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Facebook afterlife

1/16/2012 3:57:26 PM

There are apparently two things that are certain in life. You live and then you die.

For me there is one other certainty - Facebook.

It's an integral part of my life, from when I wake up until I go to bed. So what about when I or any of the other 800 million current users die? As it’s so important to me now, how much will Facebook be a part of death and the mourning process for those left behind - and to what extent will I want to give up control of what happens to my Facebook real-estate which I have spent years cultivating?

This is not a new consideration – I have known people who have died and left behind their Facebook profiles. These profiles have then either been deactivated by family members or live on in a memorialised format. According to BlackBook Media’s Executive Editor Chris Mohney, in 2010 it was predicted that there were 5 million inactive Facebook profiles due to death. That number will have increased considerably in the last year or so.

Until now deactivation seems to have been the preference for families if possible - however Facebook won’t deactivate any page without the profile password (I haven’t shared any passwords so that won’t be an option, unless I chose to record them in my will). With the recent introduction of Facebook Timeline, it seems increasingly likely that more people will want to memorialise Facebook pages and build upon the existing virtual record of the life of their loved ones. This is especially true now that Timeline profiles are almost obituary-like, with a readymade chronological collection of achievements and stories available for reflection.

Digital memorials are not new though. Sites such as liveon.com have recorded lives and shared memories of the living and deceased since online memorials started to appear in the 90’s, but with Facebook’s new arrangement of timeline information, free service and most importantly, accessibility for all (who doesn’t have a Facebook profile these days?), will it become normal in years to come when more of my friends die (should they go first), that I will be able to look over hundreds of memorialised pages in the same way my Mum looked through some old photos of my long-gone family one rainy Sunday afternoon?

My friend’s Grandmother once said she had more dead friends than the number of those alive. I can’t imagine it will be particularly healthy to be reminded of all those dead friends every time you log onto Facebook. It feels a bit morbid to have all these memories en masse. My friends will be like ghosts floating around in some sort of digital purgatory.

And after all that, will that be the extent of digital living memorials or will there be more in terms of keeping memories of the deceased alive?

•    For instance, could people have QR codes on their physical gravestones that link into Facebook Timeline so mourners can remember the deceased in more depth while standing at the graveside? This kind of thing has already been done by Yoav Medan when his mother passed away last year. As physical and digital worlds begin converging in mainstream culture this seems pretty feasible.
•    Will we be able to link memorialised profiles up with eachother so people can work through a digital family tree with an abundance of information available at the click of a button?
•    Once a greater number of people have passed away, will Facebook dedicate a special archive space to memorialised profiles so we don’t have to contend with hundreds of digital ghosts when we log on?
•    Don’t even get me started on the new apps that allow users to send videos via Facebook from beyond the grave... That’s a whole new can of worms.

You know, if I do go first, in a completely selfish way I don’t think I want to have a digital ghost left behind in some sort of weird uncontrollable Facebook afterlife. I’m too much of a control freak to let people go on tagging me in photos and writing on my wall without me having the ability to vet everything. Less selfishly I also don’t like the idea that if my friends will be haunted by my ongoing presence. Rather, I would like everyone to go to the pub and enjoy a night of boogying in my memory – then get on with life in the ‘old fashioned’ way. So you have my permission to deactivate. I shall put my password in my will.

The rise of the chocolatier

12/20/2011 7:40:08 PM

London has many brand new, boutique chocolatiers and confectioneries which have truly unique and exciting products. Perhaps something for your Christmas shopping list - either for yourself or a last minute gift. Here are our Rufus favorites.

Hope and Greenwood

Mrs Kibble's Olde Sweet Shoppe

Paul A Young

Komforte Chockolates

Artisan du Chocolat

From digital to physical - the eBay pop-up store

12/15/2011 10:00:00 AM

Opening earlier this month for a short time, we went down to eBay's experimental pop-up shop on Dean Street in London, just off popular shopping mile, Oxford Street. The store had on display the website's 200 bestsellers, each with their own QR barcode. Punters will pay on their smart phones by scanning item barcodes and orders will be home delivered with the a brilliant idea for the Christmas time: no queues, no bags, no stress.

We love the way that eBay has opened itself up to become a wider part of the Christmas shopping experience, muscling in on the space of the traditional high st retailer.

Image search tools you should have tried

11/3/2011 6:37:35 PM

Here are some links to idee labs, a cool directory to serach for images. Here you can search by colour, find random combinations of images and even upload an image to find out where it is being used on the web.

http://labs.ideeinc.com/

QR codes & cheese on toast

9/1/2011 3:37:52 PM

Yesterday, the inventor of the Flip video camera, Jonathan Kaplan, opened the Melt, the first of a proposed chain of cheese-on toast restaurants, San Francisco.

Different to other fast food restaurants, you can order and pay for your cheese sarnie online or through your smartphone. The confirmation is then sent to you with a QR code which you scan upon entering the restaurant. Rapid-heating grills (which also run apps) inside the restaurant mean that the order is ready within 60 seconds of you entering the restaurant.

The good news is that the Melt has a powerhouse board of directors. Celebrity chef Michael Mina gives Kaplan advice on which soups to pair with which types of cheeses. Ron Johnson, the wizard of retail who directed the rise of the Apple Store and recently became CEO of J.C. Penney, is also on the board and provided investment.

Finally, a good use for QR codes!

Apple through the ages

8/25/2011 11:04:58 AM

With Steve Jobs stepping down from his role as Apple CEO, Brand Republic has been bitten by the nostalgia bug and looked at Apple’s marketing history. Naturally a few of the iconic campaigns are in there – we think we even spotted Masood from Eastenders in the first iPod ad circa 2001!

Enjoy here.

From Russia with advice

8/15/2011 3:34:40 PM

Here’s an interesting app being used in Moscow to help inform drivers about road safety. The idea behind the app is even though there are 100s of accidents every single day of the week on the very roads we travel that claim lives we very rarely see these accidents and by the time we are driving past the scene of an accident the debris and any bodies have long been cleaned up.

Using Augmented Reality and Geolocation technology, the app allows the smartphone user to view any local accidents that have happened in the area before you have been there. You can see photos, videos and full information about how the accident happened.

Want to see if the area of Moscow you’re in is an accident blackspot? Use the app. Here’s a good video which shows it in more detail.

Were the riots 'targeted free shopping'?

8/11/2011 3:50:26 PM

Brand Republic explores ‘why brands may be culpable for this week's rioting, and how they can play a role in improving society’.

It looks at the most-hit places during the riots, including JD Sports, Argos, Currys, Foot Locker, and Carphone Warehouse, hinting that the latest smartphone or a 44-inch LED TV were suddenly within easy reach in what it calls ‘targeted free shopping’.

The article looks further into society’s boredom stating that; ‘with boredom rife, it is not surprising then that entertainment items went to the top of the looters’ lists; stores that were hit such as T-Mobile, Comet, Richer Sounds, Bang & Olufsen highlight this point. It’s evident that much of the behaviour we have seen is about boredom versus excitement, which is reflected in the goods that were chosen to steal.’

It also looks into how youth brands can engage with all audiences and help improve lives through their own CSR initiatives.

Have a read here.

Exploiting social media for good

8/11/2011 12:17:20 PM

Social media has had some bad press over the past few days with calls to take Twitter and Blackberry’s Messenger service offline to try and quell the spread of rioting. But it’s social media that is now helping to fight back.

The UK Metropolitan Police on Tuesday opened up their stream on Flickr and uploaded several CCTV images of suspected criminals and alleged looters for the public to identify and as reported by GMA News, tech blog TechCrunch said a new Google Group has sprung up aiming to use facial recognition technology to identify the looters appearing in photos spreading online.

The riots have also been mapped on Google to help citizens avoid dangerous areas and several just giving sites have been set up to help individuals affected by the rioting and looting.

So it seems that social media can play a big part in rallying the good, as well as the bad.

Teens 'addicted' to smartphones

8/5/2011 10:30:11 AM

According to Brand Republic, Britons are "addicted" to smartphones with over a quarter of all adults and nearly half of all 12 to 15-year-olds owning one, according to research from Ofcom.

One in three adults and 60% of teenagers who own smartphones said they were "highly addicted" to them, according to the regulator’s latest Communication Market Report.

Smartphone users are making far more calls than regular mobile phone owners, with 81% using their device to make calls every day, compared to 53% of regular mobile users, according to the research.
The vast majority of smartphone users (81%) will have it switched on all the time and four in ten admitted that if it wakes them while in bed, they will answer it.

As a result of greater smartphone usage, the line between work and social time is becoming increasingly blurred, with 30% of smartphone users saying they regularly take personal calls during working hours, compared to 23% of regular mobile users.
A quarter of smartphone users say they have taken works calls on holiday, compared to 16% of regular mobile users.

Nearly a quarter of teenagers are watching less TV and 15% admit they are reading fewer books as their smartphone usage increases, according to the regulator. The research showed that 47% of adults have downloaded an app, with teenage smartphone owners more likely to have paid for an app, at 38%, than adult owners, of which 25% paid for an app.

AOL launches 'Editions' tablet magazine

8/3/2011 3:58:11 PM

It is the latest in a string of personalised ’magazine’ apps designed specifically for tablets, is AOL's 'Editions'

Editions, works in a similar way to one of our favourite iPad apps, Flipboard, which aggregates content from a variety of sources.
Content from AOL-owned properties, including Patch, Huffington Post and Sporting News, are embedded within the Editions app.

Interestingly, the app “learns” what users like and don’t like so the user sees more of what they do like and less of what they don’t like.

AOL says that although there are not any ads on Editions at present, this is likely to change over the coming months.

What does $114.5 trillion look like?

7/28/2011 12:12:09 PM

With the USA’s unfunded liabilities standing at $114.5 trillion, it’s hard to comprehend how much money that really is.

Step forward the people at wtfnoway.com who have shown the sheer scale of the problem by looking at what $114.5 trillion would look like if you stacked $100 bills.

It's quite an image.

Do Facebook ads work?

7/26/2011 4:35:09 PM

Facebook’s already serving more than 50 billion display ads per month and is on track to serve 1 trillion display ads for the year. So what value do brands get who advertise through social media?

According to recent research by Mintel, as reported by Brand Republic , over 60% of social media users rarely pay attention to adverts on social networks and over half (56%) say they don’t like to buy products that they have seen advertised on social networking sites.

Additionally, the number of consumers stating that they rarely pay attention to adverts on social networking sites rises to 70% amongst consumers aged 25-34, the age group who are generally most active on these platforms.

Only 11% of them say they actively pay attention to advertising on social networks and almost a third use third party recommendations for products and services from networks.

Computer hacking - a history

7/21/2011 4:53:50 PM

Computer hacking, where did it all start? Well, here’s the answer, thanks to a cool infographic from Digital Trends. Did you know that virtual hacking schools in China generate $40 million of revenue a year? Or that last year the Pentagon spent $6 billion on computer security?

Those and other key facts can be found here.

Fake Apple stores in China

7/21/2011 10:16:02 AM

I’m sure you’ve all seen your fair share of fake goods at the local market or on holiday perhaps. Knock-off watches, handbags and t-shirts are everywhere it seems, but ever heard of a fake shop?

That’s right, as reported on birdabroad blog, China has seen fake Apple stores popping up, selling what appear to be genuine Apple products by staff who really believe they are working for Apple.

