Most read: Why Pret's coffee giveaway leaves a bad taste
Ben Stephens, executive chairman at Stack, is disappointed he's not been deemed cute enough to get a free coffee from Pret. Sorry Ben, only joking. , revealed this week, of staff having the authority to give away a number of freebies to customers they "like" or "fancy".
Pret chief executive Clive Schlee believes this approach is cheaper than a loyalty scheme. "He doesn’t have to have one," Stephens writes, "but, for the money, I’d argue, you get results. Especially when Schlee has ambitions to play in the big league and match the scale of McDonald’s."
On bad social: What social media managers shouldn't do
Thanks for all of your suggestions for traits social media managers shouldn't have. More than 30 of you chipped in so we've collated them in this Storify,
There are plenty of great tips, but we particularly like this one by . The trait he thinks a social media manager shouldn't have is…
A dislike of animals. They are the superheroes of the social media world.
— Ben Storey (@BenjyStorey)
On social: #whomademyclothes
It's the second Fashion Revolution Day, a social media campaign which hopes to make fashion supply chains more transparent. The campaign asks people to:
- Take a selfie showing a clothing label.
- Follow the appropriate fashion brand on social media.
- Upload the photo on social media with this message: "I want to thank the people who made my clothes, @brand ?"
- Nominate three friends to do the same.
The hashtag has been trending globally all day and we've seen all the big brands contacted. We've seen and get back to tweets (we're sure they're not the only ones) and we expect Fashion Revolution will collate the responders and non-responders . Some commentators may question the effectiveness of a social media campaign, but we wonder whether, if this becomes a regular occurence, brands will join the movement and make it a part of their communications:
Belgian brand Stanley & Stella answer to
— FashionRevolutionBE (@Fash_RevBelgium)
London Marathon: Canada Water tube station rebrands to Buxton Water tube station
For one day only, mind, and the main sign at the entrance will remain unchanged. But still – woah. Buxton, the official water provider at the marathon, will replace Canada Water roundels with those reading 'Buxton Water' and install branded artwork carrying the hashtag #withyoualltheway. The deal is part of TfL's strategy to increase non-fare revenue to reinvest in the system.
The RMT are unhappy with the deal, and Brand Republic has received pitches from experts wanting to comment on the risks of sponsorship for a brand, but let's throw it out to the BR community.
Nostalgia: Metro rounds up 17 ads of yore
If you're of a certain age, beware clicking on this link to Metro's . Like us, you may realise the songs in the ads have been buried deep inside your subconsious and once summoned can't be banished again. We will have the Hoots Mon music on repeat in our heads until Monday.
*
Compiled by Jonathan Shannon
Is there something you’d like us to share in 18:05? Email jonathan.shannon@haymarket.com with the details.
We’d love your feedback. Tell us what you think of the 18:05 digest, what you want to see more or less of, and if you have any content suggestions. Comment below or tweet us #18:05