Wanky + Marketing = Wanketing
Posted by Anna | Filed under Blog, Ideas, Thinking
We Are Shift F7 were sat putting the digital marketing world to rights over a tall cappuccino the other day, discussing our bitter disdain for people who talk in marketing speak and acronyms. The many people who don’t actually know what they are talking about, yet manage to blag their way though by using big words (or shortened ones) and confusing their clients into thinking that they know best. The “I-have-just-swallowed-a-Marketing-A-Level-text-book-and-now-I-know-everything” type of person.
The discussion became heated.
I couldn’t get my words out quick enough.
I was trying to say “wanky marketing” and it came out as “wanketing”.
We laughed. Then we decided that it’s not such a stupid concept.
Too often we find ourselves surrounded by wanketers (as we shall now refer to them). We are pretty certain you know the exact person we mean unless, of course, you are one of those people in which case we’d rather you weren’t here thank you very much.
We Are Shift F7 are pioneering to stop the wanketing. Why should clients have to put up with marketing agency folk talking bullshit to them? Why should ANYONE have to put up with wanketers talking nonsense? There’s no point in talking about something for 15 minutes and boring or confusing your listener when it could be explained in two short sentences.
We Are Shift F7 promise only to speak in simple, clear and meaningful terms. And if we don’t, you have full permission to give us a slap…
Tags: communication, marketing, wanketing
Back in the good ol’ days…
Posted by Anna | Filed under Blog, Thinking
Scavenger and treasure hunts. Choose your own adventure books. Exploration.
Evoking memories of childhood?
Apparently, this turn of nostalgia is the way forward at the moment, and is proving to be key inspiration for a lot of marketing and promotional activity; creating campaigns that are very much based on users exploring and searching, just like when they were kids and the world was an exciting place to be.
Case in point:
In the US, the Levi’s Go Forth ARG hunt will award the ultimate winner with $100k, whilst Red Bull is hiding it’s new ‘energy shot’ drinks all over the country for people to find (access through Facebook, nice social media twist). Samsung is running a more traditional scavenger hunt, albeit with a photographic twist. Even Stephen King is getting in on the act, divvying up his new book into 5,196 pieces (must be relevant to the story somehow?) and scattering them all over the internet, giving UK players clues to find them and piece the story together. And what about Editors, promoting their new album by inviting users to explore a virtual London through Google Street View, searching for areas where they can listen to new songs? Not forgetting, of course, the plethora of brands, film and gaming companies and record labels who create interactive videos, either bespoke or via YouTube Annotations.
Why?
We have also noticed a distinct sense of nostalgia in traditional TV advertising, looking back at “the good old days”, reminding consumers of times gone by and childhood memories. Just look at last year’s uber-nostalgic, multi-award winning TV ad for Hovis, which had such a good PR backing that the first view of it (in the ad break of Corrie no less) became a must-watch event in itself.
Why?
It’s not just advertising. Film studios appear to be making a lot of kids books and TV shows (Where The Wild Things Are, The Fantastic Mr Fox and the Transformers franchise to name but three) into box office filling, family friendly movies that remind the adults in the audience of when they were young.
Why?
Is this a reaction to the recession? In hard times, do we tend to look back to times past with rose tinted glasses? Does this notion of nostalgia make us feel better about the situations we now find ourselves in? Does this method of tapping into nostalgia ACTUALLY sell more products? Is this all just a symptom of post-modernism? Ah, now THAT is another blog post in itself…
Tags: advertising, Editors, Hovis, Levis, nostalgia, nostalgic advertising, Red Bull, Stephen King
We Are Shift F7 are on Twitter
Posted by Anna | Filed under Blog, Talk
Of course we are!
Follow us @WeAreShiftF7 and we might just follow you back!
Tags: Twitter
Who is #SocialMedia
Posted by Dan | Filed under Blog, Thinking
Who is ‘Social Media’? Everyone is talking about them. Brands want to get close and use ‘Social Media’, the new kid on the block who is creating quite a stir. So often, companies/brands see others using this ‘Social Media’ and also want to jump on the train. ‘Has ‘Social Media’ got their own Facebook page?’, some ask… I want to be friends with them.
