Michelle Clarke

eBooze - Click & Drink

2011-11-17T12:07:00.001+02:00

This post has been long overdue. Better late than never, plus this little 'gold mine' is worth the wait.

If you haven't heard of eBooze, then I'm not sure why not. If you're someone who hates the schlep (Verb: Haul or carry something heavy or awkward) of trekking to the nearest bottle store for your favourite beer, bubbly, wine, cider, spirits, cold drinks, you name it, then you're not alone. Musty, old, sometimes dirty bottle stores are so last year. All you need to do from here onwards is go to Ebooze click on what you want to order, then wait approximately 30mins to an hour for your entire order to arrive ICE COLD and ready to consume. Trust me, I know. I use them personally, corporately and can vouch for them, plus they are awesome people to round it off. They deliver pretty much anywhere in Cape Town, check the site for various delivery fees. They are very reasonable, have fantastic stock, including crafted beers, international wine, crafted cider, shooters etc. If they don't stock something you really fancy, talk to them and they aim to please..

My first order (below) was an awesome little case of selected wines, which were delivered to me within 15 mins of clicking the 'pay' button. That quick. Not only was by order chop chop, but I also received a fantastic little package of wasabi nuts, organic chocolate (yes they stock snacks too!) and Haas coffee purely for being their first customer. That's pretty impressive.

They also run pretty cool competitions, mostly weekly, for various items to win. My company entered a Twitter competition and Cam kindly delivered our prize below. So keep an eye on their Twitter feed for specials, competitions and general humour. Payments are safe, easy, quick, with invoices mailed to your inbox. For any questions / nervous nillies, they are a simple call away.

They are currently only based in Cape Town, but watch this space for expansion to other major cities, believe me, the requests are not being ignored. But for now, us Capetonians, will sit back, click click and wait for our ice cold deliveries to roll through all summer. Visit eBooze now, have a browse and thank me later.

Safe House (2012)

2011-11-08T08:59:00.004+02:00

Here's the trailer for "Safe House" (2012) starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzil Washington. The movie was filmed in my hometown, Cape Town so I cannot wait to see it! Beautiful scenery, action filled scenes and a fantastic cast. My type of movie.

The story line of the movie? "When a CIA-operated safe house is targeted by a group of bad guys, the facility's house-sitter is tasked with the dangerous job of moving the criminal who is being hidden there to another secure location."

Why Content For SEO?

2011-10-18T15:21:00.002+02:00

Came across this awesome infograph on "Why Content for SEO" thanks to Search Engine Land. Some great stats given below.

How To Speak New Zillund

2011-10-18T06:10:00.001+02:00

Came across this very funny post about "How to Speak Nu Zulland / New Zillund." Very entertaining and very true. I'm sure New Zealanders have a few to rip off the South Africans too. ;)

Choir Flashmob: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

2011-07-28T12:07:00.001+02:00

Thanks to Mel Attree for posting this on her blog, most definitely worth sharing it. The NMMU choir carried out this flashmob in the windy city of P.E. What a success and what a fantastic video that all South Africans can appreciate.

Real Strength Film - LUTA

2011-07-27T11:52:00.002+02:00

This video is goosebumps stuff. "Real strength is sacrificing everything for a dream, that only you can see."

Taken from Youtube: "Based on the real life story of LUTA Ambassador and boxing champion Roberto Custódio, who is interpreted by the voice of worldwide film star Idris Elba."

Hopefully, look out for a film about this guy in the future. Inspirational stuff.

The Internet in 2015

2011-07-12T11:56:00.001+02:00

Thanks to Chris Rawlinson for sharing this awesome infograph. Where will the internet be in 2015. Very interesting stats per region / continent.

Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days | Video on TED.com

2011-07-12T11:17:00.000+02:00

Awesome video on TED from Matt Cutts and "Try Something New Every 30 Days"

A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

2011-03-14T20:05:00.000+02:00

The most amazing video taken from, "A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning." Basically, you can control everything through glass / touch screen. It's a pretty futuristic video by Corning, but it's incredible and definitely easy to see how the future could operate.

How Internet Users Feel The Need To Belong

2011-03-02T16:09:00.002+02:00

Another awesome infograph from Flowtown:

Watch This Space (And Vicus)

2011-02-22T09:29:00.001+02:00

This little guy is going to take the world by storm. He’s a 10 year old South African with an incredible talent. As the comments below the original video say, watch out Bieber, this little guy is way better. I’m pretty sure he’ll be snapped up by record labels very, very soon.

Hectic Schedule of a Social Media Manager

2011-02-22T08:48:00.000+02:00

Thanks to @johannschwella for pointing this one out.

"I am Australian" - Variety Club Youth Choir Flash Mob

2011-02-15T07:50:00.001+02:00

Wow, this gave me goose-bumps. My Dad, who lives in Australia, sent me this today. It was performed at their local shopping centre, Karrinyup Shopping Centre, by the Variety Choir for the victims of the devastating recent floods & cyclones. (some of which are my family members)

Australians have an incredible sense of belonging to their country, they are incredibly patriotic and will go the extra mile to help and aid fellow Australians. I’d like to think the rest of the world carry the same values and feelings about their own countrymen.

Class Of 2011: If Social Media Were a High School

2011-02-09T08:37:00.000+02:00

Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application

Taken from FlowTown

Have We Reached a World of Infinite Information?

2011-01-25T07:22:00.000+02:00

Fantastic infograph from Flowtown.

Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application

Who’s Using Twitter And How They’re Using It

2011-01-21T10:41:00.001+02:00

Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application

“Take Me Out” by Atomic Tom

2011-01-14T08:24:00.001+02:00

This is awesome, truly awesome. Thanks to @chapalmer for pointing it out to me!
Atomic Tom filmed this song (and played the entire thing) on their iPhone’s on the NYC tube. All instruments, vocals etc all done on their phones. It’s clever, innovative and the guys can sing too. I’ve never heard of them previously, but will be looking out for this particular song to download.

Enjoy the video. Have I said how awesome it is? :)

The World According to Digital

2011-01-10T15:31:00.001+02:00

I came across this fantastic video, thanks to Digivox. There are some awesome, mind boggling stats in this video – another sure reminder of how and why the world is going digital, in all aspects of life.

Enjoy!

Is Facebook Using You?

2010-12-07T09:07:00.000+02:00

I came across a video this morning and had to re-share it. Very interesting video & nice find from CherryFlava. Watch the video, then answer the question below. Definitely makes you think.

Do YOU know what's going on behind the screen and know what the software is for?

Looking Back At 2010

2010-12-07T08:40:00.000+02:00

I was thinking about it last night and thought about a few points about changes this year for me. 2010 has been a good year, with ups and down, but definitely with change. So in no particular order, here’s a summary of my year of 2010.

I changed roles from Senior Campaign Manager to Executive Head of Campaign Management, now managing a team. I love my job and what I do and consider myself incredibly lucky that I can say that.
I went to Australia and New Zealand (for the first time ever) on business and saw my parents in Perth on the way home.
We moved house, further into Southern Suburbia.
My brother in law got hodgkin's lymphoma (and is still undergoing treatment) and it was incredibly hard to accept / understand why. It made me appreciate family 10 times more, if that was possible.
Helped my sister / family move house in Joburg while my brother in law was so ill.
Was nominated for, and won, the Best Paid Search Marketer at The Bookmarks 2010 Awards
My company, Clicks2Customers, won the “Best of Show,” “Best Paid Search Campaign,” and “Best Agency” awards at The Bookmarks 2010 Awards
We got another new kitten, who is the most precious thing ever and has brought much joy with her.
We found an incredible villa in Fish Hoek where we can have the most amazing, big, 2 week family re-union next year. We haven’t all been together for 5 years.
I'll be spending Christmas without family / loved ones which really sucks, but I am at least lucky enough to spend it with amazing friends & their family instead.

I hope 2010 has been a good year for you all & that you’ve learnt from things you experience, good or bad.

The Bookmarks Awards 2010

2010-11-22T15:59:00.001+02:00

So another year passed and this year, my agency, Clicks2Customers decided to enter the Bookmarks Awards. What are the Bookmarks? - “The Bookmarks Awards came into being as a means to salute individuals and companies who make a meaningful contribution to the digital channel. The intention is to recognise the best in digital media – for publishers, agencies and advertisers – and promote digital as an integral part of the marketing mix.”