Look a little closer though and you will see several tell tale signs. Poor English translation, shoddy building work and a far from customary store layout show the store is not all what it seems.

It’s incredible that the black market for replica goods has reached new heights. And with countries such as China seemingly allowing this to happen, how do brands protect their brand identity against this new form of IP infringement?

Google+ to hit 10million users

7/14/2011 3:41:37 PM

The Daily Telegraph reports that Google is on the brink of securing its 10 millionth user, just two weeks after it launched.

Although Google has not yet released official usage figures for the service, The Telegraph suggests that demand has been high and some of the most popular users of the service are already being followed by tens of thousands of people.

Google remains some way behind its social networking rivals. Twitter has more than 300 million users and Facebook last week announced that it has 750 million.

Android dominates UK market

7/14/2011 2:42:53 PM

Figures, from consumer research outfit Kantar Worldpanel, show that Android has gained a massive amount of market share in the past 12 months.

Android has surged from 10.7% of UK smartphones in June 2010 to a dominant 45.2% in June 2011, thanks to the popularity of phones from the likes of HTC and Samsung. 74.3% of Android's sales came from people buying their first smartphone, compared to just 1.4% who had switched from Apple.

The other good news - for both Google and Apple - is that once someone makes their choice of platform, so far they tend to stick with it, largely because of the investment they've already made in apps.

Kantar's Dominic Sunnebo said: 'We are yet to see any real signs of consumers switching between Android and Apple. Our data shows that Apple and Android’s customers are intensely loyal when choosing their upgrade.'

McDonald's announces 'eco uniforms'

7/11/2011 3:09:36 PM

McDonald’s has announced that staff will wear recycled uniforms designed by British designer Wayne Hemmingway from next year.

McDonald’s is also working with Worn Again, which specialises in “upcycling” clothing and materials to make new products.

Worn Again will help McDonald’s introduce a “closed loop” uniform system that will see McDonald’s collect old uniforms, reprocess them into raw materials and make them into new uniforms. McDonald’s claims to be the first UK company to develop a closed loop uniform.

It’s certainly a novel idea that will tick some green boxes for a company battling issues of ‘unhealthy’ products as well as recycling. It may well help the environmental brigade, but we want to know what the staff think about it.

Screenmedia – Offline meets Online

7/8/2011 11:17:30 AM

Online media and retailing have been top of the growth charts for some years now. But there is another media and retailing story that is starting to catch up – Screenmedia or so-called Digital Out Of Home (DOOH).

Screenmedia covers all the those big, bright screens seen in airports, malls and stores - as well as touchscreen kiosks. It has been around for years (decades even) as “digital signage” and has traditionally been viewed as a one-way advertising medium, pushed by display hardware manufacturers to sell more screens.

That is beginning to change as network connectivity becomes ubiquitous and bricks-and-mortar retailers look for an edge to compete with online (I am writing this from Australia where a high dollar and retail downturn are putting a rocket under traditional retailers – inspiring some rapid changes).

The latest applications span both the transactional - enabling customers to walk into a real-life store and explore the online catalogue and their online pre-orders on an interactive kiosk – but also more so entertainment. For example Locamoda push real-time online comments and Foursquare check-ins to mall and retailer screens, including in high profile locations like New York's Times Square, giving shoppers instant gratification and meaning. Brands including Nike and AT&T have created in-store campaigns, extended from online and outdoor, challenging customers in real-time gameplay and so building strong emotional bonds with them.

However, at Sydney's recent Digital Signage Show it was generally agreed that Screenmedia is still looking for its ‘killer app’. My betting is that the upcoming “Near Field Communication” (NFC) being built into the next generation of smartphones will enable it through instant personalization. The success of shop-location-based coupons like Shopkick in the US gives a hint. The future of walking into a store, being identified and greeted by name on a big screen with relevant offers just for you – Minority Report style – isn’t so far away at all.

See more here.

Facebook and Skype announce partnership

7/7/2011 5:05:09 PM

News today that Facebook has announced a partnership with Skype to offer video chat features to the social media behemoth. The deal means that Facebook's 750 million users will now be able to connect with friends via video and the tie-up is expected to rival Google’s video offering called Hangout.

We are trying to get people closer to face-to-face communications, said Peter Deng, Facebook's product manager. Video chat will be rolled out over the next few weeks.

Where and when do you shop online?

7/7/2011 12:05:42 PM

Another day and another infographic. This one is pretty good though as it showcases UK online shopping habits.

For example, did you know that by next year 10% of all spending will be done online, or that the average Brit spends £71 a month online, or that the peak time for online shopping at wok is 4pm on a Wednesday?

All this and more can be seen here.

A map of UK broadband

7/6/2011 5:46:32 PM

Communications regulator Ofcom have produced a new map showing the differing speeds of Britain’s broadband network. The map shows there is still a massive difference in speeds up and down the country, unsurprisingly the fastest is London but Wales and Scotland are far behind, with the Home Counties not doing much better.

The map breaks down internet speeds by county, so you can see what the average speed is like where you live, here.

Why follow brands online?

6/30/2011 4:54:53 PM

It’s safe to assume that the majority of brands now have an official presence in the social sphere, usually on Facebook and Twitter and the plethora of other social sites. It’s also safe to say that consumers like to know about the latest and greatest from their favourite brands.

But why else do people ‘like’ and ‘follow’ brands online? Mashable shows us an infographic giving some additional insight into this. It shows that many consumers who follow brands online are only in it for the perks. Around 40% of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter users in a recent study said they followed brands to get access to discounts and special deals.

Additionally, current customers are more willing to follow a brand, along with brands that provide interesting and entertaining content online.

The infographic gives more details on why and how consumers follow brands online. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Will these brands disappear in 2012?

6/29/2011 7:23:15 PM

Business Insider reports that household brand names including Nokia, Sony Pictures, Saab and Sony Ericsson may disappear by next year due to downturn in sales.

Nokia, still holds the market share for smartphone users globally, but the rise in uptake of the iOS, Blackberry and Android operating systems - and their partnership with Windows Mobile means that the brand could be gone altogether.

Have a look at the whole list here and let us know if you think these brands will be around in 2012.

Big brands get digital

6/24/2011 2:28:27 PM

The old rumour that big brands ‘don’t get digital’ appears to have been quashed.
According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers, brand owners like Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills and Coca-Cola are increasingly leveraging digital tools to engage consumers and boost sales.

As reported by WARC, several big brand CEOs were interviewed about their approach to digital.

"The consumer we are trying to reach is watching much less television these days," Dennis Hickey, CFO, Colgate-Palmolive, said.

"Really, the big opportunity is: how do you reach consumers on a digital basis? We are investing in this area on a test-and-learn basis by systematically evaluating new approaches, and when we see something that works, then we will expand our investment."

Google rolls out 'search by image'

6/23/2011 5:10:24 PM

Google have just rolled out ‘Search By Image’ which, funnily enough, lets you begin your search with an image. Google will then tell you what it is and show similar images.

Search By Image is available now at images.google.com or via the “Images” tab in the left-side menu on Google.com. You should see a small camera icon on the far right side of the search bar.
There are several ways to access it. Either; drag and drop an image on the search bar, click the camera icon to upload an image from your computer or paste the URL of a photo on the web into the search bar

After you supply a photo, Google goes to work by analyzing the image, and matches it against images already in Google’s index. Google then does page analysis to take a text-based guess at what the image is, which is part of the process of identifying the image and returning similar results.

User Experience is the key

6/22/2011 7:54:07 PM

Here’s a blog post from Marc Ruxin who comments who technology has challenged the traditional ‘creative’ model in agencies.

He argues that while Mad Men indicates that the power is in the hands of the ‘creative types’, today’s increased channels, where consumer preference and attention extends infinitely and the definition of content has been wildly expanded, it is the User Experience team that leads the way.

Interesting insight indeed. Click here to read the full article.

TV, the old, reliable friend

6/20/2011 4:30:00 PM

In a joint study between BBDO and Microsoft in the USA, psychological archetypes, better known as models of a person or behaviour we applied to personalities to devices we use everyday to determine which device is relevant for certain types of advertising.

They say the study, ‘set out to determine what’s going on in people’s psyche and understand their emotional connection and response to each screen – the PC, TV, Mobile, etc.’ For instance, they found the mobile phone is like a ‘lover’ – it’s the most intimate of all the devices you interact with each day, therefore ads should be highly relevant and appeal only to you.

Certainly a sideways look at things. Here’s the rest of the findings.

A drop of nostalgia for Wimbledon

6/16/2011 4:05:44 PM

Summer is nearly here and Wimbledon is right around the corner. Cue a number of brands jumping on the back of the Championships in a bid to get their name associated with the famous SW19 tournament.

Interesting then that, to promote the finals being broadcast in 3D, Sony has parodied its own infamous ‘bouncing balls’ advert, this time using, you’ve guessed it, tennis balls.

Brand Republic reports that users will also be able to take part in a competition that challenges them to collect virtual tennis balls that have been placed on various web pages. Each ball collected will represent an entry into a competition, with prizes including tickets to the final, as well as a range of Sony 3D products.

It’s an interesting campaign that consumers will instantly attribute to Sony to help Sony be viewed as ‘the brand’ for 3D televisions.

You can watch the advert here.

The Internet is a human right

6/10/2011 2:24:01 PM

Here’s a nice article from Good.is which details a report from the UN declaring Internet access should be deemed a human right. The report states that “the Internet has become a key means by which individuals can exercise their right to freedom and expression."

The article makes the point that, although there is still concern around access to the web, especially in some parts of the Middle East, Africa and web censorship in China, “five to 10 percent of Americans can't access Internet that is fast enough to perform basic functions, and that surely affects their ability to get informed, educated, and employed.”

It’s an interesting debate. Are we free now to publish what we want online without fear of repercussion? What does this mean for the likes of Julian Assange and the Tweeters who break superinjunctions? Answers on a postcard....

Exploiting the 'social surplus'

6/9/2011 11:44:39 AM

Collaboration and crowd sourcing aren’t new concepts, both on and offline co-collaboration has been happening for years with the notion of bringing individual knowledge, talent, skills and understanding together to produce a result which solves an initial problem or improves the current state on the object. Think online forums, and simple Q&A sessions in the workplace. It’s only recently, with the advance of new technologies, coupled with a slight change in the psyche of society, that companies and brands have been able to fully exploit these methods for commercial benefit.

Using the global nature of the web, Linden Research, developers of online virtual world Second Life have developed a platform whereby users build the game themselves, paying Linden Research for the privilege of creating and trading virtual property. A very shrewd commercial move for the developers not only through direct revenue from the consumer, but the man hours the user puts in to improve the Second Life experience, free of charge. Linden Research only employs 245 people, yet if just 1% of Second Life’s 20 million registered users contribute, that’s an additional workforce of 200,000 updating and improving the game for free.

So where do users find the time to add real value to the co-creating and co-collaboration platforms like Second Life, the Apple forums and Wikipedia? It’s the same question asked to Internet writer, Clay Shirky. He argues that over the last 50 years spare time or ‘social surplus’ was taken up by television consumption. This time previously used for watching the box is slowly being used by people to create, share and interact using technology to solves problems and improve the way we work. Shirky states that 100 million hours have gone into the creation of Wikipedia, yet in America 200 billion hours of televisions is watched every year. Over a typical weekend in the United States, 100 million hours of adverts are consumed - that equates to a new Wikipedia being built every week.

