Born and bred in Africa, I've worked in the eMarketing industry at Clicks2Customers for the last 5 years in Cape Town and London. I'm passionate about everything online and live in the beautiful city of Cape Town.
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Greenpoint Stadium is the closest stadium situated to the sea. It’s situated in Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with it’s backdrop of Table Mountain and a view of the sea. This is why I love and live in Cape Town.
In celebration of the big World Cup 2010 Draw tomorrow night at the Cape Town ICC, here’s a video showcasing the beautiful stadium with it’s awe inspiring surroundings. Enjoy & welcome to Cape Town!
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Tomorrow, Thursday 3rd December, Clicks2Customers will be celebrating their year end function at La Med in Clifton, Cape Town. What better way to end the year than to celebrate a hard years work with a beautiful beach view and mountain backdrop? Another reason why I’m thankful to be ‘home’ again in beautiful Cape Town. It’s been a long year, but a great year and has gone incredibly quickly! To start off in London but end off in Cape Town has been a fantastic experience for me. So here’s to a great 2009 but an even better and more successful 2010!
Just to set the scene, I’ve left a few photos for you of La Med to see where we’ll be enjoying the afternoon, listening to speeches, having a few laughs, soaking up the sun and enjoying a few cocktails & snack platters.
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Valeria Maltoni put this presentation together, which covers how to measure the performance of Social Media Performance. The main points are that if you are going to integrate social media communications, then you are looking to expand reach, increase engagement and build influence. Have an actual objective on your Twitter or Facebook accounts. Dell has managed to reach massive sales levels of $3MM, directly through Twitter since 2007. Brand communication & crisis management are two incredibly important factors to get right – are you engaging with the right target customers? Measure your efforts and see how it’s working out for you, if not, then adjust the strategy. Anyway, I’ll leave you with the presentation, take all you can from it, it’s good stuff.
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I came across this video on Smart Blog & this video was taken from the Word of Mouth Supergenius conference with the keynote being, “Love or Marketing? How Word of Mouth Will Save Your Brand.” Can word of mouth really make or break your brand. It definitely strongly effects it, but if you go far enough and delve into what it is customers want or are saying, you can save your brand?
Key things from this video:
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I read this article a few days on the TwistImage blog and it’s stuck with me the last few days. It’s about online conversation and how conversation with users, fans etc doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a part of your community. That takes more work. It’s a great article and thought provoking. Marketing IS going to get harder in 2010 and years to come, and those in the know need to get smarter. It’s so easy to get followers, fans & ‘friends’ these days, but how many of those are actually a part of your community? Read this, then think again.
Here’s the article, taken directly as it was on the “Six Pixels of Separation” Blog:
It might seem like an obvious statement, but many brands simply don't understand this one basic fact: conversation is not community.
Let's break that down: just because someone is talking about your brand (positively or negatively) it doesn't mean that they are a part of your community (or that they want to be a part of your community). To push that even further, even if someone has bought from you, loves your product and raves about it everywhere (both online and offline), it still doesn't mean that they are a part of your community (or that they want to be).
The only way that anybody joins any community is by voluntarily doing so.
It seems like we all need to take a step back, take a deep breathe, and re-read Seth Godin's seminal book, Permission Marketing. And, once you've inhaled that business book, understand that you can't even ask for permission any more. You have to earn it and it has to be initiated by the consumer. The backlash to this thought will be something akin to, "what do we do if we have this great community and we want these individuals to join, and they probably would join if they simply knew that we existed?" The answer to this is pretty basic/obvious: do more to get noticed and recognized, so that word spreads and those who may be interested in your community will find you. Yes, make yourself more findable, approachable, likeable and spreadable.
Marketing is going to get harder and harder in 2010.
Marketing is going to get harder because even creating any semblance of a powerful conversation (the stuff that hopefully leads to people joining your community) is going to be ever-more challenging. With conversations happening in so many online channels in so many different forms, getting your signal through the noise is not going to be easy (it's not easy now). On Twitter today, I tweeted: "Fill in the blank: creating conversations online is..." to which @cguy responded, "like trying to speak at a rock show."
Anybody can have a conversation.
It's important to remember that the idea of conversations really happening in the online channel is still a relatively new concept. That being said, many of the platforms we use to connect and share (online social networking) have come to the point where they are so simple to use that everyone (and anyone) is online and having conversations. Whether what they say has any relevance to you is not important. They can create these conversations, they should create these conversations and they are connecting with whomever is important to them. They could be having thousands of conversations all over the place, but still there is no semblance of an active or unified community.
