Jim Blythe

COMPANIES, AND MARKETERS in particular, are prone to lumping people together in categories.

Vodafone is one of Britain’s major providers of cellphone services.

The company is based in Newbury, Berkshire, a rural town surrounded by open countryside.

Decide who you need to influence, and who will do the influencing most effectively.

Many major companies have “save” reps who are paid to handle complaints.

Translating this idea into the wider context, allowing your enemies to rant in public only gives them the opportunity to make themselves look foolish.

The hands-down winner, though, was a dog that destroyed its owner’s car. The resulting headline, “My Dog Ate My Ford Fiesta,” had reporters on the doorstep of the “lucky” winner straightaway.

Choose either a gift that is unique or one that will still be appreciated even if it is duplicated.

Hiring a cartoonist to draw a caricature of the recipient can be a lot less expensive than you might think. One corporate party organizer arranged for a cartoonist to mingle with the guests, drawing each one: the cartoonist charged £300 for the evening, and drew more than 50 cartoons. Paying £6 a time for an original caricature is extremely reasonable, and it makes a memorable gift for anyone.

The idea works best if what you are auctioning is something high-profile and/or of high value: if you auction off a holiday in the Seychelles, this has more impact than auctioning a weekend break in a country hotel. If you have something topical to sell, so much the better: during the 2009 recession, cars were not selling at all, so auctioning a car might create a considerable impact. Your decision has to be based on how much you can afford, of course.