iNSERT BRAND - Farrel Brest

Facebook Aussie Stats

2011-03-31T22:50:00.001-07:00

How to best use Facebook, Paul Borrud

View more presentations from Social Media Club, Sydney.

Twitter Stats 2011

2011-02-24T14:29:00.001-08:00

The state of the Twittersphere , February 2011

Social Media Strategy

2011-01-08T17:00:00.001-08:00

Social Media for Business

View more presentations from Presentation Advisors.

Land of Hope

2010-12-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

The article from Time Magazine, demonstrates how innovative environmental policies are pushing back the deserts.

Turning threats into opportunity: economists have a word for climate change: externality, meaning a by-product of economic activity not included on the balance sheet. It can be positive (a beekeepers' bees pollinating neighboring crops) or negative (pollution from a power station). If the beekeeper doesn't charge for pollination or the energy company doesn't pay a pollution tax, the price of honey or power does not reflect its true benefit or cost. Climate change is the mother of all negative externalities.

What if the externality could be accounted for, in a way that helped the poor? What if the economic rule book could be rewritten so that fighting climate change became development? Pavan Sukhdev, a Deutsche Bank economist working with UNEP, is doing just that — or rather, as Sukhdev prefers to describe it, he's "rediscovering" some long-lost economic principles. In the 20th century, he says, two bad assumptions crept into the dismal science. The first was that public goods — things we consume together, like clean air and sewage-free seas — were subordinated to private goods, like cars and iPods, which are consumed individually. Second, we assumed natural capital like trees, grasslands, wind, sunshine, water and soil had no value because it was mostly free; we also assumed it was not as good as industrial capital at creating wealth. "Guess what," says Sukhdev. "That's some pretty bad economics." To make his case, he cites an effort to remove imported water-intensive plants from a drought-stricken part of South Africa; the project restored the water table, revived farming and gave paid work to hundreds. He also points to environmental activist Wangari Muta Maathai's Nobel Prize — winning tree-planting project on Mount Kenya, which improved farm productivity by boosting soil quality and water retention.

Lego's Social Media Strategy

2010-12-26T03:52:00.000-08:00

Diving into LEGO's Strategy Behind Connecting Their Amazing Network of Fans -- presented by Jake McKee from GasPedal on Vimeo.

This article is written by Digital Buzz

This is a great video from Jake McKee (formally LEGO’s Global Community Relations Specialist) discussing how LEGO found, supported and incubated their biggest fans from around the world to help pull the company out of a pretty dark time to be back on top of the world, lead in part, by a strong social media strategy.

A word of warning, this is a 30 minute video, from a conference late last year (so skip the first 30 secs) and is not exactly their strategy, but more a case study of success, however, it’s well worth the time, and probably something you won’t have time to watch at your desk today so just make sure you remember to watch it later!

Jake McKee makes three really strong, but incredibly simple (how often do we see simplicity works socially?!) points.

1. Look beyond your target customers
2. Support existing fans
3. Find what works and replicate

1. Look beyond your target customers
Your target market isn’t always your biggest group of talkers. For years, LEGO was focused on kids — that is, until they realized adults had created their own community of enthusiasts. When LEGO started connecting these talkers, not only did they increase their word of mouth, they immediately helped their bottom line. Whereas kids were spending $20 a year on LEGOs, these adults were spending around $1,000.

2. Support existing fans
Without LEGO’s knowledge, adult fans had already created an online LEGO community and marketplace. LEGO approached this group by offering support and resources in the form of an ambassador program. By offering to support what these fans were already doing so well -instead of demanding ownership and control -LEGO was welcomed into the community.

3. Find what works and replicate
The enthusiasm of the adult fans helped teach LEGO how to gain more participation from their other fans- including kids. Jake says that when you find something that works with one fan group, try applying it to other groups of talkers. Because the fundamentals of great communities are the same, strategies behind one fan community can often generate similar success for another community. (viaIgor on Viral Blog)

Coca Cola sharing what matters...

2010-12-26T03:36:00.000-08:00

Coca-Cola: Sharing What Matters, Adam Brown; presented by GasPedal and the Social Media Business Council from GasPedal on Vimeo.

Notes while listening to the video...

First, listen and Review what is being said. Not just in a crisis, what are people talking about already? Then create content like that (gives ideas of what to say).

Secondly, Respond to the community.

Thirdly, Record - video is the future - dah.... take with a specific purpose - be educationally entertaining. What is the most interesting content.

Redirect - Cross pollinate and link everything together. Goal is to make sure everyone can find everything. Link to other websites who talk about similar information.

Politics and Social Media

2010-12-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

I believe social media and political activism go hand-in-hand. Social media has provided individuals with the tools to participate in the political system and subsequently reinvent what we call activism. Voters used to primarily participate at the ballot box; now they can engage, interact, follow, share, etc with politics online on various digital platforms. I'd like to call this process the democratisation of media. Only publishers could create and distribute content, now everyone can participate in the debate.

Go Green Challenge

2010-12-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Fairfield city and Circul8 have designed the Go Green Challenge. It's an interactive game where the individual player (called the Go Green Hero) mission is to improve the health of the planet and people by "blitzing" the suburb of Fairfield into a clean and green space. The players have four minutes to find and change as many inefficiencies over to sustainable technology and practices. When the game begins you write your name and take a photo of yourself which is uploaded into the system. When the game ends a newspaper appears with you score, photo and what changes you have made to become more sustainable. This is an engaging and educating online application!

