1. Five social networks you’ve probably never heard of – http://ow.ly/21cOv

2. Get multi-tasking on that iPhone today! iOS 4 out today – http://ow.ly/214i3

3. Facebook Like button for the real world – http://ow.ly/1Xa50

4. I like Twitter, I like high tops, but this might be a step too far… http://ow.ly/1Sa6I

5. Coke cuts websites to focus on contact via social networks – http://ow.ly/1W5Vb

6. Score a goal in a banner! AT&T World Cup Augmented Reality Banner – http://ow.ly/214fu

7. The World Cup Bavaria Beer Girls get evicted from the stadium to protect bud – http://ow.ly/1ZaGh

8. Steve Jobs on the iPhone leak – He still isn’t happy! – http://ow.ly/1SWfo

9. Re-watch the matches of the world cup through the eyes of twitter – http://ow.ly/1XSnV #worldcup

10. Uniqlo SPORTWEET: See your tweets in action – http://ow.ly/1ZQlp

Image: Wandrus

Image: joelaz

For a nice round up of the best stuff from last month here’s the top ten links posted via the trendplanner Twitter profile.

All made possible thanks to the stats I get from Hootsuite.

1. Unconventional use of Google analytics to achieve: Converse Domination (Clever) – http://ow.ly/1LUnu

2. The digital poster adverts that can see who you are (and offend you when they get it wrong!) – http://ow.ly/1Ms52

3. The world in a state of panic… FarmVille to leave Facebook? http://ow.ly/1JvJJ

4. Teens and Their Mobile Phones: An infographic – http://ow.ly/1HCqL

5. McDonald’s make another playground, but this time for adults! – http://ow.ly/1Pxfp

6. I like Twitter, I like high tops, but this might be a step too far… http://ow.ly/1Sa6I

7. The Facebook location service we all knew about is now official – http://ow.ly/1IX8y

8. Enjoying the top ten most complained about ads – http://ow.ly/1Q0FZ

9. Nice way of using Google adwords, to get a job! – http://ow.ly/1KHfR

10. Would you let Dr Pepper mess with your status updates?! – http://ow.ly/1P4vB

These changes have largely been brought about by a few brave brands that saw the social potential of Twitter as an opportunity and not a threat. One of the first brands in the UK to truly embrace Twitter was the RAC, who saw people were talking about their brand and set out to engage with these people. There were some nice examples of the RAC sending messages to those who had been happy with the service.

Other brands started to take note, and began reaching out to their customers, on the other hand customers started to contact brands through twitter. Of course it wasn’t just people saying how much they loved the brand and service, more often than not comments were negative. Many brands were scared off but a few remained focused on the opportunities and started to respond constructively to negative comments. As a result it hasn’t taken long for Twitter to become an established customer service channel.

In the UK the mobile phone networks were among the first to take Twitter seriously and O2 and Vodafone are good examples of how the tool can support customer service. Both networks have set up accounts that are manned by real people who actively respond to people who want to contact the brand through Twitter. Originally Vodafone and O2 were broadcasting general messages and announcements alongside the odd reply, however, as more and more users began to ask questions via Twitter now almost every tweet is an @ reply to a twitter user. This demonstrates a real understanding of the service, O2 and Vodafone know the brand doesn’t decide what content to provide on Twitter, the customer does. Vodafone have ensured they can dedicate the VodafoneUk account to customer service, by creating a separate account to broadcast exclusive news and latest deals called VodafoneUkdeals.

A lot of brands that have very active customer service departments are really starting to see the benefits of Twitter, not just to improve customer relations and improve the brand, but to actually take some of the weight off the customer service department. The likes of BT, and Virgin Media also offer great services, but it’s still very clear that not everyone is embracing the opportunities. Many brands that rely on customer service simply don’t even have a profile and some have a profile but aren’t exactly making the most of it.

Edf energy seem to be aware that twitter can be used as a customer service channel, but they certainly haven’t understood how or why. They have created a Twitter profile aimed at customer service, but have declined to actually engage with twitter users, in fact to date they are actually yet to post a single tweet. Opposed to actually using Twitter so far they’ve decided to simply set up a page and direct people to their website and call centre. This isn’t what twitter or any social media channel is about, if customers want a phone number they’ll use google or your website. Perhaps this is just a temporary measure, but for the time being the profile is probably doing more harm than good. Users will have certain expectations after they’ve searched for and found a brand Twitter profile, they won’t appreciate finding no one at home and having to go all the way back to where they started. Having no Twitter page is like not answering a customer phone call, but having an empty profile is like answering then simply hanging up.

Of course customer service isn’t the right purpose for every brand, for some it will be about entertainment (see redbull) for others it will be about the most efficient way to post special offers (see Dell). The key is that brands listen and respond to what their customers want, and if they’re sending you @ replies every hour with complaints then it might just be a customer service channel they’re after. If it’s customer service they’re after, then make sure you can deliver, you need dedicated staff with real knowledge of the brand and the etiquette of Twitter (see habitat), and remember an abandoned profile with a phone number is not customer service.

A little late this month (my excuse is starting a new job!) but here’s the top ten tweets I sent out in March (based on link click rate). As always Hootsuite made this possible, so big thanks to them!

