How to Handle Customer Service

This has got to go down as a classic is my book! This girl has what it takes not only to get the point across but to have her own TV show. Hell I'd watch it!! Check it out it will make your day.

Every Status Has Its Symbol

Before we hit the ‘Big Bang!’ of the boom years egotist were conspicuous by their consumption of status brands. Everything from flash cars to cool cribs, bling and Cristal, American Express Black Cards and designer throw-aways were cool, hip and very much IYF (in-your-face). Elitist? Certainly. Class? Some may say so. But this IYF consumerism was not restricted to the Hip-Hop stars, the wealthy leisure class or the glam acts of the Red Carpet Kittens, it filtered into the aspirations and consumerism of Joe and Joan Public who bought more cars and bigger houses, doubled the size of their mortgages and wardrobes, partied hard and played the game of “Maxmy” (the art of maxing the plastic!) until, ….BANG!

Overnight, Billionaires became mere millionaires; private jets fell from the sky and luxury yachts disappeared faster than the Titanic. At this point having your photo appear in a magazine or newspaper was less likely to be about who you were going out with and more to do with who took you out! Some guy called ‘Ponsi’ seemed to be taking a lot of the previously super rich and famous out on a regular basis.

Joe and Joan Public got whacked like a mob hit. Shot and bleeding to death as assets became liabilities and credit became as illusive as the Tooth Fairy. The unsustainable practice of Ego Branding and its ever-increasing consumption in order to stay ahead of the Joneses through brand image purchases is being replaced by new ecosystem; the iBrand prosumers.

Just as greed was the nemesis of Conspicuous Consumption and Ego Branding, so the online and mobile social networks became the birth-mother of the iBrand prosumers, signalling a fundamental shift in the patterns of human behaviour. While some may disagree; big houses, flash cars and designer clothes, together with other traditional conspicuous means of distinguishing peoples’ identity are no longer the best tools for the job.

The growth of social networks and blogging indicates that for many under the age of 25, a considerable portion of their iBrand identity is shaped online through groups, friends, photos, causes, videos and shared opinions. Age may be a factor in what networks are used by older age groups, but the online activity of older people indicates that one of the fastest growing demographics on Facebook are people over the age of 35. Even Twitter is broadening its user demographic.

The shift from Conspicuous Consumption to the self-expression social capital of the iBrand prosumers is encouraging as it is redressing the balance of inner self-worth and identity as opposed to the outer shell of the hollow consumer superego.
Status symbol and iconic brands are now fair game for the networked liberated iBranders as rather than being dictated to by brands, the status of this new generation of ‘prosumers’ is established in dialogue, not all of it favourable.

As Thomas Jefferson put it:
“When the people fear their Government there is tyranny; when the Government fears the people, there is freedom.”

Conspicuous brand consumption is being replaced by conspicuous self-expression as the key driver of personal identity and currency where the emphasis is on the sharing of ideas, interests, and opinions rather than collecting materialistic stuff.
The internet and mobile phone platforms make it possible to instantly transfer concepts and conversations across geographies and cultures, and is spreading much faster than traditional brand communication ever did.

Millions of people in emerging economies already have links to social networks. The social capital this connectivity represents is a much higher percentage of their net worth than for those who live in more developed countries. No one can fully anticipate the impact this will have on our current understanding of brand interaction and consumerism habits although brands are beginning to take notice of iBranders and engage. For many brands this is uncharted territory and gaining ‘trust’ is the key to initiating contact and establishing a dialogue. Unlike traditional brand messaging, iBranders want the relationship to be built on their terms, not the brand’s.

A February 2009 survey by Cone found that 50% of Americans aged 18 to 24 said they have "higher expectations of companies to make and sell environmentally responsible products and services not just brand image.”

iBranders want authenticity, openness, commitment, disclosure information, participation and reward. This new mindset is just a click away and if brands want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, their going to have to accept the rain first.

Futurescapes – The deviant culture of ‘what if?’

I have spent the last 30 years of my career looking at evolving and deviant cultures that have helped me create campaigns that differentiate client brands from their competitors and engage audiences in new and memorable brand experiences.

In this case the term ‘deviant’ can be substituted for ‘creative’, ‘tribal’ or ‘network’. They, and I include myself, are individuals or groups that actively work against the status quo and frequently disrupt it by re-shaping it into something new and tangible in an innovative way.

It is the culture of “What if?”

Deviancy is all about moving away from the road well travelled, about being different, it’s the art of looking sideways and the science of possibility that creates edge marketing. This is the reason I chose to move away from traditional media and explore mobile and digital technologies that provide a new conduit to engage and interact with the previously disenfranchised ‘consumer’. The only way for brands to survive into the future is by creating inclusive ‘dialogues’ that blur the line between the ‘them and us’ scenario (The brand and its audience) and focus on amplifying audience and brand participation around an experience where both are role players.

Tactile marketing, research with meaning

Identifying a ‘Deviant Culture’ or ‘Edge Dwellers’ isn’t the same as knowing them. Even online forms and questionnaires will not give marketers the kind of in-depth knowledge needed to connect with, or understand these groups and individuals or the trends they may be part of.

Traditional research such as focus groups and limited reach studies are really only data without consequence. It is out of date before it reaches the marketers. These reports offer little real insight into the ‘who’, ‘how’, ‘where’ and ‘why’ people see and use brands within the context of their daily life.

To effectively connect and engage people we need to take a much more ‘Tactile Marketing’ approach. The mobile phone makes people tactile. It captures what cannot be captured by studies on segmentation, demographics and profiling. Mobile captures people living out loud using tools such as cameras, video, text, IM, social networks, Bluetooth and mobisites.

Used to full effect, mobile tactile research gives real-time insight and knowledge to marketers about how to position their brands in the right place at the right time to the right people. The successful result will be that the audience permits the brand to participate in their lives.

Mobile tactile research is a ‘Dear Diary’ with pictures and video, it’s an emotional and visual map created or posted by people when they are externalising their lifestyle or a trend. These images and words are in the now but originate from an individual’s internal world. This information can tell us much about who they are, what they are thinking and also where they may be going. Tactile research is part observational, part open-ended conversation; it cuts through the clutter of what people think you want to hear and focuses on what they actually say and do. It can also expose social habits and trends that people are reluctant to discuss openly.

