THINK FRESH BE BRAVE

Are you lurking here?

2009-12-11T08:53:00.011+11:00

Recently I have found myself in conversations with various folks working in the communications industry chatting about how they working on campaigns to get people to be more personally involved with their brand and or marketing campaigns... post a note on their blog or website, shaping a radio station playlist, uploading photos as part of a promotion, following a brand on twitter, join a facebook group in the name of a brand etc etc

All good stuff in this rather modern age of consumption and online socialisation, but the big question looms large - how far will people go in the name of social type involvement with a brand? Naturally the first consideration is about how much they like or possibly even love a particular brand... I am a little loathe to spend time with people that either I don't like very much or don't have much in common with. (no big surprise there!)

But what has been really niggling me is how to work out the potential level of involvement. Not all people are the same... some people are loud and opinionated, some are silent types and keep their opinions to themselves, some people like to make their own path in life, some prefer to follow the crowd. So how do these things vary when comparing behaviour in the analogue world to the digital world?

There are a few good theories on the debate...They aren't shiny new by any means but nonetheless, worth sharing. 90-9-1 is a good rule of thumb simply stating that some people participate more than others. researcher Jakob Neilsen calls this participation inequality. The theory goes that:

1% of the online community are CREATORS of content, happy to start things from scratch like websites, blogs and networks

9 % of the online community are comfortable as being EDITORS and chipping in or adding to ideas, forums and posting comments

90% of the online community are more comfortable LURKING, reading or observing than having to make a contribution.

Forrester have also developed what they are calling a 'social technographicss framework that poses a different set of participation statistics around populations based on their data which is based on a way of looking at this area. Check out their 2009 tool to get a breakdown based on a few demo inputs

So in getting back to the question, asuming you havea good idea to start with, you can apply a framework like Forresters and get a rough idea of the number of participants you can expect.

I quite like the recommendation from http://www.90-9-1.com/ around ways to make participation easier which I have stolen below... this is the abreviated version so check out the site for the full lowdown.

Make contributing easy for everyone.

Encourageediting over creating - blank pages are scary.

Reward participants.

Go easy on the rewards, but certainly bake them into the process of participation.

Identify both power users and up and coming users.

which learning style are you?

2009-11-25T14:30:00.002+11:00

A sharp little video from a bunch of interesting ethnographic research folks called Point Forward.

I like their simple framework for referencing 4 basic learning styles across the innovation process.

Key question is whether we are very good at ensuring we have the 4 different learning styles in our organisaton to help us move through the innovation process.

Innovation as a Learning Process from Roger Shealy on Vimeo.

iZine for the iPhone

2009-11-20T13:28:00.003+11:00

I remember when Ezines were all the rage... not sure if this is still what people call online magazines but this is a beautiful example of an Izine... yup, magazine for your iPhone.

Check out the video...

unfriend-ly

2009-11-17T21:35:00.006+11:00

It was back in January that Burger King kicked off their whopper sacrifice campaign rallying whopper lovers to drop 10 friends on Facebook for a free burger.

This week the New Oxford American Dictionary named its word of the year as UNFRIEND.

Blimey, who would have thought we would find ourselves with so many friends through our myriad of networks we'd have to start scaling back on them!

Yesterday I noticed on Linkedin that my network update referenced one of my contacts as reaching 300 connections which is known as the Double Dunbar! This refers to Robin Dunbar an anthropologist who proposed that we are only able to maintain a network of 150 connections before things start to break down... you know, you find it too hard to catch up and stay in touch in any meaningful way. So my Linkedin contact has double the amount of people in their network they can 'properly' maintain a relationship with.... Question is what constitutes a maintaining a relationship in a Linkedin context or any context for that matter? How many people in our network are like 'rainy day' contacts... ? Is there a point where we simply need to sacrifice quantity for quality?

Recently I have also been UNFRIENDING myself from the abundance of e-newsletters I seem to have oversubscribed to as well. in an average day, I seem to find myself on the receiving end of somewhere in the vicinity of 30 daily newsletter updates (and that is just on my work email). Assuming I spent an average of 5 minutes having a read of these, that would be 2.5 hours in my day! I know I am not alone here either as just this week I have had this conversation with a few friends who are all claiming the same need - to unsubscribe from their over abundance of emails updates, UNFRIEND the ones that just don't make the cut anymore and reclaim their day.

There has been a lot of discussion from thinkers like Tim Ferris (the 4 hour week) where he has 17 posts on email detox as well as a video of the celebrity tech blogger Robert Scoble talking about how he gets throgh 622 RSS feeds as well as tens of thousands of emails!

Make unfriending your friend!

A few thoughts on innovation

2009-10-20T12:58:00.006+11:00

thanks to Tim from Dynamic Horizons for this thought provoking number.

All I want for Christmas is a Playstation EyePet

2009-10-20T11:50:00.003+11:00

Speaking of reality, or lack of it. I’ve been babbling on about augmented reality finding its way to our shores (or NOT finding its way). Well, guess what… IT’S HERE AND IT’S BRILLIANT!

Introducing the Playstation EyePet. I stumbled upon this on YouTube, but I hear from a secret source that this is launching here in only two weeks!!

Tickle him and he laughs, poke him and he jumps, roll him a ball and he chases it. EyePet is a responsive virtual pet that reacts to your every move, providing entertainment and fun for the whole family.

First, you bring your little virtual pet to life – explained to you by a scientist, who also explains how to set up your Playstation Eye camera. Then the PlayStation Eye camera watches your interactions in front of your TV and relays that image onto your screen where the EyePet itself lives. This allows you to then interact with the pet as if it were scampering around the table or floor space in front of you.

This little augmented reality critter reacts to your movement, interacting with you, as if you’d just brought him home from the pet shop (or zoo…)

All of this is made possible by the power of PS3 which has enabled EyePet’s developers to create incredible graphics and animation. Not only is he cute, but he’s smart too.

Go Playstation. And to all you parents out there, start saving, Christmas is only around the corner… Check it out...

The Fun Theory

2009-10-19T10:40:00.002+11:00

Even car manufacturers can leverage fun.

The Fun Theory, is the latest campaign by Volkswagen via ad agency DDB Stockholm.
It's not just about proving consumers with fun, but provides them fun in exchange for socially responsible actions. This reward has seen a marked increase in people caring out the action.

Check out the video's of a set of subway stairs transformed into a walking piano and a ‘never-ending’ bin that manage to change people’s typical behaviour for the better.

The latest one is the series has just been uploaded - check is out

And all of this with barely a reference to Volkswagen.

I wonder if there is not some big learning's in this for charities & governments?

Sort of related is a TED video by Rory Sutherland

He talks about how advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. He's point is that changing the perceived value is as powerful as changing the real value.
He is very entertaining & funny (adding some perceived value), but also has some real value in his content. Worth sparing the 10 mins to check it out here: http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.html

be natural

2009-10-18T19:25:00.006+11:00

Something seems to be in the air in Europe as the French and Germans and Americans are keeping things real for women in magazines.

It may have been a few years since Dove's campaign for Real Beauty but there seems to be some real momentum gathering behind this trend around authenticity.

In France, there are calls by the government to include warnings on any ad, labels or posters where women have been airbrushed. The campaign is being headed up by Valerie Boyer, a conservative parlimentarian who rightly points out how airbrushed images only create a false reality for women to aspire to. We'll be watching like hawks to see how and if this story develops.

In Germany, the most popular womens magazine there, Brigitte is banning models from appearing. They are now opting for 'real women' only to appear in the magazine from 2010. This is such a huge move for a magazine but it is responding to complaints from a proportion of its 700k readers. The magazine is a familiar diet of fitness, lifestyle, recipes and sex (of course), which is apparently read by a slightly more upwardly mobile gal.

The editor in chief, Andreas Lebert of Brigitte says that "Today's models weigh around 23% less than normal women".

This year American title Glamour also published an image of a plus size model without airbrushing her. It even sounds rediculous to have to be so excited about such a break through!

Is this a hint that women will no longer be fed a diet of unachievable images to aspire to? let's wait and see before we pop the champas.

The more than small change session in Melbourne

2009-09-09T11:55:00.013+10:00

This time last week we were packing down the signs and breathing a sigh of relief that our second Think Fresh 09 speaker event went off without any major hick ups.

We had three more interesting speakers this time round.

We kicked off with Kate Kendall the online editor for Marketingmag.com.au.
She spoke about Social Media - fad or here to stay?
She shared this video as an opener, which we have had great number of requests for a copy of.

She went on to share some great social media tools and examples of the good (Dell who has earned $3M in revenue from Twitter), the bad & the ugly of brands in the social media space.

One of her key tips was that integration with other media is the key to social media’s success. She also added that brands need to decide for themselves if & how they can use it, do their research (copy & improve), and should look to consumers not the experts to guide them through the social space.

Those interested in chatting more about social media with those in the know, checkout http://twitter.com/socialmelb, on Fridays, 8am @ Mr Tulk, where you can catch Kate Kendal and sometimes us from Melbourne strategy team.

Next up was Toby Dewar, McDonald's National Media & Sponsorship Manager.

He talked us through the transformation of the Macca's business with a very successful ending.
They sent themselves some pretty impressive goal in 2002 for the Australian business;

Fix the food
Get relevant
Become Australia's favourite brand

While number 3 is still a work in process, but there have been improvements in leaps & bounds that have made not only a difference to the bottom line, but has seen them confident in the inheritance they will leave for the future managers of the business.

We finished up with Kate Gunby, OMD Insights Director. Kate presented the findings from our latest research - Future Shapers. The research is a deep dive into the issues organisations are wrestling with to future proof themselves against the constantly changing business environments.

The GFC (no surprise there) was a one the Big Issues business leaders are facing, but accountability, media fragmentation & increased number of communications stakeholders were the longer term concerns.

Another key outtake was in the area of marketing budgets, with most expecting to invest the same YOY, and more looking to increase than decrease.

In terms of channels, more funds are going to be allocated to explore the areas of Online, Mobile and DM at the expensive of Sponsorships and Print.

While this event spells the end of the Think Fresh Festival for 2009, Think Fresh is all about stimulating the conversation, so it is only the beginning....the future really is coming...lets embrace change and be part of it.....it's over to you.

Competing for the Future

2009-09-04T13:07:00.004+10:00

I just stumbled across a post by Vijay Govindarajan, who is an academic who blogs on business strategy & innovation.

I thought it was interesting to share in light of a our Think Fresh theme.

He includes a framework for strategic thinking, with focus on competiting for the future instead of competiting for the present.

Worth a look.

Getting Fresh with OMD Clients

2009-09-02T11:56:00.008+10:00

Last Friday, as part of the Think Fresh, we invited 3 of our clients to talk to OMD about the future of their business and the challenges they’re facing.
The session was a great and feedback from OMD staff has called for more of it!
We kicked off the panel with Leigh Miles, Category Manager of Spreads at Fonterra. Leigh gave us a very entertaining look at the Dairy Category.

Leigh talked to the importance of staying in touch with bigger consumer trends with the example of how butter was the bad guy of spreads in the 90’s but a shift in health trends where consumers want to know what’s in their food has seen a return to butter as the natural alternative to margarine.

Leigh also discussed the growth of private label brands in our supermarkets as a major challenge for the Fonterra business. He believes that there are two advantages that brands have over private label that need to be leveraged to stop consumers going to the dark side:
1. The ability to invest in marketing a brand
2. Putting resource into innovation

Next up, Nikki Clarkson, National Marketing Director at Austereo told us about their future challenges and what they’re doing to future proof the business.

Austereo is facing challenges not too dissimilar from ours when it comes to how we use technology for communications and remain relevant. With the old adage, Content is King, Nikki’s challenge for the future is how Austereo maintains the distribution of content effectively across any channel in which radio can be heard or viewed.

To future proof the business Nikki talked about nurturing current talent and always being on the hunt for the next big thing. They have dedicated talent hunters hanging out in comedy clubs, scouring talent shows, attending comedy festivals and listening to tonnes of demo tapes to stay in touch with who could be the next Hamish and Andy.

Finally, Cratis from Open Universities Australia gave us a brilliant overview of how their business has grown in recent years and talked his big challenges:

Finding more of the right distribution partners such as MyCareer and Seek are key to growing their business
Cracking the creative challenge around getting the tone right for a busy adult audience and improving the overall customer experience is crucial to their ongoing success

We hope to make the client panel an ongoing program at OMD so look out for more of it in the near future.

The Forecasters session in Melbourne

2009-09-01T14:51:00.009+10:00

Sheesh - there was so much great stuff to soak up it has taken me a few days to digest and report it back on this hot little date last week.

About 85 of our nearest and dearest joined us for this session, thank god we had enough savoury muffins to go around.

We kicked off with the delectable Risto Sampola, technology blogger at 3aw and Owner of Deeptank, personal technology training. 3 of his top tips:

1. Location based GPS communications are on their way and it won't be long till we are receiving real time communications offering up to the minute offers and communications from brands

2. RFID codes are being integrated into smart phones and will rule out bar codes in the future. Will mean customised comms on mobiles are on their way... by purchase etc!

3. Video is being integrated into static comms like print and outdoor check out http://www.americhip.com/

Next up was Charlie Nelson, futurist and quant confucious:

1. Crucial to understand the past demographic and social trends to recognise patterns on the horizon - Curiosity is king!

2. The wisdom of the masses - better learning from the collective perspective of the masses than listening to a handful of experts. check out James Surowiecki

3. Three potential scenarios for the economy - Goldilocks (not too hot not too cold) / Second Wave (a not so deep but longer laster downtown) / Victims of Success (we get spanked by a stronger recovery and super high inflation rates)

Finally our beloved Leigh Terry, Managing Partner at OMD and digitial whizz kid. He presented the Magnicifent 7 - considerations for 2010

1. Using all assets to invite customers (and non customers) to interact with you

2. using all of your touchpoints to engage ‘beyond the box e.g. http://tiny.cc/JBLOJ

3. Make our comms come a-LIVE e.g. Orange their Glastonbury bull campaign

4. Get participation rather than simply ‘story-telling’? Quests and challenges e.g. British Army

5. Everyone needs to be using search marketing

6. Social Media is more than blogs and tweets - think inside out first... customer experience!

7. Improve the brand experience check out dominos BFD

So... we gorged ourselves on fresh thinking... still digesting it all. Tomorrow we'll be feasting again!

The future of creativity

2009-08-31T16:34:00.004+10:00

As we are all focused on Thinking Fresh about the future. I have noticed two recent businesses that are reinventing the value of creativity (as we traditionally deal with it in the marketing business).

A B&T article covered the launch creative-exchange.com which is a site where creative agencies can sell ideas, that their current clients didn't run, to others. Sort of like the Trading Post of creative ideas. I assume there would be a cost advantage to buying someone else's second hand ideas?

There are other things apart from ideas available, including research & music.

As it only launched today it will be interesting to see how big the market is for this type of service.

On the flip side, in the US clients are doing away with the creative agencies all together.

Unilever goes crowdsourcing to spice up Peperami's TV ads "Food giant drops ad agency Lowe after 16 years and puts up a $10,000 prize for creative marketing ideas".

Consumer created ads are nothing new. Doritos (who did it for $12.79) , Southwest Airlines, and Saucony are just a very few examples.

The interesting thing about Unilever's decision is their attitude.

They have broken a 16 year relationship: " Unilever said it has no plans to retain a full-time ad agency for the Peperami account in future."

And taken Lowe's idea with them: "the (winning) ad has to feature the cheeky Peperami character Animal, created by Lowe London."

The website http://www.ideabounty.com/ that consumers are to submit their Peperami work has cracked many other briefs, though mainly charity clients.

Both creative-exchange.com and http://www.ideabounty.com/ will no doubt open some debate on the ownership of ideas, as well as the value placed on creative ideas & relationships.