1. Stats that suggest Facebook and Twitter are Making a Major Impact on Purchase Decisions: http://ow.ly/1n7s6

2. Watch: The Last Advertising Agency On Earth… http://ow.ly/1pi03

3. The Social Media Cheat Sheet – http://ow.ly/1fu3R

4. Great idea: Marmite ads to stage parallel election – http://ow.ly/1s5Qk

5. Clever girl: Lady Gaga’s Social Media Genius – http://ow.ly/1fitC

6. Specsavers parodies Lynx bikini commercial – Good stuff. http://ow.ly/1kZ68

7. Brilliant – Mad Men Barbie! Is it wrong that I want one?? – http://ow.ly/1gBWb

8. Google facts and figures: Infographic – http://ow.ly/1cfAz

9. Trendplanner Twitter Top 10: February 2010 – http://ow.ly/1cGeY

10. Save money on your campaign: Use money (if it’s not illegal!) – http://ow.ly/1o3AR

Image: raster

It wasn’t that long ago that you had to be famous to be in the media. For years now the rich and famous have had to watch everything they do in public (and often private) for fear that their every move is being monitored and documented. One wrong step and their lives could be turned upside-down by the media.

Now thanks to Social Media it’s not just celebrities that are always in the media. Thanks to the Internet and our Social Media tools we can all be journalists and photographers, and just as the professionals document every aspect of celebrities lives, we’re using the likes of Facebook and Flickr to  document every aspect of our own lives and the lives of our friends.

Issues that in past might have only effected those in the media spotlight now effect anyone who participates voluntarily or perhaps involuntary in social media.

But the life of a celebrity isn’t all bad, and fortunately it’s not just the negative aspects of celebrity we now all have access to. The Internet now provides opportunities and services that once upon a time would have been restricted to the rich and famous.

Here’s the top ten reasons (good and bad) why we now all live the life of a celebrity:

1. You might wake up the morning after to find photos of your druken antics available for the world to see

2. The world knows your entire relationship past and present, with break-ups being major news (feed) material

3. Outspoken outbursts can seriously effect your career, one misinformed comment (or status update) can cost you your job

4. People who you don’t even know wish you happy birthday

5. Successful manipulation of of the media is essential to getting on with your life, be that court injunctions or facebook privacy settings

6. You can have hundreds on fake friends

7. You can get anything you want at the press of a button, be that a Butler or ice for your drink

8. You can wear trainers with your name on them

9. However crazy you become there will always be someone who will listen to you

10. People will use your image and reputation for their own benefit

Once again here’s a list of the last month’s top tweets based on link click rate. As always the stats come courtesy of 3rd party Twitter app Hootsuite.

1. The Puma Phone. It actually looks pretty good, it even uses solar power – http://ow.ly/18u7D

2. Chatroulette Explained: 71% Male, 15% Female, 14% Pervert – http://ow.ly/1b7Xn

3. Your tweetage, illustrated – http://ow.ly/14cXD

4. VW Social Media Campaign wants to get everyone punching again – http://ow.ly/12Gxv

5. Trendplanner: Back in the UK and searching for a new Planning role in London – http://ow.ly/1aifW #jobs

6. Some interesting thoughts on What Advertising Agencies Will Look Like in 2015? – http://ow.ly/1b7Y4

7. How To Use Google Buzz. Worth a bookmark even if you’re like me not fully embracing the service yet – http://ow.ly/17XPb

8. Loving doings.co.uk – daily tasks and activities that keep the day fresh and zingy – http://ow.ly/12CBQ

9. 10 amazing Ads on buildings – http://ow.ly/TfYD

10. Man City: Breaking the Big Four with the latest marketing techniques – http://ow.ly/17I71

Image: Scobleizer

In English Football there are 4 dominant teams, Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal, collectively they’re known as ‘The Big 4′. Their dominance on the pitch is reflected in their level of support both in the UK and across the globe. The Premier League is a global phenomenon, millions of people across the world are football obsessed and loyal fans of their chosen Premier League team. But this support is nearly always given to a member of the big four, these fans might be able to tell you every player in the Man United squad, but will struggle to name more than a handful of players that reside outside ‘The Big Four’.

For years now clubs have being trying to break into the top 4, some have come close, but none have pushed anyone out of even made the big four into a big five. One of the most recent clubs to fancy their chances is Manchester City, and thanks to some rather well off new owners from Abu Dhabi they might just stand a chance. Man City are determined to become a major force in English and World football, and are doing everything they can to cement their place at the top. As well as splashing the cash on world class players, they’re using other methods off the pitch to ensure the club is perceived and supported like one of ‘The Big Four’.

While the players get on with their end of the bargain (with limited success so far), advertising and marketing agencies are working at convincing the world they are the real deal, and in turn gaining respect and support. Of course it is nothing new to see the influence of marketing on football, this is a sport where players can be almost primarily signed simply for their marketing potential. For better or for worse football became a business long ago, however, it is interesting to see how Man City are using new techniques in order to achieve their goals.

One of the most memorable campaigns was run at the start of the season after Man Utd player Carlos Tevez did the unthinkable and made the move across the city to fierce rivals Man City. Playing on the fact that United are based in Greater Manchester and not the City of Manchester, a poster was put up in the City of Tevez with the words ‘Welcome to Manchester’. In a similar vein City ran ads featuring their new signing Emmanuel Adebayor formerly of Arsenal in the days before the two clubs met. Both campaigns are clear and direct attacks on the competitors, in both a sporting and marketing sense. Although the attack might have had a limited effect in a sporting context (Utd did beat city in their next encounter), it gave football fans around the world a clear message of City’s intent and suggested they were directly taking power off the so called ‘Big 4′.

Man City are also making use of the digital channel to boost their support and reputation across the world. Thanks to top digital agency Poke they have one of the best club websites online. The professional and functional site helps represent the level of quality that City strive for, while various features and social media content allow the club to interact with fans new and old. Man City have seen the importance of their website while other have yet to understand the role it can play. Man City understand that the site is a window into the club for many fans, and they have ensure they provide their fans with an experience that is useful, enjoyable, and appears to be built around the fans needs opposed to the clubs. Although other clubs do have great sites, far too many of them offer very little content of real use, or appear to be built around the needs of anyone but the fans with an abundance of advertising and a limited supply of content that fans actually want.

