PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR DEBENHAMS

As the mother of a teenage daughter and working as I do in the wonderful world of advertising, I have always been aware of the airbrushing furore which has raged ever since the technology became available to marketeers.

Look at this picture taken a few years ago for Ralph Lauren, where the model’s waist and hips were smaller than her head:

I’ve never understood society’s fixation with anything resembling a stick, and an increasing body of research indicates the obvious, that distorted images lead to young people having unrealistic expectations of perfection.

This before and after image doing the rounds says it all:

I was therefore delighted to see that Debenhams is now refusing to allow airbrushing of any images in their marketing materials and is launching a lingerie campaign where none of the images have been digitally retouched.

It’s also a great consumer-engagement ploy. I’ve never been a Debenhams shopper, but seeing this news has made me determined to beat a path to the store’s door to show my support for their initiative.

Now all we need is for companies catering for a younger, more impressionable audience to jump on the bandwagon and inject some real life into the world of fashion …

 

 

STRONG WOMEN ON SUNDAY NIGHTS

Did anyone else learn about the War of the Roses in history lessons when they were growing up? I remember it as many years of fighting between the Lancastrians and Yorkists heavily featuring the likes of Richard III and Henry Tudor.

But there is a female angle to the conflict, in amongst all the battles, which was brought to life in Philippa Gregory’s novels about the era.

And now the lives of Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville have been transferred to the screen in a 10 episode drama starting on Sunday night on BBC1 at 9pm.

The White Queen is directed by James Kent with costumes designed by Nic Ede.

And it features a whole array of UA clients including Ashley Charles, Joey Batey, Rupert Graves, Shaun Dooley, Frances Tomelty and Caroline Goodall.

Here’s the trailer to whet your appetites:

I for one will definitely be watching, just the thing to take my mind of an impending Monday morning.

 

NEW HOBBIT TRAILER

I have to say I’m not very impressed with WordPress’ mobile site. I started to blog about the new trailer for The Hobbit on the bus going to a meeting, and instead of saving my first few words, it posted them! So if you are subscribed sorry about the weird email you must have received.

On to that trailer … here it is in all its glory:

Luke Evans makes his entrance in this film as the Bard and of course Richard Armitage and Graham McTavish are there as well.

Not sure if I can bear the suspense for another 6 months - the glimpse of the town, which I saw in the flesh on the set, brought back all my New Zealand memories and the idea of having to wait until December 13th is not a good one!

I can feel a long night of Tolkien DVDs coming on …

 

 

 

BUS STOP PRANKS

We’ve all heard and talked about consumer engagement, but how about this from Adobe with a little help from photoshop artist Erik Johansson:

It took place recently in Sweden but you can bet it’ll come here. I will be very suspicious next time I’m waiting for the 55 to appear … or will I be desperately making faces and waving at random parked vans in an effort to get my image on the screen?

Adobe must be pleased, it’s had over 12 million hits since it went live last Friday.

WALKING WONDER

Every Tuesday I dust off my trainers and walk the six miles into work in my quest to keep fit.

I do a lot of walking, pounding pavements, hiking up hills, and frolicking along beaches in any weather. And of course, as I am a 21st century sort of woman, I always carry my mobile phone. I say “phone”, apparently I should be calling it a “platform” as making or receiving calls is the very least of its functions.

The only problem with said masterpiece of technology is the battery runs down in what feels like minutes and there are never any convenient electrical sockets when you are on the go.

However, I have discovered what could be my perfect accessory on Kickstarter: Solepower.

SolePower is a power generating shoe insole for charging portable electronics while you walk. And brilliantly, it’s removable, so you can put the insole in anything from trainers to hiking boots and wellies. Genius!

It’s waterproof and weather resistant, simulated to 100 million steps and takes just between 2 1/2 and 5 miles of walking to fully charge something as battery-draining as an iPhone.

I cannot wait to get my hands on one when they go into production …

 

CHAMPIONING ALDI

Now as you may know, I’m a big fan of Aldi’s wonderfully funny commercials. Perfect examples of a brand understanding their consumer on a traditional platform.

They have one series in particular featuring “Dave” and Aldi’s answer to Special K:

 

And now Special K have taken umbrage to this cheeky brand comparison and have issued their own commercial on YouTube in an effort to discredit their rival:

The whiskers and ears are apparently a reference to Aldi being a copycat. Kelloggs said: They say imitation is the highest form of flattery and our internet spoof is a light-hearted way to bring our new recipe to life and highlight the point of difference against these products and show Special K has a sense of humour.

Sense of humour? I’m sorry Kelloggs but you will have to do MUCH better than that if you want to give Aldi a run for their money …

IBM SMARTER CITIES

After feeling excluded by Heineken, I was put back into a positive frame of mind when I discovered IBM’s new “People for Smarter Cities” campaign.

