[podcast] jane gleadall, biglight February 10, 2009
Posted by nicholas gill in biglight, e-commerce, jane gleadall, podcast, social media.2 comments
In this latest podcast I speak with Jane Gleadall of Biglight on e-commerce and the challenges faced both on the high street and in digital from the credit crunch and the current and future impact of social media on e-commerce.
You can listen to the podcast here. You’ll also be able to download it, subscribe via iTunes and all that plus download the transcript if you’d rather read than listen.
Here’s some nuggets:
On the economic impact affecting retailers and e-commerce:
I think that online sales whether its high street or online it will be a hard fought battle this year, I think that what we are going to see is that many of the consumers are raising their expectations and they want improved service at lower cost, I do think that online will be high on the agenda for many retailers this year, and I think that getting that share of business is going to be an essential part of their survival strategy. The principles of online to a large degree are no different to what you are seeing on the high street, it’s about improving margins, it’s about reducing your costs, it’s about improving your efficiencies.
On social media’s future impact on e-commerce:
I think social media in the retail context plays a slightly different role than as it’s used for the pure community context. In the pure community context people just want to talk to one another, want to share information but retail have got to see a bottom line improvement. I think that as I have said before retail tends to apply the philosophy of testing and if social media and what it brings to the table can improve conversion, can improve average order values, it will absolutely be used. What is becoming evident is that social media is becoming very important to purchase decisions
As usual, I’ve run the content through Wordle and it looks like this:
Catch up on previous podcasts:
Tomas Nihlen of Urban Lifestyle Report
Future of search with Love Digital
Content also shared in these spaces:
[podcast] tomas nihlen, urban lifestyle report December 4, 2008
Posted by nicholas gill in podcast, social media, tomas nihlen, urban lifestyle report, wiretapping sweden.8 comments
In this latest episode, I talk to Tomas Nihlen, editor in chief of Urban Lifestyle Report about the role of social media and the recent blogger uprisings against what has become known as the Wiretapping Sweden law. Tomas also discusses his digital life and what the future may hold. Eager listeners should look out for a special discount opportunity against the subscription fee for Urban Lifestyle Report.
You can listen to the podcast here. You’ll also be able to download it, subscribe via iTunes and all that plus download the transcript if you’d rather read than listen.
Here’s some nuggets:
On the role of social media in the Swedish blogger uprising:
I think there’s several different types of social media tools that were used and the most important was the blogosphere. And in the blogosphere it wasn’t like one organisation that decided to start and organise this resistance it was many different people. But then there was also a few videos spreading on You Tube. Then Jaiku was also used… It was a way for the early adopters so you can get who’s going to what demonstration, what’s happening in the blogosphere, you could always follow the discussion from the blogosphere on Jaiku.
On the iPhone and Google Android:
I think they aim at different targets. I think iPhone is more for the mainstream consumer; people who want nice looking phones, everything to just work and they don’t care if it’s open source or not. They may not even know what open source is. And the Google phone is more for really tech-savvy people, they want to have exactly the type of applications they want, they want to have total control and they want to be able to tweak the best out of their phones. So I think there’s a market for both.
As usual, I’ve run the content through Wordle and it looks like this:
Previous podcasts:
Future of search with Love Digital
Content also shared in these spaces:
interviewed by love digital – future of search November 3, 2008
Posted by nicholas gill in david campbell, love digital, podcast, search, visual search, wordle.7 comments
After kicking off a podcast series, the tables were turned and I became the interviewee for David Campbell’s podcast series, Love Digital Out Loud. David works for Australian agency, Love Digital.
You can listen to the entire podcast here or using the enhanced presentation SlideShare below:
Some nuggets:
On mobile search:
You look at things like the iPhone which is changing the mobile sphere apace and we might yet, finally see the year of mobile that everyone has been predicting for the past five years or so. That tied up with Google Android where the ability to search by your mobile is now so easy because the graphical interface is there, the speed is there. Absolutely the investment in search will continue but it will diversify into the different areas and particularly into mobile.
On social search:
…the power of social search is … you can get recommendations from your friends, you can see where they’ve been, you can see what they’ve written about, you get their user view. So, again it’s a more personal sphere as opposed to going to a content aggregation site or an editorial site which will promote what their beliefs are. What you want is to search what your friends’ experienced and therefore more likely to appeal to you as an individual. So, again it’s this whole changing face of search from the very passive, put in a term and get a list of results to things that become much more meaningful, much more resonant to you as an individual and ultimately more actionable.
And here’s what just my section looks like on Wordle.
This content is also posted in the following spaces:
[podcast] interview with kym niblock, managing director bbc.com October 10, 2008
Posted by nicholas gill in bbc.com, five by five, kym niblock, podcast, wordle.4 comments
In the first of a new series of podcasts I’m doing for Five by Five – interesting conversations and thoughts with beautfiful people about the wonderful digital world we live in – I talk to Kym Niblock, Managing Director of bbc.com about innovations, the challenges of an international site, social network opportunities, convergence and more.