Furthermore, Man City are creating some great video content to build support before major games. We are now used to the likes of Nike and Adidas creating content using players but it’s not often we see clubs creating such content. Thanks to the Internet this content can easy circulate the globe, and can build support by rousing the people of Manchester to get to the game, and also making people thousands of miles away to consider tuning into the Man City game opposed to the usual choice involving one of the big four. One of the latest pieces involves Craig Bellamy, and as with Tevez and Adebayor it will be pushed in the run up to the Man City game involving Bellamy’s former Big four club, who in this case is Liverpool. Incidentally the remaining big four club in need of build up material is Chelsea, Shaun Wright-Phillips is a possibility for the star, but I think people would love to see something from Wayne Bridge (if this means nothing to you read here).

We are still yet to see Man City perform like a top four team consistently on the pitch, but it appears that if they manage to break into those top four places they’ll have the backing to ensure that they can convert success on the pitch to success off it. What’s more it will be interesting to see how the big four react in the marketing area if Man City start stealing fans as well as points.

A little bit late, but nevertheless here’s the twitter links shared last month that got the most clicks. As usual it’s thanks to Hootsuite that I’ve been able to put this list together.

1. 10 amazing Ads on buildings – http://ow.ly/TfYD

2. Great collection of clever and creative IKEA advertising – http://ow.ly/Wljt

3. Five markets to watch in 2010 – http://ow.ly/TfQM

4. The most irritating ads of 2009 – http://ow.ly/WliZ

5. Now you can use your iPhone as a TV Remote – http://ow.ly/SB5v

6. Do you have the perfect profile pic?? The 4 Big Myths of Profile Pictures (more info than you’ll ever need!) -http://ow.ly/ZnJt

7. Diesel wants you to Be Stupid – http://ow.ly/XAby

8. Nice example of advertising as a welcome distraction: Shanghai Taxi Touchscreens – http://ow.ly/11MXa

9. Another list of technology predictions for 2010 – http://ow.ly/Yv7y

10. Top Tools For Tracking Topics on the Web – http://ow.ly/ZnNk

Before I visited China I was aware of the high level of Internet censorship, or as many call it the great firewall of China. However, due to mixed reports and constant change I was unsure exactly what the Chinese web browsing experience would bring. As it turned out not all of my preconceptions turned out to be true.

I found that it’s our most popular social media tools that you will have most trouble accessing. Facebook, Twitter, and various popular blogging sites (no Trendplanner!) appear to have never existed, entering the urls will provide you with the same response as if you had simply hit the keys at random. Another constant block (while I was in the country) that I found a little surprising due to extensive promotion of Google in the country was the Google owned youtube. After entering the url you were often given hope by the sight of the familiar red and white logo, but this hope soon faded as it began to look like you were using a browser of yesteryear that was in no position to handle graphics or video.

Due to reports I heard around the time of the Olympics I had expected to find the BBC and Wikipedia blocked. However, the BBC was available for the majority of my stay, as were other western news sources such as CNN, and the  majority of US and UK newspaper sites. Perhaps even more of a surprise was to have access to Wikipedia, including articles on the site that mentioned the controversial events of Tianeman square. However, I soon found that Wikipedia was not free from the constraints of censorship. I was unable to access various articles including an article on Internet censorship in China, and though perhaps coincidently after trying to do so I was unable to access any Wikipedia articles at all for several hours that followed.

It is possible to access sites behind the firewall, but not always with ease. Twitter and facebook can sometimes by accessed via third party sites, but as soon these are spotted these sites get blocked. Hootsuite worked the day I arrived but didn’t the next, in the end the only site that hadn’t been blocked was SocialWhale (thanks guys). The best way to get access is to use a VPN (virtual private network), however once you’re behind the firewall the best sites to download the software have been blocked, and even when you have the software you will often struggle to again access. The best free service I found was Ultra VPN which gave me access (some of the time) to a French ip address.

Having some of my most used sites blocked was a real inconvenience to me, but many Chinese do not see a problem. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and wordpress do not offer unique services, Chinese users have access to many social networking, and video sharing sites, many of which probably offer a better service than the aforementioned sites. What’s more in a society where all forms of media are under strict censorship rules, most people (though I found plenty that didn’t) seem comfortable or at least expectant of Internet restrictions.

It appears that the Chinese government is well aware that the Internet is vital to the continuation of the country’s rapid economic growth. They don’t want to restrict activity that could benefit the country, but at the same time they don’t want such activity to threaten their position of power. Therefore they ensure that Internet users have access to services such as social networking and video sites, but they ensure that these are sites and site owners the government considers ‘suitable’.

Chances are there are also various financial motives behind the blocking, there is a lot more benefit to China to see a Chinese social network flourish in China than the American owned service such as Facebook.

So the firewall can bring benefits to China, but issues of personal freedom aside, censorship could restrict real progress within the digital space for China. Chinese users have access to most forms of social media tools, but they might be missing out on specific services to use or perhaps integrate with their own (no facebook connect in China). Restrictions hamper innovation, and time will tell if the firewall restricts China’s progress in the digital world.

So here’s the ten most popular twitter posts I sent out last month.