The company launched the three year Smarter Cities Challenge in 2011, an initiative which sees IBM collaborating with local governments to co-fund technology based solutions for specific problems. IBM aims to help 100 cities across the world address urban issues with $50 million worth of their technology and expertise.

Sounds good doesn’t it?

Cities have to be prepared to match IBM’s investment with their own commitment of time and resources, and a team of IBM experts visits each winning city and spends three weeks working with local authorities to analyse the city and recommend smart city solutions. They address  issues ranging from administration, citizen engagement, economic development, education & workforce, environment, public safety, social services, transportation and urban planning.

Then, IBM documents the experience and learning from each city into an executive report or case study and shares this on the Smarter Cities Challenge website – giving other cities and thinkers the opportunity to explore solutions.

Have a look at this brilliant idea for wireless parking in San Francisco:

To demonstrate the capabilities of its technology, IBM created the game CityOne – a virtual simulation of an urban city and the challenges it faces.

As a city dweller I am a fan … we just need London to jump on the bandwagon now.

 

HEINEKEN DROPPED

What is it about men and beer? Has anyone else noticed that when there’s no comedy involved it’s all heroism, drama and bravery?

And Heineken, true to this maxim, have developed an integrated campaign where a documentary-style series looks at what men are truly made of when taken out of their daily lives and dropped into the great unknown.

The first lucky candidate is lifted from his comfortable sunshine-filled life in Madrid and literally “dropped” in the middle of Alaska from where he has to find his way home.

Heineken’s global communications director, Sandrine Huijgen said we want to go further than inspiring men to be resourceful and open to the world … we are giving a few of them the opportunity to go beyond the borders of their comfort zone. “Dropped” is a social experiment that will challenge the participant to display their true character and if they do, have a legendary travel experience.

Said men have the opportunity to upload a video of their version of a legendary take on an everyday journey, and a winner will be chosen to feature in their very own Heineken Dropped adventure.

I’d love to have a go, being both a beer drinker and not averse to a bit of adventure, but unfortunately Heineken appear to have firmly got their sights on a male audience and, as a woman, I am obviously incapable of legendary behaviour.

So it’s back to the pink room with fluffy cushions and low calorie drinks for me. Sigh …

SAMANTHA BARKS AND HER BLOG

UA client Samantha Barks has joined the world of blogging with a new site devoted to her ideas on diet, fitness and lifestyle called Samantha Barks and Blogs.

Expect some interesting, insightful posts on healthy living.

I for one will definitely be following her!

And you can read Samantha’s very first post HERE.

WIFI MADNESS

Monday morning and something utterly bonkers to start the week.

Dtac, a mobile telecoms company in Thailand, recently decided to advertise its new moving WiFi service by attaching small routers to dog collars and sending the dogs out onto the streets of Bangkok. Pedestrians could then pick up the internet by sitting near said canines.

According to the company’s statistics, the stunt was wildly successful … but what I want to know is why on earth didn’t they just hand out the routers to people?

Maybe you just had to be there …

TIME TRAVEL ON A FRIDAY NIGHT

It’s Friday, the weather looks set to possibly behave in the manner we expect for the beginning of June and I intend to go home and relax before the start of the weekend.

And tonight I’m going to be incredibly traditional and sit in front of my television set.

Last year, UA client Ian Mortimer published a fascinating book called The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England. Being a history fiend I of course devoured it and loved the vivid evocation of 16th century life in Britain. The book was brilliant and unsurprisingly has made the transition from page to screen.

Tonight, at 9pm on BBC2, Ian explores the fact that, instead of the popular idea of all Elizabethans being courtiers in fine clothes living it up in lavish palaces, many people were horribly poor. He offers advice on how to survive on a wage of fourpence a day, and examines the realities of finding work, getting around, and living in a smoke-filled countryside hovel.

There’s a great extract on the BBC website where Ian talks about medicines which include worms, mercury and the powdered skull of a man killed in war. You can watch it HERE.

And don’t make any plans for the next couple of weeks as there are 2 more episodes to go, unless of course you want to be modern and watch it on iPlayer instead.

SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS …

I never understood the attraction of collecting football cards to stick into books even though I’m a fan of the beautiful game.

It was the exclusive preserve of the boys at school who could not seem to get enough of them.

And now, for everyone who still hankers after their heroes’ faces staring up at them, Topps has the answer. The ultimate fan site has just launched a digital album of English footballers.

If you are that way inclined, you can buy digital images of the likes of Peter Shilton, David Seaman, David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker and Sir Bobby Charlton to stick in your virtual album.

It gets better though … instead of swapping and comparing in the playground, you can use Facebook to turn your collection into a complete thing of beauty.

Can’t say I’ll be rushing to take part, but bet there will be someone out there who is feeling very happy right now.

