Loves and Rantings

Brilliantly grotesque. Love how passers by are intrigued with what's happening in the window.

Bing | Decode Jay-Z Case Study - YouTube

2011-09-28T10:02:00.001+01:00

Wow. That's all. I love this.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Halifax Facebook Holiday Profiling App - go on have a go

2011-08-23T12:58:00.001+01:00

@RachelClarke shared this app http://t.co/hsR6tny just now and I really love it. Really funky, quirky little app - not something that I would associate with the Halifax brand.

The good bits

It got my choice of holiday right - I would indeed love to go to Mexico and I do happen to like spicy food
It reads Facebook data and creates something relevant from it - suggests a friend to take (people in my latest photo tags), suggests a book
It informs you about the country it's recommending
It's interesting
It's personalised
It's well designed and the functionality worked
It was easy to interact with and enabled self-selection of another destination - thus furthering interaction with the brand and deepening the experience.

The not so good bits

As Rachel pointed out in her tweet, the app 'over-does the produce mentions'. Agree. Promoting product is fine, after all sales are the final objective and reason why apps like this are created - along with creating fun experiences and providng a positive association with brands. 13 product mentions on one page though in anyone's book is overkill.

The call to action is not relevant in a hypothetical app and the copy does nothing to recognise this fact. The call to action to ORDER YOUR HALIFAX TRAVEL MONEY NOW! appears 6 times on the infographic style results page. I'm not a fan of call to actions with NOW! in - but even worse, in a hypothetical holiday choosing app, people are not going to be booking the holiday it recommends - so the call to action isnt' relevant to the experience. Sale of this product is connected to the next time people go on holiday and a more friendlier approach would be to address this.

The benefits of the product are not communicated until the second stage of the app. What % of people drop off at stage one without receiving the key message, only a demand to order the product. I'd imagine that click through isn't high due to the relevance of the call to action and the fact the experience ends at stage one. This is a shame as the second stage has a really friendly tone and great benefits of why to order travel money from the Halifax.

Definitely worth a go though - where does it take you? http://t.co/hsR6tny

Small is big for car advertising - Kia nail art stop motion, SmartCar mini billboards, new Elantra ad

2011-08-19T05:20:00.001+01:00

Small seems to be the way to go for small car advertising. Well yes, obvious but what's interesting is the way that small has been depicted creatively.

I absolutely love this stop motion ad for the Kia Picanto created by painting 900 nails over 25 days and 25 nights. Not just because I'm a girl and wish I had such nail paiting talent, but because this is creative genius. Really original way to demonstrate the benefits of the car to the target audience and the line 'We didn't just minimise it, we maximised it in a small space' nails the selling point and the whole point of the ad in one. Thanks to Alltop and the Caners for sharing this.

The miniature billboards which seem to be popping up in different cities across the world are fab. Here is SmartCar's miniture outdoor campaign - so cute that you would stop and take a look if you were walking past (disclaimer: if you we're not in a rush to your next meeting, late for a date or to catch the last bus). These what-is-that type placements are unusual and distrupt passers by from what they normally see as they're walking around their local area.

Another car manufacturer creating something unique from small is Hyundai. Here's the new Elantra ad. Using the russian doll technique to demonstrate big thinking in a small car, this ad is so fluid and elegant, it's poetic.

So we see small is beautiful, less is beautiful, small is beautiful again and big thinking into small.

Incidently, did you know that the phrase 'small is beautiful' was coined by Leopold Kohr, an Austrian professor, used to oppose the 'bigger is better' philosophy and business practice. In 1973 (good year) his student, English economist, E. F. Schumacher, wrote a series of essays called Small is Beautiful about how continuous growth strategies and lifestyles of consumption were not sustainable with a planet where natural resources were depleting. Interesting hey?

See the full gallery on Posterous

Loving the Kenco Millicano Facebook app #thingsyoulove

2011-06-10T12:53:00.001+01:00

Fab little app from Kenco Millicano - taking things you love from Facebook and representing it back in a lovely interactive storyteller. Like this a lot http://apps.facebook.com/thethingsyoulove

My results are all true. However, I do wonder why my most posted word is GOT.

