I’m going to paint a fantastical picture. Imagine a child grows up and reaches the age of 18, unaware that they are in fact ‘famous’ to the rest of the world. These days, parents start Facebook accounts for their unborn children and share their ultrasound photo with their friends, months before the foetus is technically classified as a person. The moment the child is born, naked baby photos populate their Mothers’ Facebook wall and friends begin to comment and share their ‘likes’. As the year goes by, proud parents can’t help but share every update; he smiled, she took her first step, he winked…and soon enough there’s a video uploaded to YouTube, capturing all of this on camera. But is that fair? Surely a 1 month old child cannot give their consent, and is it prudent to say that their parent’s hold that right to decide what remains private and what is publicised?

So I’d like to take it one step further, to really get you thinking… Imagine if you created a Facebook profile for your child and didn’t tell them, until they were 18. You upload content and pictures daily, in essence broadcasting and cataloguing their life to the world. You start a YouTube and Twitter page under the child’s name and populate it with the witty things they say and film their life in weekly or monthly segments. Somewhere along the line people Online start to take notice. You efforts gain traction. Even more perverse; you could hide cameras in the bathroom, catch them ‘unaware’, film tantrums, first kisses and those moments you do something ridiculous when no-one is looking, to give a viral, conversational element to the story.

Eventually word gets out. Your child gains a following, people can recognise them on the street. One day they even feature on TV as part of ‘Rude Tube’. Yet they would never know, they don’t understand. Besides, being famous Online does not change your world – but the potential is there for it to go bigger and culminate in the devastating moment, as it happened in The Truman Show, when it dawns upon the child and they realise nothing they ever did belonged just to them.

In some ways it has happened to Charlie, David at the Dentist and a number of other kids who don’t appreciate the reach of the internet and how many people are laughing at them. On the other hand, we love looking at old photos, remembering the yesteryear and wish we’d spent more time recording and savouring the moments. So perhaps you could give it to your child as a gift. A Hall of Fame, This is Your Life type collection. The question is, unless it was you in that position, how do you know what it would feel like? And more to the point – shouldn’t we consider the ethics behind this question?

If you haven’t seen Charlie (and I find that hard to believe) check out the YouTube clip here:

Back4theFuture is a perfect example of when a ‘social’ campaign works. A slick digital design, a user experience that even my Mum could navigate and plenty of ways to ‘share’ with your friends Online. Sure, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links sit in the corner.
But in case you missed the hidden message, Social Media is not about ‘how’ will we get people to use and share the content we created, social MUST be worked in to every element of the execution, whether it’s traditional, Online or bought media. Clearly that was understood from the outset, when planning this campaign.

And this time there’s a good feeling attached, because every time you share it’s for charity. I’m sure Wieden and Kennedy are already counting the award nominations that will roll in next year. Check out the video below to understand the full vision of the Back4theFuture campaign.

So I’ve thought about it. I’ve specifically been asked what I think about QR codes by other media industry professionals and my answer was – they’re outdated. Yet I continued to work them in to several creative campaign strategies with the aim to redirect Offline conversation back Online, where activity could be tracked and measured. So why, if I didn’t like them, did I continue to use them? I now see that is in fact a false dilemma – for at least 2 more years I expect QR codes and NFC to exist in tandem, until eventually the product life cycle ends and NFC takes over.

Why 2 years? This comes down to the target audience. If you want to correctly identify a market segment you have to start with the world’s entire population and discount those of whom you feel the campaign, product or service does not apply. For QR codes, we could easily say that tech savvy, media led individuals will naturally have lost interest.

But that still leaves the rest of the world. What about the late adopters? I’m talking about the people who have just purchased their first smartphone, adults whom only now have had their first experience with an iPad. The world of Apps and digital interaction rests at their anxious fingertips and QR codes are that perfect medium to bridge their technical gap– and show them – there’s a reason to use your smartphone beyond phonecalls, texting and email. I imagine those that download a QR reader App and scan a QR code for the first time, will marvel at the wonder of how a barcode can give you an exclusive offer, or open a hidden world of yet to be discovered content and do so time and again, before the novelty wears off. Not to mention they are easily created, cost effective and can be integrated with traditional media such as print, packaging and outdoor advertising, so I don’t think Brand and Marketing departments will veto them any time soon.

