17 June 2008 It’s Not Worth Preaching
Many of the podcasts I listen to on a regular basis have Facebook groups. Ones that immediately come to mind are Six Pixels of Separation, Jaffe Juice and Gen Y Marketing Podcast. But what is the point?
The groups all seem dead. Julian Cole says they can be used to promote podcast episodes but I can’t help but feel members of this group would already be subscribed.
Similarly, these podcasts usually start or end with the same spiel in each episode. As regular listeners, surely we already know where to find you, how to contact you and have checked out the blog?
This valuable content time and energy is wasted on a few potential new listeners. It seems like an incredibly outdated approach and almost mass media like.
Why waste time preaching to the choir?
16 June 2008 Three Overused Letters
<b>, <i> and <u>.
Should be used only sparingly and never all three at a time.
15 June 2008 In The Detail
The 2008 MADC Awards were held Friday night and the winner of Ad of the Year was this from Schweppes…
It is a visually stunning commercial. It even has a loose tie in to the brand, which apparently is all you need in this industry.
It shows us how beautifully we can see the world when we we slow down time. I’d now like to direct you to 0:58 in this commercial and watch the bubbles inside the glass. Anyone else see the jump in frames?
Ironically, when slowed down, this commercial isn’t so beautiful.
14 June 2008 Podcasting Seriously
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?
13 June 2008 Go Fuck Yourself
Firstly, my apologies. I didn’t mean for that to be such a provocative title but it got your attention, eh?
Where do you stand on swearing in blogs? I don’t mean any random swearing but when it is used to show passion or expression.
Does it further add to the fact I’m a Generation Y, 18 year old blogger?
Or does it steal credibility, portray me as unprofessional and ward off potential employers or more importantly readers?
11 June 2008 Times²
1 Times Square is a very profitable building. In an block made famous for its advertising, this address is the number one player. It costs roughly US$300,000 a month to have your sign on this building. In 2000, it was estimated the owner brought in monthly checks of up to US$250,000,000.
The most interesting thing about this building? It’s empty and the insides are completely gutted. It brings in more money through advertising than it would having to deal with pesky tenants.
That is a ridiculous amount of money. I would love to see the ROI for brands that use these electronic billboards.
10 June 2008 Reality Is Perception
The UN has come together and decided to elect the first ever world leader. Only your vote counts.
Here are your three candidates…
Candidate A
Associates with crooked politicians and consults with an astrologist. He’s had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks ten martinis a day.Candidate B
Kicked out of office twice and usually sleeps until midday. He used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.Candidate C
Decorated war hero who is also a vegetarian. He doesn’t smoke, drinks only an occasional beer and has never cheated on his wife.
Which of these candidates would you choose? Decide and then scroll down without peeking.
Candidate A was Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B was Winston Churchill.
Candidate C was Adolf Hitler.
First impressions are everything. Consumers jump to conclusions. And perception is reality.