Augmented Reality goes mobile

2009-08-31T15:00:00.008+10:00

Following up from Jacquie's post on augmented reality there is more (overseas) news on this technology;

The Wall Has Fallen: 3 Augmented Reality Apps Now Live in iPhone App Store

Lifting this technology from the fixed desk and taking it to the streets does feel like a step forward for uses & uptake in this technology.

Closer to home, well close enough for us to claim it (like Pavlova & Pharlap), a NZ company used AR for their Valentine’s Day activity.
Nothing says "I love you" like some Augmented Reality
Here is link to a video & more information
(hat tip to The Newspaper Works for the link)

OMD's future gallery opens up in Melbourne

2009-08-25T13:30:00.005+10:00

what better way to see out the end of a Monday than a champagne toast to interesting-ness.

In the last few days our ideation room, AKA The White Room turned into OMD's Future Gallery space and we've invited all our friends and colleagues to come step inside and time travel over the next 2 weeks.

As you can see it was rousing affair full of air kissing and inspiration....

What's going on there:

-There's the Timeline wall (2010 to 2040)showcasing what ideas are becoming extinct and what is about to evolve.

-A bunch of inspiring case studies to warm the cockles and make you wish 'you'd done that'

-Classic quotes to steal and throw into your 'future' presentations

-A video corner to get yourself up to speed on stats, facts, social media, techy comms and case studies

-A digital radio to plough through and check out fly by night stations like Pink Radio (yes, pink the singer)

It's a living breathing space to enjoy, write thoughts down or share a few opinions on the walls.

Come get it whilst it's hot!

Seeing the after before

2009-08-24T14:46:00.008+10:00

ThinnerView is a new tool that digitally enhances photos of people to show them at their goal weight.

All you need to do is send in your photo and a digital 'artist' will create a custom made image of you at your goal weight. The idea behind it is that you're more likely to lose weight by being able to visualise your goal.

The tool supposedly creates your after photo based on bone structure and build. And as they say all for less than the price of a single dinner out...well its actually $14.99US (about $18 Aussie).

Do you want fries with that? You can also whiten your teeth and have wrinkles and blemishes in your photo removed!

I thought it was pretty handy if you plan to lose weight but don't want to wait to upload your slimmer self on Facebook.

Some gyms in the US are reportedly using the tool as a way to sign more people up for memberships, or are giving it away for free to premium members.

A simple way to sign up people who want to see the 'after' before!

Exploiting me exploiting chaos

2009-08-19T08:25:00.005+10:00

This is a brilliant example of how to live and breathe the message.

Those clever clogs at Trendhunter have come up with a super community driven marketing idea for their Chief Trend Hunter - Jeremy Gutsche's new book - EXPLOITING CHAOS.

Firstly I'll need to tell you about the clever clogs marketing idea as this will help explain where I fit in...

If you are anything like me, you subscribe to lots of interesting newsletters and yet don't read them very often. Just so happens, I received my regular Trendhunter weekly read and opened this one to discover something a bit intriguing.

There was reference to a soon to be released book EXPLOITING CHAOS - 150 ways to spark innovation during times of change and the chance to get hold of the first chapter by becoming part of their 'revolution'. hmmm... what does heck that mean? I aint no revolutionary...

In simple terms, I discovered it meant 2 really easy to do things:

By registering your twitter or blog account with Trendhunter, they would:

1. Send you a special link to share the 1st chapter with your readers (friend get friend idea)

2. Distribute 100,000 views to their launch partner friends based on how many times visitors click on their custom EXPLOITING CHAOS URL… (inspire loads of proactivity from their base)

So, I unashamedly joined up... hey, I wanted to read the first chapter and here's our super special custom link for readers of this blog:

http://www.exploitingchaos.com/sneakapeak/25

Anyway, I have read the first chapter... a little cynical given the title didn't sound remarkably different from a few recent books I have stumbled across but honestly... this sneak peak was refreshingly inspiring and I am keen to get my grubby mitts on this book when it comes out in all good bookshops.

The book, (well first chapter I read) is littered with gems, historical case studies, quotes and definitions and an Exploiting Chaos Framework.

What I also like is their recognition of changing reading habits so this is a book that addresses this well and can be read in 2 ways:

-The traditional way... cover to cover

-The Exploiting Chaos way... read the headlines and use them to tell the quick and digestible story version.

Check it out... here It won't take long long to plough through it and I'd be surprised if you didn't get one nifty learning from the experience!

Reach out & touch me

2009-08-17T17:20:00.003+10:00

The keyboard may well become redundant in the face of the growing use of touchscreens within personal computers, according to a new survey by market researcher NPD’s DisplaySearch.
The report estimates that the touchscreen market will almost triple by 2015, from $3.6bn to $9bn.

Touch screen penetration has been rapidly increasing in mobile phones, portable navigation devices, gaming and other applications. Over the next several years, touch screens will undergo strong growth in large-size applications, such as retail, ticketing, point of information and education/training.

Touch screen PC's are available now , but techie bloggers are hanging for the Apple tablet.

The next Windows release - Windows 7 will offer a lot for touchscreen users & help drive uptake.

Will this spell the end of the keyboard and possiblying even typing?

when music meets technology and soft porn

2009-08-14T11:38:00.009+10:00

Check out this crazy project...it is a collaboration between Calvin Harris, Sony Music Entertainment, and a bunch called Bare who have invented conductive body ink. In essence you turn humans into circuit board...

If you can speak tech talk... you'll know what this all means:

“Ink-human circuitry” was painted onto the models while two Arduinos were used to provide an analog-to-digital connection with a computer. From there, patching environment Max/MSP translates data to MIDI where the models can then perform by closing circuits with their hands or feet.

Calvin Harris is calling it the Humanthesizer - geddit!

Bare suggest this technology can be used for 'dance, music, computer interfaces, communication and medical devices'

Like the fact this is technology bringing flesh and blood back together... let's face it, mostly technology enables us to do most things whilst avoiding 'face time'

Is augmented reality old news already?

2009-08-11T21:05:00.011+10:00

Given the topic “The Future is Now” is at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now, I was searching for some examples of what’s going on with augmented reality in other markets…(building on Alex’s May AR blog post). I was a tad disappointed to discover that all the examples I found were either a) from other markets or b) been and gone, done and dusted. Did we miss the boat on this one? Or has the boat not arrived yet?

In America, Doritos released a "late night" range of chips, where snackers could experience(via webcam) a 3D "live" performance by artists such as Blink-182. All you had to do was visit doritoslatenight.com and hold up the symbol on the back of the chip bag to your webcam. You then select your favourite artist, and they magically appear right in front of your eyes. It’s great to see marketers thinking “outside the bag” if you know what I mean. It seems the promotion is no longer active, so here's a link to a consumer posted YouTube video (a tad long, but you get the picture) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XFsDZyOW6Y&feature=related

Again, in America, at selected Lego stores, shoppers can see their future creations by holding up lego boxes in front of an interactive kiosk, where via augmented reality a computer screen reflects back the image of that shopper holding up the finished product. It’s a great way to literally get the product in consumers hands –seeing is believing! This has been on the cards for Lego since 2007.

In December 2008 MINI created a print ad that when viewed though a web cam produces a virtual 3D model of their MINI Cabrio convertible on screen. The ad was featured in German automotive magazines.

So what's next and how can we take advantage of all this amazing new technology?

Did you know?

2009-08-11T09:34:00.003+10:00

Following on from Rob post about predicting the future I found this video that illustrates the pace of change we are now dealing with.
Did you know?
- There are more text messages sent each day than there are people on the planet.
- The top 10 jobs that will be in demand in 2010 did not even exist in 2004.
- There are 540,000 word in the English language, 5 x as many as in Shakespeare's day.

Watch it, before the pace change makes the data out of date.

Is predicting the future easy?

2009-08-10T12:05:00.005+10:00

Last night I watched a film called Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage. It's about him getting hold of a list of predictions of all the natural and man made disasters that are going to happen. It starts off as an OK film but half way through it turns out he has to save the world from a huge solar flair. Anyway, don't watch it as it's rubbish.

But it got me thinking about predicting the future, which is timely as our Think Fresh 09 event features 6 futurists and future shapers, from companies such as Microsoft, Google and MCN.

Is predicting the future getting harder or easier? As the pace of technological change quickens, you'd have to think it gets harder to see what will happen. But on the other hand, predicting the future seems to be almost single-mindedly about technology these days which is probably easier to predict than if we were trying to predict turns in international politics. And we have more info and modeling at our fingertips to predict than ever before.

Imagine being alive in 1065 AD and trying to predict the future...you would not have anywhere near enough information, and the pace of technological change would be so slow as to be almost invisible (or at least that's the way we'd see it if we were transported back, but I'm sure there people back then lamenting the introduction of bows and arrows and the decline of jousting as a key skill). The future would be an unknowable blend of religion, politics and intrigue, and the information and power would be in the hands of just a few people. At this time change would have come in quick bursts and then long pauses, e.g. William the Conquerer's invasion in 1066 would probably have been followed by a long period of stability in every day life.

So anyway, change these days is more pervasive and affects all of us more equally, it is brought about by more people, it is probably more knowable as it's more democratic and we certainly have much much more information to base our predictions on.

That's why I reckon predicing the future just might be a bit easier every year!

The children are our future

2009-08-10T11:52:00.003+10:00

A great night of useful programming on the ABC this Thursday night.
8pm sees the next episode of Whatever! The Science of Teens.
This week is about teen moods. Other episodes have covered teen risk, binge drinking & sex (able on the ABC website link above or ABC iView). Whatever
Making it an even better night to get an insight into the brains of up & coming consumers, it will be followed by Consuming Kids: The Commercialisation Of Childhood
"Consuming Kids traces the evolution and impact of childhood comericalisation, exposing the youth marketing industry's controversial tactics, and exploring the effect of hyper-consumerism on the actual lived experience of children."

A very 'fresh' approach to poster advertising

2009-08-05T11:37:00.003+10:00

Just a quick one as the video speaks for itself.
Not only is it a 'fresh' way of doing a street poster it also (importantly) is a perfect fit for the brand & message.

can robots take over the world?

2009-07-31T21:25:00.012+10:00

And in robot news....

Hans Moravec, pioneer in mobile robot research and founder of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute claims robots are going to take over as the dominant life force on earth. He makes some crazy arsed claims that currently robots have the brain capacity of ants but that by 2040 they will be as intelligent as humans. Check out the interview here.

So... what would this all mean? If we can teach them to do all the jobs we don't want to do (or are too lazy to do), Moravec claims we'll be like slave owners living lives of comfort, health, and boundless plenty and it will all lead to developing life on other planets... ok, is this all sounding like a cross between a techno bible and the musings of a man who likes to smoke some really special stuff indeed or could this be the life of our future generations?

Fast Company printed an interesting reflecting on the issue of Artificial Intelligence last week claiming it is rediculous to consider robots taking over the world just yet. Their perspective is clean cut - Why would we be giving autonomy to computerized systems that lack anything other than simplistic algorithms for decision-making? They use the military and the sharemarket to showcase their interesting perspective.

I also spoke to the smartest techy guy I know (ahem) about Moravec's claims for the year 2040 and he thinks this highly implausible time frame given one of the smartest thing robots are doing today is automating pizza production for Pizza outlets...

But now...here's a feel good story at the end...given Japan has the greatest number of robots, it doesn't sound too far fetched they are now appearing in fashion parades there:

Think Fresh 09

2009-07-31T12:28:00.009+10:00

So, we're on the road to Think Fresh 09. Can't believe it has been a year already since the inaugeral Session!

As we head into our second year of Think Fresh. we're excited to see the momentum it has generated amongst our staff, clients and agency partners.

The invites are in now in the post but if you aren't on our list and live in Melbourne or Sydney, drop us a line.... we might be able to squeeze you in!

This year's theme is THE FUTURE IS NOW and the programme line up is bound to teach us all a few things to help us embrace change today.

here's a bit of a spiel on the speaker at this year's events.

Charlie Nelson, Futurist at Foreeechange will be talking about the power of foresight.

Justin Baird, Head of Innovation at Google. He's going to give the Google perspective on the next 12 months and what it means for us mere mortals.

Billy Tucker, Business Development Director, Microsoft Consumer and online is going to be sharing some of the technologies Microsoft are working on.

Graham Christie, Partner at Big Mobile is going to be exploring why 2010 is the year we fully embrace mobile as a marketing channel.

Rob Leach, Head of MCn Connect will give us the heads up on what clients should be doing about interactive TV in Australia.

Risto Sampola, 3AW's Technology blogger will be taking us through the big innovations across the tech industry that are expected to change the way we engage with brands tomorrow.

Kate Kendall, Online editor at Marketing Mag will be talking through the thrills, spills and belly aches of social media.

Leigh Terry, OMD's Managing Partner and digital whizz kid will be getting the crowd excited about the big media trends on the horizon and letting us all know what we should be doing now.

Toby Dewar, McDonald's Nat Media and Sponsorship Manager is going to give us the Maccas story - how to transform a big business and succeed.

Kate Gunby, OMD Insights Director is presenting findings from our latest research on the way different organisations are future proofing themselves against a constantly changing business landscape.

To get us all in the mood over the next 4 weeks till kick off... we'll be posting up thoughts and noodlings on the theme THE FUTURE IS NOW...

indeed it is.

Hell has no fury like a customer scorned

2009-07-28T12:00:00.004+10:00

We all know that if you have a bad meal you generally tell more people about that, than if it was a great meal – particularly if the service wasn’t up to scratch.

Recently published Forrester research looked to put some numbers behind how customer experience impacts word of mouth.
It confirms bad news travels faster than good news...

Bad news is discussed more frequently. For all industries except retail, consumers discussed bad experiences with more people than they discussed good ones.

And if that is bad news about airlines you tell more people....

Airlines face the largest negativity gap. While consumers will tell an average of 5.6 people about a bad experience with an airline, they will only tell 4.4 people about a good one — the largest negative gap across any industry.

Case in point is United Breaks Guitars.

Long story short, a guy flew United Airlines with his band, his guitar ended up broken at the hand of employees, and the airline offered no compensation. He responded by creating a music video about the experience (with two more to come). Now, United is feeling the wrath of citizen journalism, the social web, and the millions of airline travelers who can identify with Dave Carroll’s experience. Would you believe this song is now available on iTunes - music career pending.

You can read the whole story on Carroll’s blog, but this excerpt captures part of the back story behind the video:
“They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.”

Interestingly Chris Ayres of The Times Online in the U.K has but a value on this consumer backlash - $180 Million (10% of its market capital).

One of the many comments I seen in response to the video; “Nice to see that someone managed to cost United so dearly. Maybe they'll think next time about the people who really matter...The customers!”

United has now tried to offer payment to Dave Carroll, but he has refused. See his response here.

A lesson learnt for United I think.

giant steps are what you take...

2009-07-22T09:00:00.006+10:00

1969 was a big year.

Led Zep 1 came out, Neil and the gang did their thing on the moon, John and Yoko got to hang out in bed, Easy Rider came out at the movies, The Brady Bunch started and ....blimey what a year it was!

How do I remember all of this?

NY Times have developed a rather impressive interactive timeline for 1969 with video and images to bring the year back to life.

click here to check it out.

don't shoot the messenger

2009-07-12T13:24:00.005+10:00

Incredible animation work from a Korean animator Moo-hyun Jang:

great viewing if you need 10 minutes away from your usual workload!

Future is Driven by the Power of Dreams

2009-06-17T18:22:00.004+10:00

The future occupies the human mind at an amazing capacity. The act of looking forward in time is quintessentially human nature. We are by definition, the only living animal that looks into the future, thus making evolution dominant in our existence... Now, I’m pretty sure my last post was on a similar topic, the future. We are constantly talking about it, trying to plan it; in fact it’s the topic of OMD’s upcoming 2009 Think Fresh events!

