16 May 2010

Posted at 00:25h in apple, ipad, optus, telstra by

Fuck it. I'm getting an iPad.But why is it so hard to work out the pricing structure if I go with the 3G option? I Googled four different telco's, and only three had paid search results leading me to the correct place. Two of those asked me to register my interest and told me they'll get back to me at some point (never). And the one remaining is my current provider who doesn't give me reception in my own house.One of the telco's has an amazing opportunity to get a massive share of the iPad market. Too bad they're all fucking it up. That, and the fact they're all bloody expensive, is the reason I'll probably go with the WiFi only version....

24 January 2009

Posted at 19:04h in apple, gen y, guitar hero, itunes, micro transactions, second life by

Micro transactions. The new media business model that is going to save at least two industries and possibly cure cancer. Tying in nicely with the long tail, micro transactions work perfectly for a pirate ridden Gen Y and where traditional business models have failed. Gen Y want everything free, but are happy to pay a small amount for instant gratification. If it's worth paying for, we'll pay for it. Here are some examples...

10 January 2009

Posted at 12:05h in apple, microsoft by

Microsoft have launched a line of tees in order to make the brand appear trendier. It's going to take a few years until they reach Apple's level. But I have to say I like a couple of designs and would happily purchase them. Unfortunately you can't purchase any of the designs I'm interested in online. Idiots. ...

18 December 2008

Posted at 13:21h in apple, iphone by

After waiting and waiting and waiting I finally lost my phone the other night giving me a good enough excuse to cancel my current contract. I'm now the proud owner of a black 16gb iPhone. One negative. I'm not sure if others feel this way but the best part of purchasing a new gadget, especially an Apple product, is unwrapping it and taking it out of the box. Unfortunately the Optus girl cut the plastic, opened the box, got her dirty fingerprints on it and inserted the SIM card right in front of me. Damn. Apple don't only have incredible product design, but packaging design too. So much so, that it almost becomes part of the story of your purchase. Anyway, what applications can you recommend?...

13 September 2008

Posted at 11:43h in apple, coca cola, coka, fantastic noodles, ipod, ladbrokes casino, pepsi, pimp my kettle, schweppes, spots, television by

One of my marketing hates is when a campaign, usually a television spot, advertises an industry and not a specific product.Most advertising fails to integrate the content with the brand. Throwing a logo at the end of a commercial rarely does anything. Same with making the logo bigger. This spot promotes online casinos, not Ladbrokes Casino. This joke of a campaign advertises instant noodles, not Fantastic Noodles.But when you see an Apple iPod commercial, you know it. They aren't advertising any MP3 Player, they are advertising iPods.Same with Coke and Pepsi do it well too. Schweppes has done it well here and I think Solo has pulled it off here too. In all four cases, they promote their specific product and brand, not the soft drink industry.Yet so many campaigns don't. A waste of money and one of the many reasons the television spot should ensure their will is all in order before a long and painful death....

07 September 2008

Posted at 18:21h in apple, dr horrible, ipod, karl pilkington, podcast, radiohead, ricky gervais, social media, steve merchant by

Just like the Apple iPod launched the MP3 market, The Ricky Gervais Show launched the podcast market and later the audio book market.For anyone who hasn't listened, it is well worth the $50 or so for hours and hours of entertainment. Originally launched as a free podcast, they have since commercialised it at a very cheap price and made millions from it. It turned from podcast to audio book and established two whole new markets along the way. "Podcast" became Word of the Year in 2005 and people are now starting to realise the potential behind audio books...

30 June 2008

Posted at 14:29h in apple, blogging, character blog, forgetting sarah marshall, steve jobs, the office by

Character blogs just don't work. At the start of the year a character blog was established to launch a movie. It was a great way to generate a little buzz, especially around the blogosphere. I'm sure they even picked up a few regular readers and maybe a couple of RSS subscriptions. But it hasn't been touched since April. Movie launches have a lifetime of only a couple of months but blogs carry a long tail. You can't launch a blog and build up an audience to abruptly stop. Blogging and short term strategy just don't go together. Sure they might put out another post when the DVD is released but their small (but passionate) community will be long dead by then. Fictional television characters might have it a little eaiser. Dwight Schrute from The Office has his own blog which is immensely popular. But take a look back a few months ago and you will see a massive gap during the Writers Guild of America Strike. You need to pay a writer to maintain a character blog which can't always be done. So when do they work? When done in parody and non commercially. The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs blog is a great example where Daniel Lyons maintained a successful blog for several years until he was revealed in August 2007. He still posts daily under the character and it is as successful as ever. Marketers shouldn't be using fake blogs for more reasons than just transparency issues. Unless anyone can prove me wrong with an example?...

14 June 2008

Posted at 10:52h in abc, apple, channel 10, channel nine, channel seven, good news week, itunes, network ten, nine network, thank god you're here by

There is no doubt in my mind that ABC is leading the way in new media of all the television networks. Not only have they developed excellent websites which allow the viewers to become involved on another medium but they were the first to adopt the concept of podcasting. Whilst it's far easier for them to do so given their non commercial status, this was the first step in what will soon change the way we view television in Australia. The other commercial networks are tied down a little more with advertising issues. And that is why I would like to commend Network Ten. They dipped their foot in the water by podcasting one sketch of the successful Thank God You're Here online each week last year. For the entire season it didn't leave the Top 5 Australian Podcasts in iTunes. Interestingly, these five minute segments were book marked with ten second spots. They've now plunged head first and podcasted the entire show of Good News Week, with similar rankings as Thank God You're Here. Even more interestingly without any spots at all. Either way this is a positive step forward, albeit a slow one, for new media. Now how long until Nine Network and Channel Seven get on board?...