1. Social media in China – It’s a whole new world – http://ow.ly/CJI8

2. The Ultimate List of Niche Social Networks – http://ow.ly/tjB0

3. Good tool. YouTube – Insights for audience. http://ow.ly/CJPM

4. Sony Japan turns ads to jeans – http://ow.ly/BQLg

5. Six Social Media Trends For 2010 – http://ow.ly/z60C

6. Social Media Accounts for 18% of Information Search Market – http://ow.ly/DDh2

7. It’s a map… of the future. Crazy but good. http://ow.ly/z5Zn

8. Good insight – 10 Principals for Engaging Teens/20 somethings. http://ow.ly/pq90

9. Scary stuff! Your Company May Own Your Tweets, Pokes, and YouTube Videos – http://ow.ly/zJhG

10. The Next Mobile Leap Forward: Fold-out Screens and Apps That Anticipate Our Needs – http://ow.ly/DDii

1. Good insight – 10 Principals for Engaging Teens/20 somethings. http://ow.ly/pq90

2. The Ultimate List of Niche Social Networks – http://ow.ly/tjB0

3. Losing To The Social Web: Visualized – http://ow.ly/t6Vg

4. GoodMorning! Twitter visualisation. http://ow.ly/vk9S

5. What brands can learn from Cheryl Cole – http://ow.ly/wclW

6. How 20 popular websites looked when they launched – http://ow.ly/nRUg

7. A great way to see Twitter trends: Trendsmap – Real-time local Twitter trends http://ow.ly/qrZq

8. Outdoor Augmented Reality without the hassle (but still fun!) – http://ow.ly/ub6b

9. Apple finally gets on Twitter – http://ow.ly/vsEx

10. Why Facebook could be the next big news publisher (if they want to be) http://ow.ly/tVjU

The location based social network (and game) Foursquare should be in London in the next “few days” according to co-founder Dennis Cowley.

I was actually lucky enough to have a go on the trial version last week (cheers @dens). It’s all coming together nicely and looking just as good as previous city versions, but as with all social media it’s all about the users, so hopefully any day now we’ll get see what Foursquare London really has to offer, and if it can take off in the London like it has across the US.

No word on any other UK cities yet, but if it’s a success in London then I’m sure it will get rolled out across the UK like it was in US.

Using the power of Hootsuite here are the most clicked links from the Trendplanner Twitter account for September. For other useful Twitter links on similar themes, check out Qapture which collects links shared by various interesting people on Twitter.

1. How 20 popular websites looked when they launched – http://ow.ly/nRUg

2. PUMA Pitcrew Builds Ferrari Car Out of Clothes – http://ow.ly/rnop

3. The Twitter Times – A personalised newspaper created from your twitter account – http://ow.ly/pY9x

4. Latest official update to ‘shift happens’ – Did You Know 4.0. http://ow.ly/ppPA

5. A great way to see Twitter trends: Trendsmap – Real-time local Twitter trends http://ow.ly/qrZq

6. Life is just one big game – Social Media is no different, so why not make a game of it? http://ow.ly/qQ6X

7. Useful list here: 10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About – http://ow.ly/pPeS

8. The Evolution of Apple Ads – http://ow.ly/pAEv

9. 10 People You Won’t See on Twitter Anymore – http://ow.ly/paWX

10. Good insight – 10 Principals for Engaging Teens/20 somethings. http://ow.ly/pq90

Image: carrotcreative

There’s a lot of hype around right now about the mobile service called foursquare. For those that don’t know foursquare is a location based social networking mobile application. The first element of Foursquare is a friend locator; it allows users to share and see the location of their friends that are also using the service (similar to Google Latitude), users can share their location (check in) by sending a text, or by logging into the application on a location aware handset such as the iPhone. The second element of foursquare is a city guide; it lets users rate and review places in their city, so others can use the application to help them explore their city. The third element to foursquare is a game; users are rewarded points for checking in outside of regular working hours, with more points gained when check ins are in different locations.

Foursquare is currently available in 20 cities in the US and Amsterdam, it is getting a lot of attention and lots of people are using it. Foursquare users love being able to see where their friends are, and learn more about their city, but perhaps surprisingly they are just as passionate about the third gaming element of the service. What might appear at first as a slightly trivial function that will get overlooked by the majority of users appears to be extremely popular and is likely to be the function that is driving it’s success. The success of social media services is entirely dependent on people using service and doing so regularity, Twitter and Facebook wouldn’t be much fun if no-one else was using them. What the game function of Foursquare has done is given people an incentive to make regular use of the service, it provides a competitive element, and a reliable measure of success. Foursquare points cannot actually be converted into any real currency, but the same human desire for respect and status that largely drives our desire for money (and with what it can buy) drives our desire to gain status points that money can’t buy.

Foursquare is not the only example of how ‘worthless’ points monetary speaking can drive participation. Microsoft Xbox users gain points for achievements they make across all their xbox activity, these points are then displayed as part of the players online profile. These points are essentially worthless, but it doesn’t stop users playing and buying games to earn more points, and trying to out do the people they know. Furthermore, if you look closely other less obvious examples exist. Take Facebook and Twitter, although neither explicitly has a game element both have been driven by competitive elements that have a reliable measure of success. A major drive for many Twitter users is to gain a large following, and many Facebook users are driven by the desire the have lots of ‘friends’ or upload as many pictures of themselves as possible.

Social media is largely driven by human competitiveness and desire for status, if people want to make a game out of social media make sure there is a game to be played, and as Foursquare and Xbox have taught us it doesn’t always hurt to tell them they’re playing.

Image: Roomjosh

Here’s my August Twitter round-up.

Using the power of Hootsuite here are the most clicked links from the Trendplanner Twitter account for August. For other useful Twitter links on similar themes, check out Qapture which collects links shared by various interesting people on Twitter.