It is necessary for us to think about the future, when things are changing so fast, thinking about the present stops being relevant so quickly.

For brands to keep within a successful cycle they need to keep moving and no doubt that’s what one advertiser is quite successfully promoting, oh and fancy that, it just happens to be an auto brand!

Honda has released a series of short documentaries (Dream the Impossible) and I have to say, they got me! These selections of films are beautifully scripted and rather engaging in my opinion.

Honda is a company founded by a dreamer.
We wanted to document our advancement as a company through film to give you a better understanding of the people behind our products.
Please join us as we uncover Honda through the candid approach of the documentary film process

Currently there are three: Mobility 2088, Failure: The Secret to Success and Kick Out the Ladder.

Mobility 2088 talks about the future. What will cars be like in 2088? A beautiful concept as it is hard to project a realistic idea on this, yet it allows viewers to free their mind into the endless possibilities of maybe...

Failure: The Secret to Success is my favourite. A number of innovative individuals and auto related employees/retirees talk about the natural human trait in all of us, failure. Yet when they talk about this topic, you gain a sense of motivation, as expressed, without failure, how would we measure success?

These short doco’s create a sense of inspiration.

The language they use is telling. So a company like Honda has to communicate that it is constantly advancing.

This is a transparent world and the tropes of documentary are being used to create transparency in a very, very controlled way, to dispel the illusion of illusion that is created by the social construct / meaning of 'advertising'.

...Of course we know it is advertising, but is very good at not promoting itself as that.

Check them out:http://dreams.honda.com/#/allstories

Currently showing across cinema screens.

The campaign targets 25-to-49-year-old adults with a youthful spirit, who are comfortable with technology, who value authenticity, and who are drawn to brands they can relate to, connect with, or admire. The Dreams site is being promoted with television spots using footage from the films, along with online media such as unique page takeovers, roadblocks and pre-roll placements, on relevant Web sites that appeal to the target: technology, news and social media

Creativity and play

2009-06-16T11:47:00.002+10:00

A Ted presentation from Tim Brown from Ideo on creativity and play.

Watch when you need a bit of inspiration.... or if you don't have time, upshot is the old thought around kids being uninhibited and therefore more adventurous in their thinking

search me

2009-06-09T13:39:00.004+10:00

So..... Google own the world of search now, but for how long? Will it be the M$ behemoth to topple the Google behemoth?

So Microsoft have launched BING which is in Beta at the moment and the word on the street is that it is pretty good. But is it going to be good enough to make any kind of dent in Google's share? Wired don't really think so... Steve Wozniak from Apple thinks it has potential.

I also just read that Bing in Chinese can mean biscuit, illness or ice... could be worse i suppose... Remember Mitsubishi's faux pas with the Pajero and it's rather unsavoury translation into spanish... eeek.

From the video, you can see they are trying to get away from the nebulous nature of search and are shifting the reference to a much more tangible outcome... a decision engine... clearly going for the jugular... and why not?

Also have to mention WolframAlpha which I would describe best as a living and breathing encyclopedia type search engine that serves the genuinely curious, brilliantly. it isn't about challenging what Google does as such, this is about being an information source for the information hungry.

WolframAlpha's long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. We aim to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything. Our goal is to build on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries.

...I can see how this has the potential to be a brilliant academic knowledge bank to beat all knowledge banks. Test it out on a question you have had bumping around that needs some good stats and facts... see this big daddy in action.

Conversation starter

2009-06-09T09:09:00.003+10:00

Me: We went to a social media club gathering on Friday...

You: What exactly happens there?

Me: There were a bunch of social media enthusiasts from all over the place talking about...well... mostly the joys and opportunities with social media over coffee and toast.

You: What kind of people were there?

Me: I didn't get to meet everyone but there was Kate from Marketing Mag, Steven from Small Business Victoria, Trevor from ParkYoung PR, Luke from Knowledge Solutions, the Fake Stephen Conroy was there... a very diverse bunch of folks.

you: so what did you get out of it?

Me: A load of enthusiasm for actually getting my head around the fine world of Twitter in particular (although personally I do quite like it as an info source versus a social space) and some interesting and diverse minds to now hook up with and learn from. Quite refreshing to be meeting people from beyond our usual work domain. Some great tipsters were there but the debate was good and the ideas were plentiful.

You: How often does this happen?

Me: Every Friday at 8am at Mr Tulk at the Melbourne library. I gather they happen in Sydney and Brisbane too

In fact, Trevor, our new pal at ParkYoung posted a neat article on the mashing between traditional media spaces and social spaces... check it out.. great read:
http://www.marketingmag.com.au/blogs/view/special-pr-deal-the-traditional-social-media-combo-1294

NKOTB

2009-06-06T09:54:00.004+10:00

New agency in the US making some very clever noise... love their website... it is all hosted and linked on Youtube.

Their company vision is rather well... visionary... check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGsJHZ_p2ck&annotation_id=annotation_319246&feature=iv

Strategy and Search

2009-06-04T13:56:00.002+10:00

We just had a great preso from DGM's head of search Gary Nissim on the strategic role of search.

My favourite case study was about NRMA's Unworry campaign - they launched this without having any search around the term itself, Unworry. So after launch there's a big spike in search for unworry and DGM are there with a rival client to mop up all the searches and turn them into $$ for someone else. Love a bit of ambushing!

I just googled "unhard" to see if they had now sorted it and thank goodness they have. And to my surprise unhard wasn't being bid on by any Viagra type companies!

I also like the case study I've seen recently on the US Government using search to predict disease outbreaks - there is a predictive correlation beteen certain search terms like "flu" and then the spread of those diseases to become mini epidemics. So the Govt can predict where the flu is going to be and act accordingly.

All up, you can now use search for consumer insights, for awareness, for loyalty and retention, for predicting, for tactical campaigns, for competitive ambushing and for measuring the impact of other media, and more - on top of the traditional acquisition strategies.

Anyway I'd say the search session was the most I've learnt in an hour for quite a long time....

One last surprising fact - while Google has 90% market share in Australia, it has nowhere near that in the rest of Asia so it does not dominate in every market.

is there anybody out there tweeting?

2009-06-03T08:36:00.002+10:00

Harvard Business have just conducted a study on Twitter users that brings up some interesting results. They researched a random sample of 300,000 users of Twitter and here's the big findings:

1. 10% of Twitter users make up 90% of the tweets. Compared with other social networking sites, 10% make up only 30% of all production and then there is Wikipedia where 15% of the editors there make up 90% of the content.... so, the upshot on this is that Twitter seems to be be used as more of a one way comms tool than a conversation tool.

2. Big gender diffs on Twitter... Even though women make up 55% of Twitter users. Men are twice as likely to follow a man than a woman and women are 25% more likely to follow a man than a woman. Are men more interesting tweeters?

3. Among Twitter users, the average lifetime tweets is merely 1.

I was talking to Kate Kendall from Marketing Magazine last week about Twitter, she has over 3000(!) followers which i thought make her incredibly famous on Twitter and she talked about using it as a news aggregator for her favourite sites and bloggers. This made complete sense to me and does go some way to explaining the 3rd point. Rather than having a million explorer windows open to your favourite sites to check their updates, just following these sites on Twitter puts it all in one spot.

Read the full Harvard Business report here

Digi awards

2009-05-26T15:16:00.002+10:00

Four OMDers judged the Internet Advertising Bureau awards today and it was a very interesting experience, especially comparing the way it works with the Media Federation Awards. Whilst we are prohibited from commenting on any specific entries or - of course - revealing the winners, I thought there were some good learnings for future digital award entries.

The majority of the entries had at least one significant hole in their story. By that I mean you are looking for a case which had clear challenge, interesting insights, which leads to innovative digital execution and then well evidenced results.

With all awards it is hard to find the perfect case study that has all of the above. But ultimately that kind of all round greatness is what we are searching for.

A couple of areas were the most challenging:

45% of the marks were for results and this was a challenging area as there was no requirement to rule out other factors, so when digital is given as say 27% of spend, and the results are for the campaign as a whole it makes it difficult.

As to having a compelling insight that drove the strategy and execution in surprising directions, there very few of the 40 entries I read that had a good insight. This backs up my long held view that digital strategies in Australia, and probably the world over, have a worrying lack of consumer insight.

One surprise was that Facebook only got mentioned once - every recommendation seems to have Facebook in it these days, but it has not been making it into the final strategies in the last 12 months. Social media was fairly well used though with MySpace and YouTube featuring fairly prominently.

Overall I personally found it a great experience to see all the digital work from agency land in Australia. There was lots of solid work - if few outstandingly brilliant ones. And the focus on business results whilst not being perfect took us a long way further than endless claims of click rates, PIs, UBs and time spent.

Moving forward, strategists have a special role to play in the digital space: the possibilities are so much more varied than with other media that you can't just have digital as a translation of your offline strategy any more, you need to find specific "ways in" to the consumer using the unique properties of digital media.

futurefeed - but of course...!

2009-05-21T13:03:00.002+10:00

Are a regular Facebook status updater or possibly A twit, I mean Twitter-er...?

welcome to Futurefeed... that will 'tell you what your friends are doing before they do it.'

I am hazarding a guess this aint going to be around for very long... can't see why you couldn't tweet or update your Facebook status with things that are about to happen, in fact I am sure people already do this but hey... what's one more device to bore your friends and colleagues with on all the mundane aspects of your life?

Anyway, must dash, I need to put my lunch dishes in the dishwasher everyone - wish me luck!

Piecing together the puzzle

2009-05-20T14:41:00.004+10:00

We're working on how to bring media strategy, creative strategy and content strategy together. It's not easy, but I like to think OMD has a head start on a lot of our competitors due to the success of our branded content division, Fuse, over the last 3 years.

Out of a discussion last week came a couple of thoughts that I quite like. One of them is that the difference between media strategists and content strategists is that media strategists only think about content that exists and how they can find the right content to be in, rather than thinking about creating content to give advertising more impact. In other words, if you can't find the right environment for your brand, make it! That shouldn't be too much of a leap for a media strategist to take.

So, if that was a way to align content strategy and media strategy, what is the way to align content strategy and creative strategy? Well maybe a starting point is in educating our teams and our clients that brands in this day and age don't need to be as single-minded. USPs and "matching luggage integration" campaigns are still here in force, but more brands are opening up to telling different - but not contradictory - stories at the same time.

In this view, the content strategy does not need to be an offshoot of the creative strategy. Most of Fuse's successful content strategies have been quite different to the ATL strategy designed by the creative agency, e.g. V-Raw, Telstra Friends, Nivea Visage.

The truth is that what creative agencies do to make 30" TVCs is often very product focused and interruption based, whereas what content strategists do is the opposite. So, trying to generate a content strategy off the back of a traditional creative strategy just isn't going to wash.

There are still lots of issues to be solved, but by knowing when to try and make strategies match (e.g. content and media), and when they don't need to match (e.g. creative and content), you are freed up to produce great work and great results.

Would be interested in people's comments on this topic...

On the up

2009-04-28T21:09:00.002+10:00

Check out this article from Mashable which shows the fastest growing social networking sites in the world. In case you felt you had the social media thing down pat, I introduce you to 3 on the rise:

Ning
Bebo
LinkedIn

Interesting that the latter two have been around for ages but have got a second wind, while Ning is new to me (I checked it out and it does not have much Aussie focus yet). In a previous post I predicted the demise of Facebook in about a year's time (aside: we no longer have access at work so my personal usage and interest has declined markedly), and the demise of the term social media as everything digital becomes social. Of course what I mean is that it will be so successful that the boundaries between social-media and non-social-media will disappear so the definition will be redundant.

Off to Ning...

News you can choose

2009-04-28T15:28:00.012+10:00

We have been examining the Future of News, and it has led us to some interesting case studies I thought worth sharing. These are sourced from CMD and WARC.

Two key themes emerge in how news providers market themselves: Depth and Speed. Depth is illustrated by case studies from News.com.au and The Daily Telegraph online (UK).

News.com.au's 2006 campaign used the creative tagline "Be Involved" which is around depth of news. But their media strategy was all around the morning commute and touched on live as well as depth. It included LED panels of breaking news in bus shelters, 12 tailored breakfast radio sponsorships, partnership with Street Vision, time-targeted display online linked to live RSS feeds, and interactive outdoor panels. Visitor numbers apparently rose by 30%.

The Daily Telegraph online felt that it always came off second best when big news came out. So as they UK's 2007 budget loomed, they decided to go on the offensive. They created content in multiple media to prepare for their offensive and then spread the content using 100% online media: Search was the foundation of this. But they also used targeted and updated online and a humorous viral campaign featuring a famous comedian.

Speed is illustrated by stern.de (Germany) and Yell (UK).

Stern had a couple in a cinema go into labour and rush out to go and give birth. Just a couple of minutes later, a cinema ad came on showing "Twins born at a cinema in Hamburg" illustrating exactly how fast their news was.

Yell in the UK (which is the UK equivalent of Yellow) showed how to illustrate "Local" by using GPS to localise the ads on digital panels on London buses, so if the bus was in Clapham, the panels talked about Clapham. It would clearly be easy to use similar technology as News.com.au did to illustrate Live using GPS.

Mobile Strategy article

2009-04-27T13:52:00.002+10:00

Here's a link to my article on mobile in today's Australian.

Since I wrote this I have been looking into mobile some more and one interesting thing is the low numbers using mobile search at this stage - I was quoted a client's campaign which had 4 click throughs in a week. I also spoke to a company who run a BlueTooth network and they have been running 4 years and still finding business challenging.

So my conclusion is that there is still some work to do to get Aussie clients on board. That said we presented BlueTooth, Shortcodes and content partnerships in an FMCG strategy today and the client didn't blink. So, full steam ahead, but be aware of the challenges.

Why did the robot cross the road?

2009-04-21T14:20:00.002+10:00

This is one to warm the cockles. A New Yorker called Kacie Kinzer builds tweenbots which are basically very low fi cardboard robots with a destination instruction on a flag.

In Kacie's own words:

I wondered: could a human-like object traverse sidewalks and streets along with us, and in so doing, create a narrative about our relationship to space and our willingness to interact with what we find in it? More importantly, how could our actions be seen within a larger context of human connection that emerges from the complexity of the city itself?

The mission was to see how long it would take the tweenbot to get from various start points and the outcome was heart warmingly interesting; All kinds of people stopped to help this cute little robot on its way... showcasing a beautiful example of crowdsourcing in action.

Humanity at its sweetest.

Mix n match shoes

2009-04-21T14:07:00.002+10:00

Check out what's going on in the Telstra team here in Sydney. Chris and Jacqui are doing a social/fashion experiment and have created a blog. Very funny. Maybe we have the next 2 viral superstars in our midst?

Reminds me of the band Kris Kross who wore their clothes backwards.

Augmented reality arrives in Australia...

2009-04-21T13:41:00.004+10:00

Over the last few weeks i've been working on not one but two global gaming pitches, which means that i've been looking into some really interesting innovations in digital media.

The latest progression is augmented reality: a QR code-style affair which enables you to view a 3D hologram by simply holding a print ad infront of a webcam.

Here's a video of the augmented reality campaign for new game Assassin's Creed 2 (it launched on Friday in MX) being demo'd by a fan.

OMD's 5 trends for a different world

2009-04-21T12:19:00.013+10:00

It’s no secret we’re buckled in for a bit of a tougher ride than we’ve known in the last two decades and it is driving some interesting new trends.

OMD Strategy has been sorting through them and have reconised 5 trends we believe are changing how we choose to consume as well as what we marketers can do to respond to these changes together.

