Price: only important in the absence of clear value
Last week the lang cat launched PLATFORM PRICING PROPHECIES: PAST PRESENT AND PHUTURE. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, consider yourself on the naughty step? but don’t worry? you still can and all will be forgiven. Calling it as we see it is kind of our thing and the paper has elicited (ooh fancy) a […]
Better communications: Only smarties have the answer
I was interested to read the FCA’s discussion paper around smarter consumer communications, published yesterday here. The Regulator has recognised the fact that the way the financial services industry communicates with its customers often leaves a lot to be desired. Christopher Woolard, director of strategy and competition, said: “information itself does not necessarily empower the […]
On-brand heatmapping: Aviva goes D2C
On Friday past, the gaffer shared his thoughts on the difficulties facing new entrants to the already stacked D2C market. In it, he alluded to details of a new entrant emerging any day now. Well, today Aviva has launched its platform for consumers, cryptically named the Aviva Consumer Platform. The platform is powered by FNZ […]
Drowning in the D2C value pool
Another week, another D2C platform’s details start to emerge. No names, no pack drill in deference to the journalist who’s writing it up, but by our count that’s the 33rd contender vying for the self-directed market. We’ll see another couple by the end of the year. Irrespective of the relative merits in terms of proposition, […]
Indebted to technology
One of the housekeeping points I chatted through recently with @theactualpolson was the matter of company expenses. As much as I left my old job on good terms I had to relinquish my beloved old company credit card, so I needed to apply for a new one to cater for the massive Lang Cat expense […]
Elven safety at #langcatlive
So we’ve had Mr Polson’s version of the #langcatlive experience. A perspective largely from behind a camera which, after a little cross-London sprint and some highly educational narrative, was happily attached to a tripod. (There’s a lesson in there: checklists are great as long as you remember to put stuff on them.) We’ve also had […]
Does anyone know a decent plumber?
Paul Lewis has hit a raw nerve with many in the financial services industry. His piece about the transparency of charging here (and let’s remember he’s not having a pop at advisers specifically) has caused much consternation below the line and on his twitter timeline. I imagine Paul had never expected such a fierce reaction, […]
What I learned at #langcatlive
Well, that was a blast. Our first ever solo event went pretty damn well, we exceeded our expectations on numbers, all the speakers were ace and Henry Cobbe of Birthstar stole the show with a blow-up doll joke. I say consider that day seized. As much for my remembrance as anyone else’s, here are a […]
Statutory redundancy secured: 2 years at the lang cat
Today is the second anniversary of me joining the lang cat so it feels as good a time as any to salute the relentless regularity of the Gregorian calendar and share some views on my time in the world of consultancy thus far. I’m going to take a break from my typical existential-level crisis over […]
Why? An inaugural blog from Mike Barrett
Sorry if I’ve mislead you with the blog title, but this blog is about me and nothing to do with Annie Lennox’s 1992 smash (no. 5) hit. Everyone knows you should never start a presentation with an apology, although curiously some of the best presenters I’ve seen do. On that basis it must be even […]
