Where did the name come from?

I knew one thing, I didn’t want to name the business something plain like ‘Online Marketing 4u’ or ‘Business Consultants UK’.

This industry is competitive enough as it is.

I wanted something that would at least attempt at standing out or be remembered.

If you’re interested, the name comes from the title of American punk band NOFX’s 1997 album; So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes, which in turn took its name from the fourth book of Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

I kind of have a terribly tenuous link to both.

NOFX are one of my favourite bands of all time, and my dad was part of the special effects crew on the BBC’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy TV series back in the 80s.

The name popped into my head one night, stuck and never went away.

Is it practical?

Nope.

But I like it and it’s memorable.  Although is often shortened to Thanks, or Thanks Digital and those are fine too.

The Thanks For All The Shoes website serves three purposes:

1. A place to document all the advice, tips and ideas I’ve picked up from 25+ years of working in business strategy, digital marketing, sales and media.

This is by no means all from my own head, I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside some amazing and inspirational colleagues and friends across many different industries and brands including EE, Vodafone, Apple, Samsung, the BBC and Channel 4, so thank you to all of them that have shared their knowledge and experience to help me in my own work over the years.

2. A place to help people and businesses with their own business strategy, digital marketing and sales

I get paid as a business advisor and operator, that’s how I make a living, but this site also serves as a free resource and the content is based around some of the questions people have asked me when it comes to getting started with marketing, running an online business or trying out new ideas.

3. A place to share awesome marketing ideas and examples.

I was first introduced to ‘marketing’ as a subject at around age 13, in my Business Studies class at secondary school.  Big thanks to my teacher there Mr Write, who showed me the basics of what marketing was, how it helps customers and businesses, along with some classic examples from brand leaders. Since then, I’ve always been fascinated in creative marketing, sales and business, and how the right mix of the right stuff can evoke emotional ties to a brand that can last a lifetime and deliver commercial success – regardless of whatever the hot social media platform or app of the moment is.  Thanks For All The Shoes is a place to share some of the amazing creative campaigns I see and have also been honoured to be part of.

I’m based on the coast of North Devon to be near the sea and my family, but travel around the UK and can often be found in London, Cornwall, Surrey, Dorset and Hertfordshire.

Enough about me, let’s talk about you.

If you’d like to chat about any element of ecommerce, selling online, marketing, websites or creating and implementing a business growth strategy, please get in touch. 

James
Director & Business Advisor
Thanks For All The Shoes