Seriously.. another I Am campaign. I just can't take anymore

2011-06-10T12:30:00.001+01:00

Why spoil a beautifully directed ad, created in a beautiful setting, endorsed by a beautiful celebrity by using the same words as on so many other ads.

In my opinion creating another I AM campaign is just boring and uncreative, there is absolutely no way I would present this to a client. Here are a few more I Am campaigns http://bit.ly/iEO2Xw - the rant is completely justified.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Official Launch Video is much better http://bit.ly/jsM4Cs - no ridiculous lines like 'I am such stuff as dreams are made on'.

Never get bored of perfume advertising - Kiera Knightly in Coco Mademoiselle film

2011-03-22T13:05:00.001Z

via ldnfashion.net

I'm sure many people would completely disagree with this, but I never get bored of perfume advertising, particularly the Chanel short films. They've always been so beautifully shot, dreamily art-directed, featuring gorgeous looking people doing ultra fabulous things.

Easy on the eye aspiration is never tiring (well not for me anyway), perfume nice, but would I buy it, no. Who would want to smell the same as their friends?

Subjective post!

Dear Creative, please put a stop to more 'I am' Campaigns

2011-03-21T15:57:00.001Z

via campaignlive.co.uk

In my humble opinion, from the client services side of the fence, there needs to be an end to more 'I am' campaigns.

Over the years we've seen 'I am' campaigns from Reebok, Orange, Nikon, Telstra and a series of NFP organisations. As beautifully executed that these campaigns are, with individually powerful and evoking messages, when concepts are repeated over and over again, the campaigns lose their charm and become boring and repetitive.

Here's Orange's 2008 brand campaign http://bit.ly/g33IVd and featuring Mark Beaumont http://bit.ly/dV58GG

And Nikon's 2010 campaign http://bit.ly/dV58GG and YouTube channel http://bit.ly/hHlJrA

And Reebok's 2005 'I am what I am' Campaign (summary) http://bit.ly/eYhf01 and video http://bit.ly/gE9obv

Telstra's I am Australian 2008 campaign http://bit.ly/eCp3cZ

And NFP I am Campaigns:
Keep a Child Alive http://bit.ly/geLVmj
The I am Campaign http://bit.ly/hOLkDt
Campaign for Liberty http://bit.ly/gbkYIn

Then there are a series of I Am businesses with different disciplined.

I just want to say I AM so over I am's

A Life on Facebook (Video)

2010-11-12T14:38:00.001Z

Brilliant. Awesome. Makes you laugh. Makes you smile. Sweet ending. Very creative. Love this!

Thanks to @joelmelton for sharing :)

Google's high five to Halloween

2010-10-31T12:59:00.001Z

Loving Google's tribute to Halloween this year. You Tube has its own little ghost but I'm still wondering what Twitter is going to do. Anyone remember last year's trick or treat from Twitter?

Everyone raving on iPad n iPhone4 - I want one of these

2010-06-09T13:42:00.001+01:00

via penshop.co.uk

Old school. But so nice for drawing with.

Cadbury Flake or Cadbury Calamari? New Ad

2010-06-09T12:17:00.001+01:00

Beautiful ad, love the comments and yes, definitely looks like salt n pepper squid. Lurve the dress - imagine we'll be seeing more cream chiffon in the the high street now.

Tks @ellabella83 for sharing the link
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/june/new-flake-ad

Cool plastercine animation & Doritos engagement campaign

2010-05-05T20:27:00.001+01:00

http://kingofads.doritos.co.uk/

Sharing this because:
a) it's cool creative
b) it's a cool engagement idea from Doritos - make an ad, make a fortune
c) I work with the ever lovely and charming Lillian Chambers, who could do absolutely anything with a piece of plastercine, it's unreal.

Like it? Give it the thumbs up for Lillian x

Social shopping on FB - liking it, Levis

2010-05-05T20:02:00.001+01:00

via digitalbuzzblog.com

Don't know where I got the link from this today but now I've had the time to review the site, I did and I've forgotten who shared the link (sorry).

Great idea from Levis, one which I think will be copied very quickly - check it out http://us.levi.com - do you like?