What principles should guide your sustainable communications?

2010-12-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

I am just amazed at the lengths the Peats Ridge festival has gone to intergrate sustainable practices and technologies. Brands can't organise their events in the same way - the benchmark is here. We are so conditioned in our habits and behaviours!

Issues ranging from:

1) Recycling- four bin system of waste sorting

2) Container deposits - patrons can earn money from aluminum can recycling

3) Cutlery & Crockery - Traditionally they used cornstarch cutlery a more readily biodegradable material then traditional disposable products. While cornstarch will eventually break down it will not compost in the majority of commercial composting systems. Instead they are moving across to FSC certified wooden cutlery.

4) Powering the event - Through biodiesel and solar energy

5) Water Management - Grey Water treatment, drinking fountains for refilling stations to minimise waste generation and transport emissions.

For more details check out the website

"Green marketing is a key point of brand differentiation and honest communication of environmental outcomes has the potential to inspire real loyalty in your audience. However care must be taken with any green claims made by the festival. False or overstated claims have the potential to seriously damage the integrity of your event and at worst could result by fines and penalties imposed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Even worse false claims damage consumer confidence in environmental business and hamper environmental action in general.
Here is an excerpt from the Total Environment Centre’s Green Cred Checklist a great quick guide to environmental claims.
1. TRUTH - If I make this green statement, can it be proven to be true 100 percent of the time?
2. MATERIALITY - Even if it is true, does the green statement really matter i.e. is the problem being avoided or remedied substantial and significant, or trivial and insignificant?
3. FULL DISCLOSURE - Are there any other environmental or sustainability issues being overlooked, especially negative ones?
4. SUBSTANTIATION – Whatever is being claimed, and whoever is making the claims, are they backed up by firm evidence? "

Thoughts on Social Media

2010-12-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

The rapid change in technological advancement has facilitated new digital platforms. Indeed it has fundamentally changed the way that brands engage with consumers, companies and society. It’s a cultural shift in behaviour, in particular with smartphones, social networking sites and digital technologies (iPad). The debate surrounding these platforms (Facebook) if they will they stay or go (MySpace)…. only time will tell. The shift of consumers participating, engaging, creating communities and sharing (UGC) with brands is here to stay.

Social Media is the interaction and connection between consumers. Digital platforms such as Facebook and Twitter facilitate these connections. The future of Social Media is within ‘trusted economies and networks’ whereby brands partner with influencers and create ambassadors to distribute content. This will be largely affected by Facebook’s development and initiation of the social graph. Indeed friends and influencers’ recommendations will be more important. All media will become social and interactive, and traditional channels like TV will integrate digitally and utilize the social graph. Information will become more personal, highly targeted and highly recommended through WOM. The will be less ‘push’ communications and consumers will ‘pull’ content that provides value and entertainment. The way consumers have conversations have changed, from one-to-one to one-to-many on multiple platforms (Hootesuit) in real time. This will provide more transparent, measurable and granular information.

Vampire Power Awareness

2010-10-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is brilliant content promoted through TECO. It looks like the vampire phenomena, (shows like True Blood) have provided iGo with an interesting angle to discuss an ordinarily boring topic. For content to spread online, brands need to create entertaining and engaging content.

UN Adopts Wiki-Power To Document Wildlife Conservation

2010-10-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

The United Nations Environment Programme has recently turned to the power of the wiki to provide a worldwide picture of wildlife conservation efforts. The new site, ProtectedPlanet, aims to increase visits to and awareness of protected areas. The potential is then generated for increases in upkeep funding and popularity of conservation efforts. ProtectedPlanet links into Wikipedia, Google Maps and the Google photo site Panoramio. According to Charles Besancon of the UNEP, protected areas are one of the best ways to safeguard ecosystems and plant and animal life.

Source: PFSK, Getty Images

Lets Make the Switch

2010-10-01T16:25:00.001-07:00

Go beyond oil from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo.

Sony to launch open-innovation platform with WWF

2010-09-05T03:09:00.000-07:00

Open Planet Ideas from Open Planet Ideas on Vimeo.

The platform has been developed on the premise that the technologies that already exist within Sony’s portfolio can potentially be used to help solve some of the world’s biggest environmental issues. The project is designed to develop a community which can share and build on ideas in a variety of stages. The best of the ‘crowdsourced’ solutions will be made a reality by Sony engineers who will take the theoretical concepts to a proof of concept and prototype stage.

Clay Shirky on Cognitive Surplus

2010-07-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

Shirky's concept of Cognitive Surplus reveals how new technologies have enabled us to collectively collaborate and utilise our spare brain power to change society for the good. Traditionally we spent our time consuming media without being able to interact, now within the digital world we can use our time not only to consume but also participate and share.... and these two intrinsic motivation are overiding our economic motivations.

What are the elements that make up our collaborative surplus?

1) The world's free time and talent
2) The media landscape went from passively consuming media to actively engaging with media. Tools such as the internet and mobile phones have allowed us to do more than just consume, now we can create a share.

These things together reveal human kinds intrinsic motivations of creating and sharing and therefore the internet has created a platform for collaboration and generosity. Watch the video for more!

Facebook Learnings

2010-07-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

There are currently 456 million active users globally. Facebook has managed to connect with people and influence culture, creating a social phenomenon. Your Facebook identity is the true you - what you say and share reflects how you want to be seen and this will effect your real life.

