Good Noise

Advertising is not dead, it's just not King anymore

Google going onto TV is a bit of a landmark. For the world’s biggest brand to use the dinosaur of TV to push a product that is not moving as they are used to, is in many ways a the first battle won by the old guard in a war that has been all one way for quite some time. Google, perhaps more than any other entity, has been responsible for the shift in traditional advertising – adwords revolutionised how companies target their consumers and vice versa.

So for Google, who very proudly has been built ‘100% on word of mouse/mouth’, to make the about face of using TV smacks a little of desperation, which is unsurprising when their product, the web browser Chrome, is hardly on anyone’s desktop even a year after launch. Which is even more amazing when you consider that almost everyone has Google as their home page.

What this does show, is that the new media ‘digital revolution’ cannot be the best at everything. Traditional media is still a vital ingredient to ignite a campaign – many people still only perceive something as ‘big/serious’ if they see it on TV or read it in the paper – these mediums hold a physical gravitas that the digital world cannot compete with. And it still holds, that even the biggest, most creative and impactful digital or social media PR campaigns – think T-Mobile or Susan Boyle – only get truly huge when the traditional media pick up on them. Susan’s YouTube vid was pootling along quite happily at 2-3 million until the Daily Mail brigade picked up on her, then in turn the global media and Larry King Show – only then did it shoot into the stratosphere. It also speaks volumes that the biggest ever hit on YouTube is now a very normal, quite scary, middle aged woman who lives with too many cats – not a geek with a light saber. Posted by Graham

Long Live Woolies!

I read in Marketing Magazine this week that Woolworths are using Twitter and their company blog to launch their online return. Shop Direct bought Woolworths when they went into administration at the end of last year, and are planning to have Woolies back up and selling online soon. We don't know when though, although the blog does tell us that they don't know if they are going to be stocking CD storage boxes or Chad Valley board games as yet (these are the only two, other than Pick N Mix, product related questions they've had - and very specific they are too)

Last week they asked all their followers to list their top five products, and this is what they came up with

1. Panini Stickers and Sticker Books
2. Embassy Records
3. Scaletrix
4. Spud guns
5. Skateboards
6. Pick N Mix

Firstly, there are six so they obviously had a big response. Secondly, Pick N Mix is number 6! Are they kidding me? You can get all that other stuff from other shops, surely? Yes, I know you can buy Pick N Mix from other stores as well, namely supermarkets, cinemas and those places in the station that charge about £6 per 100g, but nothing will ever live up to the Woolies Pick N Mix. Many a happy Saturday I spent carefully choosing my selection in the local Woolworths.

Whilst I am very excited Woolworths will be selling thier wares online, I don't see how they can sell Pick N Mix. The whole beauty of Pick N Mix is, erm, picking and mixing. Maybe you want 2 candy shrimps, but 4 red lips and a whole scoopful of foam mushrooms. How are they going to do it online? There are loads of online sweetshops, but you have to buy by weight, which defeats the whole Pick N Mix experience. Sure, they could sell a ready made bag of Pick N Mix, but you'd undoubtedly be disappointed in the quantity or quality of each individual sweet. I'd be mortified if I only got one jelly baby, but 5 chocolate covered raisins. In fact, I'd be mortified if I got any chocolate covered raisins as they are devils food. The only way around it is to have someone selecting each order by hand. You could then order your exact quantity.

What are they going to about minimum orders and P&P. The beauty of Pick N Mix is that you can buy just three sweets and pay for them. What about the kids with only £1 pocket money? That won't cover P&P alone. Lots of kids are going to be disappointed, although I imagine it will be adults who buy it, since they were the generation who went into the store to buy it. But still, think of the disappointed kids.

I will be very interested to see how they handle this complex problem. I hope they think it through. It's going to cause many an arguement in the portakabin I can tell you. I will also be applying for chief sweet picker - one for the bag, one for me, one for the bag, one for me.

Posted by Emily

Serious Business

Monday 23rd Feb 9pm: Abbie and I have just been to the most bonkers beauty event. The premise is to take samples of products and vote for what you like once you've tried and tested.

The CEW Beauty Awards Demonstration Event started at 6.30pm yet as we arrived at 6.40pm people were leaving laden with bags of products! 400 beauty people and journos with sharp elbows and long arms!

The hall was a sea of black clothes and blonde hair all on a mission. All (very well made-up with gorg hair) women apart from some male demonstrators and the security (and Dominic one of the organisers). 4 aisles of tressle tables with a different product to sample every half meter. I got carried along at one point, my little feet not touching the floor. I even saw one glamorous lady go back and ask for more bags to fill.

As newbies, Abbie and I had prepared by taking business cards and ready to make new friends. We then timidly approached the 'desks' and listened to the chat and took the press releases whilst hands flew across us whipping products away... 'Oh sorry all the product just went' one demonstrator said 'would you like another press release'!!

Next year its rucksacks at the ready, flat shoes, freshly sharpened elbows, tips from the rugby boys and we are on the doorstep at 6.00pm.

I'm still shell shocked. The bag I have is resting and I know I have come home with things I never knew existed or needed... 'beautiful breast serum' anyone??!

Posted by The Street

Community

This presentation was created by Neil Perkin - see original blog post here: http://neilperkin.typepad.com/only_dead_fish/2009/02/a-presentation-about-community-by-the-community-.html

Is an amazing collation of lots of different slides from different people giving their thoughts on community. A very interesting perspective. Nicola

A Presentation About Community, By The Community
From: neilperkin, 3 hours ago

A Presentation About Community, By The Community

View more presentations from neilperkin. (tags: crowdsourcing community)

A crowdsourced presentation about how online communities work with contributions from 30 planners, strategists, digital specialists and some of the most reknowned thinkers in social media strategy.

SlideShare Link

The Bebbies

My 2yr old has an extensive family of baby dollies, yesterday one of the 'bebbies' was named 'John Lewis'! (Others in the family are Kevin, Ethan, Charlotte, Ruby and Santiago.)

The arrival of 'John Lewis' is funny but slightly troubling my conscience - does this mean I'm a bad materialistic mumma?? Will Mark and Spencer soon appear? Is little Nando about to arrive?

She also passed me a "bebbie' and said 'here you go, go to nanny'! Not funny.

Posted by Sarah

A new product from Apple?

Last night I was telling my boyfriend about the lady who'd sat next to me on the train. I commute from London to Reading but the final destination of the train was Exeter St Davids. After 5 or so minutes of her faffing about storing her belongings she settled down.

I was reading emails at the time and after a while I glanced her over at her, she had relaxed into her seat with a pair of ear plugs and a furry purple eyemask. I could be forgiven for suddenly thinking I was on a long haul flight were it not for the lack of peanuts.

I was telling him indoors about the lady with the earplugs and the eyemask and his response was

"What's an iMask? I've not heard of them. What do you do with them?"

I explained that you wore them over your eyes if you were trying to get to sleep in brightly lit places.

It didn't occur to me that if a product began with the word Eye, he would automatically assume it was a new fangled gadget. But then he is a bloke and likes his gadgets.

Is this the next step for Apple? Coloured furry iMasks that allow handsfree video watching controlled by the blink of an eye? Or something more soothing that plays lullabies or self motivational messages with images to accompany?

We may never have to look at fellow commuters again! The iMask is the future!

Posted by Emily