MediaExplored

Great food insights from JWT Intelligence

2012-02-17T11:39:00.000Z

What's Cooking? Trends in Food (February 2012) View more presentations from JWTIntelligence Fantastic piece of work from JWT Intelligence delving into current food trends. Indispensible if you work for a food brand. Get your copy by signing up here. 11 Key trends highlighted: 1. Foodie Culture - Yesterday’s gourmand has multiplied into factions of foodies all with various passions

Sunshine activated Sunscreen ad for Nivea Brazil

2012-02-08T16:25:00.000Z

No idea what the v/o says (any translators fancy doing me a favour?) but I love the idea of making the product attribute into the actual ad. Do it > Say it or, if you prefer, Making things > making people want things.

Nice interactive outdoor from Mercedes

2012-02-07T12:20:00.001Z

Travellers at Friedrichstrasse U-Bahn station in berlin could use their own car keys to interact with the cross-track projections. Multiple creative treatments showed the versatility and capacity of the new Viano while some lucky customers could win a VIP ride in the van parked outside to their destination.

The Chinese New Year in Next Growth Cities - A WPP Report

2012-01-25T09:47:00.000Z

To mark the occasion of Chinese New Year, WPP have created a groundbreaking study - "The Chinese New Year in Next Growth Cities." The study identifies major opportunities for brands and retailers and breaks new ground in several ways: Researchers and a photojournalist spent the Chinese New Year period with two families conducting the first-of-its-kind ethnographic-pictorial research. Unique

Rise of the Empowered Consumer: How to reach audiences in 2012

2012-01-24T10:41:00.000Z

What do brands need to do when consumers are in charge? Register here to view this live webcast on Tuesday 31 January @ 16:15 GMT,as world-renowned marketing guru Martin Lindstrom and Dell's Head of Global Digital and Emerging Media Tiffany Bissey, join MediaCom strategist Matthew Mee, to assess the needs of today's Empowered Consumers and identify what advertisers are doing right in order to

Subterranean Ikea Home in Paris Subway

2012-01-24T10:32:00.000Z

Sorry for the hiatus everyone. Very busy end to 2011 and start to 2012. I feel as if I've been pitching for weeks. Anyway, normal service should now be resumed. Thought the above work from Ikea in France was an interesting way of showing how they can deliver flexible, functional living - in any limited space. The idea of getting half a dozen people to live in it for 5 days gives it a bit of

Big changes at Facebook and Twitter

2011-12-13T10:26:00.000Z

There were a couple of big changes at Twitter & Facebook last week that have been getting a lot of coverage so let's take a look at the implications. First up, Facebook launched a ‘Subscribe’ button for websites, which basically allows visitors to your site to add your social updates to their Facebook feed without going anywhere near Facebook, or having to seek out a profile page or author

Amnesty International - Making the Invisible Visible

2011-12-05T16:37:00.000Z

I really like the approach W&K are taking withn this campaign for Amnesty International. Making the Invisible Visible is an Amnesty International street art project highlighting the plight of six individuals who have suffered human rights abuses. The project is a unique collaboration between German street art collective Mentalgassi and creative team Lisa Jelliffe and Kirsten Rutherford from

Great use of Google Streetview - Address is Approximate

2011-11-28T13:00:00.000Z

Lovely piece of stop-motion work using Google Streetview from Theory Films co-founding director Tom Jenkins. Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo. Soundtracked by one of my favourites, The Cinematic Orchestra.

Face-activated gaming from Red Bull

2011-11-23T09:52:00.000Z

Interesting use of the webcam. Although I can't help thinking they might've used it to develop a more relevant game. I'm not sure grimacing links to Red Bull's F1 sponsorship in the way they might want me to think about it.

What Works Now? Marketing Effectiveness in the Data Age

2011-11-18T12:38:00.000Z

In today’s digitally enhanced world data is being generated at a tremendous rate while marketers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate effective returns on marketing investment. But the volume and complexity of the information available to us can often seem overwhelming. We need cleverer ways to capture, analyse and visualise data to unlock the insights held within. MediaCom Edinburgh

Muppets Movie - great use of content

2011-11-14T15:21:00.000Z

I'm a big fan of The Muppets (yes, yes, I sometimes act like one too). So much so that friends bought my wife and I our own muppets as a wedding present. So I've been watching with interest the Warner Brothers campaign in support of the forthcoming (and eagerly awaited in our household) Muppet Movie. Not only have I been enjoying it for the hilarity it's causing me but for the clever and

Five Years of Sharing - the how when and where

2011-11-14T15:04:00.000Z

Great infographic (you know how we love infographics) from Clearspring owned Addthis Apparently Wednesday is the most popular day for sharing but don't let that stop you.

