the future is from… Volvo July 23, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in automotive, brand experience, innovation, volvo.Tags: automotive, environment, f, future, open, social business, technology, volvo
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Volvo has changed. No longer just a brick to protect your family. Today, their cars look pretty cool. But today is yesterday in automotive terms so Volvo, like all manufacturers are looking to the future. But where most manufacturers jealously guard their knowledge stocks, the Swedes are opening theirs up. Well, I’m sure these are just a few of the full range of R&D projects underway but it’s a smart move to open up the idea process. Simple website layout and navigation and simple, easy to understand projects. I really like this and the mix of what’s happening today and a glimpse of what’s coming tomorrow.
at work – behind the scenes June 15, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in brand experience, Doner, pinterest, social media, social networks.add a comment
Pinterest. The next big shiny object and must have in every presentation you give. And like I always say, you’ve got to try these things. So, I have. And have been for some time. But my own collection was a bit, er, well, a bit too me. So I decided to do a bit of behind the scenes at work. Not least because I seem to have collected a few images but people seem to like to know what goes on behind closed doors. So here’s a flavour of life behind the scenes at Doner.
my favourite londoner – new work May 29, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in advertising, Client, Doner, Fuller's, James May, London Pride.add a comment
Blatant work plug. Here’s our new work for Fuller’s London Pride, again featuring the marvellous James May. The campaign celebrates the provenance of the brewery and the pint, especially important when the world’s eyes will be on London this Summer. The work is featured on the Marketing Society blog and also on Haystack and you can see it pretty much all across London this Summer. Cheers!
creative advice from a legend April 26, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in creative, sxsw.add a comment
Bruce Springsteen at SXSW this year. The video above is the short version for the attention deficit among us. The video below is the full version if you want to understand the full context. An incredibly powerful expression about changes , desires, technology and being creative.
now that’s customer service April 10, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in brand experience, customer services, Fill & Tell.1 comment so far
You know how difficult finding presents for your mum is, right? Fortunately my wife is signed up to a whole heap of cool baby sites that provide a lof of inspiration. On one of these sites we found Fill & Tell – a really delightful book for the grandparent to fill in for their grandchildren. It lets the grandparent tell them all about their lives in a really stylish and funky looking book. Most of the other books we had come across were a bit stuffy and formal. This looked really cool. Unsurprising considering it comes from a Scandinavian company.
So we plumped for it and decided to get it. But the online ordering form wouldn’t work. It just went to a blank page. Sometimes I do get issues with Safari on a Mac but this hasn’t happened for a while. Normally you’d move on and get it from Amazon or somewhere but they were out of stock. So we sent the customer service team an email. At 9.30pm on Wednesday night.
Within 10 minutes we had a response. And a real one, from a real person. Not just a “thanks for your message and we’ll get back to you”. But an incredibly helpful email from Katrine who informed me that no, my credit card hadn’t been billed, they’d checked the site and all should be ok and would I mind trying again. So I did. Same problem. And sent another email. Again, Katrine responded really quickly offering to mail out the item first class and invoice us. And this is all happening late (ish) at night and Sweden is an hour ahead too. The package arrived Saturday. A great product (my mum loved it) and really brilliant customer service when auto-response or no response is often the default.
some photos what I took February 20, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in iphone, photography.2 comments
Following on from the Just Ask Gill side project, I’ve been bumbling about with pictures this time instead of questions. And I’ve curated some photos what I took on my iPhone. Some are untouched, some are touched with various apps on the phone including Hipstamatic, Instagram and Photoshop Express. Hopefully some you may like. If not, don’t be too harsh a critic. I’m not a photographer, just amusing myself.
I have another couple of projects mulling over in my addled mind. Most of which involve words this time. More when the time is right.
re-launching Chrysler in the UK February 6, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in Chrysler, DCH, Doner, Ypsilon.1 comment so far
There’s some exciting things happening at Doner. The first of which is our re-launch of the Chrysler brand to the UK market. We have totally re-developed the brand positioning and strategy that differentiates us in a hugely competitive market. And we have a really compelling integrated campaign that broke last night with a 60’ brand commercial in the ad break of Sky Sports UK coverage of the SuperBowl final. Two more commercials focussing on the Delta and Ypsilon are being edited and we have a range of press and digital work going live from today.
The new brand positioning, ‘Different is what we do’, draws on the American car manufacturer’s grittier, urban, no-nonsense reputation and makes it relevant for the UK market with a range of cars that includes the familiar Grand Voyager and 300C but now embraces the smaller C Class Delta and B Class Ypsilon.
It’s been keeping me and few others somewhat busy for the last 3.5 months. It’s been a blast being a creative partner as well as the planner on this.
Some words on the campaign in AdAge. And yes, the choon is by Jay Z.
Update: 15.02.
And here’s the new Chrysler Ypsilon ad that was released into the wild this week.
Please note the videos are only viewable in the UK due to music rights restrictions.
social clean up January 16, 2012
Posted by nicholas gill in personal brand, social media, social networks, unfriend.1 comment so far
January is typically a time for New Year’s resolutions. But I typically don’t stick to them so I haven’t made any this year. Instead, quite by accident, I found myself gaining much self-satisfaction from cleaning up the social media tangle I find myself in.
It all started quite innocuously by being bored of the same update from several people on Twitter. I mean, really, we ALL read Mashable and the like. Why re-tweet it? So I stopped following them. Then I figured I should review who I was following:
- People who haven’t said anything in months? Unfollow.
- People who I followed more out of faux fraternity of being employed together rather than wanting to find out what they were really doing? Unfollow.
- People who post things that are just not interesting to me anymore. or ever. Unfollow.
- And worst of all, people without a real picture! Unfollow.
And Twitter is now an easier place. I still follow people I like, can find inspiration and new things from and find amusing. It also takes less time to catch up. And there’s blissfully few repeats.
And then came Facebook. Similar rules applied. Although oddly I found this a little harder. Maybe in the Facebook frictionless sharing world I would be outed as a serial unfriender? But after a few test unfriends, this didn’t happen. So I carried on. The net result again is a smaller, more defined, more real social network. There’s still work to be done. Especially when I peek at Linked In and see updates from people I haven’t got a clue who they are and think, “hmm, must be a recruiter.”
I’m not the only one who is doing this. It all started out as a bit of a rush. Collecting people, with the “friend”, “followers” or “connections” number being directly attributable to your social worth. Of course this is, and always was, bollocks. It’s quality, not quantity that counts. And while I’m very much in the “don’t know well” category from the infographic above, there are many who are cleaning up their networks for a variety of reasons. The net result though, is I’m enjoying my social circles again. It’s also why I’m highly reluctant to start another collection on Google Plus.
So if I no longer follow you or appear as your friend, it’s not personal, it’s just business.
there are two b’s in digital December 5, 2011
Posted by nicholas gill in brand experience, digital, Technology Digital.add a comment
Digital Media is incomplete without the two B’s – Bravery and Budget. Latest article by me in Technology Digital.
social media boredom November 21, 2011
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Brands today need to deviate from the conventional Social Media marketing path if they want to keep the consumers interested. Article by me in Technology Digital.