The business establishment tend to ignore tactile marketing research as it does not fit with their perception of relevance within the corporate system or accepted metrics of research. The fact is that tactile research challenges the general operating perspectives of commerce and production. The lesson here is that culture eats strategy for breakfast and marketers need to acknowledge that inference and assumption can be fatal.

Crisis or opportunity?

“When a great storm approaches some build walls, others build windmills.”
(Ancient Chinese saying)

Brand advertising and media has never been so exposed as they are today and going forward into the future. Some traditionalists may view this as a ‘new media’ bandwagon statement but that kind of thinking is why the industry is in such flux.

The definition and the principles of brand communication and advertising must fundamentally change as we are now in an age where only 14% of 16 to 28 year olds say they trust brands and 69% view advertising as irrelevant interruptions.

Many brand advertisers do not fully understand the mobile phone medium or indeed appreciate its primary function. The mobile phone and the technologies attached were not designed as a media platform but as a personal communication device so why would anybody want to scale down a banner Ad and call this communication? Agencies typically adapt what they know from existing media channels and move it on to mobile. The justification for this form of brand marketing point of view is based on the traditional advertising gambit of ‘eyeballs’ and CPM. This isn’t marketing, it’s brand suicide. In my book eyeballs are nowhere near as powerful as voice and brands that invade personal spaces will quickly find out to their detriment how viral mobile communication really can be.

Tactile mobile marketing is about asking permission, being relevant, useful and rewarding. Even as more consumers become prosumers, the ‘what’s in it for me?’ question remains as relevant now as it has ever been if not more so, although the type and definition of reward has evolved. Access to information and applications have become currencies and useful. Trial discounts and free offers if relevant can initiate conversation and social comment. “Free” will get you noticed but by itself, it’s not engagement, it’s what happens next that is crucial in building the relationship. Smart brands have chosen to act as facilitators, which means allowing people to speak, and as facilitators they know how to actively listen, how to create environments that stimulate productive conversations and interactions but most importantly they know how to add value to the group. This way brands can empower those influencers who are trusted and in so doing reach out to others.

Successful brands will address tactile mobile marketing and base their creative content, planning and media buying around niche seeding environments of interaction and conversation. Effectiveness metrics and ROI will change from eyeballs, click through and cost per thousand (CPM) to cultivating high value networks and tribes of fanatics to build the brand’s legacy.

In a world of opportunity and uncertainty the Futurescape awaits the tactile marketing navigators.

Is conservatism in media channels creating “Frienemies”?

The future of brands is as much about the creativity and relevance of the communication as it is about the uniqueness of the brand’s value to the customer. This may be glaringly obvious to agencies, and let’s not forget the customers’ view too.

There is much hype around the new digital and mobile communication platforms, however conservatism in media planning and investment into new media exists which may be due largely to the average profile of CEOs and senior management who tend to be more traditionally focused and less open or risk averse to commit any significant budget spend on digital and mobile technology platforms.

This is creating “frienemies” (friends or enemies) within the traditional Ad agency and new media world, the cause and effect of which does not benefit the industry, client or consumer. Mobile proximity marketing is still seen as a ‘bolt-on’ and a ‘nice to have’ instead of an integral part of the marketing mix. It is also viewed as a one-off or short activation project instead of a longer, more strategic brand engagement with the audience. And yet, this platform is one of the few that is able to close the loop by delivering in-depth consumer insight and brand interaction analytics.

But before anyone accuses me of trying to disenfranchise traditional media and evangelising new media let me make it very clear that I believe that digital and mobile communication does not exist in isolation; they are a part of a set of cooperative platforms that hold the marketing mix together.

The architecture of brand communication has not changed. It still requires the awareness of the brand message leading into the customer’s brand experience; that leads to a brand dialogue that nurtures a relationship that aims to create brand affinity or evangelism.

To create a cohesive ‘conversation ecosystem’ the brand narrative needs to be created by multiple media touch-points that are designed to introduce, engage and guide the audience through the consumer brand journey. To isolate one platform from another dilutes the value of the dialogue and can make the brand appear schizophrenic.

Integrating mobile and digital to the marketing mix changes the emphasis and creates action by driving behaviour that can be recognised, measured and tracked. This is an ‘outside-in’ approach that focuses on delivering a compelling, value added customer experience not merely emotion based introspection.

To interact with customers in today’s economic climate, brands need to be ‘useful’ and rewarding as well as relevant to the customer’s lifestyle. Communication content across the media platforms has to deliver an engaging storyline that is not weighted toward brand dictated consumption but in favour of consumer driven brand participation.

Location based or mobile proximity marketing is more about the ‘who’ and the ‘where’, not so much the ‘how many’. It’s ‘Getvertising’, which refers to mobile’s ability to create pull not push, invitation not interruption and two way dialogue not one way statements. This type of media platform creates lots of small fires called diffusion links, based on the ‘small world phenomenon’.

To explain; according to Malcolm Gladwell’s, “The Tipping Point” and Duncan J. Watts, “Six Degrees: The Science Of A Connected Age”, the diffusion network links of 100 people is estimated to have 4,950 possible links, whereas with a network of 1,000 people the possible links rises to 500,000. This is not surprising when one realises that on Facebook the average person has approximately 10 to 12 intimate contacts, 150 social contacts and between 500 and 1500 weak ties.

But why is all this important? It’s important when one considers that people trust other people more than they trust brand advertising. So when someone you know sends content to your mobile phone you will open it and chances are it will create a dialogue or action.

The fusing of the digital and physical worlds are the prime objectives of mobile communication. Online is an important point of contact for brands and their audiences, however it’s inaccessible in almost all situations where the brand is relevant. Mobile Proximity marketing bridges this divide by targeting the lifestyle of the audience and focusing on the activities that make the brand relevant and memorable and that add value to the experience.

In order to understand the new communication environment marketers need to re-evaluate the current linear models of distributing content and clearly define ‘how’ and ‘where’ people connect to brands and ‘why’. The mobile phone is not merely a new media channel, it’s a vital communication medium opportunity. This means value based marketing is less about one-dimensional brand messaging and more about participation and reward.

