This is old spitalfields market. It’s just around the corner from Wieden + Kennedy’s palatial offices in London’s fashionable East End. A busy market has stood on this site since since 1638, when King Charles gave a licence for flesh, fowl and roots to be sold in what was then known as Spittle Fields. Why did Chas think the idea of spittle was going to make shoppers snap up groceries? Ask a historian. The old market now stands on the fringe of a massive new development of the financial district around Liverpool Street. It acts as a kind of marker between the new world of the city and the old world of Spitalfields, some of which still remains little changed from the 18th century.

These are Seb and Fiona of the eponymous Sebandfiona. They work on marketing, publicity and events for the market and, since wieden + kennedy are neighbours, they came in to see if we could perhaps help out. Because, even if we know nothing about markets, we are local. And, since we’re here to try to do good and be of benefit to the local community, it seems like a good idea to try to help. So, we’re going to look at what we can to do to work with them to help publicise and popularise the old market, which nowadays has much more to offer than flesh, fowl, roots and unwelcome oral lubricant associations.

We’ve been pitching a lot. A big lot. We’re tired and it’s hot. And the people who haven’t been working on the pitches wonder what everyone’s been up to. So having just pitched for Yell (unsuccessful) and Lurpak (undecided) we decided to present the pitches to the agency so they could see just how spiffy the ideas are. Plus we supplied free beer to encourage them to turn up and held it in the comparatively cool basement. That’s Rebecca above, running through the Yell strategy.

This is Ben presenting the ‘brilliant’ creative work. Shame we didn’t win it, but there was some good stuff in there, worth sharing with the agency. Should get a result on Lurpak in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed. Also still pitching for the Guardian. It’s a long, hot summer.