 

 

FROM CROWDFUNDING TO SHOPIFY

A follow-on from yesterday’s post …

Once you have successfully funded your marvellous new business idea thanks to crowdfunding, you need to get on with making your millions. Unfortunately you can’t do that from the site which enabled you to get your idea off the ground.

But of course, because the global community thinks of everything, there is a site that will help you sell your wares.

Founded in 2006 by three snowboarding enthusiasts who wanted to create a better way to sell their snowboards online, Shopify is an ecommerce platform that allows individuals and businesses to create online stores. It currently hosts over 50,000 online retailers, including big hitters like Amnesty International and General Electric.

Recognising that crowdfunding is a growth area, the site has cleverly introduced a specific free theme called Kickstand.

Pebble, which is one of Kickstarter’s most successful projects, has a Kickstand website where you can pre-order your watch, as does Panda the eco-friendly bamboo sunglasses manufacturer.

And of course, as you’d expect, Shopify has an entire YouTube channel dedicated to helping you out with those thorny technical questions:

Right, I’m off to start an online shop …

 

 

 

CROWDFUNDING MADE SIMPLE

Crowdfunding is an online phenomenon I think many of us take for granted now. Apparently it raised a whopping $2.7 billion in 2012 from more than 1 million individual campaigns, with the industry projected to grow to $5.1 billion this year.

I’m always browsing sites like Kickstarter and RocketHub to get an idea of the amazing advances in new technology which seem to appear every day.

And now Nesta have done something incredibly useful for all those budding entrepreneurs out there. They have created a new UK directory called CrowdingIn which gives a comprehensive overview of different crowdfunding platforms. And all the information is free.

So, if you have a brilliant idea, get on the site and make your millions!

 

IT’S OK EVERYONE, COCA COLA HAVE THE ANSWER TO WORLD PEACE

I’m not a cynic, but I’m afraid this simplistic, schmaltzy piece from Coca Cola definitely left me cold.

In the latest Open Happiness installation from the company, they set out to break down barriers and create a moment of connection between two nations, India and Pakistan. Their Small World machines, located in what appear to be shopping centres, allowed people on both sides of the border to connect in real-time, touching hands and drawing symbols together to unlock a free Coca Cola can.

The idea is to “unite” the two nations and bring them together:

We are all idiots, if only we’d realised the path to world peace was so simple …

DAVID BECKHAM, FOOTBALL AND NIKE

I’ve never been a Man U fan (my loyalties lie to the west), but David Beckham’s announcement last week that he is to retire really feels like the end of a footballing era.

However, references to Beckham’s amazing skills on the pitch have almost completely been drowned out by the commentary relating to his incredibly lucrative sponsorship deals.

The man in the pants has made himself a brand magnet, and I’m sure that companies like Adidas will not be regretting their investment of many, many millions of pounds.

In amongst all this furore, I came across an initiative, sponsored by Nike, which I think may well have found the Beckham of the future.

The Chance was launched in 2010 and saw scouts travel to 55 countries to watch 150,000 football players in action with Facebook the platform to spread the word and create a buzz. Just 100 players made it through to the Global Finals, where they put their game on the line to compete for 16 places on a once-in-a-lifetime training tour.

Great engagement don’t you think? Grass roots, global reach, social media …

Have a look at the film and see if you can pick the next footballer to become the richest athlete on the planet:

 

 

MAKING MY LIFE EASIER

It’s been a hell of a week at work and I have finally made it to Friday feeling like what I can only describe as a wet rag.

If anyone else is crawling, I have come across a gadget which could just have made our lives a little easier.

The Livescribe Echo Smartpen is not just a pen. Rather like one of those James Bond accessories it is much, much more.

Not only does it let you to record audio while you’re taking notes, it allows you to save and share interactive notes to your computer, iPad or iPhone via a micro-USB connector that also enables you to recharge your pen.

And the memory storage holds a whopping 400 or 800 hours of recorded audio, depending on the model.

Talk about multi-tasking – I could have been thinking about an agenda out loud for one of my many meeting whilst writing comments on a contract.

Knowing my brain though, I’m not sure whether I could deal with all that. Have a look at the demonstration and see if you agree:

DRACULA

Everyone here at UA was very excited when lovely Oliver Jackson-Cohen landed the leading role of Jonathan Harker in NBC’s new drama series based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

And they have just brought out a first-look trailer to whet our appetites:

In this take on the classic story, Count Dracula poses as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society, but secretly hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier.

I have to say it all bears very little resemblance to the original plot of the novel, but it looks like good fun and just the sort of thing we need on our screens as the weather starts to turn colder and winter sets in.

HAAGEN DAZS DOING WHAT THEY KNOW BEST

I very rarely talk about traditional commercials given my love of all things new-media.

However, for all you Bradley Cooper and ice-cream fans out there I just had to share the new ad from Haagen Dazs.