Blue Marble

2011-11-07T15:19:00.000Z

More and more people are using tools like Google Maps or Google Earth on their mobiles (Google Earth has reportedly been downloaded over 400 million times) Phillips have decided to use this opportunity with what they’re calling “Blue Marble”. Phillips are offering to place large QR codes on top of companies’ buildings which are viewable on Google Maps (see below). Consumers will then be able to

Two ears, one mouth

2011-10-24T11:44:00.000+01:00

Another sound post, this time a great short, presentation on how to listen more effectively. Fascinating stuff. via Neil Perkin

The Sound of Simplicity

2011-10-24T11:40:00.001+01:00

"Sound" from SoundCloud on Vimeo. I really love Soundcloud. As a place to find and share new music I think it's unbeatable. It's also now fast becoming a place where producers can find samples from field recordings to drum patterns. The ambition to be the archive of sound I think is really ambitious and laudable. I also love this quote from the Venture Capitalist behind the whole thing: I met

Austin Kleon - How to Steal Like an Artist

2011-10-10T11:22:00.000+01:00

Artist Austin Kleon talks lots and lots of creative sense in the above video. You should also read the long-form on his blog. With thanks for the heads up to the ever excellent Neil Perkin at Only Dead Fish. I recommend you sign up for his weekly fish food newsletter.

Multi-Coloured Swap Shop

2011-10-10T10:24:00.001+01:00

I’m showing my age here by bringing up Noel Edmond’s Multi-coloured Swap Shop but it was a bit of a Saturday morning institution when I was a kid (I still have the scarf in a box somewhere). I soon swapped to the more entertainingly anarchic Tiswas when it finally went national but that doesn’t work as a link into today’s post. The Guardian recently announced their National Book Swap. As a

Do it Yourself

2011-10-03T10:22:00.000+01:00

Ever seen the Tom Hanks movie “The Money Pit”? I’m in a DIY hell almost as bad as that right now. Every time I think I’ve turned a corner, the corner falls off behind me and reveals 5 layers of Edinburgh Corporation gloss paint holding some patchy plaster together. Rather than do the sensible thing and get someone in (the YDI school of home improvement) I’ve taken on the task myself. The

I'm just browsing thanks

2011-09-19T11:17:00.000+01:00

Don't you just hate those pushy shopfloor sales people? Always right in your face asking if they can help you find something particular. All fine and well if you know exactly what it is you're looking for (clue: if I did I'd have bought it online already). What's wrong with just letting me browse aimlessly for a while? Which is why this article on Mashable (via the ever-reliable http://

Mud, Sweat & Tears: The Road to the World Cup

2011-09-09T16:27:00.000+01:00

Today sees the start of the Rugby World Cup, and people from all over the world hoping their team triumphs in New Zealand. For the teams and players it is the culmination of months of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Over the last few months, MediaCom Edinburgh have been working with the MediaCom Beyond Advertising team and STV to produce an ad-funded programme for RBS charting the

New Twitter ad fails to impress

2011-09-05T12:59:00.000+01:00

It's been blogged about pretty extensively but it's still pretty underwhelming isn't it? Doesn't he look smug? Probably not a brand attribute you'd want to portray. This isn't the first video that Twitter have released. I'm no Creative Director but their previous attempt I think actually has some charm while demonstrating what the product does. Even their recruitment video has a bit of

Duck Tron - shoestring creativity like

2011-08-23T12:50:00.001+01:00

Duck Tron from Ryactive on Vimeo. For those of you who are fans (of either Duck tape, Tron or Tron Guy) this'll be a treat. Apologies to everyone else. Nice work Ryactive Via Wired

Filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman's WISDOM project

2011-08-22T14:30:00.001+01:00

Fantastic 99% talk from photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman about his inspirational WISDOM project. It's half an hour long but it really says a lot about the creative process i.e. in how it's rarely a flash of genius inspiration, rarely a process of certainty more hard work and curiosity satisfied. Worth a watch.