Having entered a number of campaigns for Best Paid Search campaign, as well as a few individuals for individual awards, we rocked up at the Bookmarks awards evening in fine style. Jackets, long pants, dresses, make up and all, our team were ready to roll.

After a few beverages consumed & finger snacks devoured, the announcements were finally made & Clicks2Customers walked off with 4 awards at the Bookmarks! Those being below:

Best Paid Search Campaign

Silver - Clicks2Customers – EziBuy

Best of Agency Show

Clicks2Customers – EziBuy (Best Paid Search Campaign)

Individual Agency Awards

Best Paid Search Marketer - Michelle Clarke (Clicks2Customers)

Best Overall Agency

Clicks2Customers

Enough said. It was a massive team effort & we’re incredibly proud to be “C2C’ers. Needless to say the celebrations started last week & we’re still smiling. A huge congrats to everyone involved.

Thanks to all organisers, judges & sponsors of the Bookmarks – Clicks2Customers will be back next year!

For a full list of winners, see here.

Clicks2Customers In “The Bookmarks” Finals

2010-11-12T09:02:00.001+02:00

Clicks2Customers are in the finals Of “The Bookmarks” Awards. What are the Bookmarks Awards?

“The Bookmarks Awards came into being as a means to salute individuals and companies who make a meaningful contribution to the digital channel. The intention is to recognise the best in digital media – for publishers, agencies and advertisers – and promote digital as an integral part of the marketing mix.”

Clicks2Customers are in the running for 3 categories:

1. Best Paid Search Campaign

2. Best Paid Search Marketer

3. Best Agency overall

See the full list of finalists here. The final winners & announcements are next week Friday, so we’ll be taking a team of C2C’ers off to the Final Dinner. Well done to everyone involved – a definite team effort.

Google’s Biggest Mistakes According to Marissa Mayer

2010-11-03T11:16:00.001+02:00

Marissa Mayer (the vice president of geographic and local service at Google) sat down with with Digg Dialogg to reveal what she thinks are Google’s biggest mistakes. Very interesting, for a lady who never really reveals any Google secrets in any of her interviews.

Hans Rosling: The good news of the decade?

2010-10-15T10:24:00.001+02:00

Firstly, who is Hans Rosling? “As a doctor and researcher, Hans Rosling identified a new paralytic disease induced by hunger in rural Africa.” TED

An interesting listen, on “UN 8 Millennium Development Goals.” What? What the video and find out. This man is passionate about getting Africa right. Reduce child mortality. The man manages to take UN data and mix with his “spectacular visuals, lighting up an astonishing (mostly unreported) piece of front-page-worthy good news: We're winning the war against child mortality.”

Nicholas Christakis: How Social Networks Predict Epidemics

2010-09-21T08:51:00.000+02:00

Taken from the TED wesbite. This talk is about the following and is definitely worth taking some time out to listen to.

"After mapping humans' intricate social networks, Nicholas Christakis and colleague James Fowler began investigating how this information could better our lives. Now, he reveals his hot-off-the-press findings: These networks can be used to detect epidemics earlier than ever, from the spread of innovative ideas to risky behaviors to viruses (like H1N1."

How Massive Is Google?

2010-09-20T08:12:00.001+02:00

Amazing Infograph from Computer School. Some incredible stats here, very interesting.
See original here.

This Man Made Me Think..

2010-09-07T12:25:00.001+02:00

Watch this mad, then think about your life. Think about what you complain about. Think about what you have, what doesn’t and yet his attitude towards his life. Think about it. Then be thankful for people like him.

Where Will Google Be In 5 Years?

2010-09-01T14:51:00.001+02:00

Matt Cutts talks through where he sees Google in 5 years time. Nuff said, watch the video.

Dan Cobley: "What physics taught me about marketing"

2010-09-01T11:49:00.001+02:00

I saw this on the TED website. Some incredible talks given here, they really are “Ideas Worth Spreading.” I’ve blogged about a few talks in the past and really find huge value in the talks.

About this talk: “Physics and marketing don't seem to have much in common, but Dan Cobley is passionate about both. He brings these unlikely bedfellows together using Newton's second law, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the scientific method and the second law of thermodynamics to explain the fundamental theories of branding.”

Make Phone Calls From Gmail

2010-08-26T08:11:00.000+02:00

Google has incorporated voice-over-IP calling into Gmail, with international voice and video chat, at last. If you have an email account with Gmail, you may have noticed a new “call” button on the side of your screen, just below the “chat” IM function. The pop up banner pointing right to it with the lines “Free calls to the U.S. and Canada in 2010”, and the “Insanely low rates for international calls”, is hard to miss too. In other words, Google wants people to know that they are now players in the voice-over-IP field, and they want your business.

Once you install the new program that takes just minutes, users will have voice and video chat immediately available. The rates will be cheaper than a standard landline, and according to Business Insider, the metered rates are lower than Skype’s in most countries. Google’s software does not yet offer an unlimited calling plan though, as Skype does. So when will we start seeing this worldwide? Anyone know?

The Journey of a Tweet

2010-08-24T07:41:00.001+02:00

I’m a huge fan of Twitter. I’m a regular tweeter and it’s my favourite way of keeping up to date with people I follow, news, industry news & trends etc. What I love about it is that everything comes to me without me going out and searching for it. It’s everything I need, in one stream. From there I can pick and choose what I’d like to read further etc.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this infograph, depicting the journey of a tweet, it’s pretty much spot on. Enjoy.

Eminem Creative Competition

2010-08-23T19:21:00.001+02:00

This is fairly old (2009) but Eminem ran a creative competition for his album Relapse. He ran a Augmented Reality Screencast competition to see who could come up with the best logo for his album.

Augmented reality is described as: "(AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality."

The Augmented Reality Competition required and challenged people with painting a 3D version of the Eminem logo. It’s a great example of how you can combine Augmented Reality with a high level of interactivity while keeping the entire app usable. It even allowed you to save out your final masterpiece and submit it directly into a creative competition to be judged. Very Cool.

Here’s an example of a video / how to displaying AR skills.

Eminem Augmented Reality Screencast from Outside Line on Vimeo.

Modern Marketing Is Here. Where Are You?

2010-08-19T07:52:00.000+02:00

History of Search Engines

2010-08-04T08:46:00.000+02:00

Fantastic infograph on the history of search engines. Thanks to my friend, Ads Mitchell for bringing it to my attention, via Twitter. Fantastic timeline right here.

Infographic byWordStream Internet Marketing

Newport State of Mind

2010-08-03T08:14:00.001+02:00

The original song by Jay-Z & Alicia Keys, Empire State of Mind, is one of the songs up there on my favourites list. I especially love the version with Alicia Keys on piano. The song / music video culminates what New York is all about. My brief visit to New York shores a few years ago had me in awe. New York is amazing to say the least - the energy, the passion, the people, the dreams – this city never sleeps. The song incorporates all of this and takes me right back to 2004 when I spent a few weeks there.

This version below has been modified by a Welshman. He’s kept the lyrics the same, but sings about Newport, in Wales. Very clever stuff and entertaining. Have a listen and if there are any Welshmen out there, can you identify with it?

Who Are The Millenials? (InfoGraph)

2010-08-02T15:17:00.001+02:00

The State of Youtube

2010-08-02T14:05:00.001+02:00

Interesting infograph about the state of Youtube.

Found on FlowTown: YouTube is the largest online video community in the world, and one of the Internet’s most visited sites. Created in 2005, this behemoth site continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Recently we have compiled the stats on some of the most interesting aspects of the site: it’s traffic, it’s demographics breakdown, as well as it’s most popular channels/videos — among other things.

Interviewed on She’s The Geek

2010-08-02T12:27:00.001+02:00

I was recently interviewed on “She’s the Geek” about what I do, how I do it etc. She’s the Geek is a community that are about, “Empowering Women through Technology | Mission: To educate and Empower Woman on computer and mobile technology with fun and provide a legacy by giving back.”

Catch my interview here. Thanks to @shesthegeek for the interest.

Why Spelling Is Important!

