The good, the great, the indifferent

Computer music....

2011-02-02T11:44:00.000Z

Code Organ plays your website - that's right....think on that...it plays your website....like the tune you knew it always had in it...knocks BGT into a cocked hat.

Mine sounds like this

Bought about after a productive drinking session by a chap called Andy Goodridge and some of his mates. Bought to you by the good people of DLKW

Proof of the power of positive drinking.

Stuff like this makes this whole thing alot of fun....more like this please....much more

Life and death and everything in between......

2010-11-15T09:52:00.000Z

I had to give a talk last month to some clients of our sister agency over in Brussels. The talk was one of those "how the internet works this year" type of things, but what was interesting and challenging was that the clients weren't your usual collection of brands and marketeers. This being Brussels, most of them were lobbying organisations, their jobs being solely concerned with reputation management and the spreading of ideas. So, talking to them about brands, customers and conversion rates registers a nice big blank stare. Showing them how this one idea can start "there" and then spread "to there" however gets them sat up and asking all sorts of questions.

So, was interested to catch sight of this last week, a great film about influencers and how ideas are spread. It's been blogged about loads already but, as this blog is in truth my own collection of bookmarks, then I wanted to stick it down here and share it with my future self.

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.

The other thing that caused some nice oohs and ahhs was this great film about life and death on Facebook. It's a simple story, well told, and reflective of the fact that Facebook is beyond being a website and is now, for many, the very fabric of the web.

So, worth keeping up your sleeve when your potential client from the Federation of Chemical Farmers and Gamekeepers Association asks you why digital is worth more than taking an MEP out to lunch and slipping them an envelope full of promises.....

Free lunch.....

2010-11-01T11:01:00.000Z

People like vouchers being sent to their mobile....people don't like marketing messages being sent to their mobile (unless there's a voucher / payoff involved).

This is good news if you're thinking of using Voucher Cloud or even Foursquare in any upcoming retail campaigns (I am).

Brand Republic survey here

More mobile research from Lightspeed Research (who conducted the survey) here

By the way, there is now a healthy market in "vintage" mobile phones. A Motorola 8000x sold on eBay for $5000 last year. I feel so old....and poor. Relive the glory of vintage mobiles here

We sell or else.....

2010-10-13T13:35:00.000Z

There's simply not enough talks these days that include the words "idiotic" and "lunacy"....

This is still relevant because the thrust of it is really very simple...we're here to sell, one way or another, and to pretend that doesn't matter is ignoring why clients bother to give us money and give us so much grief when what we come back with doesn't fulfil that primary criteria.

I like...a lot

Leave your name and number and we'll call you right back.....

2010-10-11T12:29:00.000Z

One Hello World is a great idea, like Secret Tweet, but with heart. Call the number and leave a message, the chap on the other end will compose some music around it. It's even got it's own Facebook page, with some nice discourse around some of the entries.

There's some great examples of this happening through curation (We Feel Fine and Twistori spring to mind) but when it's flipped over to something more overt and prompted the results seem to acquire more of an edge and resonance to them. I wonder what message Tony Blair would leave if he knew about it? In fact, if Rory Bremner fancies phoning in a few impressions then I think we'd have something.

It's always nice to see how the web, with the right prompting and guarantee of anonymity, can allow people to open up and talk about what's on their minds. It's the internet as global wailing wall, confessor and silent counsellor.

Do hope this becomes massively popular.
Don't hope this ends up as a sponsored branding exercise.

That's longer than you said, it isn't what you told me and it's not really free....

2010-09-28T11:26:00.003Z

Three things to say about this ad and the landing page it takes you to...

1. There is no website.....it's actually to sell you ad words

2. It doesn't take 20 mins, they say they'll get back to you in 2 to 3 days

3. It's not free....there's a £30 credit but after that you pay

Click here to see that landing page in all it's glory

Google....you should know better

I'm just saying.....

Pull up to the bumper baby...

2010-09-23T08:34:00.007Z

Haven't posted for ages, and I'm sure the few of you who read this won't necessarily care, but I have been rather busy sorting out a new job, going on holiday, dealing with errant children and generally getting many a priority straightened. The lesson learned, above all else, is to please yourself and don't worry about anyone else...they can't be helped but it might help them to see someone helping themselves.

So, to get back in the swing of things, I'm just

going to post up this little gem. It's called Bump and it's a social network site for car owners. Whilst their promo video is cheesy as hell, the service (and in truth it's a service built around a social network) is very neat. It relies on the drivers of the world to play nicely and show a little altruism. Your number plate is your ID and means that if someone sees there's a problem with your car they've got a quick and easy way of letting you know by tapping your registration into the site and sending you a message.

Anyway, you've got @Documentally to thank for this, via his excellent blog here

I'm only posting this because I've spent the last couple of months researching car drivers and wondered why no one had thought of this before....turns out they had (as Documentally's post will attest). I'll write up the whole car driver research thing for a future post as it was very insightful and a lot of fun.

The moral of this story is....if you've got a great idea, do it before someone else does....

The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009 Key Findings

2009-12-01T10:51:00.002Z

This sums up succintly what many of us have been saying to our clients for ages. More to the point, they've backed it with their own research and then made it available to all of us gratis. Big round of applause for Razorfish. To be fair, there's many similar presentations out there, but this one is to the point, based purely on facts and presents the odd challenge here and there (think consumers don't want brands encroaching in their social life? think again).

It's timely. I've just come back from a client meeting where they've said that digital is going to be big for them next year. It's taken them a long time, and a few terse discussions, but it's happening. I'm sure it will take them a while to grasp the implications and understand that this isnt just a change in marketing, but a change in the way they need to organise their business and invite participation from consumers.

We will see...

FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009 Key Findings

View more presentations from Razorfish Marketing.

These are the droids you're looking for....

2009-10-09T16:01:00.004Z

Chris Heg is in this, so it must be cool. One of those "why hasn't this been done before" lovely pieces of brilliance, that warms the cockles of your heart and sends you off to the pub feeling all friday forced up....

Ladies, gentlemen and droids Star Wars: Uncut!