Just imagine what will be created in the future as more and more consumers look to fill their spare time with co-creation instead of television. And think of the benefits to brands too, such as Second Life who has accomplished both brand and commercial value as a result. If brands can tap into this ‘social surplus’, even a fraction of it, it can force innovation and development on a stratospheric scale.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

6/9/2011 11:37:52 AM

Harnessing the knowledge of the community through collaborative creation (aka co-creation) to build your brand has real commercial benefits whether done online or off. Co-creation environments provide the opportunity for brands to interact with consumers, building arenas where the consumer can introduce ideas and insights around their experience of the brand. Individually these inputs may be of little benefit but when they are grouped together they can enable a brand to identify and solve problems, as well as to spot new market opportunities, thus driving brand equity.

Co-creation has been deployed as part of many global brands’ R&D schemes, seeing the brand reach out to multiple stakeholders, particularly the end-user, the consumer, to help innovate and drive growth. The most effective methodologies undertake a structured approach, steering their consumer collaborators to focus in specific areas and solve specific problems for the brand. Whilst this approach delivers a vast amount of noise, careful management of the co-creation process can translate the most diverse collection of voices into a commercial insight and, in turn, business solution.

My Starbucks Idea went through a steep learning curve to understand how to make the most of their consumers’ insight, transforming the original platform from a virtual customer feedback box to a structured forum for idea development. When they introduced a specific topic, how to improve their cups, they cut out the un-necessary noise and social media experience, and instead solved the problem of updating their cups according to their consumers’ needs and wants.

Whilst it might be argued that the co-created solution could have been reached by an internal team of specialists (such as the R&D or marketing team) it cannot be denied that the solution developed has a high propensity to success. Through involving a broader audience in a sustained environment (an experience that the standard focus group cannot compete with) the output is guaranteed to be grounded in consumer insight and need. Commercially this reduces risk compared with standard R&D processes that rely on small groups for research and testing, at an inflated cost.

In addition to the valuable output, consumer insight, an additional by-product of co-creation is the generation of a wide spread group of brand-ambassadors. Studies suggest that consumers relationships are deepened through direct engagement with and contribution to a brand. On a basic level, people tend to support the things they have created.

However you view it, whether it’s as outsourced inspiration or the ultimate user-centred design, co-creation with your consumers’ represents a real commercial value. Listen to and engage with your users and they will build your brand (and your bottom line).

A model crowd-sourcing campaign?

6/9/2011 11:27:43 AM

So we know about crowd-sourcing and the brands which have utilised this platform to help improve their product, service or experience. So are there any downsides to using this form of communication with customers?

The answer is most definitely yes. The internet and in particular social media has opened up a number of fantastic platforms for brand to communicate in real time with their current and prospective customers. This in turn is forcing more brands to use social media to gather momentum for campaigns in the hope that their message will be spread for free by the consumer. Most brands want their campaigns to go ‘viral’, reaching as far and wide as possible to hit their desired customer segment and drive bottom line.

Newton’s law of motion says that to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction – and that’s no different in crowd-sourcing. For every campaign that captures imagination, insight, participation and helps drive sales, such as Walkers’ ‘Do us a flavour’ and Pepsi’s ‘Refresh everything’ campaigns, there’s another campaign that does the opposite.

The latest in the line of these is Next’s ‘Make me the Next model’ campaign. This is true crowd sourcing in action. Not only do Next call on ‘the community’ to put themselves forward as future catwalk stars, but they also ask that same community to be the judge. So far so good. The problem for the brand lies when the desired outcome becomes tainted.

Step up Roland Bunce, the 24 year-old computer science graduate from Belfast who thought he’d try his luck. By no means your ‘stereotypical model, Roland’s entry has since gone viral, garnering momentum through the like of Twitter, Facebook and trusty old email to put him on track for the £2,000 first prize cheque and a place on a Next photo shoot.

Whilst it would be definitely be a heart-warming story to see an atypical character win the competition, the campaign has surely backfired on Next. Roland’s story has been covered all over the globe, with countless column inches, likes and re-tweets pushing him further in the lead. Of course this is obviously a fantastic coup for Next’s PR team with several press statements from Next explaining how ‘delighted’ it is with the scale of participation in the competition this year.

A mass of publicity is fantastic, but the obvious question to me is, how does this help to drive Next’s bottom line? With the greatest of respect to Roland, I can’t imagine Next’s target market would be rushing into stores to buy the latest in fashion as modelled by Mr Bunce. Ok so in the terms and conditions of the competition it states that the online public vote is to merely select a top 250 hopefuls, who are then whittled down to 50 by a "panel of judges", before two winners are selected.

A way out for Next? Perhaps, but after the campaign has generated so much publicity, it would take an organisation with very little backbone not to cast Roland in a photo shoot, cue public outrage, boycotting and an overall PR disaster for the mid-market high street retailer.

Co-creation - think small

6/9/2011 11:07:01 AM

As engagements with consumers are increasingly led by people rather than marketers, brands are having to find ways to be smarter and find common ground with their audience. This stands true not only for their communications but also for other experiences, products and services.

Marketing has always been founded on these principles, to "know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself". However now that brands are laid bare in the digital realm and are expected to be able to interact on a social basis with their customers, it is more important than ever to innovate in ways that are truly empathetic and resonate with people. Fortunately, along with these changing expectations there are changing attitudes and these consumers (or people) are no longer passive, they want to be active participants in creating services.

Co-creation to the rescue! Co-creation is the buzzword of the moment, a series of developing processes and practices and embracing these societal and technological changes to generate value for the firm and the customer. There are lots of concepts we could group together including online suggestion boxes, ideation sites and platforms, co-creation contests, crowdsourcing and private communities and the fields of co-creation, open innovation and collaborative production all overlap so there is plenty of ambiguity and confusion over what it means.

Successful co-creation is about bringing together different groups of people to develop new ideas and experiences. It is a collaborative and creative process that, to achieve great results, requires real engagement from the participants. For this reason, it needs proper facilitation, management and the right environment.

These days it’s easy to take advantage of readily available co-creation platforms to simply open up a channel to customers and ask them to contribute ideas.

There were plenty of plaudits for Dell and the early sites like this but they had at least a couple of shortcomings. The first is that whilst they do give more people the sense that they are being heard, in practice they tend to result in less, and less new ideas. People usually suggest simple developments to existing products and services, based on the existing frame of reference they have with the brand. They are tweaking, fixing and in many instances, complaining so you might get a different flavour coffee but you are less likely to come up with the next FlipBoard, Pepsi Refresh or Old Spice Man. The other is that there was little engagement from the business and little ongoing pursuit of developing those ideas with people. So whilst contributors were engaged and thanked for simple ideas in large (or sometimes small) numbers so there wasn’t really the opportunity to delve deeper and be more creative or innovative.

That was one extreme and there are now other options, but for me, the real opportunity is not by engaging everyone at the macro-level - it's in the niches and clusters. That it where the real insight lies, and where you can derive the maximum benefit from a creative process that combines the desires, perspectives and lenses of the customer, the passionate business person and others.

It needn't be a huge technical undertaking. Buzz-monitoring can help you identify your more-engaged customer groups. They then need an environment and process that gives them the freedom, trust and focus to create as one team. Whatever the environment, be it an online platform or a cosy little workshop, this is a process more like design thinking than crowdsourcing. The business must be committed both in terms of effort and seniority, as the whole team needs as much information as possible and the empowerment to contribute and test new boundaries. Its then down to the creativity of the individuals and the facilitation to work together towards new ideas and experiences that are truly of shared value, on common ground, and have real relevance.

People desperately want new, and they want this relevance - brands want the advocacy and loyalty that truly shared value can bring. Starting small not only allows you to dip your toe in the sea of co-creation without enduring a massive cost, but it also fits perfectly with the way our connected world is developing. Smaller, nimbler and deeper forms of co-creation can give you the tools to deliver fresh ideas and innovation that really connects.

Good ideas come from anywhere

6/9/2011 10:55:26 AM

We define co-creation as a collaborative workflow involving end-users to identify opportunities and solve problems. It occurs in a facilitated environment and leverages the collectives’ knowledge, through peer to peer collaboration, to deliver relevant ideas and insight for our clients. But haven’t we been doing this for as long as marketing services have existed? The reality is that we have but have also had many barriers in the way that has stopped the “workflow” from truly “flowing”.

Two major practical changes have taken place resulting in the emergence of co-creation in the world of brand and marketing service providers. One is obvious: digital has provided a level and speed of access to consumers that we have never had before. The second is less obvious but equally as important: it is the democratisation of marketing where consumers are more marketing literate and can readily and easily contribute to development of a brand’s product, service or communication. They know the game well from all of the marketing messages they receive every day, the goods and services they buy all accompanied by the intense media commentary around marketing, advertising and brands. The discipline of marketing is now part of mainstream popular culture

But it is the philosophical roots of this development that are even more interesting. We are all familiar with the old marketing adage “put your customer at the centre of what you do”. This is supposed to lead to business success because you as a brand will develop things that they want. After all they have told you that they want them. However we have all experienced the situation where both qual. and quant. studies have promised success before a brand launch only for success not to follow as promised. The suspicion always goes back to whether what they told you was well-founded or just fanciful speculation. What co-creation does is that it mitigates this risk by getting the consumer to help you as a brand build the idea. In effect you give your customers responsibility and the natural human reaction is to feel accountable for their decisions and actions. Deep involvement is more likely to result in more considered thought about future behaviour.

The other part of this philosophical equation is an old agency adage of “good ideas can come from anywhere”. This notion is very challenging for many agency people. Not only does it challenge the notion that good ideas aren’t the reserve of the creative department but it suggests that good ideas can come from beyond the walls of the agency. So what are agencies for if they are not about producing ideas? But this overlooks the real value of an agency. Brands will continue to come to us for ideas because we can shape ideas that work hard for brands by connecting effectively with customers. There will always be an appetite for this.

So what has really changed? The fact is that we have had to adjust our methods and inputs to keep brands relevant in the fast moving world in which they exist to meet consumers’ expectations in what is a highly competitive market. And the two things that help us to do this are to hand. We have a super-charged knowledge and creative base in consumers who can help us create ideas. But most importantly we now have efficient access to it through digital channels. We are now looking at an exciting step change where brands are empowered by the removal of the old barriers and their associated risks and we as agency people welcome these new and exciting ways of working.

NFC looking to bring in $50bn

6/7/2011 2:39:20 PM

According to IT Pro, near field communications, or NFC as it is being widely know, will see mobile contactless payments bring in $50 billion (£30.4 billion) worldwide between now and 2014.

This is the conclusion of a study released today by Juniper Research, which claimed global touch-and-pay technologies on mobile handsets will bring in the massive revenues over the next three years.

Partnerships between Orange and BarclayCard in the UK and Google and MasterCard in the US mean that the mobile purse is being taken seriously.

These will encourage more of the sector onboard and make 2011 and 2012 “banner years” for NFC roll-out, according to Juniper.
“Based on our analysis and interviews with key industry players, our view is that the next 18 months will see launches in up to 20 countries,” said senior analyst at the firm, David Snow.

“As a result Juniper is forecasting that North America and Western Europe together will exceed the Far East region in under three years based on transaction value."

