stuff and things 28.10.07 October 28, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in advertising, blog, innovation, inovation, presentations, social networks, though leadership, thoughts, web 2.0, you tube.add a comment
Toyota meets World of Warcraft. 7 million play that every day FYI. Thanks to Matt Dickman. Check out his new project too.
Over at his blog, Vincent Thome has written a paper on experimentation. I think he has some great ideas here. I even felt compelled to write a serious comment rather than the usual guff I leave. What do you think?
Some decks from a recent web 2.0 summit in Californ-i-a
Earlier this week there was a conference for girl geeks interested in technology, web 2.0 etc and it’s brilliantly called she’s geeky. (Found following Charlene Li from Forrester on Twitter). (Image source)
stuff and things 22.10.07 October 22, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in blog, brand, content, digital advertising, facebook, integration, my stuff, presentations, social networks, star wars, stats, though leadership, thoughts, user generated content, web 2.0, word of mouth.add a comment
Facebook brand tie-ins that are bad get a lot of press. But here are two good examples. Herbal Essences which I found via Advergirl & O2 win a MASSIVE university big party thing. Leigh sums up why they both work very eloquently even though her comments are attributed to the shampoo stuff:
Set up as a group, not a personal account. You’re not a person, why pretend to be one?
Creative focuses on the ‘passion’ elements of the brand
Targeted approach to deliver visit > engage > share behavior (stuff to do when you’re there + a reason to come back)
And, the team invested in solid seeding behavior
Download a Forrester study of business decision makers use of social media in B2B world from the American Business Media.
Kids bored this half-term? Get them to draw Yoda (source: showmescifi)
There are now more than 1 million UK members of Linked In. And I can download a badge to add to my profile as I joined before it hit this landmark. So I did. But I’m not so sure why. A million is hardly exclusive. Does it help in anyway? Will it improve my life?
I walked back to Waterloo after a meeting in London Bridge on Friday. It was mighty cold. But took these two shots of London Bridge itself & the big spider thing outside the Tate. Thought you might like them.
dove follow up – lock up your daughters October 17, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, advertising, brand, digital advertising, strategy, though leadership, Uncategorized, word of mouth, you tube.add a comment
I think everyone must have used Dove as THE example of how a brand can truly influence culture, perception and attitude . Here’s the development of the campaign targeting parents of young girls who have massive exposure to the altered and warped images of beauty. Powerful.
digital evolution and daemons September 16, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in blog, books, film, futurology, social networks, though leadership, thoughts, Uncategorized, web 2.0, web 3.0, website.1 comment so far
MSN take a look at how the web is evolving including personal daemons.
Which is a new term to me as a quick Google suggests it came from a Phillip Pullman novel. But they exist in other forms including the one in the article.
Having taken the test on the Golden Compass movie link above, it appears my Daemon is Olyandra: a moth. As I am “spontaneous, relaxed, modest, solitary and dependable.” She is female as human and Daemon pairs should be different genders. Perhaps I should read more on what it might do?
In any case, hope they come up with another name in web world. Maybe “Dobby’s” in relation to the long suffering house elf in Harry Potter?
stuff and things 12.09.07 September 12, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, advertising, books, brand, content, digital advertising, film, mobile, strategy, though leadership, thoughts, travel, TV, website.1 comment so far
In flight entertainment going a step too far? Virgin America have recently trialled an in flight IM service allowing you to badger the hell out of other passengers, probably the “hotty” 3 rows in front of you. Frankly I’d find this annoying as fuck as we say here in Blighty. But the general service seems to have gone down a storm in the US. It seems that Virgin cool has transferred pretty well and spreading the gospel to the jetrosexuals stateside. I like the fact you get ice cream served during movies. (Image source)
And with the recent hullabaloo (I surprised myself writing that word too) about Heathrow and the general backlash against flying, those folks at Iconoculture have come up with It Sucks to Fly, a repository for all things negative about the chores of flying.
Get writing and you could be the next JK Rowling in this Times competition (closes Nov 17).
A new film and some interesting, intriguing content at 1-18-08
The story of the men (and the madness) who made ads that changed our lives.
Dirt cheap texts as opposed to dirty texts which would be a different link altogether.
books to read by the pool August 17, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in books, management, though leadership, thoughts, travel.1 comment so far
A little later than planned but I finally get to blog about my last holiday in Italy when I’m on my current holiday pootling around at home. First up in the holiday season: the book review.
