I’ve recently started an MSc in Digital Marketing Communications and whilst drowning in a sea of textbooks and other related reading material I do try to stop and think once in a while. A question was asked on the MSc forum which went along the lines of,

‘How significant is the Internet for Marketing?’

Apart from the obvious advantages, I tried to think a little harder about the implications of the Internet for marketing and found that it tied quite nicely with Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘The Tipping Point’. In the book, Gladwell discusses social epidemics and how the influence of a few are able to cause a wave of momentum to take an idea to the aforementioned tipping point.

With the proliferation of online, getting to this tipping point is just so much quicker than before although this is true of most things that the internet has touched. These influencers are referred to as ‘Connectors’, people who have a natural flair for socialising and occupying many different social groups – the people that many of us rely on to introduce us to those of other groups who we may not normally come across.

The Internet is therefore a Connectors dream – social networks are the Ferrari with them firmly in the driving seat. Whereas in the past a Connector may have had to work a lot harder to keep up with their connections (although arguably they wouldn’t see it as work), it is now much easier for this type of person to do what they do best. Whilst online has made it easier for these guys, it has also made it easier for the rest of us – you could argue that everyone who is online is now a Connector and no social group is really out of reach.

The potential of tipping points being reached for anything has therefore been enhanced. Today, trends and fashions disappear as quickly as they arrive as society is ever hungry for the next thing. More tipping points indicate that the gap between niche and mainstream is decreasing. Mainstream trends are now arguably more difficult to quantify as online has made it easier for us to occupy our own ‘niche’ groups (albeit rather large niches!).

So recently I received a promotion and with it more responsibility – something I’m really pleased with as I’m able to have more of a say in situations and generally feel more important than I actually am. However, the dark side of this positive turn of events is not really having much time. Multi-tasking has gone astronomical in recent weeks and my attention is getting accosted by anything and everything. I’m sure what I’m saying isn’t new to what many people experience regularly so my apologies to those of you who fall into this category.

Anyway, in the 3 minutes and 23 second window I had available yesterday to dedicate some thought to my situation, it was apparent more than ever to me how hard marketing messages have to work in order to cut through and get attention. I mean, I’ve always known this, every marketer knows this but this moment of realisation was like the heavens opened, a light shone down and the marketing God actually made me gain a further understanding of it that I never had experienced before. Ok, it wasn’t quite that dramatic but something along those lines.

The volume of messages we receive daily is increasing at a crazy pace and its becoming tougher and tougher as I’m not even able to have the time to read the news bulletins that I want to read. What I’m saying is that if a message is to cut through my regular day it has to be a pretty big priority, which as a consumer gives me even more power….but as a marketer gives me less…boohoo

Just thought I’d share a presentation I’ve done for our HR department regarding online recruitment.

An apology in advance for a bit of ‘ranty’ blog update but this just screams out to be written about. We all know that the rate at which technology and communications improves is ever increasing (see Moore’s Law if not) but we also need to spare a thought for the impact this has on society and our culture.

Recent events such as the Raoul Moat episode caused me to think about this, call me old fashioned, but I was quite astonished by the number of jokes floating around on the Internet about this guy before he was even caught. Is it not bad taste to circulate these types of jokes when he was still in the market for killing?! I understand that the Internet makes everything a bit more immediate and on the whole I’m all for it but the lead time for bad taste is also getting shorter! The ability of the Internet to hook-up psychopathic sympathisers is also quite worrying – Raoul Moat has amassed thousands of ‘fans’ on facebook at time of writing.

The pace and prevalence of these types of communications has led to a desensitisation toward events that take place. For many people, they aren’t thinking of the families of the victims but about what can get the biggest laugh from their friends/followers on Facebook and Twitter. Whereas in the past, this kind of thinking was contained, it is now becoming the norm and I believe it’s quite sad to see. I hate to think it, but I reckon if 9/11 were to happen again today, then the first jokes would appear within hours whereas it would have been unheard of as little as 9 years ago.

The boundaries are being continually pushed and it’s inevitable that we, as a society, will get to the point where nothing is sacred. At the moment, we don’t think about jokes concerning British soldiers dying in war but I believe we are heading that way. Media headlines always talk about families of the victims etc. but victims of killers like Raoul Moat also have families and yet we find it ok to joke about that situation. It’s a depressing thought but only time will tell I guess.

I really can’t believe it’s taken me this long to update my blog, I am quite ashamed myself. However, there are two reasons why I have had a lengthy absence from the old blog and thefirst is because I have been on holiday (Hong Kong!) and the other is because I have been quite busy with a client project…and it is said client project that brings me nicely onto the topic of this post!

The bods at JDA have been busy creating a new campaign for the Car Shop – it is designed to take you back in time to ‘merrie olde England’. The Ad launches today and it is quite exciting to see the response it is getting. The TV Ad is only part of an integrated campaign that also features outdoor, PPC and social media. It is also a brave move for The Car Shop and is massively different from anything anyone has previously done in their sector.

I know the readers of my posts number into their single digits, but for those of you that do read my posts please feel free to visit/like/follow the campaign on the various sites below. On the microsite itself you can find your ideal cart as well as see other videos in addition to the TV Ad!

http://www.cart-shop.co.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cart-Shop/122858417751248
twitter.com/TheCartShop

I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone on this post and some of the more SEO aware of you reading this will also probably say I’m selling my soul. Anyway the two birds, so to speak, are updating my blog, (which I am in the process of doing – or from the reader’s point of view I’ve already done??), and telling as many people as I can about one of the agency’s clients.