Levi’s New ‘Friends Store’ Social Shopping Site | Digital Buzz Blog

Paper Animation - cool vid with a surprising ending

2010-03-18T10:54:00.001Z

via likecool.com

This is so cool to watch, I wasn't expecting the ending at all. It tells a story and brings to life what AXA do in a truly interesting and creative way. I love this.

Chanel Tattoos - would you wear them?

2010-03-08T10:36:00.001Z

via elleuk.com

Cheaper than real tattoos, way less painful, actually fairly pretty (IMHO). Would I wear them? Perhaps if my legs were this skinny and this long. You?

Via @lollingtons

Would you call your product Pussy?

2010-01-26T21:56:00.001Z

Pussy is natural, makes you energised and apparently a pleasure to drink.

My flatmate brought a can home tonight. Shocked and amused at the name; bought it for me as she thought 'I'd be interested, since I'm in marketing'. So here it is, this is the well packaged product, Pussy. Pretty design. Strange name for a drink. I wondered who the target market was - girlie(ish) design, name aimed at boys. Confused branding? So I went to the site http://www.pussydrinks.com, to check it out (like you do).

Positioned at people 'looking for a natural alternative', promoted by Hugh and his very natural bunnies. The Pussy personality is 'spontaneous, entertaining, optimistic and fun', like you would expect. Nice pics from a swanky looking launch party; this drink is to be served with Grey Goose. Interesing tone of voice with lines borrowed from the porn industry 'Looking for pussy? Call us on...'. The values are sophisticated and irreverent - this cheeky brand certainly has an attitude.

Whatever you may think about the brand, the natural ingredients promise a yummy yummy taste; it contains Sasparilla, which I love. So yeah, for a natural energy boost I'm definitely going to drink mine in the morning.

Cool concept for energy saving brand

2010-01-06T10:45:00.001Z

via creativecriminals.com

Love this concept about only using the energy that you need from Osram. Bus shelter lights up when someone uses it. Imagine it produces a nice experience on a dark night.

Love the new Burberry user generated content site

2009-12-05T13:26:00.001Z

The Art of the Trench is an awesome site by Burberry. On first glance it looks like professional photos of lots of people, models, children in their Burberry trench coats. It is actually user generated content of good looking trendy peeps and their kids, fabulously photographed, looking really cool in an eclectic mix of locations. I'd say this goes further for the brand image and says more about style than staged shots of models. I recommend that you take a look, I really like this site http://artofthetrench.com/.>

Branding Campaign Tries To Improve Image Of "Made In China"

2009-12-04T19:56:00.001Z

via brandchannel.com

The Made in China brand campaign to improve the image of things that are made in China is a tough one. Tip of the iceberg in improving image, there are many things to be addressed - like the quality, conditions, breadth of products made under the Made in China label, length of time negative perception has been around. I do like the Made with the World line though. Interesting to see how this campaign pans out. Skoda did it.

Hyundai Canada satisfies customer in response to viral video

2009-11-20T20:41:00.001Z

Anyone remember the original car parking video when the BMW drove over another car in a car park? Well the other car was a Hyundai and this is Hyundai Canda's response. Great move for the brand. Great use of social media and PR. Great win for the customer.

Love the mo? Shaving brand get in on supporting Movember

2009-11-07T11:57:00.001Z

via lovethemo.co.uk

This is the latest campaign by Wilkinson Sword supporting Movember.

I have a love hate thing going on with Movember. I love the work the charity is doing, the campaigns are excellent, the way that Movember has has taken off all over the world is amazing. The only thing is, that men all over the world, in every office, every bar, walking the streets spend a whole month looking freaky, scary, like they should be avoided at all costs. And to go with the mo - seems to come the accompanying dress sense.

All for a good cause though http://movember.com

What's Next In Marketing And Advertising (2009)

What's Next In Marketing And Advertising (2009)

2009-10-31T18:13:00.001Z

I love this vision. The future of marketing and advertising is:
- Collaborative
- Generous
- Experimental
- Helpful
- Playful
- Personal
- Honest
- Participatory

View more documents from Paul Isakson.