It features UA client Jana Perez who, I have to admit, totally upstages both Mr Cooper and the ice-cream.

Might not be a ground-breaking digital experience, but I think the brand know their consumer-base rather well.

Let me know if you agree:

 

THE MELTING MACHINE

Why don’t I live in Argentina?

The soft drinks brand 7Up came up with the brilliant guerrilla marketing idea of placing a “vending machine” made entirely of ice in the middle of a Buenos Aires street where, unlike here, it is hot. As the ice surrounding the cans melted, passers-by could grab a free drink.

There was of course a whole social media element round the stunt, with fans of the drink invited to place bets on Twitter as to when the last can would fall from the ice. The winner received a free six pack of 7-Up.

Clever don’t you think?

HANNIBAL ON SKY TONIGHT

When I was old enough to know better, I put myself through The Silence of the Lambs. It took me months to shake off the terror I felt watching Hannibal Lecter in that cinema.

And now, some 12 years later, I think I might be foolish enough to go through all that again. NBC’s thriller Hannibal is coming to our screens tonight at 10pm on Sky Living HD.

The series focuses on the growing relationship between FBI special investigator Will Graham and Dr Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham’s most cunning enemy. And we, the poor audience, all know what danger he is in ….

Will Graham is played by Hugh Dancy and his trusting regard for Lecter was brilliant to watch in the sneak preview I got my hands on.

Definitely not for the faint-hearted, but if you can steel yourself, worth a watch as it has had rave reviews in America where they have seen the first 4 episodes already.

SHAPE SHIFTING PHONES

It’s my birthday today, and I’m wondering whether anyone will give me a phone that changes shape when someone calls me.

MorePhone is being developed by researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario.

It is a smartphone made of thin, flexible electronic plastic, and sandwiched beneath the display screen are a number of shape memory alloy wires which allow the phone to curl its entire body, or up to three individual corners.

Each corner can be tailored to convey a particular message. For example, you could set the top right corner of the MorePhone to bend when receiving a text message, and the bottom right when receiving an email. Rather fabulously, corners can also repeatedly bend up and down to convey messages of greater urgency. Like waving!

At the moment it is still a prototype, but you can bet in about 5 years we will all be carrying thin, paper-like mobile devices that flap around ….

MORE GOOGLE GLASS

I’ve written about Google Glass (the augmented reality glasses apparently due out next year) before, and was intrigued to see the latest “how to” demonstration video currently doing the rounds:

I’m still not convinced that the glasses are a practical innovation though – I find the idea of having information projected right in front of my eyes worrying for someone as clumsy as myself.

Google have sent out about 1,000 pairs worldwide for testing and pictures are already beginning to find their way onto Twitter (#throughglass if you want to have a look). There’s one posted by an employee which shows a picture taken whilst driving.

Having watched the video, I wonder how safe such activity is, as the photographer would have had data in front of his eyes and would have been touching the glasses’ side bar several times to set up the picture (just glad I wasn’t a pedestrian!)

Let me know if you are desperate to own a pair ….

 

BLIPPAR ON TV

The pace of technological change quickened last night with the very first Blippar-enabled TV commercial.

For those of you who don’t know, Blippar is an image-recognition app which aims to bring packaging to life. 

All you have to do is download the app, point it at the Blippar symbol on your packet of cornflakes, poster at the bus-stop or magazine cover, and all sorts of exciting content is revealed.

The company has only been going since 2011 and in the last two years they have achieved nearly 900,000 downloads (expected to hit 4 million by the end of this year); expanded into the USA; and attracted major blue chip brands ranging from Nestle and Unilever to Nike and LG.

And now the technology has reached TV screens. Blippar worked with Channel 5, Paramount Pictures and media agency MEC to create a blippable commercial for the new Star Trek film Into Darkness.

The commercial aired at 9pm on Channel 5 and all viewers had to do was point their phones (with the app obviously), at the screen to be taken to a specially created Star Trek Into Darkness interface. Great way to spend the commercial break winning tickets to the film’s premiere in Tokyo, watching the trailer or booking tickets at your local cinema.

Given the split screen behaviour now exhibited by so many television viewers these days, I think Blippar have taken the next logical step.

Very clever …

LILY COLE AND BLACKBERRY Q10

It’s been a Lily Cole week for me this week.

I was in Selfridges on Oxford Street this morning at 7.30am with Lily for a photoshoot in aid of the new BlackBerry Q10 launch. If you want to get your hands on the latest model you have to rush off to a Selfridges as the phone is being sold exclusively in their stores this weekend before general release.

Being a tech-lover I was very impressed – all the features of a bang up-to-date smartphone with the BlackBerry keyboard. Most smartphones have touch-screen keypads only and I really enjoyed being able to type properly when I had a go. Much more like a teeny tiny mobile computer than a phone.