There are some progressive brands like Nike who understand the new brandscape. Mark Parker, CEO, Nike is quoted as saying:

"For every Nike employee, there are ten million consumers out there deciding whether or not the products and brands we offer really matter.”

“The Consumer Decides, is one of Nike's 11 maxims that really define who we are and how we compete as a company. Clearly, the power has shifted to consumers.”

Consumers are less willing to believe traditional advertising and marketers need to use the channels that consumers use to reach and engage them. Brands are our personal reflection of an experience influenced by our anticipation and participation of that moment. As Ajaz Ahmed, Founder of AKQA put it: “Marketing and product have converged. The consumer doesn’t separate the experience.”

Trick or Treat? You decide.

There has been a lot in the news recently about rip-off mobile promotions and competitions, and about time!
Finally the Lotteries Board has decided to flex some muscles in relation to ‘rip-off’ SMS campaigns by certain well-known brands.
In the ‘old days’ it was the cost of a stamp or free if you dropped it in the box, now it’s R10 or if it’s a cheap one R7.50 to enter and WORSE, R10 to send an opt out message!
What is that about? The odds of winning haven’t changed from traditional promotions but the cost has. You can just hear the agency, “I know, let’s get the customer to pay for the competition prizes!!! …plus we’ll make a fortune on top of that.”

The fact is whether it’s a premium rated SMS or even the cheaper USSD (which by the way is also not free), it’s still a cost to entry.

Now my understanding of the Lotteries Act is: To comply with the act you must get rid of one of the following, Subscription, Chance or Prize. Ok so we’re not going to get rid of the prize as that is the draw. So it’s got to be Chance or Subscription. If not it’s an illegal lottery.

At this point someone at the agency is going to have a Eureka moment and say, “let’s ask a question, that makes it legal because it’s skill and judgement and we can charge a fortune for the SMS or 20 cents for 20 seconds if we use USSD.” What’s the question? “What colour is the pack?” Now unless you are colour blind I think most people have got a good chance of getting this one and if you are colour blind you can always ask a friend. But is this skill or judgement? Yeh right!

So you don’t want to go the skill and judgement route, OK so we have to get rid of subscription, but how?

Subscription is linked to what it costs the customer to enter the promotion. Getting rid of this is difficult as buying the product is subscription and then there is the SMS or USSD cost, so the only way to get round that is to get rid of the mobile charge and “CLEARLY” state that “No Purchase is Necessary”. This may seem like defeating the purpose of having a promotion but from experience and in reality the percentage of those who enter promotions without making a purchase is marginal, less than 1%. Yes there are professional compers but they die off and I know most brand managers hope it’s a slow painful demise.

OK, to recap; Can’t avoid the prize, can’t avoid No Purchase Necessary, so how do people enter if we can’t charge for SMS or USSD and we want them to do it in a way that gives us data and ease of entry? Answer: Bluetooth.

How does this work? Well, instead of the bits of entry paper and the drop box we use a low range Bluetooth transmitter, together with a digital screen and a 2D barcode scanner with keypad and printer combined in a single unit and known as a Brandpoint Kiosk™. This allows the customer to receive FREE rich media content that includes a 2D barcode sent to their mobile phone via Bluetooth. The barcode is scanned at the Brandpoint Kiosk™ and the customer enters their mobile number using the keypad, a voucher is then printed that can have one of many communication messages like “Congratulations, you’ve won an instant prize or 15 cents off your purchase, etc”. At the same time as receiving the voucher an SMS is sent to the mobile phone number that was keyed into the Brandpoint Kiosk™ that informs the customer that they have been entered into the promotion to win the hook prize plus offering a click through link to the brand Mobisite if they have one. And the added value on top of all this is that they will have your brand on their phone screen and even a discount voucher to encourage the purchase. Now that is what is known as a WIN, WIN, WIN situation.

Is there a downside, well maybe, but then again it depends what your objectives are.

It’s true that via Bluetooth the customer needs to be close to the product so it’s location specific, but the objective of the brand is to sell so it makes sense.
SMS promotions in print are not generally about instant sales and more about data collection which in many instances is a waste of time as the data goes stone cold before anyone decides it may be a good idea to use it.
I will concede that SMS can be used in print to send a link to a Mobisite that has value and brand purpose in continuing a dialogue, called the ‘drip feed’.
This said, the in-store process is more likely to solicit a click through to the Mobisite from the return SMS as at this point the customer feels good about the brand and therefore what was a drip feed becomes fast food.

Agencies need to rethink mobile promotions. SMS is not the only answer in every case. Consider the richer value of Bluetooth. Mobile needs to be fully integrated into the marketing mix as a media and promotional delivery platform that adds real value to the brand interaction and customer experience, not a rip-off trick to treat the budget.

...and pigs can fly!

Identity Crisis or Halloween arrives early? 'Swine Flu' is a serious subject but you have to make the most of the moment.
It's official, it's gone viral! Around the world people, forced to wear masks to prevent the spread of the Swine Flu virus are also having some fun in a dire situation. Just take a look at some of the graphic applications that are turning the 'sterile' mask into a fashion statement. Even international artists have grabbed the opportunity to make a statement such as Japan's Yoriko Yoshida. Check it out on: http://workbook.yoriquo.com/?cid=45160


The Chinese word for 'crisis' is made up of two symbols; one means 'danger' and the other means 'opportunity'.
Some American far right groups were reported to have said that, "The day a black man becomes President of the United States, pigs will fly." Well, Barrack Obama became the first black President and swine flu. Makes you think?

It's my Grandpa's fault

I came across this song that took me all the way back to when I was 5 years old. (OK so it's not yesterday!) On a Sunday after lunch my Gandpa allowed me to listen to his old 78rpm records on his wind up gramaphone. My favourite was "Cigareetes and Whusky and Wild, Wild Women" by Red Ingle and the Natural 7. Now you know why I am the way I am. Cheers Grandpa!