Can't believe this

2009-10-31T12:08:00.001Z

Weird. Creepy. The point of creating something like this completely escapes me. Yeah any publicity is good publicity and all that - and the Microsoft 7 Launch Party is getting talked about - but seriously....?

BK: Dollar Menu Augmented Reality Banner

2009-10-30T21:04:00.001Z

via bannerblog.com.au

Quite a pointless exercise really but still great to see AR working in advertising. Think my little brother and sister would love to see themselves online though. Will definitely get them interacting with this banner.

'Feeding kids meat is child abuse' - Peta Campaign

2009-10-28T10:08:00.001Z

via campaignlive.co.uk

Strong claim. I'm inclined to think that the majority of people will think that this is too extreme as there is plenty of evidence to show that a balanced diet which does contain meat is perfectly healthy and has been for centuries. I don't think that this message will resonate.

Birthday Chocolates

2009-10-10T11:41:00.001+01:00

The love of a chocolate tasting club. Eagerly awaited each delivery. My mum has been in The Chocolate Tasting Club for a couple of years now. This time, they were for me :)

The Chocolate Tasting Club is the loyalty club of the famous and delicious Hotel Chocolat, which has shops all over the country including an outlet in Harrods. The whole experience is really indulgent and true to the whole concept of tasting. With your much anticipated delivery of chocolates, you get your tasting menu and scorecard. Although it's also nice just to eat them!

Cupcakes from Kent

2009-10-09T14:20:00.001+01:00

via twitpic.com

The Kent Cupcakery make truly beautiful cupcakes. The designs are honestly so pretty, almost as the cliche goes.. too good to eat. I love getting updates via Twitter on what's just been baked. Such a great idea and use of social media. Here's the blog http://thekentcupcakery.blogspot.com/

Do advertisers have a responsibility to spell correctly?

2009-10-07T22:09:00.001+01:00

I definitely think that advertisers have a responsibility to spell correctly. Advertisements are made to be seen and read by the general public and with the decline in writing ability, I think spelling correctly becomes even more important. Yes there is the argument about using language which is appropriate to the target market - 'round Essex' possibly works colloquially but in print, I have my doubts if this is right.

The Guardian followed up the campaign and avoided the 'round/around' issue by using 'cycle' through Essex. Whereas Google's 'Did You Mean' got it right with a 'Did you mean cycle around Essex'.

What do you think?

Things to consider in online PR

2009-10-06T22:55:00.010+01:00

Today a friend asked me what Online PR was. Here's my topline summary:

Online PR is the process of using digital channels for communicating messages about a company, brand, product, service or person. This includes influencing online news channels, search engines, bloggers, forum discussions, social networks and video channels.

Before you can consider any of this, you need a home for your online PR efforts. This is your website and/or blog. A place that people hopefully want to visit, that people can find easily... and of course a place which is interesting, inspiring and useful for the people that visit it.

Making the most out of your website
Make sure that your business and marketing strategy is executed through your website. Ensure that your website communicates your messages in a consistent way but uses creativity to deliver the message so that it doesn't get tired. Create content that your target market wants to read, find out through other business channels such as customer service or site search statistics what that is for your company. Make regular content updates and create more reasons for people to keep visiting your website.

Use your blog to publish your own news releases, offer feeds to RSS readers and by email and provide ShareThis functionality to allow readers to share or bookmark your content. Make it useable.

Getting your story picked up by news channels
It is best to use an online PR distribution service to help you get your message to all the people that might be interested in seeing it. This includes journalists, international news sites, bloggers and various special interest groups. Popular newswire site PRWeb manages your press releases so that they don't get missed in the masses of PR that gets released every second of every day. PR Newswire is an alternative service that offers similar services. The following video explains in plain English how PR Web's newswire works:

Writing influential press or social media releases
It's not enough to just write a release and expect it to be of interest outside your company. Make sure that you find an angle and keep it concise and focused and keep it to about 400 words. If you make it timely to your audience it will be more relevant. Also use relevant examples that support your message. Don't forget to include images, quotations, video, or audio files as these add interest to the story. A short background on your company at the end creates context but doesn't detract from the main message.