Even those already with smartphones often need to be walked through what is the difference between Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and HDMI – having failed to realise most products they currently own can be synced, connected or activated to other household appliances. Yet, a QR code is something that makes relative sense – it’s like a supermarket barcode, but instead of scanning and outputting a price to a check-out computer, it produces a link to a URL (or for our target market, what they commonly refer to, as a website). I’m sure this target market will understand the idea of NFC. But will they care that a QR code is now a little dated? Will they rush out to get an NFC enabled mobile device, or for now, will they think – what’s the value in having a NFC reader- and be content with spotting a QR code, scanning it with their smartphone and seeing where it takes them?

‘11 out of 50 Fortune companies are incorporating QR codes into their marketing strategy’. Clearly, the market is far from penetrated. And once it is common knowledge that QR codes unlock special offers or take you to exclusive Online places, I believe we’ll see a lot more products using them before the fad truly expires. Sure NFC is amazing technology with a new realm of digital possibilities for the media industry and tech lovers alike, but in terms of an existing, viable target market – let’s talk about NFC in one or two years, because right now I believe the average consumer doesn’t really care.

For the last two years people smiled when they heard social media ROI and clients alike accepted that it was akin to the holy grail. To boost happiness, campaigns centred around giving Bloggers a ‘fun experience’ offline and crossing their fingers that the Blogger would be kind enough to talk about their experience (and the Brand) Online. But SLOWLY, a gap appeared. People started to realise, the use of digital media could be applied to these social, Offline situations and rather than hoping for a Blog post – a connection with an Online audience could be made in a much more interactive and instantaneous manner.

According to this article today in Marketing Week “Integration between online and offline media is a hugely complex topic and we’re only now starting to understand its intricacies,not least because online and offline media are usually planned, bought and measured in different ways, often by different teams.”

That is my point. Social, digital and experiential rarely talk. Which seems ridiculous, when combined they may be a giant not even TVC could take down.

I was reading this article thinking – this is EXACTLY what I advocate. I just stumbled across it in Cyber space, not ever having read Marketing Week Online before. So you can imagine my AMAZEMENT when the author referenced a campaign I worked on.

“Nokia has recently integrated its broadcast and social media strategies into one online ad format to extend, enforce and enhance the TV commercial for its new E7 mobile phone. Nokia’s ad campaign debuts the inRoll online video ad format from Tremor Video in the UK. The format allows the brand to instigate an interactive conversation with the consumer, and delivers a highly measurable campaign that can be used to inform its social media strategy.”

So I’m in full agreement that “The challenge for the industry is to expand existing metrics to include other media or develop new metrics to better understand overall ROI.”

I think the vehicle is using digital creations and linking these with Offline activations to propel a real version of social media, regardless of whether it’s taking place Online or Offline. At this point, I believe the potential is limitless with the right creative mind and an Agency or Brand that has the foresight to truly understand the relationship between digital and social media.

But how, EXACTLY does that happen? What can you do to get noticed?

I’ll let you know when I’ve finished my ethnography in a few weeks time. But for now I’m taking notes from @BestRoomyEver.

Here’s a little tale of a 20-something guy called Wade Cothram. Last week no one knew his name. He was a guy that lived in Alabama, and no doubt, like us all, dreamed about making it big. Somehow.

So here’s what happened. Wade got a job offer in San Francisco. He needed to find somewhere to live once he arrived. Not wanting to (I imagine) pay a hideous sum of money to stay in a hotel while room hunting, nor slum it with 8 others in a hostel dorm room while doing a 50 hour work week, Wade put a clean cut version of himself on Craigslist. Then…radio silence.

It’s so hard to know what people are looking for Online. So with the time counting down, he decided to take a new, radical approach and re-edited his personal Craigslist ad. Working in Marketing himself, he realised to effectively penetrate the Online world he’d need to have a strong social strategy. So he set up a Twitter profile and Facebook account under the name ‘BestRoomyEver’. Ordinarily this may have been another waste of Online space, a Twitter and Facebook account with 3 followers. However, the nature of Social Media and an Online, Global audience means you never quite know who might take notice…

So Wade’s new Twitter and Facebook profile, matched with his revamped (and controversial) personal ad on Craigslist piqued the interest of high profile Twitter user Ashton Kutcher, who Tweeted @BestRoomyEver, an act which alerted many other Twitter users (over 13,000 to be exact) to follow Wade’s plight, propelling him to super Online stardom within just over a week.