Lily sees BlackBerry as a natural partner given her involvement in Impossible.com, so we had a good morning.

Here’s a picture of Lily and the phone both looking beautiful!

 

IMPOSSIBLE.COM – UTOPIA ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Something heart-warming and positive for Monday morning …

UA client Lily Cole is a woman of many talents and I have decided that her latest venture truly defines her as the “Renaissance woman” for our era.

Lily is developing a site called Impossible.com. It is a site which will enable users to meet and help each other. You will be able to post requests (for example, “I need a lift to the station”), and anyone in your local network can offer to help. What makes the site different from others is the emphasis on giving, rather than bartering.

As Lily says doing things for free is a powerful social force. It creates bonds between people, which is why I set up this social network, Impossible, to create a gift economy. I mean, how unintuitive is it that society can be paralysed by our economic situation when we all have time and skills to offer?

I admire her optimism in this world where commentators warn that isolation in front of a computer screen is the fate of the human race. It’s a brilliant way to be part of your community and I am sure it will succeed.

This is how the site will work:

Good isn’t it?

 

MORE MAN OF STEEL

I’ve mentioned before that Henry Cavill is set to wow us this summer as Superman in Man of Steel, and here is another sneak preview to whet our appetites.

If the weather collapses we can console ourselves with a trip to the cinema where it will be warm, dry and very exciting!

GIFFGAFF GETTING CREATIVE

My friends at Hoot have been weaving their online magic again and this time for the mobile network giffgaff.

What better way to spread the word about their online SIM-only service than a web series?

Called The Chaos, with the slogan Life’s better out of contract, the series follows a band who are signed to a record label that ultimately destroys their independent spirit.

And this motley bunch includes UA’s very own Dan Renton Skinner as Dougie the band’s manager.

It’s very funny, there are 5 episodes and you can watch them all on giffgaff’s dedicated site, or have a look at episode 1 here:

Good stuff!

THE END OF A DIVISIVE ERA …

Back at my desk and of course there is only one thing I could do today.

For all of us who lived through the “Thatcher years” I think BBH have done a brilliant job in this commercial for the Guardian.

Says it all:

 

 

THE GOOD LIE

I’m off on holiday this week, but thought I’d leave you with a good news story from UA.

Our client list is long and varied, and the UA website is a good place to keep up with all the news.

I was pleased to see that Sean Gascoine’s client Arnold Oceng is starring in The Good Lie opposite Reese Witherspoon after the producers conducted open auditions all over the world in an effort to find their cast.

The Good Lie is a feature film based on the true story of four Sudanese children who escape Southern Sudan by walking a thousand miles to the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

Ten years later and now young adults, they emigrate to America with the help of the UN.

You might have seen Arnold in the brilliant Channel 4 drama Top Boy and the feature films Adulthood, The Knot and My Brother The Devil.

He’s obviously destined for great things!

 

HEINEKEN

It’s not often that I write about a conventional TV commercial, but I watched the new Heineken offering this morning in aid of the brand’s UEFA Champions League sponsorship and it really made me smile.

The film ties in with the usual Facebook activity – the brand has a significant fanbase with over 12 million likes on its page.

The new content is a game based on the scene in the commercial where the Heineken hero shoots a ball between the two bottles in what we assume is a border control post. I was useless when I had a go – see if you can do better HERE.

The commercial itself is cheerful and well made - I think Heineken know their audience and have got their engagement just right on this occasion:

Right, having become a Heineken fan, I’m going off now to play their other game Starplayer in an effort to win tickets – see you at Wembley!

SMART GARDEN

I’ve returned to the office determined to do something to curb the effects of the large number of chocolate eggs which I managed to consume over Easter. Obviously a week of abstinence is on the cards with lots of salads and not a cocoa solid in sight.

I think I have found the gadget to help me on my quest – the Smart Herb Garden brought to us by Click and Grow wowing everyone via Kickstarter. Even if you have black rather than green thumbs, this high-tech flowerpot will do all the work for you and keep herbs alive to cheer up a boring low-calorie salad.

Apparently all I have to do is plug it in, give it some water and then harvest herbs. The plants survive on a nanotech material engineered to supply their roots with the right amount of oxygen, water and nutrients. Very clever I have to say and the ideal solution for when I go on holiday … although I’m not sure if I’d spend the $79 it would cost to have one of these in my kitchen.

Have a look at the video and decide for yourself:

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 3

As we seem to have entered another mini Ice Age, I thought I’d leave you with something appropriate as I battle my way up north for the Easter break.

So rather than fluffy bunnies, daffodils and chocolate eggs how about the return of Game of Thrones on Sunday night? Season 3 is set in a country I recognise from our TV screens as mid-Wales in March full of ice and darkness, or as the blurb says where “winters can last a lifetime”.