Your press releases should not be the same as your advertising and they should not sound the same. Think about what people want to know, provide them with the facts and keep it objective. Marketing campaign headlines and copy are a definite no-no. Transparency is key in social media channels. See what PRWeb has to say about how to write an effective press release.

If you want your press release to be shared, make sure that it includes tags and links to the relevant news sharing and bookmarking sites such as Technorati, Digg, Delicious.

Optimising press releases for search engines
To be found by the search engines, your press releases need to be optimised for the web. This means that the press release needs to have search friendly headlines. The number of characters in a search engine friendly headline varies by source Jacob Neilson says on average 5 words, Digg headlines are 60 characters. It's important to include relevant keywords in the headline, in the description or summary and also in the body copy. Don't forget to include keywords on your images, video or audio files as these will be picked up too. SEO is important for online PR because this is how your content is picked up by the search engines to be found by potential readers.

Influencing bloggers
To be considered as part of the blogosphere you have to participate. That means, write a blog, comment on other people's blogs, link to other bloggers' posts. Not only is a blog the best place to update your content on an ongoing basis, it’s a permanent place for content on your brand to live on your website. Once you have your blog, make sure you keep it updated with relevant content that your target audience want to engage with. Interact with other bloggers, link to relevant stories that they have written and they will do the same if it's of interest.

Be warned that sending a press release randomly to a blogger that you have no relationship with, my result in a negative blog post. Or at the very least, amount to nothing. Also be aware that bloggers can now get fined up to $11,000 by the FTC by not declaring financial incentives they may be receiving for blogging on a particular brand, product or service.

Influencing social networks
Social networks are the new buzz in marketing. Neilsen report that social networks are now more popular than email. There are many different kinds of social networks; the most popular ones include Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Friendfeed and Linked In. More and more businesses are finding ways to integrate with social networks, providing reason for people to link with them. With 96% of US online retailers say that they either have or will have a Facebook Fan page and 91% will be using Twitter in the next year, marketers need to start focusing on the quality of their social media interactions. See more emarketer stats on social media adoption.

Presence on social networks needs to be engaging. What does your audience want and expect from your brand. Will they subscribe to you for news and information, like Mashable on Facebook and Twitter? Will they become a fan because your brand is cool and provides entertaining content, like Rubberduckzilla on Facebook. Are they interested in a new campaign you've created, like Lucozade Energy on Facebook? Do they want to know about offers, like DellOutlet on Twitter? Whatever your message is, you need to be delivering value in your social network activities or it will not work. Social networks are consumer spaces and they will link with you if you provide reason to, not just because you're there.

Becoming part of discussions
By monitoring what people are saying about your brand, your company, your products or your competitors on the web, you are more likely to be able to engage in real-time conversations. Buzz monitoring let’s you know who’s saying what, where they are saying it and when it was said. Social media monitoring services such as Radian 6 track real-time conversations and enable you to act quickly on the buzz whether you are responding to a sales request, customer service issues or reputation management issues.

Getting your message watched on video channels
The usage of online video continues to rise. Video is an effective way of communicating a message, particularly if it's explaining a new service, demonstrating a new product or showcasing interviews. Video is also a great to enhance creatively-led messages or enhance social media campaigns with video blogging posts. Video sites such as You Tube, Hulu, Vimeo and Metacafe provide content providers with the opportunity and network to upload videos which can be search for by hundreds of thousands of online video users.

Skills of a new PR person
In an online discussion about social media today, the skills of an online PR suggested and retweeted as being a mix of branding and marketing, search marketing, blogging, social media and someone technology capable. PR is an all encompassing discipline.

Phil Kotler explains Marketing 3.0 in one slide - Holy Kaw!

2009-10-06T16:29:00.001+01:00

via holykaw.alltop.com

Wish I'd been there to see this presentation. Philip Kotler breaks down modern marketing to getting into the Mind, Heart, Spirit of the INDIVIDUAL by tailoring COMPANY Mission, Vision and Values to Satisfy, Aspire and show Compassion to the Individual.

Resulting in being Better, Differentiation and making a Difference.

To me there is nothing with the values and how to do it but it is the tailoring to the Mind, Heart and Spirit of the consumer that is new. I like this.