The move from "Become a fan" to the "Like Button" is representing the "Like is an extension of me and my interest" which represents our core values. In fact, people click "Like" almost twice more than they click "Become a fan" everyday. This change makes it much faster for brands to build a wealth of new followers.

Facebook fans are self-segmented group of highly valuable customers. We need to understand the value of fan as well as their behaviour to develop a long term strategy. Facebook is a great marketing environment, people enjoy interacting with brands that enjoy interacting with them. The race is on to build a fan base and websites that are integrating Facebook Connect and Facebook Like Button.

Source: Uniqlo and Naked - Facebook Marketing Workshop

Incredible Communication Innovation

2010-06-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

A really clever banner-advertising campaign that works like scratchies on websites and blogs!

UNIQLO LUCKY SWITCH from HN on Vimeo.

CSR and Sustainability communications

2010-06-18T23:07:00.001-07:00

Lessons from the Obama campagin

View more presentations from Perrine Bouhana.

How is TV adapting to technology?

2010-06-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

What is sustainability?

2010-05-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

Sustainability could be defined as the ability of something to sustain itself. Living sustainably is about living within the means of our natural systems, the environment and ensuring that our lifestyles don't harm other people, societies and cultures. We need to do is look at our own carbon footprint, analyse what we consume on a day-to-day basis and see how our consumption affect our broader environment? We need to look at all the resources we bring into our lives and what we throw away.

Costa, From Costa's Garden Odyssey on SBS passionately brings to life the concept of sustainability with Aquaponics. Aquaponics is a relatively new and inspiring approach to sustainable food production that cultivates fish and plants in a symbiotic relationship. There are actually three elements involved; aquaculture (growing fish) hydroponic (growing soilless plants) and bacteria. Enlarge the diagram to see how it works.

Collaborative Consumption

2010-05-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Rachel Botswana is freelancing at Naked Communications and she is about to release a book in August called Collaborative Consumption. Collaborative Consumption describes the rapid explosion in traditional sharing, bartering, lending, trading, renting, gifting, and swapping redefined through technology and peer communities.

Collaborative Consumption Groundswell Video from rachel botsman on Vimeo.

Time Shift Viewing

2010-04-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Background

The official source of television audience measurement, OzTAM has recently made adjustments to the television ratings panel to incorporate homes with Personal Video Recorders (PVRs). PVRs such as Foxtel IQ and TiVo have made it easier for viewers to watch what they want; changing their TV habits from ‘appointment to view’ to ‘TV to fit into my daily routine.’ These recent advances in video recording and storage technology have dramatically affected the way we watch television.

What is Time Shift Viewing? (TSV)

Time Shift Viewing is the ability to record programs for later viewing. PVRs such as TiVo allow users to capture more than 100 hours of video to an internal hard drive. In effect these devices are computers attached to a TV.

The Numbers

The new measure system called Consolidated Ratings combines both ‘Live’ and ‘Playback’ viewings. (See charts below) The change to the system reflects the 25 percent of Metro homes and 17 percent of Regional homes that now have PVR devices.

Implications

Research from ThinkTV shows that 50 percent of PVR viewers in Australia are fast-forwarding through the ads as well as 70 percent of total US households. Therefore the implications for commercial networks are huge as their previous business model is being challenged. From the recent ratings, Channel Ten has experienced an increase viewership of four percent, this is due to shows being recorded and watched at a later date. However total reach of commercials has reduced as the research shows that half of PVR households are fast-forwarding the ads. Commercial networks are, as a result having to bolster their advertising revenue streams by focusing on multi-platform distributions. For example, Ten describes how The Biggest Loser sponsor Yoplait appears through "on-set use of the product" and an "extensive online campaign", as opposed to ads that appear only in commercial breaks.

Summary

The media landscape is changing and the move to Consolidated Ratings system simply reflects the way people are now consuming and engaging with TV. Time shifting is slowly removing the traditional television-advertising model, from ‘appointment to view’ to a ‘when I want to view’ model. Only a quarter of Australian households have PVRS to date, so there’s no need to change overnight. However as PVR penetration increases commercial networks will need to further develop other advertising revenue streams.

Account Management

2010-04-12T01:10:00.001-07:00

I'm half way through my Account Management course at Adschool and I came across an relevant Acc M'ment article in Adnews. The article spoke about, what exactly makes a good suit?

Suits are the interface between the clients and the agency, and depending where they're sit... they represent everyone. At the agency the suits represent the clients' interests ensuring the creatives and strategist are on track. At the clients' office the suits represent the agency, and all the values and beliefs to which they stand for.

Account Management is keeping the soil fertile, "allowing great ideas to germinate and flourish." Suits needs to be good at building relationships and to be the ultimate diplomat. We are more effective when we are part of the creative process all the way through.

The Paradox of Choice

2010-04-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading The Paradox of Choice - Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz. It's a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret. Whether we’re buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions--both big and small--have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.

We assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice--the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish--becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice--from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs--has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.

By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make. - Google Book Review

jectaspecta: Wireless communications

2010-04-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Jess just posted this brilliant blog about mobile communications. Read her thoughts below and click the link to watch the video.

jectaspecta: Wireless communications

TED video

2010-03-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

I watched this video on TED a little while ago from Rory Sutherland. My colleague Zoe Scaman posted it on her blog and thought it was worth sharing. If you enjoy TED you can download the video podcasts from itunes...it's a productive and inspiring way to spend your time travelling to and from work.