Steve Waugh – Out of My Comfort Zone
The first of a few cricketing themed books for this holiday. I’d wanted to read this for months but managed to keep it hidden away for the week in Tuscany. Some autobiographies are just a sprinkling of magic dust on a few weeks in the sun (think Wayne Rooney’s “life story” when he’s just about out of school trousers), but this is different. Waugh’s is a fascinating tale of a guy who just doesn’t give up, makes himself better through perserverance and hard work and is incredibly human and humble. At nearly 800 pages, it’s not a quick and easy read and a bit like Waugh himself, you need to grind it out and discover the gems. And it’s not just a book for cricket lovers. If you have to manage people, you should read this. A real account of someone who took a good Australian team and made them great. How great? Just look at the history books. Some of the management lessons in the pages are as good as any you’ll find in the business and management sections of the book stores. Here’s an example of his 12-point blueprint for success:
1. stay a strong unit and enjoy each other’s success
2. play each game as if it’s the most important of your career
3. don’t hesitate, always back yourself
4. never believe the game is lost
5. aim to be man of the match every time you play
6. improvise – think on your feet
7. learn something from every match
8. do the little things right and the big picture will fall into place
9. enjoy the fact you’re representing your country – have pride
10. the best fielding side nearly always wins
11. know your own game and what your role is
12. have fun – have a laugh
Simple and straightforward but when executed with 100% convinction, unbeatable. Try taking these into your work on Monday morning.
James May – Notes from the Hard Shoulder
I bought this because I enjoy Captain Slow on Top Gear. I didn’t realise he had a column in the Telegraph mainly because I don’t buy the Telegraph. Like Jeremy Clarkson’s column collections, they are fantastically short allowing you to chew it in bite size chunks, deliciously funny and completely in tune with the tone of May on the TV. After the seriousness of Waugh, a welcome chuckle.
Michael Simkins – Fatty Batter: How cricket saved my life (then ruined it)
Back to willow and leather with this very funny tale of how a fat kid useless at sport discovered cricket on the TV one summer and then became obsessed by it to the point where every weekend and spare moment is spent organising and playing in friendly matches. I haven’t laughed so much from reading a book in ages.
David Mitchell – Black Swan Green
I didn’t quite finish this on holiday but a I love Mitchell’s evocative writing style that brings alive characters and places. Black Swan Green has huge nostalgia for 1982 in a typically English suburban town and deals with a child who has a stammer and therefore social acceptance problems in a difficult 13 year old’s life which is set against the backdrop of the Falklands War. Although somewhat personally disapoointed that the 1982 World Cup wasn’t even mentioned but then the main protagonist wasn’t really sporty so it wouldn’t have fitted at all. Perhaps I should write my own memoirs? Quite different to the other three holiday books in style and content but that’s the beauty of books: every one is different.
OK, I didn’t read these on holiday but some recent memorable reads:
Nick Griffiths – Dalek I loved You
If you like Dr Who and were born in and around the 1970′s this will make you laugh and cry. Although it’s not wholly about the Doctor so don’t be put off. More a case of one man’s quite surreal life against which the Doctor is interspersed.
Harry Thompson – Penguins Stopped Play
Not unlike Fatty Batter in that it mainly covers a friendly playing cricket team but it covers their fantastic travels to play cricket in all the world’s continents. Incredibly entertaining, witty and articulate as you’d expect from one of the script writers of Have I Got News For You.
J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows
At first I did think they were kids books. Then I read the first few on holiday last year and became hooked. And I managed to be patient while my wife finished reading it before I started. A bit of a Hollywood ending but like other Potter fans I did enjoy it. What I like most about Potter is that it’s got children reading again and inspiring their imaginations. Whatever your own personal views on the merchandising etc., surely getting kids reading and enjoying picking up a book and using their brains is better than sticking them in front of the TV or the PlayStation or educating them through free toys with Happy Meals?
stuff and things 30.07.07 July 30, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, advertising, digital advertising, social networks, strategy, though leadership, thoughts, user generated content, web 2.0, website, you tube.add a comment
As well as being really moreish sweeties, Skittles have a cool web site where you can create your own animated cartoon, based on the very nice ATL execution, and then share it with your friends on Bebo. I like it.
Sky have created a channel called SkyCast. I just don’t see why they didn’t create a channel in You Tube, pretty much the same functionality and one less registration form which is my personal beef at present.
Here’s a list of the Top 50 business blogs according to The Times. And here’s the response the readers inundated the paper with to create their own. Good example of listening and acting on the feedback.
And talking of listening and still with The Times, here’s a Booz Allen report on why UK banking customer service is poorly rated compared to other countries. While technology can improve the banking experience through text updates, online access etc., it can also be a hindrance, such as this one major issue:
UK bank call centres also came under fire because of the difficulty of accessing humans, rather than automated voicemail.