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I thought I’d post something random and fun for a Friday. Amazing hotels intrigue me. I wrote a few posts a good while ago on the new hotels in Dubai, the Atlantis Resort, the Hydropolis Underwater Resort and the Burj Al Arab. These places are pure luxury and are just amazing to say the least. Dubai certainly know how to do things properly and with style!
I came across these photos on Trend Spotter of different, funky hotel rooms. How are these rooms in this hotel? Wow. Check out the pool table with a view in the bottom photos. Which room would you choose to stay in? I think the lumo blue definitely stands out for me.
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“Buddy,” my favourite new friend is back. He’s taken South African TV by storm in the last few weeks with his ads leaving a line on the mouths of South Africans for weeks. Lines such as “baaaaad sheep, get it? Baaaaad sheep.” For those of you who have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about, Toyota have had some pretty funny and excellent ads on South African TV in the last few weeks. The main character, Buddy, the handsome canine with attitude, stars in his third television commercial for Toyota South Africa in a couple of months. Buddy comes across as the spoilt, yet seemingly tough dog, hiding behind the toughness & strength of the Toyota he’s hiding in. He changes hyena’s, talks down to sheep, but in a hilarious manner. You have to see the ads to appreciate them.
The commercial was developed by Draftfcb Johannesburg's creative team of Brett Morris, James Cloete and Ivor Forrester, and relied on clever direction by Dean Bloomberg of Bouffant Productions and extensive post-production by Sinister Studio to ‘bring Buddy to life' as he has the only ‘talking part' in the script.
Here is the newest ad “Buddy & Fortuna.” (below) It’s classic, I absolutely loved it! I think it’s definitely my favourite, although I thought the “baaaad sheep” as would be tough to top. For a behind the scenes look at the making of the commercials, you can visit this site.
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Patrick Moberg wrote this brilliant cartoons about Internet Vices, they are hilarious! They portray how addictive social networks can be and how they can affect us. I particularly enjoyed the Twitter cartoon, I can relate! I think we can all recognise ourselves in a few of these. What’s your vice? Don’t be shy! ;-)
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Cape Town Partnership put this slideshow together, activating the 2010 campaign, spirit and atmosphere for Cape Town. Living in Cape Town, I couldn’t be prouder to be showcasing this beautiful city to world. This slideshow touches on a few highlights of Cape Town & the World Cup that will be played here. From the beautiful Stadium in Seapoint, to Table Mountain, to the vuvuleza’s and passion that the fans watch and support with. I can’t wait, it’s going to be something to remember.
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In less than a month, I’ll be leaving for Mauritius. To say I’m excited is a massive understatement. The idea of being on a tropical island where there is no internet (I choose to not even look) and no phone. (I’ll pretend the room phone is just for decorative purposes) All there is to do is switch off, water-ski, laze on the beach or hammock, play tennis, gym, drink cocktails IN the pool and catch a tan. Tough life. I hate the ‘African’ lifestyle. (Mauritius / Africa / potato / potaaato)
I’ll be staying at Le Mauricia resort for 8 wonderful nights, which is about 5 minutes walk from Grand Baie in the north of Mauritius. I thought I’d include a few pictures of the hotel I’ll be staying in, so you can see where I’ll be totally switching off. Until12th December, I’ll be working hard during a busy season, but at the back of my mind is that first Mojito made by the French speaking barman, sitting in the infinity pool overlooking the beach..
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TrendWatching wrote an excellent article on Trends to watch for 2010, that are crucial for consumers. It’s an excellent read. Thanks to @melattree for finding this pearler.
You can find the article here. The jist of the article is that the top 10 trends for 2010 are as follows below. The trends that stand out for me are Urbany, (F)Luxury & Mass Mingling. It’s becoming so much more about the consumer – what they want, when they want it, how they want it and it needs to come to them easily, efficiently and stand out above the rest.