Advertising is....."Tinkering with perception rather than that messy business of trying to change reality"

Razor Fish Digital Brand Experience Report

2010-03-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Digital Primacy is a concept whereby consumers are turning first to digital media to help navigate, connect and make sense of their world. This is making them a more "connected consumer" of which 34% of total media spend is online. Consumers want phones that rival PCs, and therefore it's important for brands to invest in new technologies; location based services and AR browsers.

Digital communications enable a two way conversation with consumers. We can't talk back to a billboard or TV ad. Online we can comment on a brand, share content, watch YouTube and read corporate blogs.

Consumers are becoming fans on social media because it's all about deals and coupons, customer service (solving problems in real time and building loyalty through special offers) and interesting/entertaining content (brands to become content providers).

Food for thought at 8am

2010-02-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks I've been staring at the fastBREAK poster above the toaster in the kitchen. I woke up earlier than usual and attended fastBREAK, which is a monthly series of interactive talks held monthly at the powerhouse museum.

It was a really interesting morning of succinctly explained insights and really passionate people. Favourites of the day were Jessica Miller and Mark Pollard for their ideas and presentation styles. Jess began her presentation by handing out green and red cards. On each card were various touch points in which the audience could crowdsource after the talk.Her point being that collaboratively we can solve the simplest of problems... even if it is helping her find a new home for boyandadog.blogspot.com. I found they way Mark presented was brilliant; visually using slides to convey his ideas. There is a video to follow.

Communications Council

2010-01-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

Has launched! Check out website http://www.communicationscouncil.org.au/

Redscout Spur

2010-01-14T22:04:00.001-08:00

Planners are intellectually curious about why people are motivated to do what they inherently. Planners are interested in culture, consumers and passionate about how the world works. They are edgy, tapped in, digitally focussed. A really interesting point; by working on your blog you are giving back to the community. Planners are the voice of the consumers. One brand means didn't things to different people, therefore it is a good thing for planners to be discriminatory! By being racist (kidding) discriminating about who belongs and believes in their brand will ultimately reject the bipolar opposite. Planners create a new reality and allow consumers to look at the world in a new way.

Redscout presents Spur — Episode 3: Are planners glorified researchers? from Redscout on Vimeo.

The future is here

2010-01-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

On a rainy sunday avo I watched TED and found this interesting video that revealed our future.. a intuitive sixth sense with Augmented Reality. It's a taste of what's to come.

Albino Remix and Reload

2009-12-02T21:15:00.001-08:00

Campaign I worked on last year which just received 45,000 hits!

People are talking about you right now

2009-12-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

My Friend Jessica from The Population facilated a workshop last week and I learnt a few things about Community Managment and the roles of online channels.

The Channels and Strategy for a brand online are:

Youtube – House video content on the channel, direct viewers to MySpace page

Facebook – Build value for community by serving them with relevant meaningful conversations, links to content and links give them a way to contact brands and further engage.

MySpace – A hub for all media assets, manage media to build a stronger, loyal community and ensure credibility

87 cool things

2009-11-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=df7rw7vz_107ccgmw9g8

AFA Young Blood

2009-10-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

Youngbloods is a platform for young advertising people to socialise, build a network and have a say on industry issues. I went there last night to hear "Controversy Explained.” It was interesting night to hear young passionate individuals discuss the work our industry has produced.

The most relevant although quite dry aspect of the night was hearing Fiona Jolly outline the Advertising Code of Practice. Fiona is the CEO of the Australian Standard Bureau, a self-regulating body that makes sure all advertising, wherever it appears, meets the high standards laid down in the advertising codes. These codes have been set up to reflect society's values and opinions not create them.

The ASB continually surveys the population to hear what we think and from that survey the board will base their values and guidelines. The ASB is becoming increasingly conservative as dictated by the results. Unsurprisingly the results reveal that the 45+ demographic making the most complaints, however surprisingly the 30-39 demographic are winging also and coming in second. Therefore the board takes these relatively young attitudes into consideration as they reflect the younger values of society.

One compliment warrants the piece of communication to be critique as they potentially could represent a portion of society.

The 5 main ways in which communications are judged on are:
Violence
Language
Health and Safety
Sex, nudity, nipples
Vilification

I'm getting involved in the committee; leave a comment with your email address and I’ll get back to you.

Living Statistics!

2009-10-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

I found this little Flash application showing how active and dynamic the Social Web is. Obviously it is in constant development.

What is TweetDeck?

2009-10-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

It's an online program with various columns for twitter feeds, twitter replies, twitter direct messages, facebook feeds, myspace feeds etc all for seperate accounts! i have it open all day at work and it is much faster if you have to do social media stuff often. It's also better for twitter than web interface because there are simple buttons to Retweet and automatically shortens URLS. You will see, its amazing!

Preparing for a new pitch?

2009-10-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

I was asked to research information on a potential client and was given this criteria.

1) Who are the ALL the consumers and categories in which the brand lives
2) What are their motivations
3) Key benefits
4) What is the opportunity
5) How could we solve the problem
6) How do they make their money

2009-10-06T14:46:00.001-07:00

Kill A Slide

2009-10-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting aspects of our Comms WIPS is a segment called ‘Kill A Slide’. How it works is that everyone brings their favourite campaign, PowerPoint slide or idea that resonates deeply with them. Mr Cassidy presented ‘Meet The World’ - a powerful interpretation of important, but sometimes very mundane facts about the world we live in. It's communicated in an intriguing and unexpected way, "Using real data taken from Amnesty International and the UN, they (Grande Reportagem in Lisbon, Portugal) developed a series of national flag images based on the actual flags for those places; with the colors and graphics representing current, geographically-relevant issues." Although produced in 2005 this presentation was fresh to us and we thought it would be worth sharing again. The main channel for distribution was through emails chains.