1. Show us the facts Jack
What is this all about?
We are in the midst of a whole lot of change at the moment and for most people, the story is a little gloomy. Consumers are well aware they can’t afford to bury their heads in the sand and in fact there is clearly a renewed hunger for facts and information. We are expecting to see to see spikes across the education sector too.

Application
1. What facts about your brand can you share with consumers?
2. Are there stats you could use to promote the category you play in?
3. Would an educational platform add new meaning to new and current consumers of your brand?

2. Conscious Consumption
What is this all about?
Blind faith has had its day as more consumers are shopping with their eyes wide open. From clothes to cars to groceries; We are reading the nutritional panels, supporting local brands over foreign ones, getting our heads around the environmental credentials and boycotting brands that we don’t feel deserve our hard earned $$$

Application
1 Are you appropriately transparent with consumers when it comes to your brand’s history, ingredients, manufacturing or environmental credentials?
2. What aspects of your brand could you dial up for the new conscious consumer?
3. Is there something about your brand that you need to consider changing in the future to ensure you don’t lose share in your category?

3. Celebrating sensible
What is this all about?
Given consumers are a bit squeezed in the ole wallet department at the moment, they will be keeping their peepers peeled for new ways and means of living la vida frugal. Forget the disposable one hit wonders, sensible means searching out for ways to get the most value out of our purchases

Application
1. How can you package up your brand or product in ways that says good value?
2. Can you demonstrate the longer term value of buying into your brand?
3. Is there a meaningful way to use testimonials to tell the value story around your brand?

4. Measuring Up
What is this all about?
Whilst we bunker down for a few lean times ahead, you can bet your carefully managed budgets on more conversations around how to measure ...everything. Marketers that can show ROI of their marketing expenditures have strong case to hold on to their budget so we expect to see some big wins for all the metrics maestros out there!

Application
1. Do you know which marketing activities provide you with the best returns?
2. Are you making the most of all the free measurement tools out there?
3. Have you had a conversation with your communication partners lately around ways to pool and share stakeholders measurement findings?

5. Necessity is the mother of invention
What is this all about?
Want to see some positives coming out of the economic current trim down?
Whilst businesses are all being asked to do more with less, there’s nothing like tough times to drive our creative spirits towards new and innovative ways of doing business (or even starting a business)

Application
1. Assess all of the assets you have around you and see whether you could be leveraging these harder.
2.Find other brands that have some common ground with yours.
3. Don’t assume it can’t be done, in fact if you can think it, you can probably do it

I can't decide what to decide

2009-04-15T08:28:00.003+10:00

we've all been there; you need to make a decision but seem to lack to ability. Most of the time it isn't remotely important...should I have toast or muesli for breakfast or should I go to the gym or sit on my arse but there's always a load of other more important dilemmas that seem equally tricky... should I apologise for calling my mate a stinky monkey arse or possibly something in the form of whether I should go out for my 3rd cousin twice removed's birthday or go on a super hot date ....sound familar?

Procrastinate no longer people - your new decision making advisor has arrived in the form of Hunch.

Put simply, imagine Hunch is a new friend. Over time, Hunch gets to know you by digesting all the answers you submit to Hunch's endless questions. It gets likened to an extensive personality test that ends up helping you make real decisions.

Hunch was invented by Flickr's founder Caterina Fake and in Hunch's own words 'was started by clever folks who were exploring how machine learning could be used to guide practical decision-making.' This is crowd sourcing made personal

As for advertising... well, indeed you may find yourself referred to a retailer weblink but it does feel like a natural referral and supposedly Hunch don't use advertiser funding to skew their results.

Anyway, I am off to see what Hunch thinks I should eat for lunch...

Kmart's Search for a Super Saver

2009-04-03T10:40:00.007+11:00

Its not that often that you see the big retailers in Australia doing interesting things with their communications, so when I found this ad for Kmart's search for a Super Saver, I thought it would be worth commenting on.

They're looking for a tightarse basically "...if you're puse strings are tied tighter than your kids shoelaces..."(and who won't be this year?) to blog for Kmart and give other consumers their secrets on shopping and saving and they get $500 in vouchers each month to do it . Not a bad deal if you're the winner....not to mention Kmart, who get cheap talent for their brand for a few months. What I also like about this idea is that their blog can act as a barometer of consumers' thoughts and feelings towards shopping, value and saving that Kmart can begin to tailor their communications around...not to mention a great way to actually launch sales & offers.

There will probably be some interesting commentry from consumers for us to keep an eye on, so here's the link to join the super saver community: http://supersaver.kmart.com.au/join-community.html

A renters market

2009-04-01T15:40:00.004+11:00

Stumbled across this little beauty the other day.... RENTOID... the person to person renting market.

I realise we are currently discovering a new frugal culture but sensible can be ticked off here as I probably can't park a private jet in my back yard and there's only the odd occasion I really feel I need a pair of ornamental testicles worn over my jeans so it all seems very sensible to head to Rentoid.

Jokes aside, there's probably a few good reasons why this could work well in this current market:

A bit of extra cash if you have gear you don't need to use daily
A handy place to go if you are looking for something and don't need it permanently
In their own blurb, is a small bonus for mother earth as you could be helping to prevent another 'thing' being made that might just sit in the storage cupboard

My favourite listing is this one:

Rent and altered state of consciousness

Get a group of friends together to a maximum of 8 and I'll come to your place and guide you through a group breathwork session (you will breath in a special way until your state of consciousness changes and you experience an acid trip without the acid).

Can design save the newspaper?

2009-04-01T08:33:00.002+11:00

Short and sweet TED presentation from a Polish designer who was inspired by Cirque du Soleil to reinvent a number of newspapers in Eastern Europe. Yes, does add more creativity to the look of the newspaper but importantly circulations have shot up.

A couple of good lessons to be learnt
1. Inspiration comes from far and wide (we all need to unshackle the blinkers)
2. Working in silos continues to create just that... team work wins the day once again

Being brave in mobile

2009-03-30T21:49:00.002+11:00

I took the time to read Mobile Marketer's "Classic Guide to Mobile Advertising" tonight, all 52 pages of it. It consists of around 30 random articles on the topic with overlaps, contradictions and a variety of quality. Interestingly they were mostly from companies with names like "Admedion," all very techy sounding and unapproachable. Which kind of sums up the current state of play: the technology is slowly getting there and the consumer experience is mainly poor.

My main take outs:-

Lots of articles about text links and banners, but having experienced this myself I can't see the future being in this area. Much more interesting were articles about mobile search, widgets, games and content. Surely the future of brand's presence in your mobile has to be consumer driven? Interruption models might be getting reasonable click through rates now, when the banner takes up 25% of the screen, but that can't last and they will go the same way as banner ads online. So: content, utilities and entertainment are the way to go in my view.

Next up, an overwhelming lack of case studies - just fluffy commentary. Notable exceptions were J&J Baby centre's mobile presence with Hispanic Mums which was based on getting them to sms in their due date and providing them with trimester-relevant content and ads. The expansion of Playboy onto the mobile internet also gives a nod to the old adage that porn and gambling grew the internet - so why not the mobile internet? The Golden Compass was used as a research example - tracking the awareness and interest in the film amongst mobile users who were exposed to ads vs those that weren't.

Thirdly, there is a lot of talk about the technology disparities and platform issues - to run a broad reaching campaign you need to have a format that can be viewed on 5000 different devices which don't like html, can't use cookies, and have trouble with flash. Hence why we're still seeing text ads. Parallel to this, in order for mobile advertising to take off we need to get all the steps right from the carriers to the handset manufacturers, the software platforms (maybe Google's android and the iphone's open software will make this much easier), and through to the publishers of content and the advertisers. But as one author pointed out, the personal nature of your mobile phone means that ultimately consumers will vote on what works and what doesn't. And I bet it's not text ads that win the day.

One point that I did like in Oz Eleonora's article was that in order for mobile advertising to succeed, it has to bring a new value equation to advertising and that, he suggests would be personalization based on instant behavioural data, i.e. what you're doing now: where you are, who you're communicating with (let's not forget that's what phones are for) and what you're up to.

I am going to get myself an iphone so I can get more familiar with its web browsing capabilities. I hope it's better than my old Samsung - trying to watch football highlights was laughable. From what I've seen it takes mobile web browsing forward so that offers us hope.

My penultimate point is about integration. Right now, mobile advertising isn't a powerful medium in its own right, but it can be a great addition to other media to bring your audience into the conversation in conjunction with the internet.

At the moment, the reality of mobile advertising is a fair way behind what consumers expect - their expectations are built on the PC-Internet and hence we have to find ways to offer useful, personal brand experiences which are unique to the mobile or tap into how people use mobiles.

Getting involved in the mobile space requires a lot of bravery for most Australian clients right now, but with some careful thought and a reason to be there based on consumer insight and a good understanding of how they use their mobile, it should be worthwhile.

Looking in more places

2009-03-24T15:01:00.002+11:00

One of the philosophies we have at OMD is about looking in more places for insights and one of my little secret sources of insights is very retro - the good old Reader's Digest, apparently the world's best selling magazine and home to a surprising amount of facts (which are a lot better than their lame jokes).

From this month's edition is the top 10 worst technology predictions of all time, which are good to quote in presentations. 5 of my faves below:-

"Next Christmas, the ipod will be dead, finished, gone, kaput" - Sir Alan Sugar, 2005

"No need for a computer at home" - Ken Olsen, founder of DEC, 1977

"Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within ten years" - Alex Lewyt, Lewyt Corp Vaccum company, 1955

Tv won't last because people will "soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night" - Darryl Zanuck, 1946

"The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys" - Sir William Preece, chied engineer of the British Post Office, 1878 (not sure what he was engineering if he didn't believe in technology!)

I love it when people go out on a limb like this, so here's my quote for posterity "Facebook will be dead and buried by 2011, and "social media" will have ceased to exist as a term as sharing functionality gets incorporated into all media" - Rob Pyne, 2009

Cheers to sharing

2009-03-24T11:06:00.004+11:00

Having a winemaker for a boyfriend is pretty cool. I’ve learnt a bit about wine, sampled some special drops and travelled to places I wouldn’t have gone to before so Mr Winemaker can chat with other winemakers about their product.

Which has led me to write this…

All of the winemakers we’ve met – some with decades of experience, some with a few years - share their methods and welcome other winemakers (their competitors) into their farms, factories and cellars to discuss their product and how it was made. Winemakers from across the country come together for conferences to discuss single varieties and share with each ways to do it better and groups have formed within wine regions that collectively help to market their wines. There is a surprising lack of secrets in this industry and a level of collaboration that I don’t think we’ll ever see in the world of marketing, advertising and media.

Imagine a strategist from another media agency asking if they can come over and have a look at some of our most recent work, discuss our process, where we get our insights and how we presented the end product!

Imagine if we shared our processes and approaches with PR or media partners? Maybe if they adopted similar ways to focus their activities we’d see more synergies. And why not give them access to our process? We know most media agencies have a process, our only difference is how we use it and to what extent.

Imagine presenting media recommendations to the guys writing the ads before we went to clients…what could happen if we went down this road? Perhaps we’d see stronger, more exciting ideas and more accountable approaches. It might even make for more enjoyable team work…sounds okay doesn’t it?

Fresh updates into your inbox

2009-03-23T09:24:00.000+11:00

We have now added the option to subscribe to our blog postings, but the more interesting thing was how we worked out how to do it.

While the RSS feed is great, not everyone knows how easy it is to use that tool, so we thought the best way to keep people updated would be via newsletter.

After numerous unresponsive messages to the blogger helpdesk, we decided to ask the collective blogging community. The answers came thick and fast. Not only on how to add the newsletter feature, but other suggestions including switching our blog platform and re-designing the layout.

Big 'Thank You' to those that offered generous suggestions. In appreciation we have added links to their blogs.

Who says you can't something for nothing these days.....Please add your email address over there on the right for fresh updates delivered direct to your inbox.

Set the VRC - The Gruen Transfer returns Wednesday, 9pm, ABC1

2009-03-16T13:12:00.002+11:00

The Gruen Transfer http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/ - the show that has almost made advertising an acceptable profession to the public - makes a welcome return on Wednesday, with an in-depth discussion of the Tourism Australia strategy. Another winner from the show is Foxtel (OMD, Sydney), with a price-based ad for the subscription TV company generating approval from the panel for its strategy and execution.

Also from Aunty is The Making of Modern Australia where people from all around Australia are being invited to tell their personal stories online in a vibrant history project that will also become a documentary series on ABC TV.As both a broadband project and TV series, The Making of Modern Australia will be an unofficial people’s history, with individuals and families sharing their stories of life in Australia since 1945.By logging onto http://www.makingaustralia.com.au/, people can upload their stories through photos, home movies, live webcams, sound recordings and text.To help people tell their stories, The Making of Modern Australia site is user-friendly with plenty of tips on storytelling and uploading material, as well as inspiring examples.
We will keep an eye on this project as it could be a great way to uncover insights into Australians.

The Future’s Looking Inventful

2009-03-10T09:28:00.002+11:00

Prospection: The act of looking forward in time is quintessentially human nature. We are by definition, the only living animal that looks into the future, thus making evolution dominant in our existence.

Our quest for advancement and innovation is an integral part of human behaviour, and thus pushes us to think more creatively and place emphasis on idea generation.

Alan Key was quoted to say “the best way to predict the future is too invent it” and if Google has any prediction status it seems the ad industry is evolving online.

As I’m sure many of you are aware Google has extended the Adwords platform to TV [it also does print and radio].

TV ads allow you to plan and buy a TV schedule based on station and daypart. Alternatively it will create an optimised TV schedule for you based on your desired demographic.

You can buy TV like you buy Adwords, setting daily impression and budget targets, and monitor your delivery, getting results the next day.

If you don't have an ad, it connects you to the Google Ad Creation Marketplace, which connects advertisers directly to production companies.

Check out: http://www.google.com/adwords/tvads/#

The generation gap is extending daily. Kid’s experiences with media are far more removed from our days of cartoons and cubby houses. Rupert Murdoch refers to us as Digital Migrants, our younger counterparts however, are Digital Natives. They have never known a life without broadband internet access, interactive online entertainment activities and social networking opportunities. For the first time ever a generation is in control of how it experiences ideas and ultimately is creating their own media landscape.

As the media industry continues to evolve and grow new channels of delivery and execution, we must ensure we are on the forefront of ideas. As Digital Migrants we must not make the mistake of our predecessors and try to impose our culture, experiences and knowledge, we must keep up with the pace, monitor, learn and embrace this new race. The future is open to ideas, so grab your visa and let’s get inventing!

A history lesson?

2009-03-09T22:10:00.002+11:00

I decided to check out what I could learn from the history of advertising in order to apply it to a thorny issue: how to incorporate marketing within social media. This is an important issue as social media will not survive forever in the current format unless they begin to realise some of their potential for earning a real share of marketing spend. I'm not sure what other people think, but I personally think there is every chance that Facebook will be extinct in 5 years, just as MySpace and SecondLife have never lived up to their promise, or managed to maintain their growth rate.

Anyway, I went onto Wikipedia and found an interesting article about the history of advertising here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising#History.

This is what I think might be relevant:

TV advertising started out as single sponsors for each show, each of whom could control a lot of the content, right down to their ad agency writing the entire show. Then one channel, who was not securing enough sponsors, decided to flog off small bits of airtime to different companies. Could it be that we are returning the other way, with digital media leading the push into single sponsors, branded content and away from having several different companies with their banner ads on the same page? Interesting symmetry there.

The birth of the "modern" 30 second TV commercial lies right there in the move from sponsoring and content creation into having to tell your story in 30 secs - which meant the importance of being creative, cutting through, and having a consistent USP. Again, as we reverse this and look at transmedia planning and content strategies, we can see the idea of having a single minded USP is no longer as relevant - brands have stories to tell. And brands don't always have to have exactly the same message in every medium.

