Here's a very interesting technique we should use in our idea generation sessions. Obviously it is focussed on digital design, but it's equally applicable to anything. Would be a brilliant “diversion”. (A diversion is a game you play in the Idea Generation session to try to stop people thinking like they are in work…)
After a successful pitch win in December, I'm proud to announce the launch of our first piece of T-Mobile online sponsorship activity www.t-mobile.co.uk/streetgigs which has gone live this week! Check out our very own Street Gigs myspace page too: www.myspace.com/streetgigs.
And whilst you're there, why not sign-up to register to get updates about this and many future T-Mobile Street Gigs due in 2007.Last year featured acts such as The Strokes, The Rakes, Dizzy Rascal, Basement Jaxx and the Streets. This year kicks off with Mika - live in a big top in Berkeley Square on 5 February. And if you're a T-Mobile customer, you can register for the chance to win two free tickets.
All of this activity (and much more besides) has been delivered in record time to meet with challenging client deadlines, and is the combined monumental effort of so many people who deserve so much thanks. The client is absolutely over the moon with the finished product, what better way to kick-off our new remit as their digital agency. So all of you lovely people, please take a bow for a blinding performance!
Peter Mungeam
Gerard Myers
Ross Taylor
Windahl Finnigan
Millie Graham Campbell
Ciara Meaney
Sam Cottrell
Luke Clark
Steven Haycock
Gareth James
Jon Menzies-Smith
Duncan Scott
Rolff Kruger
Marie Foster
Duncan Butt
Ben Winter
Sarah Guest
Chris Dale
Jamie Huxley
Stuart Mallinson
Miriam Foster
Michelle Kelly
(Apologies if I've missed anyone)
Watch this space for future updates about future Street Gigs!
Thanks all,
Rob.
Rob Carter
Group Account Director.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Anthony Phillips, metro.co.uk
Little-known indie bands could have the same chance of hitting the big time as manufactured boy and girl bands thanks to a new online music deal.
They will soon be able to sell their music through social networking websites such as MySpace following an agreement between new agency Merlin and digital music company Snocap.
Merlin represents hundreds of small indie labels worldwide which have struggled to strike deals with major music websites because of their size. The deal is the brainchild of Sean Fanning, the man who created music sharing site Napster. He is now the head of Snocap, which will make the indie music available through its MyStore retail arm.
“This immediately opens up what is currently the most popular website in the world to the independent labels,” Merlin chief executive Charles Calcada said at the deal's launch at the annual Midem- Net music conference in Cannes, France.
Digital downloads and web access to independent music have transformed the landscape of the British charts over the past year.
Chart-toppers Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen were both discovered through their pages on social networking site Myspace.
The independent record label sector makes up 30 per cent of music sold across the world, with the rest taken up by the four major record labels? Universal, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner.
Currently Virgin have a MySpace page dedicated to their music sponsorship Union, targeting student union nights (click here to view) and T-Mobile are due to launch their Street Gigs page in the near future, do you have your own personal MySpace page or use the site for music downloads?
Sorry for the delay in posting but interesting none the less…
Coca-Cola is online with one of the first YouTube co-marketing efforts. It's called Holiday Wishcast and it's a mini-site based on YouTube service which allows visitors to upload and share their video greetings. Among the users who have submitted content, we find the sweet Geriatric1927 who is already a star among YouTube fans.
Marketers look with interest Coca-Cola's initiative to exploit a new advertising space crowded with young users (read Contagious for example), while YouTube purists hope this is not the beginning of a brand invasion on the popular video sharing service. I don't want to sound pessimistic but, since in the end, someone has to pay the (bandwidth) bills, I'm not sure there's much we can do to stop the brand invasion…
As said Coke is not the first, but among the first brands which are launching campaigns through YouTube. New Media Age reports today that also Levi's has opened a channel for branded video content. It's called Levi's One To Watch Tour 2006 and it features exclusive video footage from upcoming (but already signed) bands like The Fratellis (I love them!), The View and Forward Russia.
Another brand latching onto the power of e-influence. This blog by Anil Dash is pretty funny and worth a read, but it's interesting to see how Blackberry are using it.
The blog is read by very opinionated people who like to make their comments heard.
So, if you're a brand that wants to get product testimonies, and collect data on people who love your product - you can't do much better than to place this ad (below) on the site.
Clearly tapping into the whole e-influencers subject, they're posting ads in places where they know “opinionated” people hang out online, and ask them for their views on Blackberry.
They're essentially harvesting advocates, for use in later activity.
Good thinking.
With Xmas just around the corner, I'm sure many people will find themselves in the coming weeks standing in the booze isle of Tesco's (or Sainsbury's perhaps) pondering over the costs/benefits of splashing out on real Champers versus trying to dupe their unwitting guests with cheap fizzy plonk. If this sounds like you, this is one viral you might want to look out for… although Thresher's might prefer you didn't.
Download voucher here
Here's good little story on bbc.co.uk/news about how a private discount voucher available to suppliers “and their friends” for wine store Thresher's has rocketed out of control.
With no Ts & Cs in place to prevent the general public from taking advantage of the whopping 40% discount, it's been downloaded millions of times and Thresher's are now bracing themselves for a major pre-christmas margin crash.
On the upside, they'll still make a lot of money and if nothing else, have discovered just how quickly one little voucher can find it's way to millions of people - for nothing - via email and a few social networks.
The report also mentions Selfridges, Oasis and bunch of others who have also utlised the mechanic, as seen in a rash of “all agency” emails earlier this week.
Jerry's final thought? If you're going to plan a viral, make sure you plan for it going BIG, or that you have Ts & Cs in place to keep in under control.
Chin chin!
A bluffers guide to social media? - Digital Bulletin - Digital news by Email - Brand Republic
A bluffers guide to social media?
by Antony Mayfield Brand Republic 28 Sep 2006
Are you clear on exactly what social media is? Antony Mayfield, head of content and social media at Spannerworks explains.
Social media, which includes blogs, wikis, MySpace and YouTube, is not just a new set of media outlets or channels: is it is a fundamental re-writing of the rules of how media works.
The rate of innovation and change in online media at the moment is incredible. Many people are likely to have heard stats like “one blog is created every second” and “100m downloads are made from YouTube every day” without necessarily understanding what lies behind them, or what they mean for their brand.
This one's for Chris (Morrison) globeandmail.com : Comma quirk irks Rogers
Really nice snippet from Russell Davies' excellent blog. Click on the Sony example. They have built on the buzz generated around the “balls” ad and made a small site about their new ad. Which looks awesome!
Interestingness
There's still a place for Big Ads in the world but something has changed. They have to be any good. They have to be interesting. And if they are interesting that means you can build stuff around them. Two good examples here - one, for Bravia, is a brand exploiting the interest it's created, the second for Honda, is an example of what can happen when you make something people are interested in.
This should start you thinking about what we can talk to clients about - what is interesting about them? How about a video of the making of a Cloth World (Comfort) ad on youtube? Or footage from RAF flights posted on a section of youtube or myspace?
To see that youthful exuberance is still alive and kicking at TMW;-)
YouTube - Tilgate Park Chicks Flung Off Spinny Spin / CRAWLEY
Oh, and the BBC has this to say about it…