Sir John Hegarty in Edinburgh this week

2011-08-22T12:15:00.000+01:00

Founder of one of the most successful ad agencies in the world, creative ground-breaker, Sir John Hegarty is speaking in Edinburgh this week not once but twice. To the public at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Tuesday night and at a breakfast briefing for the ad industry organised by IPA Scotland on Wednesday morning at Creative Scotland. Get a ticket if you haven't already.

Crowd accelarated innovation - a TED speech

2011-08-15T12:42:00.000+01:00

Great insight from TED founder Chris Anderson on how crowds can accelarate innovation and how the sharing of video on online social platforms is driving faster innovation in a number of fields. Key to facilitating innovation is the idea of openness. The more we share our developments with the crowd, the more we accelarate successful innovation.

What happens to your social media profile after you die?

2011-08-15T12:23:00.000+01:00

Interesting wee five minute film from TED which explores how your social media presences could be formed into an archive after your death and, a bit creepily, continue to interact with the world after your're gone. Might make you think about that next tweet/status update/blog post a little bit harder.

Tesco connects the Nation

2011-08-04T12:04:00.001+01:00

Tesco is setting out to provide free WiFi across every single one of its UK stores. With over 2,700 stores and 1.3 million sq foot of floor space this means a LOT more WiFi coverage! They're trialling in four stores at present but are set up to roll this out quickly. If you look at the Tesco store map above, you'll see why this is such a big deal. Add this network to the existing free WiFi in

World's largest Stop-Motion video

2011-08-03T12:52:00.001+01:00

Gulp. The world's largest stop-motion animation shot on a Nokia N8. from Nokia HD on Vimeo. Totally loving this. Shot at Pendine Beach in South Wales, every frame of this stop-motion animation was shot using a Nokia N8. The film has broken a world record for the 'largest stop-motion animation set', with the largest scene stretching over 11,000 square feet. Great way to show off what your

Jules Verne meets Monty Python

2011-08-03T12:11:00.000+01:00

Not for Everybody from eatbigfish on Vimeo. Interesting wee snippet via the ever wonderful Eat Big Fish. Founder of US brand consultancy Quaker City Mercantile, Steven Grasse who are the guys behind Sailor Jerry (not my favourite rum) and, as explained in this video, Hendricks (not my favourite Gin). The story of how the gin came about is interesting enough I guess but, for me, more

Amon Tobin ISAM show - now THAT's projection mapping

2011-08-01T10:59:00.000+01:00

I've been a long time fan of Amon Tobin's music but this takes it to the next level. Here's a roundup of the premiere of his new ISAM show at Mutek festival in Montreal earlier this year. I couldn't get tickets for the show when it came to London which, on this evidence, is one of my all-time missed opportunities. Fascinating insight into how they designed the show in the following video.

Google + Brands or Consumers first?

2011-08-01T10:28:00.000+01:00

Google’s most successful foray into social media so far, Google +, recruited over 20 million users in just over two weeks. Time will tell whether it is a worthy long-term competitor to the two behemoths of social media, Facebook and Twitter but the rate and scale of growth Google+ is achieving should keep them on their toes. Brands have clearly shown early enthusiasm for Google+ with many

Debunking the God Complex

2011-07-18T11:39:00.000+01:00

More TED goodness from Edinburgh, this time from economist Tim Harford. Great story-telling (Archie Cochrane was some guy) and a great case for evidence-based decision making. In a world which is as complex as ours now is it's impossible for any one individual to have "the answer". Tim claims that every complex system that actually works has been produced through trial and error not by some

Freedom and Censorship on the Web

2011-07-18T11:20:00.001+01:00

From TED Global in Edinburgh. Interesting stuff , especially in light of the News International hacking scandal here in the UK. What role do corporations, especially those who own media or platforms, have in censoring the content we have access to online? She raises some interesting questions around the differences between attempts to control within national as opposed to personal boundaries.

More Cannes Shenanigans - 100 bullet points by @jessedee

2011-07-14T12:33:00.000+01:00

http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/100-bullet-points-from-canneslions-2011 View more presentations from @JESSEDEE Some more great finds from Cannes. This time from consultant Jesse Desjardins @jessedee. I particularly like the parallels drawn between religion and brands re. symbolism and storytelling. If brands are all about creating and refreshing strong memories (see Byron Sharp's work on

Scottish is...