Politically Driven

How's this for voter incentives! Yes folks Lynette and I were standing inline to vote; she can I can't (there's no Scottish National party in SA!). Anyway, I see this black Landrover Freelander with a banner displaying the legend, "Your Vote Can Win It!" so I walk across to the DA Rep at the table and ask her when the draw is? "What draw?" she replies. I say the one for the car, pointing to the banner on the back of the Freelander. She then tells me that there is no draw to win the car. In my response I told her it was a cheap trick to draw voters to the DA and I would be reporting them to the ASA (Advertising Standards Association) for misleading the public. My parting shot is that, "I'm not surprised as politicians are always misleading the public by promising what they can't deliver." I then turn to the crowd and tell them not to vote for the DA because nobody is going to win the car. The moral of the story is: "don't vote for politicians, it only encourages them."

Are You Talking to Me?

“If you don’t like change you’re going to like irrelevance even less!” This statement was made by US Army Chief of Staff (ret.) General Eric Shinseki, and how right he was and still is! His focus was on military communications through the use of new technology in conflict theatre scenarios. Well, it’s a war out there for brand marketers and the statement holds true for them as much as for the military.

Personally, I'm always taken aback to hear senior marketing executives talk about new media as stuff that their kids use. I hear a lot about kids who are constantly texting, or who can't be without their Xbox. They are the "new generation" that rarely watches TV as we knew it and now use DVRs and ad skipping PVRs.

Talking to an auditorium of mostly 30 to 50 something’s, Sir Martin Sorrel of WPP fame put it out there, when he said at the MIPTV Show in Cannes
that, “….don’t look at your media habits and think that they apply to the next generation.” Media habits are changing very rapidly and may often be linked to age and convenience. Trying to stay informed by relying on your own instinct is misguided at best and can be a disaster at worst.

Brand marketing is no longer a spectator sport, it’s now a contact sport.

The level of mobile and online activity is increasing in importance with people today spending more than 20% of their time consuming ‘new media’ but advertising in this area represents less than 12%. Which clearly demonstrates that many marketing people are not in tune with the real to ‘virtual’ to real world consumer preferences. If you are a media owner or brand marketer, you are in the “perfect storm”, according to Sir Martin Sorrel, caught between the worst recession since the 1930’s and the fastest growing technical revolution in history, focusing exclusively on traditional media is something that should make media agencies and marketers very nervous.

It is becoming more and more important for brands and agencies to understand their customers in a much deeper and more personal way and learn how to effectively use new media channels to target personalized, individually addressable communications which is clearly one of the biggest potential strengths of the mobile media channel.

Despite the enormous growth in consumer mobile usage in South Africa and across the world, it is senior executives who make decisions about channels and budget allocations. Many of whom are often not familiar with or for that matter curious about how they work which is a key reason for the slow progress of spending and tactical deployment of channels such as mobile proximity marketing. This does not apply to everyone, just the ones who think it’s just for young people or too complicated to use. Nobody would expect senior executives to buy into programs that don't provide all the recognised media metrics including consumer reach, interactions, and brand ROI. Mobile communications provide one of the best analytic reporting platforms currently available and that if properly mined can give in-depth knowledge on contextual future use and behavioural targeting.

The late, great, David Ogilvy famously penned that, "The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife. You insult her intelligence if you assume that a mere slogan and a few vapid adjectives will persuade her to buy anything. She wants all the information you can give her." This is why senior marketing executives should be reminded that the mobile consumer is their wife, their kids and even themselves! There are millions of South Africans accessing mobile information, messages, and promotions and constantly making brand purchase decisions. What mobile allows the marketer to do is target the communication closer to the point of purchase in a richer, deeper more relevant way than can be achieved with traditional media channels.

Mobile communications provide push and pull mechanics using SMS short codes, WAP, mobi sites, Bluetooth media and mobile GPRS enabled barcode redemption scanners. Targeted SMS and proximity Bluetooth communication are compelling calls-to-action, delivered to individuals on a very personal level direct to their mobile phone presenting the brand with the opportunity to continue the engagement through to fulfilment. Properly used and strategically developed, mobile marketing does not just create an interaction that begins and ends with the communication. The response is measured and tracked allowing the brand the opportunity to engage with the individual consumer elsewhere and more often. Mobile marketing is not restricted like traditional media such as billboards, television, computers, store media or any combination of these. Mobile media communication reaches more people more often because it is the one item we have with us all the time and it’s always on and not location specific. As a consumer, you may notice and Ad in a magazine or an offer on a billboard or TV, but how do you accurately measure the response? Will the brand know that you, personally, have looked at it? However, using mobile communication it becomes measurable, accountable and directly linked to ROI and if the consumer gives permission, the brand can establish an ongoing, measurable relationship. In conclusion, I do not advocate that mobile media be a stand-alone strategy. Traditional media channels are as vital today as they have ever been, what mobile adds to the mix is the ability to make it personal, relevant and rewarding more than ever before.

It's the Weekend Weegie!

A speaker at a dinner I attended in Glasgow posed the question: "Where would we be without humour?" And as one would expect in Glasgow, he got his answer from an obliging 'weegie' sitting at one of the front tables. "Edinburgh!" was the response, accompanied by much laughter and hand clapping.

In Glasgow it's dangerous to ask open questions because it's unlikely you'll get the response you were looking for.


Examples of this are abound, such as the DJ who was less than impressive and was not having the desired effect of getting his audience on the dance floor. He asked, "Is there anything you want me to put on?" to which one girl answered, "You can start with your jacket!"or similarly, the unfortunate four piece band that was not living up to the bill. The band leader asked the gathered crowd if there was anything they would like the band to play? "Dominoes" came the reply from yet another female!

Which brings me on to the Glaswegian fairer sex, although 'unfairer' is probably more accurate. At the airport checkin on my way back to South Africa from Glasgow, a harassed mother with a couple of kids was yelling at them to "cut it out now!" as they ran wild. On reaching the checkin she was informed that due to new security her suitcases would need to be searched for firearms and drugs. Well that was the camel that broke the straws back (she took the hump). "Do you think that if I had either, I would have used them by now?"

I can remember a friend of my mother's who told her at a 'coffee morning' that she read recipies in the glossy magazines in the same way she read science fiction. "I get to the the end and I think to myself, ...well that's never going to happen." This same friend, was very philosophical about life and while demolishing a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc told my Mum in a rather loud voice that; "I've always thought that if you can't be a good example, you can always be a terrible reminder."