Star Wars: Uncut Trailer from Casey Pugh on Vimeo.

The vinyl countdown....

2009-10-08T11:30:00.009Z

Quick post, following a brilliant blog post from Shake & Vac and a great blog post on the NME site, referencing respectively the death of the music business and the growth in vinyl sales.

The bit that really jumped out for me was this beautiful quote from Roger Daltrey, fish farmer, TV presenter and....oh, he's the lead singer in The Who - still the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world.
“With a CD, you start with a nice plastic box and end with a scratched plastic box. It has no character whatsoever. But with vinyl, we threw away an art form that was so much more than the record… Sometimes the covers were more important than the music. The more fingerprints you got on it, the more it was a part of you.”

He got to the heart of the matter succintly and poignantly - in a proportionately declining market, abandoning or trying to reinvent your product isn't always the sensible thing, it's going back to the heart of what made your product so special in the first place and celebrating it's innate values.

Vinyl sales are steadily growing, with a wealth of beautifully produced releases (think Radiohead In Rainbows and most recently the gorgeous and comprehensive Warp 20 retrospective) for which people are more than willing to shell out substantial amounts for.

That's a success story in my terms.

Please sponsor me....

2009-09-16T23:30:00.002Z

Yes, I love digital stuff, but some things in life are better off analogue.

As you may or may not know I'm up in Manchester these days and, in a bid to become a good citizen, I'm joining my fellow Code Computerlovers (my wonderful employer) and taking part in Byte Night Manchester on 10/2/2009 to raise money for Action for Children. I'd really appreciate your support and, if you have a look at what Action for Children do to support and speak out for the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK, you'll see it's an important and very deserving cause.

It's easy to donate online with a credit or debit card - just go to my JustGiving page:

http://www.justgiving.com/Alex-Comyn

JustGiving sends your donation straight to Action for Children and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you're a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more. I hope you'll join me in supporting Action for Children.

Thanks for your time.

Alex

Come fly with me...

2009-09-07T13:26:00.004Z

Netjets, the private chartered airline service for the busy exec in all of us, have a campaign running on FT.com extolling their investment in pilot training, no matter the cost. The ad bumps you through to a microsite called "A Culture of Safety" that offers a few pages of content detailing their investment in safety. It's good to see high value elite brands bothering to advertise themselves, and finding a point of differentiation in a sector not always at the mercy of price wars. It's equally good to see them hone in on the real value of any airline - we get you to your destination without death or delay with people who really do know what they're doing. So, why the post? Well, to be honest I couldnt see why this was done as an online campaign.

The execution is pretty old school, and could have been carried out much more effectively as a high quality DM piece (think something akin to the wonderful Mercedes Benz luxury mailer from 2007). We're talking about 4 pages of nice imagery and a bit of copy, with a call to action to request a call back from one of their client services team.

Essentially, it's brochureware for a brand that I'd have thought would have a better grasp on it's marketing channels. Like I say, as a piece of DM, done to a high standard and sent to CEO's (or their assistants) it would have been perfectly acceptable. Now, if it was a matter of budget, and for their media agency digital offered the best spend in terms of reach, then I would have hoped for something...well...a bit more digital. Others are using digital admirably, not least in the area of health and safety (see this great post form The AirSafe.com news discussing the adoption of social media on this very issue).

Bear in mind that the airline is part owned by the reknowned Warren Buffet, and has Bill Gates (you know, keeps trying to invent the internet we don't know we want yet) as one of it's shareholders. It's got the right messages, but hasn't really exploited the medium in the storytelling, interactive manner I might have hoped for:

Eight safety staff (their competition have none) - What do they do? How do they do it? How do I see it when I purchase my jet from them or charter a plane? Can I book a visit to their HQ?

They select only one out of every 14 qualified pilots who want to work for them. Can I meet them? Can you tell me anything about them? Names? Some nice footage on YouTube? (again, Mercedes did some nice work for their AMG campaign a couple of years back celebrating the engineering team who make some of the finest cars in the world).

Their pilots train longer and harder on flight simulators and have around (50% longer than most commercial pilots) and average 5000 hours flight time (3500 hours more than EU regulations). Wow! That's commitment for you. Tell me more! Show me the money!

Digital is a brilliant and interactive way to tell stories and to help your customer understand and demonstrate why you're better than your competition in an immediate, tangible and interactive way. High value elite brands, as much as anyone, should be embracing this to an audience increasingly connected to the internet 24/7. There's a ton of stories waiting to happen in this piece of work, I'd quite like to see them teased out a bit more is all.

One, two, free....

2009-07-02T22:13:00.005Z

First audiobook on Spotify and guess what? It's free!

How to....part 2

2009-07-02T09:24:00.006Z

Saw this in the book shop the other day. A Haynes manual for building a website! They've got one for building your own computer as well. I always thought they were just about Morris Travellers and changing the headlights on your mate's Ford Capri. Oh my! They've even got one for a lunar lander! Where can I buy one of those?

It's the banner that keeps on giving....without having to take you anywhere

2009-07-01T16:54:00.005Z

Brilliant, a banner that let's you keep on clicking without taking you anywhere but proving immensly enjoyable all the same. I'd love to see that stats on this. Hat's off to Pringles for doing it. Lovely stuff!

Janet & John me

2009-06-30T18:01:00.010Z

Common Craft offer simple, easy to understand 3 minute video explanations of common internet things (How Twitter works, What is a blog, How do you elect a US president?) Very simple, and deceptively smart.

True story - my old Technical Director once had to explain to one of our Account Directors "where the internet lived". This would have been a lot simpler, and avoided the obligatory post explanation self harming....

Smile for the camera....

2009-05-20T10:37:00.007Z

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that Augmented Reality is up there with smellovision and holographic television as a gimmick led techonology with no lasting appeal and little useful contribution to the user experience.