Wikipedia's history of advertising also analyses the launch of MTV as a channel where people tuned in for the advertising itself - advertising of the music song. But I see that as a bit of a blurred line. Nevertheless, one has to acknowledge that there was a time before music videos, a time when the top 40 countdown had millions of teens glued to their radio. All takes me back to the singles I used to buy in the 80s - Adam and the Ants, the Eurythmics and Madonna all graced my record player back then. Could we say that websites for brands serve some of this purpose? Are they windows to the brand? For most brands I'd say not, they are mainly corporate. But for some brands their website does or can play this role of building interest, liking, and getting you to go out and buy it. The main difference of course is that the music is an end unto itself, rather than a brand having to make up something additional to be interesting. But maybe this is the real challenge for brands: to provide a total brand experience that is more than a physical product plus a marketing program - the brand experience would then be the sum of a number of parts, only one of which was the actual product experience. Cadbury Gorilla has a written case study which purports to this: the strategy was to create "A Glass and a Half Full productions" where Dairy Milk became not just a chcoloate bar, but also a producer of entertainment.

Lastly, we can see how google and ebay brought the "long tail" to life and have monetized it in a revolutionary way, so in one sense, the progress of advertising over the years has been one straight line from it being an activity undertaken by only the biggest companies, through a plethora of brands (and the advertising clutter issue) and now into the realm of every individual. If I want to sell my second hand fridge, I can very easily advertise it and get hundreds of people to view my ad. Whilst this has been available for years through Trading Post etc., ebay brought it up several notches.

Google is attempting to combine the long tail of content with the long tail of advertising by its Adsense program of putting ads into any piece of online content, but to me they still haven't got it right as far as user experience counts. It looks ugly and is rarely truly relevant. Ebay have the long tail of advertising right, although not as right as they used to think, but their efforts to expand up the tail to more corporate activity, e.g. auctioning advertising space, appear to have got little traction (certainly I am not aware of it in Australia).

So, perhaps the future of social media is to try and monetise the long tail rather than (or as well as) the large corporates? Perhaps big brands need to redefine themselves and evolve into more multi-dimensional experiences? And perhaps Adam and the Ants made the best song about highway robbery EVER.

Should I, can I can Cannes?

2009-03-04T19:58:00.005+11:00

It's that time of year again where advertising professionals worldwide turn their minds towards the south of France and dreams of glory. For some of us (Simon D, Gary H, you know who you are) this means the Tour De France. But for many of us it means the blessed and cursed Advertising festival at Cannes.

In order to compete at Cannes, we at OMD are busy turning ourselves into screen play writers, film producers, artists, logistic experts, on top of being occasionally strategic.

My question to you is this: in a year where clients and the industry have turned undeniably towards low fees, high results and a buying focus (evidence a: Adnews Media Voice survey which showed Strategy had lost top spot as the "most important part of media"; evidence b: various pitches which are devoid of strategic input)...are awards important?

As deputy chairman of Australia's Media Federation Awards (MFAs) and as a strategic person I say YES....(probably). And I'll tell you why. Digital. The standard of digital media strategy is in need of improvement, and awards are more and more turning to digital-led strategies. Look at OMD's MFA winners in 2008: of the 3 major campaigns that won, Juicy Fruit was about 85% digital (by media spend), V-Raw was maybe 90% digital and Monopoly was maybe 40% digital.

Whilst this year people won't be as interested in best use of TV (which Cannes still does), but they will be interested to see: which agencies and marketers are harnessing digital to explode their big ideas? who can crack Social Media? who can crack Mobile marketing? Is there anyone getting results from Twitter? Whose iPhone application delivered results?

So, whilst I am questioning the incredibly painful process which is Cannes entry, and whilst I am flabbergasted at all the silly stunts that won at Cannes last year, I'll be setting my sights on the MFAs and proving that OMD get digital media strategy more than any other Aussie media agency.

Do Digital and Government go together?

2009-03-03T11:16:00.004+11:00

Last night I read the entire report, "Digital Britain" which is the UK Govt's initial thoughts on how to accelerate the digital revolution and make sure the UK is at the forefront compared to other countries. Whilst I won't go into the specifics of the 84 pages, a few things were apparent which are worth sharing.

1. There is competition and enormous variability between nations. Whilst the internet transcends global boundaries and as users we think of it as boundless, in fact the infrastructure, content, education and business opportunities are heavily influenced by where you physically reside. The UK wrote this paper specifically to make sure they get ahead of / keep up with Asia, US and mainland Europe.

2. The UK - and other countries including Australia - are promising a "Universal Service Commitment" which means legally ensuring that 99% of the population have access to high speed next generation broadband by 2012. What started out as a consumer/corporate revolution has firmly entered Government thinking, and they will provide the backing and education to ensure that digital penetration continues to grow until every person is online, from 4 year olds to 94 year olds.

3. Whilst content is again global, the UK wants to make sure that quality UK content is a thriving part of the UK user's experience - essentially they don't want to lose what it is to be British culturally as we are overwhelmed by non-local content. They see the BBC as central to this but not on it's own.

4. As content grows exponentially, the ability to monetize it via advertising diminishes. And the ability to protect content (rights management) is also a thorny issue. At present it doesn't seem that anyone has a good solution to either problem and we expect to see a whole raft of different monetisation models appearing until a smaller number stand the test of time. The watchword for marketers within this is Trust - with so much content out there, I will turn to well known brands for information I can trust.

5. The increasing availability of public service transactions online will drive online penetration - think of old people accessing their healthcare professional online (through their TV internet connection as opposed to a PC based internet connection). And the Government will invest in education and hardware to extend access to all children no matter whether their parents can afford a laptop or not, and no matter where they live.

So, what's the applicability to Australia and to marketers? Assuming that Australia's National Broadband Network actually happens (remoured to be delayed)...and that Australia's Government embraces digital wholeheartedly...First off, all your consumers will be online, so start testing now, don't just restrict to youth brands. Second, consumers will be getting used to the provision of all many services online, and this will be driven by Government and Business so see what services you can plan to deliver online. Third, and at long last, banner ads will become almost worthless and we can move on to focus on effective content/entertainment/information driven online solutions where the brands we work with have the advantage of Trust.

Link to the paper is here: http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/5631.aspx

Take a Break

2009-02-26T09:50:00.003+11:00

Kit Kat have extended their "Have a break" campaign in the digital space - they give net surfers just that - A total break.
http://www.thefirstworldwidewebsitewherenothinghappens.com/
A break from the digital information of all sort - tweets, Facebook updates, emails etc.
Love the bit at the bottom - ‘If you detect something happening on this website, it’s probably a bug and we’ll try to fix it’.
Thanks to Innovation Feeder for the heads up on this.

Funny idea, but the only thing I wonder is how they have let their consumers know about this. My quick Google search shows almost all of the listings referencing the site are marketing related blogs and wesbites?

I dare you

2009-02-24T12:10:00.007+11:00

In the charity category where consumers are increasingly fatigued and females are generally more responsive, two male health causes stand out to me.
Firstly in Movember which does great job at raising funds and awareness for male health issues, and making a the Mo cool again by getting guys involved.
The latest is daredallion week which is challenging men to do a dare, to raise awareness and funds for the cancer council and their fight against men's cancers.

Cancer remains one of the biggest killers of Australian men, costing more than 20,000 lives each year. Prostate cancer alone is responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths each year – equal to the number of women who die from breast cancer. It just doesn't get the same level of media coverage, awareness and fund raising support.

This campaign is build on the insight that men are competitive.

The Daredallion site allows you to challenge a friend to a dare - such as BE Michael Jackson for a day - clothes, voice, dancing, moon walking..... Intresting it is mainly people daring others - I love the viral element of that.

It has a dare generator for those without the imagination to think one up. Those excepting the dare, have their details posted to keep them honest. Also tapping into the need to share you antics you can up a video of you completing your dare.

As this campaign has really grabbed my attention I have registered myself .
Thanks to the dare generator my dare is Wear 80's exercise gear to work and three times in the day play "lets get physical" and jazzercise your way to a healthier life.
But only if I reach the $200 target.

You can help support me and get me to complete my dare by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below: http://national.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/personalPage.aspx?SID=100482 Not only will you be helping to change the future face of men's health, you'll also get to see me make a fool of myself in the process! Feeling inspired by my bravery? Visit http://www.daredallion.com.au/ and take on the challenge yourself. Any other guys you would like to form a team, please let me know - come on OMDers!

I appolgise in advance to those attending the meetings with me on Friday 6th March, who will be subjected to this craziness.

The Digital Tipping Point: The Future of Branding and Social Media

2009-02-23T10:16:00.004+11:00

I attended a conference last week on social media.
There were range of speakers from the social media space;

Brett Brewer (President of Adknowledge & Co-founder of Myspace) - President of the conference sponsor with an argument that for brand it is not a case of should you be active in social media but how.

Brian Garret (Crosscut Ventures - California) - Interesting perspectives from someone who looks to invest in start ups and therefore looks for financial and viability from social media. Brian had some great example from the US of social networks and their approaches to generate revenue over and above display advertising.

Alistair Henderson (Director OMD Fuse). Alistair shared his Case Study: V-Raw for V Energy Drink, which should be familiar to most, let us know if would like details.

Fi Bendall (Director Bendalls Group), who gave an interesting perceptive in using Social media as a WOM tool. The amazing thing here was how a tweet (via twitter) from someone in the audience about the earlier presentations had influenced her;

"So I decided to share my displeasure with my friends and followers on Twitter.Minutes later I received a tweet from one of the conference speakers asking me where I was!When she got up to speak she acknowledged me by name and stated that she wouldn't be talking about advertising.Had I inadvertantly invented virtual heckling? Probably not, but I did prove my theory that social media has to feature voices of dissent as well as support." Stan Lee

Laurel Papworth (Social Networking Strategist) “The Business of Being Social: Monetisation Models in Social Media.” Check out her presentations via slideshare. Laurel's deep knowledge of this space was clear, most interestingly was her comment that she had edited her presentation based on twitter feedback from the Sydney event a couple of days earlier.

For me the biggest learning was the influence of social feedback on last two speakers, and the speed of the speakers reaction to their audiences feelings.
This is the real power of social media for brands & advertisers, but it is also the scariest. As Susan Taylor, Vice President International Communications at Elizabeth Arden puts it, "We use blogs where appropriate. However, with bloggers the message is out of your control"

The other things I took away were

The more time you spend in the digital space the more likely you are to see the impending death of newspapers.
New websites & books for me to check out - Tom Himpe, http://blogsearch.google.com/, http://co.mments.com/, http://www.ning.com/home/networks
Even the experts agree it is a complex environment.
And in a conversations during the break....There are opportunities to tap into the anti-movement to social networking where people have 'feed' fatigue and twitter posts/users - tweets or twits?

Competing against...Yourself

2009-02-20T10:31:00.005+11:00

Nike Plus has tapped into a key consumer insight that happens to affect me personally; People are more obsessed with competing against themselves than they are against other people.

Introducing Nike Plus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHDw5uQvK5Y. A little Nike device that calibrates your iPod to your Nike + running shoe, so you can accurately track calories, distance and pace. This small but sophisticated device is not only addictive, but also motivating and inspiring – to the point where you become your own worst enemy… "I must run harder and faster than I did last time” and when you do, Tiger Woods congratulates you through your iPod, now that’s inspiring!

It all starts when you stumble into Nike store. A personal consultancy with a sales rep drives intrigue for the little device. First they convince you that the shoe you’re currently using is for amateurs. In this instance, the sales rep took the shoe brand I had been loyal to for the past ten years (Asics), and sliced it in half. This brutal demonstration drove my belief that the Nike + shoe, coupled with the iPod tracking device, was in fact the perfect training partner. Apparently I could now run faster and further than Forrest Gump ever could!

This partnership has now gone beyond any other I have ever formed. Now I can’t run without Nike +, in fact Nike + has become the reason I run. I must beat myself - Nike has created a monster out of me.

Check out their ad – “I am addicted...Measuring myself in not only meters, but kilometers and character…” Thank goodness, i’m not the only one.

Not only can you beat yourself, you can also beat others. Simply upload your run from your iPod onto the nikeplus.com website where you can compare distance, time, tracks (not tunes), and most importantly – progression. The ultimate winning quality! Everybody loves an underdog.

It got me thinking. How can the brands we work on form an integral part of a self driven emotional obsession? As well as giving people a first class ticket into an elite club?

Let’s take Nicorette. When you quit smoking you are your own worst enemy. The satisfaction you feel when you not only beat the Nicotine, but yourself, is like no other. Could we create a device that tracks Nicotine in your bloodstream? You could upload your progression online (at Nicorette.com of course) each day you do better than the last, Allen Carr congratulates you. Once you’ve quit you get an invite to an exclusive “yes, you can breathe now” club. The open lungs club, that comes complete with a white badge. When you walk past other white badge wearers in the street you give them “the nod”. Or even better, Nicorette could send quitters a pair of Nike+ running shoes! One addiction lost is another gained.

What will be next from Nike I wonder…? Nike+ surfing devices, complete with waterproof iPods? “This is Kelly Slater, congratulations you’ve just caught your fastest/longest wave… “Or probably more appropriate for Bondi surfers “Hey dude, that was an awesome wave, watch out for that shark…”

A pair of crackers

2009-02-18T17:52:00.004+11:00

Two brilliant ideas came across my desk this afternoon, hope you love them as much as me. With thanks to Leigh Terry and James McClelland for passing them on.

1. Last year, Manchester band The Get Out Clause couldn’t afford to make a video for their debut single, so they looked for an alternatives means.

They positioned themselves in front of different CCTV cameras around the city, and performed their single.

After writing to the council and asking for copies of the footage (under UK privacy protection law – if you request a CCTV camera footage and pay a nominal fee they are legally obliged to supply it), they pieced the content together to create their video. To you and I, CCTV cameras were installed to keep our streets safe, but without seeing those barriers that we tend to put up, the younger generation are being more creative with the tools available to them.

http://www.myspace.com/thegetoutclause thegetoutclause

2. The rotating tower, Dubai. Each of the 80 floors rotates at a different speed creating infinite possibilities. Selling off the plan now, so go for it, as long as you don't get dizzy and accidentally buy one of the faster rotating floors!

http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net/

M-enetrepreneurial

2009-02-12T22:00:00.000+11:00

I love it when these stories come out of the woodwork.. some kooky but kind of entrepreneurial individual comes up with an idea that has a short sharp shelf life to make a few extra bucks for themself and a bucketload of PR on the way.

In the spirit of The Million Dollar Homepage and the one red paper clip guy, let me introduce you to www.iwearyourshirt.com/.

His name is Jason and his idea is to wear a different companies t shirt every day across 2009. For this privilege he is charging each brand, the equivalent cost of that day's number in the year. So Jan 1 was $1 and Dec 31 will be $365. This means he is going to receive a total income from this venture of $66,600. Not bad eh for very little work.

Seems he has received a fair chunk of PR from some fairly reputable news sites.. NY Times, The Guardian, Adrants...so yes, people are chatting about.

Can't argue he is thinking fresh. If you do want to check out his site, worth a visit to the Terms and Conditions page, kinda funny.

By the way, if you wanted to buy a spot... he is sold out till September 2009!

Selling backwards

2009-02-10T14:15:00.003+11:00

I had lunch with heads of two of our Special Business Units today and we talked about the best way to present our ideas to clients. A really good point emerged which is about the power of insights in selling the idea, and keeping the idea alive.

Examples were discussed where the idea itself was so strongly rooted in a powerful insight that you'd have to be mad not to go with it. And, importantly, when you are planning a complex and time-consuming implementation you can hit quite a lot of turbulence and flak along the way. But with powerful insights driving the idea, it is much easier to fend off these issues and stay true to the idea.