What's news?

2009-09-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Got my grabby hands on a copy of a really good UK magazine called Wired. There is an article on Murdoch's new business model which has got everyone talking. He explains that, "the current days of internet are over" and we are moving away from a free online content model. Introducing a weekly subscription package of various news and magazine titles within a weekly micropayments system of $1.99. Current research has shown that with the introduction of subscriptions packages 85%-95% of traffic was the same as before. Publishers don't lose traffic when you give away a proportion of free content to medium users. 10% of heavy user subscribe to get more information, while medium users keep the traffic moving. It's interesting to see if consumers will start paying for something that we have been getting for free. The free business model is not financially profitable as ad banners still work like traditional media models.

Media Convergence in 2009

2009-09-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Everything is moving so fast...

Relevance when all rules are in flux

2009-09-23T02:01:00.000-07:00

There was an great interview in AFR last Monday 7th of September 2009. Five top industry leaders spoke their truths. I Thought I would highlight the most interesting points about the rise of digital media, pressure on fees and the sluggish state of the marketing world.

The key changes over the past year were: Well established trends have been accelerated by the GFC, particularly the rise of digital media and he blurring of different marketing disciplines into totally integrated offers. Social Media is an increasingly important part of the mix. We are in a journey of change and the ad world is shifting from traditional media to online. Digital has become mainstream.

What are the key issues facing agencies: staff members are multi-skilled and ensure that "digital" is a natural, integrated part of the agency. Agency will no longer "do ads" they will "do ideas". Creating ads that resonate rather than interrupt. The key issue is the ever-increasing consumer control over the communications process. People not consumers as I like to call them, will engage only when they want to.

How are the needs of clients changing: Proven track records and clients want fewer partners. Clients' want true insights driven by quantifiable data. It's the ability to marry customer behaviour and transaction data into insights.

What do consumers want to see in advertising: People are screaming out to marketers to recognize exactly how they have changed their opinions, attitudes and behaviours. We all want to belong!

Good ingredients for a creative brief

2009-09-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

A good creative brief is like making eggs. Ok, I'm trying to make this analogy work as a means to remember how to write a creative brief. Firstly figure out what our objective are. Scrambled or fried? How do we change people's perceptions who don't for example like scrambled Eggs, and effectively change their behaviour and attitudes? We do this by Investigating the category of all eggs; free range, cages, premium etc. and by not imitating our competitors, but challenge them.

Who is our target market and how do we tap into their unexpressed needs and desires. What media do they use, but more importantly what are their share attitudes? Look at current trends. i.e the move towards free range.

What is the role of the brand? Once we understand the emotional needs of our audience we can start to think about the role the brand plays. Using this "brand promise" we can start using this philosophy like a lens into the lives of consumers and their altruist need of treating animals that we consume humanely. This then defines the whole brand experience.

What is the proposition (comms) – the single-minded thought that the communications will bring to life in a provocative and compelling way? It should build on our insights into the target audience and the role of the brand and crystallize them into a focused idea that captures the essence of what we want to say. FREE CHICKENS!

We need to give consumers reasons to support our brand, "permission to believe." Perhaps provide editorial pieces on our free range chicken farms where farmers release the caged chickens in an exhilarating and inspiring way.

We need to create a unique brand personality that consumers identify with and that will build a relationship between the consumers and the brand. The mood and tone of the communications will reflect the unique personality of our 3 eggs brands.

Food for thought:

Understand your audience: their needs and motivations. Involve the creative team before briefing them. Visit the caged farms and see how chickens eat, bread and live. Focus on one key message. Be open minded and courageous! Be brief and use everyday language.

" Is Social Media a Fad? or....

2009-08-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

....the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?"

It’s an interesting statement and watch this video.

I need to define what Social Media means in the first place. My understanding is that's it's an umbrella term which defines the way we integrate technology and social interaction expressed through words, pictures and audio.

Tools that we play with online, FB, twitter etc could in theory be a fad. Alternatively the way they exist now will evolve offering new benefits, especially tapping into the theory of Social Graphs(Facebook Connect and OpenID). Social Media has change the way we connect with people, not changed our need to communicate. Our innate human behaviour to communicate is being represented online because our behaviour of communicating has change through the use of technology. So surely social media is just a manifestation of the human conditioning. So what I'm trying to say is that the way we communicate is changing, not the basic need to communicate.

Seth Godin

2009-08-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

Martin Lindstorm interviewed Seth Godin on The Death of Chairties.

Lindstorm reveals that the way businesses run charities is handled the wrong way today. In his interview he explains that not every brand needs to have a charity plan. Charity organisations have to be integrated in the brand and make sense overall to be credible. The brand story needs to be relevant.

Seth also revealed his thoughts on the sustainability climate-trend, explaining that it needs to be relevant and consider whether you want to join this trend as it is not for everyone.

Watch it here

Who will rein king? FB or Google?

2009-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Google's dominance in the online world will inevitably fall, what goes up must come down… change is constant and life is Impermanent. Facebook is envisioning a more personalised, humanised version of the web, where our networks of friends, colleagues, peers and family will become our primary source of information. Just like the offline world, our innate human behaviour is represented in the online world too.