The result? Quite a few people offered him a place in San Francisco. More people offered him a place to stay if he was every travelling through their city (check out the comments on his Facebook page). Apparently his job offer in San Francisco was rescinded, due to his penchant for profanity and seemingly obnoxious Craigslist profile (ironic in a way). But his brazen stunt led to several other job offers.

Here’s where the Brand Marketing tie comes in. In Wade’s personal ad he humorously mentioned he owns almost nothing, except a laptop and condoms amongst a few other nonsensical items named. This alerted the interest of Marketing giants and Social Media savvy brand Durex who clearly saw it as an opportunity to leverage their Online conversation . Swiftly, they promised to send Wade some condoms and also offered to pay for a week’s accommodation in a swank hotel upon his arrival in San Fran.

Wade has continued to milk his success, becoming quite the comedian, and posting funny one liners on Twitter such as:

If you want to check out the full version of his Craigslist post head here. Unfortunately the actual Craigslist one has now expired.

In social media we’re all obsessed with ROI. But I’m much more interested in how to get those people talking in the first place. The ROI will naturally follow; it’s a long term thing, not a short term thing, in case you were confused.
I wish you all the success in the world Wade..nice idea! Let’s see what you do with your stardom next. Was it a lucky strike..or the makings of a true Social Strategist?

I love car advertisements. With automobile choices in the hundreds and the features of most being relatively identical, it’s difficult for a brand to stand out, let alone get consumers talking about their unique selling points. That’s why I’m quite impressed with Volkswagen’s recent campaign in Norway which enabled great consumer participation while also conveying its key product features. In a nutshell, VW pledged to prove the great fuel efficiency of its new Golf BlueMotion by driving it down the E6 (Norway’s equivalent of Route 66) until the diesel ran out.

According to DigitalBuzzBlog:

“Through the BlueMotion website users could guess where the car would run out of fuel in order to win it. Each user could only have one guess, so in order to maximise their chance, they had to find out more about the car. Users could follow the campaign live as the car made it’s way on the journey”.

And that’s why I’m a big fan of this campaign. Consumers will often embark on an Online User Journey to win something, but it’s rarely educational – more a series of challenges for an Agency or brand to boast a click-through-rate to its product sites or Facebook/Twitter fan pages. Once you’ve ‘liked’ the brand in order to enter, I expect most people block the feed or fail to interact again with the brand. While this may be the case here, the User no doubt left with a detailed overview of the product and this cognitive process would have ensured a longer lasting brand effect.

Working in advertising I’m well aware of the cost Consumer brands need to allocate for music rights to play a famous song in the background of an Online advert or digital production. And more importantly, the trouble a Global brand can get in to if it doesn’t properly pay for the official licencing. What I often think is a shame is how this wealth is allocated – the famous bands/artists get richer – having been paid a huge sum of money to allow the brand association with their persona while the talented, unknown artist continues to struggle. I barley know my Gaga from my Beyonce so perhaps I’m the wrong person to discuss music – I don’t pay that much attention to backing tracks in adverts – I just like tunes that support the visual journey and complement the tone of voice of an Advertisement. So I am naturally in awe that often a significant part of a Advertising production budget can go to backing music when there is so much raw talent around and artists that would no doubt jump at the chance to provide Global brands with backing music for next to nothing – in return for some Online exposure.

Obviously there’s still a job to do – to ensure those music creators are of high calibre and conform with a brand’s image – but I’m sure given more than 48 hours (two days worth) of video are uploaded to You Tube every minute there’s a good chance the ‘right’ artist and music already exist. Good luck Coca Cola and I’ll certainly be thinking about how I can use the amazing hours of existing UGC/music and talented people yet to be discovered in my next campaign.

For the original New Media Age article click here.

Let’s face it – we all like something free in life. I know for one thing, if I’m at an event and a promotional girl or guy walks past handing out free products or I see a parked car handing out goodies I unashamedly rush up to see what I can get my hands on. Only once I’ve pushed through the wild mob and have ripped out the bits and pieces from my goodie bag – unlike the average consumer, I then evaluate what value these giveaways have created for the brands they are promoting.