It is of course utterly gripping, so throw yet another large log on the fire, get the whiskey or hot chocolate out, draw the duvet ever tighter round you, and settle down to watch the host of UA clients fight their way through the next 8 weeks or so.

There’s a useful guide in the Guardian for those of you who are not familiar with the epic which you can read HERE. For everyone else, here’s a preview:

Maybe at the end of this season we might just see the first glimmerings of that phenomenon called the sun. Happy Easter!

 

IT’S ALL OVER FOR ME … I’M JUST TOO OLD

It seems to me that to get on in life now you either have to (a) get up at the crack of dawn or (b) become a teenage entrepreneur. I can definitely do the former but I’m now beginning to wonder if it is enough.

Yahoo announced yesterday that it has acquired mobile news aggregator Summly.

Summly is an app which enables users to easily find news they’re interested in. It displays snapshots of articles from a variety of news sources using artifical intelligence and natural language processing. You can separate the snapshots into customisable categories and it is definitely the sort of thing that is addictive and of course useful.

Wait until I tell you that Summly was developed a couple of years ago by Nick D’Aloisio, who was then, wait for it, working out of his London bedroom and FIFTEEN years old!

The teen raised an initial $300,000 of funding in September 2011, and a further $1.23 million a year later from such luminaries as Ashton Kutcher and Yoko Ono. Apparently more than 90 million summaries have been read through the app since its launch in November 2012.

Yahoo will be rolling it out under their umbrella shortly.

Note to self, put pressure on teenage daughter. She is obviously not working hard enough …

SAMANTHA BARKS

Lovely Samantha Barks continues to sparkle on her way to stardom.

She fought off strong opposition to pick up the Best Female Newcomer gong at the Empire Awards last night for her role as Eponine in Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables.

Congratulations Samantha!

Click HERE for her acceptance speech here’s an interview:

 

LIL BUB

It’s the end of a long, cold week and I think we all deserve a little light relief thanks to the wonder of the worldwide web.

Aren’t you always hearing about how the real role of YouTube is to be the home for millions of cat videos?

I think those rumours might be true after my daughter introduced me this morning to the YouTube phenomenon that is Lil Bub.

Lil Bub is a cat but not just any cat. Lil Bub was the runt of the litter, and has various physical problems to contend with.

But thanks to the global reach and influence of  YouTube, said cat has what I can only describe as superstar status with a Facebook page, Twitter account and endless online videos.

Lil Bub has even had a documentary made about her, Lil Bub and Friendz, which debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival this year.

The trailer was recently released and you can watch it in all its glory here:

And Lil Bub is not alone, Henri the existential cat’s owner used to be a wedding photographer but gave up to concentrate on the musings of his furry friend, Grumpy Cat has his own website and merchandise and also made it onto national TV in America such is his cult status.

Forget Comic Con, if you are a feline fanatic you can attend the Internet Cat Video Festival, a now annual event in Minneapolis where you can worship at the feet (or should I say paws) of your favourite cats.

This must say something about the human condition, as a species we have an overwhelming desire to communicate anything to do with cats to our peers and the technological revolution is satisfying that need in spades.

What did everyone do before the web? How did they survive without the warming presence of Lil Bub in their lives?

TALKING SHOES

I think I have seen it all now …

Art, Copy and Code has come up with a series of experiments to re-imagine advertising. The initiative asks how the modern web will shape the future of advertising and partners with the innovative brands, storytellers and makers who are defining it to find out.

One of these experiments is talking shoes from Adidas. Personally, I think I’d have to destroy said shoes in a matter of minutes they are so annoying, but I’m obviously not the target audience.

The idea behind them is to connect the offline and online world, with marketers inviting people to interact with their products through the web.

So, you can put on the shoes and they will communicate and connect your
activity to the web. Using an accelerometer, a gyroscope, bluetooth and other technologies, the ‘talking shoe’ translates shoe movements into what is supposed to be funny and motivating commentary which can be posted to Google+, or if the wearer chooses, they can also broadcast the dialogue via on-board speakers.

Can you imagine? Here’s a little film to give you an idea of just what people would be letting themselves in for:

What do we think? The future of consumer engagement? I think they’ll have to brush up on their grammar first …

CHINESE BUYING POWER

My sights have been turned on China for a while now, and I’m becoming rather boring telling everyone we should be looking east rather than west for the future of advertising.

Want China Times (a Taiwanese newspaper published in English) added grist to my mill this week with an article about Chinese billionaires. Apparently the spending power of the richest people in China accounts for over 25% of the global sales of all luxury brands.

Companies like Louis Vuitton are seeing 50% of their products snapped up by Chinese purchasers whose preferred luxury products are clothes, jewellery, watches, cosmetics and fabrics.

