Is humour the most effective way to get your product noticed?  If so, why does it seem that the use of comedy in advertising is in decline?  Recent research by Kantar found that 90% of consumers were more likely to remember and purchase a brand if the advert made them smile.  So why the downturn? Are multi-national brands looking for a one size fits all approach, or are brands frightened of offending potential customers? Evan Davis and guests discuss. PRESENTER: Evan Davis  GUESTS Rory Sutherland, VP, Ogilvy UK Lucy Greeves,  Author and Creative Strategist Dom Dwight, Marketing Director, Taylors of Harrogate and Yorkshire Tea ADVERT CLIP:   Yorkshire Tea - Induction Training with Sean Bean
Courtesy of Taylors of Harrogate, Yorkshire Tea
Creative: Lucky Generals Advertising Agency PRODUCTION TEAM Producer:   Julie Ball
Editor:   China Collins
Sound:   Graham Puddifoot
Production Co-ordinator:   Brenda Brown The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University

Does Funny Sell?

Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show with insights from the people at the top.

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Evan Davis makes up crisis management scenarios to see how three CEOs handle a business emergency. To make it more realistic none of the guests know what the predicaments are before speaking to Evan. Guests:
Kathryn Jacob, CEO of Pearl and Dean
Dame Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd's of London
Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury's Production Team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Editor: Matt Willis
Producer: Simon Tulet & Paige Neal-Holder
Sound: Sarah Hockley & Rod Farquhar

In the eye of a crisis

A typical career, for many, involves some kind of progression, or at least the expectation of it, until we stop and retire. But is there a better model? Evan Davis and guests discuss whether more of us should think about easing into retirement by taking more junior roles, going part time, or switching profession altogether, instead of stepping off a career cliff edge when we reach pension age. Could this expand the number of job opportunities for older workers, whilst also helping younger workers push through the ranks? Stepping back isn’t an option open to all, though, and there could be big implications for pensions, so how should older workers begin to calculate if, or when, it might be possible?  
 
Evan is joined by: Matthew Rideout, founder of Knead & Desire Bakehouse;
Sir Howard Davies, chairman of NatWest Group;
Zoe Ashdown, head of culture and people engagement at AXA UK and Ireland. Thanks also to the listeners who sent in voice notes, and to everyone else who emailed bottomline@bbc.co.uk PRODUCTION TEAM: Producers: Simon Tulett
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: James Beard and Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University. (Picture: An older man laughing and looking at a laptop with a young woman in a workshop. Credit: Alys Tomlinson/Getty Images)

Rethinking retirement

The UK’s biggest nightclub operator recently announced the closure of around half of its venues, and with them almost 500 jobs. REKOM UK, which owns the Atik and Pryzm brands, blamed the cost of living crisis hurting its customers, along with increased operating costs. But is there something else going on?  According to the industry association the number of nightclubs in the UK has more than halved in the last decade, so have younger people – nightclubs’ core customers – lost interest in drinking and dancing the night away? Are landlords eyeing up healthier returns from these enormous spaces by turning them into flats? And how are the remaining venues evolving to attract these, and sometimes older, customers? Evan Davis is joined by: Peter Marks, chairman of REKOM UK;
Mike Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association;
Jo Cox-Brown, CEO of Night Time Economy Solutions. PRODUCTION TEAM: Producers: Simon Tulett and Nick Holland
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University. (Picture: A crowd of people dancing and waving their arms in the air. Credit: Getty Images)

Where's the life in nightlife?

It’s easy for people to say they want to buy a particular product, perhaps in the name of sustainability. But how often do individuals actually follow through with these well-meaning intentions?  Academics regularly observe a difference between what consumers say they want to do and what they actually do.
The gap can cause problems for businesses when they're trying to figure out how to serve their customers. Evan Davis is joined by a panel of business leaders to discuss how they bridge this divide.   Guests:
Andreas Chatzidakis, professor of marketing in the centre for research into sustainability, Royal Holloway, University of London 
Jake Pickering, senior manager for agriculture, Waitrose 
Marsha Smith, deputy CEO, IKEA UK 
Toby Clark, vice president of insights, Mintel Production team:
Producers: Simon Tulett, and Nick Holland 
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder 
Editor: Matt Willis 
Sound: Hal Haines 
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge 
 
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.

Navigating the Say-Do Gap

It's useful to know how you're doing at work, but feedback from managers and colleagues can often be unhelpful, upsetting, or even non-existent. So what's the best way to give and receive it? Evan Davis and guests discuss some top techniques, particularly in the tricky area of negative feedback, and the importance of training managers in how to have these conversations. But feedback isn't just about managers - we learn the best ways for employees to receive and act on it.   Plus, how frequently should an employee's performance be measured - we discuss the pros and cons of the annual appraisal - and whether technology helps or hinders. Evan Davis is joined by: Catherine Hearn, UK HR director, Amazon
Katie Obi, chief people officer, Advanced
Margaret Cheng, HR consultant, executive coach and author of 'Giving Good Feedback' PRODUCTION TEAM: Producer: Simon Tulett
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Graham Puddifoot and Hal Haines
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University. (Picture: A woman and a man talking at a desk. Credit: Vladimir Vladimirov, Getty Images)

Does Funny Sell?

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