2011-07-07T12:23:00.000+01:00

Well done Radio 1. Not many brands, not even Scottish brands, get this right. Right stirring stuff. Makes me proud to be Scottish.

Do Creative Agencies Really Suck?

2011-07-05T12:19:00.003+01:00

Why Creative Agencies Suck View more presentations from Graham Brown (mobileYouth) For the record, I'm not at all sure he's right but this is some great provocation from Graham at mobileYouth. The most creative of the creative (and media) agencies out there really understand Graham's point and are helping their clients understand it too. Persuading a client to change the way they think is

Trends from Cannes Cyber Lions

2011-07-05T10:22:00.000+01:00

12 Trends from Cannes 2011 View more presentations from The Social Practice Some great inspiration from The Social Practice for those of us who weren't at Cannes. Mor on each of the themes highlighted in the presentation on their website.

How Brands Grow - Byron Sharp

2011-07-05T10:10:00.000+01:00

So, I finally got round to reading Byron Sharps provocative book 'How Brands Grow'. Based on decades of empirical data across multiple categories the book sets out a number of 'laws' of marketing, some of which may surprise you (and many of which won't). The laws proposed in the book lead to some perhaps quite surprising conclusions: 1. Market Share growth is driven mostly by increasing

Everything is a Remix

2011-06-27T10:17:00.000+01:00

I really like this series of videos by NYC filmmaker Kirby Ferguson (for transcripts and references etc.) Not only does it showcase some fantastic music and film but it also has an interesting take on the creative process i.e. that everything is a remix (yes, my previous blog post finishes with a full-on remix in advertising form). Particularly interesting in the age of the 'mashup' this is well

Ogilvy Day - Favourite Cinema Ads

2011-06-27T09:36:00.001+01:00

Last week I was surprised to be asked to speak at the Marketing Society Scotland's Ogilvy Day event at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh. A distinguished panel from scottish agencies and clients (see why I was surprised?) was asked to show their three favourite cinema ads. There was a spread of great ads chosen by everyone but here are the three I chose: I actually wanted the Paisley version of this

Don't Play Games With Me

2011-06-20T11:47:00.001+01:00

Don't Play Games With Me! Promises and Pitfalls of Gameful Design View more presentations from Sebastian Deterding Comprehensive and entertaining presentation on the pros and cons of gamification by Sebastian Deterding. I've talked about gamification often on this blog but this is probably the most common sense I've seen spoken about it. Recommended. via Coding Conduct

A human face at Facebook?

2011-06-20T11:37:00.000+01:00

Interesting interview with Paul Adams, Global Brand Experience Director at Facebook last month on O'Reilly Radar. Here's what I think are the key points but it's well worth a read for yourself. We need to concentrate more on understanding human social behaviour before thinking about which social media platform, or emerging technology might be attractive. Not only that, but we need to

The Museum of Me

2011-06-02T15:31:00.000+01:00

If you have a facebook account, have a look at this: http://www.intel.com/museumofme/r/index.htm 'The Museum of Me' is a new application by Intel that displays information from your facebook account as viewable "exhibits" in your own virtual museum about your social life - it's really clever! Check it out.

Interactive Horror

2011-05-27T11:20:00.001+01:00

This is very clever! When watching the film, one viewer in the cinema theatre is called on their mobile (they all fill in a card on entry with their details). The scenes then played out match the answers given by the audience member. Watch the following clip, it's very impressive!

The Future of TV: A Review Show Special

2011-05-20T16:35:00.000+01:00

For those of you who attended our recent Future of TV Conference might be interested in a Review Show special that was on BBC2 last night and is extremely watchable. I'd set aside 40 minutes of your time. In a Review Show special, Kirsty Wark is joined by guests including Big Brother Executive Peter Bazalgette, and TV supremo Daisy Goodwin to discuss the future of television - can the nation's

Future of TV conference presentations

2011-05-18T10:55:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed I've not posted for a while. Last week in particular was a bit hectic with my inaugural speech as Chairman of the IPA in Scotland followed by our Future of TV conference. It was a great day with some really interesting speakers. All of the presentations can be seen below. Hope you find them interesting. Any videos that were shown during the presentations can be viewed by

Bored at work?

