Archive for May, 2008
Xtreme Wheelbarrow Freestyle
We never thought we would see the day where one of our headlines included the word ‘wheelbarrow’… and certainly not in the same sentence as the word ‘extreme’ (or ‘xtreme’ for that matter), but hey, life is full of surprises!
The clip is a couple of years old, but we haven’t seen it before. We’re not sure whether this is a serious sport, but one thing is for sure… do something a bit different, post it on the web, and you will certainly get noticed!
via Core 77
Adapting your marketing strategy to reach consumers
‘Marketing’ is getting more and more complicated. A decade or so ago, things were much more simple… stick an ad on the TV, create an outdoor campaign, buy some ad space in a few magazines… and you had a good chance of reaching your target audience. Nowadays, there are many ways to reach the consumer, and marketeers need to adapt accordingly.
Drinks bohemoth Diageo seems to understand this. At a recent investors conference, they highlighted their approach:-
1. Understand the new marketplace.
2. Adapt marketing model accordingly.
3. Know the implications.
4. Act on them.
Via Influx Branding
Check live traffic cameras before you travel
Although we’re based in Surrey, we often need to travel to London to meet clients etc. Whilst we prefer to take the train, there are some instances when we simply have to jump in a car. Off peak, the journey normally takes around an hour but (as anyone local will know) it only takes a minor incident (such as a broken down vehicle) to significantly delay the journey.
There are several major routes we can take into the city (A316, A3, M4 etc) so it’s handy to know if there is a problem in advance (so we can add journey time or choose an alternative route). Before we set off, we like to check out the route using live traffic webcams. This may sound like a time consuming process, but in fact, it takes nothing more than a couple of mouse clicks.
In addition, we can also check road conditions for colleagues or clients on the road. If they call to advise us that they’re “stuck in a jam”, we can look at other routes, and suggest those that are less congested.
The two main webcam sites for London are Transport For London (which is navigated using a user friendly map) and BBC London Jam Cams (where camera locations are listed alphabetically). Both sites use the same cameras, and display a still image taken usually within the last 5-15 minutes. In our experience, the TFL site is the easiest to use, and seems to be updated more frequently.
Whilst we’ve focussed on London in the above example, there are also many other other areas with live traffic cameras. KeepMoving.co.uk shows a map of England, split by region, and shows both city and motorway cameras. The BBC also has good coverage, and covers most major cities (including Scotland and Wales):-
If there isn’t a camera listed for your route, then a quick Google search for “live traffic camera” (followed by the place name) should reveal what you’re looking for.
Also, as an added bonus, if you are familiar with Yahoo widgets or the Mac dashboard, you can download widgets and configure these to show cameras of your choice using a single keyboard button press. For example, the London cameras can be found at:-
London Traffic Cameras (Yahoo widget)
London Jam Cams (Mac dashboard widget)
Guns or gas? – An unusual marketing idea
When it comes to marketing, the ‘gift with purchase’ mechanic has been around for many decades (think free toys inside cereal packets). An enterprising car dealer in the USA has taken things a stage further however, with a high profile ‘guns or gas’ campaign. Simply purchase a new car, and claim your free gun or gas!
Whilst we don’t subscribe to the idea of free weapons, we have to give ‘Max Motors’ credit for devising such a clever PR stunt (gaining coverage on several TV stations, and across the internet).
The moral of the story? PR does not have to be expensive. If an idea is topical, unusual, or newsworthy, then it’s quite possible you will have people scrambling all over your business to tell your tale!
via BBC News
Give your ‘favorites’ a spring clean
Have you ever visited a website and been greeted with the following message “404 error – file not found”?
Congratulations! You’ve encountered what’s known as a ‘dead link‘… or a page on a site that is no longer available. Think of this as an undelivered parcel… the postman attempted to deliver your package to the address on the label, but when he got there, the building had been demolished!
So how does this relate to your ‘favorites‘ folder?
If (like us) you’ve accumulated hundreds of favorites (a.k.a. ‘bookmarks’) over the last few years, it would be nice to know which of these are still ‘alive’ and which are ‘dead’. Obviously, it would be too time consuming to trawl through the list and visit each of these sites manually (just to see if they were in fact still working). Wouldn’t it be nice then, if there were a piece of software that did this for you automatically?
Well the good news is… there is! AM Deadlink is like a spring clean for your favorites folder. It looks at all of the addresses you have saved, and highlights any ‘dead’ or ‘duplicate links’.
Not only is this a great little program, but it is also free to download and use!
Image by Canon Snapper
Clever PR – Music video made from CCTV footage
What better way of drawing attention to yourself than ‘tapping in to’ a controversial topic or current affair? That’s exactly what Manchester band “The Get Out Clause” have done, using CCTV as their ‘headline’. This is another great example of getting great PR for minimal investment (the simple ideas often being the best). We expect that this video will turn up in current affairs programs in the future, further raising the bands profile.
Via The Telegraph
PS. We think the music sounds a lot like Coldplay… or is that just our imagination working wild?
Tesco goes Polish
We’ve mentioned it before, but one definition of marketing is “taking the needs and wants of consumers and meeting those needs in a profitable way”. Tesco has clearly embraced this philosophy by introducing a Polish version of their website.
“The website, accessible through www.tesco.com/polski, is in both Polish and English and is designed to showcase the retailer’s range of Polish specific products. It also has a dedicated store finder function which provides details of the nearest Tesco store that stocks Polish ranges“.
The only question we have… is this a little late? Current reports seem to be suggesting that many Poles are returning home. Either way, it’s a good example of a business that attempts to target a market that previously did not exist.
Via IGD Retail Analysis
PS. Apologies for the lack of posts over the last 2-3 weeks. We’ve been a little busy here! Normal service will be resumed shortly.