2010-07-30T15:08:00.001+02:00

Another Pearler from Nandos

2010-07-30T10:56:00.001+02:00

Axis of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song

2010-07-23T13:38:00.001+02:00

The Axis of Awesome is unbelievably funny, and AMAZING. These guys are excellent, the way they’ve put this show together is very, very clever. It had me in stitches. You have to see this video / show – on why they haven’t made a hit yet. Man, I wish I could go and watch their show.

Coca Cola’s Amazing Idea

2010-07-22T08:06:00.001+02:00

Coke came up with an amazing idea. It’s own “Happiness Machine.” It’snot often that when a massively successful viral campaign/ idea spreads, the company behind it shares the secret of how they did it. Global Senior Brand Manager for Coca-Cola, AJ Brustein, Definition 6 Director of Interactive Strategy, Paul McClay and Definition 6 Creative Director Paul Iannacchino take us through the making of Coke’s “Happiness Machine.” The video of the Happiness Machine is below, thereafter the above mentioned are interviewed.

This interview is taken from Mashable,as is, to keep the questions and answers in their original form.

Coming Up With An Idea

Q: What was Coke’s goal? What was Coke looking for when they decided to create a web video?

Brustein: Coke’s original goal was to beef up its digital activation platform.The plan was to release seven different pieces of content, iPhone and social media applications, wallpaper screen savers and a video that we hoped would go viral. “The Happiness Machine” web video started out as just a piece of digital content, a dose of happiness.

Q: How did your team come up with the “Happiness Machine” concept?

Iannacchino: The process started with a large brainstorming session. Three ideas turned into a pitch that was taken back to Coke and “The Happiness Machine” was selected. Over the course of sixty days we used story boards to refine the piece. We had a strong core idea, but needed to develop the story. Our device was the Coke machine. Location, we needed to be entrenched in Coke’s demographic. Finally we had to ask ourselves, how is the narrative going to play out? How will we get people to approach the machine? How will we make it appear as normal as possible? And, how do we get escalation?

McClay: We came up with the idea over Falafel sandwiches on a sunny deck. It was a fun collaboration. The brainstorming and ideation began with a well-defined framework of constraints and set of objectives provided by Coke. Otherwise we were given free reign. We wanted to provide a message that would resonate with the target audience.

What To Do With a Brilliant Idea

Q: After Coke approved the “Happiness Machine,” what was the next step? How did the idea shape into a real experience?

Brustein: Coke’s goal was to create an organic experience. Other than the janitor loading the machine, nothing was scripted. If the video had been scripted, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. The girl mouthing “Oh My God,” students helping each other lift the huge sub, hugging the Coke machine — these true moments are what gave the video life.

Q: How did you create an organic reaction?

Iannacchino: Coke wanted the machine to be magical but didn’t want to reveal the secret behind the magic. To accomplish this we had to show it was a normal Coke machine. The janitor unlocked the machine leaving the door wide open while he loaded bottles of Coke inside. This created a misdirect for the audience, leaving everyone to believe the machine was authentic. Setting up the scene this way helped create an organic reaction which relayed the magic of the brand.

Q: People may think the success of this video was due to Coke giving away free stuff to college students. Do you believe this is true?

Iannacchino: We would argue that it was the element of surprise, not that somebody got animal balloons or two Cokes instead of one. What Coke really gave away was a sense of happiness which created an emotional connection with the brand. Students involved in this video were caught up in their everyday lives, and this little moment touched them. We used free stuff to surprise people but what we gave away was happiness and a smile. The key is engagement, whether you were there or just watching, free stuff was just the catalyst.

McClay: Giving away free stuff wasn’t what resonated with the audience at the end of the day. After doing testing we found it was the students’ expressions of happiness and the way they reacted that people enjoyed. You can film people being given free stuff all day long and it will fall flat on the audience. The way people react is what matters.

Putting It All Together

Q: How did you put it all together?

Iannacchino: The first thirty days we ramped up into production. The web video was set to launch January 1, 2010 and we began shooting in early December. We took a working Coke vending machine and re-built it to do the things we wanted it to. There wasn’t a big budget for this project — mostly sweat equity.

Q: How did you pick the location?

Iannacchino: Location was key. We had to find a space that was entrenched in Coke’s demographic. We knew we wanted a college campus but it couldn’t be just any campus. The college we picked had to be Coke affiliated, on board with our idea with heavy foot traffic by students and have a space that would allow for the important element of secrecy.

St. John’s University ended up being the perfect location. We built a secret room in their cafeteria over a weekend so it looked like construction to the students. Because we did it this way no one asked any questions.

Q: What were some of the challenges you faced?

Iannacchino: Going back and tweaking the story, finding the perfect location, and building of the actual “Happiness Machine.” Lots of things didn’t work but that was okay. Imagine a eight by fifteen foot room for two days, with five cameras, planning for the worst and hoping for the best!

SECRET: The sub — we only had one, so there was one shot to get it right. The giant sub ended up being the item that punctuated the story.

Getting It To Go Viral

Q: How much did Coke spend to promote the video?

Brustein: Coke spent zero on promoting “The Happiness Machine.” One status update was posted on Coke’s Facebook Page, one tweet and that was it. Within a day the video was picked up by bloggers and it spread from there. Of course we could have bought views but the experiment succeeded without any promotion.

Q: What was the process to get the video to go viral?

Iannacchino: We uploaded the web video to Coke’s YouTube channel on day one. The video then moved through the advertising trades before it picked up steam with consumers. In the first five days there were seven hundred thousand visits and in the first week one million. It hit the top of the viral video chart that week.

Q: Why do you think “The Happiness Machine” video went viral?

McClay: Something being viral wasn’t the strategy, but instead it was a possible outcome. The strategy was to produce great creative content that resonated and wasn’t a hard hitting commercial. We wanted it to have pass-along value and never intended to seed it with paid dollars. It was all about the exercise of producing creative video for online distribution. We aimed for something the audience would use and enjoy.

Q: How can other brands increase web video distribution?

McClay: Several tactical things need to be accomplished in order to get distribution. Getting bloggers to post about your video, tweets and Facebook mentions are just a few ways. But the big spikes happen when the video hits the homepage of YouTube or Yahoo.

Getting featured comes down to whether your video is creative, which is dependent upon the perception of the decision makers. The number of views is also critical. If you can create pass-along value it will increase your views. People like to share humor. When something makes me laugh, I think my friend will laugh too.

Coke have outdone themselves. The last time I remember a campaign similar to this was the Heineken viral campaign during the EUFA Cup Final. Ideas like these 2 are clever, they immediately go viral and people don’t forget the brand. Granted they are both big brands already, but campaigns like this only enhance that image. I feel like an ice cold Coca Cola right now ;)

Matt Ridley: "When Ideas Have Sex"

2010-07-15T10:48:00.000+02:00

A great video/ talk from Matt Ridley on TED

Taking A Break

2010-07-02T10:46:00.001+02:00

Sometimes, one just needs a break. A few days off. Re-charge the body, mind & soul. I need that break, so I’ll be heading off to Port Alfred for a week, leaving tomorrow morning. A week of the beach, chilled river cruises and just enjoying the fresh Eastern Cape air. I’m pretty sure I’ll try and stay as “offline” as possible, but that’s pretty much impossible for me, so I’ll catch the odd tweet, possibly post a few too. All I know is that I probably won’t miss my desk for the next few days.

The beautiful place that is Port Alfred:

“You will soon break the bow if you keep it always stretched.”
Norman Vincent Peale

Have a great week all.

How Google Works

2010-07-01T09:13:00.000+02:00

An awesome find from @heidiocker on how Google works.

Infographic by PPC Blog

Bafana – It Does Not Matter That You Didn’t Win

2010-06-25T12:37:00.001+02:00

This was originally sent to me by my Dad, in Perth, Australia. The fact that this slideshow (original format was a PDF) made it's way from Australia to me in South Africa (where the FIFA World Cup is being held), BEFORE I saw it, is awesome!

Everything in this video is so true. We are a country united, inspired and so proud of our boys, Bafana Bafana. It’s not about winning, it’s about how they played the game, how they portrayed themselves and united a county & continent. Our boys are out of the tournament, sure, but we beat the former World Champions in fine style and made an entire nation incredibly proud.

Ke nako.