I say this because I've been doing some research of late into how to bring a holiday resort experience online and came across the new Nissan "Good Decision" website via The FWA. Great and thoroughly well trodden idea in principle - answer some questions and the site comes back with a recommendation for the perfect Nissan vehicle for you. Then it gets tricky. You print out a sheet of paper, hold it up to your webcam and get a 3D scene rendered onto your screen that you can interact by moving the sheet around. Except it doesnt seem to work. Whenever I held the printout up to the camera, the scene would keep trying to re-render itself, and whenever I turned it to get a different angle it would disappear and then try to re-render itself. A phone call from my nearest dealer would have been more effective, no? ("hello sir, that pink Micra is ready and waiting for your test drive").

I thought that maybe it was something to do with "me" so tried out a similar use of the technology via the funky website for the new Star Trek movie. Again, in principal a nice idea, but i had to print out the screen, then install a plug in, reboot my browser then find the url again, then get the install to initialise and load in more content etc etc.....

By the time I got it working, I couldnt really tell what it was doing other than showing me a 3D model of the Enterprise that I could wiggle around via my webcam. It asked me to press some buttons but when I did that the model disappeared, I'd have to wiggle it in front of the webcam (this all sounds a bit saucy) and the whole process started again.

Has anyone seen this technology used in a good way, with a simple and easy to use interface and user experience?

Don't tell anyone....

2009-04-21T08:27:00.002Z

Secret Tweet is an online confessional, allowing you to tweet those tweets that under your own name would lose you your job or alienate you from your friends. It's a simple idea, beautifully executed, and full of disturbing and frank submissions from the dispossessed, the forgotten and the frustrated. Interesting if unsettling reading for those voyeurs amongst you...somewhere to let off some steam or spill your innermost thoughts if you're not...

Going Dutch

2009-03-24T21:33:00.008Z

This is nice, in a kind of old school web kind of way (!)

KLM are playing on that old riff, travel starts as soon as you leave your home, with an online campaign and microsite that brings to life the experience of travelling with their airline. The banners are very subtle - no shouty shouty, just some nice imagery and lovely copy. The campaign site breaks down every step of your journey with them, from check in to destination. It's old school in that it's not trying to do anything particularly innovative from a marketing point of view, but it gets the most important thing in marketing spot on - a good story well told

The banners are all over Linked In at the moment (nice bit of media planning there - I wander how well they've done?)

The campaign site, Journeys of Inspiration, can be found here.

Brain game...

2009-03-14T15:33:00.005Z

I'm sure someone else has said something about this already but, as this blog is primarly for me to remember things, I had to make a quick note of this campaign from Sage accounting. Yes, Sage Accounting and a creative campaign - who would've thought it! Don't watch much telly these days, but by all accounts they're something to do with The Krypton Factor these days. To celebrate, they've created an online brain training arena called Train Your Business Brain, which pits you against other intelligentsia from around the UK. Two things I really liked about it 1 - It uses Linked In as it's primary source of traffic - nice bit of relevant social advertising within the right environment 2 - It pits you against a small team of opponents and immediately brings a tangible human touch to the proceedings.

So, whilst I my General Knowledge prowess may be up there against Gordon, a research student from the Midlands, I havent a hope in hell of bettering the mathematical genius of Carol, a marketing executive from the South West.

The kids are alright

2009-03-14T15:19:00.006Z

Great program from the BBC about the influence of the internet on "digital natives" - people who have grown up with the internet and are using the internet as their first port of call for information and entertainment over and above more traditional means. Lots of discussion ensues as to whether searching and the skimming of information is to the detriment of deeper study and retention of information through more traditional means. You know, reading...in a library...and searching by getting up out of your chair and having a proper dig around.

Program is here

Article is here

The local library (if you're interested) is here

Can I have a word....?

2009-02-08T23:19:00.005Z

I came across a weird contrast over the Xmas break whilst shopping for presents. Not sure if WH Smiths are alone in this, but they've created a section of their book department purely for those seeking comfort in other people's misery.

"TRAGIC LIFE STORIES" is a cornucopia of tales from scarred individuals dealing with long held issues generated through a childhood in social care and an adulthood in shame. It's a living I guess, and in some instances I would imagine it can prove quite liberating in a cathartic kind of way...but I'm not sure lumping them all in under this one catch all category does them justice. If anything, it just makes me feel that someone is trying to make a buck out of unhappiness, and it kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

I'm hoping that some of the larger stores also have a "HAPPY LIFE STORIES" to provide the Ying to the "TRAGIC..." shelf's yang. Somehow I can't see it. I'm thinking of opening my own bookshop with no categories and no real order to anything. First come first served - you'll get what you're given and the synopsis simply states "may contain words and phrases. Page numbers are a guide and not a guarantee of logic or story progression".

Contrast that with this scribble found on the back of a bus seat on my way into town over the same festive season. Have no idea who wrote it, or why, but the simplicity of "I'm scared more than I will ever let on" opened up a torrent of speculation in my otherwise Christmas drenched head. I'm sure that somewhere in it's origin was a tale that may or may not end up on the shelves of WH Smith in said category of despair, but in truth I can only guess as to how it got there or under what circumstances this ended up being the only option for the scribe.

For all I know, it was some poor sod who'd forgotten that their holiday homework had been left in their locker at school and there was no way they'd be able to get it done and handed in on the first day back after the holiday. On the other hand....well, I'll never really know now will I?

Congested from manchester

2008-11-26T17:27:00.005Z

I have a real issue with the current campaigning for and against the Manchester congestion charge. Not because I'm fundamentally opposed or in favour of the idea, but because a campaign on a topic such as this should be clear, to the point and lay out it's case with a compelling argument. I lived in London all my life and to be honest the congestion charge had some effect on calming the streets (although the subsequent price increases have been a flimsy excuse to increase earnings from a captive audience). What's bugged me with the Manchester advertising has been the lack of any conclusive argument within the campaigns themselves.

The "stop the charge" lobby lead with a "Vote NO!" poster, black background / white text and the line "£1200 to drive your car" (note - it's about £2 in and £1 out. That's it.) No argument about why or why not we need a congestion charge, just a cheap and bland "It'll hit you where it hurts" message. Other anti groups have adopted a similar approach. It comes across as facile and bland.