Life as a male in Glasgow is not easy. Aged seven, I was given a part in the school play. I went home and told my Mum who said; "That's wonderful! What part are you playing?" I said I was going to play the Scottish husband. My mother looked at me and said; "You get back down to that school and tell your teacher you want a speaking part."

I hated Sunday School, it was really boring, but one Sunday I was sitting there with wee Alex and the teacher was trying to get the point across about Jesus still being in our lives. She asked the question "Where is Jesus today?" Among the answers was 'heaven', and so on, but Alex said, "Miss, he's in our bathroom." Naturally the teacher asked how could this be, to which Alex replied: "Every morning my Dad bangs on the bathroom door and yells, Jesus, are you still in there?"

Shrinking Violet do not exist in Glasgow. It's more like stinging nettles. There's no hiding place if you're male. Take for instance the girl at the express check-out of Tescos who took one look at the loaded basket of goods being handed to her by a guy in his twenties (probably a student) and quick as you like said; " I'm not sure if you can't read or you can't count, but your luck's up pal." Or the old guy at the movies who was buying some popcorn. When he got to the till the woman said, "that will be £2.50" to which the man said, "The last time I was here it was less than £1!" 'Well" says the girl "You're in for a right treat tonight because they've added sound to the pictures now!"

But I will finish with a story that proves women are infallible. I was witness to a scene outside a trendy Glasgow night club. A woman who had not, by the looks of it, had a great night and was definately the worse for drink was being ushered into a taxi by the doorman. The taxi driver looked round and said as she was getting in, "Where to Love?" that was met with the response, "...and what the hells that got to do with you?"

My thanks to Ken Smith and David Belcher for the fun, More from "It's the Weekend Weegie" next week.

Max Headroom – inspirational!

There’s nothing like a walk in the mountains round Hout Bay to give you a feeling of wellbeing and unlimited headspace. It’s a place to reflect on and get some Max Headroom for the day.







Once you’re up there on a clear day you can actually see the curve of the earth looking towards the Antarctic. It’s an amazing view and not many people venture up there so you can have the place to yourself.

Up on the mountains you become aware of how fantastic nature is. Hundreds of thousands of plants species, insects and bird wildlife and unfortunately a few snakes but they are a very rare sight, thankfully.

Karbonkelburg is a special place, as the photos on this post will show.



The flowers I took photos of are Candelabras (Brunsviga Orientalis) and Crassula Coccinera. Both bloom for a very short period between February and March. It is an amazing spectacle. Hout Bay really has its own micro environment. The mountains are full of traditional herbs and medicinal plants. Every month throughout the year the landscape changes as the fynbos works its way through the seasons. There are Proteas, Reeds and Grasses, Ericas, Succulents, Watsonias, and even miniature orchids.

Taking a rest to have something to eat and drink you become aware of the multi coloured Sunbirds that race from plant to plant, busy gathering nectar.

After a day taking it all in on the mountains, a week at work is a breeze!

Understanding Coded Consumer Interactions

Mobile campaigns are becoming more involved with the use of QR and 2D barcodes, …but which ones work best and why? There are several schools of thought on this matter and I have my own view, but let’s have a look at three of the more prominent contenders. The QR camera recognition code is a 2D pre-coded image that allows the delivery of information linked to the code tag. The information may allow the user to launch a WAP site, access a video, photo or contextual information on a product or service. This is a great concept but fraught with problems for the average mobile user. The first of these is the need to download an application onto the phone that ‘reads’ the code that directs the user to the content. Most of these applications are open source and open to viruses that may crash a users phone system. There are a few handset manufacturers who have installed their own reader applications but they are only available in a few countries such as Japan. Another restriction is the camera on the handset, it needs to focus on the code to make the link which may require a number of shots to be taken which becomes frustrating and time consuming.

The OCR (Optical Character Recognition) code is an encrypted text message (SMS) that can be scanned. The message is the result of an algorithm that's transmitted across a mobile phone operator platform. The system requires a scanner to read the code that is connected via the internet. It’s a neat system but requires a complex weblinked back end to function consistently, which is not always the case, especially in Africa.


Then there is the 2D Data Matrix code. This is a two-dimensional matrix barcode consisting of black and white "cells" or modules arranged in either a square or rectangular pattern (similar to the QR code). The information to be encoded can be text or raw data. The length of the encoded data depends on the symbol dimension used. Error correction codes are added to increase symbol strength. This means, even if they are partially damaged, they can still be read by the Brandpoint hi-end scanner. A Data Matrix symbol can store up to 2,335 alphanumeric characters. 2D Datamatrix codes, like OCR codes, need a scanner to convert them to real world value propositions. Brandscape has developed it’s own portable GPRS enabled scanner system that does not require a fixed weblink and is therefore capable of operating in remote areas where there is GPRS connectivity. The codes are delivered to the mobile handset via Bluetooth, SMS or WAP. Using Brandpoint scanners, marketers benefit from an end-to-end, closed-loop marketing capability in the space their customers frequent. This location focused interaction can include retail, sports and entertainment venues providing brand marketers with the same targeting, measurability, accountability, and efficiencies of online marketing. Brandscape believe the success of our technology lies in the consumer experience itself and the need for retailers to have physical proof of the interaction through the redemption of a printed paper voucher from the scanner that can be linked to the point of sale. The tracking reports allow marketers to learn about their customers every time they shop or visit venues enabling them to deliver targeted relevant offers and content that makes the experience immediate, personal, interactive, and fun.

Cape Town's World Cup Stadium

Up close, as I was tonight, it's an imposing site even although it's not complete. The new structure seems to mimic Table Mountain and has a kind of majesty about it. 68,000 seats! ...and not a floodlight pylon in site. All the lights are built into the structure below the floating glass roof. It is just fantastic and I can't wait to be part of the crowd.

Football - It's a Funny Old Game

"Rocking Hoarse" Rod Stewart and Sean "Bond, James Bond" Connery are just two of the famous faces that love an Old Firm Game!

This blog post is just for fun and for those who read it, let me say these stories are all true. Glasweegins are well known for their sense of humour even in the most adverse of situation but when it comes to football, ....well you judge for yourself.