Wimbledon Ad - Robinsons

2010-06-25T12:24:00.001+02:00

Another awesome ad for Robinsons, who have been “Part of Wimbledon since 1935.” Wimbledon is currently on at the moment and of course they are willing on Andy Murray to be their next champion and keep the trophy in the UK. A great ad by them, summing up the house-hold tension that grips the world when they tune in to watch many a tightly contested Wimbledon match.

On the topic of Wimbledon, who could have missed “THAT match” yesterday, Isner finally taking the match in the final set at 60-58. It was incredible. I sat glued to the screen, much like the little girl in the Robinsons / Wimbledon ad below. A massive part of history which I don’t think will ever be repeated again. I had goose-bumps, from head to toe. These guys played incredible tennis right until the last game (3 days later!) A real treat to witness something so incredible.

My pick for Wimbledon this year. I’m a Federer fan. So it has to be THE man for me. Serena will probably be my favourite for the ladies. Enjoy the tournament tennis fans!

South Africa – It Does Not Matter That We Didn’t Win!

2010-06-23T14:46:00.001+02:00

This is such an inspiring, awesome video. Everyone South African, and otherwise, can appreciate it. This video is so true in every aspect. We didn't win yesterday, but we beat France, a former World Cup Winner, and we stand a country still so united. This is still OUR World Cup and we will continue to love and support our country! Bafana Bafana are still my heroes.

SA - It Does Not Matter

The Making of the Jabulani Soccer Ball

2010-06-22T08:56:00.001+02:00

Thanks to @AdsMitchell for pointing out this awesome video. It’s the making of the controversial FIFA World Cup official soccer ball for 2010 – the Jabulani Ball. There have been a number of complaints and discussions around this ball, but Adidas defended it’s product.

Either way, it’s an awesome looking ball and it looks like some hard work went into the making of it.

Cape Town Is Ready for The World Cup

2010-06-07T14:09:00.001+02:00

Amazing video. Amazing country, amazing city. I love living in this beautiful city and am so proudly South African right now.

Social Media Do’s & Don’ts

2010-05-07T12:47:00.001+02:00

I came across this post on the Stonewall Blog. What a great, simplistic outlook on how to carry out your Social Media strategy. Different people / companies may have different opinions on what works & strategies may vary from person to person, but to stick with the below guidelines, you’re pretty much set off in the right direction. The most important points that stick out to me are a couple of the “Do’s” 1. Be human and 2. Listen first. People can relate to people = be human. Brands are mostly (yes, some people in themselves are a brand, but I’m talking companies here) companies, but to add that human feel / touch to it allows people to feel connected. I know I do. the next point, listen first – what better way to market your brand than to obtain feedback, comments from your most important source, your users. Listen first, then act, then listen again. Use the feedback to provide what they’re looking for. Stand out. Simple.

I’ve taken the pointers below, directly from the Stonewall blog. Does anything else stand out for you? Anything you disagree with?

Do’s:

Be interesting: No one wants to engage with something that is boring. If you’re not offering something genuinely useful or entertaining in the social space, you’re simply polluting the stream.
Add value: The simple question here is; will this work even if you don’t have a prize or incentive attached to it? Make sure that whatever your engagement is, it is adding value, even if only as entertainment.
Be honest: Nothing beats honesty. Tell the truth, even when you make mistakes. If you are honest and prepared to take ownership of your mistakes, people will generally be more forgiving than you imagine.
Be human: This may sound obvious, but in the social spaces, people like talking to people; so be a person and respond in a personal, contextual way.
Listen first: Spend time observing your target market. See how they communicate, how they interact, how they share. When jumping in head first, more often than not your brand comes off as pushy or forced.

Don’ts:

Exposure doesn’t equal impact: As tempting as it may be to simply get your brand out there as much as possible, ultimately you’re damaging a medium which could work for you instead of against you.
Don’t broadcast: Social media is not another media channel for you to place your message on.
Don’t buy traffic: Rather invest in brand building and creating an atmosphere which users will find and share organically with their peers. This includes RT and competitions, or any other tactic that isn’t implicitly adding value to the consumer and his or her social footprint.
Don’t think in terms of campaigns: Build sustainable relationships. Campaigns suggest that you will disappear at the end of the campaign, terminating the relationship.
Don’t expect consumers to be your biggest fan from day one: Just like normal relationships, building a rapport with your fans starts with the basics and takes time.

Jacko’s Dance Tribute

2010-05-06T11:25:00.001+02:00

Michael Jackson was a living legend. He’s probably even more of a legend after his death. Here’s an official dance tribute to the King of Pop, including 300 dancers in Stockholm. I’m a big fan of flash mob type dances, and have blogged about them often, Oprah & Black Eyed Peas being my favourite.

This is another brilliant dance, Jacko style. Enjoy.

The Making of Google Chrome Speed Tests

2010-05-05T16:31:00.001+02:00

The making of Google Chrome speed tests video. I recently blogged about Chrome’s Commercials for their Extensions category. Well now, this video shows that these speed tests were filmed at actual web page rendering times. If you're interested in the technical details then watch the making of this video. It’s very cleverly done. Another brownie point, in my already overflowing jar, for Google’s Chrome. If you’re not using Chrome, you should be, especially if you use Gmail, Adwords, Analytics etc – you won’t look back. I can almost guarantee that. ;-)

Damien Walters – Urban Gymnast

2010-05-05T14:35:00.001+02:00

I came across this awesome video on Urban Ninja’s blog. Damien Walters, (born April 6, 1982), from Derby, United Kingdom is a professional stuntman, gymnastics coach and urban gymnast, and he’s pretty damn amazing! Apparently he’s actually an Olympic gymnast which doesn’t surprise me, how he manages to do half this stuff is way beyond me, it actually seems near impossible. He’s incredible and his talent and passion for what he does is inspiring.

Be inspired, watch this guy.

The World Cup Song – Waka Waka

2010-04-29T08:57:00.001+02:00

The official FIFA World Cup song has been released: “Waka Waka,” courtesy of Shakira and South Africa's darlings Freshlyground. The name Waka Waka translates to “This time for Africa.”

There have been fairly mixed reviews thus far. Have a watch & let me know what you think.

Google Search Stories

2010-04-28T12:56:00.001+02:00

Google has recently launched an awesome new feature to it’s search infrastructure. The feature is called Search Stories Video Creator.

Cool. So what does this allow me to do exactly? “The new feature prompts you to input up to seven search queries spread across Google’s search features (including Images, Maps, and standard web search), choose a song, and it generates a video in the same style as Google’s other Search Stories.” The whole process only takes a few minutes and then gives you the option to upload to YouTube if you so desire.

It’s as easy as 3 steps:

Step 1: Enter your search terms and generate search results images. (web, images, news, blogs)
Step 2: Add in music. Google has a pretty comprehensive list of tunes to meet your preference.
Step 3: Preview and upload to YouTube.

Google Chrome Commercial

2010-04-26T13:37:00.001+02:00

I’m a huge lover of Chrome. I use it, day in, day out. What is it for all the aliens out there? Chrome is Google’s web browser and loads pages faster & doesn’t crash most importantly. Multiple tabs can be run, but unlike other browsers, if one tab crashes the entire browsers doesn’t crash, it merely kills off that page.

It’s quick, it’s simple & it works incredibly well with all the Google programs I run and work with daily (Google Adwords, Google Analytics etc) I said adios to Firefox a long time ago, even though they had amazing extensions. Chrome now have those extensions, so I’ll never look back. I keep it simple on my browser & the only extensions I use are the ClickWeather, The Facebook & Gmail extensions. They make my life a pleasure. Anyway, I digress from the title of this blog post.

Recently, an awesome ad was released from Google and BBH, New York. This time the clever ad is for Chrome Extensions, which I spoke about above. So if you’re not using Chrome I dare you to give it a go – you won’t look back..

How A Non-Marketer Explains Social Media Marketing

2010-04-21T08:33:00.001+02:00

I’m a huge fan of the Twist Image Blog. They write fantastic articles & I’m an avid daily reader. I came across this post the other day and it struck me as so simple. That’s all Social Media / eMarketing needs to be, simple. The best lines from this presentation?

1. “Marketing isn’t convincing people to buy your stuff, Marketing is making sure people who want your stuff will find it.”
2. “Don’t be a Social Media douchebag.”

A little background on the presentation. Hugh McGuire did this slideshow & straight from the Twist image blog is the following about Hugh.