Forget the recession: the societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss. More »
Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world. More »
Whatever it is you're selling or launching in 2010, it will be reviewed 'en masse', live, 24/7. More »
Closely tied to what constitutes status (which is becoming more fragmented), luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months. More »
Online lifestyles are fueling and encouraging 'real world' meet-ups like there's no tomorrow, shattering all cliches and predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future. More »
To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals in 2010, corporations and governments will have to forcefully make it 'easy' for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives. More »
Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST services that will help consumers expand their web of control. More »
Next year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers. More »
With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 will be a good year to introduce some services to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services. More »
2010 will be even more opinionated, risqué, outspoken, if not 'raw' than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that. Will your brand be as daring? More »
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Nokia released the World’s biggest signpost in the centre of London. They teamed up with Swedish Agency Farfar. The sign is 50m tall & weighs roughly 6 tonnes. It’s a motorized arrow indicating the “Good Things” arrow that’s a feature of Nokia’s Ovi Maps navigation system. So Nokia phone owners can input their favourite jaunts / spots to a dedicated site & then the giant arrow displays the name & in the direction of that favourite spot. Clever. Innovative. If you’re in London, give it a bash!
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I came across this great presentation on Slideshare on how to integrate Social Media into your Search Marketing strategy. It has some great stats on search marketing, the buying cycle etc. It’s becoming more and more important to integrate social media into your search marketing strategies and campaigns. It’s also often a great cheap (or free) way to get your message out there (ie. Use Twitter to tweet a something that carries an explosive message that lands you directly on a clients site. It’s free and instant)
It’s a great presentation with a lot of information & value. Enjoy.
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I came across this article on Venture Beat and really thought it was worth passing on. It’s about how to run / work in a start-up out of the “Silicon Valley” – the hub of all start-ups.
There are a few reasons why I enjoyed this article so much. Recently, I experienced the inaugural Silicon Cape initiative launch event. The Silicon Cape is a vision which looks to “attract and bring together local and foreign investors, the brightest technical talent, and the most promising entrepreneurs, to foster the creation and growth of world-class global IP start-up companies in an environment that competes with other similar hubs around the world against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful settings and pleasant places to live, work and play on the globe.”
Back in 2004, I was lucky enough to accept a job from Vinny Lingham & his co-founders (Charlene Lingham, Eric Edelstein & Llewellyn Claasen) and have the opportunity to join an amazing team and be a part of the early stage of a startup myself a few years ago (Clicks2Customers (incuBeta back then), where I still work 5 years later). This was an amazing time for me, I learnt a huge amount and it’s been so exciting to see how a start-up has grown into a successful, global company and be a part of it all. I’ve also seen a few very successful colleagues & friends that started at Clicks2Customers during it’s early stages, that then went on to start their own start-ups. So the effects of having worked in a startup are definitely infectious. So, in many ways, I can relate to this article, although I’ve never actually started a startup, I’ve been a part of one, so I found this article to be very true & relevant.
The main points taken directly from the article are as follows below. One of the points that stands out for me is, “your talent is your business.” In a startup environment, the staff need to be as passionate as the founders. Yes you need an ‘idea’ but at the end of the day, your talent IS your business and can make or break the idea.
1. Avoid the “Valley premium” – Startups that set up shop in the Valley fork over a premium for the exclusive location. As one of the most expensive urban areas to live in nationwide (according to ACCRA), the Valley drives up basic costs, ranging from salary and benefits to rent and utilities. This means the $5 million in funding your Valley-based competitor receives may barely keep the lights on, while a smaller round of funding could mean major growth for your firm. Leverage this fact with investors that are interested in hearing about how you can do more with less.
2. Be the local rock star, instead of a dime a dozen - The Valley is like a modern day Gold Rush: the possibility of striking it rich draws the masses and every tech company wants a piece of the action. As a result, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. (And, to add insult to injury, there are no economic incentives or tax breaks for your business.) In contrast, local governments outside the Valley bubble often give entrepreneurs the star treatment and big cost-savings— such as tax breaks or subsidized health care—to stimulate growth.
3. Recruit Valley ambassadors - An industry influencer or PR agency based in the Valley can serve as an advisor, champion your technology and help you penetrate the exclusive bubble – giving you a “physical” presence despite being geographically removed from the Valley. They can also teach you the lay of the land, arrange networking meetings, alert you to local events and help fine-tune your Valley strategy.
4. Don’t be a stranger - Travel to the Valley at least once a quarter, timing your visits around major conferences/events to maximize in-person meetings and networking opportunities. Regular face time ties a personality to a name, which ultimately may be all people remember about your company. It’s also a key ingredient for maintaining relationships.
5. Be a joiner - Participate in local industry and entrepreneur groups – not only will they help you build a stronger presence where you’re based, but they can connect you with sister organizations or other entrepreneurs in your industry that are based in the Valley.