During 1988, the time Graeme Souness was manager of Glasgow Rangers, some rather astute Celtic fans sent a letter to the Rangers board of directors to offer a helpful suggestion. "Due to the rapid reselling of players the club should announce that in future team members should do away with the numbers on their tops and have them replaced with 'sell-by dates'.

Not to be outdone an equally astute bunch of Rangers fans sent a letter to the Celtic board who were looking for a new shirt sponsor. The suggestion was that they approach TAMPAX as this would help them through a difficult period.

There are no shortage of famous Scots who are hailed as Football Heroes but one such person who received an MBE and now goes by the title SIR Alex Ferguson is a living legend. Not always known for his wit and repaté internationally, it was great to hear his response to a question after being made a Freeman of Glasgow. Sir Alex was asked: "Now that you are a Freeman of Glasgow, does this mean you can graze your sheep in George Square?" The question was asked by someone who obviously knew a thing or two about archaic attachments that go with the title. Quick as a flash and with no hesitation Sir Alex replied: "No, the only useful part of the honour is that if I get 'lifted' by the police I'm entitled to my own cell."

Mobile is NOT a stand-alone option

It’s the flavour of the month, the buzz phrase of the embattled marketer, “let’s go mobile!” As a stand-alone media it’s a mistake to think like this …and I own a mobile proximity marketing company. Marketers and agencies need to really understand that mobile is a growing part of the marketing tool box not a ‘cure all’. Mobile solutions are primarily a pull media and is a critical consumer touch-point. It needs to be added to the traditional push media platforms to really come to life and deliver tangible results based on ROI. Successful examples of campaigns are not run as mobile media stand-alones but as an always-on, integrated cross-media mix. Mobile is the interactive pull media that helps brand clients have dialogue with their consumers and connect in a real-time, relevant and rewarding manner that has always been illusive to the traditional mix. The mobile user consumes in a quick-snack, impulse manner, which makes it is an ideal environment to opt-in to accepting alerts, vouchers, promotions and store offers. Because these offers are consumed on the run, the mobile user is often ideally positioned to act on the brand call-to-action that leads to a purchase. Mobile is not about impression-based advertising but must extend beyond-the-click activation and bridge to the point-of-sale, venue-entry, exhibition stand or event. The brand misses half the mobile ecosystem if they do not explore passed the mobile display Ad. Mobile for the consumer is all about “what’s next?” and should never leave them with a, “is that it?” experience.

Inspired by Others

When I started this blog, part of the reason was that I am inspired by others around me. Well this post is no exception. Jim Taylor has been my friend since we were at school and no matter how far apart, we have always kept in touch. As you will see from the text below, he is no ordinary man, infact he is Superman but without the cloak and underpants over his tights. Jim has been the communication person for all the former 'Kelvinside Accies' of our year since his accident and I know I speak for all when I say we couldn't have done it without him.

I wanted him to be part of my blog to show how even at the darkest moment of your life you should never give up. I'm proud of Jim and all his achievements. He is the consumate 'doer' and often makes able bodied people think twice about what they do in their lives.

Paralysed curler has willpower made of granite
(by Richard Winton Sports writer at the Glasgow Herald)

Jim Taylor has spent most of his adult life exceeding expectations. Paralysed from the chest down at the age of 23, he has confounded convention throughout the past 30 years while becoming one of Scotland's foremost wheelchair curlers, so his latest defiance of probability should come as no surprise.

The concept, if not its execution, was relatively straightforward: push a succession of curling stones a combined distance of one mile on the ice to raise money for charity. The practicality, though, was somewhat different. Labelled as moving a tonne of granite for a mile, it soon became clear that to cover the stated distance with 44-pound curling stones would require closer to two-and-a-half tonnes of ailsite or 128 stones.

"I actually thought I'd do 80 and hit the wall and most of my mates agreed," reveals Taylor, whose 75 minutes of hard graft last December raised £8800 for Poppyscotland's Hearts & Heroes Challenge. "A lot of folk didn't know how it would work - everybody thought I'd shove a tonne of granite up and down the ice but even Hercules couldn't do that. In reality, when I hit 128 I still had plenty in the tank. I wanted to go on but my coach said no that's enough, you've done what you set out to achieve' but my fear was that someone might do it another year and beat my target."

What happened to Taylor on September 9, 1978 would have extinguished such a competitive fire inside many. While playing rugby for Kelvinside Academicals against Old Aloysians, a scrum collapsed, breaking his neck and severing his spinal cord, leaving him paralysed from the nipple line down, with no individual finger movement or grip.

A life of plans, dreams and ambitions died on the field that day. Taylor insists only good fortune prevented him from joining them.

"I was lucky that one of their guys, Roddy McLeod, was a doctor because he effectively saved my life by not letting anyone move me," he recalls matter-of-factly. "I could have died that day had it not been for him so I've nothing to be bitter about. At the end of the day an accident is an accident - no regrets, no remorse, just one of these things. I could have got knocked down crossing the road, anything could have happened, because realistically if your number's up, it's up. I just had an accident and ended up in a wheelchair and while it's not the life I would have chosen, I've still had a great 30 years."

Twenty-four of those years have been shared with Sandra - "my nurse, carer, wife and best friend" - who Taylor married in 1993. She washes and dresses him in the morning before going to work as a hairdresser and her support enabled the Glaswegian to return to his job with the Bank of Scotland until he took early retirement three years ago to care for his mother, who had Alzheimer's. Within six months, she had fallen victim to the C.diff bug while in hospital, and now Taylor dedicates his time to working for Marie Curie Cancer Care as a telephone appeals organiser.

"I need to keep busy," he admits. "I'm too young to retire and mentally too active because I get bored and need a challenge - I would become a vegetable if I just sat in front of the TV. I curl two or three times a week and I've also got a handbike that I go on for about 15 minutes every night just to tone up."

While perhaps painted as a vanity project, his evening exercise is conducted to complement his curling. When he first took up the sport five years ago, he could barely shove the stone 10 feet but as his shoulder strength developed, so too did his ability to compete. A twice-winner of the Scottish Championships, he added the British crown and UK pairs title last year and has reached such a stage of competency that he can also take to the ice with able-bodied curlers, further rehabilitating his morale.