“Hugh McGuire sent me the link to his Slideshare presentation for an event he recently spoke at. McGuire (also a regular on theMedia Hacks podcast) likes to think he's not a Marketer (I'd argue that everybody in business is in both sales and marketing), but as you can see by his presentation, he's probably more suited to be a marketing professor (along with being an exceptional marketer)..”

Ten Thoughts on Social Media & Marketing

View more presentations from Hugh McGuire.

The Pale Blue Dot – Is Us

2010-04-16T11:41:00.001+02:00

I came across this incredibly thought provoking video, thanks to @nicharry which he labelled:

“The World Would Be Better If Everyone Watched This Video”

Too True. A moving, ‘wake up and smell the coffee’ video that reminds us just how insignificant we are. How earthly & material goods mean nothing in the the greater scheme of life. We all need these type of moments to remind us about what’s important in life. The simple things in life. Watch it. Think about it.

The Nike Music Shoe

2010-04-16T07:19:00.001+02:00

This shoe is amazing. Nike put together an incredible Japanese DJ duo hifana transformed Nike’s new flexible free run+ running shoes into musical instruments for this Japanese promotional video. The video shows the duo setting up the shoes to act as sound triggers so that when flexed, the shoes create a pre-determined sound. the shoes were outfitted with audio plugs and hooked up to a sampler. after working out the sounds and practicing, hifana is ready for a final piece. In this final performance the duo literally play the shoes, bending and twisting them to create a fully developed song. The video showcases the group’s sound and the flexibility of Nike’s new sneakers. the project was developed by wieden + kennedy, Tokyo. Incredible stuff.

Magners Cider: Catch

2010-03-30T08:16:00.001+02:00

When I moved to London with my company, I obviously had to learn the ways of the English, especially what they drank, as my local favourites, Savanna & Hunters Dry, were pretty hard to come by, or foolishly expensive on Mud Island. So I was introduced to Bulmers & Magners – both fantastic ciders. So roles are now reversed, and now that I’m back home living in Cape Town, I truly miss being able to source Bulmers or Magners.

I came across this video on Chris Rawlinson’s blog, which I appreciated given my love of Magners. It features a great ad for Magners Irish cider called “Catch”. The ad was created by a London Agency called The Red Brick Road. They created two TV / ad campaigns, in which the first one portrays the unbeaten local Clonmel cricket team catching every ball hit. The second ad then goes on to portray the story of Aiden Boyle, the Magners moggy apple driver who always drives in a straight line from A to B (see the clip here). Both are light-hearted and poke a little fun, hence the featured punch line of the ad campaign: “There’s method in the Magners.”

Oh man I would love a Magners sometime soon.

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-29T09:42:00.001+02:00

Earth Hour gains more and more traction every year. What started in Australia, has now become a global campaign, that thousands of cities across the world take part in. I took part on Saturday.

“Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.”

South Africa Earth Hour took place at 8-30pm local time and most friends I know participated in this campaign. Every little bit helps and local radio stations got involved, informing the public about it and did the countdown to 8-30pm. It felt good, even if for an hour, a lot of the world was united by something greater than themselves. So while Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of climate change issues, there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice on the future of our planet and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for our planet.

Here’s the official Earth Hour 2010 video released on the Earth Hour site. Did you participate?

Do The “Diski”

2010-03-24T13:09:00.001+02:00

If you are South African, you need to learn “The Diski.” The Soccer World Cup is on its way to South Africa and this dance is the way to celebrate that & welcome the World to our beautiful country.

Here are 2 awesome videos to get those legs moving and learning. Offices around South Africa are trying to learn the Diski, sports personalities and the general South African public alike. So get your Diski on people, we have a World Cup to host in 78 days!

Adwords Search funnels

2010-03-24T12:16:00.001+02:00

The Google Adwords Blog released an exciting new report post. The “Search Funnel” report. For those of you that work in Adwords and have Google conversion tracking on your accounts, this one is for you.

The Search Funnels are currently only in Beta, but from what the video indicates, this could be exciting. So what exactly is Search Funnels about? Adwords describes it as, “Currently, conversions in AdWords are attributed to the last ad clicked before the conversion. Search Funnels gives advertisers data on how "upper-funnel" keywords are assisting conversions before the last click. It also enhances basic conversion reporting for AdWords.”

Through watching the video, the amount of detail we’ll be able to go into to really dig through the click path / conversion path of a keyword is amazing. It will help break down every single click, keyword and where the conversion for that keyword actually began. For search marketers, this is exciting stuff. Search marketing has always been something is 100% measureable and every keyword has an attributed cost, measurement and ROI. The Search Funnels adds another dimension to this. The click attribution or ‘click assist’ will really give insight as to where the whole conversion chain starts. We will be able to source whether a keyword assisted in clicks that led towards an eventual conversion. Every keyword will have even more accurate data and therefore its worth can be analysed, even more than it can be currently.

This awesome new feature is only being rolled put across accounts, so far none of my accounts using Google conversion tracking have been allocated Search Funnel reports yet, but I’m on the lookout. So check your accounts under the “Reports” tab, then “Conversions” tab. Enjoy the video, it gives great insight into a very exciting new report.

The Mongoose

2010-03-24T09:36:00.001+02:00

The what? The Mongoose. If you want to hit the hell out of the ball, you use a Mongoose.

I’m a massive cricket fan. Always have been – it probably stems from the fact that I used to spend every Saturday watching my Dad, Jono Clarke, play his club cricket. He played for Rhodesia as opening batsman with Ray Gripper back in the day and made a century on his test debut. Yes, he’s that good. For his ‘old boys’ club, he batted number 3 batsman & made plenty of runs, so it was exciting. So I love cricket and watch matches whenever I can. So when something new and exciting comes along, I get excited.

Back to, “The Mongoose” – it has been declared, “Winner of the BEST BAT in the Wisden Cricketer 2010 award/innovations. "Bowlers should run scared" – Wisden.

Matthew Hayden has been using this bat in the IPL 2010 and he’s seriously beating the hell out of a few bowlers & fielders. Ok, granted, Matty Hayden can hit the ball already, but the added advantage of using the Mongoose is scary. Hayden says that "Since there is no splice, the sweet spot is increased by 120 per cent," as the handle of the Mongoose bat is 43 % longer and the blade 33 % shorter than the conventional bat. "Twenty20 is about scoring runs quickly. I am sure the Mongoose bat is ideal for this format,” says Hayden.

The effects of this bat can be seen in one mans’ facial expression. One who usually does the smashing himself. Just check out the look on AB De Villers’ face when Hayden starts the beating process.

Cyanide & Happiness

2010-03-18T14:53:00.001+02:00

A little bit of light heartedness as we head towards a long weekend in South Africa. Can’t wait for a nice long weekend ahead of relaxation and a few long runs – only 2 weeks left until I run the 2 Oceans half marathon!

Enjoy!

The Future of Publishing Depends How You Look At It

2010-03-18T12:52:00.001+02:00

I saw this on “The Next Web” and after watching the original clip, this one is just as good.

As “The Next Web” states, “To clarify, the concept is unoriginal, the first one of these was called ‘The Lost Generation. That said, the content itself is original and well worth watching.”

The Best Marketing Campaign

2010-03-16T09:13:00.001+02:00

Heineken always have incredible ads. Watch this marketing campaign run by them and tell me you don’t get goosebumps. It’s clever, it’s original and it gave me goosebumps all over. Enough said. Go watch it.

Heineken İtaly Activation from Kreatif360 on Vimeo.

Meet Google

2010-03-09T09:57:00.001+02:00

An awesome video on just how ‘big’ Google is. Are the ‘giants’ Google becoming larger than they should be? Are they trying to become everything to everyone? This is a fantastic video, in under 3 minutes, covering pretty much why Google are who they are. It still astounds me how and what they’ve achieved. To me, they pretty much ARE a monopoly and it’ll take something extra-ordinary to oust them.

People Of The internet

2010-03-08T12:15:00.001+02:00

Thanks to @ChrisRawlinson for pointing this awesome video out. I came across the article and video below on his blog and thought it too good not to share again.

