I'm waiting for the next furry animal to become an internet sensation....now taking bets!

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The story starts many, many years ago when the first caveman invented the wheel. Let's call him Bob. So, one day Bob was carving his stone and suddenly he had an amazing idea, why not create a round object? Once he had created the round object he tested it, made sure it did what he wanted and then went and told his neighbour. Soon word spread of Bob's invention and everybody was using it, one to one interaction had communicated the message. Essentially advertising was born.



Skip forward a few years (well more than a few) and along comes Henry Ford. His way of reaching the masses is to use mass advertising, send one message out to everyone. Famously he said "you can have any colour as long as it's black." This was the same approach he took to communication, everyone got the same message, some took notice and responded whilst a lot didn't therefore a lot of waste.


Let’s skip again, this time to the present. Mass marketing has died, marketers have learnt to segment their audiences, select which communication portal they wish to use etc. However again, it doesn't please everyone; a lot of time is wasted. Suddenly, digital arrives on the scene. We can now contact people specifically and individually through emails, through social media and through digital word of mouth (online reviews, recommendations from peers etc.)


So from looking at this what does it show? It shows communication has took a big round circle and we are back to where we started, having the ability to talk to people on a one to one basis, as humans. As advertisers we have to seize this opportunity by creating a dialogue with people, and being transparent. I love companies who are using twitter to solve customer service problems, to interact with their customers and above all make the customers feel valued. This is the future (and the past I guess). People are more likely to engage with a brand through another human being, not through TV ads, pieces of paper or flashy logo’s. It’s time for companies to go back to the basic way of communicating, one to one. Well done Bob.

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Saw this today whilst getting my dinner...obviously not the best when you can't even spell Staffordshire right! Pretty much the worst place you could make a mistake: the first line and your supposed claim to fame. Unlucky City Cabs.

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We've been working as an ad agency for just under two weeks now. Here's a few snaps from our cosy office.

Mine's the the messy desk, with the PC! it's is nice office, we are working with in punching distance of each other and the jukebox is always playing good music. Can't compain, especially when we aren't paying anything for it ;)

And I don't know why I'm under "not cool" on the cool wall, damn creative's!!

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Recently whilst working at my mundane part time job I noticed a t-shirt a child was wearing, it had the above print on it.

Following the rules is something we are taught from an early age. If we break rules we will lose, if we break rules we will be punished. Once you start working in the big bad world you soon learn you have been lied to.

Rule breaking is what creates the next big thing; it’s what separates brand A from brand B. Rules are there to be pushed, broken and rewritten. This doesn’t just apply to the work we create, it’s not simply about being outlandish with a piece of communication but about pushing a brand to make decisions that will harness creativity & innovation. Of course, embracing and encouraging innovation should be a part of any brands long term strategy. However from my own experiences I have found you often have to nudge clients into taking risks and breaking rules in order to find the perfect solution to their problems, the sooner they see that rules ARE for fools the sooner they will taste success.

I am now looking for this t-shirt, so if anyone knows where I can get one, drop me a message ;)

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I saw this recently on the one size fits one blog by Anjali Ramachandran. It immediately struck a chord with me so I thought I would share it.

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It's being buzzing around a lot of blogs recently and on TV as the tour de France has been going on. Just thought I would share it in case you haven't seen it. It's a robot that chalks a message onto the ground along the route that the cyclists will be taking. The message can be anything. Users can submit their message via the net or sms and then they will be emailed a link showing their message if it is chalked by the robot. It's a great example of online and offline media integration, great idea, well executed and something that creates a lot of publicity for the brand. The only way this could have been improved is if you could get the image from your message printed on a t-shirt too. Maybe you can do this too and I simply haven't seen it.

Hopefully we will be seeing a lot more online/offline integration in the near future from lots of brands, well done to the people who come up with this idea, brilliant!

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