According to new  statistics produced by Global Blue, a multinational company specialising in products and services for international shopping and spending, Chinese shoppers are for the first time ranked number 1 in terms of spending on tax-free shopping, accounting for 17% of all tax-free shopping purchases.

Brands are going to have to work harder I think to sell their wares as the Chinese purchaser is becoming increasingly sophisticated with a shift away from businessmen to younger shoppers and women.

These consumers will not be relying on “luxury” alone, but will want targeted products relevant to their specific cultural lifestyle.

Will I be proved wrong? It will be interesting to see if China continues it stronghold on the international markets over the next couple of years. I for one will definitely be watching …

 

THE WORLD OF BLOGGING

It’s Friday everyone!

I’ve had an unbelievably manic week which has meant the blog taking a back seat for a few days as I wrestled with work. It’s been odd not to have the daily ritual of sitting down and typing, and made me realise how much it has become part of my life.

I am of course not alone, there are literally millions and millions of people out there beavering away sending off their thoughts into the ether. I think it is one of the great things about the phenomenon of the global online community that there will always be someone out there writing something interesting (my current favourite is all about how Hollywood films fare in in China). I still can’t get over the fact  that I can connect with bloggers literally from all over the world (as long as they speak English!).

Next time your having a chat with a colleague in the office kitchen ask them if they have a blog – you might be surprised by their response.

That happened to me this morning. My colleague Emma Campbell casually dropped into the conversation the fact that she writes a blog all about her four children - one son and triplets. Not only does Emma write a wonderfully honest blog, she also has a column on the subject of bringing up her tribe in Multiples magazine (which is for parents of twins and triplets) and is about to start writing one for Best Magazine.

A woman of many children and equally many talents!

So, I encourage you to get in front of that computer and have a go if you keep thinking about putting fingers to keyboard (what’s the phrase? I can’t now say “pen to paper”). There is a great sense of camaraderie out there and as I said, you will find interesting, like-minded people from all over the world coming out of the woodwork.

 

 

HARNESSING THE COLD

I had the joy of walking into work yesterday in the biting north easterly wind. My discomfort was compounded by the loss of a glove near Old Street and I was very pleased to thaw out in the comforting warmth of my office.

Mark Zuckerberg is obviously immune to winter. His COO Sheryl Sandberg has revealed, in her book Lean In about the company, that he keeps the Facebook offices at a mean temperature of 15C.

There’s speculation that this is an attempt to keep productivity levels high but I can’t imagine that would work. There’s nothing worse than sitting at your desk feeling chilly or having to wear your coat to stay at your computer for any length of time.

A Guardian article on the subject points out that in this country the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers recommends an office temperature should be 20C. And, according to further research, this is still below the optimum level for productivity.

Apparently performance peaks in an office heated to around 22C. A study by Cornell University in New York put the ideal level even higher, at 25C. They found that when an office was heated to that temperature, workers typed 100% of the time and had a 10% error rate; at 20C, they typed 54% of the time, and had a 25% error rate.

At 15C I would think that 20% of your time would be spent typing with a 75% error rate due to numb fingers. The rest of the time would be spent making trips to the kitchen to make hot drinks.

I’m not quite sure whether to believe this story about Facebook though – when I did a Google search for images of the company’s offices, all I could find were photos of people in their shirt sleeves and t-shirts!

 

 

USE YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE

Who hasn’t been out and about with a dying phone and no access to that all important electricity supply?

Never fear, help is at hand courtesy of some new technology which uses the heat or cold from your cup to charge said phone.

The catchy-named Epiphany onE Puck uses the Victorian technology of a stirling engine (developed in 1816 to rival steam power) in a handy coaster with a standard connection to plug into your mobile device.

Sit your cup of coffee or can of coke on the coaster, attach your useless phone and bobs your uncle it will charge in no time.

Brilliant don’t you think? The device was of course funded on Kickstarter and I am desperate to get hold of one, as seems like one of the most useful things you could have in your life right now.

You can see it in action here:

 

THIS THIRTYSOMETHING LIFE

I think a success story today because it’s Friday …

Ariella Feiner at UA looks after an author called Jon Rance whose short story, This Twentysomething Life, was released yesterday as a free eBook and is a prequel to his novel This Thirtysomething Life.

Not very newsworthy I hear you say, until I tell you that Jon self-published This Thirtysomething Life on Amazon in 2011 after his previous four novels had all been rejected by agents. After putting it up there Jon got on with his sixth book and didn’t give the fifth much thought until late 2012.

Then, he decided he really should do some PR, and after reading some other writers’ blogs, signed up to the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing free five-day promotion offer.

This lead to a very pleasing snowball effect with This Thirtysomething Life eventually reaching the top 10 list of paid Kindle books.

Not an agent, or publisher in sight – just word of mouth and the global community at work. As a result, Jon was signed by UA and now has a 2 book deal with Hodder and Stoughton.

