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....

Vodafone creates web 2.0 music experience

Mobile operator Vodafone and MySpace have teamed up to create an online interactive community for music fans in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The new platform, Vodafone Music Reporter, hosted on MySpace, builds on the collaboration between the companies that began last year with the launch of MySpace on Vodafone mobile internet.
Vodafone will use the profile to promote its existing music initiatives, including summer festivals such as Music Unlimited Cologne in Germany, and Vodafone TBAs in the UK. The Vodafone Music Reporter profile will also feature user-generated content to help create music communities.

Music fans can click on www.myspace.com/vodafonemusicreporter_uk to upload and download content, including pictures and videos related to Vodafone Music Unlimited events. Members of the community will be able to interact with their fellow users through a blog featuring regular updates on Vodafone Music Unlimited activities.

Users will also be able to enter a competition to demonstrate their gig review skills across the Vodafone Music Unlimited events this summer, and win the chance to become part of an MTV show episode online and on mobile. The MySpace Vodafone Music Reporter profile will showcase winners from each round of the competition.

I think this is some cool work - but has some flaws and is a bit unimaginative! Has it not been done before?

Cash-strapped consumers switch to pay-as-you go pricing

Until recently, mobile pre-pay pricing deals have appealed mainly to adults with credit problems or no bank account, and children. However, as the economic climate worsens, consumers in other demographics are also beginning to turn to such propositions as they, too, find themselves short of cash.
Last week, Sony Ericsson's UK marketing manager Dave Hilton revealed that the handset manufacturer is dedicating more of its marketing budget to the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) market.
Mobile network Orange has followed suit by extending its 'animals' tariff packages to the pre-pay sector to target customers tempted by the flexibility of PAYG. Meanwhile, O2 customers can sign up for the network's 'Simplicity' flexi-contracts, which allow consumers to bypass the added cost of a handset up-grade, and change tariffs or even cancel their deal at any stage with only 30 days' notice, without incurring any extra costs. Vodafone runs a similar deal called SIM Only.

At the end of March 2008, Orange had 15.7m active mobile customers. More than 10m were on PAYG, and 5.7m on pay monthly.
O2 is the UK's biggest mobile network in the pre-pay sector. It had 11.4m PAYG customers in the first quarter of 2008, compared with 7m on pay-monthly.
Vodafone has a total of 18.4m consumer and enterprise customers; 60% of its consumer business is PAYG.

How will the influence the ads we are creating? More DR and less creative?

T-Mobile looks to the afterlife for £17m campaign

LONDON - T-Mobile is launching a £17m marketing campaign, based on its latest strapline "Life's for sharing', featuring a TV spot where a relative searches in the afterlife for more minutes.
The mobile network said the new campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, is the first to guarantee that its customers will always have an unbeatable minutes allowance (a big bonus in the current credit crunch climate).
It reaffirms the company's positioning as the best value for money mobile network, by challenging consumers to find more minutes for £30.
T-Mobile is the latest mobile network to unveil a new strapline as customers become increasingly price-focused in their decision-making when purchasing mobile phone tariffs.

T-Mobile said its new campaign is based on the proposition that it will match or beat the amount of minutes offered on a like-for-like basis by the other four operators.

Karen Phipson, head of brand and communications at T-Mobile, said: "'Life's for sharing' really cements our focus on relationships, in a way that's energetic, dynamic and involving.
"It's apt that we launch the new strapline in conjunction with our minutes promise, which is all about supporting our customers lives through every-day unbeatable value."

Paul Silburn, a creative partner at Saatchi & Saatchi London, added: "Everyone loves a bargain and people will often search high and low to find the best deal. The creative brings that to life."

T-Mobile certainly have been doing their home work - jsut read the article above on the current preference for Pre-Pay in the credit crunch!!

Orange puts £30 adspend behing fresh positioning

LONDON - Orange has unveiled its latest global marketing campaign and revealed it is to spend a record £30m on the UK advertising push.
The telecommunications brand has confirmed that ‘I am' will be its new strapline for the global campaign, which breaks in the UK on 5 July.
The campaign, created by Fallon, uses lines such as ‘I am who I am because of everyone' and ‘I am all the boys I've kissed and the ones I will'.
A heavyweight TV, radio, print and outdoor campaign will encompass 120 different global executions. Outside the UK, the global signature for the campaign will be ‘Together we can do more'.
This is a reassertion of Orange's point of view and will highlight what differentiates us from other brands.'

Orange have also said that they intent to increase spend in social networks and focus on search online. Offering new widgets to drive acquisition. It seems all O2 compeititors are really increasing their game and all telecoms are going to have to keep their eyes wide open to spot the most valuable opportunities