The BBC have started a program called, “SuperPower” and it is “a season of programmes starting today that will be investigating how the internet affects lives and has become the catalyst for a fundamental change in societies around the world.” In Chris’ words, “There is a huge amount of interactive content available for the programme, the main site brings it all together, but they have also been actively starting conversations on Twitter and Facebook, even giving anyone the opportunity to ask questions to some of the Digital Giants of the industry like Eric Schmidt, Jimmy Wales and Steve Ballmer.”

Awesome. Mind blowing. I love it. The internet really is a “super power.” If you’re in the UK, then send in your stories! It’s normal people, normal stories and how they connect to the world. Have your global conversation!

2010 World Cup Ad For Visa

2010-03-02T11:40:00.001+02:00

In celebration of today being “100 days to the Soccer World Cup, I thought it fitting to share Visa’s ( a major sponsor of the event) new ad for the 2010 World Cup, with their tagline, “Life Flows Better With Visa.” Personally, I’ve seen better ads and feel they could have perhaps been a little more creative and brought out ‘that feeling’ that World Cups are meant to, but hey, each to their own.

Perhaps you’ll enjoy it?

Social Media Trends at Fortune 100

2010-02-24T11:21:00.001+02:00

Mashable published this awesome presentation based on the PR firm Burson-Marsteller, who studied the 100 largest companies in the Fortune 500 list and found that 79% of them use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or corporate blogs to communicate with customers. The presentation speaks for itself and there are some awesome stats to check out.

Global Social Media Checkup

View more presentations from Burson-Marsteller.

Determination

2010-02-23T18:51:00.001+02:00

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”

Ever felt like sometimes enough is just enough? No more. I’m done, it’s too hard, make it stop? Lately I’ve felt that a few times. Mostly when I’ve been on the road, running / training for a half marathon in a months time. (sounds trivial, but I haven’t done too much running in the last 2 years!) There really are times when my mind isn’t strong enough to keep myself going. Yet at the hardest moments, I surprise myself. It’s at these times that we realize our true potential. When we really need to dig down deep and find that little power house we didn’t know existed, it suddenly appears, seemingly from no-where. It’s a great feeling and determination has really been something on my mind for the last few days. We really can do it. When you have to do “that run” in 30km hour winds, or “that task” that’ll take up most of the afternoon, just tell yourself you’re lucky to be able to do it. You have the legs to do it, or the brain to do it, so just do it, and somehow enjoy doing it.

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

The quote above encapsulates what I’ve been feeling. However bad, sore, tired or low you’re feeling, things DO turn around, usually at the right time, whether we understand it or not. The tide never ceases to turn, so just keep at it, just do it and let yourself surprise yourself time after time. :)

Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me”

2010-02-23T14:36:00.001+02:00

Adam Lambert, I love. You either love him, or dislike him. (hate is a strong word). I happen to adore him. His style, his confidence, his “I don’t care what you think “ attitude – it all just has me encapsulated.

His new song, “Whataya Want From Me” is incredible. He is sans the usual guy-liner and make-up and he seems to really sing from the heart. (that’s usual though) The lack of make-up seems to coincide with his ‘baring all’ from the heart in this song. Watch it, take it in, appreciate it. It’s a fantastic song with lyrics everyone one of us can associate with, if nothing else. I’m a fan.

The Future Of Publishing

2010-02-18T08:50:00.001+02:00

Wired Magazine has been promoting what they think will be the future of publishing. This video is crazy and really makes you think what the future will be like with all things moving online only. What will TV be like, will be there be any newspapers left in the world, how will we communicate? It’s crazy, but it’s exciting. The future is already happening. The future is only tomorrow away.

The Human chain

2010-02-17T08:58:00.001+02:00

Seeing as though I stuck with the Nike theme last week, I thought I’d share this brilliant new ad by Nike - “The Human Chain.” It features all Nike’s ambassadors in sport, except one notable character, Tiger Woods. Will he catch a break anytime soon? Anyway, that’s another whole story, for now, enjoy this awesome ad.

I Want My Nike T-Shirt Gun!

2010-02-12T12:06:00.001+02:00

I came across the best toy of all time on Rob Gilmour’s blog and just had to share it again.

All I can say is, I want one too. Nike, “just do it” already and send me one!

BANG!

Teach Children About Food

2010-02-12T10:21:00.001+02:00

TED Prize Winner Jamie Oliver, stated that his wish at TED was, “"for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity." TED is about “Ideas Worth Sharing.” It’s where ideas can be shared and plans put into motion for those passionate enough to put them forward. Each year there is a prize, the TEDPrize that is awarded to an exceptional person, who receives $100,000 and granted their “One Wish To Change The World.” Jamie Oliver won this year. Jamie’s “plan” to deliver on his wish was to:

“Set up an organization to create a popular movement that will inspire people to change the way they eat. The movement will do this by establishing a network of community kitchens; launching a travelling food theatre that will teach kids practical food and cooking skills in an entertaining way and provide basic training for parents and professionals; and bringing millions of people together through an online community to drive the fight against obesity. The grassroots movement must also challenge corporate America to support meaningful programs that will change the culture of junk food.”

Below is Jamie’s speech as TED. You can this man is passionate about what he believes in. I’m a huge fan and the fact that he cares so strongly about the youth of today’s health is amazing. He goes to great lengths to be pro-active. In Africa, the food situation with children is slightly different to that in Europe, in Africa children are starving and mostly do not have the obesity problem. But his concept of ‘educate children about food’ is strong and sticks in my mind. Children should know about food. It shouldn’t be a luxury to have food knowledge, but should be something every child can obtain.

What’s The Buzz?

2010-02-10T09:20:00.001+02:00

Google Buzz. That’s the buzz. Google unveiled last night, its latest attempt to become more relevant in the social media space.

The product is integrated with the Gmail platform and will be rolled out gradually to all of the webmail service’s users over the next few days. I’m not one of the lucky ones, so not sure exactly how it works, but in the meantime there’s a great video that explains the how. There’s not too much feedback on it yet seeing as it’s only going to be rolled out starting today, but I’m sure there will be loads of reviews in the next few days / weeks. I’m hoping this isn’t another phase, like Google Wave, which I’ve hardly touched after the initial ‘craze’ of it. Here’s hoping this is a start of great things.

Social Media Is Bigger Than You Think

2010-02-05T12:41:00.001+02:00

Is Social Media a Fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? Welcome to the Social Media Revolution – fantastic video with excellent, valid points and stats. My 10 highlights taken from the video – see below.

Years to Reach 50 millions Users: Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months…iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
1 in 6 higher education students are enrolled in online curriculum
Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres (combined) have more Twitter followers than the population of Ireland, Norway, or Panama. Note I have adjusted the language here after someone pointed out the way it is phrased in the video was difficult to determine if it was combined.
What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook…
There are over 200,000,000 Blogs
54% = Number of bloggers who post content or tweet daily
25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content
34% of bloggers post opinions about products & brands
People care more about how their social graph ranks products and services than how Google ranks them
Successful companies in social media act more like Dale Carnegie and less like David Ogilvy Listening first, selling second

Bokkie

2010-02-05T12:06:00.001+02:00

The South African Rugby Team, known as “The Springboks” have an adorable mascot, “Bokkie.”

Their new mascot has a promotional video, produced entirely in house at Sunrise Productions in Cape Town. Very, very cute a team I am incredibly proud of!

Apple iPad – What’s It All About?

2010-02-05T11:24:00.001+02:00

As I’m sure you’re all well aware, Apple recently released their new”iPad.” Bad, bad name, awesome, awesome product.

What does the iPad entail? Well, of it has a 9.7 inch LED multi-touch screen computer which is apparently great for browsing (the ‘best browsing experience ever” according to Steve Jobs), email, photos, video, music, games and eBooks. The iPad can run all the existing iPhone apps full screen and apps are being developed as we speak for its launch (Estimated 1st April in USA for WiFi version and 1st May for 3G version).

The iPad 3G is unlocked to any network and includes a deal in the USA for unlimited web use for $29.99 (offers are expected to be arranged for other countries in the future). Battery life is 10 hours and the iPad comes complete with built in speakers and mic as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and 3 USB sockets.

