Data as art

This makes tag clouds look a little dull.  http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-07/22/the-man-who-turns-data-into-art.aspx

The art of making data interesting is something we can all learn from.

Searching for the meaning

Have you ever been asked for a definition of Social Marketing?  The problem with the web is that everyone has a opinion on it so there will never be a definition but that’s ok because the very fact that nothing is complete is a good starting point for understanding social marketing as anything else would be…  I decided to tackle this question by thinking about a recipe, because in my mind social marketing is many things and it is something that can be made all the time…  So here’s my creation

A big dollop of personality

A scoop of relevance

A sprinkle of recommendations

A large spoon of opinion

A cup of content

Stir well to combine all ingredients and serve on a platter of usefulness on my table when I want it

 

Update:  Enjoy with friends (as suggested by Maryrose Lyons)

What can brands learn from Gordon Brown

I have just watch the speech from GB at the TED oxford conference and I was immediately struck by something new, a change in my feelings towards him. I watched it because someone I trust told me it was good. I am not usually big a supporter of Mr Brown but something about that speech created a shift in my mind.  It got me thinking about why, was it the content, the words, his manner, the place or context?  Yes its is true that some of the content was around moving, emotional subjects but that wasn’t just it.  I felt that he spoke my language, he talked about the web in way that connected with me, the fact that TED brought me this information gave it credibility, gave him access to a space in my media consumption that he would never usually occupy.  His manner was more relaxed than normal, his personality appeared to come through more than I had seen before.  A speech of just 16 minutes may have shifted my opinion of him positively.

So what can brands learn from this?  If we break down why I watched it and why it worked you can see how social marketing played a role.  My friend emailed a link to a group of his friends, saying watch this speech, i did not act then and there but this morning I read some tweets from TED and it reminded me to go and watch some of the speeches, arriving on the homepage the GB speech took centre stage, remembering the recommendation I decided to watch it.

Brands who struggle to engage a particular audience can benefit hugely from working with partners who already have credibility with those people who they want to talk, combine this with a recommendation from a ‘friend’ (this can anyone in your network), talk to them about things that matter to them, in their language and you will reap the benefits.

Now what can GB learn from this…..

An idea I’d love share

The Big Lunch from mastercard looked pretty succesful fromwhere I was standing.  I saw a street near my home turned into a village fete for the day.  All the neighbours where out with their kids actually talking to each other, in London this is quite unusal behaviour.  I think I may even have had a bit of street envy, next year my street will be getting involved….  This idea was great because it activated people into changing their behaviour and doing something different, and why?  because a brand recognised a need in culture for people to connect more with each other and gave them the tools to make it happen.

From an advertising POV I am wondering what they will do next, how will the content be shared and the campaign made bigger?  Quotes of 2 million people being involved have been suggested, how will Mastercard  ensure those people remain advocates….

App-itite

I do love apps, well iPhone ones anyway.  I am currently loving the Ocado App.  Very clever and simple.   Upmarket food shoppers who love waitrose probably also have a good chance of owning an iPhone so Ocado have made it even easier to order your groceries on the go.  The App is fast and simple and will get your groceries to door by the next day.  Now that last 5 mins of down time has been filled.  Thank you Ocado this is branded utility at its best.

The effect of technology on business and culture

There is no doubt in my mind that technology has more power to change our world than anything else.  Where did you first hear the news on Michael Jackson?  If you are under 30 it was probably facebook.  The availability of content has put the consumer in the powerful position of being able to choose.

Young people today are bringing with them media habits that hold great concern for traditional content businesses like newspapers and broadcasters.  They don’t want to read long winded opinion pieces, if it can’t be summed up in a 140 characters then they are unlikely to spend much time with it.  The format of the newspaper is not appealing to them at all, it takes too long, it is too big and generally doesn’t offer anything to them that they can’t get elsewhere.  This generation are all connected on facebook, the listen to music on the iphone/ipod or other mobile, radio to them is lastfm, TV is watched o playback skipping the ads unless the are cool enough to stop and watch.  I am wondering what will happen when more content has a paywall attached to it?  How will they lure the under 25 s in?  If they don’t hook them into habit based consumption soon then chances they never will.

Mind the Gap – This is from an opinion piece on paid for content, coming soon….

Strength in numbers?

We already know it is not about reaching audiences any more it is about putting yourself in the right place to be discovered by the right people.  The focus is not shouting at as many people as possible until they give in and buy your product, it is more subtle than that it is about having a conversation with a few people who might care enough to tell their friends.  Advertisers want to get their brands in front of people who can afford to buy them so don’t walk away from a small group of Tweeters because the TV campaign holds great promise of numbers of eyeballs.  This quote from Wired sums it up well for me…..

‘Sure, 300,000 Twitter followers isn’t the same as an umpty-million TV audience, but those 300K people are highly selective neophiles with disposable income. They have bloody iPhones and everything. At some point, he’ll recommend a prose book and the number of people tapping their way to Amazon for a one-click-and-back-to-their-Kindle-app is going to be eminently trackable. That may very well tell an interesting story.’  warren Ellis Wired Magazine

Everything is rentable and needs based marketing

We have long been referred to as a throw away society but now are we becoming more of a dip in and out society?  This months Wired magazine got me thinking with their feature on ‘Why own your life when you can rent it’  Pretty much everything you need can be rented or used on a impermanent basis: rent a flat, car, handbag, office space and web space to name a just a few.  Not only is this better for environment it is also better for our pockets, next time you go to buy just think ‘is there another way’.

Some of my favourites:  Street Car, Bag borrow or steal, The Frock Exchange, Google Docs

Branded utility – what can my brand do to be really useful?  Maybe facilitating something around these temporary experiences or needs could be the starting point for an idea…..