD 1080p video.
- Siri voice control – I’m sure we’ve all heard the jokes.
In black and white, it’s quite an impressive upgrade. It’s akin to the improvements we often see in the Macs and just because we don’t see a visual representation of change doesn’t mean you won’t notice the difference.
However, I will openly admit I am still a little disappointed and this is mainly due to the media. The speculation of a thinner, curvier, faster iPhone 5 made me feel like my time spent yearning and paying through the nose for a contract I can’t justify seem worthwhile. These reports also conjure up a sense of fear that after purchasing an iPhone 4S, my superior technology victory will be snatched away from me when Apple announces the iPhone 5 in less than a year (as we saw with the iPad 2). It is naive to think that Apple haven’t been working on the iPhone 5 since the launch of the iPhone 4, if not before, but with this tardy launch and accessories production seemingly in full swing, is my feeling of apprehension really unjust or am I becoming spoiled?
Either way, I am in no doubt that come Friday 14th October, Apple stores around the world will have hundreds of people queuing outside to get their hands on a new, but not so original, iPhone 4S… and I’ll more than likely be along side them.
Manifest London needs you! (well, we need a PR and social media account manager to be precise!)
Manifest is not like other PR agencies. We’re shaking the dust from the PR industry and we need a PR and social media account manager to join the revolution.
Not just any account manager, though. We need someone who is looking for something different to the big, slow-moving agencies. Someone who is a media junkie, who has creativity in their bones and who is willing to break the mould in order to achieve something remarkable. We need someone who is passionate about the work they do and the success of their clients. Oh, and you need to make a decent brew too.
Joining our award-winning London PR team, you’ll be pivotal in delivering genuinely groundbreaking campaigns for a portfolio of clients that range from consumer technology to craft beer, innovating both online and offline to achieve amazing results.
So send us your CV to iwouldliketowork@manifestlondon.co.uk and one main reason why we should have a chat. No ‘gurus’, no luvvie-darlings and no agencies please – just those people who think differently.
Interested? Then you might be wondering what it’s like working at Manifest. Here are some clues…
20th October 2011
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