See the video for more ‘how to’ tips and how it works. Not sure if I’ll run to get one anytime soon. My gut feel says wait for the second or third release when the iPad actually has all the added bonuses (like flash and camera etc) But if any of you will be getting one, let us know what it’s like!! ;)

Google Social Search

2010-01-28T08:09:00.001+02:00

We haven’t actually heard much about Google’s Social Search – they seem to have been keeping it pretty quiet. Very recently, Google have turned it into a beta release With the beta release, which means they will be integrating social search into Google Image searches, which means you can scroll down to view pictures matching your query that contacts from your circle, friends and friends of friends who have all shared online.

With the beta release Google is also introducing new UI elements to tie the social search experience all together. So now, there will be two additional links that will appear next to the “Results from your social circle” heading, with “My social circle” and “My social content” taking you to pages that display your social circle in address book format and the content for your own results.

In Google’s own words, “We think there's tremendous potential for social information to improve search, and we're just beginning to scratch the surface. We're leaving a "beta" label on social results because we know there's a lot more we can do. If you want to get the most out of Social Search right away, get started by creating a Google profile, where you can add links to your other public online social services.”

Check out this short video to learn more:

Adidas – Star Wars Collection

2010-01-22T13:21:00.001+02:00

Adidas Originals have recently run their “Star Wars” Collection and have been targeting the social media sites to help assist the launch of their new line as well as entice users to participate in their application feature.

What they have done is to launch the new line they first created a online application that puts you inside the death star and lets to vaporise your friends via Google maps, and then send them the footage (click here to try it out). The next step is they have added a collection of pictures of the products and some great Adidas/ Star Wars branded profile badges to their already popular Facebook page. Lastly they created the above ad to showcase some of the new rags by using stars such as Dave Beckham, Snoop Dogg and Daft Punk.

It’s different and it’s pretty cool.

David Blaine: How I held my breath for 17 min

2010-01-20T13:01:00.001+02:00

David Blaine gave a talk on In this highly personal talk from TEDMED. He is a well known magician worldwide and a stuntman. (who scares me).David describes what it took to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes, which is a world record. 17 minutes!! I would be proud of about a minute!

Warning: do NOT try this at home. (or anywhere else for that matter)

The Secret To Skype’s Success

2010-01-20T08:48:00.001+02:00

eConsultancy wrote a great article on the secret to Skype’s success and digs into the growing online phone market. It’s such a great article and really highlights just how important the phone market is and how massive it’s likely to be in 2010. So I thought I’d share the article, as is. I’m a huge fan of Skype and with family based in London, Perth & Johannesburg (with me being based in Cape Town) it’s the only free way we can see and communicate with each other.

The most important points from the article I picked out are as follows:

According to new research from TeleGeography, Skype now accounts for 12% of all long distance calls.
Is the company eating its competitors' lunches or growing the telephony market? Signs point to the latter. But that doesn't mean long distance carriers have less to worry about.
Skype's business model seems easy enough - the company offers free phone calls (and video) over the internet between its users. If a Skype user calls a landline, he or she is charged for that call, but even that cost is much lower than traditional phone company billing.
Paul Brodsky, an analyst for TeleGeography, tells The Wall Street Journal that Skype grew its rates cutting into the business of traditional phone companies:

“Skype is taking away would-be market share of international traffic from conventional phone companies.”

But that does not account for the fact that international voice traffic is still expected to grow around 7 to 8% annually between 2009 and 2011 according to TeleGeography.
Skype's registered user number is impressive — the company had over 500 million registered users towards the end of 2009, versus 405 million registered users at the end of 2008.
Skype users are expected to generate 54 billion minutes in international traffic in 2009 compared to only 33 billion minutes in 2008. Meanwhile, Skype is now the largest long distance phone company in the world.
Skype charges for its SkypeOut service, which lets users to make calls to standard telephones. Those calls generated about 12 billion minutes of traffic in 2009. Skype relies on traditional wholesale carriers to connect these calls to the telephone network.
Most Skypers are still using their computers to make calls and they are not using the service as an alternative to more expensive options, but to make calls where previously they would have chosen another mode of communication.
While telephone carriers should be afraid of Skype, it's not because the online company has underpriced them. It's because the company has gotten people excited about something that they had made difficult and avoidable.

Now that gives Skype room to go after the rest of their business in 2010. Especially when the service starts getting onto mobile phones.

Cheers Citi Golf

2010-01-12T14:40:00.001+02:00

Here is the long anticipated VW Citi Golf farewell ad. It’s been a long month or 2 and a tour around the country for all those who lived and loved with their Citi Golfs’ to say cheerio. The Goodbye Citi Roadtrip around South Africa here is the TV ad created from all the footage collected from the journey and the final farewell to the Citi Golf.

The Future Of The Mouse

2009-12-23T13:22:00.001+02:00

Exciting stuff ahead for the mouse ;-)

Waving Goodbye to 2009

2009-12-22T10:35:00.001+02:00

Fantastic video ‘waving’ goodbye to highlights, trials and tribulations of 2009. What a year! 2010 promises some pretty exciting times ahead and I for one consider myself incredibly lucky to be living in these times and around to witness some specials events both in past years and in the year ahead to come.

Happy holidays to you all and may you have a special & safe festive season with family & loved ones! ;-)

Microsoft Labs 2019 Vision

2009-12-09T08:29:00.001+02:00

Microsoft have recently highlighted a few visions that they are working on for the future. This is an exceptional video of their vision. The future is an exciting place. A few highlights from the video are as follows:

Graphical user faces will become natural user interfaces
Cloud computing will become a huge reality and less of a theory
Everything will be controlled by one interface ie. in a house – the drapes, the tv, the sound systems, the home cinema, the fireplaces etc
Devices will anticipate the next move rather than be told the next move
Houses will become a lot more eco-friendly through use of electricity

Inspired Bicycles

2009-12-08T11:33:00.001+02:00

Wow. This man is incredible. How he does what he does on a bike I have no idea. The video features Inspired Bicycles’ team rider Danny MacAskill scaling fences in and around Edinburgh, Scotland. The video is as mesmerizing as its hypnotic soundtrack from music group Band of Horses. It’s a solid example of how a brand pursuing a niche market – mountain bike trailblazers – can reach the masses with a brilliant viral video execution.

Get Found In Real-Time Search

2009-12-08T08:11:00.001+02:00

Google’s real-time search has been a major topic of conversation of late. So as things are occurring around the web, they can be found when searching in Google. In integrates social media platforms such as Facebook & Twitter results. How exactly does this work? Watch the video below for the run-down and the ‘how.’

Now how do you ‘get found’ in these real-time results / searches? WebProNews wrote a great article on how to get found. See the exact article below – it ties in nicely with why the search giants have gone with the real-time search route.

So, if real-time results are based upon time/date, and the user's query, it stands to reason that time and those queries are the most important components in getting your content found in these types of searches.

1. Use Keywords
This seems obvious, but use keywords in not only your content, but in your titles, and your updates. If you're writing an article, you have to consider what people are going to include in their updates if they share it on a social network, whether this be Facebook, Twitter, or anything else.
More often than not, they are going to include the title. If the right keywords are in the title, then those keywords are also more likely to appear in any ensuing tweets, Facebook updates, etc. If someone searches for those keywords, they will be more likely to find your content in a real-time search.
The same goes for your own Tweets/status updates. Even if you are not sharing an article, if you want your update to be found, use relevant keywords. Again, obvious, but true.

2. Talk About Timely Events
Simply mentioning events that are current will put you directly into the results for any searches having to do with that topic, provided the right keywords are in play. This is a method that could and (surely is) being exploited by spammers, but that doesn't mean you can't provide legitimate conversation and simply put yourself on more people's radars, without throwing links at them every time.

3. Have a Lot of Followers
If you have a lot of followers or friends on social networks, or even just readers of your blog, you are going to get more people sharing your content. The more people sharing your content, the more impressions of your content will be making their way into real time searches.
There is no easy way to instantly get a bunch of legitimate readers/followers. It will take some promotion. Provide useful content that people will link to and it will spread virally. Provide clear ways for them to follow you (like links to Facebook pages and Twitter accounts on your blog).

4. Promote Conversation
Whether on your blog or on a social network, spark conversations. Talk about topics that people are interested in. This is tied to number 2. The more conversations you are involved with, the more retweets (and equivalents on other networks) you are likely to get. And again, this means more impressions in real times searches.