1. Nike: “We don’t do advertising any more. We just do cool stuff” http://ow.ly/kGup

2. The Portable Social Graph – the next big thing in social marketing? http://ow.ly/j1he

3. What playing Poker can teach us about using Social Media – http://ow.ly/krqz

4. 41 Shockvertising Campaigns – From Deplorable PSP Posters to Powerful PETA Ads http://ow.ly/lmIo

5. First iPhone Augmented Reality App Gets Past Apple and Appears in the App Store – http://ow.ly/lmLS

6. Ebay wicked sick BMX – Does creativity work? http://ow.ly/jxaX

7. “Don’t make digital strategy a speciality, make it cost-of-entry to all planners”(via @benshaw) http://ow.ly/lxfj

8. Everything You Never Knew About Facebook – http://ow.ly/j2q1

9. Steve Jobs on why Apple doesn’t do market research – http://ow.ly/iyXN

10. 10 ways musicians are embracing digital – Not everyone is fighting change. http://ow.ly/loT9
Image: Wiselywoven

Brands are finally starting to enter social media channels, and those that are yet to do so will have to in very near future. Social media provides some very real challenges for brands, but with these challenges comes some amazing opportunities.

It’s a complex game that requires some serious attention, skill and knowledge. Not unlike a game of Poker (yes Poker!)…

So what can Poker teach us about successful use of Social Media?

If you’ve never played before it’s a good idea to spend some time observing before you get involved. At the early stages of using social media, the best thing to do is simply observe. For one this process can aid learning about the various environments, on the other hand it can provide vital information. People are talking about your brand and you need to know what they’re saying. Find out what people think about your latest campaign or product, and take the feedback on-board. You can go to great lengths and at great cost to get feedback from customers, be sure to make use of the feedback that’s right at your fingertips.

When you start playing, you don’t play in one big high risk game, you go for lots of smaller low risk games where it doesn’t matter if you lose. You can’t just enter a social media environment and assume that as long as you spend the money and time you will be successful. You test the water with small campaigns or better still get involved at a level not representing the brand, set up twitter accounts, youtube pages, blog, find out what works and what doesn’t. It’s vital that you’re using these tools day in and day out if your going to be able to take things to the next level.

At the end of the day it’s always a gamble, but you often your chances of success will be higher than others. These days everyone wants to know the ROI, they want a guaranteed return on their investment. Unfortunately you can never guarantee success but you can use knowledge of what has worked and not worked in the past to inform your choices. It’s vital to keep track of other social media activity to help build this knowledge.

Timing is key. What will work within social media is completely context dependent. What might have worked a few months ago might not work this month, the right environment last week might not be the right environment this week, just because it worked yesterday doesn’t mean it’s going to work today.

Knowledge of etiquette is essential. If you don’t observe the un-written rules people won’t want to play with you, and you can’t play if you’ve got no-one to play with. There’s plenty of rules to follow set by social media sites such as copy-write rules on youtube and promotion rules on facebook. But just as important are the many unwritten rules which you can only discover by getting involved and actually using the tools. For example, Habitat learnt that you could use hash tags on twitter improve visibility in twitter search, but they didn’t realise the kind of backlash they would receive for mis-using these tags. As well as negative consequences not knowing the unwritten rules can also result in missed opportunity. For example, it’s generally considered unacceptable to communicate with customers via facebook, however the same cannot necessarily be said for some contexts within Twitter (in the case of an @reply). Assuming all reply options are out of bounds could result in a missed opportunity to communicate with your audience.

You have no control over the cards you get dealt and the decisions other players make, only the decisions you make. As much as you might wish you could control peoples behaviour and reactions to your decisions you have to accept that you can’t. Instead you need to be prepared to every reaction and learn how to respond when things don’t go the way you planned. For example when Pepsi were in hot water earlier this year over a potentially offensive ad they got straight on twitter to explain and apologise directly to those involved.

If you don’t play a hand at some point you’re not going to win. This game is happening, it’s going on right now, nobody is going to force you to get involved but if you don’t you will miss out.

You might get lucky once, but if you don’t know what your doing you’ll soon get found out. It’s not that common but sometimes you can just get lucky, the viral nature of the Internet means that content can almost come from anywhere. But hype dies even quicker than builds on the Internet, and unless you harness the power of any activity you won’t be seeing that success continue.

However…

It’s not all the same. Don’t think you can bluff your way through social media, bluffing can win you a game of poker, but it will only get you so far in social media. Transparency is essential, so lets see those cards.

Image: Kimberlyfaye

Another month – another twitter round-up.

Using the new and improved Hootsuite here are the most clicked links from the Trendplanner Twitter account for July. For other useful Twitter links on similar themes, check out Qapture which collects links shared by various people on Twitter (including Trendplanner).


1. Steve Jobs on why Apple doesn’t do market research – http://ow.ly/iyXN

2. Placement is key: Just look at these 15 Unfortunately Placed Ads http://ow.ly/gmbm

3. graffiti archaeology – brilliant. http://ow.ly/hBXu

4. Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality http://ow.ly/h6Uv

5. Mobile Phones let us change our plans – Geo-location could stop us planning altogether: http://ow.ly/i0Kz

6. Top 10 Augmented Reality Adveritising Campaigns so far. #ar #tech http://ow.ly/dsHv

7. Nike LIVESTRONG – Chalkbot. A great idea from nike for the #tdf http://ow.ly/gEQU

8. Freaky AR business card – http://ow.ly/hjiT

9. Lego:Pretty cool for a 50-yr-old. How has Lego succeeded where so many have failed? http://ow.ly/hmc7

10. Spotify iPhone app: 10 things you never knew. http://ow.ly/ihfR

Image: Monstro

Remember the days before mobiles (some of you actually won’t!)? Plans to meet friends were made days in advance, there was no changing plans at the last minute, you had to be where you said, when you said. In theory this sounds great, no last minute cancelling, no slack time keeping, however, it’s not much fun when it all goes wrong and you’ve got some poor guy waiting alone in the rain for a friend who isn’t going to make it!

But now thanks to the mobile phone you need never wait alone in the rain again. Plans needn’t be made days in advance, and times needn’t be so strict. Now we wonder just how people found it possible to ‘play things by ear’ before they could put a mobile phone to that ear!