Listen, download or subscribe using RSS or iTunes right here. There’s even a full transcript if you fancy reading rather than listening.
Here’s some snippets:
On learning from others in the digital space
“I think there’s lots that we can learn from some of the things that are coming off those sites around the way they use semantic search, around the way they talk to their users, around the way they’re inclusive, around the way they’re using social networking to broaden the experience. I think all of those things are things we can take away and learn from. That’s part of being in the web space. It’s a symbiotic relationship: once somebody’s learned something, everyone’s learned it.”
On the future
“I think that some of the next big pieces are going to be around the true convergence of what we’ve been talking about for ten years. Things like iPlayer are going to lead the way to do that, you know, how to get those things on to the home TV. At the moment it’s a pretty solitary pursuit doing things in front of your computer – how are we going to open that up and share it with friends in a mainstream way?”
Also ran the trabscript through Wordle and it looks like this:
Chime in with your comments below.
Original post on The Feed from Five by Five blog on Brand Republic.
how digital is impacting on recruitment advertising June 10, 2008
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, blog, brand, brand experience, corporate blog, digital advertising, facebook, linked in, measurement, metrics, podcast, social networks, thoughts, web 2.0, website.5 comments
Here’s something I cobbled together for a pitch. Can’t tell you who for obviously. Be interested to know your thoughts.
The world is changing. Digital is important today and, in the near future, the “always connected” person will become ubiquitous. Digital will become the de-facto go-to resource for everything.
Don’t be confused that this means just the home PC: witness the rapid growth in mobile internet usage, fuelled by the accessible interface of the Apple iPhone, interactive services via digital TV and average internet usage overtaking traditional media such as TV and newspapers.
While digital offers more opportunities to target and measure more effectively than ever before, the way users consume digital has also changed the way brands need to behave in the digital space. Where traditional media (web 1.0) is shouting, web 2.0 is about conversations. Consumers expect to be involved, engaged and invited to collaborate. They have on-demand expectations; they expect real-time dialogue and want personalised experiences.
These changes apply equally to recruitment as it does to traditional brand advertising. Digital will never be about one piece of technology or ad format. It will never be about a destination site alone. Or just banners driving to it. Great digital strategy is and will continue to be delivered by utilising the world of digital marketing opportunities. Detaching it. And then having your brand advocates distributing the message, rippling it through their social network. We need to evolve beyond a placing opportunities on Monster and our corporate job board.
We think recruitment advertising will evolve in the following ways:
Leverage web 2.0
Web 2.0 technologies and sites enable brands to reach and influence new users without heavy investment in technology and IT. It also taps into the conversations and places where users are now searching for new roles. Digital has changed the mix where the recruitment ad is not the sole place people go to.
People now find jobs for each other. Building and leveraging networks on Linked In and using the professional services to seek out referrals, post jobs and build “expert status” through the Answers section is both low risk and differentiates you from the crowd and can highlight your comments and input to the network community.
Similar routes to market may be becoming a regular and insightful commentator on contextually appropriate blogs or social networking sites or a trusted source on Yahoo! Answers, which is becoming an increasingly powerful influencer. Both Linked In and Yahoo! Answers provide destinations for like-minded individuals to share interview strategies, job advice, salary negotiation strategies and “inside” information about working for certain employers.
Ensuring your company’s Wikipedia entry is current and reflects your employer brand is already expected, no longer an option.
Re-invent the job description
Traditional job descriptions are just brochureware. They don’t tell the story. They’re not transparent or authentic. Digital can make the job description live in full colour rather than black and white; give job seekers access to employees doing similar jobs through blogs (corporate or personal), podcasts that add personality and richness, live Q&A sessions in either discussion board or using new technologies such as Skype or Oovoo. This engenders trust, authenticity and provides more insight into the company than a one-liner on the recruitment ad.
Talk to them on their terms, in their place
Because of the fragmented nature of the web, your digital presence needs to reflect this fragmentation and not produce a “one size fits all” approach. A centralised place for job seekers to submit resumes and match to your needs is still relevant but not the only tactic you need to use. For example, Ernst & Young attracted high quality college graduates through Facebook. They sponsored a group, posted information on working at the company, had regular live Q&A sessions and promoted on-campus recruiting events. This not only distinguished them from other companies in their field but pre-qualified high-calibre applicants through an open, honest dialogue and targeting key campus’ to build relationships.
Activate your brand advocates
Your best source of new recruits is the ones you already have. Your employees can be the most persuasive (and also most destructive) advocates for your brand.
Identifying and empowering a small team of top performers who are already engaged in social media will raise awareness of the opportunities and as they are likely to be of positive persuasion to your brand, they will need little encouragement to spread the word about who they work for on their social media profiles and talk about their work.
