Creating conversations online

I came across an article today that showcased the a few good examples of brands creating conversations online. And i was shocked to see the Little Chef. In celebration of their 50th Birthday they are creating a campaign about bringing back stuff from the good times! Wuite retro but i'm sure its been done before.....

Anyway the website - www.littlechef.co.uk/bringback is ok. Not really at the forefront of digital technology but more than i expected from the Little Chef! They have a few interactive sections, games and a community area. One thing i really think it's missing is the ability to share with friends. It would have been nice to get a community feel around past experience etc....

Nice to see that even brands like the Little Chef are exploring marketing in the digital space....

Bags for rent

I came across this interesting site while looking through brands in Mysapce -

The idea was also referenced in the SATC film...

Quite a cool idea for those who want designer but cant afford it...

Check it out http://www.designerhandbaghq.co.uk/

DM down

Direct mail spend down nine per cent

Spend on direct mail fell by nine per cent in 2007, according to The Top 100 Direct Mail Spenders report published by Marketing Direct today.
The report, based on a survey of more than 6,000 consumers by media consultancy Billetts, reveals that declining response rates, a shift to digital and environmental pressures are behind the decline in budget being allocated to direct mail.

Financial services companies cut back spend on mail as the first effects of the credit crunch were felt half way through 2007. The top five users of direct mail - BSkyB, Saga Group, MBNA Europe, Lloyds TSB and Halifax - all registered double-digit decreases in spend in 2007 compared to the year before.

In the same period, the online advertising market, including display, classified, email and paid search grew by 38 per cent to £2.8bn.

It really is all going digital!!

After the success of the first Sex and the City movie those at Warner and HBO have just confirmed that there WILL BE another movie! I'm not ashamed to admit that i loved the first movie and the build up to it. The teaser videos that went online were great to get you into the movie.

I was also a fan of the online engagement idea they did (see below)...Will be interesting to see if they have a bigger online promotional campaign thsi time? It clearly worked before and so would be interesting to get invovled in again....

Let's just hope the movie lives up to those big expectations!!

In line with their new "I am" strategy orange have created a specific website that brings the idea to life in the digital space.

I am actaully a fan of Orange's insight that who we are is dictated by who we know. That's why i was shocked to find no aspect of community on the their dedicataed site http://www.i-am-everyone.co.uk/. For such an inspirational message the site lacks any real feel of community or the ability for people to join together to make something bigger.

Maybe this will be a big push in social networks this year? I could see the strategy fitting quite well within the social space. Will be interesting to see....

Sex and the city

As a massive fan of sex and the city i was very sad when i came across this - because i had missed it!!

As a way to reach a younger audience and promote the launch of SATC Users were given ‘faked’ access to Carrie’s Macbook (If only it was real). Users then had to complete a series of challenges by snooping around in Carrie’s files These challenges were set and completed through a series of chats with Carrie’s friends which the user can participate in. When users have completed all assignments, they unlock the hard drive and can access exclusive content.

I think this is a great way to really get people interested in the film! and also shows how online can realy bring static ATL things like traielrs to life via engagement!

A real star!

Orange social networks

Bebo, MySpace and Facebook members on Orange will be able to access their profiles from a single destination later this summer.

The operator, which was the first to tie up deals with all three tier-one social networks in April, is now bidding to increase their usability.
Subscribers to several social network will be able to view updates from each network on one screen.

Orange is preparing to launch a service dubbed My Social Place, which is already live...

Orange really seem to upping their game when it comes to online - will a time come when they overtake O2 as the leader? I think this could be a real possibility....