"It's a huge part of my life now and I've been really fortunate to punch above my weight and have a sport I enjoy again after rugby," Taylor admits. "I tried a couple of things but there was always an inequality between spinal injuries. I tried track racing once and got hammered by a guy by about 50m in a 200m race but he could get up and out of his wheelchair, which I couldn't do. I realise that I could train every day of the week without being able to surpass or even equal him, so there wasn't much point continuing. I messed about with table tennis and pool but to no great degree of satisfaction but now I've found something that can interest me and keep me physically happy."

His success is an inspiration and Taylor is keen to use it to give hope to others in his situation. This week, he returned to the spinal unit for his "annual MOT" but spent time talking to some of those who will be indirect beneficiaries of his charity work through Hearts & Balls, who provide pastoral and financial care to those who have suffered serious injury playing rugby.

"Hopefully I can let them know it's not all doom and gloom and they can still have a life ," he says. "It's good to give something back because the old campaigners taught me all the basics, sucha s shaving, and I want to impart some of that to the younger folk and give them a bit of encouragement."

Happy Birthday Mum!

Today, 4th of April, my Mum, who passed away on the 27th of February 2009, would have been 77. Happy birthday Mum! She's always in my thoughts so she's not really gone. Being from Glasgow, Mum loved a joke and all things humorous. In particular the story about the people who make up the Scottish population. "There are 3 kinds of people in Scotland, there are those from Edinburgh who keep themselves to themselves and anything else they can lay their hands on. Then there are the Highlanders, who never know what they want but are willing to fight for it anyway. And finally there are the Glaswegians, who consider themselves self made men and women, thereby relieving God of a terrible responsibility." Right up until the end, when she was lying in her bed she was still making me laugh. At one point Mum opened her eyes and was staring at the ceiling. My sister asked, "Mum what are you looking at?" to which Mum replied, "I'm looking for inspiration." I raise my glass to you Mum.

Dream Big and Make it Happen

Being a "weegie" football is close to my heart. I know there are a lot of other weegies who feel the same and who will read this. I hope after you have read this post you will visit the Dreamfields website and get involved. http://www.dreamfieldsproject.org/ourdream.aspx This is a fantastic project founded by John Perlman of Kaya FM Radio and sponsored by BHP Billiton and Old Mutual who jointly funded the start up phase. More money and help is needed to realise John's vision so please dig deep to put resources for playing soccer into township and rural schools across South Africa — quickly, efficiently and in a way that reaches the most remote corners of our country. Dreamfields provide DreamBags, full sets of kit, to schools across the country, stages DreamEvents to celebrate the spirit of soccer and believe that lasting change must transform the places where children play — and so also help to restore soccer fields wherever they can. Please contact me if you wish to help.
Just R40 (£3) pays for a new soccer ball — all you need to get a pick-up game started. Most South African kids have never had new boots — R150 (£11.50) will change that. And nothing beats the feeling of being part of a team — R2 200 (£169.25) buys a full set of shirts, shorts and socks, complete with numbers and logos. DreamBags cost R5 500 (£425), but the inspiration they provide is priceless. Each DreamBag contains three soccer balls, 15 pairs of boots and 15 sets of kit, including numbered shirts, shorts and socks. Kit is supplied in the colour chosen by the school and boots provided according to sizes requested by the teacher in charge of the team. Let's face it, in the UK £425 is what you would pay for ONE Celtic or Rangers Kit and that does not include the ball or the boots!!!

Objects of Desire Part 1.

Being in the mobile communications industry, I like to try out what's new. I am a big fan of Sony Ericsson and have had 3 over the past 4 years. I've also tried Nokia and being a die hard Mac user I have also had an iPhone. But this time I went over to the dark side and bought a Samsung, the new i8510 INNOV8 and I must say it is a delight. It's slightly larger than most of the handsets I've had but feels solid and stylish. Functionality is vast and the camera is first class although the flash could be better. This is a feature packed masterpiece from Samsung.

Having Your Say ...mobile by the people for the people

It's tough out there! Especially if you work in the ivory towers of the banking industry or if your name is Gordon Brown. I love humour in a crisis, it's like handling nucleur waste with oven gloves: it won't protect you, it just takes the edge off! The pictures in this post are two examples of wishful thinking with some sadistic humour for good measure. Love it!! Made my day. Just think of the impact these messages would have had if they had gone mobile. (New York shot courtesy of Vxla) (Gordon Brown courtesy of the Conservative Party)

The man who is Headsurf

Let me introduce Kenny Harris. Born in Glasgow, lives in Edinburgh and amazingly is still sane. A one man creative hurricane and my mate (even if he supports Glasgow Celtic!). He's larger than life but I believe he's lost weight. He's funny to the point that you can't see him for the tears rolling down your face and your stomach feels as if you've just done 10 rounds with Henry Cooper (Know what I mean Harry). All this and he still manages to get the audience of business and design professionals to come up with new ways of thinking big!
See for yourself at: http://www.headsurfing.com/
If you want your creatives to win awards or your business teams to get more clients, Kenny's your man. He likes planes will suffer trains but won't take a bus. My advise is get him while you can and I believe he's looking for a trip to South Africa over June and July 2010 ;-)

Brandpoint in action

This image shows the Brandscape Bluetooth delivered 2D barcode on the handset screen. The phone screen is then placed over the scanner aperture where the highspeed recognition takes place. The scanned information is then sent via GPRS to the Brandscape server where the code is authenticated and verified before an instruction to print out the voucher is sent back to the portable Brandpoint unit. The final print out voucher then allows the consumer to redeem his or her incentive.

Mobile Marketing in South Africa

South Africa and Africa are significantly different to the European and US market models in a number of aspects that marketers should be aware of when considering Mobile as a brand marketing channel.

1. One of the major differentiators between the EU,USA markets and the SA, Africa market is the relevance of PC and Laptop usage to access the web.
In Europe and the US fast fibre optic broadband is cheap and readily available, this is not so in SA . The access to the web via PC and Laptop in SA is 5% whereas the mobile penetration is 93%. This has led to most South Africans accessing the web via their mobile phones.

2. SMS and MMS has been around for a number of years however there is a resistance to Premium Rated charges for SMS competitions.
Added to this is the public perception that SMS competitions are paid for by the consumer and are ‘one –way’ communication, except for the automated response to entry.