It’s true, the buzz around Social Media is still going strong and if we were to personify it, Social Media would probably be the most popular person on the planet right now.
Many brands want to join this ‘Social Media Revolution‘; our competitors are doing it, we must too, right?
Traditional Marketing
Far too often we here at We Are Shift F7 think that brands are jumping on this bandwagon, but using it in a traditional way; one way communication, getting ‘their message’ out there, not listening but shouting… who can shout the loudest gets the market share, right? This was the traditional method of marketing/advertising, by informing consumers of the benefits in order to sell to them. Focused around the product, to a degree, not so much the consumer. Obviously the best products filled a gap or need, then fly off the shelves, metaphorically speaking. Before this, before the internet, this was a given. You needed to let consumers know your brand exists in order to ’sell’ to them.
Combat noise by shouting louder!
We see a number Twitter profiles and Facebook Groups with little or no content or updates. This is not using ‘Social Media’ in a social way. This is using the platform to have the much needed ‘presence’.
Conversation
So what does the definition of Social Media actually mean? (from our beloved Wikipedia)…
Social media are media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media supports the human need for social interaction, using Internet- and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.
Big point in that paragraph above, “Many to Many”! It’s not a straight up, one-way communication channel anymore, it’s two-way, and that’s also “Many to Many’.
Why, you ask?
Person A states comment about Brand X. Person A has many friends/followers on their social network. Followers/friends see this comment (word of mouth). Some pass this on to their friends/followers. And so on.
Resistance To Change
Brands too often take the traditional PR approach where they want to monitor and control all conversations. You cannot do this with social media, as you couldn’t in the offline world where people talk face to face. You join the conversation, take comments on board… and therefore improve the relationship between your brand and your consumers. Don’t take these comments personally, treat is as a live suggestion box.
So far, we have looked at one aspect of the conversations that could take place… but what else is ‘Social Media’?
Relationship Building
The traditional marketing approach is to build awareness, interest, desire that then leads to action by using such tools such as DM and Advertising (for example). Social Media as about building a relationship with your consumers, creating a two-way conversation channel. Think about it as a relationship with a real person. It is two-way, give and take and, most importantly, listen.
Social Media campaigns that are successful take this into account, add value to the consumers life, in addition to what to product does. Enable the brand to build a relationship with the consumer. This, in turn, is a stronger bond than what is effectively a chat up line. You go from one night stand to long term… What do you think holds more value?
Summary
Don’t think of social media as being one of those traditional tools of marketing, use the potential it has to create that conversation channel and build up the long term relationship you are both looking for. No need to shout. Listen. Consumers like to be spoken to and heard.
Why we (think we) love Google Wave
Posted by Anna | Filed under Blog, Thinking
Google Wave… hot subject of techy conversation, relentless Twitter trending topic and the latest in the Google camp of wizardry. It’s been on our metaphorical radar for months but now we are suddenly interested. REALLY interested. But what exactly IS Google Wave?
In short, Google Wave is a collaborative mechanic which allows the user (or ‘waver’, as I like to refer to them) to create a ‘Wave’ (email, document, whatever) which can then be edited, amended, added to and so on by others. The result of this can be seen, in real time, as it happens, by all collaborators. I like to think of it, in layman’s terms, as a combination of traditional email, IM and wiki.
However, this is Google, and it would not be as simple as that. Google has cleverly integrated a whole host of other features to Google Wave, such as a real time language translator and an API which will open up limitless opportunities; basically a developers wet dream.
Here’s a nice little intro video if you still aren’t sure.
Why do We Are Shift F7 love this concept so much?
It’s social!
Google Wave is all about being social; allowing collaboration and creating a multi-layered channel of communication between people all in one handy place.
Now, where is our goddamn invite…?!
Tags: collaboration, email, Google, Google Wave, Wave
We are a digital creative & social media agency.