5. Include Calls to Engagement
I recently talked about why there is more to retweeting than meets the eye for businesses. I mentioned the use of buttons like Tweetmeme's and Digg's. These are buttons you can put on articles that show the amount of retweets/diggs that article has. They kind of act as a meter for engagement.
These buttons are certainly not all-encompassing. They only represent the conversation on 2 channels, and not the web in general. I'm sure there are other buttons that can be used in addition.
More importantly though, they provide a "call to action" to share the content. People can digg or retweet a story with a simple click, and you're one step closer to being found in somebody's real-time search.

Wrapping Up
Real-time search is much more basic (at least so far) than say, Google Search. You're not ranking for relevancy. Really, you could hardly call it ranking it all. It's about visibility. That means, you have to get people talking about your content/updates.
Social media by nature is viral. Real-time search is nothing more than putting things in chronological order. You have to keep people talking to stay relevant to "right now."

Greenpoint Stadium 2010

2009-12-03T11:30:00.001+02:00

Greenpoint Stadium is the closest stadium situated to the sea. It’s situated in Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with it’s backdrop of Table Mountain and a view of the sea. This is why I love and live in Cape Town.

In celebration of the big World Cup 2010 Draw tomorrow night at the Cape Town ICC, here’s a video showcasing the beautiful stadium with it’s awe inspiring surroundings. Enjoy & welcome to Cape Town!

C2C Year End Party

2009-12-02T21:11:00.001+02:00

Tomorrow, Thursday 3rd December, Clicks2Customers will be celebrating their year end function at La Med in Clifton, Cape Town. What better way to end the year than to celebrate a hard years work with a beautiful beach view and mountain backdrop? Another reason why I’m thankful to be ‘home’ again in beautiful Cape Town. It’s been a long year, but a great year and has gone incredibly quickly! To start off in London but end off in Cape Town has been a fantastic experience for me. So here’s to a great 2009 but an even better and more successful 2010!

Just to set the scene, I’ve left a few photos for you of La Med to see where we’ll be enjoying the afternoon, listening to speeches, having a few laughs, soaking up the sun and enjoying a few cocktails & snack platters.

Measuring Your Social Media Communications

2009-12-02T07:54:00.001+02:00

Valeria Maltoni put this presentation together, which covers how to measure the performance of Social Media Performance. The main points are that if you are going to integrate social media communications, then you are looking to expand reach, increase engagement and build influence. Have an actual objective on your Twitter or Facebook accounts. Dell has managed to reach massive sales levels of $3MM, directly through Twitter since 2007. Brand communication & crisis management are two incredibly important factors to get right – are you engaging with the right target customers? Measure your efforts and see how it’s working out for you, if not, then adjust the strategy. Anyway, I’ll leave you with the presentation, take all you can from it, it’s good stuff.

Measuring Performance Of Social Media Communications

View more documents from Valeria Maltoni.

How Word Of Mouth Can Save Your Brand

2009-12-01T20:55:00.001+02:00

I came across this video on Smart Blog & this video was taken from the Word of Mouth Supergenius conference with the keynote being, “Love or Marketing? How Word of Mouth Will Save Your Brand.” Can word of mouth really make or break your brand. It definitely strongly effects it, but if you go far enough and delve into what it is customers want or are saying, you can save your brand?

Key things from this video:

This is not about social media. There are five fundamental steps to every word of mouth campaign, and the tools to help people talk are just one component. Earning love is much bigger than this.

You can create love and passion for everyday products. Not everybody gets to be an iPhone, but you still have great products that help people solve real problems — it’s about turning those happy customers into regular talkers.

Ask: Would anyone tell a friend about this? This is a question that changes companies. Stick this question on a sticky note on your monitor, put it on a sign in your conference room, and find ways to build this question into everything you do.

Conversation Is Not Community

2009-12-01T16:49:00.001+02:00

I read this article a few days on the TwistImage blog and it’s stuck with me the last few days. It’s about online conversation and how conversation with users, fans etc doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a part of your community. That takes more work. It’s a great article and thought provoking. Marketing IS going to get harder in 2010 and years to come, and those in the know need to get smarter. It’s so easy to get followers, fans & ‘friends’ these days, but how many of those are actually a part of your community? Read this, then think again.

Here’s the article, taken directly as it was on the “Six Pixels of Separation” Blog:

It might seem like an obvious statement, but many brands simply don't understand this one basic fact: conversation is not community.

Let's break that down: just because someone is talking about your brand (positively or negatively) it doesn't mean that they are a part of your community (or that they want to be a part of your community). To push that even further, even if someone has bought from you, loves your product and raves about it everywhere (both online and offline), it still doesn't mean that they are a part of your community (or that they want to be).

The only way that anybody joins any community is by voluntarily doing so.

It seems like we all need to take a step back, take a deep breathe, and re-read Seth Godin's seminal book, Permission Marketing. And, once you've inhaled that business book, understand that you can't even ask for permission any more. You have to earn it and it has to be initiated by the consumer. The backlash to this thought will be something akin to, "what do we do if we have this great community and we want these individuals to join, and they probably would join if they simply knew that we existed?" The answer to this is pretty basic/obvious: do more to get noticed and recognized, so that word spreads and those who may be interested in your community will find you. Yes, make yourself more findable, approachable, likeable and spreadable.

Marketing is going to get harder and harder in 2010.

Marketing is going to get harder because even creating any semblance of a powerful conversation (the stuff that hopefully leads to people joining your community) is going to be ever-more challenging. With conversations happening in so many online channels in so many different forms, getting your signal through the noise is not going to be easy (it's not easy now). On Twitter today, I tweeted: "Fill in the blank: creating conversations online is..." to which @cguy responded, "like trying to speak at a rock show."

Anybody can have a conversation.

It's important to remember that the idea of conversations really happening in the online channel is still a relatively new concept. That being said, many of the platforms we use to connect and share (online social networking) have come to the point where they are so simple to use that everyone (and anyone) is online and having conversations. Whether what they say has any relevance to you is not important. They can create these conversations, they should create these conversations and they are connecting with whomever is important to them. They could be having thousands of conversations all over the place, but still there is no semblance of an active or unified community.

Amazing Hotel Rooms

2009-11-27T08:07:00.001+02:00

I thought I’d post something random and fun for a Friday. Amazing hotels intrigue me. I wrote a few posts a good while ago on the new hotels in Dubai, the Atlantis Resort, the Hydropolis Underwater Resort and the Burj Al Arab. These places are pure luxury and are just amazing to say the least. Dubai certainly know how to do things properly and with style!

I came across these photos on Trend Spotter of different, funky hotel rooms. How are these rooms in this hotel? Wow. Check out the pool table with a view in the bottom photos. Which room would you choose to stay in? I think the lumo blue definitely stands out for me.

Our Favourite “Buddy” Is Back

2009-11-26T07:51:00.001+02:00

“Buddy,” my favourite new friend is back. He’s taken South African TV by storm in the last few weeks with his ads leaving a line on the mouths of South Africans for weeks. Lines such as “baaaaad sheep, get it? Baaaaad sheep.” For those of you who have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about, Toyota have had some pretty funny and excellent ads on South African TV in the last few weeks. The main character, Buddy, the handsome canine with attitude, stars in his third television commercial for Toyota South Africa in a couple of months. Buddy comes across as the spoilt, yet seemingly tough dog, hiding behind the toughness & strength of the Toyota he’s hiding in. He changes hyena’s, talks down to sheep, but in a hilarious manner. You have to see the ads to appreciate them.

The commercial was developed by Draftfcb Johannesburg's creative team of Brett Morris, James Cloete and Ivor Forrester, and relied on clever direction by Dean Bloomberg of Bouffant Productions and extensive post-production by Sinister Studio to ‘bring Buddy to life' as he has the only ‘talking part' in the script.

Here is the newest ad “Buddy & Fortuna.” (below) It’s classic, I absolutely loved it! I think it’s definitely my favourite, although I thought the “baaaad sheep” as would be tough to top. For a behind the scenes look at the making of the commercials, you can visit this site.

Internet Vices – What’s Your Weakness?

2009-11-24T08:41:00.001+02:00

Patrick Moberg wrote this brilliant cartoons about Internet Vices, they are hilarious! They portray how addictive social networks can be and how they can affect us. I particularly enjoyed the Twitter cartoon, I can relate! I think we can all recognise ourselves in a few of these. What’s your vice? Don’t be shy! ;-)