Thursday 26 August 2010

Things look better in slo mo!

I love this ad by Carlton Draught.



And here's the 'big ad' from a few years ago. I loved that too.



Shame I don't drink beer, otherwise I'd go out and buy some, right now!

Monday 16 August 2010

Sync or swim?

It is possible to sync your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, so when you post a status update in one platform, it is automatically repeated on the others. It's a problem because the audiences are different in each place. It's also a problem when you are connected with the same contacts in more than one place. They get bored. They 'unfollow' you.

Think about how you communicate in 'real life'. You probably hold different conversations in different places. You wouldn't talk about the same thing when you:

- visit your parents
- go down the pub with your mates
- are chatting in a church group
- have a conversation at work
- meet up with old school-friends

I recommend you tailor your message to suit your audience.

P.S. There is always an exception to every rule. Maybe you've just fallen in love and want to shout it from the rooftops. Or launched a new book!

Friday 13 August 2010

Access v Ownership

I was at a gig the other night (oh yes, I'm still a rock chick at heart!), and noticed the number of people holding up their mobile phones and digital cameras to record their favourite bits of the performance.

It took me back to the days when cameras were banned from gigs. Your bag was searched on entry to the venue to ensure you didn't take in any recording equipment. (Now, it may be searched for bombs, but that's another story.)

With cameras on every mobile phone, I guess that kind of photographic control has become impossible to implement.

We're not like a remote tribe, who believe a photo captures their soul. These days, we don't own the rights to our own images any more. You, your family and your friends can be unwittingly 'tagged' on Facebook, by anyone that's ever photographed you. If you want another example, witness the number of gossip magazines filled with paparazzi pictures of 'celebrity' cellulite or armpit hair. Not sure why anyone really wants to look at that, but hey, the publications seem to sell OK!

That's images. As for music and voice recordings, tapes and disks have evolved to CD and now MP3 format. With the advent of resources such as Spotify, you no longer need to pay to listen to what you want. Just sign up, and you can search or be presented with the music of your choice.

When it comes to software, instead of everyone across the world buying the latest version and having to upgrade all the time, with cloud computing there is one version stored centrally that you pay for the right to access via the Internet.

I predict that we won't even have to own a TV set in future. Instead, we'll watch whatever we want, thanks to a monitor wirelessly linked to our computer, and pay as we go.

I think it's a good thing. Do you think the same?

Thursday 12 August 2010

Please keep in touch!

I had a meeting with a prospective new client the other day, a chartered valuation surveyor who wants to work with solicitors.

The surveyor told me she had asked one solicitor: "Who do you give your business to?"

The solicitor replied, honestly: "The last person I spoke to."

The surveyor made sure she kept in touch with that solicitor, and sure enough, the solicitor started passing work her way.

So send:

• newsletters
• follow-up emails
• renewal reminders
• customer service surveys
• birthday offers
• Christmas cards
• whatever is relevant to your business and your prospects' needs

Have you any other ideas? If yes, please add them in the comments below.

P.S. This 'recency' phenomenon is also covered in my article on Ezine Articles about weekly networking. Linky-link.

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Are you a spot or a stripe?



As a scuba diver, I love this ad!

I find it slightly odd that a chocolate company is encouraging people to get sporty in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but why not?

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Be in an ad

The trend for 'bottom-up' advertising continues (that is, where customers are involved almost as much as advertisers).

There was the T Mobile's 'great night in'.

Until recently, you could pose as Mr Latte.

And now, you can 'ungrow up' as the Milky Bar Kid (all you need is a webcam and microphone).

Maybe they are running out of 'real' people, with reality 'stars' from one reality show appearing in another (e.g. Ben from The Apprentice and Andrew Stone from Pineapple Dance Studios are both featured in Dating in the Dark).

Have you had your 15 minutes of fame yet?

Monday 9 August 2010

Save it 4 the bedroom

I drove past a sign yesterday, 'Passion 4 Properties'.

I regularly walk past a bakery window that reads: 'Passionate about bread and sandwiches'. (I mean, really?)

I just Googled: "We have a passion for" and it offered me:

- swimming
- pets
- making people more productive
- food science
- all things food
- accessible website design
- living, working and enjoying the mountains
- passing EFT on

Who cares???

Lazy copy like this fails the 'so what' test.
It fails the 'what's in it for me' test.
It's not a benefit (or even a feature).
It's not written from the customer's point of view.

There's only one place that passion should be reserved for. The bedroom. (Oh, OK, or the rug in front of the fire, the kitchen table, or the great outdoors...)