The pro lobby, led by Greater Manchester Future Transport leads with an above the line message "I won't have to pay the congestion charge...because I travel off peak". I'm stunned. I drive into work, so it's not talking to me, or telling me the benefits of why it's a good thing, it's just telling me that other people won't have to pay it because they wouldn't have been hit by it in the first place. It's random and irrelevant to the people it should be targeting - me the commuting driver.

So, it's nice to see someone doing something with a bit of impact and a clear message....

Enter stage right Mr Peter Saville. Very simple - Manchester needs the investment in transport from a congestion charge or the city will grind to a halt. Voila - a nice bit of video on You Tube to send around to your friends. A point well made.

To be fair, the "pro" website has changed it's messaging of late and is doing a decent job of giving a proper argument - given the vote takes place in a couple of weeks and knowledge is everything...

Snap!

2008-11-19T00:22:00.004Z

Google have created a home for the LIFE photo archive. Millions of historical and iconic photo's available for all. Powerpoint will never be the same again! Thanks to Guy Kawasaki for posting it via his Twitter.

Money money money - money mia!

2008-10-23T05:30:00.005Z

On my way down to that London for a meeting and was listening to the world service on the drive to the station. News article came up about the Italian national lottery, which has a jackpot that currently stands somewhere around the 100 million Euro mark.

What jumped out at me though, in amongst the spectrum of moral outrage at the huge amounts on offer, to the absolute frenzy of ticket buying (Italy has a population of around 58 million people, and they seem to have bought a total of 100 million tickets) was a comment from one hopeful ticket holder. When asked what she thought were her chances of winning, in the face of odds at 600 million to one (you have to pick 6 numbers from a total of 90) she said simply "It's not about the winning - for cost of one Euro I can dream. If I didn't buy a ticket, then I cannot dream".

I found that quite beautiful....

Wordy Rappinghood

2008-09-18T12:09:00.006Z

Like words? Want to share words with others? Want to tell others what words mean?

Wordie is billed as Flickr without the photos. Create your own list of words and phrases, share them with others, comment and discuss. Dead simple and dead nice.(thanks to Nicholas Butler for flagging this via Twitter).

Wordia is slightly different, redefining the dictionary with users asked to make short videos about their favourite words and upload them to the site. Very creative, and one of those "why hasnt anyone ever thought of this before?"

I never knew what Fermata was / is until I saw Doc Brown's delightful description. Nooooooooowwww, I dooooooooooooooooo!

Twittering classes...

2008-08-21T09:11:00.002Z

Some interesting articles here on how brands are embracing (or not) Twitter as a channel

33 Brands That Suck on Twitter

Why Brands are unsuccessful on Twitter

The Evololution of Brands on Twitter

Muxtape has snapped...

2008-08-19T18:57:00.004Z

It's down courtesy of the RIAA. Full report from Mogger Mistee here. Maybe just for now - who knows?

Hope Blip isnt next. "We've only just begun..."

Can we all stop having fun please and do as we're told!

Hey Mister DJ....!

2008-08-15T07:45:00.002Z

Came across blip.fm via Crackunit and I have to agree with Iain, it's brilliant, not least because it's got one of the simplest sign up processes I've ever seen. Screen name, email address, password, what bands do you like. That's it! Straight in and it's given me 30 likeminded souls with similar tastes in tunes and it blasted me a cracking Albert King track "Blues Power". Reminds me that I havent used Last.FM in ages, so will have to give that another go at some point.

So, sign up and start spinning people. The sun's out and we need a decent soundtrack!

Who's talking...and how?

2008-08-14T12:57:00.001Z

Media consumption figures released today via an article on the BBC.
Will give it a proper read later...
Article here...

Original source material available on the OFCOM site here...

Ready for your close up?

2008-06-24T08:26:00.003Z

Back in the 70's, the celebrated fashion photographer Helmut Newton developed "The Newton Machine", a device allowing his models to take photos of themselves as they saw themselves, without the need for the intrusion of a photographer to colour the process. So, the Helmut Newton estate have recreated this device in three of TopShop's flag ship stores (London, Manchester, Dublin) and opened it up to the public. Really nice idea, offering a great platform for Top Shop to showcase their clothes and (more importantly) the people that buy them. Have a look for yourselves at the website here.
Read all about it here.

That's enough about me, what do you think about me?

2008-06-17T09:30:00.002Z

Solid article from Forbes magazine about the nature of the "always on" populace, blogging, twittering, FriendFeeding and generally telling everyone and anyone who will notice what they're doing, reading, eating, dreaming about. Still, helps if you have something important to say. Not so good if you don't.

Got to say, this was highlighted to me by Jeremiah Owyang via his twitter, although he does talk about it at length on his ever excellent blog.

While we're on the subject, Chris Brogan has a great post that takes this "always on" mentality to its next obvious step. If people are always talking, the best thing you and your clients can do is listen to what they're saying, especially if it's about you. How did I hear about this article? Nicholas Butler, a complete stranger who I happened to hear on a podcast one time mentioned it in his Facebook status update the other day.

God bless the internet....

Who's on first?

2008-06-04T08:13:00.002Z

Jacked is a new service being launched over in the US, targeting television sports fans. I'm not a massive sports fan, I'll be honest, but the service seems like it may have something. Watch the game on the telly (remember those - generation Y people?) and get live stats, news, product info streamed to your computer, all ad supported.

Given there's an increasing number of people watching tv and surfing at the same time (twittering while Lost gets Lost) this isn't such a far flung proposition. If you've ever watched a baseball game or NFL, you'll know that half the screen is littered with stats. This eases the problem, letting you watch the game on your tv and getting your stats fix from your laptop. If they could offer a mobile service, so people could get this info while attending the game itself, I think they could be onto a winner. Google already have a live scores service for mobile users.

Saying that, have a look at this report from the beginning of the year, detailing the war against live blogging at sports events, following a recent crackdown by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Given broadcasting rights are the backbone of the sports industry, control of stats from feeds and the internet, no matter how they're collated, carry a premium. Someone will at some point want paying for all of this.

