TMW Ideas

According to new research data, UK Internet users aged 55+, the so-called silver surfers, are set to overtake 35-44 year olds as the demographic age group with the largest representation online. And travel websites are among the most popular amongst this older age group.

Posted by Adam Fulford at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Further to the post by Ross regarding the e-Influence tool, this article on thewisemarketeer really makes the link between the changes in how the web is impacting business and our own traditional expertise in CRM, suddenly very clear.

It describes how CRM is now on the brink of a new phase where Customer, Relationship and Management, all mean quite different things to when the phrase CRM was coined in the 80's.

Definitely worth a read.

Posted by at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have been working on a product in partnership with our PR sister agency, Nelson Bostock , for the past few months on a product and service which will enable our cients to understand how blogs, forums and other types of user generated content affects their products and brands, and it was announced as part of Creston business update yesterday. The FT commented on it, amongst others.

The service, called “e-Influence” will include measurement tools (Digital Influence Maps) as well as proposals on how to engage with all types of influence, whether they are positive, neutral or negative.

I will be presenting e-Influence to the senior team at TMW next week, and we will be rolling this out very rapidly after that. So far, initial client presentations have gone extremely well, and we seem to be unique in the marketplace in taking a combined strategic and practical approach to this fundamentally important aspect of our business.

If anyone feels that they have a particular interest or need, then please get in touch.

Ross

Posted by Ross Taylor at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Very interesting post over at Fallon…

Fallon Planning Blog: Agility

Agility
A few of us were recently discussing the increasing need to respond to real-time feedback from online initiatives (metrics, buzz, etc.) and the word ?agility? came up again and again. As a producer with a background in software development, the word ?agile? has a specific meaning to me relative to programming, because Agile is a formal software development methodology. It occurred to me in an instant that I was in a conversation where we were talking about our business from a software perspective, and there wasn?t a developer in the room.

This strikes me as a very interesting method of working - embracing change and uncertanty from the outset. Surely it would be much more pleasant when things change if you knew that they were going to change all along?

Posted by at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Came across this interesting post from Stefan Kolle of Futurelab in Belgium. In it he lays down his top ten key trends that brands and agencies should be concentrating on in 2007. Definately worth a read but in summary they are:

1. Authenticity
2. Net Promoter Scores
3. Buzztracking
4. From segmenation to insights
5. Green
6. Grey
7. Co-creation
8. Experimental budgets
9. The return of the Soap
10. More CGA

Now many of these we have been speaking about over the last few months, both internally and with clients, but I am particularly interested in experimental budgets…

The digital arena is moving incredibly rapidly and often, to keep abreast and maximise effectiveness of online marketing activity (as with traditional media) it is necessary to take the odd (calculated) risk. However, many companies are not structured to allow this level of boldness within their marketing departments. If this is a trend that is set to grow (and many in the industry feel that it must), those with the freedom and support to take a leap will have the potential to reap rewards whilst others can only look on and watch.

Posted by at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to New Scientist, political activity online is maturing at a great speed.

Posted by at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love this:

It's easy to imagine a business taking it's $30-million media budget; taking half of it and investing it in content, retail, customer service and product improvements - and reaching just as many customers and potential customers as they had before - and giving the other half back to the business

From russell davies: big thinking

…note to self, really must start posting stuff that has nothing to do with Russell:-)

Posted by at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

russell davies - my schtick

Click through and read this - if it isn't the most useful thing you read this month I'll buy you a drink.

my schtick
Ben and Neil have posted their presentations from the Bucharest trip and I was feeling guilty that I'd not done the same. But I don't think just sticking up the powerpoint will be much help to people - it won't make a lot of sense on its own. And some of the stuff is sort of private (ie it was made while I worked for other people, and while I don't believe it's a problem to show it at a conference I think it'd be wrong to stick it online.)
So, what I thought I'd try and do is share and talk through most of the stuff here, in the hopes that some of the point will come over. This is, basically, my schtick, if you'd asked me to come and speak at a conference at any time in the last couple of years this is probably what I'd have done. I quite like presenting it, I've worked out where all the gags should go.

Posted by at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More and more brands seems to be jumping on the web 2.0 bandwagon.

We've seen recent posts on Tango, Sony and the film Snakes on Plane utilising these mediums to spread their corporate word in innovative ways, whilst Google is investing millions in myspace to increase Google ads coverage. This is great but I feel a bit uneasy as we head for brand saturation in the world of web 2.0.

Big brands using public content sites such as youtube, flickr, myspace and the like is a bit like having Nike turning up to your party uninvited. When every other myspace profile is for Ronald MacDonald, The little Chef or Mr Pringle, will there be a backlash as Joe Public demands “Their Space” back?

Equally, for now, it's kinda fun seeing companies experiment with this new opportunity, but is that just because it's new? Will they have the same impact when everyone is doing it?

Discuss…

Posted by at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)