What this means of course is that selling of the idea is not so much on the day, but in the research (desk and commissioned) that you do at the start of the process.

Success in a bottle

2009-02-10T11:59:00.002+11:00

Last week we had to review 30 successful case studies on youth marketing. We then did a lot of thinking about how to pull out the themes and I thought I'd share with you.

First off, there seemed to be five messaging themes which emerged:
1. make me look good (tribes and respect)
2. self-expression (creativity and music)
3. freedom (indpendence and control)
4. adding value to my life (e.g. interesting/humorous content),
5. rebellion (anti-cool, anti-corporate)

Secondly, the media approaches showed TV still works, very little use of other mainstream media, but insight driven use of digital, mobile, social media, branded content and word of mouth. Interactivity featured throughout.

On the way through this project we also took a peek at a number of other sources. One which caught my attention briefly was http://chasingcoolbook.com/ which had one interesting quote: "looking in another person's backyard is usually a replacement to thinking yourself, and unless you can execute better than your neighbour is a surefire way to second-best". I think the c word (cool) is one of those horribly vague words like engagement which is next to useless unless you define what you mean. In fact I was very pleased to get through an entire 1 hour presentation on youth without mentioning the c word once!

The four case studies we highlighted as interesting approaches to youth marketing (by which I am broadly referring to 16-24s in this instance) were Nescafe's Big Break, HP's The Computer is Personal Again (this was broader than 16-24 but had a lot of relevance to the particular client, O2's Unlimited Orgy of Fun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Y_slhb3fY) and Cadbury Gorilla which actually has an interesting case study behind it, not just a one off viral ad.

For those OMD-ers reading this, let me konw if you want a copy of the final presentation.

A final word: as above the tendency to analyze youth by producing endless lists is easy to fall into. So, we ended up presenting one territory which we think sits in the middle - but I can't give that away here!

Love fifteen

2009-01-29T16:45:00.002+11:00

So I was at the Australian Open tennis on the weekend and I was thinking about big corporate sponsorships. Fresh data (Roy Morgan) shows Kia and Garnier dominating sponsor recall with non-sponsor adidas coming in 3rd ahead of everyone else (GE Money, Aviva, Evian, to name a few).

Most of the sponsors had experiential elements - there was an hour and half queue to get into the Garnier pamper experience.

What I didn't see though was anything except naming rights, sampling and experiential. I didn't see any offers, any promotions, anything encouraging me to get involved or visit a website.

Seems to me that these brands should think a little more about what happens after the 14 days - how to turn their sponsorships into something more long term, something more involving and interactive. I like Carling's UK sponsorship of music venues in this respect: they took over multiple venues in major UK cities permanently, rebranded them Carling Arenas, served the product, changed the ticketing so you can only book through Carling website...and so on. That is a more long term and effective strategy where they clearly own a very big meaingful piece of the real world all year.

I certainly didn't come away from the tennis thinking I had a more meaningful relationship with many of the brands. Has anyone got any favourite sponsorship case studies?

Advertising spend in tough times

2009-01-20T16:02:00.005+11:00

As Access Economics put it yesturday ‘The Budget is Buggered; this is the sharpest deceleration Australia's economy has ever seen”.
But it is not all doom and gloom. Australia is actually in a good starting position to weather the storm:

Australians have more cash in the bank than ever before (credit card payments up 19.2% YOY)
The unemployment rate is at its lowest in 33 years
The price for oil is half of what it was this time last year
Interest costs on mortgage repayments are down $100/month vs. last year
Rudd’s just given Aussies $9bn X-Mass cash bonus

There is a range of research that shows there are opportunities for brands to endure - even prosper - amid the coming downturn.

From a media perceptive we know that tumultuous times usually mean people and advertisers will revert back to traditional media, such as newspapers and television. Consumers will turn to the media that they trust. Source: Newspaper Marketing Agency UK, based on survey of marketing & advertising leaders 2008

They will also seek brands they trust. Consumers will be more thoughtful in their purchase decision making – they will investigate, research and compare when buying; more so than they do in boom times. Iconic brands, those that offer value to consumers and “innovators” will triumph over luxury brands and “me too” labels.

When stress goes up, so does stress release. People are seeking relief, comfort & security. Brands that provide this will prosper.

Brands that show empathy will also go a long way right now. All the car manufacturers are not in a great position at the moment, the current Holden ads do make some effort to empathise with their line “Holden’s are tough but Australians are tougher”…to some it may be a bit soppy but it does acknowledge tougher times.

At a December 2008, Financial Crisis and Consumer Behaviour seminar hosted by Colmar Brunton they presented 3 ways to grow in 2009 – underpinning all of them is staying close to your consumer & demonstrating empathy.

Innovation & NPD – e.g. Sainsbury’s in the UK did a “feed your family for a 5er” promotion that went gangbusters. Unilever & Kraft in the UK are partnering to provide consumers with cross-category value promotions
Brand communications – e.g. Virgin air, premium economy is benefiting from business class travellers downgrading. They’ve also released “tighten your seatbelt” $45 flights with Virgin Blue
Customer experience & Optimization – e.g. Westpac “how is the financial crisis affecting my savings” promotion

A UK seminar held in July 2008, three months before the world financial crisis began, investigated the most profitable response for advertisers is during an economic downturn. The seminar, whose proceedings have been published by the IPA (the professional body for advertising agencies in the UK), proves that it pays to advertise during a recession.

Australian research by Milward Brown supports these UK findings, showing that budget cutting is liable to reduce consumers' `bonding' with the brand. Cutting budget in a downturn will only defend profits in the very short term.
The longer-term improvement in profitability is likely to greatly outweigh the short-term reduction.

Buying Share of Voice is effective in terms of both costs and branding. The heightened share of voice leads to increases in consumer preference, and in sales and profitability post-downturn.
It is better to maintain share of voice (SOV) at or above share of market (SOM) during a downturn.

Ultimately the brand will emerge from the downturn weaker and much less profitable if not supported.

If other brands are cutting budgets the longer-term benefit of maintaining SOV at or above SOM will be even greater. A recession provides a window of opportunity for inexpensive gains in market share for those brands which increase marketing investment during this time.

But at a time when every area of the business are being asked to cut costs it is imperative to justify any expenditure.
At OMD our econometrics offering can demonstrate the direct impact of marketing activities on sales. Further to that it can isolate the sales impact of each of the channels allowing us to optimise those that are moving products most cost effectively.
Marketers that can show ROI of their marketing expenditures have strong case to hold on to their budgets.

To summarise OMD’s top 5 tips for 2009 are;

Consumers will be more thoughtful in their purchase decision making – they will turn to brands they know and trust.
Talk to the consumer’s emotion. Empathy is key. Show them you understand they are struggling and show you can offer them “value for money” or an escape.
It is important to continue to have long term focus – continued or consistent spending now will set up brands for the growth cycle that will be coming.
It is better to maintain SOV at or above share of market during a downturn, as there is an opportunity for inexpensive gains in market share for those brands which increase marketing investment when others are decreasing theirs.
Really know which marketing activities provide you with a return – evidence that marketing spend shows both short-term and long term returns for the business will help protect your marketing budget.

Slow Blogging

2009-01-20T13:32:00.012+11:00

BLOGGING

A term used to describe anyone with enough time or narcissism to document every tedious bit of minutia filling their uneventful lives. Blogging - as defined by Urban Dictionary

While I like reading others blogs, is everyone having access to write the first thing that comes into their heads that great an idea?

David D. Perlmutter, author of Blogwars, has called for a movement called "slow blogging". His manifesto can be read here

The practice is inspired by the slow food movement, which says that fast food is destroying local traditions and healthy eating habits.

David Perlmutter writes “Slow Blogging is a rejection of immediacy. It is an affirmation that not all things worth reading are written quickly.”

I actually like his tips which include;

LIMIT YOUR AUDIENCE
THINK, STUDY, THEN POST
and POST BY THEME, NOT BY JOURNAL

All of them can be found here

Slow Blogging is about letting thoughts marinate (some we as strategists like to do with ideas away). Really what he is saying is think before you post

I also thought this trend (if we can call it that) was interesting in light of the buzz surrounding Twitter, mainly in the US. Which some seem to think is the best & biggest thing since say Youtube.

I think the Blogging defination at the start of this post better describes Twitter - it is all about 'the instant' - what is happening right now.

May be because I am older than 20 that I quite like the idea of being considered about what is shared with & by others and don't feel the need to up date everyone, on what I am doing, at every minute of the day.

Not that I am a technophobic, I just use those technologies that seem to add value to my life with changing it drastically.

From a media perceptive it is like we say 'it's is not so much about the channel or delivery device but the consumer'.

p.s. After writing this I hope I have pondered on it long enough before posting it and have not raised the bar to high for future posts

Guide for the Value Hunters

2009-01-12T15:32:00.009+11:00

It must be a sign of the times. I was enjoying my Sunday Herald Sun over a cup of coffee yesterday when I came across a new editorial page - Value Hunter.

I discovered Value Hunter is a new consumer advocacy page that will run in the News Ltd Sunday newspapers. News Ltd state the aim of the page is to "provide practical information on how to save money".

Consumer rights is not a new editorial theme - it would be about half of the stories that run on Today Tonight's - but the information to help save readers money, in the form of a regular page is surely a reaction to the current economic climate.

Sunday's page including stories such as 'How it pays to save', which included tips to live with in our means, 'Haggle hard for bargains', and 'Cheap ways to entertain the kids'.

For advertisers there is also a strip ad placement on the page carrying a Value Hunter discount offer.

You can look out for ways to save money in your Sunday Herald Sun/Sunday Telegraph next week or visit the Value Hunter blog.

Smell My Burger

2008-12-22T08:48:00.002+11:00

Finding it hard to pull a chick who works your local drive through? Perhaps you have had your eye on meat loving gal and just haven't been able to crack a date.... well consider your woes over.

Burger King in the US has launched a fragrance called Flame which they claim is the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat. It's cracking news though and what a bargain at US $3.99!

The website is absolutely top notch... no description can do it justice so you will have to pay it a visit. http://www.firemeetsdesire.com/ Make sure you click to have a 'virtual' spray of the scent as the images and music is well.... Barry White meets Hallmark. Keep 'spraying' till you get to the image of the Burger King himself... what a guy!

I know you can actually buy this stuff as there is a site in the US that is selling it but surely this is a brilliantly executed stunt? I searched around for a reveal on it being a brilliant PR story but found nothing... what do you think?

Realism

2008-12-10T10:15:00.002+11:00

I was chatting to someone this morning, and they were talking about how they won a major head to head strategy pitch based on one thing: proof. Specifically the client liked the fact that their strategies were well grounded and their ideas were achievable. They were up against another agency, a boutique strategy agency, and the client apparently asked agency 2 to actually go and cost their idea. They came back with tail between their legs saying they couldn't actually achieve half of it on budget. Pitch over.

This reminded me of a project I know of where the comms strategy agency came up with the idea of having helicopters drop people into the CBD. This was approved as a strategy by the client and then given to the implementation agency to organise. Except that you can't get helicopters to fly over George St. Full Stop.

So, I think there is a lot to be said for checking that ideas are well grounded, measurable and achievable. Next time someone says to me they are going to get their clients logo on the Harbour Bridge (and this actually happened this year and was presented to the client), I will be pushing back on them to take the essence of the idea and try and achieve it another more realistic way.

It's definitely not to say we should push ourselves and try and overcome barriers and try stuff that's never been tried before, but if an idea is strategically sound there should be different ways of achieving it that don't rely 100% on projecting a logo onto the moon.

Are you experienced?

2008-12-02T10:44:00.016+11:00

Summer has finally arrived after months of the usual anticipation… Spring Racing Carnival , the arrival of daylight saving and watching your gym start to burst at the seams with that mad dash for the bikini body.
Tis indeed the season for being out and about and its one that opens up a raft of opportunities for brands to be ‘at one’ with their consumer. Have a look at Ticketmaster, Citysearch and the myriad of other event listing destinations and overwhelm yourself with things to get out of the house for, not to mention opportunities for your brand to bring out it’s best for.

A few quick ticket stats:

In 2007, Australians bought more than 20 million tickets on live concerts musicals and plays
More than 1 million aussies have been to a either a live concert or live sports event in the last 3 months… that’s rich pickings!
40% of revenue generated from event sales comes from rock and pop concerts

These stats would suggest we are keener to pay for the live experience more than we have been before…
“Spending by Australians on live performance has grown YOY compared to declines in spending on recorded music”
Live Performance Australia Chief Executive; Evelyn Richardson

PIGGY BACK RIDER OR PIGGY?

Media, as we all know is all about piggy backing on the right times and places for a brand to get amongst…
When it comes to the live experience or event, there are some truly inspiring examples of where brands have gone down the piggyback rider (sponsorship) path as well as where brands have clearly decided to create something where they get to play a starring role.

Red bull has made a rather impressive name for themselves with their bespoke and ‘energetic ‘events like the Red Bull Flugtag, where participants jump from a ramp in a do-it-yourself flying machine into a lake. The brand is bringing itself to life and communicating experientially that "Red Bull vitalizes the body and mind."

Moomba, held annually in Melbourne, is Australia’s largest free community festival and is a Yarra River waterfest to boot. The Birdman rally has an esteemed tradition a little like a local Red Bull Flugtag where crazy people who build a load of manmade flying set ups and then jump off a platform into water to see how far they make it before landing in the drink.
To launch itself as a new low cost car insurance operator in 2008, Bingle.com.au sponsored the Birdman Rally.

It’s quite simply a lovely fit to showcase themselves as a having a real Aussie sense of humour and appreciation for the ‘bingle’.

We’ve talked about these guys before but it’s worth a reminder - Innocent drinks in the UK.
They have a wonderful history for events that bring to life their values around all things to do with being natural and importantly doing good.

This comes to life quite ‘fruitfully’ via The Innocent Village fete that they held this year in August in Regents Park. You could experience all the classics there: the coconut shy, ferret racing, morris dancing, pin the tail on the badger, a flea circus and of course the fruit smoothie tasting tent…
Importantly profits went to three charities bringing to life their commitment to doing good. Check out their website, their blog, their flickr page or Youtube to get a flavour of how big brands can think small.

The Rooftop Cinema in Melbourne ran a strange and memorable experience for one of their sponsors Mini last summer to encourage test drives of the new Clubman. The campaign idea centred around the thought that ‘normal’ has become like a virus infecting the nation but the ‘anything but normal’ Clubman can help solve this problem.

The Rooftop Cinema ran a couple of Zombie (i.e. virus like) film nights and handed out breathing masks to all the customers. As customers left they were provided with specially bottled remedies which had the details of the Safe Zone / test drive time and place and a promise that MINI had developed a cure for ‘Normal’ that could be administered to all who turned up… A weird and wonderfully playful campaign idea that saw both Mini and The Rooftop Cinema work their brands in together to build an intimate yet highly measurable campaign experience.

No doubt about it, the music festival can be a great opportunity for the more youth targeted brands to do their thang so here’s a couple of interesting examples:

Wrangler jeans piggy backed the Lowlands festival in the Netherlands to not only add a much wanted service to the scene but to get as many people wearing Wrangler as possible.

If you have ever been to a weekend festival and camped there you will be more than familiar with the handicap of your gear being sweat soaked and stinking with a day of festivities still to go! Wrangler set up a massive Laundromat where people could drop off their dirty laundry and when it was clean, they would receive a txt message to come and collect it. To add a dash of genius to this already smarty pants idea… they handed out black Wrangler overalls to anyone who used the Laundromat to wear whilst their duds were getting a good wash. Check out how it rolled: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQakGyUhSes

Telco brands and festivals are a cosy couple…
When Virgin Mobile wanted to create an experience at the Big Day Out they started with a great insight: There is nowhere to have a conversation on your mobile cause it’s so damned noisy.
They created ‘quiet booths’ for making phone calls that were not only visibly Virgin and pretty kooky but they were clearly being useful to the festival goers

SO DOES THIS STUFF DELIVER RESULTS?