Say cheese

2008-05-30T12:11:00.002Z

I've noticed the new Canon campaign "Freecording" popping up in relevant ad placements across Flickr and YouTube (where else?). It's a decent enough campaign, showing you that poor quality video and sound is a thing of the past with Canon's new range of HD camcorders, and it offers a neat set of rules about how to free yourself and create the video masterpiece you always had in you. Nice enough, but there's no interactivity, which I would have thought this would have been all about. There's some video content created by some reasonably cool film makers, but I would have expected something like "add your own freecording" or at least some activity / tagging across video / photo sharing sites. I found one tag on You Tube, nothing on Flickr and nothing on any of the social sites.

I'm reminded of Lomo, who had this thing down to a tee. Their site was all about the camera(s), all about how to use it, and all about encouraging you to have a go yourself and share them with other people. This was back in 2001, and it's still going strong, with a wider range of cameras and an even larger user base.

The point is, Lomo built a brand out of taking something which was far from perfect, and injecting interaction and easy access to make it something we could all feel a part of and benefit from. They gave you some simple starters (check out the 10 Golden Rules of Lomo) backed it up with the best product packaging I've ever come across (unpacking your Lomo from it's casing was really something special) and encouraged you to not be shy and keep it all to yourself, but share with others who were as passionate about photography, and Lomo, as you were.

Canon are a great brand, with a near flawless product. I've been a fan forever, but they could take that loyalty and create something as special as Lomo if they wanted to. Freecording feels like it could start that process, but it needs to open itself up to everyone.

See what I've found....

2008-05-28T10:40:00.002Z

Read about this little beauty on the way in this morning, courtesy of PC Pro magazine (yes, a real paper based publication). Searchme, currently in beta, is a search engine that uses visual search results instead of the usual listings. Nice idea (see your results in a screen grab of the page) and a nice take on searching. However, the bit I thought was really neat was how the engine contextualises results on the fly.

Type in Indiana Jones and it'll offer you filtered search based on games, films, dvd's etc. However, type in Carbon offset and you'll be offered filtered search options based on global warming, plants, flights.

True, it's pulling in associated key words, but the interface makes it simple to drill down within a couple of clicks.

Tagged and bagged

2008-05-13T09:32:00.003Z

Ever wandered what people really think of your brand? If you haven't heard of this yet, dash over to Brand Tags. A bit like Hot or Not, but for brands. You get shown a logo for a brand and have to submit a word or phrase that you associate with it. The idea's beautifully simple - brands are how other people perceive them.

The days of the "empowering" brand are numbered. Now it's "what he / she says".

Whayagonnado?

2008-05-12T09:41:00.002Z

It's Christian Aid week, and to support it they've launched a simple campaign site, asking you to pledge or donate and add yourself to their map. Very easy to get involved, with a choice of activities (a goat for dad, a pledge to recycle your used ink jet cartridges).

Decent presence on Facebook too!

I've blogged it because it's beautifully presented, single minded (help out in anyway you can) and the entry mechanic is quick and easy.

Money doesnt grow on trees..but the streets are paved with money...

2008-04-29T11:14:00.002Z

Ever worked on a campaign so inane that your inner voice (you know, the sensible one) dared you to suggest that it would be better just to stand on a street corner and give money away? Well, that's exactly what Atlas Solutions have been doing, in a bid to kick start the US economy back into life.

Nice idea, yet with little attention looking at their YouTube viewing figures.

Embedded Video

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The secret to great viral is....ahh, ask them yourself

2008-04-28T21:39:00.002Z

The Guardian (hey - it's really good) reports on - and I quote - "ROFLCon, a web symposium which attempted to answer conundrums such as why so many people like watching animated hamsters dance, and what is so funny about photographs of cats with misspelt captions". There's a reason why these things go so big. They're funny, single minded, and lack irony. It's a beautiful thing, the internet. God know's why they let us onto it...

Compare and contrast

Chocolate Rain sans marketing

Cherry Chocolate Rain avec marketing

Not the same, is it? Article here

You never write, you never call...

2008-04-21T08:32:00.004Z

The other week I posted up a link to Absolut's site. It's a great site, very creative, and it's heart is in the right place. So, one week (or maybe two) and since I've signed up and opted in, I've received nothing in the way of a communication from them. I've given them my email address, and I've uploaded my own idea, but they've yet to get back to me with anything about what else is happening on the site, what else is happening with Absolut, or anything whatsoever about which bars I could buy Absolut in (or even which shops). Why collect data if you're not going to do something with it?

So many socials, so little time

2008-04-14T08:21:00.003Z

Solid article here showing how small businesses can adopt social media as cost effective marketing channels to grow awareness and drive interest. There's a sense of discomfort driven by a lack of awareness amongst agencies and brands in these new (not so new, really) ways of reaching out to customers. The thing is, they cost very little, or nothing, to use. So use them!

In a world....

2008-04-02T08:22:00.002Z

Ferg has flagged up this brilliant site from Absolut, inviting you to submit ideas for your own perfect world. Mine involved Judy Garland! The most fun and engaging thing I've seen for yonks. Yes, the technology is great, but it's the idea that sells this so well, and the ease with which you can join in. In a perfect world, all sites would be as good as this...

It's a new browser!

2008-03-31T23:10:00.005Z

Scobelizer has dropped a post here about the new web browser being developed by AT&T.

You can see a video demo here and sign up for the limited beta taking place.

Top line is, it's 3D and it's aimed at everybody (not just early adopters).

It's been developed by some clever people at Vizible who seem to know alot about 3D and the web.

That's all I know for now.

More later

Work it out

2008-03-31T22:58:00.002Z

So, you find the worlds greatest record shop. You tell all your friends about it and they like the sound of it so much they agree to go there with you the next time you visit. You both turn up on the day and your friend is told that before they can enter they need to pay to get in. Sounds stupid, but something similar happened to me when I wanted to add my kids to my gym membership. I've been with the gym since last November, (and I didnt pay a joining fee). My kids come with me every saturday for a swim and I thought it would work out cheaper if I enrolled them as members. The staff were very helpful and told me how much it would cost and that there would, of course, be a joining fee. Of course! Of course? I've told my kids it's great, I've offered them as new members to the gym, and the gym wants to charge me / them for the privilege, despite the fact that they'll also be paying a monthly subscription.