2011-05-05T16:54:00.000+01:00

PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2011: Aaron Dignan from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo. As regular readers of the blog will know I'm a big fan of the whole idea of gamification. So, if you're ever bored at work, I recommend you spend 25 minutes watching this extremely entertaining and informative talk from Aaron Dignan of Undercurrent on why the future of work is play. Some interesting thoughts on how to improve

2011 Webby Activism Award Winner - REDU

2011-05-05T15:24:00.000+01:00

This won this year's Webby Awards prize for Activis,. Crowdsourcing is a dirty word in some parts of the marketing industry but here's a fantastic way to use the combined enthusiasm, intellect and experience of the crowd for the betterment of all. REDU stands for rethinking, reforming and rebuilding US education. And it's really needed. As the video says, the American people have forgotten

Social motivation - Reebok Promise Keeper

2011-04-21T15:15:00.000+01:00

Reebok, through Forsman & Bodenfors in Stockholm, has released an iPhone and Android app to promote its ZigTech running shoes. I'm no runner (there's always another bus along in a minute) but, if I was ever inclined to take it up Reebok's Promise Keeper seems like an excellent way to keep you on track. Runners who do the run they say the will, or don't, have posts and videos posted to their

MediaCom Engage: Future of TV Conference May 2011

2011-04-13T14:23:00.000+01:00

MediaCom, in association with The Marketing Society and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, are pleased to announce a half-day conference exploring the next five years in Television. The conference will take place in the impressive Hawthornden Lecture Theatre at The National Galleries of Scotland on The Mound, Edinburgh on the morning of Wednesday 11th May. The conference will be

Comscore 2010 Europe Review

2011-04-11T16:32:00.000+01:00

I missed this when it came out in February but Comscore's 2010 Digital review for Europe is worth a read if you have the time. Highlights include: Turkey had the highest Facebook penetration in Europe at 90.4 percent The Netherlands and UK lead in engagement European demographics skew older than emerging markets Europeans spend more time on facebook than any other site Fastest growing content

3LiveShop - live online sales consultants

2011-04-11T14:13:00.000+01:00

3 from B-Reel & B-Reel Films on Vimeo. Innovative piece of work from B-reel using Minority Report style touchscreen techonolgy to allow online sales consultants to pull up information and imagery to support the sale. Impressive.

You can almost touch the future...

2011-04-06T10:45:00.000+01:00

It would appear the world’s gone touch screen crazy – evidenced firstly by the success of the iPhone and its many imitators, and now, again courtesy of Apple, the tablet industry is growing rapidly and estimated to be a $20 billion industry by 2014. So what’s next for touch screen technology? Microsoft offer us a glimpse ahead in their video from Office Labs in 2009, in which they envision a

Ericsson - Networked Society Video

2011-03-30T17:06:00.000+01:00

Ericsson believes that in the Networked Society, more than 50 billion things will be connected, in order to make our lives and our businesses more efficient and more enjoyable. There are lots more interesting future focused articles on their website. Not sure about that bloke's hair though. Via http://journal.benbashford.com/

The Big Society Infographic

2011-03-28T09:40:00.001+01:00

Great piece of infographic work designed by our friends at Tayburn from a survey commissioned via Brand Democracy highlighting some interesting findings. "Society" is too remote a concept for most, with more people interested in their local community. This echoes previous studies I've seen suggesting that, for most of us, "Life is Local" i.e. lived out within a surprisingly small radius from

MediaGraphic - BBC School Report

2011-03-27T19:39:00.000+01:00

Original file on Flickr. Thanks to @alexjkirk.

Value of a Fan?

2011-03-23T16:27:00.000Z

Value of a FanView more presentations from Millward Brown. Interesting presentation from Millward Brown on the value of a social media fan. Rather than trying to put a nominal cash value on fans it gives some sound pointers as to what marketers might need to consider if and when they choose to engage with their fans in social media. Trustworthy brand news and new product information comes top of

Lynx Angels at Victoria Station

2011-03-18T12:50:00.001Z

Nice piece of experiential work brings the TV creative to life at Victoria Station, London. Via http://gougher.tumblr.com/

CMO's guide to Social Media: Updated

2011-03-14T14:19:00.000Z

CMO.com have updated their excellent ready reckoner to the Social Media landscape. Download it in PDF format for free here.