Important to remember that the human touch makes such a difference in these connected times. There is a sound 8-point checklist of how to improve the service too. Sounds straight-forward, and it is, but often the simplest things make the biggest difference.
And a quick update on this from Iconowatch:
Moving to an à la carte account model could be a smart move because consumers don’t want to pay for features they don’t want. Giving customers more control over their accounts is also a simple way for banks to grow in a difficult market. |
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| MIKE VAN BUSKIRK, PRESIDENT OF OHIO BANKERS LEAGUE |
i think i’m awarded July 6, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in blog, though leadership, thoughts.4 comments
Surprised, honoured and delighted that Philippe included me in his hit list for five blogs that make him think. Which means I have to think about who makes me think. After much contemplating and thinking about thinking and worrying whether I should avoid some of the “big guns” or not, I’ve netted out here. So my top 5 who really make me think are:
1. Greg Verdino.
Greg is not only a top guy but has insightful and provocative mind that makes you question your own actions and recommendations. He’s part of the inspiration (see below) of why I started to blog too when he presented at the Digitas strategy boot camp. He blew my mind. I also follow him on Twitter and the guy has a great sense of humour.
2. Ewarwoowar.
Emmel is so smart he could have two brains. I had the pleasure of working alongside Nick when we were brethren in the church of TMW. Clearly his thoughts make me think. And laugh. And I also thought, if he can do this, so can I!
3. Techno//Marketer.
Matt Dickman’s insights into new stuff such as Twitter, Pownce and critiques of Bud TV are superb and thought provoking. And his use of video makes the experience more involving.
4. Bad Idea, Indeed.
Not just because Philippe nominated me but because he really does make me think. The guy’s stuff is great and varied. Serious and amusing. And when I’m next heading to Holland I may try & get the train via Brussels and buy the guy a beer. Assuming of course he’s anywhere near Brussels.
Ryan has some truly incredible ideas and I love the way he lives his digital life and has connected so readily with some giants in the arena such as David Armano, Greg and Joseph Jaffe. He has a cracking sense of humour too.
If you haven’t found these guys yet, you really should. Mind you, I had to check yesterday in a newspaper if the year was 2006 or 2007 (seriously) so I’m not convinced my judgement is spot on at present.
Here’s the original post that started this thinking frenzy.
stuff and things 13.06.07 June 13, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, advertising, blog, books, brand, content, digital advertising, direct mail, mash up, social networks, sport, strategy, though leadership, thoughts, user generated content, web 2.0, website.add a comment
I want one of these. The guy who created it is a finalist on the ITV series, Tycoon. And my wife works with someone who’s selling them. And it’s in my lounge! But it needs batteries and I don’t have any. The excitement level is huge. The key question is: can I adapt it to make it carry beer across the room? Stand by for the likely Spam in helicopter episodes…
Branding Wire made its debut yesterday offering insightful words on a business problem. An interesting take on a think tank in the blogosphere. The first case study is fictional and they are after case studies and problems to apply their brains to. Send them a line.
Jack & Meg are releasing their new White Stripes album, Icky Thump, on limited edition zip drives. I want one. 1) I hope it’s better than their last outing and 2) I can’t remember any other band using this? (source: Boing Boing)
Skytyping is very odd (source: Boing Boing)
Is social media getting just that little bit carried away with frienemies?
Vincent Thome has uploaded his greatest hits collection in response to my random tag. Emmel has not (yet) but he has a cool F1 mash up and is also after a web strategist
Matt Dickman shows us a cool bit of kit that could help us change the way we understand the real behaviour of our customers and a reminder to get out of the ivory tower and meet the real people.
Penguin are planning on using social network tools to get kidz into bookz. But not till later this year. (source: brand republic)
Allison Stokkes is making a leap. Or as this article puts it, “the California teenager is hot … this nice little girl in sports bra, short-shorts and firm grip on a pole has taken the Internet by storm.”
You can never get enough Post Secret
I’m hoping the DMA will get my gender right this time (see image above)
And does anyone know where Sacrum will end up?
social media gone wrong June 4, 2007
Posted by nicholas gill in account planning, blog, brand, content, digital advertising, social networks, strategy, though leadership, thoughts, user generated content, web 2.0, website.add a comment
It’s always a struggle to get your hands on good and bad examples of corporate social media type things when in deck mode. This iMedia article has them both including the Wal Mart debacle and the PSP fake blog cock up. As an addendum to that one, apparently they thought the only reason it didn’t work was because they tried too hard to make it sound cool with lots of yoof phrases. Yeah, that and the fact they made it up. And it was shit.
