Freeium, the future business model for content providers? -that also includes agencies like us

I have been writing a piece about premium brands turning to 'Freeium' provision. This being the idea of parcelling up content into free to air sections that sit alongside full fat, longer, wider, versions. Works for just about any product area as long as the brand in question has retained enough unique equities. This made me think that actually companies like ours could start offering this. -and yes I know we've been doing it for years when we pitch. What I was thinking about was what if we 'give' our new campaign to the client to enjoy and contemplate. But then require a fee if they want to see the full picture; like where the logo goes, what the call to action is or even an explanation to 'what the hell is that?'

Ace new 3D mapping system

The guys at Saab Defence (nothing to do with the cars they tell us) have obviously got bored of missile guidance systems and have developed an amazing Google Map killer. Now if there were to talk to the car division and get this working in-dash that would be a top product, not least an amazing version of Amplified Journeys seen on blip.tv via W3haus

Tweet of the day

I have been looking at Twitter measurment tools for a client today. Found this eyecatching tweet via the People Browser platform, blending the weeks biggest storys into one

"..If you are a celebrity who has not died yet, please say something in support of the people of Iran.."

It goes without saying the scale of the pain, the people of Iran are going through, would never have been possible to convey without a platform like Twitter.

Hugley useful resource on Twitter use by the way on Jeremiah Owyangs blog web-strategist.com. Also soon to be published book Twitterville by Shel Israel.

Emirates Globe stays the course

Emirates at the Arabian Travel Market May 2009

What feels like a gazillion years ago (2006) I designed an exhibition stand for the airline Emirates. I was very chuffed to see they are still using the epic structure to this day, having sweated blood on the thing (and a stack full of also-ran ideas) its great when your work survives beyond launch day. I will post, later via slideshare, all the roughs and back up ideas that went into this design.

Big thanks have to go to the poor souls in the Pulse production office who were faced with the slightly daunting task of not only making it work but then transporting it all over the world.

Story about its current form in The Dubai Chronicle

Duck islands Vs Peter & Jordan

Britain has a unique media landscape - I think partially because we never really got WWE WrestleMania.

Let me explain. The Peter Andre & Katie Jordan Price car crash relationship still rolls through the British media because its an endless pantomime of hero's and villain's, with a script so transparent we all get it. But lap it all up because there are no surprise's, just another wedding/separation/recomfirmation/birth, round the corner. It is our very own version of a WWE 'history-in-the-making World title defence/rematch/comeback/handbag Slamdown.

This despite taxpayers money being lavished on Conservative grandees Duck islands, Manor House's and Moat clearances. David Cameron just about convinced everyone that the Tory's had changed, were new and full of young people with new ideas. But now like some pantomime baddy come back from the dead, we are told 'Oh No' The Tories/Conservatives really do all own wacking great piles in the country. oh bugger me how did i not see that coming.

Mind you a complete overhaul of Parliment with even a real possibility of an elected upper house, now that might just be the M Night Shyamalan rewrite of Puss in Boots we all need.

Hello South Korea

Well here is a funny thing, We've just been featured in the Korean Times for our Amplified Journeys project. Very neat.

Words of the (yester) day

Googlefail

-yesterday's glimpse into the future when the internet really does crash for good.

WineFlu

- A hangover by any other name.

So thats what I have been saving to Delicious this past year.

walk in booze! now that is an idea. Theme magazine pictures.

D'you feel lucky?

Due to an early start meeting I had an overnight in the Midlands yesterday. This would normally mean a soulless room in a local travellodge. However once in a while you do come up trumps. Witness the borderline tasteful bridal suite I found myself in. Not sure if it was the four poster or sunken whirl pool bath that really did for me. -the stock policy of the hotel bar deserves a mention in itself -great malt selection but wines (and beers)  from the 1990's.

Today I shall be a Rockstar

well according to Slideshare anyway, Looks like over 1000 peeps looked at the t7F London creds in just 2 days. wow, so where are all the new business leads?? Being a slightly lazy blogger today I have also put this on All the 7th floors

Close but no cigar

Philip Slade NOT winning an award.This is me moments before learning we did not win at the Revolution Awards. Never mind, he says with a big shrug, It was a great evening. Which ended in something of a blur, but no broken limbs this time, which must rate a success.