If the point is to associate your brand with an event, a mere product giveaway can suffice. Red Bull are perhaps leaders in this field with their Red Bull cars and promo girls donning futuristic Red Bull backpacks handing out free energy drinks. Do this at enough extreme sporting or music festivals and the connection is made – Red Bull is synonymous with ‘cool’ events, full of vibrancy and alcohol (oh wait was that second link supposed to be subliminal??).

However, beyond merely making a few people happy and selling a few extra products at an event or over the course of a year – brands have now realised there is an opportunity to make these giveaways more ‘social’ and increase Global brand advocacy in the process. By Global – I mean that once your brand is talked about Online – there’s no limit to whom it could potentially influence. Obviously certain brands or products may not be sold in your country – but if you’re ever travelling around and recall something mentioned or seen Online, don’t underestimate the power a few Tweets or PR ripples can make to a brand’s definitive reach.

Anyway, the point of this post is really just to share what Nike is now doing – I don’t think I need to explain in detail the concept if you watch the video. A Nike branded truck and giveways; with the only new innovation to these new promotional creations being that they can travel far and wide – beyond the walls of festivals and capital cities. I’ll be interested to see how Nike really amplify the conversation Online beyond the physical location – hopefully they’re handing out vouchers with codes or challenging their audience to somehow connect and interact in a social medium. Just for reference I’ve also inserted the van Coke took around Brasil last year – as I thought the ‘vending machine’ trick was conversational and quite cute.

Well, it only took shy of 6 years, but you can now share images directly via Twitter. It had always amazed me why Twitter had allowed 3rd party sites,like Tweetdeck and Twitpic. to use their API to support this function, but failed to incorporate the feature into its own functionality – losing many users of the original Twitter platform in the process.

While it was a long road to determining a successful ROI model for the founders of Twitter, at 1000heads, we have worked out through careful analysis of Nokia’s Facebook fan page that by including a picture on a Facebook update or Tweet, it more often than not results in a higher click-through-rate (CTR), and a higher number of Facebook impressions and shares/retweets than those posts linking to other URLs or posts without images. We don’t think this is a ground-breaking revelation so it surprises me that with Twitter’s long list of investors and highly qualified Management team, this improvement was only made 5 years after its public release. Oh well, it’s available now and I shall certainly be making use of it. My condolences to Twitpic.

It’s nice to see McDonalds getting creative with advertising beyond the controlled environment of a YouTube video or a sterile burger Ad filmed and Photoshopped to perfection. With that off my chest, I can now praise the simple, yet clever execution which no doubt generated location specific conversation around McDonalds in Canada and effectively conveyed their brand message: Summer drinks at McDonalds cost $1.

What I particularly liked is the level of involvement and the ‘Offline’ consumer journey. First and foremost, the branding was spot on, not over the top – but by using the famous ‘Golden Arches’ it clearly stamped McDonalds name to the spectacle, in a creative yet environmentally friendly way (and let’s face it, this is one company that needs to prove itself in this area). Next the idea of the ice, in my opinion was entirely appropriate for a Summer day, which of course induced hours of interactive fun and deep brand engagement. Finally the $1 coins themselves, of course delivered the direct advertising message. I do believe after seeing this installation, hearing about it and especially after prying your own $1 coin free, the fact that drinks are $1 all Summer long at McDonalds in Canada will remain in consumers’ latent thoughts for at least 3 months to come.

While I do also believe a simple idea is often all that is needed to effectively promote an Advertising message, I have one criticism of the campaign. It is something that I see all too often these days– the failure of a flawless, innovate Offline execution to then shift conversation to an Online hub, where word of mouth could be further amplified. I am aware that the message here was country specific (ie $1 drinks may not be on offer at other McDonalds worldwide), but there are several ways to manipulate Online conversation to ensure it retains a local focus. My suggestion would have been to replace the $1 coins with $1 tokens that could be used within McDonalds stores, and thus increased in-store traffic (which in turn could have raised overall sales of more than just drinks). Whether changing the $1 coins to $1 tokens for McDonalds would have reduced an individual’s desire to ‘pick away’ at the ice is debatable – but at present I can’t see a direct relation between a potential consumer getting a $1 coin and then having this convert in to a direct sale. Overall though…I’m Lovin’ It..(sorry!)