6. Give your startup space to stretch its wings - The Valley offers a high concentration of opportunities, but niche industries often struggle to get even a sliver of that pie. Consider opting for an area with a concentration of companies in your space that can help nurture your startup with good talent and resources. Colorado, for example, has a strong portfolio of UI and design startups and Canada is known for its video gaming industry.
7. Take advantage of the talent - When you are a company of 10, your talent is your business. Without resource-wealthy giants creating silos for incoming talent, startups outside of the Valley have a fighting chance to recruit and retain great employees without having to resort to alternatives such as outsourcing – an option that has become less cost-effective in highly-skilled industries. Target areas with academic institutions that groom the type of talent you seek or governments that allow you to import talent without heavy regulation.
8. Take advantage of the upcoming economic turn - Historically, investors have had a primary focus on the Valley, but with Bay Area deals falling by a much faster rate than the rest of the country last year (57 percent according to Dow Jones) investors are now more willing to look outside the bubble for innovation
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Ha Ha! I love this! I was always told as a kid to go outside & play, enjoy the fresh air etc! I never came up with this one, it’s brilliant! ;-)
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Mashable released a blog post titled “7 of the most inspiring videos on the web” and our South African, Lewis Gordon Pugh, was one of them. I’ve been following Pugh since he first started swimming the extreme ‘cold waters’ & working with Dr Tim Noakes.
This man is amazing to say the least. Mashable explains Pugh as, “Lewis Gordon Pugh has swum in every ocean in the world, and was the first person to swim at the North Pole, where the waters are below zero degrees centigrade (which is the freezing point for fresh water). Pugh uses his extreme swimming feats to shed light on issues of worldwide importance such as global warming.”
This man is known globally, rightly so. Goosebumps that Pugh is proudly South African! Enjoy the video – shows you that anything actually IS possible if you really want it.
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I came across this on The Next Web. Think I’m definitely Geek 2 but remember a couple of things about Geek 1. I bet you can identify with a lot of these things! Enjoy.
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The new ad from Guinness & BBDO London agency. The slogan is “Bring It To Life.”
Director Johnny Green shot the spot in multiple locations around the world. It depicts a group of strapping men physically bringing life - grass, coral, water - to barren places. The spot marks a departure from the well-known Guinness tag line, Good Things Come to Those Who Wait, which has been in use for the past decade. I enjoyed the ad, it’s different.
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A poll on Tweetdeck vs. Seesmic has been running on Mashable. Personally, I use Seesmic, well Twhirl, which is a spin off of Seesmic, so falls under that vote. Twhirl is a social software desktop client, based on the Adobe AIR platform. The problem I found with Seesmic was that the summary that it provided on my bottom right screen corner was that it only provided a summary of what my ‘friends’ were saying (ie. “3 new messages / replies”) instead of the actual tweet. I found this annoying, as often I’ll quickly scan the message in the 5 second display period & if I feel it looks interesting then I’ll open Twhirl and have a look, otherwise ignore until something else comes up, then can scan through them all later. I also didn’t need Facebook in my feed, it just uses up a lot of bandwidth by constantly calling the API, so I didn’t need the full Seesmic, therefore opted for Twhirl.
I did give Tweetdeck a bash on a personal level, but still preferred the simplified Twhirl. However, we do use Tweetdeck at work on a big screen as it gives a great overview if you can just leave it open to view. So we can have all 3 ‘window’s open (see below) & follow any newsworthy articles / people as a company.
1. To follow what our ‘friends’ are saying
2. To follow what anyone worldwide is saying about eMarketing or Search Marketing (seeing as that’s what we do)
3. Follow any replies, mentions etc
According to Mashable, “Seesmic Desktop may have already added support for lists, but TweetDeck promises they’ll release support soon as well. Both apps have been continually updated and well-supported, so much so we had to do a rematch of our original head-to-head comparison just a few short months later.” Here are the results so far:
What do YOU use & why did you choose it?
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I managed to put this word cloud below together through Wordle. Wordle is, “a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and colour schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like.”
Basically you can just enter your blog / site RSS and Wordle does the rest. It concatenates all words used on your site and mashes them into any shape or form. You can choose the font, size, colour, shape, basically anything. As I had a bit of fun putting it together, I was trying to think of what you could actually do with this? I guess you could use it as a banner for your blog / site if you wanted to. Hey, perhaps even make a picture out of it and frame it on your wall for the geeks out there. ;-) What would you do? ;-)