But now the latest Geo-location mobile technology could further change the way we live our lives.

One such application of this technology is Google Latitude (see above). Google Latitude enables users to let their friends know where they are by sharing their location via their phone. Users simply open up Google maps on their mobile to see where their friends are. Users can turn the service on and off as they please and choose exactly who they want to share their location with. No longer do users have to tell people they’re running late, because they can see for themselves. In fact there might be no need to plan at all, just take a look who’s out and about and go and meet them.

The service has been running since February this year, but only on a limited number of handsets, real change can only occur when the service is available to the majority of mobile owners, but this might not be far off with smartphone ownership rising and new versions planned for the near future. The concept is nothing new, people have been sharing there location via twitter and facebook status updates for years now, but the key here is the ease of the process. Social tools are only useful when other people are using them, and things only get used by large numbers of people when they are easy to use. The simplicity and effortlessness of sharing your location automatically could be the key.

Google was by no means the first to be offering this kind of service, we’ve already got location based twitter clients such as Twinkle and location based social networks such as BrightKite, FourSquare, and many many more. But Google might just have the reach, the technology, and perhaps most importantly the financial resources to take the technology to the mainstream. The service has been available for a while now on Google android phones, Blackberries and a few other devices, but its when it finally gets released for the iPhone (Google says ‘coming soon’) we might just see the service brought back into focus.

But of course, as much as the power of Google can work for the service, it can also work against it. Many people are sceptical, or even fearful of Google’s motives, and the last thing they want is for Google to have information on exactly where they are. But then, whenever you’re signed into Google on your computer they have a pretty good idea of exactly where you are anyway. Perhaps a bigger worry is who else might be able to get their hands on the data, and whether this is just another step towards Orwellian society.

Its unlikely Google will start pushing users location based ads directly at users through the service. Latitude could help establish the role of Google maps as the local mobile search service. If you’re using Google maps to find your friends chances are you’re also going to use it to find everything else as well such as the nearest pub.

Services such as Google Latitude and other location based social networks are another step towards a real time web. People are getting more used to having access to real time information at their finger tips wherever they might be. The more that people use these features the more their behaviour will be dependent on them. Just think how essential mobile phones have become, and how frustrating it can be if you or someone you’re meeting doesn’t have it on them (or perhaps doesn’t even have one). Perhaps soon it might be the case that if we are not sharing our location with our friends, we’ll go back to waiting alone in rain.

Update: As of today (23/07/09) Google Latitude is now available for iPhone, however it’s not a downloadable app as expected, but can be accessed via the Safari browser. Obviously this makes it a lot more effort to share your location as you need to access the browser each time, furthermore, users will not be able to get Google Latitude services via their iPhone Google maps application. This move might take latitude another step forward, but it might not be until the next version of the iPhone that we really see the power of this technology be it using Google Latitude or even a similar service from apple.

1. Agency site – made in YouTube – BooneOakley.com – Clever. http://ow.ly/altG

2. Top 10 Trendplanner tweets – May 2009. http://ow.ly/al1z

3. Google: Expect 18 Android Phones by Year’s End – Am sure some will be great but problem is they wont be called ‘iphone’! http://ow.ly/akF6

4. Consumer Psychologist: How Cool Are You? The 5 factor cool test… http://ow.ly/akEw

5. The Living Book: The book written entirely in QR codes. #qr #mobile #marketing #advertising http://ow.ly/cM0m

6. 5 Digital Music Trends. Things are changing whether the record companies like it or not! http://ow.ly/akEf

7. Red Bull gives you wings – Paper wings that is. Red bull paper wings weltfinale. http://ow.ly/an4w

8. 10 trendspotting tips in 10 minutes. nice slideshow from @jon_howard http://ow.ly/aCuI

9. Do you really want your TV ads to make your audience mad? http://ow.ly/e7xr

10. Top 10 Augmented Reality Adveritising Campaigns so far. #ar #tech http://ow.ly/dsHv

I recently got sent some information about a very interesting marketing campaign in Brazil, for an online book store called Editoras. The campaign was looking to raise awareness of Editoras in Brazil, modernise the brand, and help the brand appeal to a younger audience. With these goals in mind DDB Brazil created a campaign that featured mobile, Twitter, crowdsourcing, and QR codes.

DDB set up a system that pulled in messages of love or hate from Twitter, they then put up QR code posters around Sao Paulo which when read by peoples mobile phones displayed one of the messages of love or hate. Their next step was to create an actual book full of these QR codes and sell it on the Editoras site, as with the posters people could use their mobiles to translate the QR codes to messages of love or hate. DDB made use of the fact that QR codes can simply provide links to online content and therefore you can change what information a QR code links to by simply changing the content at the end of the link. After every 7 days all the codes in the book provided different messages of love and hate, and ‘the living book‘ was born. (See video above for a better description)

By the sounds of it the campaign was a great success. The use of mobile, Twitter, and QR codes was perfect for strengthening the associations of the brand with modern and innovative traits, and in turn will have helped them connect with a younger audience. Furthermore, the campaign actually created a product that gave people a real incentive to visit the online store.

The campaign looked to the extremes in the use of QR code and this was appropriate in regards to their objectives and the fact that the use of QR is still regarded as new and potentially exciting outside of Japan. I don’t think we’ll be writing all our books in QR code but maybe if QR codes can establish themselves outside of Japan they can play some role in the enhancing the communication channel based on some of the principles seen in this campaign.