I really don't understand joining fees. I'd love to hear of this in any other industry. My view is that it undermines good word of mouth, which is the strongest advocate for any ailing business, surely?

Homepage smackdown

2008-03-14T18:03:00.000Z

The battle of the home pages starts here....

Searching the sky

2008-03-01T16:59:00.002Z

When is someone going to come up with a search / tagging system for Sky TV? I could set up a watch list, and get it to alert me to programs coming up based on my preferences, or I could search for a program by subject, as well as title. Not much to ask is it? Have a feeling this is something TIVO does quite well. Be nice to see it in the single largest multichannel platform in the UK. I must have something in the region of 300 channels (or more) but no way of navigating my way around them unless I already know something is there.

Be happy

2008-02-27T13:15:00.001Z

Aardmanesque, but great all the same.

Be safe, be seen...?

2008-02-12T18:35:00.000Z

Did you know it's Safer Internet day today? No, neither did I, which kind of sums it up really (shame).

All your fonts are belong to us...

2008-02-08T11:30:00.001Z

Nice snippet from You Tube here that hadn't dawned on me before. Take a closer look at film posters and wander if someone is getting a royalty for every bit of typesetting.

The kids are alright...

2008-02-05T11:19:00.000Z

Will read this properly later today...

Pack up lads, we've been rumbled...

2008-02-04T13:06:00.000Z

Charlie Brooker offers up an innovative sms service and inadvertantly blows the gaffe on the whole online marketing industry. Bill Hicks was right...

Ask away

2008-02-04T11:54:00.000Z

Amazon's "Askville" service is still in beta and ironing out some of it's kinks. The idea behind it is sound - Ask questions, get answers from the community, and in turn get served up suggestions for relevant products you can buy from Amazon.

Found an entry about things to do for a visit to London and saw it's system had served up this map.

Power to the people

2008-01-31T15:08:00.000Z

Nice post from Seth Godin about how the concept of brand management is fundamentally changing in favour of tapping into, and facilitating, existing communities. It goes without saying that online has helped shape products and services around the needs of customers (search engines, auctions, fares aggregators etc), but this post touches upon how companies / brands needs to assess how they function within this environment and re-organise if they want to survive.

As a companion post, take a look at this beauty from Hyperhappen, discussing the growth in word of mouth marketing, and the importance of not just talking to people about your product, but getting them to talk to each other (and anyone who'll listen) about it. Apple have used it as the heart of their marketing strategy for years and it seems to be working.

Flowers and fruit....

2008-01-28T15:24:00.000Z

More changes afoot in the music business, with the announcement of two new sources of free music from artists you've heard of. Firstly, Last FM have launched full tracks from their service, with music available for all the majors along with a fair chunk of the last few independents. You're limited to three plays of their streamed content before you're urged to cough up.

Secondly, a bit of up and down from QTrax, who announced this morning that they were launching a free peer to peer service offering free downloads of tracks, with revenue coming from advertising via their bespoke player. However, no sooner had they announced it, the site was immediately taken down as it transpired they hadnt actually agreed anything with anyone at this stage.

The dramatic shifts in the music industry are interesting, but ultimately nothing new. We've been watching (and listening) to paid for content for years now via TV and radio. I'll add some groundbreaking insight once I've made a cup of coffee and got some proper work done.

Calling all the heroes....

2008-01-22T13:13:00.000Z

EA Games are launching a free online multiplayer game called Battlefield Heroes, a version of their popular Battlefield series, with revenues coming from in-game advertising and player micro payments.

Their free version of "FIFA" franchise is pulling $1m using a similar business model in Korea.

Bang, and the dirt is gone...

2008-01-22T09:33:00.000Z

Need to read this later on.

Chattering classes

2008-01-22T08:57:00.000Z

Great programme from the new series of "In Business", looking at how business is trying to come to terms with, and utilise, social networks. I'll write more in my lunch break.

Program and download here

Will take a look at this article from todays FT later on as well. Nothing startling new, as we've already seen moves afoot to bring standards and integration to social networks of all flavours.

You've got mail

2008-01-18T09:26:00.000Z

This has been around for a while now but came up in conversation the other day. Want your mail but not around to physically receive it? Have it redirected to Earth Mail, who will take it into their secure area, scan the envelope for you and forward it onto you via the internet. If it's something you want, they'll open it up and scan the contents for you so you can view it online, wherever you are. If it's something you don't want they'll shred it and you need never have to think about it again.

Nice way to merge the physical and the digital, and has been used with serving troops in Iraq and Afghanistan so they dont have to wait for two weeks before they get letters from loved ones (or their mobile phone bill).

I had that Quantas in the back the other day...

2008-01-14T21:31:00.000Z

Paid for banter from our favourite ambassadors of London, the venerable Hackney Cab driver. Heard about this on the radio this morning and then found an article about it here. Got something to sell? Get a cabbie to recommend it to their hapless passenger and sit back and wait for the phones to start ringing off the hook.

The Thai tourist board are trialling it, having sent Mr Torlini, a cabbie of 9 years standing, on an all expenses paid trip to experience the delights of Thailand. “It’s not all ping-pong shows you know” he quipped. I'm booking my flights as we speak.

If you fancy a bit of an insight to life behind the wheel, have a look at "All in a days work", the brilliant blog of a london cabby.

All your Face are belong to us...

2008-01-14T21:15:00.000Z

Thanks Ben for posting up this....

Ace Face

2008-01-10T14:05:00.000Z

Interesting stats for social networks being compiled by Jeremiah Owyang (he of Web Strategist). There are few centralised stats on usage, so he's offered to keep a monthly tally. Interesting post, though, from likeminded strategist Jay Moonah, who has a breakdown of Facebook across the worlds cities. Strangely enough, despite having a stronghold overall in the US, it's London that leads the field for the most number of Facebook users in a city. His post here.

On the subject of social networks, there's a myspace for Magicians. Irrelevant on a wet Thursday afternoon, but nice to know everyone has a place online.

"...well i used to love her, but it's all over now..."