Mobile Right Here, Right Now

2011-03-14T12:54:00.000Z

A few weeks ago we posted our first Mediagraphic of the year on Mobile. The presentation from KPCB below gives a deeper view of what's going on in mobile trends backed up with some staggering numbers. Top 10 Mobile Internet Trends (Feb 2011) View more presentations from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Rory Sutherland to take part in Scottish Advertising Question Time

2011-03-07T15:36:00.000Z

The excellent Rory Sutherland is taking part in a Question Time style event to investigate some of the pressing issues facing the Scottish advertising industry later this month.. Alongside panellists Gerry Farrell, Charlie Robertson and Martin Raymond he will discuss a series of questions provided by the audience with David Reviews’s Jason Stone attempting to keep Dimbleby-like order.

Google, YouTube, Al Jazeera and Dave

2011-03-02T12:10:00.000Z

Today's Google Homepage features a link to an exclusive David Cameron interview on You Tube. The interview, 'presented' by Al Jazeera World View and 'powered' by YouTube, following a similar interview given by Barack Obama in January. YouTube sees potential to grow from increased access to the main home screen through internet enabled TV. Internet enabled TV (in particular Google TV) will

The Beauty of Books (this is for you tablet users)

2011-03-01T16:19:00.000Z

The excellent 4 part BBC 4 series, The Beauty of Books, finished last night with some timely observations on the role of cover design in paperback book publishing against the backdrop of the rise and, seemingly inexorable, rise of the e-reader. The previous episode, on the role of illustration in books, also beautifully demonstrated the role of image, as well as content, in the choosing and

MediaGraphic - Screen vs. Print Editions

2011-02-25T15:29:00.000Z

Full size original available on Flickr. The daily national newspapers in the UK continue to suffer from a near-universal drop in physical circulations while their number of online visitors continues to rocket. However, there is an odd lack of correlation across the titles between their print circulations, online visitor numbers and social engagement suggesting that - despite the business

Biosuite - Emotional Response Cinema

2011-02-25T12:07:00.000Z

I'm all for innovation in media. But this feels like a step too close to the plot of Videodrome for comfort. Biosuite is very clever I'm sure but do we really want scene selection driven by the aggregate emotional response of the average cinema audience?

Dan Ariely on Irrationality in the Workplace

2011-02-23T10:16:00.001Z

Dan Ariely is best known for his book Predictably Irrational which explored the hidden forces which influence our everyday decisions. In this recent interview with McKinsey Quarterly he explains how and why executives need to understand how these same forces influence both their own, and their employees, performance in the workplace. In six excerpts he explores when to trust your gut, the

MediaGraphic: Product Placement in the UK

2011-02-21T15:10:00.000Z

Original on Flickr Thanks to Alex.

"Let my dataset change your mindset" - Dr. Hans Rosling

2011-02-17T11:24:00.001Z

I'm a big fan of data visualisation. Making complex datasets easy to understand through good graphic design is such a powerful way to get ideas across to an audience. So I'm quite excited by recent news from Google that they're opening up the tools on their Public Data Explorer for all to use. You can see the tools for yourself here under My Datasets. I'm looking forward to seeing what Alex

Where do great ideas come from?

2011-02-15T16:24:00.003Z

Steven Johnson thinks he knows (and we think we agree). In Where Good Ideas Come From Johnson shows how great ideas are rarely the result of one solo genius having a eureka moment. More often than not they are outcome of longer term, iterative processes involving the work of many people and the collisions between their disparate ideas. This is as true in communications planning as it is in any

Mobile Future Infographic

2011-02-10T09:25:00.000Z

Click to EnlargeThanks to Alex! Original file available on Flickr

Media Week Trends Forecast 2011

2011-02-09T11:49:00.000Z

Media Week published their predictions for 2011 recently in the form of 10 key questions. 1) What do I need to do about the iPad? The FT is quoted as saying: "Every client wants to do something on the iPad but they aren’t quite sure what,". Impressive as the iPad is, UK penetration is forecast to reach just 10% by 2014. Admittedly this is more than the combined average daily sales of

TV Viewing 2010 Infographic

2011-02-03T13:04:00.000Z

Data from Thinkbox. Original image available on Flickr. Thanks to Alex!

