60 Second Soapbox – Tacis Gavoyannis

Tacis Gavoyannis, formerly head of technology at TNS and now Q Research’s business strategy director, tackles some of life’s big questions

My favourite new product is…
The wireless digital photo frame. It’s a wonderful product – you can put all your pictures from your mobile phone and PC on to it, and it presents them automatically. You can view hundreds of pictures that brighten your day with special memories and fun times.

One client i’d like to get my hands on is…
Microsoft. They have many smart people on their team and really value the ‘partnership approach’. They have many unique products and services and a good proportion of their customers are youngsters. Our insights could really help them with their innovation.

One idea I wished I’d had is…
This would have to be Google. I remember the days of Encyclopaedia Britannica when I was little – those large, treasured, heavy, leather books. Now I find myself Googling away for all kinds of information. The future is all about content and knowledge and Google is an important part of the jigsaw.

The best campaign I’ve seen recently is…
The ‘Duel’ campaign by French broadband provider Club Internet. It’s interactive, original and demonstrates the power of content. Our world will change once we get to choose our content and it starts to be delivered to us on the go. (www.club-internet.fr/le-duel)

A campaign that needed more research is…
Turner Broadcasting’s infamous ‘Mooninite’ campaign. LED placards of an alien creature with an upraised finger were placed around Boston. They were supposed to advertise a late night cartoon show, but people thought they were bombs, and the city was brought to a standstill.

One thing we should all be thinking about is…
Child Power. If we are going to change the world we need to educate and equip our children – the planet’s most valuable resource. If we achieve this we can change our world in just one generation.

One thing I wish everyone would shut up about is…
The ‘size zero’ craze. I come from Greece and we celebrate people as they are. Nothing beats a healthy, happy, radiant person whatever their size.

…And the single most important thing to remember is…
Life is short!

June | 2007