2008-01-09T11:14:00.000Z

A few articles I've picked up about the declining fortunes of the music business, and the changes they need to make to re-engineer their business model for future sustainability.

Here, here and here

I'll write a proper entry later.

Bring the world(s) together

2007-12-19T09:50:00.000Z

Just what we've been waiting for. Aggregation site for global maps. Now you can look at one world through the eyes of Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Maps, NASA, Ask and Yahoo.

I wander if one of them is planning on putting in a Santa tracker for Dec 24th?

"And in at number five..."

2007-12-18T16:14:00.000Z

Small but apt comment to make considering this time next week we'll be sat around a table having a battle of wills across a Monopoly board. The introduction of downloads into the singles charts is having a largely positive effect, with any song out there eligible to re-enter the charts without so much as a CD press being turned on. So, inspite of the inevitability of the X Factor winner who dare not speak his name taking top spot next week, a cursory glance around the rest of the charts sees some genuinely festive favourites returning. I never thought I'd welcome Mariah Carey back into the top 10, but god bless her she's in at number 4 with "All I Want For Christmas", whilst the Pogues featuring Kirsty Maccoll are in at number 9 with the ever brilliant "Fairytale of New York" (ok, it's not technically a christmas song, but then Die Hard isnt technically a Christmas film).

Take a look at positions outside of the Top 10 and things get even more interesting with Slade, Wizzard, Wham, Shakey and Band Aid all coming back for a sing song. Lummee, I've seen Chris Rea and John & Yoko peeking in the edges of the Top 40.

This is all good. We're starting to get a chart driven by demand and not by smart distribution and poor retail sales. All we need now is something like Scrobble to publish most played tracks from users computers and we have a truly representative picture of what the world is rocking and a boppin' to.

Flushed away

2007-12-13T09:40:00.000Z

This blog was started following a conversation about how marketing was getting everywhere, and I wanted to know if anyone had started selling media space on toilet roll (they had). This is kind of an anniversary post, I guess, as I've come across a post on Consumerist about the trend in "premiumization" of everything and Renova's launch of a new upmarket toilet paper.

I already put premium unleaded in my car, and I'm sure at some point I'll be able to inflate my tyres with air from a plethora of mountain ranges (Himalayan breeze / Alpine pump). I reiterate a favourite quote from a long lost friend I grew up with (he's not dead, he went to Australia and got very rich fixing posh peoples cars). "Hurry up man, all you're going to do is wipe your arse on it. Pick the cheapest and we can go."

Building a better hole...

2007-12-11T10:02:00.001Z

A leading manufacturers of drill bits hired a new CEO. During his introduction to the company, top managers from across the company presented how well their specific drill bit divisions were doing. After hearing all the presentations, the CEO gathered the top managers together and dropped a bomb-shell. “There is no market for drill bits,” he said. “The only market is for holes and as soon as somebody invents a better way to create a hole, we’re out of business.”

I'll go through this later on, but in summary it's about ROI from companies R&D budgets requiring not only close alignment with overarching corporate strategy, but a good dialogue (a conversation even!) with it's customers to find out what it is they actually need.

We heart Facebook

2007-12-05T09:29:00.001Z

Nice piece about the role Facebook plays in certifying reationships. How official is it when you post your relationship status to your Facebook profile, and is it set to become the pre-amble to an engagement (or the beginning of the end).

Sure it will come in use at some point (for work purposes, naturally).

Liquid lunch, dinner, hell a whole life

2007-12-04T08:28:00.001Z

I knew there was a reason why I liked driving up and down the motorway at stupid o'clock twice a week. It was down to sterling programming from the BBC wireless service, such as this. An hour long look at online communities and how they compare to real friends and loved ones (remember them?). Don't know why it was being broadcast via Radio 3, but it was a good 80 miles worth of discussion and study as to the impact of the internet in building new types of human experiences.

Details of the program can be found here

The series has been inspired by the learned work of Zygmunt Bauman "Liquid Life" which you can buy from here.

Build it and we will come...

2007-11-28T15:44:00.001Z

Just saw this. Nice spin on personalising credit cards from CapitalOne, presumably bringing together a number of disparate card offers / types and presenting them as a flexible choice for the discerning debt lover.

Microsite here.

Bam, pow, kazaam!

2007-11-26T14:03:00.000Z

Neat stuff going on with the launch of the new Batman film. Lots of hidden site, join the dots and contributions from fans (who knew a call to action could include "dress up!").

Read all about it here

See all the headlines here

Both Lost and 24 have done this kind of thing well throughout the run of their respective series, but it's interesting to see it being done for a film launch.

"A.I Artificial Intelligence" had a similar thing going on involving online, mobile and fax(!!) way back, and the new JJ Abrams film is using a similar route to promote the wonders of hi upcoming untitled work (see this and this).

Sunday morning (and afternoon and any other day you care to mention)....

2007-11-16T13:30:00.000Z

I used to work "understairs" as they say, so spent my early burglary years running around sorting stuff out for people. Saw this on the Hyperhappen blog. It's a personal assistant service for people that can't afford a full time PA but need a helping hand every now and then to collect their sushi or drop their poodle off at the pamper palace. Paid by the task. Available online. Called Sunday.

Now all we need is therapy from your mobile and we're almost there!

You told us, we listen...

2007-11-13T09:31:00.000Z

Interesting post by 1000 Heads showing how brands can monitor consumers tagging of their content. Cloudalicious tracks tag clouds over time (no - I don't know what they're on about either) and generates trends showing how visitors to your site are tagging you via del.icio.us

Drop in your website of choice and stick the chart into a powerpoint slide for your next client meeting.

2 - 3 - 4

2007-11-13T09:12:00.000Z

News from Microsoft here about their revamped Zune offering. Not sure the whole "customise your Zune player" is any great leap however, given people are doing that already by purchasing customized cases, getting their players engraved already in many weird and wonderful ways (knitted nano cover anyone?).

More interesting is the software component and the creation of their own social music network. Can't see it yet as it's down for maintenance, but to me that gives them something unique over iTunes and could offer a tangible alternative to music lovers like me.