Firstly it depends on what you want to your brand presence at events to actually do? Chances are if you are expecting to see a huge spike in sales straight after the event, you may be tad disappointed but it’s just like any other communication, know why you are there and have a benchmark for your expected success.

Having the client and agency teams working on the brand, being clear on what success should be about and have a strategy on how to measure the impact of the festival activity is a great start. Traditional tracking methods alone will not do the business so ensure you include a portion of the budget for measurement. And here’s a shameless plug for our OMD Insights team who have a whole raft of measurement approaches including mobile phones or PDAs and getting participants to keep diaries for longer running events such as sports sponsorship.

There’s no doubt that events offer a rich opportunity to get close to your consumer whether you create a bespoke experience or whether you piggy back on another event out there. For those brands that get this right, there are fantastic rewards so here’s a few thoughts to leave you with:

1. Make sure your brand has purpose and relevance at the event you’re choosing. Without purpose it can be a waste of time and money, not just for the advertiser but you could end up wasting consumers’ time, potentially leaving a bad brand taste in their mouth!

2. Remember to set a benchmark for success and to do this, you’ll likely need to think outside of traditional measurement

3. Ensure all stakeholders are involved in the planning process as events are at their most effective when they are built into an overall communication strategy. So don’t just see them as an ambient tack on, make them work hard for your brand by giving everyone a vested interest in the design of your brands next experience.

I'll try that one thanks

2008-12-01T20:18:00.005+11:00

I know there has been some ideas a little like this already but sampling is clearly going gangbusters in Shanghai with the opening of an ENTIRE shoppping centre dedicated to the cause. it's called.... wait for it: Sampleplaza !

You pay a one off fee and then a membership on top which is all about AUS $25 and then you go sampling... we're talking a little more than a sachet of soap here too...

Sure there are the FMCG products there's a whole lot more including cosmetics, techy items and even roses. They also talk about new things on their blog so you can see when to get down for the latest new stuff. All Sampleplaza members are able to take home 5 products every time you go there, so,what's the catch you ask?

You need to feedback on the products you take home which gets fed back into the manufacturers... What a great way to get people excited about new stuff and get them talking about it although if consumers don't like something, wonder what they do with all the unwanted stuff?

Our Think Fresh video

2008-11-28T12:25:00.005+11:00

We've had a great little video made as a summary of our Think Fresh festival back in August.Thought we'd include it on our blog seeing we did quite a lot of chatting about it back when it happened and we're sure this will help bring it to life a bit more.

If you want to chat to any of us about any of the elements of Think Fresh, we'd love to hear from you!

Bike Hero

2008-11-21T09:33:00.002+11:00

Am sure there will be a load of viewers thinking this was a top notch home jobby but clearly it took a while to nail the shoot and I am guessing the production wasn't super cheap either. The video was done by Droga5 to promote Guitar Hero World Tour and if you've ever played the game before... you'll get a good chuckle from this.

It was posted on Youtube 2 days ago and has already clocked up over 784,000 views. Another example of Youtube doing a rather fine media job and faster than you can say:

Book me a shit load of spots during Video Hits NOW!...

Mankind is no island

2008-11-03T22:19:00.004+11:00

This year's NY Tropfest winner - Jason van Genderen. It was shot entirely on a cell phone video camera. It's 3 1/2 minutes long and packs a truthful punch. Nuff said.

2008-10-31T10:25:00.003+11:00

Etihad Stadium…Etihad Stadium…doesn’t really roll of the tongue does it? Not like Telstra Dome…especially when you do your deepest movie voice-over-man impersonation.

Regardless of how it sounds, us Melbournians are going to have to get our mouth around the change of Telstra Dome to Etihad Stadium when the United Arab Emirates Airline launches their service in March 2009.

And what a way to launch a new brand; take over the name of the second most mentioned sporting arena in Australia’s home of sport. I’m sure by the end of the 5 year deal most of us will have included the Arabic word, meaning united into our vocabulary, but I wonder how long it will take to catch on…or to change. Surely its only be a matter of time before we see Etihad Stadium referred to with something a bit easier for the average Aussie to pronounce. I’m not saying we’re all gibbons when it comes to pronunciation, its just that it’s such an Aussie thing to do to shorten the name of a destination or something we love. Take for example The G, The Gabba and The Wacca...or the mate that everyone's got, Gibbo.

This makes me think that the naming rights deal is an even smarter move for Etihad. There aren't many brands that can say that they are so well known by the Australian public that they’re given a nickname and if Etihad can achieve nickname status with us, it should go a long way to getting consumers to feel good about booking flights with them. See yous at Eti next year.

Subvertising

2008-10-30T13:09:00.015+11:00

From this....

To this!

Consumer discontent... it's nothing new...There's a whole lotta lovers out there and the yang of this means there's a going to be as many haters who have been defacing and bitching about brands since jesus was a boy. Still, there's no doubt consumers have found a louder voice than ever and are not afraid to use it in as many creative and interesting ways as advertisers can and do.

Trendwatching call this Transparency Tyranny:

Old economy fog is clearing: no longer can incompetence, below-par performance, ignored global standards, anti-social & anti-eco behavior, or opaque pricing be obscured. In its place has come a transparent, fully informed marketplace, where producers have no excuse left to underperform. TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY for some, TRANSPARENCY TRIUMPH for others

First there was Adbusters who have been challenging the old model of 'brand as dictator' since 1989.... today this style of anti-advertising or SUBERVERTISING can be seen through the likes of Banksy not to mention the millions of blogs and forums and ratings systems such as Amazon, Whirlpool.net, Vogue.com.au, tripadvisor.com etc etc

So naturally these are great places for like minded anti-brand/ Naomi klein lovers to congregate and share their views but... getting these subversive messages out to the broader community is happening through interesting and frankly very humorous means.

Let me introduce you to the Billboard Liberation Front (BLF) who are 'marketing for the people' and believe in 'establishing a new paradigm in street marketing'. They actually have more than a 30 year history but undoubtedly the WWW is giving them a bigger, stronger and more global voice. It's worth a visit to their site http://www.billboardliberation.com/ if not for their comical and undoubtedly genuine list of employees to read their manifesto which states that:

Each time you change the Advertising message in your own mind, whether you climb up onto the board and physically change the original copy and graphics or not, each time you improve the message, you enter in to the High Priesthood of Advertisers

A subvert according to Adbusters "mimics the look and feel of the targeted ad, promoting the classic double take as viewers suddenly realize they have been duped. Subverts create cognitive dissonance. It cuts through the hype and glitz of our mediated reality and, momentarily, reveals a deeper truth within...'

This creates a great debate about the importance of brand truthfulness and transparency and acknowledging that you can't ignore your brand's dark side. Every brand has one... have you had a conversation about yours lately?

Also just stumbled across this one too.. but if you are a little sensitive to the above image, don't click through...!

Recession Marketing - Seen on the Streets of London & on the TV screens of USA

2008-10-24T12:33:00.006+11:00

We are all aware of the 'global credit cruch' so it is no surprise that across the US and the UK families have seen their income reduce in value.

In fact in the UK people were £14 a week poorer this September thanks to high inflation and limited wage increases.

So with governments in Britain & America talking about the coming of the dreaded R word, advertisiers are responding with value messages.

This ad from KFC captures the moment perfectly

In the US, Target is running TVC's under a new day - new ways to save tag line.

Coles is the Australian advertisier that comes to my mind when thinking of those that have jumped on the penny pinching banwagon here, with meal ideas under a price point. E.g. Feed 6 for under $35.

It is likely only a mater of time before we see more of this type of messaging....

Consumers - the lowest they have been in nearly 17 years

2008-10-22T15:58:00.005+11:00

Latest report unsurprisingly showing lowest confidence rating since 1991.

Always useful fodder for responding to client requests wanting the latest (depressing) data. You can get a historical read and a bit of commentary from the Roy morgan site…

Applying Photography Darkroom Principles to Strategy

2008-10-22T11:43:00.010+11:00

V Raw's Grand Prix win at last Thursday's MFA awards was an example of how a good idea can get marketeers excited about what is fun about our industry. Media and Creative agencies will always support good ideas, as this is what the history of the communications industry is based on.

What is interesting about this process, is that when an idea is first ignited, it is important to surrround the idea with people who care about it. Only by having a tribe of advocates who believe in the idea, are commited to it and are able to think of a 100 ways to sell to the people who can make it happen, does it really have the chance to grow and prosper.

Like photography darkroom principles, it's imperative to keep the image (idea) away from daylight until the image has evolved, been fixed and washed from impurities.

From a recent blog...

'A really good idea is simple, unexpected and relevant. And it unites extremes: it should risk a lot but nevertheless be easy to implement.” http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/2008/10/what-is-a-good.html

By it's very nature, a high-reward strategy will be inherently risky, because it hasn't been done before and may have the possibility to fail. If the success of the idea or strategy is hard to measure, then influence and passion plays a big part to sell it into the client. Any resource possible which can be used to actualise the vision to the decision maker is absolutely crucial. So for example, if it's a brand experience, get an art director who can visualise the campaign, if it lives online, mock up a simulated site which you can navigate the client through.

My last word; many big ideas often fall down in the execution phase of the process. I genuinely believe that the production values applied to deliver on an initial thought are as important as the thought itself. So before you rush to create a mood board asssembled from Google images to try to give a sense of idea you want to sell, really think about the messsage you are giving the client - is this really the last thought you want to leave them with before they decide to invest their money on a risky strategy?

A night at the Media Federation Awards

2008-10-20T13:07:00.003+11:00

By now many of you will know that OMD had a great night on Thursday 16th Oct at the Media Federation Awards taking out the Grand Prix, 4 category awards, the Pro Bono award and the NGen award (for a strategy piece written by someone with less than 5 years industry experience).

As a reference, no-one has ever won more awards at a single MFA, and we are now up to 3rd on the all time list.

So, a massive night for OMD. Big agencies like ourselves rarely, if ever, combine size with brains and I think this is proof that we have had a brilliant run the last 4 years as we do have the brains and the brawn. That puts us in a unique place in the Aussie market I believe. Much of it is driven by our specialist structure where we are truly ahead of our competitors in content, trading, strategy, digital, research and so on. All of those disciplines were involved in the award winners.

One of the other elements that pleased me most was the recognition of our young stars Kerry and Naomi (NGen finalist and winner respectively) - they and a number of others who enter the various competitions for young people in our industry really represent the culture and the future of OMD. We have people who aspire to great strategy and who are passionate enough to take on extra work to do it.

Congratulations to us, to all our people, to all the other award winners (notably Bellamy and Starcom and Campaign Palace who picked up 2 each). Trying to top this next year is going to be tough!

So many definitions of bravery.....

2008-10-17T16:31:00.010+11:00

To kick off this week we held a Think Fresh client session where we had 3 senior clients come and talk to us about what freshness and bravery means to them. We also wanted to know more about how we could better address their needs around this topic.

We heard the different perspectives of a paint manufacturer, an energy provider and a directory service. All 3 had very interesting things to say about the world they live and breath in.

We also had conversations about how fresh ideas could be brought across the line. The need for passion and belief in an idea in order to sell it was discussed and the importance of measurement & ROI were hot topics.

Overall the session was a great opportunity to learn from a few of our key senior clients and their thoughts around not only thinking fresh and being brave but continuing to deliver above and beyond their expectations.

Culture Shock

2008-10-14T11:25:00.006+11:00

You can always trust in 'your ABC' to bring some interesting programming that reflects what is happening Australia currently. And in this case, also helps us (as consumer champions) to understand the culture more deeply.
There will be an 'arts' program Artscape: Not Quite Art - Culture Shock on the ABC at 10pm that explores the 'fragmented cultural landscape', with a particular focus on the role of new media as a way of communicating ideas to a global audience.

If you get a chance to catch it, I would be interested in your feedback on it so please leave a comment.

Net 10s No Evil Campaign

2008-10-14T10:26:00.003+11:00

In an span of 18 months, US mobile carrier, Net10 US went from the 15th largest mobile network company to the 7th, by launching a campaign which addressed all the negatives barriers consumers have about their mobile network – long contract periods, penalties to leave, fixed rental fees, and high roaming charges..

Key benefits of Net 10– No Bills, No Contracts, No rental fees – just 10C a call to anywhere in the US.

Specifically, by pointing the finger at carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, new creative agency Droga 5 (New York) launched their No Evil campaign with an online viral, which gave consumers a platform to talk about their frustrations and experiences of the ‘evil’ mobile carriers. To add further fuel to the fire the viral story focuses on America’s underdog – nurses, teachers, charity workers, volunteers, senior people, illustrating the point, that all other carriers are evil.

So far, so good, the danger here however, as the network increases will they be able to sustain their competitive offers or will the carriers they have slandered come bite them in the tail?
Check out Net10 Case Study on Droga 5 website.

http://www.droga5.com/

Knees up Google Stylee

2008-10-13T09:30:00.007+11:00

Happy Birthday to....Google...

It's their 1oth birthday as it turns out.

As part of their celebrations for turning 10, they have turned back time on themselves to 2001. You can make searches in the directory for what was searchable nearly 8 years ago. Apparently they have gone with 2001 as it was the earliest version they could generate from their directory.
http://www.google.com/search2001.html

Anyway, what I love about this as it is the perfect demonstration of their evolution. Steps you back in time and simply shows you how far they have come to get to Number 10 (coincidence?) on the latest best global brands report by Interbrand. On this years' report, Google is a mere 'toddler' surrounded by big established greats like Coca Cola, Toyota, Microsoft and Mcdonalds and yet the perfect information brand in the information era.

No need for a fancy PR fuelled party, no need for a gazillion dollar ad campaign shouting about success; just an invitation to see with your own eyes then and now.

Office Envy

2008-10-09T16:23:00.005+11:00

I always like getting my cool hunter newsletter delivered to my inbox, and last week one particular article caught my attention. It was about ANZ’s Learning and Breakout Centre in Melbourne.

The centre is designed, as the name suggests, for breakout for sessions that will enhance creativity and innovation away from ANZs’ staff normal office environment. The centre is not an isolated idea to breed creativity and innovation at ANZ. Since new management took over the bank in 2000, they’ve been implementing a Cultural Transformation Program, called Breakout. The program has seen 26,000 of their staff undertake self development workshop since its inception.

The Breakout program has been about staying competitive by being a very different bank that focuses on people, its culture and environment…which has now lead to this very cool breakout centre. Apart from the entry way, there is no ANZ branding on the inside, and every day they’ve estimated 220 will use the space for meetings, workshops, events and training. I love the idea that people that you expect to be working in stale office environments, like a bank, get to enjoy the spoils of great innovation in design that will help them with creativity. Who would of thought a bank would be doing this!

Cool Hunter regularly update great office spaces that they’ve found from around the globe if you want to see more: http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/offices/
And Trudi recommended this site to take a peak at the brainstorming rooms at Naked in Sydney: http://www.theideasfinder.com.au/

Economic Downturn’s effect on Media.

2008-10-07T12:24:00.019+11:00

‘As new paths emerge, new opportunities emerge with them.’
Long and Winding Road, OMD, Yahoo Research

In 2004, consumers found themselves face-to-face with billboards and magazine ads featuring normal women in just their underwear. The ad’s promoting a skin firming cream for Unilever’s Dove, was the beginning of a campaign which challenged beauty norms and convention (campaign for real beauty). This was followed by the ubiquitous virals entitled ‘evolution’ and ‘onslaught’ which received over 7 million hits combined on Youtube. Despite the disproportionate amount of PR this campaign received Unilever has made a 360 degree turnaround which may revolutionise the beauty’s industry strategies of selling dreams and playing to womens’ hearts. The approach; focusing on the fundamental rational benefits of selling soap bars. This shift from the emotional to the functional may have more to do with the economic downturn than just a creative refresh from creative agency Ogilvy & Mather.