We lost out to a very pretty bit of work from Honda. The Ideas Playground. Amplified Journeys.hk will live to fight another day, still very much in Beta 1.0, we have some cracking improvements for version 1.5. plus a whole host of bolt on options coming.

New stuff. Deep search and another newsfeed with bells on.

I was just going to write a bit about how useful the new search site Kosmix was when they go and launch MeeHive a personal newspaper/newsfeed type thing. Both applications appear to speed the working day up, hurrah! -well, untill I get bored of them. I never really got to grips with the Google newsreader too much clutter.

Paying for ideas? or a seamless extension to a clients marketing department?

New agency types like www.creativeorchestra.org and www.anomalynyc.com are trying the paying for ideas route. Is this the way to break out of the current cycle of bogus pitches and constant 'cost reviews'?
Clients have been shedding staff from marketing departments at a rapid rate. Now more than ever you have brands that need complete support. A great idea poorly carried through will do as much damage as shallow thinking wrapped up in gorgeous execution.
We are in an amazing year for opportunities, media costs have never been lower, clients have never been more open to 'plan B' thinking. It might not be like the '70s golden age of advertising buoyed up by tobacco money. But I do see it as a golden age of communications. Clever smart messaging that reassures consumers they are making the right brand choice.

Shooting fish in a barrel, but fun all the same.

A quite couple of days in Dublin

mmm a few days in Dublin judging the APMC Star awards, Some beers after school and a broken wrist, pretty normal I'd say.

Better late than never

I have on many occasions expressed my dismay at the state of the labour Partys commuincations. It would appear that at last they are considering a fresh approach. I really hope some one at Labour HQ is brave enough to take (and act on) the advice given.

"...Thomas Gensemer masterminded Barack Obama's groundbreaking and astonishingly successful online presidential campaign. Could he help Gordon Brown at the next election? He thinks so, as he tells Stephen Moss and Sarah Phillips of The Guardian.."

Video of interview HERE

"...He is critical of the way British parties are currently approaching new media. "They have focused too much on gimmicks and what they can sell to the press," he says. "Now Labour MPs are using Twitter, but the political capital that went into getting a couple of MPs to Twitter probably wasn't worth it. Prescott's petition on the bankers has 15,000 signatures, but what are they asking people to do? You could have asked for different things that would create a greater sense of engagement. None of this is a technology challenge; it's an organisational challenge, being willing to communicate with people....."

I've been Trend Spotted!

I always did say Springwise was the most amazing site ever! trendspotters that they are, they have just featured  Amplified Journeys.hk This is the music & navigation mash up for Harman Kardon, still in beta version 1, but with a whole bunch of improvements planned. Very chuffed indeed.

Commuincation challenge, Research says our customers can't tell our cheaper product from our far more expensive version.

What to do? cloak everything in lush secondary packaging? talk about limited editions or celeb endorsements? mmm Starbucks would appear to be about to make a virture out of the fact, their $1 dollar coffee tastes the same as the $4 version mmm, this is going to be interesting.

Starbucks brews instant coffee for cash strapped customers

byStaff, Brand Republic 13-Feb-09, 09:00

NEW YORK - Starbucks, which built its business on selling $4 cups of coffee, is to offer customers instant or soluble coffee for less than $1, which it claims tastes as good as the real thing.

The Seattle-based retail coffee giant will begin selling an instant variety of coffee, called Starbucks Via, next month at selected stores.

"...Howard Schultz said that people being served the coffee could not tell the difference between instant and fresh brewed...." 

Now I drink a ton of coffee, am also very picky about where and what i order, so I find this at the very least an  intriguing challenge! hats off to Starbucks for giving it a go, especially for flying in the face of conventional brand planning.

Blog of the week

Came across this blog about polar exploration today. Title of the week by a very long chalk

"Time to eat the Dogs" Written by Michael Robinson assistant professor of history at Hillyer College, University of Hartford. Neatly layed out with fab index -well he is an academic after all.