Snow even predicted the US and Western Europe would account for 50 per cent of all NFC payments by 2014.

So how does it all work? Well, we’ll leave you to watch this video of NFC in action at a Coca-cola vending machine.

Sea-change ahead

6/3/2011 5:12:37 PM

A journalist recently asked me what the long-term impact of the financial crisis on the younger generation is likely to be. Watching All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, the new series from cult documentary-maker Adam Curtis, I keep asking myself this fascinating question.

In common with commentators such as John Lanchester (author of Whoops!), Charles Ferguson (who made the movie Inside Job), and the inescapable Robert Peston, Curtis believes it is time for us to sit up and take notice of the hitherto rather obscure world of financial regulation – and to ask ourselves whose interests it best serves.
What’s striking about these writers and filmmakers is the way in which they transform this potentially niche subject into compelling entertainment. While all are careful to appear objective, taking a documentary rather than agit-prop approach, it is impossible to escape the underlying challenge of their work, which asks: is the ideology of free market capitalism heading for the dustbin of history?

I can no more answer this weighty question than that posed by the journo I recently spoke to. But my gut feeling is now that this debate about the social role of the financial sector has crossed over from the world of politics and economic theory into the world of mainstream media, it’s there to stay. The questions being raised here are too thought-provoking, and the raw narrative material is too rich and fascinating, for this debate not to engage an ever-widening circle of enquiring minds.

This is what occurred with ecology, originally regarded as a niche concern but now firmly enshrined within contemporary consumer society. And if that’s the case, then logically our relationships with banks – and the ways in which they position themselves in relation to us – are set to undergo a similarly gradual, but inescapable, sea-change. Discuss…

L'hôtel interactif...

6/3/2011 4:29:57 PM

Located in the up-and-coming section of south Bastille in Paris, the new HI Matic Hotel has few staff. Rather, it promotes guest interaction and knowledge-sharing via technology.

The hotel is hooked up a single network, and interconnected touchscreens are located throughout. Visitors can order food, exchange tips, share their music and even hook up with other guests via the screens.

Boldly coloured and eco-friendly, the hotel strives to be a “new type of travel-friendly concept”. Even the all-natural room furniture can be rearranged to become a working or sleeping space.

This is a refreshing concept that is bound to be popular with hip, socially-oriented travellers, many of whom would welcome insider tips in such a tourist-ridden city.

People are increasingly seeking out convivial experiences, and here they can have as much of that as they wish, with the freedom to engage as and when they like.

The design also nods to the wider trend of hotels seeking to provide their guests with the ultimate personalised experience. Overall, a breath of fresh air in the overcrowded Parisian hotel scene.

A Facebook Festival

6/3/2011 4:19:21 PM

The Coca Cola Village in Israel is a summer holiday resort designed for teenagers finishing their school years.

Now into its fourth year, residents are provided with RFID bracelets to help them share their experiences on Facebook.

Teens are able to put a digital ‘like’ on their choice of forty facilities in the camp, from the pool to the extreme activities section.

If photographed, the RFID technology automatically tags everyone in the photo and uploads it to the relevant Facebook profiles.

Last year real world Liking resulted in up to 35,000 posts per cycle, even though the village only holds a maximum of 650 at a time. On average each visitor was posting 54 pieces of Coke-branded content to their Facebook profile for their friends to see!

This is use of real-time social media in its truest sense, seamlessly integrated into a brilliant experiential campaign that also ticks the CSR boxes. A clever idea that is almost guaranteed to inspire advocacy among yet another generation of Coke-drinkers.

Good news for Israeli dentists then...

The Museum of you

6/2/2011 2:56:39 PM

An incredibly cool, well executed use of Facebook by Intel. The Museum of Me is a tool created to display your Facebook life in a virtual museum.

It pulls together all of you data from facebook, then presents it in a video which sees you touring a museum looking at your friends, photos, videos and locations.

If you’re a Facebook user (who isn’t?) it’s a cool, weird, unsettling and rewarding experience. Congrats to Intel who have incorporated a great little tool which is sure to go viral to promote its i5 processors.

Aurasma

5/31/2011 12:40:22 PM

Here’s a video from the BBC talking about the new Aurasma application, which uses augmented in a different way to what we have seen previously. Now when you point your phone or tablet at a film poster, you can watch the trailer on your device. If you highlight a logo, an advert will automatically start playing.

This video shows how brands can utilise the app to provide deeper engagement for consumers.

Twitter becomes a mainstream news platform

5/25/2011 12:28:18 PM

According to Hitwise, last weekend, Twitter experienced its highest ever volume of online traffic on Saturday, accounting for 0.54% of all UK Internet visits that day - or 1 in every 184 Internet visits in the UK.

Twitter is surely now the fastest, if not the best, source of news from around the globe. From political revolutions, to earthquakes and most recently super-injunctions, Twitter has broken news and been a real catalyst for news consumption worldwide.

And Twitter is growing still. Hitwise confirms that 12% of visits to the website are coming from new users. To put that into context, 99.5% of visits to Facebook in the UK come from returning visitors, but Twitter continues to attract new users to its website every single day.

As Twitter continues its extraordinary growth, one thing that is interesting is that the micro-blogging platform is becoming more mainstream in terms of its user base.

Less is more

5/24/2011 3:08:10 PM

An interesting piece from Graham Button who urges brands to use the infamous 19th Century proverb, ‘less is more’, to improve service and boost profits.

It’s obviously a trade off argument between consumers demanding variety, but not having the time to choose, or being ‘numb to too much choice’.

Button describes the ‘point at which new product development can destroy more value than it creates’, using P&G and General Motors as examples of companies who have cut brands but seen profits rise.

It's an interesting read. Have a look here.

Eurovision by numbers

5/20/2011 4:51:18 PM

After the spectacle that is Eurovision at the weekend, we thought we would put togther an infographic for you to digest with the main talking points from Düsseldorf, Germany - just in case you missed it.

So it's congrats to Azerbaijan, well done to Jedward and hard luck to the Blue boys.

Have a here look and let us know your thoughts.

Aggregrating notifications

5/19/2011 2:41:38 PM

Here's a novel idea we came across that would certainly make our lives easier when dealing with all those notifications you get on your iPhone / iPad.

The blog, iosnotifications shows an idea of how future versions of Apple’s iOS should deal with notifications, basically giving the suggestion of a dedicated app that aggregates all notifications onto your home screen, complete with a revamped notification display.
There’s even a concept video to show you how the notifications app would work.

Here’s to hoping Apple get this released in a future iOS update.

McDonald's increase in-store technology

5/16/2011 11:49:18 AM

We came across some interesting news on MarketingWeek today as McDonald’s is planning to install touchscreen technology and swipe cards in its UK restaurants. The move is said to update how customers order food and improve its use of customer data.

Changing the traditional McDonald’s retail experience, the fast-food chain is set to replace cashiers with digital screens and swipe cards to make the experience more convenient and reduce transaction time. In addition the move will allow McDonald’s to gain more customer data to understand ordering habits.

The chain may also introduce waiters in its 1,200 UK restaurants who will use hand held terminals to take additional orders for seated customers.

McDonald’s is also extending opening hours, and refreshing stores and menus.

Apple now most valuable brand

5/9/2011 10:31:45 AM

Apple has become the most valuable in the world, jumping two places above IBM and Google.

According to Millward Brown’s annual ‘BrandZ’ survey, which combines attitudes to companies, market valuations, analyst reports and risk profiles to arrive at a brand's value, Apple’s brand value increased 84% over the past year to £93.3bn.

The biggest British brand remained Vodafone, slipping two positions to number 12, and worth £26.5bn ($43.6bn).

According to Brand Republic (the survey) claims to be the only brand valuation in the world that takes into account what people think about the brands they buy alongside rigorous analysis of financial data, market valuations, analyst reports and risk profiles.
The Top 10:
   1. Apple
   2. Google
   3. IBM
   4. McDonald's
   5. Microsoft
   6. Coca-Cola
   7. AT&T
   8. Marlboro
   9. China Mobile
10. General Electric (GE)

Are you a Mac or PC?

5/5/2011 2:31:54 PM

We’ve all seen the Mac vs PC adverts made famous by Apple, and now it seems you can see the differences between Mac and PC users, right down to the types of food they eat, art they like and media they consume.

Hunch Blog features a cool little infographic on the subject, with the results taken from a poll of nearly 400,000 people on their website. Have a read for yourself to find out which side you relate to or whether you’re a real outsider (read Linux). We have to say that going through the answers given, this wall is very much a Mac, except we much prefer Tuna over Hummus in our sandwiches.

Free beer in the summer? Sounds good to us...

5/4/2011 3:33:59 PM

Budweiser is launching ‘The Budweiser Ice Cold Index app’, an e-voucher app that will offer consumers special deals based on the temperature outside if the temperature rises above 20°C, consumers will be able to claim a free pint of Budweiser. The app will also offer money off when it reaches 16°C or above.

According to Brand Republic, on a designated "Index day", consumers can redeem their free or money-off voucher between 1pm and midnight. Once consumers have downloaded the voucher, the participating Index bar will provide them with a pub code and they will then have two minutes to redeem their voucher before it expires.

The app will be rolled out this week until the end of August. So mobile based vouchers campaigns are looking to connect with more consumers over the summer, but what’s the downside? Well, for the time being at least, it’s only going to be made available in Ireland.

Collaborative Consumption

5/4/2011 11:45:53 AM

Collaborative consumption is giving us all the chance to become micropreneurs. Technology is increasingly enabling us to make money from our time and skills and possessions, with the agreeable side effect of strengthening our communities.

Technology is also enabling trust between consumers. We are bartering, trading, swapping and sharing online and thus creating online communities that are more hip than hippies. Crowd power is seeing the formation of groups around the world and it is this power in numbers that is pushing us from being consumers to collaborators, where we are starting to engage in a peer-to-peer revolution.

The benefit of this collaborative culture sees a new redistribution market – seen as the fifth R in terms of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, redistribute’. It sees a change in collaborative lifestyles with schemes such as Landshare and product service systems such as eBay and Swapz, that allow consumers to capitalise on the lifespan of products.

A revelation? Probably not for many of you. A revolution? Most certainly this growing market place is shaping our everyday interactions not only with strangers, but also with companies we may not have otherwise heard of. From sharing allotments and community plant swaps; to collectively benefiting from targeted promotions in your locality, sharing is global. This notion gives rise to a feeling of collective good and is going a long way to promote happiness in a society of people trying to make the most out of what, collectively they have.

Citizen Tweetalism

5/3/2011 4:02:36 PM

Citizen journalism isn’t a new concept. And now it seems citizen ‘tweeting’ is just as able to cause a stir around the world. As U.S. Special Forces converged on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abottabad, Pakistan, IT consultant and resident Sohaib Athar tweeted about what was going on, sending the following message well before any news outlets had reported on the story:

Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).

Athar clearly didn’t realize he was tweeting about the top-secret raid that killed Osama bin Laden, but nonetheless has become very closely associated with the story, subsequently interviewed but media outlets around the world including CNN and Al Jazeera
Cue a rise of around 90,000 twitter followers in 24 hours with some of those tweeting their appreciation, best wishes and even requesting autographs. It’s clearly made Mr Athar internationally famous overnight and no doubt a Hollywood bosses would want to speak to him if they make a movie about the events that occurred.