Perhaps QR codes could be placed on book covers so users can make a quick and easy check that the book is the latest version, or maybe QR codes could be placed next to various facts or figures to provide a quick link to the latest data. Taking things to the next level, print media could be produced before all the information is available, for example create a poster for an event before details such as the time or cost have been decided, simply put a QR code in place of this information and people can get the information when it’s available by scanning the QR code. Of course, the successful use of QR codes in entirely dependent on  the content they deliver, after all the QR code is simply a link and a way of bringing that content to the audience. What ‘the living book’ campaign demonstrates is just how we can use QR codes to merge communication channels, allowing us to bring new types of digital content (i.e. updated information from Twitter) to various non-digital mediums (i.e. books).

The Living Book

1. Disturbing but effective poster ad. http://ow.ly/6oy6

2. New Roles in advertising. “there are new kinds of jobs out there… which require new kinds of skills” http://ow.ly/6onm

3. Did Google just sneakily launch a Facebook killer? http://ow.ly/51L6

4. Nice brand collaboration – Mr Bump and yellow coke bottles. http://ow.ly/6pxT

5. So you’ve got a great brand website, but is that really where your customers are heading? http://ow.ly/6Deb

6. Great Print ads for… Microsoft Vista. Thanks to Apple?? http://ow.ly/7wC9

7. Banner ads can be entertaining: Great Apple banner ads. http://ow.ly/7Qmo

8. Will the QR code ever take off outside of Japan? http://ow.ly/7ABH

9. Google to Run Its First TV Advertising. Interesting… http://ow.ly/6aJy

10. Social Media: Do you need to reinvent the wheel? http://ow.ly/6pa1

Social Media: Do you need to reinvent the wheel?

It’s claimed that in Mesopotamia (part of modern day Iraq) 3500BC one of the most important tools ever was invented. That tool was the wheel, however the original use of the wheel is unlikely to be the use that most people would automatically associate it with in the current day. In 3500BC the wheel was used in pottery as what we would now call the ‘potters wheel’, and it was not until 3200BC that the wheel was used for transportation (contrary to evidence from the Flintstones…). This is a clear demonstration of how the use of a tool is not necessarily defined by its intended or original use, all that really matters is if the tool can be used to achieve specific goals.

Jump forward 5000 or so years and we can see how the same principles of a tool can be applied to modern day Social Media. The first thing to make clear is that Social Media is a tool, it is something that can (and in the case of many brands should) be used to help you achieve specific goals.

Twitter was positioned (and still is on the homepage) as a tool for people to let friends, family, and co-workers know what they’re doing. Of course people do use the service for this use, but many others have found many other ways to make use of twitter. For example many people are using the service to exchange information with people they’ve never met, and using the information provided by the service as a real time search of almost any subject. It’s not important that these uses were not the intended use of the tool, all that matters is that the tool is helping people achieve their desired objectives (what ever these might be).

Youtube was originally set up with the goal to allow ordinary computer users the chance to post their video content online. There is no disputing it has been successful in this aim, however, if you look to the most watched on youtube you’ll see that this is not the only way people are using the tool. In fact the majority of most watched videos on youtube are actually music videos, many of these have not been posted by ‘ordinary computer users’ but by large corporations, furthermore, many users are not actually watching these videos but simply using youtube as a music player. Once again the original use of the tool remains (as with the wheel and twitter) but the tool has really shown it’s true potential when it has been used in ways that were not necessarily intended.

So as with the wheel there is no correct way to use Social Media tools, the key is to find how the tool can work best for you or your brand, and in some instances this might even require discovering another way in which the tool can be used. Potters used the wheel in a very different way to cart vendors, just as groups of friends use twitter differently to brands, and how budding film makers use youtube differently to record companies. But even though there is such variation in the use of the individual tools no one group can claim to be using the tool in a manner better than the other, success is completely context relevant.

The most successful tools will have many uses and appeal to many different people, but even the most successful tools can’t be used by everyone. If there is no way the tool can be used to achieve your objectives then it’s not the right tool for you, you’ll need to find a different tool or tools to achieve your objectives. So therefore just because brand A is using a social media tool with great success does not mean brand B can use the same tool in the same manner to achieve similar success. Brand B needs to find a way to make the tool work for their specific goals or maybe even look to different tools altogether to which their goals are better suited.

Image: Cartype

1. 15 Creative Ads in Unusual Places – clever stuff. http://ow.ly/3bjI

2. How-To: Search the Social Web. A great list of useful tools here: http://ow.ly/1M06

3. Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients – Twitter really is for everyone. http://ow.ly/3Nf4

4. 60% of Twitter Users Quit Within the First Month http://ow.ly/4mji

5. Why creatives should wear ties occasionally – Rory Sutherland. http://ow.ly/3k0B

6. More sheep based advertising! Sheep used as walking billboards. http://ow.ly/3j9e

7. Nothing is original these days but that’s not a problem. http://ow.ly/2UG8

8. Ikea makes a mess of bus shelter advertising. http://ow.ly/4vvX

9. Clever Google Image search – Google Similar Images – works pretty well. http://ow.ly/4wfm

10. 10 great things about the Internet made even better by mobile. http://ow.ly/3UZs

The Internet, perhaps one of the most useful inventions of all time is going to get a whole lot more useful when we can access it any time anywhere thanks to our mobile devices.

Here’s a list of some great things, that thanks to mobile can be made even better.

1. Social Networking

Create an event on facebook, but then want to change the venue, fine if it’s two days before the event, not so good if it’s 2 hours. But with mobile people can keep up to date just before the event. What’s more you’ll even be able to create an event just hours before. See an old friend at such an event, but don’t remember anything about them? No problem just have a quick check on facebook on your mobile and you’ll get all you need, checking the relationship status can also avoid those inappropriate questions!

2. Uploading digital photos

Take photos on your internet enabled camera phone, or maybe just your internet enabled camera. No longer do you have to wait till you get to a computer and go through the hassle of uploading, just upload in real time via your mobile device. What’s more thanks to GPS technology have your mobile device automatically geo tag each one of your photos. With things so instant and easy, more and more photos will become available many with real time relevance. Want to check out what a place looks like before you go, these days you should be able to find an image but soon they’ll be many more, and many showing you exactly what it looks like that very day.