Where the ladies at?

2011-02-02T09:24:00.001Z

After our last two posts on the ascendency of women and the difficullties boys face at school here's some hope for all those underachieving males. The Where the ladies at app uses Foursquare data to create a big arrow on your iPhone pointing you in the direction of the ladies. It only works in San Francisco at the moment but Techcrunch is lauding it as an “evolutionary advantage,” as it is

Frogs and snails and puppy-dog tails

2011-01-28T13:04:00.000Z

Ali Carr-Chellman is an instructional designer and author who studies the most effective ways to teach kids and to make changes at school. In this recent TED talk she pinpoints three reasons boys are tuning out of school in droves, and lays out her bold plan to re-engage them: bringing their culture into the classroom, with new rules that let boys be boys, and video games that teach as well as

Men are the new ball and chain

2011-01-28T12:42:00.001Z

Fascinating TED talk from US-based journalist Hanna Rosin exploring data which demonstrates how women are overtaking men in education, entrepeneurship and earning power. Hannah explains how the progression from an industrial economy which made things to a service economy which values creativity, communication and information management better suits the innate skills of women to those of men.

Things real people don't say...

2011-01-21T15:58:00.001Z

Anyone working in advertising and marketing should regularly take time out to remind themselves of what's happening out there in the real world. This might help.

iPad sales outstrip Macbook

2011-01-21T11:25:00.001Z

Apple's figures for last quarter indicate that they are outselling Macs in units and closing in on revenue figures. Sales in the final quarter of 2010 are up 75% on the previous quarter to 7.3M worldwide. These phenomenal numbers outstrip even the most bullish forecasts with average prediction of only 3.3m from 14 Wall Street analysts consulted. The timing of these impressive results couldn't be

Integration

2011-01-17T12:33:00.001Z

Some stimulating essays in December's issue of Campaign magazine discussing the topic of integration. Some particularly interesting sentiments on how to integrate talent/expertise, both within one single and across multiple agencies and on how purchase decision journeys, and the data they create in the digital world, fuel big ideas. Beware though, there is also some waffly fluff from people

JWT 100 Things to Watch 2011

2011-01-17T09:46:00.002Z

The JWT guys have a track record in spotting trends so their annual "Things to Watch" presentation is always worth a look. Mobile has been touted as the "next big thing" but there genuinely seems to be some momentum towards mobile internet access as infrastructure and handsets improve. Digital content is certainly something we see becoming more and more ubiquitous and JWT also see the

KLM's Social Surpise Experiment

2011-01-07T13:07:00.003Z

Recognising that airport travellers are bored, and will appreciate almost any kindness, KLM deployed a team of people to identify those checking into Foursquare or tweeting about waiting for a KLM flight. The team then nosed around the users' profile a bit and took a stab at giving them a little surprise gift that matched their interests. Aside from just being a nice thing to do, it also

Metro Newpaper

2010-12-23T11:58:00.002Z

Another great initiative from Dentsu London. They've taken returned copies of the Metro, screenprinted them and given them to Borough Market stallholders to wrap their wares over the Christmas spending spree. Great design, green as hell and giving something to the community. What's not to like? More detail from the Dentsu website.

AR Killer App?

2010-12-21T10:43:00.001Z

If you've been following this blog you'll know we've had a bit of a love affair with Augmented Reality over the last few months. Until now, we've been intrigued but not overly impressed with the application of technology in this area. But Word Lens shows the promise of what AR apps really could deliver: install the app, point your phone camera at any text you want to translate, and in real

A Pot Noeldle Christmas

2010-12-17T16:02:00.001Z

A new spin on an old favourite.

The Digital Story of the Nativity

2010-12-17T15:55:00.002Z

The Auntie Carols

2010-12-17T15:53:00.001Z

Inferno's online Christmas card is a cracker. Click yourself over to AuntieCarols.com make a request and sit back and enjoy your favourite Christmas song be sung to you by two lovely aunties.