So is this the perhaps the most infamous example of citizen journalism in action, albeit unwittingly? But is there a downside to the empowerment of citizens? What if Athar’s tweet had compromised the mission allowing bin Laden to escape and or more troop s to be killed in the line of duty, or his own safety?

Facebook Deals - putting the shivers up Groupon?

4/26/2011 4:33:15 PM

Today has seen the long-anticipated launch of Facebook Deals which has had a landing page (currently unavailable!) since March 2010, but few details.

Not to be confused with the old Deals for Facebook Places (to be renamed CheckIn Deals - also under redevelopment), this is a location-based daily deals service that is similar to Groupon or LivingSocial rather than Foursquare, and with a focus on “shared experiences” such as dining, concerts, events, outdoor activities etc.

Users can “Like” a deal, share it via several channels on the site, or opt to buy it right away. When purchasing the deal, users can pay with credit card or Facebook Credits. This is the first service to allow users to pay with Facebook credits for tangible services (though not goods, yet) - until now they could be used to pay only for virtual goods in games.

The viral potential is significant – every time a user buys a deal, or even "Likes", their friends are alerted. Users will also have the chance to comment on individual deals, which will naturally post to their Walls.

The service will launch first in just 5 American cities as a “test-drive” before international roll-out – Dallas, San Diego, San Francisco, Austin and Atlanta.

There are quite a few reasons for Groupon to be keeping a nervous eye on developments; firstly, of course, the 600 million userbase that Facebook can brandish.

And then there’s the targeting – whereas Groupon deals are random, haphazard and at times downright baffling (50% off colonic hydrotherapy this morning anyone?), Facebook knows your interests, your gender, your age – and you can bet the deals you get offered will (to some degree) reflect that.

“Social” counts for a lot too – I find it hard to understand how Groupon and its ilk can be described as “social” when they’re essentially straightforward online coupon services with a few “social” add-ons. With Facebook, users can propagate the service effortlessly within the networks they’ve already built up themselves.

Then there’s the business model – Groupon presently charges a whopping 50% commission on all deals taken up through its site. There is speculation, however, that retailers won’t have to pay a cut to Facebook – an irresistible lure.

With discontentment starting to breed amongst Groupon’s clients, and the recent launch of would-be buyer Google’s competitor offering - could this be the beginning of the end for the latest billion-dollar goose?

An Easter break

4/21/2011 6:11:17 PM

We’ve hit the wall and decided to take a break for Easter. But never fear, you can still keep up with the musings of the Wiki Wall on the Rufus Leonard Twitter feed @rufusleonard or even on our Facebook page.

Have a great Easter.

Is Apple Big Brother?

4/21/2011 11:01:44 AM

Some interesting news for readers with an iPhone. As reported by the Guardian, It has been discovered that Apple's device keeps track on the user, wherever they go, saving this information to a file which is subsequently transferred to the user’s computer when synced.

This opens up the privacy debate once again as the file contains the phone's recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner's movements.

"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody – a jealous spouse, a private detective – with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said Pete Warden, one of the researchers.

A branded wedding?

4/19/2011 11:17:11 AM

We’ve talked about brands jumping on the bandwagon to be associated with certain events a few times over the past year or so. Think the World Cup and iPad specific content.

With the impending royal wedding (heard about it?) Marketing magazine has found that consumers claim they aren’t influenced by brands that have associations with the wedding.

66% of consumers said their purchasing behaviour would not be influenced by associations with the wedding. Moreover, 17% said they would be much less likely to buy a product attempting to link to the event - potentially bad news for T-Mobile.

Very few brands have achieved significant cut through. The report shows that The Royal Mint was the brand consumers associated most with the wedding (36% of respondents).More than half of consumers believed it was inappropriate for brands to attempt to increase sales on the back of the royal wedding.

So does this spell the end of the bandwagon culture for brand jumping on events? It short, no. There will always be brands who aren’t sponsors but want to capitalise on the next big event whether that be through associated products such as Walker’s World Cup inspired ‘Flavour cup’ or so-called ‘Ambush marketing’. The latter certainly generated a lot of press coverage for the likes of Bavaria beer at last year’s big football tournament.

We’ll have to wait until next summer for the next inevitable influx of band wagon jumping, in our own back yard no less.

Online ad revenue finally surpasses newspapers

4/14/2011 3:22:42 PM

Well, it was only going to be a matter of time wasn’t it. 2010 was the year when internet advertising surpassed its newspaper counterpart.

The Internet Advertising Bureau reported that full-year 2010 internet ad revenues were $26 billion, up 15 percent from 2009, showing that after a slight recessional dip, the internet is gaining in popularity for brand’s cash. Q4 2010 revenues were reported to have seen a 19% from a year ago.

TV is still where most of the cash goes (worth $62.8 billion) but with an increasing number of online platforms in addition to the fast moving uptake of smartphones, it won’t be that long until online ad revenue eclipses TV too.

The power of an orange

4/12/2011 11:58:58 AM

We all remember using a potato to power something at school, now juice specialists Tropicana have taken it to a new level, utilising the power of oranges to illuminate the brand’s own billboard.

It took three months and, with some careful wiring, Tropicana have created something visual and original to reinforce the brand message of ‘natural energy’, quite literally.

Very clever stuff. You can see a video detailing how they created the installation here.

Rufus Leonard awarded for EEF transformation

4/8/2011 3:22:00 PM

Well, if winning two Recommended Agency Register (RAR) awards last week wasn’t enough, we attended the Transform Awards for rebranding last night at the Grange Hotel in London - and won a couple more.

The Transform Awards, hosted by Communicate Magazine, is Europe's only dedicated celebration of brand rebuilding and redesign, so we were thrilled to take home both the coveted gold award for ‘Best rebrand by sector’ and bronze for ‘Best implementation of a rebrand’ for our work for EEF, the manufacturers' organisation.

As manufacturing's biggest supporter, EEF had wanted a new identity that would not only refresh its image, but also project confidence in a recession-hit industry. Rufus Leonard delivered a vibrant creative expression. Beautifully cropped images showcased the diversity of manufacturing output, with washes of colour to add depth. The supporting messaging was honest, fact-based and straight-talking. The rebrand gave EEF the leverage it needed to reflect a sense of momentum in the manufacturing industry.

It’s a really great achievement and fantastic to get industry recognition for some outstanding work.

You can read more about the Transform Awards here.

What a tweet can do

4/8/2011 3:03:35 PM

It’s funny how things can spiral. Take, for instance, our piece on brands utilising random acts of kindness, using social media platforms to learn about customers in a bid to improve relationships with them. A great example of this in action is Dutch airline KLM using Twitter to track passengers, providing them with personalised gifts.

Now, askaaronlee.com reports how KLM has gone further, listening to their customers, responded with a challenge and made their customer’s dream come true, as well as making two new records to really drive customer interaction and advocacy of the brand. You can find out what they did here.

Don't forget to follow us on twitter: @rufusleonard.

The question of questions

4/5/2011 11:11:28 AM

We first spoke about Quora back in January when there was a sudden rush of people clambering to sign up to the crowdsourced Q&A service. From what we can tell, and in our own experience, we had a look around, used it a few times but didn’t really go back, especially with the introduction of Facebook questions recently.

In a bit to give people more reasons to go back to Quora, Kiss Metrics have come up with an infographic to explain a Quora in a bit more detail, and go on to explain its massive growth over the last year.

Have a look here.

IT spend to surpass expectations

4/4/2011 5:51:57 PM

Good news for the IT sector as reports today suggest that IT spend is set to surpass expectations for growth this year

Gartner research has found that worldwide IT spend will total £2.23 trillion in 2011, a 5.6% increase on last year and puts the increase in sales of tablets as a factor for this growth. Worldwide spending on tablets is projected to reach £18.2 billion 2011, up from £5.9 billion in 2010.

“The addition of media tablets, reinforced by an expected additional decline in the value of the dollar, accounts for the increase in topline growth,” said Richard Gordon, research vice-president at Gartner

Rufus Leonard scoops two RAR awards

4/1/2011 6:05:03 PM

So, last night we attended the Recommended Agency Register (RAR) awards in Kensington which, as they put it, “recognise service excellence from marketing companies”.

And here’s the good news, we picked up a couple of gongs in the Best in Creativity / Innovation and Best in Digital categories!

In the last 12 months, nearly 5000 ratings have been made by brand owners and marketing professionals who are keen to recognise the contribution that their marketing suppliers have made.
It’s incredibly rewarding to be recognised for our work by our clients and across the spectrum of our offering.

The Rufus Leonard infographic

3/31/2011 12:17:00 PM

Infographics, they're very 'of the moment'. So what better way to tell you everthing about Rufus Leonard that through our very own infographic.

This 'agency C.V.', if you will, is a graphical way of telling you about us; who we are, where we are and what we do. We hope you have as much fun reading it as we did making it.

Take a look at it here and let us know what you think about it on Facebook or Twitter - or both!

Can I get a +1?

3/31/2011 11:12:54 AM

So Google yesterday officially launched their latest social product, titled “+1”. Essentially, it could be seen as Google’s version of a Facebook ‘like’ or a Twitter ‘retweet’. +1 acts as a way to share search results from Google that you like with the rest of the web. It’s a small button that will reside next to each and every Google Search result.

Potentially more beneficial to advertisers is that +1 also allows Google Ads to be liked and shared, giving the user the ability to suggest ads and promotions which they think may be of interest to their friends. The clever part of this is that adverts which have already been +1’d, will show up in Google’s regular search results, complete with their +1 rating next to it.

+1 is building on Google’s social search integration we talked about a few weeks ago and TechCrunch reports that a key piece of information “Google isn’t really touting yet is that +1 data can be used to make ads social not just on Google Search result pages, but also across the whole web. If you have a site that runs AdSense ads, it may now feature +1 data in addition to the ad.”

Google has obviously had its fair share of social media failure in recent times - think Buzz – and with various data issues still being debated, time will tell whether this will be a success for the online giant.

The greatest data on earth?

3/29/2011 3:38:16 PM

By now many of us will have registered for tickets to at least one of the 26 sports happening as part of London 2012. Some claim this will create the largest database of (mainly) UK sports fans in the world. So is this a marketers dream? There is no question that the resulting database will provide a rich body of data but the reality is that, taken at face value, you may conclude that we are a nation of 100m sprint, track cyclists and beach volleyball fanatics. This is a very dangerous conclusion upon which to base your future marketing activity.

The problem with “the greatest show on earth” is that it is a one-off event and as a result, it cannot be seen as an indication of normal behaviour and attitudes providing insight into our lives as consumers. It’s even difficult to conclude that the resulting database for tickets could be described as a “sports fan database”. After all, the Olympics are the Olympics, and many will be motivated by the thought of their future grandchildren being astonished as to why their grandparents didn’t take the opportunity to be part of such a significant historic event.

So is there anything that we cannot deduce from people’s preferences expressed through the events that they want to attend? The one area that might be useful is that it will be a good barometer for public opinion on where Team GB will perform well. One has to assume that, beyond friends and family that the great British public will only want to pitch up at events where there is some chance of national success.

