Phase37 Marcomms

According to web analytics firm Compete.com, Facebook is now larger than Yahoo in the US. The last time there was a move around at the top of the website chart was in 2008 when Google became the most popular site. Now Facebook has shunted Yahoo one more place down the chart.

Facebook only over took the number of unique visits by a small amount, but it does seem to be continually growing.

Facebook is on a role and is now accessed by a range of ages. Although initially started as a site for university students, the fastest growing demographic is now women over 55, but it is still popular with both a younger and older audience.

We wait to see if one day soon it becomes more popular than Google!!

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As a team of red hot skiers and boarders we have decided that we will have a few updates on what is going on in Vancouver!

The Olympic cauldron will be lit on the 12th February 2010, marking the start of this years Winter Olympic games.

Events include:

Alpine Skiing
Biathlon
Bobsleigh
Cross-Country
Curling
Figure Skating
Freestyle Skiing
Ice Hockey
Luge
Nordic Combined
Short Track
Skeleton
Ski Jumping
Snowboarding
Speed Skating

So get involved, get watching and come back here to hear our highlights of this exciting event!

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As it was named the funniest Ad of the week, we thought it might be a good idea to take a look and also check out some of the previous Cravendale Ads….

The Cow, the Cyclist and the Pirate have featured in several ads since they were first launched in 2007 and in that time the brand has grown by more that £40 million.

The most recent ad sees the trio travelling through time. They meet Cleopatra and then head to medieval Britain and join in the battle between George and the Dragon. The ad focuses on the fact that even after all the time travelling, they return and the milk is still fresh.

“This advert in the series could be our best yet, it delivers the rational benefit of ‘fresher for longer’ through the engaging and wacky characters we know our consumers love,” said Cravendale Brand Manager, Sam Dolan.

Along side this, they will also be running the ‘Bad Bull’ ad, which higlights the purity of the milk.

Let us know your thoughts….

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We have been looking at some of the Top 10 Prediction lists for 2010 and have decided to pull together a few of the most interesting.

Feel free to add any tips that you have or comment on the ones we have found!

1) Coca-Cola GB marketing director Catheryn Sleight predicts this year “is going to remain a tough, uncertain time and market.” www.marketingweek.co.uk/marketers-ready-for-a-challenging-year/3008260.article

2) Oscar Nieboer, global brand and marketing director at Betfair says that the World Cup in South Africa “could just prove the shot in the arm the media industry and economy is crying out for.” www.marketingweek.co.uk/marketers-ready-for-a-challenging-year/3008260.article

3) As more and more people use social media which works in real time, they begin to expect regular, up to date and snappy information. This means that there will be a decline in the interest of monthly and quarterly newsletters which will almost seem like old news in comparison! http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Blogs/DisplayBlog.aspx?BlogID=507&Title=2010+Loyalty+Marketing+Predictions

4) Analytics is a way of empowering marketers to know what is working and what is not, enabling them to better respond to the needs of customers. Likewise in these times of economic uncertainty, it becomes even more important that marketing departments can demonstrate how money is being spent and what they are getting back in return. This means they need to constantly measure the ROI. http://www.engagingtimes.com/2009/12/15/815/

5) Microsoft’s Bing search engine will continue its steady rise, and will obtain some of the market share (albeit small) from both Google and Yahoo. Bing will also continue to produce yet more exciting developments with its mapping services for example, and it will look into greater integration into its main search listing results. http://www.hitsearchlimited.com/news/9992752/

So that is it, a compilation of some of the best and most interesting Predictions for 2010 that we can find.

Personally we think it is going to be a very exciting year whatever happens!

Join in the debate and add any predictions you have made or comment on the ones we have found!

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Like most people out there, today, I have been unable to get past my front door due to several inches of snow! I have also spent the morning listening to countless weather forecasts and hints and tips for staying safe in these wintery conditions. Consequently, I have decided to compile a list of tips for getting around in the snow and if like me you can’t make it past the door, tips for working from home!

Top 5 Tips for Travelling in the Snow!

1)      Wear extra socks! It is important to keep your toes warm, especially if you have to walk around in the snow!

2)      Leave a towel or cardboard over the windscreen to prevent it icing over. If it does, avoid pouring hot water on it as in freezing conditions this can cause the windscreen to crack. Instead stick to the de-icer and a scraper.

3)      Use a cigarette lighter to warm a key for a frozen lock.

4)      Carry a blanket or rug with you in case you get stuck.

5)      Stick to major roads which have been gritted, and keep listening to the radio for updates.

 If you can’t make it into work, here are 5 Top Tips on working from home!

1)      Keep a list of all passwords so you can access your email, analytics and other accounts.

2)      Ensure colleagues have various ways of contacting you, and share your home phone number if necessary.

3)      Meetings can be held over Skype as you can have many people from different locations join in.

4)      Be organised, prioritise tasks which can be done from home and those which will have to wait until you are back in the office.

5)      Keep in contact with people who have made it into the office.

If all else fails, you can always give in to the child inside and throw snowballs, or build a snowman!

Remember snow is not all bad; we just need to be prepared!