Using Facebook as a search engine, users will query this "social graph" to find the best nutritionist or closet Kung Fu school, rather than using the random analytics of Google search. In this respect, it completely re-programs the way we search and navigate the online world.

Who will be king? Both Google and Facebook are in the race to win the holy grail of online brand advertising.

This is their 4 step plan for dominanation:

1. Build critical mass.
In the eight months ending in April, Facebook has doubled in size to 200 million members, who contribute 4 billion pieces of info, 850 million photos, and 8 million videos every month. The result: a second Internet, one that includes users' most personal data and resides entirely on Facebook's servers.

2. Redefine search.
Facebook thinks its members will turn to their friends—rather than Google's algorithms—to navigate the Web. It already drives an eyebrow-raising amount of traffic to outside sites, and that will only increase once Facebook Search allows users to easily explore one another's feeds.

3. Colonize the Web.
Thanks to a pair of new initiatives—dubbed Facebook Connect and Open Stream—users don't have to log in to Facebook to communicate with their friends. Now they can access their network from any of 10,000 partner sites or apps, contributing even more valuable data to Facebook's servers every time they do it.

4. Sell targeted ads, everywhere.
Facebook hopes to one day sell advertising across all of its partner sites and apps, not just on its own site. The company will be able to draw on the immense volume of personal data it owns to create extremely targeted messages. The challenge: not freaking out its users in the process.

Let's give it a whirl

2009-07-15T22:51:00.000-07:00

I decided to give Google's new web browser Google Chrome a go. The design is definately simple and I like how I can create new tabs at the top of the page and they are inter-changable. The Incognito Mode and recent history search is handy too, but what I like most on the homepage is how it shows your most recent pages all presented in a visually pleasing way.

"If you are looking for a big opportunity, seek out a big problem."

And from my research, it looks like Google Chrome was created because the browsers were having trouble handling new technology. Web browsers were created to look at web pages, however today we are using more applications, such as watching and uploading videos, chatting and playing games. So let's the games begin and let's check out new apps!

One problem I have noticed is that it errased by bookmarks and favourties from Mozilla, even my Delicious tagging options!

Mos Def's New Album Available as T-Shirt

2009-06-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you actually bought a cd? I download all my new music online. Well, Mos Def is grabbing the reins and adding even more value for fans.

Mos Def is promoting his new album on a t-shirt! That's right, his new album, The Ecstatic Killer of Sheep-interpolating has the cover art on the front, its track list on the back, and a download code for the album on a hang tag.

Obama - Harnessing Digital Technology

2009-06-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Communicating a message is most effective when done simply. Yet so hard to do. Look at this brilliant Che Guevara style poster for Obama's election campagin. To me, this poster communicates grass-root change in a visually appealing way. His unique selling proposition is, "Change We Can Believe In", he didn’t just talk about change.

I've also been reading a few preso's on the Obama campaign here are the lessons:

Lesson #1: Make a centralized database of every voter
Lesson #2: Social Networks leverage vast audiences quickly and chose the ‘right now’ social networks with LinkedIn, Flickr, Facebook and Myspace. On facebook Obama has 380% more supporters than McCain
Lesson #3 Youtube is a powerful tool to spread your messag
Lesson #4 No sale is too small in generating a relationship with the consumer
Lesson #5 Targeting email marketing can generate quick cash with the proper message
Lesson # 6 A self-managed social network can succeed if it fills a void
Lesson # 7 Microsites on niche topics can generate audience exposure that you’d otherwise mis
Lesson #8 SEM is critical and targeted online banner advertising can draw a huge reponse
Lesson #9 Mobile applications engage your audience anytime, anywhere. Txt message alerts
Lesson # 10 Twitter enables quick notifications of audiences
Lesson # 11 Blogging creates an image of expertise when properly executed
Lesson # 12 When transactions are expected don’t give the consumer any excuse not to buy

jectaspecta: Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity...

2009-06-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Jess from The Population posted Elizabeth Gilbert's presentation on TED. Gilbert poses the question of: When it comes to being creative, is it logical or rational to feel afraid of the work... we were put on this earth to do? Gilbert takes us back to ancient Rome and Greece to reveal the creative paradigm of thought, that is, creativity and egos are separate entities. Creativity she says, "Comes to us like thunder."

Check it out from jectaspecta!

Micropayments for mobile phones?

2009-06-18T03:10:00.001-07:00

Looks like micropayments are migrating to mobile phones. Not in Australia, but in Japan mobile phones are regularly used to pay for parking metres and vending machines. How cool is that! This is just like the new iphone 3.0 operating system which, "includes purchasing platform that will allow developers of mobile-phone games to sell virtual good via handsets, which billing through itunes. " Time Magazine, June 22, 2009.

BooneOakley.com - Home Page

2009-06-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Killer idea! I know it's been out for a while, but I thought Id file this concept here. I spent an extra 10 minutes researching what they do. Normally I spend 3 minutes on any given website.

Twitter

2009-06-16T21:57:00.001-07:00

I decided to create two twitter accounts, as it allows me to tap into different online communities. I found that having two of my conflicting interests on one account was creating inconsistency. My first Twitter account is all about Marketing, Social Media or any campaigns/ideas that challenge the status quo. The second account is for music and movies... primarily to keep up to date with anything that is new and free.