Talking about loving music, have just moved up north and was driving back to London to the sounds of Steve Lamacq's brilliant show. Why are they only giving him an hour on an evening monday slot I'll never know, but it's fab and you can listen to it again from here.

Failing that, head over to NYUB for an equally brilliant podcast of new music. Around an hour of sonic joy and goodness, released around once a month.

With a little help from my friends

2007-10-30T12:48:00.000Z

Facebooks of this world 'are the future for fundraising' - so says Simon Collings, chief executive of the Resource Alliance, speaking at the recent International Fundraising Conference.

Article here.

Here be monsters

2007-10-11T13:43:00.000Z

Ajaxtastic new web community thing here. Don't know what it does yet, but it has a member called Dragon Girl who lives in Dragon City! What's not to love?

Change the channel

2007-10-07T13:50:00.000Z

Quick post this, but important all the same. Just had a play around on Joost and think it's the way forward for tv and the internet. Great choice of channels from beta, easy to set up and use. When you turn it on, it actually works, and the quality is great. Can only get better.

Take note BBC. The iPlayer is looking very poor in comparison. I still havent been able to get a program to download on it. Distressing as well, considering I paid for it (as did we all).

This will change how we consume and interact with TV, no doubt, and can only get better with time.

Colour me bad (that's bad meaning good)

2007-10-05T13:09:00.001Z

Nice bit of Sony Bravia action going on here. Nothing beats some great tv advertising wrapped up in a lovely flash pastry with directors comments on top, and a side order of UGC.

All available here.

Talk, talk

2007-10-02T08:48:00.000Z

Missed this, but hey. I've been busy trying to get my house sold, move up north, and learn the joys of working on the hoof. 3 have just launched a wireless solution that I've noticed peeking out of the side of many a harried commuters laptop, and I think I may have to invest.

Anyways, the point of this post is the evolution, from print to talk to twit. Useful if a client asks you where online communication is going, and a nice primer to get your own head around the changes in how we can not only talk to each other online, but make sense of all the needless chatter. Article is here, questions on a postcard.

All aboard!

2007-09-24T10:32:00.000Z

Virgin Trains asked people for ideas on ways to improve their service, and Richard Branson is picking the best (and most voted?) idea to take forward and develop.

Nice idea, nice microsite, not bad all round.

Turn the heater on....

2007-09-17T08:45:00.000Z

Nice bit of co-branded CSR interactive gubbins over here. I'll write something once I've had a play around.

Yard sale

2007-09-12T11:01:00.000Z

Lots of talk amongst people over how social networks can be incorporated into the marketing mix. Two decent clips coming up.

The Hub - Comment on the dynamics of online social communities , and the most appropriate way to approach a brief that declares "I want something web 2.0". Kind of a guide to etiquette (and this is the trick) than a set of instructions.

Reveries - This is mentioned in the article above and refers to an idea for referral marketing using your Facebook profile. It's something Google have been doing for a while now, offering bloggers and the like the opportunity to profit from traffic to their site (see Squidoo as well), but this gives Facebook participants a revenue, and brands some insight.

Who knows. I met a guy once who told me that if he stood on the corner of Camden High Street and asked every woman who walked past if they would go out for a drink with him, the odds were that eventually one of them would. He's now a very rich man. The lesson? Saying something to someone (friend or stranger) is one thing. Being tenacious with it is another thing altogether.

Dont tell me, bell me

2007-09-05T13:11:00.000Z

Have heard of this sort of thing being tried before, albeit with barcode readers being distributed to the masses so they could scan a code in their favourite magazine and have their web browser go straight to the appropriate site on the internet. This is much cleaner and simpler, and has apparantly worked well in Japan. Point your mobile phone at a poster and get access to more content. Lovely.

Now, where's my jetpack?

(Web) 2.0 + 2.0 = 4.0

2007-09-04T14:15:00.001Z

Smart video piece from Seth Godin looking at marketing appropriacy, and how existing ATL "broadcast" models of advertising (basically, it's a numbers game) have been challenged by the need for clever and insightful ways of not only communicating with potential customers, but getting them to want to tell their friends about you. Makes some simple points about the value of marketing being aware of the context in which its used. Throwing paint over a building to show how much you get the importance of colour when buying a TV is one thing on a commercial, and probably get you a fair few "oohs" and "aahs" into the bargain. Trying to do it all over someones online social space will probably get you a thick ear (if you're lucky).

Who dat?

2007-08-30T12:55:00.000Z

From the man who bought you Squidoo, comes the online answer to Who's Who.

Squid Who is an online compendium of anyone, who's anyone, for whatever reason, and created by whoever can be bothered. Dr Who? Well, he's not on there. However, the site automatically builds you a page all about him and gives you the chance to take ownership of it and manage it forever and ever.

Simple idea, fun, and very useful (if you do a lot of pub quizzes or are trying to secure a wealthy benefactor).

All roads lead to....somewhere

2007-08-27T20:47:00.000Z

The new smart fortwo is in the midst of being launched, and Claydon Heeley (who I work for) have created a wonderful site to help get it into the hearts and minds of the masses. The timing of this couldn't be better, given right now half of you are no doubt stuck on the M4 returning from your numerous countryside domiciles in the drama that is the bank holiday weekend derby.

www.smartenlightenment.com features life coach and driving guru Dr. Tridion, who guides you through the moral maze that is UK driving and shows you the true road to enlightenment is as much in the head as it is behind the wheel. It's a brilliant piece of work, with a great performance from comedy maestro Matt Berry (Garth Marenghi, The Mighty Boosh, Saxondale, The IT Crowd).

Broadening your marketing horizons

2007-08-21T11:32:00.000Z

Good article showing how companies are using online tools (social networks, blogs, social search and online video) as a marketing channel and invaluable customer service channel. It's refreshing to see that companies have utilised these new conversations as a way to take their presence out of the boardroom and into the hearts and minds of the people that matter most, their customers.

Customers will stay with a reprobate business as long as that business goes over and above to rectify any grievances, or behaves in a way that demonstrates they really understand their role in their customers lives. Web 2.0 gives brands the tools to enable that to happen.