3. Brandscape provide Proximity Marketing via Bluetooth that can be initiated by a promoter wearing a Bluetooth transmitter or by networked Bluetooth poster sites situated at strategic locations.
One of the key differences of the Brandscape Mobile Marketing Channel is that unlike SMS, it is a FREE interaction as it does not require a network operator protocol.
Other differentiators include the ability to download rich media content such as video, music, instant wins, images and text, whereas SMS is text based and MMS requires to be set up by the user.
The rich media provides brands with the ability to reach audiences with a far more interactive and compelling message that will dove-tail with the brands traditional media such as TV, Radio and Print.

4. The content of a Brandscape interaction can be used to initiate brand communication objectives in the form of:

Brand visibility
Competition Call-to-action
Link to brand Mobile website (.mobi site)
Instant win vouchers for prize or product trial

All interactions are measurable and trackable providing the brand with consumer knowledge and insight that is actionable.

Why clients brief Brandscape

Traditional agencies that have acquired digital and mobile skills are benefiting from their clients expectations that these icon agencies understand how to mine and utilise the consumer data that they gather on behalf of the client through promotions and activations. The fact is that in many cases the agencies do not understand the full extent of integrated Below the Line CRM. Applying old rules to client strategies is no longer having the desired effect. These linear strategies are obsolete as it is the consumer who now drives the contact.

Brandscape have a solid and successful track record in creating and delivering relevant and impactful Digital and Mobile Proximity Marketing campaigns in South Africa and into Africa.

Our focus is on helping clients change their mobile strategies from “…let’s do an SMS campaign” into “…let’s connect with our customers.”

Over the past two years we have run 48 campaigns with over 400 activation days. We do not sell out-of-the-box solutions, we provide a comprehensive turnkey operation that ensures professionalism and success.

Brandscape Proximity Marketing features the use of the following technologies:

Wearable and fixed Bluetooth devices (Hypertag)
Brandpoint barcode scanners (Brandscape)
Bluetooth & Touchscreen technology (Brandscape)
Proprietary software (Brandscape)
Digital Retail Brandpoint Units (Brandscape)

Our turnkey digital and mobile solutions are structured around the brand objectives and will typically include a combination of :

Bluetooth proximity marketing (Opt-in Narrow-casting)
Promotional activation expertise (Successful implementation)
Digital touch-screen technology (Content choice)
Brandpoint barcode scanners (Closed loop rewards + Consumer data)

Engaging the consumer via their mobile phone, the audience is rewarded with rich media brand content, information, coupons, vouchers and prizes.

The top three things that make mobile marketing more attractive to brands are:

The ability to reach a specific target audience
Information about how the user responded to a marketing message
Proof that a message has been received by the user's handset. (Source: MMA)

Employing solutions devised and implemented by Brandscape, brand marketers are now able to accurately measure and track brand to consumer communication and likewise consumer to brand communication through permission based Mobile Phone technology with Bluetooth and Brandpoint providing trackable, measurable ROI that delivers hard consumer data.

But don’t take our word for it.

The following is what is being said by prominent advertising and industry leaders.

Advertising as we know it will cease to exist. Static mass media (fixed location, fixed time-slot) will become niche. Relevancy, permission and courtesy will rule.
Personal profiling and targeting will become a necessity in order to penetrate our personal firewalls. “If you don’t play by my rules I’ll block you!” Now the consumer REALLY is KING!
They are the media, their prime-time is when they say it is. If you want to reach them you have to know them and they will let you in when it suits them. Interactions with brands will become increasingly important through creating engaging content and providing exceptional experiences where the relationship with the brand will be one-to-one.

“Agencies should look to these three areas to provide growth.
What are known as developing markets, but we call faster-growing markets, new media, including internet and mobile media and consumer insight.”
(Sir Martin Sorrell, Head of the WPP Group, March 2009, Johannesburg South Africa)

“The size of the South African cellphone market was estimated at 30 -35 million users and this represents an undeniably attractive channel for marketers. The urban/rural and contract/prepaid markets with their peculiar demographics and potentialities are of particular interest to marketers wanting to enter this space. “
(Source: Rick Joubert, Executive Head: Proposition Management, Vodacom)

The market for Mobile marketing is said to represent a potential R1.5 billion industry over the next 3 - 5 years.
(Source: Lana Strydom, Senior Manager Portal and Entertainment, MTN SA)

Initial feedback on mobile marketing response rates is in the region of 11- 20%.
(Source: Lana Strydom, Senior Manager Portal and Entertainment, MTN SA)

“Brands are pushing agencies to be smarter and understand consumer media consumption better. 40% of American’s own PVR’s and are using them to skip 70% of the television commercials they watch, representing $27 billion. Ogilvy Beijing shot a Motorola video commercial with 2 Facebook internet “stars”, famous for amusing Backstreet Boys lipsyncing. The results? 60 million YouTube downloads and a 250% increase in sales.”
(Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy U.K. VC, in his recent VERGE presentation)

As the emerging economies potential mobile internet penetration far outstrips desktop or notebook internet, the media revolution is likely to boom in Mobile Web rather than Web 2.0 and Brandscape has positioned itself to provide solutions that link advertisers to markets in this space.

Important Mobile Facts and Figures

Acceptance of unsolicited mobile adverts has dropped in South Africa. Text Ads sent by brands was seen by 84% of respondents as unacceptable and had an adverse effect on their purchase decision.
(Source: Ingenio 2008 survey)

- February 2008 accepted requests = 139,429,092
- February 2009 accepted requests = 107,249,591
(Source: AdMob Mobile Metrics)

This would imply that SMS is declining as consumers want relevancy and reward before accepting brand communications. It would also suggest that standard practice of ‘interruption’ advertising has a negative impact.

Handset compatibility is key to being able to deliver the brand communication in the most interactive format.

- Phones supporting:
- Polyphonic ringtones - 85.3%
- streaming video - 68.5%
- video download - 83.5%
- WAP push - 92.9%
- Bluetooth - 98.1%
(Source: Ad Mob Mobile Metrics)

Most popular handsets in South Africa: Nokia (37.4%), Samsung (33.0%),
Sony Ericsson (9.6%), Motorola (8.4%) and LG (3.8%)