I love how on twitter you can search for information in real time. This is the first time I thought that someone could take on Google. Totally different ways using search. For example, if you like Pharrel Williams from N.E.R.D - you google him to see his website, tour dates, cds etc, but if you want to know what he's working on right now... tweet it!

2009-06-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Divorce get nasty on Facebook

2009-06-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting article that I read last night in Time Magazine, issue: 22 June 2009. It talked about how social networking sites are brilliant for when you want to connect, but what about when you split? If going through a divorce wasn't messy enough! Now that as our lives are becoming seemingly more integrated with the online world, imagine going through a break-up on Facebook? Potentially you could post your fights on each others' walls for all your friends, children and colleges to view. As a result, there is a "semi public laundry-airing that can turn aggrieved spouses into enraged ones and friends into embarressed spectors." Time also mentioned that one (soon to be ex) husband had to delete his wife's profile... but she hacked into one of her friend's profile (who was friends with her husband) and sent several aggressive messages to his mistress and work colleagues. Lawyers love these sites for issues regarding finances and custody, as they can search for contradictions or lies. This is an interesting issue for the online world, taking internet transparency to a new level.

How to plan a vaccation with Social Media

2009-06-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

If only I was planning another trip! In the meantime I thought I'd save this URL on here for a rainy day. This article did get me thinking about how more of my off-line experiences are converging with the online world. The most practical lesson from this article is the use of Wikidot. Not only is it a fantastic research tool, but it stores all your ideas, articles and projects together. And obviously you can access this anywhere where there is internet.

My next big dilemma: San Francisco or Jerusalem?!

htt://mashable.com/2009/06/07/vacation-social-media/

Link to Social Media Presentations

2009-06-13T22:18:00.001-07:00

I found this website that list 10 good social media presentations. I read two of these them on the weekend and found them quite interesting. I've written notes on Obama's digital campaign and What is Social Media. I will compile and concise for your viewing pleasure shortly!

http://econsultancy.com/blog/3982-10-superb-social-media-presentations

The Future of Facebook.

2009-06-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pretty sure the future of the company won't really be as a destination Web site, but as the Web-wide platform that connects us not just to our friends, but also the businesses we transact with.

Real deal viral

2009-06-11T22:42:00.001-07:00

This is fascinating! "Ever wondered what it would look like if things go viral in real life?" The lesson here is that passion, energy, enthusiasm is palatable! (and your fans will follow) I just love it.

A Post-Modern Take on Digital

2009-06-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is from Ivan Pollard's blog

http://community.brandrepublic.com/blogs/ivanpollard/archive/2009/05/18/a-post-modern-take-on-digital.aspx

Harvard Business Review.

2009-06-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Kate from Stickywood always posts interesting things to read. I like her blogs and she's a lovely person in real life. Anyhoo, enough about me... or her

Harvard Business Review's latest article:

How to build a sustainable, creative organization? This is how Pixar does it... I've typed up general notes from the article. Enjoy!

What is managements' jobs??
Management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failure does occurs. Talented people help you recover when you fail! The environment must be safe to tell the truth. You need to constantly challenge all of out assumptions and search for the flaws that could destroy your culture.

What Is Creativity?
Creativity involves a large number of people from different disciplines working effectively together to solve a great many problems. Creativity must be present at every level of the organization.

Taking risks
We’re in a business whose customers want to see something new. This involves great risk and this sometimes makes us feel scared. Come up with unexpected ideas… like a rat wanting to be a chief or a robot love story set in a post-apocalyptic world full of trash. If you want to be original, you have top accept the uncertainty, the uncomfortably and resist our natural tendency to avoid or minimize risks.

Environment and People
We need to construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and this will unleash creativity. If it’s right, everyone feels like they are part of the community and apart of something extraordinary. If the environment supports great people and encourages them to support one another so the whole is far greater than the sum of all the parts. There is no ego. And nobody holds any punches to be polite. It’s far better to learn from problems. Make contributions while it is still a work in progress. Benefits are: we become more creative (after initial embarrassment) Second: can communicate important points to the entire crew. Third: people learn and inspire each other; a highly creative piece of work will spark others to raise their game.

Technology + Art = Magic.
Continual change/reinvention is the norm in an organization when technology and art are together. Try use better technology at every stage of production. I'll end this article with a fascinating quote from this article, "Technology inspires art, and art challenges the technology."

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8587226/hbrhow-pixar-fosters-collective-creativity

Fun online videos

2009-06-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was reading Advertising Age online and came across 3 Min Adage videos. They cover everything from latest social media campagins, industry leaders thoughts and highlights from the ANA Branding Conference 180.

Check it out:

http://adage.com/video/

Video: 20% Insight Factor

For the right ideas you need a specific insight, not an lazy insight your competitors have. This is called the 80% insight bucket that every one knows. Really it's the 20% insight. Make people DEFEND IT and don't state the obvious.

The 20% insight is understanding beyond the obvious. It's our ability to deciper consumers unarticled needs and consumer behavuiour. Essentially, can your consumer relate?

CEO of Photon - Nigel Long

2009-06-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Nigel is the Global CEO of Naked and also CEO of the Strategic Intelligence Division of Photon. He spent a few days here in our office and shared a few stories.

Essentially, the messages of his stories were, How do we generate growth when the tides recede?

1)We grow by building a new business culture with everyone engaged in the business.
2)Put yourself out there - You need to kiss a load of toads, to find your prince.
3)I like this one - Seemingly insignificant events or experiences can work our brilliantly. Be open to all situations.
4)Look at all angles! What can be lost? What can be achieved?
5)Be consistently good.
6)Managing people is extremely important. If you manage your talent well, you will maximise your benefits.
7) Honest error + treat people well = Right answer
8) Lastly, be enthusiastic!