The other interesting question on the registration form is a question asking you about the nation you are supporting. Cross reference this with those who have permanent addresses in GB and you effective have a quantified answer to “Norman Tebitt’s cricket test”: In cosmopolitan GB we will know how many people are loyal to other nations at least on a sport level. Now this could be very useful on a direct marketing level as often London is used as a convenient venue for international teams to play. Back in March 2010 the Rep. of Ireland played football against Brazil at the Emirates stadium. And recently, Argentina played Portugal at the same venue. Both games had reasonable attendances but were by no means sold out. This database with a geographic bias to the south east of England surely provides the opportunity to sell out a venue on both such occasions with a little bit of clever direct communication.

The other piece of powerful information that this database will contain is who, when and where people will be during the event. There will surely be opportunities to “market around” the big occasion; goods and services which will really help to add to the experience pre, during and post the event itself which will make the event more important and significant in the minds of people.

But the reality is that above and beyond these examples we are a long way from developing the kind of correlation data. Canadian Tire, a large Canadian retailer, for instance created psychological profiles of its cardholders that were built upon what seemed like random correlations. Cardholders who purchased carbon-monoxide detectors, premium birdseed, and felt pads for the bottoms of their chair legs are less likely to miss a payment. than those who bought cheap motor oil and visited a Montreal pool bar called "Sharx" risk. We are a long way from that with this database. So with 6.6 million tickets going on sale currently, will we as marketers get to see this data? And who exactly owns it? LloydsTSB? The Government? The taxpayer who has paid for the Olympics? Will it be available on data.gov.uk? How will the terms of the data protection be met? The answer to this question is to respond with another: if you did own the data, what would you be able to do with it anyway?

Location, location, location

3/29/2011 3:35:04 PM

During its short life, the web has experienced a number of significant milestones. For me, the arrival of Google Earth was nothing less than earth shattering (pardon the pun). Sitting at my PC, the idea that I could drop in my post code into an application on my desktop and within seconds be peering down into an image of my back garden was a breathtaking experience.

Watching the earth spin around to locate my small patch of North London felt like something out of Blade Runner rather than an everyday occurrence, which is where we are today. Since those heady days, Google maps has taken centre stage and geo-location information flows through all manner of everyday devices. From TomTom GPS to the British Antarctic Survey animal tracking tools, where are we heading now and how will this new mapping technology impact our lives?

Google maps has now mapped most of the planet to varying degrees of detail. It performs swiftly and helps us find our way from A to B, and in many instances, we are able to supplement this experience with the staggering ‘street view’ visual experience. Got me so far? Now take a couple of technical wizards and start displaying location specific data within the Google map. A good example for Londoners is something useful like the location of TfL’s Oyster card charge points.

Feeding data into Google maps was an inspired use of the mapping technology only made possible because of Google’s philosophy of opening up its platform to the developer community. The Oyster card locator proved to be a neat solution combining data from TfL to display within a Google map. Similar steps have occurred all over the world as the flexibility of this new tool became apparent to the developer community.

Examples of this blending of data with Google map technology is often referred to as a ‘mashup’, which sounds like my early attempts at cooking but the recent results are far more exciting than any of my early cooking exploits. The recent creation of Bus maps for TfL demonstrates just how far this use of Google’s mapping technology has come over the past year.

TfL run one of the most complex bus route systems in the world. The objective for Rufus and TfL was to plot every route and provide associated time table information, creating a web of bus route details all crossed linked with allied routes and what’s more this information is refreshed regularly. Google mapping technology now sits at the heart of TfL location information strategy. It has liberated transport data, bringing to life where transportation can be found, when it might arrive and the connections available during a journey.

So where next? The Holy Grail for this emerging technology might be what is now fashionably referred to as the Semantic Web. This concept is where data can be interpreted by an application. Not literally as it is now but the relationship of data within a given environment can be interpreted by an application. An example might be if a bus route is available near my home the Semantic Web would mean other data could be called upon introducing a level of data interpretation hitherto unheard of. Such as the illustration of available films and restaurants that match my taste identified close to my bus route.

If the Semantic Web becomes a reality the new generation of mashups will soon provide a complex blend of data all displayed in a rich format we can read and understood instantly. A Google map.

The electric car revolution

3/29/2011 3:32:00 PM

If you live in London then you probably don’t own a car, but if like me, you wish you could justify having one, then you may have spent some time daydreaming about the option of going electric. Up until now the electric car has been the preserve of wealthy city mums, bought as a second or third car for the school run and trips to Waitrose. The Budget might have reduced fuel duty slightly, but with oil prices still on the rise, the case for going electric is starting to stack up.

Westminster council has provided free parking and a number of free charging points for years now. Added to the significant saving made on the congestion charge, the high cost of buying an electric car seems almost justifiable, and indeed there are already more than 1,700 electric cars on the road in the capital. I was nearly one of those early adopters a few years back, but the thought of anyone I knew seeing me in a tiny G-Wiz made me cringe. Luckily the range of electric vehicles on the market has since improved; Citroen, Peugeot, Nissan and Renault have all released decent looking models. If the hefty price tag has scared you off in the past, then you might be interested to hear that the UK government has just introduced a subsidy of up to £5000 to encourage people to buy electric (and that’s on top of an existing exemption from road tax).

The shorter range of EV’s might be an issue elsewhere in the UK, but Londoners make shorter trips. On average, 84% of car trips made by Londoners are less than 20km and 95% of London motorists travel less than a total of 75 kilometres per day. That makes range much less of an issue. (source: GLA electric vehicles plan)

There’s one big barrier left in my mind: where do I charge the thing? Most Londoners have neither garage nor driveway. What’s needed are charging points all around the city, a bit like those Barclays cycle hire stations which didn’t exist two years ago but are now an everyday sight. The good news is that this is exactly what is on the way. A 2009 GLA report identified that a charging infrastructure was crucial for London and a charge point scheme called Source London has since been launched with over 50 charging points. The full charging point network and membership scheme is currently under development with at least 1300 charging points due to be added by the end of 2013. Of course to make the scheme as practical to use as the Barclays cycle hire scheme, you’ll need to know where the charging points are. So we built the Source London site to include a Google maps page showing you the location of the charging stations, filterable by category. The map point technology has been designed so that it could easily be rolled out to mobile at some point in the future.

We were thrilled to be awarded the build of the Source London site. From our perspective it's not hard to see that the electric car is finally reaching the mass market and now that the charging infrastructure is finally on the way, the last major barrier is set to disappear. Similarly, the recent alliance between Nissan and British Gas has meant that even more charging points will be available, something we’ll be working closely with British Gas to communicate.

So, if you want to be an early adopter, now would be the time to jump on the bandwagon. Oh, and it’s good for the environment too.

Breaking the mould for professional services

3/29/2011 3:23:55 PM

Think about professional services firms – so, the law firms, consultancies, accountancy firms of the world - and what images come to mind? Suits, paperwork, corporate offices. Now, think of their marketing communications and what comes to mind? Bland statements, stock photography, text heavy experiences. Trapped by convention, very few firms are breaking the mould to deliver interactive, ‘joined-up’ experiences that communicate a distinct personality.

The convention is to ‘fit in’ with the crowd, to adhere to the rules and regulations of their sector. Professional services is a sector where it is commonplace to share a similar tone of voice, one that conveys functionality and experience rather than emotion and personality. All of this drives a brand personality that doesn’t rock the boat, but rather sits on the fence, playing on the strengths of a collective identity rather than an individual one.

Is there value in challenging convention and standing out from the crowd? Absolutely. As soon as brands start communicating in emotional terms they provide insight into who they are, what they are like to work with and how they approach and solve problems. For large and small professional services brands alike a sense of identity builds on their reputation and makes them more accessible.

We’re seeing a few firms break the mould, firms that when you think of them you think in emotional terms rather than just rational ones. Brands such as Wragge & Co, Quality Solicitors and Accenture have both created a distinctive personality and then implemented it across all touch points, delivering that ‘joined up’ experience that brands outside of their sector do so well. They have moved themselves to a position where their communications are about experiences rather than function based expertise. Their new brand identities open up conversations because their differentiation communicates a point of view, and this ultimately drives reputation – which drives business. Brand experiences which go beyond identity and communications, to the experience of working with the brand. Referrals and word-of-mouth testimonials will help deliver a bottom line impact.

Their experience echoes the transformation of consumer facing brands, who are on a constant journey of communication and innovation. We believe professional services firms can learn lessons from consumer facing brands (as well as their own forward thinking competitors) and from what is ultimately a more developed communications landscape in which they interact. These lessons will help them develop their brand and communications approach to deliver compelling brand experiences that work on an emotional level as well as a functional one.

Just because you’re part of a group doesn’t mean you can’t stand out from the crowd.

How to deal with agencies

3/29/2011 2:34:18 PM

Interesting to see that ISBA have released an updated ‘best practice guide’ for marketing professionals when dealing with agencies, with a focus to improve the process.

And what a refreshing document it is to read. It certainly highlights the challenges marketers can face when briefing agencies and tries to alleviate some of these challenges. The guide describes itself as “explaining the principles of any good brief, the reasons why a written brief is important but not sufficient, the role of the briefing meeting, and provides guidance on written briefing forms.”

It’s worth a read, whether you are being briefed, or doing the briefing to demonstrate just how a tight brief can deliver incredible results.

What’s not to ‘like’ about Facebook?

3/29/2011 12:58:00 PM

With over 500 million active users connected to an average of 80 pages, Facebook is becoming the go-to place for marketers to promote their brand, products and services. It’s also an effective channel, along with Twitter, for organisations to communicate in real time with their current and potential customers. It’s perhaps not surprising then that we have recently redeveloped our own Facebook presence a little, moving away from a static profile to a new ‘like’ page.

We wanted a new page which would be much more open and collaborative with fans of Rufus, as well as somewhere to integrate all of our content in one place. Of course, we talk about our offering, but we hope that the new Facebook page communicates a bit more of the personality of Rufus Leonard, allowing you to keep up with the latest and greatest from The Drill Hall as it showcases our Twitter feed, Flickr photos, YouTube videos and a whole host of other bits and pieces. With Google’s social indexing, businesses that have a ‘like’ page and not a profile, will also improve their SEO, climbing up that Google page – we won’t lie, this helps quite a lot too.

Another benefit of the page is that it’s a platform for other interactions. One minute we might be drumming up a debate on the next big things in brand and digital, and the next, we might be giving away an iPad 2.

So have a look for yourself, head on over to the page at facebook.com/rufusleonarduk and like us. We would love to get you involved in sharing ideas, catching our latest video or keeping up to date with the hottest career opportunities to join the Rufus Leonard team. Oh and don't worry about the Octopus, he’s friendly really.

Getting paid to tag photos

3/28/2011 12:50:08 PM

Here’s an interesting one for a Monday. An image tagging service, EmmaActive, pays users to act as advertisers for brands and products.

Basically, EmmaActive enables users to begin tagging images on third party sites. These tags are visible to everyone, and they link through to a brand page where the product can be viewed and purchased. For example, if you come across an image of a living room on a website, you could tag the individual products within that image, linking to another website where that TV or stereo could be purchased.

If the tagged brand is signed up to pay EmmaActive taggers, members will then receive monetary rewards from the brand every time their tags are clicked — as will the website that hosts the image.

It's definitely an innovative way for brands to harnesses and reward fans who directly affect sales by directly putting money in their pockets.

You can watch a demo of how EmmaActive works here.

Google launches its own magazine

3/25/2011 11:22:07 AM

Even Google needs to consolidate information sometimes with the launch of its B2B focused print and online magazine ‘Think Quarterly’, designed to “bring together some of the world's leading minds to discuss the big issues facing businesses today".