Ofcom Consumer Experience Report 2010

2010-12-13T11:34:00.001Z

Ofcom's 2010 report into consumer communications experiences is out now. Highlights include: PC/Laptop penetration now at 78% Take up of fixed line telephony has fallen from 94% to 84% in 10 years Conversely mobile has grown from 62% to 91% in the same time Mobile is starting to replace fixed line and mobile only homes have nearly doubled from 8% to 15% in 5 years. Cost of mobile is actually

Microsoft Premium Audience research

2010-12-13T11:28:00.001Z

New quantitative research from Microsoft shows that 'premium' and 'luxury' markets are not one and the same thing. Not surprisingly the study finds the answer in targeting premium consumers - who it claims have a more balanced rational/emotional set of needs to luxury consumers - lies online and, more specifically, in behavioural re-targeting. There are still some interesting findings. See

Most Contagious 2010

2010-12-13T11:22:00.001Z

Contagious Magazine's roundup of the most interesting and arresting work of 2010 is out now. Well worth a read. Download the PDF here.

Social chatter

2010-12-06T09:39:00.001Z

Social chatter. Listen closely. The success of your online marketing is written between the lines. As marketers and advertisers, we have come to realise that consumers are fundamentally in the driver's seat and at this point have much more influence over brands that are chosen than we have with our advertising messages - no matter how clever. An interesting blog post from LuRae Lumpkin, Head of

British Gas turns advertising on its head

2010-11-25T09:26:00.005Z

Earlier this month British Gas launched a winter campaign emphasising the impact a broken boiler can have in the harsh British winter. So what did they do? First came the tag line ‘Being without heating or hot water can turn your world upside down’. Next came the execution: in a media first, British Gas is literally turning Sky News upside down across 17 digital screens in railway stations

The World in 2011

2010-11-17T16:16:00.003Z

This is a regular New Year purchase here. They ran a recent poll amongst their readers to see what they felt were likely to tbe the big news items in the coming year. You can read the results on The Economist Blog

Innocent - The Great Recipe Archive

2010-11-17T10:24:00.001Z

The Great Recipe Archive is a nice piece of work from Innocent and We Are What We Do busking on the trend to home-made in these times of austerity (austerity, strikes, riots, a foreign war, a Royal Wedding - is it just us or does it feel like we're back in the 80's?). The idea is that you track down a recipe and the story behind it and then upload it for all to see. Now, where did I put my

Monet 2010

2010-11-15T10:53:00.001Z

Take some time out of your day to play with this beautiful, interactive site to promote the Monet exhibition taking place in Paris at the moment. We promise it'll make you relax.

Ideas to Live By

2010-11-15T10:41:00.002Z

Jane McGonigal - On Productivity from The School of Life on Vimeo. We've featured Jane McGonigal on this blog before. Here she is speaking on Productivity at The School of Life in London: "The School of Life is a new social enterprise offering good ideas for everyday living. We are based in a small shop in Central London where we offer a variety of programmes and services concerned with how

A life on Facebook

2010-11-15T10:28:00.000Z

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Interesting choice of soundtrack.

Politico isn't a newspaper. But it might be the future of print.

2010-11-08T12:57:00.002Z

Interesting article in yesterday's Observer by Peter Preston, commenting on the US political news specialist that employs 175 people to broadcast in print, on video and over the internet. And according to Preston, in doing this, it focuses on subject, not medium - and makes a profit doing so. For the full article go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/07/peter-preston-politico

Scratch and Sniff

2010-10-28T15:03:00.001+01:00

Direct mail takes on a whole new odour in the US 47th Congressional District Race - and not a pleasant one! Republican candidate Van Tran has sent voters a scratch-and-sniff mail piece taking aim at Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez. http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/van-tran-sends-out-scratch-and-sniff.html

The World is full of Interesting Things...

2010-10-21T10:20:00.002+01:00

It's hard to do this presentation from Google Creative Labs justice in words. Suffice to say that there is something there for everyone and every slide's a winner. We've featured a few of these items in these pages previously but as a roundup of all that's been cool online and off in the last six months this is hard to beat. It takes a wee bit to load but my goodness it's worth it.

TNS Launch Digital Life

2010-10-13T16:43:00.001+01:00

TNS Digital Life - launched on 'digital day' 10.10.10- claims to be the worlds most comprehensive study of the global consumer, ever. The first survey results reveal major differences in online attitudes and behaviour. You can find out more at http://discoverdigitallife.com/. The interactive introduction is quite impressive and worth the loading time.