See you in a month Nigel.

AFA AdSchool

2009-06-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking over the last few months... how can I increase my industry knowledge and skill set? I want to study something, but what? It needs to be practical, relevant and intensive. Post-grad and Masters were my first and obvious options, however during my research I saw a few interesting Masters programs in Israel! Definitely saving that idea for 2011 - better start learning Hebrew.

Then I came across AFA AdSchool. It's academically recognised and government accredited Institution of Higher Education. You can choose to do specific electives or participate in core units and end with a post graduate equivalent in a Certificate in Advertising Communication.

If you're keen to chip away at your education and feel like being in that student head space, check out their website.

wwww.afaadschool.com.au

Morning coffee and Advertising Age

2009-05-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

As I sipped my morning coffee, I came across an interesting article; how do marketers cope with consumers' new found frugality? It essentially talks about where the 4Ps are right now in this economic crisis. Avi Dan explains that the recession is not a reflection of the usual business cycle, but rather represents a complete social and economic reset. Check it out:

Rethink product: As consumers learn to live within their means and frugality replaces an abundantly wasteful consumerism, sustainability will become an essential benefit to your customers. Customers will uncompromisingly penalize products and brands that are perceived as wasteful of scarce resources and harmful to the environment, from SUVs to bottled water. Indeed, marketers need to recognize that sustainability has moved beyond a trend. It is no longer a sidebar of traditional marketing strategies but rather the very DNA of their product offering.

Rethink promotion. As markets become more tribal, they must recalibrate from broadcasting to narrowcasting and reach targets more efficiently and more effectively through tools such as behavioral targeting and addressable TV. They must also adopt a more granular view of customers by making analytics the cornerstone of any marketing effort. Most marketers are still committed to traditional communication vehicles, primarily TV. But the lesson from the rapid rise of social networking is that people prefer to have a conversation and dialogue within their networks, not an interruptive, one-way communication through TV commercials. Marketers must learn to adapt if they want their communication to maintain its effectiveness with a suddenly harder to please consumer.

Rethink price. As we've seen with the automobile industry, most companies, certainly in the manufacturing sector, operate at overcapacity, which makes them inefficient and diminishes their ability to raise price. How do you compete in such an environment, where top-line growth is a challenge? Rethink your bias, and instead of raising prices, appeal to a broader audience. Most marketers focus on Gen X and Gen Y, with a combined buying power of $1 trillion, but ignore African-Americans, with buying power in excess of $1.5 trillion, and baby boomers, with $2.1 trillion. Hispanic buying power is growing at three times the national average and will reach $1 trillion in 2011; Asian-Americans spend three times as much as Gen Yers; and gay Americans clock in at $800 billion. Ignoring these segments will put undue pressure on your profitability in an environment resistant to price increases.

Rethink place. Increasing distribution in a shrinking market is a loser's game -- merely trying to stay put as the treadmill goes faster and faster. It is likely that for the foreseeable future, the U.S. market, while still the world's biggest economy, will become less important as growth flattens. Thus, marketers must pursue growth in other markets. Most marketers are already focused on the BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- as growth markets, and wisely so. These are fast-growing countries with large populations and appetites for imported goods. But now also may be a good time to explore what Goldman Sachs calls the N-11, or the Next Eleven, the big countries behind the BRICs: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam.

Pretty interesting.

How to make an inspiring presentation

2009-05-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

...by Steve Jobs.I watched this back in April 2008. Here's the summary.

1) Set the theme – make clear and consistent them. Create a headline that sets the direction of the meeting
2) Provide an outline – Open and close each section with a clear transition. “So that’s a, b and now c”
3) Make it easy for your listeners to follow your story
4) Demonstrate enthusiasm and show it “It’s extraordinary, amazing, cool.”
5) WOW your audiences – have fun and be excited
6) Sell an experience – make numbers and statics meaningful, analogies help connect the dots for your audience. “It has 12G of music, that means you can travel to the moon and back.”
7) Make easy on the eye and be visually pleasing, little text
8) Paint a simple picture that doesn’t overwhelm
9) Treat like a show
10) Identify your memorable moment and build up to it
11) Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse and spend the time
12) And one last thing…. Give you audiences an added bonus to walk away with a band, a new product or features. This heightens the excitement.
Approach as an event production with a strong opening, product demo in the middle an encore.

How to present Ideas

2009-05-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

1) Be natural and know your own style
2) Humor works – make it warm
3) Rehearse!
4) Believe in the idea – be passionate – have lots of reasons why
5) Drum roll… Build up to it! Before you reveal, repeat insights one more time.
6) Put it on a pedestal – board it up
7) Give it some context and explain it.
8) Don’t oversell it
9) Open with a few positives before delivering the negatives
10) Don’t lie
11) Figure out comments and their possible responses

What is digital?

2009-05-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

It's no longer a set of channels, (i.e mobile, computers, DOOH) rather a method of consuming all platforms. It's changing our ability to interact with other traditional media and essentially extending the dialogue. The mode of communication is changing from a one-way form of communication to a two-way model. This fertilizes new conversations and ignites connections between brands and consumers. In a world where everything is digital. What does this mean? Consumers are integrating digital, seamlessly into their online and offline words. And… really It’s all about understanding our consumer.