Albion Dinners
In September 2007 I was asked to a Marketing Society Conference in Edinburgh by a friend, Glen Gribbon. He had organised the conference to discuss the Future Health of Marketing, with a strong speaker line up, including representation from Durex, The Eden Project and Scottish Widows.
There is a vibrant marketing community in Scotland, although one that is more agency than client based. The Marketing Society works hard to raise the profile of marketing as a business function. The idea of the Conference was to bring to Scotland inspiring speakers to demonstrate marketing at its very best.
Well, I was inspired by what I heard on the day. One speaker in particular stood out - Robert Stephens, who set up the Geek Squad. The Geek Squad began life 14 years ago in the US, with one college student (Robert!), his bike, a laptop bag and $200. It has since grown to offer 24 hour technology support to homes and businesses all over the UK and USA. As the picture above illustrates, The Geek Squad has a very specific identity, inspired by the 1960's NASA scientists who pioneered the black tie/white shirt look. More importantly however, Robert has an infectious passion for his business and for the transforming impact that technology is having on our personal and business lives.