This does come with a need for the company to shift from a natural protective stance over its brand and find a comfortable place between policing and releasing the brand.
Re-invent the print product
As recruiters shift budgets online, they will use print primarily to raise awareness of the company and direct people online to their corporate sites, instead of putting job listings in the newspaper. Newspapers should develop new branding products, such as allowing recruitment-focused ads to appear in the front section of the paper. They will also use editorial print content to draw passive job seekers to the recruitment section, just as they do in their real estate and automotive sections.
Do and learn
While digital can be measured to the nth degree, there is no pre-set formula as there may be in direct mail, for example. Technology is moving apace and consumer behaviour fragments and re-invents itself with alarming speed meaning that you need to constantly innovate, stay on top of trends and opportunities. It means you need to do and learn rather than the commonly accepted wisdom of today of learn and do. Build on what is working and change what is not.
Sources: Forrester.
2008 digital outlook report from avenue a | razorfish March 13, 2008
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, avenue a | razorfish, digital advertising, global, innovation, internet, podcast, social media, strategy, thought leadership, web 2.0.add a comment
After getting the 2007 edition, I then forgot to update my email info so had totally forgetten about this great report until Buckers placed a hard copy of the 2008 edition under my nose. Will try and have a read of this on Thursday when I let the train take the strain. Get yours here.
Or if you like to listen rather than read, get the podcast.
Avenue A | Razorfish also has good blog so slap that in your reader too.
stuff and things 04.11.07 November 4, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in del.icio.us, facebook, innovation, open social, podcast, social media, social networks, thoughts.1 comment so far
I’m always pleased when someone demystifies and explains some new stuff in a simple way. And, more importantly, helps me to make more of it to improve my productivity. After all, we’re all becoming information overload patients (I’m thinking Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic hence the visual above. What a great word btw.). I’m forever bookmarking, scribbling in my notebook, saving draft text messages of stuff I see out, and indeed adding content to my blog so that I might come back to it at a later time. I confess that although I know what delicious is (I can’t be arsed to place the dots btw), I haven’t converted to it. I have no explanation as to why as clearly it would help me find my shit a lot easier. As this post from Web Worker Daily tells me.
I found this on the Wordpess homepage & it makes me want to go find out more on OpenSocial which I found the more intriguing part of the post rather than the premise of the title. I even felt compelled to write a comment which used to be a rare event and is happening more and more to me. Am I finding my voice?
Although the Facebook gazillion dollar valuation is quite laughable, I agree totally that portability will be the future, not places. While Facebook is fun today and the opening up of it’s technology to create some good apps (branded or otherwise) has made its appeal more enduring, it’s still in effect another country to my work email, home email, Linked In, other contacts, other places etc. Being able to harmonise and transport that fluidly would be [insert appropriate superlative here.] Better go check out Open Social…
And more social stuff, here’s a link about a social media podcast. I’ve not listened yet so can’t/won’t comment but looks like there could be some good nuggets.
talking, not quite walking May 31, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, brand, digital advertising, mobile, podcast, social networks, strategy, thoughts, TV, user generated content, web 2.0, you tube.add a comment
Recent review of marketing manager type folk from Forrester shows that the old ways are still prevalent and that while there’s lots of discussion and good intent, trial and actual usage is still a way behind. In a candid chat with a former marketing client a few weeks ago, she let me know that her difficulty is convincing guys 10/20 years older, who grew up thinking DM was a new fad, to spend the money on things that they struggle to “get.” “No one got fired doing TV” was the safety net for them and the low budgets they got provided for the bucket of below the line ,had much higher pressure to produce ROI to try and get more money so they chucked it in the run of site ad networks for pretty much guaranteed returns and struggled to innovate. A sad tale but one that makes us realise that rather than just evangelising, we need to prove.
when did PEST become SLEPT? May 14, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, brand, content, del.icio.us, digg, digital advertising, direct mail, energy challenge, integration, podcast, presentations, social networks, strategy, tags, though leadership, thoughts, web 2.0, website.add a comment
The Times 100 site has some good case studies and theory stuff that ranges from GCSE to A level to MBA. Obviously been a while since I ducked into the classroom as the L was always silent in PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technology), as it kind of got lumped with Political. I bet they’ve screwed with the old girl AIDA too. Progress, huh! Good charts & nuggets to acknowledge very clearly, obv.
The site is also a great example of having social media at the heart of it with a multitude of tagging and download options including the podcast but also the ability to listen to the page for accessibility reasons.
Source & all images: The Times
sometimes digital does feel like a different world May 4, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in blog, brand, content, del.icio.us, digg, digital advertising, mash up, podcast, second life, skype, social networks, thoughts, user generated content, viryual worlds, web 2.0, website, you tube.add a comment
And this map proves it. Very funny.
Big thanks to Greg Verdino.
