Are consumers turning into bullies?
Our Thoughts Rich, 23 January 2012
The internet has tipped the balance of power in favour of the individual rather than the brand. But what happens when consumers abuse the power that the internet gives them?
The fragmentation of social media
Our Thoughts Rich, 14 November 2011
Always looking for trends, we’ve noticed a bit of internet chatter around the idea of social media fragmentation recently. We think the chatter could be fuelled by two separate ideas: the rise of niche communities, and cognitive limitations.
Facebook’s Frictionless Sharing
Our Thoughts Rich, 24 October 2011 2 comments
Frictionless sharing is all very well, but will it have an impact on the trust that users place in shared content? Does removing the friction also remove the value?
Branded content, authenticity and authority
Our Thoughts Rich, 23 September 2011
A piece on Mashable Business by Dermot McCormack got us thinking about brands and content and authenticity and authority and all that stuff. So we wrote a post about it.
Innovation, disruption, digital and the future of marketing
Our Thoughts Rich, 5 August 2011
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been picking up on a bit of a theme coming from marketers of every stripe. Planners, suits and creatives all seem to be saying something about innovation, products and the digital space. But what?
Obligatory Google+ post
Our Thoughts Rich, 21 July 2011
We thought we’d let the dust settle a little bit around Google+ before posting out thoughts up here. But since its launch on June 18th, the dust has shown no sign of settling – in fact there seems to be more and more dust being kicked up every second.
The shift to Social Entertainment
Our Thoughts Rich, 5 April 2011
Last week we downloaded a free copy of GlobalWebIndex‘s annual report looking in detail at the way people use the internet.
The report re-stated some things that are obvious just from looking around, and formalised some things that for us were gut-instinct. The major thrust of the report is that a movement away from content creation to content distribution, fragmentation of the devices and platforms from which we access and consume the internet, and changing perceptions of the internet as an entertainment platform, are all bringing about a return to the traditional hierarchies of professional content generators, paid-for content, media giants, big brands and the political elite.
Thoughts on new social network Path: as a user and as a marketer
Our Thoughts Rich, 18 November 2010
After months of rumour, new social network Path launched Monday. We’ve been playing with it a bit. It’s early days to make a lot of comments – and I suspect until I reach a critical mass of friends it’ll remain difficult to comment. Obviously though, I’m going to comment anyway.
Curious curation
Our Thoughts Rich, 12 October 2010
I read a great blog post the other day by Neil Perkin over at Only Dead Fish on content curation.
We all know that the internet has shaped a new paradigm of content creation: no longer do we rely on traditional sources – books, newspapers, magazines – to provide our content. So far so obvious.
Mobile Couponing, Infographics and Tesco
Our Thoughts Rich, 3 August 2010 1 comment
I had lunch yesterday with an old colleague who moved to Toronto a couple of years ago to work with Transcontinental Media. We had an interesting conversation about couponing, which is apparently a big thing in North America – much bigger than it is here in the UK. My ex-colleague was concerned that, as a consumer publisher, Transcontinental’s use as a channel for distributing coupons was falling.
Advertising vs Storytelling
Our Thoughts Rich, 14 July 2010
People talk a lot about telling brand stories. They also talk a lot about the idea that traditional advertising is dead. I agree with the former, whilst not entirely agreeing with the latter. But today I came across something that illustrates the tension between the two ideas pretty well.
I read with interest that the Union of Concerned Scientists have decided, in the wake of climategate, to run a series of ads to make themselves appear a little more ‘cuddly’.
Blogs, Twitter and old-school media
Our Thoughts Rich, 18 June 2010
Nice graphical piece from one of our favourites, good.is. Apparently, a study by journalism.org in the US has found that most of the thousands of stories that are passed around the internet via blogs and twitter each day are actually generated by “old-school media” – ie the press.
Speaking to the past
Our Thoughts Rich, 13 April 2010
Penguin are turning 75 this year, and their iconic orange spines and minimal covers have got Douglas Coupland and Penguin Canada thinking. Penguin covers, says Coupland, act as a time stamp. Taking a look at a cover design can take you back to a time and a place – they’re a bit of a Proust’s Madeleine triggering involuntary memory in and of themselves.
Feel the (Marmite) love
Our Thoughts Rich, 29 March 2010
We’re rather enjoying the build up to the 2010 general election. On the one hand, the media are talking up ‘the digital election‘, we’re seeing some lovely grass-roots political satire and we have, in Facebook and Twitter, a couple of social media environments that didn’t even exist last time around. On the other hand, it’s amusing to sit back and watch as the main political parties mess it up.
Heineken Italy get creative
Our Thoughts Rich, 25 March 2010
Some great work here from Heineken Italy – love the way they’ve done a bit more with their sponsorship than just logo slapping. And the mixture of sheer joy and relief coming from the audience is palpable – genuinely delightful.
Bing it.
Our Thoughts Rich, 16 March 2010
Interesting to see that Microsoft have turned on the advertising budget to promote their search engine Bing in its seemingly futile attempt to take on Google.
It’s David vs David, a clash of the titans. But Microsoft is so far off the pace it’s hard to watch as it scrambles to play catch-up.
‘I’m on a horse’
Our Thoughts Rich, 27 February 2010
Old Spice. Something worn by everyone’s Dad in the seventies, and possibly still worn by everyone’s grandad. Redolent of sweaty Saturday nights in dodgy boozers with swirly carpets and fake velvet seat coverings. Not something any self-respecting young gent would want to associate themselves with, you would think.
Pepsi falls out of love with Super Bowl
Our Thoughts Rich, 22 February 2010
Media sales guys don’t usually struggle too much trying to sell Super Bowl ad spots. After all, with a huge US television audience (around 90 million this year) it must be a no-brainer for brands, right?
Wrong. Pepsi, usually a shoe-in for a Super Bowl spot, have this year bucked their own trend by eschewing the NFL showpiece in order to invest the money in…you guessed it, social media.
American Apparel, web 2.0 and pants
Our Thoughts Rich, 22 February 2010
A wonderful example of UGC and crowdsourcing from American Apparel:
“We’re looking for a brand new bum (the best in the world!) to be the new “face” for our always expanding intimates and briefs lines. The winners will be flown to LA, photographed and featured online. Send in a close-up photo of your backside wearing American Apparel panties, bodysuits or briefs for consideration and vote for your personal favorites.”
Reed sponsors short film competition
Our Thoughts Rich, 22 February 2010
I don’t know about you, but I always think of Reed, the job site, recruiter and supplier of temporary labour as a little bit evil. I don’t know all that much about them, but I bracket them broadly with recruiters, which condemns them to be dismissed instantly and without much thought.
But Reed have gone and launched a lovely little short film competition which has changed my perception of them a little bit.