So why the title ‘Feeling Dry’, well there lays the clever bit J  and again there are two reasons:

• Dry reason 1 – I have been having difficulty thinking what to blog about as well as finding the time i.e. my writing ability has gone ‘dry’
• Dry reason 2 – the client I wish to mention is a dry skin care brand – badabing!!

Below is the bit where I shamelessly plug and link-build.

Anyways, the brand in question is called Saponaqua and as I said before they have a range of products that focus on dry skin care. It’s an all natural product and it contains a mysterious, naturally occurring mineral called Zander.  Apparently it’s really good for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis of which I have neither – however there are a few testimonials on the site from genuine sufferers that swear by it.

So you don’t think this is soulless promotion I have actually given this stuff a try and it is actually pretty good. I get a bit of dry skin on my face and I’m happy to say it seems to help it. Therefore if you suffer from dry skin you should give it a go!

The agency itself is currently hard at work in formulating the brand and positioning and I will keep you updated as to how it goes – all very exciting!

My cousin (George Law) is an Illustrator/Designer and I just wanted to draw attention to what he is up to at the moment because he is causing a stir amongst various advertising agencies in the Yorkshire region. He is basically putting his mark on the various empty/blank walls that surround us on a daily basis. Agencies have been loosely briefing him on the theme they’re going for and then they let him loose to draw on the wall.

I asked him whether he plans out what he is drawing on paper beforehand and the amazing thing is, is that he doesn’t – he pretty much has it in his head. Something akin to freestyling! Check out the video below for a sped up version of what he did for an agency in Sheffield.

You can also see more of his work on http://www.getaloadageo.co.uk/.

The release of the iPad was big news, huge news, massive news – geeks and technophiles the world over were salivating at the prospect of Apple’s next genre defining product. I must admit, I wouldn’t say that I’m one of those people who have to always have the latest gadget but even I got sucked into the vortex of hype. Put simply…..I want one.

However, after the hype died down a bit I read an article that a company had got the hands on some of the parts and discovered that the front panel had a little space for camera functionality. Now, Apple have obviously gone to the trouble of creating this extra space and therefore aim to have this functionality in there at some point. Therefore it does grate a little to know that it’s going to be there but will no doubt be implemented in a 2^nd release in the not so far future in order to prolong the lifecycle of the product.

Now this type of cynical marketing isn’t really a new thing – Nintendo are the masters of it ever since the days of the Game Boy. However, what I have noticed is that it is becoming more and more prevalent, and with technology improving at a faster rate than ever before it just means that this trend will continue at an ever increasing rate. At the end of the day, it is the brands and manufacturers that will be the big winners and we, the consumers that will be out of pocket.

*Sigh* I apologise for the above having a bleak outlook on the situation but I do feel that it has to be said and no doubt I am voicing what a lot of other people are also thinking…………actually who am I kidding?… F**k it, I still want an iPad 🙂

Even though it had a relatively quiet 2009, I recently read (via Mashable on http://bit.ly/7P3OEk) that Second Life’s economy grew by 65% over 2008 to $567 million. This is evidently a huge number, especially considering how the real world economy was shrinking – all the bankers and investors must have been hiding out in Second Life!

The evidence shows that virtual worlds definitely aren’t a fad or passing trend and will only stand to become more sophisticated as time goes on. What’s interesting is that, if you can visualise it, it used to be always a case of the virtual world encroaching on the real world with games like Second Life or World of Warcraft mimicking elements of real life. However recent trends have shown that this is occurring in the other direction as well with social networks like Foursquare or Gowalla making our real world into a virtual one.

I for one, have been bitten by the Foursquare bug and have found myself adding new venues and ‘checking-in’ into all sorts of places. What’s great is that social networks like this encourage people to venture out more which can only be a good thing. Interestingly, it also demonstrates the exact opposite of the stigma that is attached to virtual world games. I have to admit, I’m really (or is that virtually?) excited to see how this develops in the future as the lines between the two become increasingly blurred.

Ahhh, Christmas is almost upon us and it’s that time of year when even the most pessimistic and downbeat of us carry a little hope in our hearts. It’s also a time of reflection, thoughts drift towards family and how we’ve conducted ourselves across the past year. Whilst engrossed in one of these moments of reflection I came to the stunning realisation that working in marketing is making me cynical. That’s right; as if I needed anymore help in that department I now find that my profession is vastly accelerating my descent into grumbling old man-dom. How? I hear you say…

Well, as many of you know, in essence, marketing is just selling. Yes there are all sorts of analyses, insights etc. but at the end of the day it is just identifying the best way to sell a product/service. Now, when most of my week is spent wearing my marketing hat I find it extremely difficult to remove said hat outside of work. For example, I was with a friend shopping for a Christmas present for his sister the other day; she wanted some nice cycling gloves. So there we were in Halfords looking for the ideal pair of finger warmers and doing the usual sifting through the various iterations when my friend said

“Look at this pair, it says they have special 3 strip finger grips – my sister did say she needed some extra grip” and my reaction…

“Bullsh*t…3 strip finger grips? 3 strip finger grips?? What is that?!”

My friend’s face was one of what can only be described as someone gurning in shock, I then proceeded to take them from him and to my horror found that these 3 strip finger grips were literally 3 strips on the middle and index finger of the glove coloured in black – in all honesty they added no grip whatsoever. So these useless strips were marketed as ‘3 strip finger grips’….oh how cynical I have become.

I really do miss the days when I used to wear the consumer hat with fond abandon. Note to self, New Year’s resolution is to not let my job make me more cynical than I already am and if it does then to definitely keep my opinions to myself.

Merry Christmas 🙂