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There was a time when the only option for a festive greeting was the very traditional Christmas card, with a picture of a robin or a Christmas tree.

 Today however companies go to great lengths to use the festive season as a showcase for their creative skills, and their seems to be a competition to come up with the most ingenious way of spreading Christmas Cheer.

Some of the things we have received this year include:

A digital musical rendition of Little Drummer Boy – which as well as being VERY entertaining, also clearly demonstrates the technical skill of Bloom Media who produced it! They use festive figures and super imposed the whole team’s heads on to the different characters who then ‘sing’ along to Little Drummer Boy. Genius, check it out!

http://www.bloommedia.co.uk/blog/stuff-and-nonsense/merry-christmas-from-bloom-hope-youre-ready-for-this/

We also received an ecard which had been customized, again with the senders head, making it more personal. This extra effort put into the cards encourages you to take the time to actually look at them.

We ourselves decided to do something a bit different this year. We put together a Festive favourites Christmas Annual, which contains memories and recipes from Christmas. The contributors are friends, clients and people who responded to our newsletter.

It makes for interesting reading, and so I thought I would share it with you! Click on the image below and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!!! and a very Happy New Year!

Filed under: Creative | 1 Comment »

The process of building this blog has been an interesting one! When I was first tasked with the job of pulling it together I didn’t really know where to start. After several weeks of researching why it is important to have a blog, how to write, how often to write and who to aim it at, I feel I should now put some of my findings into one place.

The first piece of advice which kept cropping up was that you should start by reading other key blogs in your industry. For me some of the key blogs that I read included:

The Karmarama blog: http://www.karmarama.com/

This is very amusing and gives a real insight to life at Karmarama. They write with an almost comic tone which keeps the blog light hearted and interesting. The use of images also encourages you to stay and read more.

Seth Goodwin is a must read: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

His blog offers expertise, critiques and useful information. It positions Seth as an expert and we are therefore drawn to read it to hear his opinion on various things and also to learn from his experience.

For me one of the most useful sites/blogs I found was: http://mashable.com/tag/blogging/

Here you are able to get advice about how to approach a blog as well as hear about widgets and tools that will make blogging easier and more effective. I particularly found the article on blogging for small business useful, as it is very different blogging as a person to attempting to represents a company.

To summarise The Top 5 most useful things I have learnt are:

1)      Blogging is regarded highly by search engines and so if it is hosted off your site, it can drive traffic.

2)      Comment on blogs you read, it is a good way to develop style and also be noticed. If you comment on a blog and leave a link to your blog, there is a chance people will look at it.

3)      Comment using your real name, not a company name. The blog community is about creating conversations and building personalities, not directly selling. Therefore it is more personal to use your name.

4)      Blog regularly. In order to establish a following you need to blog preferable several times a week.

5)      Promote your blog by linking it to other social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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One thing is for sure at this time of year we are bombarded with brand Christmas ads. I for one always get excited to see what they have done each year. After the Coca-cola ad, one of the more anticipated adverts is always from Marks and Spencer’s. They spend millions every year on an ad full of festive spirit to ensure they are a firm Christmas favourite destination!

In our office we have been debating whether we prefer last years ad which starred Take That and Twiggy and the usual crew of models in a snowy country mansion or this years slightly different take which stars everyone from Steven Fry, Wallace and Grommit and French and Saunders discussing their favourite things about Christmas.

I am out numbered in my view that I prefer this years ad. I like the fact they have clips from various different people as well as their usual models. I also think it is good how they cover all the different aspects of what Marks and Spencer’s sell from mince pies to shirts to underwear.

Anyway take a look and share your opinion, which do you prefer? ….

2008

2009

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Starting a new job can be daunting for anyone but especially for a recent graduate finally entering the ‘real’ world of work!

I have been working for Phase 37 Marcomms for 3 months now and it has been somewhat of a whirlwind! I was warned before I started that I should expect to hit the ground running and that I have!

From day one I had a lot of responsibility and now play a key role in the development of our social media. The best part of the job is the chance to get involved in all aspects of a marketing agency. One day I will be writing a blog or updating twitter, the next I can be involved in an important pitch or putting my ideas forward for creative work.

I feel that in 3 months I have learnt so much and it is all very exciting!!!

Some tips that I have picked up for any other newcomer to a marketing agency:

1)      Build internal relationships first – being new you are likely to need help with things and if you have taken the time to be friendly to people they are more likely to oblige to help.

2)      Ask questions – I ask at least 5 questions a day (not pointless ones, just for clarification). Ask but listen to the answer and try not find yourself repeatedly asking the same questions.

3)      Ask what abbreviations stand for. In marketing a lot of things are abbreviated e.g. ROI, SEO, CRM to name just a few simple ones. Check what they stand for otherwise you will always find you don’t understand all conversations.

4)      Get really good at something, be it twitter, databases or phone calls. If you can find one area and get really good at that you will find people come to you and that gives you credibility and confidence. Being good at everything can follow!

5)      Join in with the socials. You will spend most of your time at work, so it’s good to take some down time with colleagues so you can let your hair down.

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