3. Shopping comparison

Out shopping on the high street, see something you like, but not sure if it might be worth waiting to get it cheaper online? Just check on your mobile, to find the answer. With the latest technology from Snaptel (currently USA only) you simply take a photo of the item you want and the Snaptell application will run an instant price comparison, find it cheaper then you can buy it online then and there.

4. Online reviews

These days nearly everyone uses online reviews, but still only a small proportion of people actually contribute any reviews themselves. This might be for various reasons, the main issues are likely to be related effort and the fact that by the time you get to a computer after the experience the issue is no longer in the forefront of your mind. Now people can review things as they experience them, not only will you be able to find more reviews, but for things not previously available. For example thinking of going to a club, just check the latest reviews from people already there. Twitter is proving to be a great platform for such reviews, people are sharing their experiences as they happen in 140 characters and these are available for people to view just by searching for the relevant hash tag in Twitter search.

5. Searching for telephone numbers

It’s not hard to get a telephone number these days, get on the computer, and search the company name and the word phone, and google will magically find it for you. Could it get any easier? Yes! With mobile internet there’s no need find a computer, just go to google on your mobile, put in the company name and google will recognise you’re on a phone and display the phone number without you having to go to all that effort of typing ‘phone’ (actually on some phones this can be pretty useful), then there’s no need to go and find your phone (it’s in your hand!) or even type in the number just click (or touch) on the number and you’ll be chatting in no time.

6. E-tickets

Thanks to E-tickets we can buy tickets for things closer to the event (or departure time) than postage times had previously allowed us, without actually having to make a journey to go and buy tickets. But thanks to mobile this process can be further improved. No longer do we have to print off tickets, codes can be text to our phones, and internet enabled phones should even be able to display full tickets including images and barcodes. What’s more thanks to the mobile internet we order E-tickets even closer to event, if you’re already out and about you needn’t try and find a computer or a ticket office, just purchase on your phone and receive your E-ticket straight away. Some services also operate which allow you to simply order your ticket and payment can be taken off your mobile bill.

7. Wikipedia

Thanks to wikipedia debates such as how many different flavours are there in a bag of skittles, or what was Christmas number 1 in 2000, need never go unanswered. But where do most of these questions arise? Down the pub of course! You need never lose £50 (or your currency equivalent!) on your misguided faith of your knowledge of Angelina Jolie’s age, or how many league cups Man Utd have won.

8. Augmented reality

Augmented reality is the merging of the real world and the virtual world into one, this is often done using a webcam to film ‘reality’ and this is presented on a computer with virtual elements included. This can look great presented on a computer or laptop, but it’s when you get mobile involved that real possibilities emerge. Digital information can be attached pretty much anything in the real world, and mobile phones can be used simply as a tool to view this. Point your mobile camera at a view and you’ll be able to see all the digital information attached to that scene, such as road and building names. This isn’t just a future possibility, it’s something that is already being developed for phones that run google android.

9. Maps

Pretty obviously it’s much more useful to have virtual map with you rather than back at home as your navigate your way through this world, you could of course print one out, but that can’t locate your position via GPS, and who want to go to all that effort of pressing the print button. What’s more with your virtual map you can get up to date changes such as traffic problems, you can search the internet for information about the area you’re in, and soon you might even be able to see the location of you friends in your map view.

10. How to guides

These days you can pretty much find out how to anything just by searching on the Internet. Anything from how to cook a chocolate soufflé or how to fix a bike tyre, it’s all their with all the text, images, or videos you could ever need. But the problem is we don’t always have access to these guides when we might need them the most. It’s not very practical to take your computer outside while you change that tyre, or that you don’t have that computer on you when you get a puncture miles from home! But with your mobile you need never be without your help guides ever again.

Of course there’s many more things about the Internet that mobile access will improve (we could have had way more than 10 based on search alone), and there’s many more things that we’ll be able to do unlike anything that was possible before. But what this relatively short and simple list does demonstrate is just how important mobile internet access is going to become.

If you described today’s Internet to someone 20 years ago they might have thought you were a little mad. Perhaps not because of the technology (they should have seen Blade Runner!)  but in how a lot of the content is created. They would have found it hard to understand why people write blogs, share their music, update twitter, upload to flickr, and do an array of things for which they don’t get paid. The truth is a lot of people still can’t get their head round it.

It might seem illogical to put in so much effort for no monetary reward. However, it is also illogical but accepted that people in the UK buy cars that go 150mph when they can only legally drive them at 70mph, or pay four times more for a t-shirt that says Diesel opposed to Dunlop, or buy a rolex when a £10 watch will still tell the time.

It’s human nature to search for status and respect, and in our culture this can be achieved with money and consequent displays of monetary wealth. But money is not the only path to achieve these goals, and in today’s digital society another path to status and respect can be found through recognition of your digital contribution. This could be why people choose to share music and video for others to download for no financial reward and with the risk of heavy fines. It might also help explain why the real leaders in the use of this digital currency are youngsters with limited finances.

So what should brands be doing about this? Brands need to give their customers the opportunity to create digital content, ranging from allowing comments on their content to encouraging video content uploads to their site.  Brands need to bear in mind that not all people can be bought (in the conventional sense) and that money is not always the most effective reward. People could be rewarded with exclusive digital content that they can display on their social network profile and blogs.

Of course as well providing tools for people to enhance their digital status, brands can improve their status by providing respected digital content themselves.

image: cars-wallpapers-pictures

1. It lets brands join the conversation about their brand

2. If you don’t someone else will!

Source: Thisisanad