Ditch the pitch, start the conversation

Posted by Mal Chia on September 25th, 2009 at 10:26am

Digital Media published an article recently written by B&T writers based on a study by Light Speed Research that said Australians and Japanese were more resistant to overtures from brands on social networks.

This was in contrast to their peers in India and China who were more likely to have their opinions of a brand improved if they were engaged via social media channels.

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Posted in Digital

Think! Digital Session Wrap-Up and Slides

Posted by Mal Chia on September 17th, 2009 at 3:51pm

Last week, Jason and I presented to a room full of clients and agencies about the challenges traditional marketers face integrating digital into their strategy. Taking different yet convergent points of view, we discussed emerging trends in digital marketing through our own observations and experiences across multiple industries.

Integration was the common thread, especially in relation to marketing departments,  campaigns and creative ideas. Unsurprisingly, there was a strong interest in social media with many organisations struggling with what tools to use and how best to apply it. We rounded off the session with an ‘interactive’ discussion with Via Media boss, Jason Neave, and AdelaideNow’s David Kuchel getting in on the action with a few interesting questions raised about PURL’s and the need to maintain strategic focus with digital executions (instead of digital for digital’s sake).

You can view and download the slides below…

Jason’s Slides

Mal’s Slides

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Posted in Digital, Insight, Research

400 years

Posted by Troy Forrest on September 11th, 2009 at 11:30am

Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.

I drove past a church school the other day that’s got a big new sign out front – “400 years of global experience”.  Not at this campus, but from its parent group’s educational origins.

Why advertise how old you are? (my wife tells me she’s trying to forget… oww!)

Maybe;

• 400 years worth of people thought we had something valuable enough to keep us in business this long (market forces would have crushed us if we weren’t great at what we do)
• We’ve done plenty wrong, but we took the hits, learnt from them and improved (and we know where the traps for young players are)
• We’ve got a long-term perspective (so when you’re running around thinking about your short-term worries, we’re keeping an eye on the horizon for you)
• Because it makes us seem less scary, less risky, more trustworthy than the Johnny-come-lately’s
• Because your problems, goals and dreams, while always unique, won’t be completely foreign to us

Whether you’ve been in your business for 3 months or 30 years, you have accumulated experience and wisdom.  Why not share it with current and prospective clients?

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Posted in Uncategorized

Head, Heart and Guts

Posted by Michelle Tustin on September 7th, 2009 at 2:53pm

Recently, I have been considering the issue of leadership, particularly in relation to insight generation. What makes a leader in insight generation? And what elements are required for this role?

In pondering this, I came across and devoured a book on leadership entitled ‘Head, Heart and Guts’ by David Dotlich et al. [2006].

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Rounding out the top ten … Which clients make the finals?

Posted by Troy Forrest on September 4th, 2009 at 10:29am

We love lists that rank like things.  Fortune’s 500.  The AFL ladder.  Take 40 Australia.

Some are objective (largest employers in your field, highest reported profits).  You make the Olympic finals based on milliseconds, not how loud the crowd cheers for you.  Other lists are subjective (like 20 to 1’s greatest movie villains).  Anthill magazine just listed its top 10 Aussie TV commercials of all time (atop, VB’s original “Matter of fact, I’ve got it now…”).  Not based on how much money the ads made, but which were, according to editors, ’most memorable’.

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Posted in Uncategorized