As the global credit crunch entrenches itself ever deeper into the globes consciousness, consumers are much more careful with their money, looking for the best offers and finding shortcuts to ensure they get value.

Consequently, a new path to purchase is emerging, with a particular emphasis on how people are using online to shop. Information gathering and price comparisons are all part of how online influences the awareness and consideration process. For considered purchases, such as auto and white goods online provides consumers a peace of mind, before parting with their money. We are even seeing a a trend towards online impacting retail goods (which normally skews towards shorter paths), where consumers are checking rrp before finally going into the store to close the purchase.

Hard times create opportunity

In Europe the recession, combined with the growth of digital media is encouraging advertisers and agencies to take a new approach, and be more creative in their executions. Christof Schmid, chief executive of Mediaplus, concurs: “Since media owners failed to sell sufficient classical ad space across all media, they have had to become more open to special ads and content integration.’ Although this requires more effort and support from specialists in the field, it is raising the bar by encouraging media innovation and strengthening the reputation of media in the industry.

Whereas investment in brand advertising may suffer during recession (harder to measure ROI, Conversion rates etc) investment in Direct marketing is the least risk averse channel to invest in, more accountable, closer to the money, less risk of reach wastage. There is also an argument here that Econometrics becomes more important than ever for clients, as long as it can provide the comprehensive measurement structure between media investment and business outcomes.

When the lines go blurry

2008-10-07T08:10:00.004+11:00

It was bound to happen at some point... Aunty (the ABC) has started airing a new series on ABC2 called Iconoclasts that is produced by Grey Goose Entertainment and is part of the the branded content division of Grey Goose Vodka.

Admittedly there is no product placement during the programme but you'd have to be a teetotaller not to realise the association to the brand.

Actually the series looks amazing - each episode features two 'creative visionaries' and takes a peek inside their lives and the way they have transformed popular culture. Some of the pairings include: Paul Newman and Robert Redford / Mikhael Baryshnikov and Alice Waters/ Richard Branson and Desmond Tutu / Howard Schultz and Norman Lear.

Has the ABC accidentally embraced advertising in the era of branded content?

Occasional Loyalty

2008-09-28T17:59:00.003+10:00

Here's an interesting example of how a media owner has been able to turn the idea of the occasional consumer to their advantage.

So yes, we've built a world of fickleness for ourselves, there's more choice for pretty much everything than the average person can ever navigate through in a lifetime. Still, most of us find brands and products we really like out there and loyalty today often means having a couple of favourites that we jostle between.

Same goes for mags and if you are a mag fan like me, there's probably a bunch of them out there that if money was no object you'd buy them all but instead you swap between a bunch of favourites each month (and no doubt the articles and covers have a bit part to play in all of that.)

Maghound is a US offering which has tapped into this idea. You buy a subscription with them for 3, 5, 7 or more mags each month and then you can switch between their 247 titles whenever you want... No being locked into any particular mag for a year, you can indulge your love for variety and have it all delivered to your door. like it!

A pictures worth how many words?

2008-09-25T08:27:00.006+10:00

I discovered an interesting application that uses a Google images search create a montage. For those Facebook addicts it is like the friends grid view.
I had a bit of play with it using some search terms with some interesting results. Here is an example of the "Telstra" search.

They only downside to it is that you can only work with the images that Google gives you.
Here is the link - it is free to use.
It could be usefully for presentations or in brainstorming as a technique.
Here is the link if you would like to have a play with this tool http://grant.robinson.name/projects/montage-a-google/

TRIVIA & DARES all in the name of CREATIVITY & BRAVERY

2008-08-29T14:50:00.013+10:00

Last Friday the OMD Ignition team in Melbourne held an all staff trivia session to test the BRAVERY and CREATIVITY of our office members. I must say we were very impressed!

We put everybody's creative juices to the test by not only answering the trivia questions in a serious manner, but also allowing them to come up with a creative answer to score bonus points. In addition to the usual trivia questions we threw in some random dares to unleash the bravery.
The highlights of the night included one French Canadian man and a random dare called 'chubby bunny'. Dom won the challenge by stuffing about 30 marshmallows into his rather large mouth (one by one) and with no hesitation cleared the words chunny bunny. Sounds like an easy task but this clearly was not the case with the other contestants dropping like flies after their 10th marshmallow.

Another highlight was the PowerPoint karaoke session where the contestants had us all in stitches and made it all look too easy.

The event turned out to be a success and certainly was an interesting way to get every member of our OMD Melbourne office involved with a CREATE and BRAVE challenge.

The start of Think Fresh

2008-08-25T11:39:00.010+10:00

Over the last few months we as a team invested hundreds of hours to create Think Fresh in Sydney and Melbourne. Our efforts involved organising 10 speakers across 4 industry events in 2 cities, running 4 internal events, 2 workshops and creating the gallery of freshness and bravery in our Sydney and Melbourne offices.

The blog already contains a review of our launch event where we heard from Kate Gunby, Mark Coad, Steve Sinha, Trudi Sampola, Amantha Imber and myself.

The second major event happened on Weds 13th in Melbourne and Thursday 14th in Sydney. OMD Managing partner Leigh Terry spoke gave an array of inspiring examples of digital campaigns. Hugh Evans, Young Australian of the Year 2004, gave a great talk on the path he has taken through life which exhibited masses of bravery and not a little creativity on the way. He has really made some amazing things happen, especially Make Poverty History and the Oaktree Foundation.

In Sydney we had Kate Bezar, editor and founder of Dumbo Feather magazine who spoke about how she overturned all the conventions of magazine publishing and created a successful magazine.

In Melbourne, the creative duo behind the Cannes award winning Schweppes Burst campaign, Jim Ingram and Ben Couzens (no not the drug addled fallen footy star) came and won the crowd over with a couple of great tales of bravery. In particular their salute of bravery went out to the Schweppes client who supported their creative idea against all the research testing results and pushed on through to launch this campaign. A great lesson about going with your gut, putting your balls on the line and the knowing when to look beyond the numbers.

Finally we ended the event with Powerpoint Karaoke where we had OMD'ers and celebrities battling it out to be the best at improvising to weird, wonderful and wacky powerpoint charts.

Three things we learnt from Think Fresh 08

1. The importance of having a vision and fighting for it.

2. The launch of OMD's Innovation Bank - the importance of putting some science (measurement) behind a good idea.

3. Ideas are empowering, and we should create a sense of urgency and importance around them

We would be interested in what everyone else took away from it so add your comments to this blog entry!

We've decided as a group to keep Think Fresh as an ongoing banner for pushing creativity and bravery within OMD, so watch out for upcoming workshops, client panel, a revised version of Checkmate. All part of our plan for follow up to turn words into actions.

A Brave Marketeer

2008-08-21T09:32:00.018+10:00

Yesterday I had the chance to see Joseph Jaffe speak at the Theaterette at News Limtited. Jaffe is part of a new breed of evenangelical marketeer who has made himself readily available to the communications world at large by extending his contact points across the gamut of what 2.0 technology permits - blog (listed top 20 blogs in the blogosphere) , podcast, twitter, text, email, etcetera, etcetera. South African by birth, ex-OMDer and based in the US, his latest visit to Australia, comes as part of his new book tour, entitled 'Join the Conversation'.

In his first book, 'Life After the 30 second spot', Joseph Jaffe wrote a no holds barred account on the demise of the 30 second spot and it's consequential impact on new media channels, or to be precise - 2.0 channels. His latest book 'Join the Conversation', discusses how the rate of 'change and innovation inside the communication industry is still less than the innovation outside it.' i.e. the relative gap between markeeter (sender) and consumer (receiver)." He pleas with us (marketeers) to listen what the conversation between brands and consumers is before setting the agenda. His book, blog and keynotes challenge us with the question 'Are you in the communication or conversation business?' and then leads us to his blog to fuel the debate.

Being part of the conversation to influence consumers and their dialogue with brands, seems like common sense to me and may not be that revelational. What i'd like to draw your attention to references one of the key themes of Think Fresh, and that's Jaffe's bravery. His bravery (or chutzpah) to continue his quest to plea to us and help us rethink how we do business.

In summary Joseph Jaffe is an example of someone who is trying to make a difference and sticking his neck out to ignite the conversation. Continuing the topical theme of Think Fresh 08 - being brave and doing something (anything) is better than doing nothing.

'Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly'

John F. Kennedy

http://www.jaffejuice.com/

Come all ye Fete-ful

2008-08-12T20:31:00.008+10:00

I love a good fete... especially when it has Morris dancing, welly wanging and alfresco dancing.

Innocent drinks in the UK have just celebrated their London Village Fete on the weekend and what a lovely weekender it must have been.

Innocent paved the way for Nudie in Australia and have a wonderful heritage for consistently doing cosy, community minded communications.

Check out the website to get a flavour of how big brands can think small.

A gallery dedicated to all things fresh and brave

2008-08-12T10:42:00.029+10:00

As part of our Think Fresh month, OMD Melbourne have launched a Think Fresh Gallery to inspire and celebrate all things fresh and brave.

'Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties'

Eric Fromm

The Gallery consists of 3 sections:
1. Fresh communication ideas (communication examples from all over the globe which have managed to stand out and impress)
2. Creative inspiration (brilliant examples from other industries where people have gone beyond the norm)
3. A salute to the brave (those who showed a tremendous amount of bravery and left their mark on the world)

Heres a bit of a taste of what is being showcased in the gallery.....

Tricom Peso Campaign (OMD, Dominican Republic)

Fifteen per cent of the population of the Dominican Republic live abroad making the telephone a vital tool for keeping in touch with friends and family. When Tricom reduced the price of international calls to the same price as a local one it needed to make a big splash with a small budget. The solution was to put its message on coins and distribute them via a range of establishments. In total more than 150,000 one peso coins were used with one side of the coin carrying the message “Start calling for less than this to the USA”. The coins and the message made their way into the public consciousness by stealth and ensured that the message couldn’t be missed. The coins were only distributed in the capital city but have found their way right across the country.

Puma Golf Collection Campaign

On March 17 in Antwerp, 2,000 golf ball shaped helium balloons attached to Puma golf items were sent to float down a busy shopping street as well as taxi stands, trains and bus stations. People were free to take the items. Labels were attached to the balloons that described the collection and directed people to the Puma website. The effort aimed to convey the "packable, portable and playable" qualities of the line.

'It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all'

Edward De Bono

World Naked Bike Ride

The 4th Annual World Naked Bike Ride was held on June 9, 2007 in San Francisco, California. Basically, the purpose underlying the event is three-fold: one, to promote a car-free lifestyle, and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels; two, to freak out the 'squares', and to force the public to 'step out of its comfort zone'; and three, most controversially, to get a sexual thrill out of being an exhibitionist.

David Blaine

David Blaine is an American world record holding magician and endurance artist. He made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic, revolutionizing the way magic is depicted around the world.
On September 5, 2003, Blaine began his 44-day endurance stunt sealed inside a transparent case suspended 30 feet in the air next to Potters Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames, London. The case measured 3 ft by 7 ft by 7 ft and had a webcam installed so that viewers could observe his progress. During the 44 day period, Blaine went without any food or nutrients and survived on just 4.5 litres of water per day.

What's the message for us?
When you have a different approach to solving a business issue, sometimes it takes real persistence to see it actually brought to life.

Phillipe Petit
Tight-rope walker, unicyclist, magician and pantomime artist, Philippe Petit was also one of the earliest modern day street jugglers in Paris in 1968. Philippe Petit is a French high wire artist who gained fame for his illegal walk between the former Twin Towers in New York City on August 7, 1974. He used a 450 pound cable to do so and also a custom made 26 foot long, 55 pound balancing pole.
Other famous structures he has used for tightrope walks include the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Louisiana Superdome and between the Palais de Chaillot and the Eiffel Tower. Petit currently lives in Woodstock, New York. A documentary film named "Man on Wire“ dealing with Petit's performance won both the World Cinema Jury and Audience awards at the Sundance Film festival 2008.

What’s the message for us?
There was never a brilliant business idea that didn’t contain the risk of failure.

'Man cannot discover new oceans until he has courage to lose sight of the shore'

Andre Gide

We all got a little fresh this week

2008-08-07T09:53:00.012+10:00

OMD Strategy Melbourne

After what seemed like endless months of planning, we finally had our maiden voyage into the world of event management with Think Fresh 08 kicking off in Sydney and Melbourne.We had the big guys in Sydney (Mark Coad) and Melbourne (Steve Sinha) ribbon cutting to let everyone know how important the area of fresh thinking is to OMD and how Think Fresh has been designed as a bigger launch pad for the year ahead.

Amantha Imber, Head Inventiologist at Inventium then gave a super duper energetic presentation on creativity. She ran a few live brainstorming exercises with the crowd and left everyone motivated and holding onto their very own 'creativity' glove to ensure no one lets their best ideas escape!

Our very own Kate Gunby, Head of Insights and Metrics then launched the OMD Innovation Bank. It's a compelling proposition to get clients to put their money where their mouth is and allocate 10% of their annual budgets to fresh ideas. That is, 9% to be allocated to running the ideas and 1% to measuring them. If we aren't making any calculated steps towards being brave with our future communications thinking.... we are sure to fail at reaping the big rewards.

Rob, OMD's National Strategy Director made a bold move at the Sydney session. After explaining the four areas of freshness that the OMD strategy team is focused on, he got the audience to allocate $100 across those areas. What was clear is that both clients and OMD staff are keen on Deliberately Thinking Differently in the year ahead so exciting challenges for us to get our tool box brimming for action with all our committed freshness partners.

Trudi, Head of Strategy in Melbourne wrapped up their session by revealing that the number of advertisers in Australia between Jan and June 08 was over 120k… Surely this is a motivation to get fresh and brave with our communications if you want to stand out. She then went on to bust a few myths around creativity and talk through action plans and suggestions for uniting our fresh thinking amongst OMD staff, our clients, our creative partners and media owners.

We're all looking forward to next week's event and in Melbourne we will also be launching the Gallery of Freshness and Bravery on Monday too.

For a copy of the presentations, drop us a line and we'll send you the goods...

Rescuing the NYC education system with 1,000,000 phones?

2008-08-06T10:28:00.004+10:00

This program in New York is an amazing fresh approach to trying to improve the educational results of students.
http://www.millionnyc.com/indexfl.html

The Million program aims to offer short-term incentives and rewards to motivate students, increase classroom participation and contribute to their overall success in school. The Department of Education selected schools to be a part of a pilot program and has partnered with Verizon Wireless to provide a free Samsung U740 to every student.

Each student will receive start-up Million points, which can be redeemed for minutes and texts, for the first month. After that, the student must earn additional Million points by doing well in classes and exhibiting good behavior.
Rewards will be allocated based on attendance, behavior and three additional performance indicators (e.g., homework completion, class participation, etc.) aligned with academic goals in your school. Students will receive rewards every other week based on their performance in these areas.

As the program continues, though, exclusive content will be developed and made available to students on the Million phone (e.g., wake-up calls from celebrities, gift certificates to favorite stores, free tickets to sporting events, etc.).

Teachers will be able to engage students through the Million (e.g., homework reminders, homework hotlines, etc.). The goal of the program is to enable students to earn the necessary points for normal use. Therefore giving the students something that is so very important to them in reward to their academic efforts.

If the students don't perform they can run out of credit and not be able to contact their friends - their worst nightmare!

How brave of a government education system to take a giant leap to a reward system that would really mean something to (their audience) students.