It hasn’t had an all bells and whistles launch, rather a softer introduction through Twitter, with the first issue being circulated among 1,500 of Google's business partners.

So does this mean that Google is ready to dip into media publishing? Well, no plans are afoot yet with a Google statement saying “Think Quarterly remains firmly aimed at Google's partners and advertisers”.

Think Quarterly is available to view here.

Proving honest-tea pays...

3/24/2011 2:46:00 PM

There has been quite a bit of media coverage recently about an innovative experiential campaign launched last summer by organic tea brand Honest Tea. It took the form of a "guerilla social experiment", putting the honesty of the seven largest cities in America to the test.

A pop-up shop called ”The Honest Store” was installed on pavements and stocked with ice cold bottles of Honest Tea. A money box and sign read: “$1.00 on the Honor System.”

Hidden cameras were in place and recorded the actions of those who decided to pay $1 for their drinks and those who simply stopped by without paying.

As well as garnering massive media support, Honest Tea doubled its sales in each city – and proved that 87% of Americans are honest!

This is a fantastically unique and creative approach to boosting brand awareness and thrusting a niche brand into the mainstream. The present coverage, along with the fact that the YouTube videos are still racking up hits proves that this stunt has really captured the world's imagination.

Become part of Firefox

3/23/2011 4:20:27 PM

With the recent release of Mozilla’s latest browser, Firefox 4, they have embarked on a Twitter campaign to allow fans to have their own photos on one big Firefox logo mosaic.

All you have to do is Tweet about Firefox 4 with the #fx4 hashtag and your avatar will join thousands of others from around the world as part of their logo mosaic.

We’ve done it which you can see here and have a go yourself here.

LinkedIn reaches the 100m milestone

3/22/2011 3:34:36 PM

News today that social networking tool LinkedIn has surpassed 100 million users. The $3billion valued company celebrated the milestone by releasing an infographic, looking at membership numbers, location, growth and represented companies to give you a better insight into how well it has been performing, especially over the last year or so.

We bet you didn’t know that nearly 1 million teachers are on LinkedIn, and that a new member is added every second.

Congratulations to LinkedIn and don’t forget you can keep up to date with Rufus Leonard on LinkedIn here or via our new Facebook page.

Via Mashable

Happy birthday Twitter

3/21/2011 12:21:53 PM

Today we say a very happy fifth birthday to Twitter, the micro-blogging platform which has seen growth over the last five years surely co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone couldn’t have envisaged. It took three years, two months and a day for 1 billion Tweets to be sent. Today that same number is achieved in just a week.

The Wall Blog looks at the top five ways Twitter has helped change the world, from Presidential campaigns to journalism. There are some fantastic stats in there too and I encourage you to have a read.

Don’t forget you can keep up with us on Twitter (@rufusleonard) and through our new Facebook page.

Are social and entertainment seperate?

3/18/2011 6:04:02 PM

Interesting to see today that Hitwise Intelligence reports that social media has become more popular than entertainment online.
Hitwise says “During January 2011 social networks accounted for 12.4% of all UK Internet visits. Across the 9,000 social networks that we monitor, there were over 2.4 billion visits from UK Internet users during the month - more than in any other month on record.”

Your first thought might be, ‘that’s great news for social media’. But what does this really mean? A description of what constitutes entertainment isn’t given.

So what have we learnt from this? I would argue not a great deal. Surely social media and entertainment can’t be classed as separate entities – but that entertainment has migrated from standalone to be housed within social media. We already know facebook is the place where most videos are shared and the next big gaming platform so by default, social media hasn’t overtaken entertainment, it has consumed it.

What do you think?

An interactive guide to Europe

3/17/2011 11:08:07 AM

Ever wondered which European countries have the best healthcare? Which countries will have the biggest population increase, what’s the life expectancy and what does it cost to live in different European countries?

Well look no further. The Guardian has produced an interactive guide to Europe, giving you all this information and a lot more. You can even find out that residents of Greece have 180 mobile phones per 100 people.

Go here if you want to have a look.

Overcoming data through design

3/16/2011 6:01:53 PM

Another fantastic TED talk sees David McCandless talk about removing the ‘information glut’ we consume every day.

McCandless looks to turn complicated data across the likes of military spend, media and Facebook updates into well designed, visual representations. Infographics are all the rage at the moment and McCandless looks to find unique patterns and connections in data visualisation.

Is a great presentation, with a bit of humour thrown in for good measure. You can watch it yourself here.

Targted adverts coming to your living room

3/16/2011 11:21:29 AM

Sky is said to be readying targeted adverts for its customers - based on their viewing habits, location and the package they subscribe to.

A simple upgrade to your existing Sky box stores adverts which will then play during the normal ad breaks, meaning you could be watching a totally different set of ads during the Corrie break, than your next door neighbour.

Pocket Lint reports that Sky is looking to roll this out in 2013 in a bid to tap in to a believed £80m regional ad spend market.

The cheek of it!

3/14/2011 6:03:57 PM

DDB New Zealand have come up with a unique approach to promoting a “short shorts” sale for fashion retailer Superette. Benches at bus stops, fashionable malls and parks have been manipulated to contain an indented plate that leaves Superette-branded imprints on the thighs of anyone who happens to sit down wearing short shorts or skirts.

Leaving an unsolicited (and painful?!) calling card on your customers’ legs is possibly not a surefire way to endear yourself to them, however the sheer creativity (and audacity!) of the campaign should be enough to garner significant word-of-mouth – and impress at least some of the fashionable young things who hang out at the carefully-selected locations...

Test drive a Volkswagen... inside a print ad

3/11/2011 5:56:22 PM

Volkswagen in Norway has launched what it claims is the world's first test drive inside a print ad.

The ad, placed in popular Norwegian publications, presents a long stretch of road (in summer and winter) and urges readers to download an Augmented Reality app that lets you drive its car on the road by hovering your iPhone over it. Readers can test three features of the vehicle—lane assist, adaptive lights and cruise control.

In a saturated auto market that often sets a benchmark for impressive advertising, standing out can be difficult. Volkswagen is attempting to reinforce its positioning as a technological innovator, which is a tricky thing to do in a single print ad.

OK, so it’s not quite the same as a real test drive, but it's a creative blurring of the print/digital divide, and will no doubt pique the interest of a tech-savvy modern audience.

Google's crisis center

3/11/2011 5:40:35 PM

Following the awful news of an earthquake hitting Japan today, Mashable reports the following, explaining that Google is providing a tool that helps you find a person or provide information on missing people.

Google’s Crisis Center also shows a map of the earthquake, the latest related news and lists link to warning centers, disaster bulletin boards, and train and blackout information.

Although the tool can be useful for finding information about a friend or a loved one, Google warns users that it doesn’t review or verify the accuracy of the data. Furthermore, all data entered will be available to the public, as well as viewable and usable by everyone.

Smart price relationships

3/10/2011 11:46:08 AM

You may have seen back in January we talked about Tesco venturing in to the gold exchange and beauty services market. Well it seems that Tesco isn’t the only grocer looking to extend its brand a far as possible.

ASDA have created their own dating site asdadating.co.uk, pairing singles based on their shopping habits and food preferences. Users can create their own profile and filter potential partners by other factors including film and music interests. Springwise describes ASDA dating as ‘another example of the mass mingling trend, where the online world is fuelling a wealth of ‘real world’ meet-ups’.

ASDA obviously has access to a massive amount of data to make informed recommendations to members, but with huge competition from existing dating sites and ASDA’s ‘smart price’ tag making the service seem budget, do singletons really want ‘ASDA price’ relationships?

Random acts of kindness

3/9/2011 6:11:51 PM

When was the last time you made, or received a random act of kindness? Well that might be about to change as Trendwatching reports Random Acts of Kindness (R.A.K) is the latest trend being used by brands to connect with consumers. Using social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare, brands such as Heineken and Ciroq vodka have already got in on the act. It’s happening in the UK too with Interflora monitoring Twitter for people tweeting general grumpiness, then sending that person flowers in a bid to cheer them up.

It’s a great way to connect deeply with consumers and harness social media in a positive way. Now if anyone wants to send anything over to The Drill Hall, you would be more than welcome.

Google profiles

3/7/2011 11:40:29 AM

The online privacy debate has raged on for a long time now. It has become standard practice for employers to Google potential employees and interview candidates before a face to face meeting occurs. And I think it’s fair to say that what you don’t want the first impression of yourself to be to a potential employer is a booze filled weekend picture on Facebook.

Step up ‘Google Profiles’, with the strapline “Decide what the world sees when it searches for you“. Essentially, it’s a tool where you can control which bits of your personal information are seen on the web and another attempt by Google to delve deeper into social.

It hasn’t had a big marketing push but a new UI design has put it back in the news. Is this phase one in Google’s roll out of its own social network?

Points of control

3/3/2011 3:54:52 PM

Here’s a very cool infographic style site called Points of Control, essentially using a map to show the size and scale of digital organisations and the 'battle for the network economy'.

You can view parts of the networkedworld including the ‘kingdom of e-commerce’, ‘union of networks’ and even the ‘land of search’, unsurprisingly dominated by Google.

You can access the territory mode or acquisition mode to see which companies are being brought together through buying power.

Have a look here.

Did someone say iPad 2?

3/3/2011 10:44:34 AM

Well the build up and hype is finally over as Apple and, perhaps surprisingly, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 yesterday in California. The new launch certainly cements Apple’s place as the brand of choice for anyone purchasing a tablet.

With over 15 million of the first generation iPads sold in the last year, fears that the tablet market wouldn’t take off have clearly been quashed, meaning other manufacturers including Samsung, Motorola and RIM to get a piece of the pie.

The new iPad seems to be evolution rather than revolution for Apple, but there’s no doubt that the Apple faithful will be out in force to upgrade their equipment.

iAd just too niche

3/1/2011 11:11:57 AM

Perhaps everything Apple touches doesn’t turn to gold. Brand Republic is reporting that Apple is facing a struggle to convince brands of the value of advertising on its iAd format.

The format, which allows brand to advertise to iPhone and iPad users with various targeting options including Demographic, location, application preferences, music passions, movie, TV and audiobook genre interests has seen little buy-in from brands, forcing Apple to slash rates by 50%.

The general consensus by the Brand Managers interviewed seems to be the platform is ‘too niche’ and the costs ‘too high’. Ultimately, if ROI can’t be measured effectively, it will be tough for marketers to justify the expense.

A new era for product placement?

2/25/2011 5:48:52 PM

Monday the 28th of February 2011 will see the day when product placement is officially allowed on British TV. Campaign reports big brands including Electronic Arts and Thomas Cook having already brokered deals for their products to be place within programmes including This Morning.

So is this going to be a really big deal, with every brand under the sun thrust into the faces of consumers during every broadcast? Well no, not for the moment at least.

Media360 blog says estimates put product placement in its first year at anything between £2 to £4m a year for the commercial networks ITV, Channel 4, Sky and UKTV, and that’s in total. When this figure is compared to the £3.2 billion market value, it’s an incredibly small drop in the ocean.

Undoubtedly as more media outlets can show brands and media buyers a strong ROI for product placement, the UK market will grow, but perhaps not as quickly as first imagined.

A confession..

2/24/2011 11:49:05 AM

We’ve seen some pretty weird and wonderful iPhone apps in our time and now it seems, in an attempt to give religion a digital fix, the Catholic Church has released an iPad and iPhone app to seemingly allow Roman Catholics to make a confession over the internet.

It’s a bold move from the Church, which is asking users for £1.19 a month for the privilege. Let’s see if other religions follow suit and also produce their own apps.

Capitalising on an error 404

2/23/2011 12:31:26 PM

We all know error 404 pages on websites can be incredibly frustrating. But when a link has changed or been moved wouldn’t it be nice to be shown something other than a white page with a big ‘404’ message at the top?

Thankfully, some web designers have chosen to end the misery of encountering a 404 error page by making them entertaining. We came across some of the best on Mashable, with our particular favourite coming from The North Face.

And we’ve even got our own, should the day ever come to it being required. Have a look at the Rufus Leonard Octopause here.

Keeping up with the zeitgeist

2/21/2011 4:09:13 PM

If you have got a spare few minutes, have a look at Zeitgeistminds, a collection of videos from Google's Zeitgeist events covering everything from politics and economics to culture and comedy.

You can customise which videos you watch a number of ways, such category, location and year to give Google’s interpretation of the zeitgeist for that period. Content comes from the likes of Eric Schmidt, John Legend, Bill Clinton and Matthew d’Ancona.

Death of the customer...?

2/21/2011 12:21:30 PM

If I were to tell you I’d had an “experience”, whether it were good or bad, you’d probably infer it was something that had made an impact – something to stick in the memory. “A once-in-a-lifetime experience”, “an appalling experience”, “an experience I’d like to have”. Experiences create memories, and almost always have a story to tell.

This is why “experience” is so key to how we communicate with customers - now more so than ever. That is what they will share with other customers, both on and offline, and what will stay with them long after the moment of transaction has passed.
If “recommendation is the new promotion”, then experience is the ultimate differentiation. It’s the experience around products and services that’s becoming key to generating customer loyalty – even in traditionally staid, transactional sectors.

Look at the new Citibank branch in New York, for example – sleek, Apple-esque design, relaxing community spaces, free Wifi, media walls – or the “Bank of the Future” Barclays in Piccadilly Circus. Concept stores such as LN-CC are becoming ubiquitous around the world. Bricks-and-mortar is taking on a new role, shifting its focus from the hard sell to creating unique brand experiences and building longer-term relationships.

We’re moving away from customer service and towards creating a “guest experience”.

The question is, how to make that experience count at every touchpoint along the customer journey, given how many there are these days?

Transactions are experiences too – it’s not all about extravagant events and showcasing. Make it smooth, easy and convenient. Know who we are, remember and reward us. Every interaction is a brand-building opportunity.

It’s important to recognise that it’s equally possible to make a customer feel like a valued guest on a website as it is in a store, or at an event. Alongside the obvious methods such as personalisation and intuitive user journeys, it’s crucial to understand how to speak to customers in their space. Let’s say a customer who was sitting in a Starbucks outlet had tweeted where he was and what he was drinking – what if the MD of Starbucks picks up on that and messages him on Twitter, saying she hoped he had enjoyed his coffee and the service? That’s not too far-fetched a notion.

Treat your customers as your guests and give them welcome memories of their stay, however brief, and no matter where they happened to find you. The story they’ll share will be more important than the slickest of ad campaigns.

Radiohead do it again

2/18/2011 4:48:05 PM

Four years ago, when Radiohead gave its fans the option of downloading ‘In Rainbows’ for whatever they chose to pay, the music industry split in two.

Those in mourning for the hog fat years of overpriced CDs went into spasms of righteous denunciation; more sober commentators noted that the £30 limited edition deluxe box set – encompassing a considerably broader definition of ‘limited’ than that commonly used in the world of art – sold out effortlessly, later followed by a CD that went straight to number one on both sides of the Atlantic. That ‘honesty box’ experiment was clearly worth the millions of pounds of free TV, radio, press and online publicity it generated.

So it’s not surprising to see them reprise this approach for their latest album, ‘The King of Limbs’, albeit without the honesty box. Once again, the strategic utilisation of their digital network has been flawless. On 14 February, the message went out via their website and Twitter: ‘Thank you for waiting.’ Click and you got the album’s homepage, where the digital release date was set at 19 February (pegged at £6, for the record). Cue frenetic activity which rendered the pre-order page inaccessible to this fan until hours of darkness.

On the morning of 18 February, they sprung a small surprise on the world by letting a small number of people know that the download was ready and waiting, while posting a video on YouTube and Facebook. Cue even more frenetic activity – the video was ‘liked’ 21,000 times within six hours, Twitter logged several hundred tweets an hour from all over the world, and instant reviews were generated by the likes of the Guardian and Telegraph, which in turn were tweeted and shared by several thousands on Facebook.

Industry executives will no doubt be more admiring this time around. Radiohead have conjured a contemporary media event out of a digital release date – and for a distinctly offbeat and challenging album at that. Their apparently artless, ‘off the cuff’ formula has beaten the hype machine at its own game once again.

A car in the palm of your hand

2/18/2011 1:51:54 PM

Here’s an interesting idea from Ford to launch their new ‘C-Max’ model which we spotted on Marketing Week.

The automotive giant is launching an augmented reality campaign in an attempt to “put its new C-Max model in the palm of consumers’ hands”.

Using outdoor spaces in shopping centres across the UK, the campaign uses 3D imaging to project 3D models of the C-Max into the hands of the public walking past.

Ford claims it is the first outdoor augmented reality campaign to use 3D depth imaging technology in the UK. Apparently, “users can interact with the car and open doors, fold the seats flat, turn the car 360 degrees and select demos of the car’s key features such as Active Park Assist".

As augmented reality continues to be bigger, moving away from solely mobile use, expect more brands to work with augmented reality to help launch new products and services.

Google updates Social Search

2/17/2011 5:55:58 PM

It has finally been announced today that Google has launched major updates to its Social Search, integrating Twitter, Flickr and Quora all the way through.

As reported on Mashable, any content shared by your friends on Quora, Flickr and Twitter can appear as a social annotation in search results. For example, if a friend has tweeted a link to an article and your Google account is connected to Twitter, you’re likely to see a search result telling you that it was shared by a friend.

Google has also taken the steps to further allow users to connect their social media profiles to their existing Google accounts.

You can read more about Social Search here.

Banking and social media - the conversation they don't want

1/26/2011 12:23:00 AM

Banking brands have been slow adopters of social media, and it’s not hard to work out why. Not to put too fine a point on it, consumers have the nasty habit of asking awkward questions, which banks have the habit of not wanting to answer. In the new, always-on digital world, transparency is king. And evasiveness and vacillation will get you noticed. Banking brands should sit up, take notice, get connected - and engage on their customers’ terms.

Back in the mists of digital time, First Direct - a UK retail bank with an honourable history of personal service (albeit on the phone and online) was one of the first to dabble in social media when it created a microsite enabling customers to answer questions and post comments. This inevitably led to some uncomfortable moments. When the bank asked the honest and open question "What do you really want from your bank?" the floodgates opened, and First Direct forum moderators were caught short. Honesty is always a good start.

One questioner, for instance, asked why First Direct offered better rates to new customers rather than rewarding loyalty, going so far as to make helpful product suggestions. PR puffery won’t wash in these kinds of circumstances, but the bank’s responses sounded like the waffle of a corporate machine in action. And all posted live, in real time, in the public domain.

Developing and nurturing an effective brand presence in social media channels takes a combination of relevance, light touch... and genuine emotional intelligence. Empathy and honesty rule. Because there’s clearly a balance to be struck between delivering the agreed line on an issue (like the difficult issue of ‘teaser rates’ for new customers), and genuinely engaging with loyal customers as equals.

Here in the Gulf, there appears to be a fundamental digital disconnect between the financial services world and its customers. But there’s a social media bandwagon rolling worldwide, and local brands are jumping on; often making the leap without looking first.

What’s missing is any sense of strategy. By all means, establish a Facebook page with a brief corporate profile and slap your logo all over it. Then what? What is its true purpose? How do you intend to reach out and connect? And once you’ve established connections with interested consumers, how should they be managed and sustained, now and in the longer term?

It’s the same for Twitter. Twitter is an amazing, real-time one-to-many medium. It’s a live channel. But it’s also a digital ‘cookie monster’. And it needs to be fed. If you don’t feed a constant stream of relevant, interesting, useful tweets - complete with links - customers can (and will) desert your brand for the more connected one next door.

Better, then, to start with the basics and consider social media, and the whole digital channel, in the context of your entire brand communications strategy - for that is its rightful place. And with the digital channel comes a whole new way of speaking and relating to customers; a language, perhaps, that banking brands have yet to learn.

Viewing social media - with its boundless potential to make new friends - as an opportunity for openness and dialogue, rather than a threat to carefully constructed ‘party lines’, should give dusty, boring financial brands the opportunity for ever greater relevance and connectedness. But only if what they do in this brave new world looks, feels and sounds like it’s authentic... and truly joined-up.

iEverywhere

11/9/2010 4:00:00 PM

The rise and rise of Apple’s iPhone is often proclaimed as a prime example of real ‘game-changing’ technology. But the game that’s really changed is the consumer’s very relationship with what used to be called the ‘telephone’. Dubai seems to have run out of them. What am I talking about? The iPhone.

It’s been three years since the launch of Apple’s ubiquitous device in the UK. It was clear from the outset that this was no ordinary phone, and, although I regard iPhone 4’s reception issues as a storm in a teacup, the very fact that the story became a global media sensation demonstrated the peerless esteem in which the iPhone had previously been held.

To date, around 3 million iPhones have been sold in Britain – a phenomenal figure for a single device. And today the iPhone accounts for around 40% of Apple revenues. Why? It’s clearly fun, extremely cleverly integrated and user friendly. Then there’s the Apple ‘halo effect’ that’s been building with every successive iPod generation. A halo occurs when success in one product line builds the entire brand, rubbing-off beneficially on other, sometimes unrelated, products.

But there’s something else, which has little to do with the product itself – and that’s what might loosely be called ‘content support’. Think of the booming market for apps (200,000 and counting) as the equivalent of VHS videos back in the 1980s. It was the significantly greater availability of movie titles on VHS that helped it see off the challenge of Betamax.

And finally there’s ‘convergence’ and its impact on us consumers and how we behave. Suddenly, the phone is no longer a phone. Digital savants have been waiting for this for years. Why carry a diary, camera and games console when you can carry an all-in-one device? Apple’s is one such device that just happens to have a phone in it.

In Dubai, it seems you can’t get an iPhone for love nor money. There were tales of a thriving black market in imported iPhone 4s before the official launch in September. And of course, Blackberry’s recent loss has been the iPhone’s gain, even though the legendary Blackberry ‘ban’ was no such thing. However it didn’t stop savvy telecoms brands targeting Dubai’s army of Blackberry users with cheap iPhone deals.

But, in truth, each device has a different audience, as both do very different things in very different ways. Want an app-rich, lifestyle device that even your mum could use? Then choose the iPhone. Need a more serious business tool that makes mobile email a reality and really scores when it comes to Messenger? Then go for a Blackberry. Want the best of both? Ah. That’ll take a little while, and, like me, you might just need to own both, for now at least.

But hang on, isn’t the whole point of convergence that we’ll need fewer devices, not more? Answerson a postcard please

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