It’s an example I think of crowdfunding and shows that if content is good then the public at large will respond if you get it out there into the wonderful world of online.

So all you budding novelists, what are you waiting for??

 

 

THE FUTURE OF FILM BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

Did anyone else hear about a new film called Pulp?

Instead of a release in the cinema or onto DVD, Microsoft released British indie film Pulp exclusively on a games console, Xbox 360 to be precise. Microsoft is expanding the reach of the console as an all-round entertainment unit and involvement on this level is a perfect way to engage with consumers.

Pulp tells the story of a group of comic book geeks who get pulled into the criminal underworld so it is perfectly pitched for an audience of gaming enthusiasts.

The company is not afraid to do things differently – I blogged about the release of the Halo 4 feature film in the Autumn which Microsoft chose to place online rather than the cinema.

The world of gaming has an enormous global audience and is now most definitely one to take seriously if you are involved in film-making. Watch this space!

 

SCI-FI IN THE KITCHEN

Does anyone know why large kitchen appliances always decide to give up the ghost at the same time? No sooner did we grit our teeth and buy a new oven than the dishwasher turned up its heels and died. And now the fridge which has been talking to itself is definitely getting worse.

My daughter is rather pleased about the impending demise of the fridge. She sent me a link to something which looks unbelievable but maybe the norm sooner than we think.

Yuriy Dmitriev is obviously a man of great vision. He has designed a cold environment to store food, I can’t call it a fridge because it bears no resemblance to that appliance.

Every year, Electrolux holds a global competition for creative design students with a prize of 5,000 euros and a six months paid internship at one of the company’s design centres.

Yuriy’s Bio Robot cools biopolymer gel through luminescence. (I don’t quite understand how it does that, but then I don’t understand how my iPod works). A non-sticky gel surrounds food items when they are pushed into the gel, creating separate pods. There are no doors or drawers, and the food is apparently individually cooled at its optimal temperature thanks to the robot.

Not only is it open, it can be mounted vertically and horizontally (even on the ceiling!), and can be modified to any size.

Sounds amazing, but I wonder if Yuriy has really thought this through?

How do you dust it? Can you wipe it down? What happens if you commit the sin of forgetting about something at the back and discovering a brown liquid some weeks later?

And of course how do you prevent children from keeping their naughty hands out of it? (maybe that’s why it has the ceiling option).

Although possibly flawed, I take my hat off to Electrolux and their engagement with young designers.

If you feel inspired have a look at this year’s competition, the deadline for entries is the 15th March, so you’ve still got time to submit your idea:

 

BROADCHURCH TONIGHT

Something to keep you on the sofa tonight and for the next 7 Mondays …

ITV’s new thriller Broadchurch starts tonight at 9pm and stars Olivia Colman as DS Ellie Miller, who with her rival DI Alex Hardy (David Tennant), investigates the death of an 11-year-old boy in a quiet Dorset town.

The series explores what happens to a small community when it suddenly becomes subjected to the full glare of the media spotlight.

Olivia’s character Ellie has to find reserves of patience and toughness to negotiate a professional relationship with the difficult and unyielding Alex Hardy (Tennant). And Ellie is also emotionally involved in the case because her son Tom was the dead boy’s best friend.

Costume Design for the series is by UA’s Ray Holman, it is edited by Mike Jones and the lead director is James Strong.

So, get that cup of tea (or maybe something stronger to settle your nerves) and watch. Here’s a preview:

IT’S NO GOOD, YOU CAN’T AVOID COMIC RELIEF

It’s that time of year again – Comic Relief. Things have been going on for some weeks now in the build up to the night itself on March 15th.

If you have somehow managed to miss the comedy madness and mayhem I think you should give Let’s Dance for Comic Relief a good go especially because not one, but two UA clients have made it through to the final.

Coronation Street star Antony Cotton amazed everyone with his tap dancing prowess(not only can the man act, he is a veritable Fred Astaire), and comedian Katherine Ryan did some serious enormous bootie shaking in her very energetic performance of Starships by Nicki Minj.

And here they are to cheer up your Friday:

Let’s all get voting.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS …

Working with the wonderful world of advertising as I do, I am the annoying person who is ALWAYS looking at commercials whether still, online, outdoor, indoor - if there’s an advert in my sightline then I’m there.

Research came out yesterday from Route, an audience research body for outdoor advertising, looking at the way we encounter outdoor advertising in this country.

The research was extensive, starting in 2008, and included the largest GPS travel survey tracking 28,000 people over a nine day period, resulting in the creation of 19 billion GPS records.

Eye tracking techniques were also adopted to identify the adverts participants saw whilst travelling, and included the measurements of 360,000 frames for road, bus and the tube.

In an average day someone will make eye contact with around 27 roadside posters, 14 bus adverts and by taking a trip on the tube, they will come across an average of 74 adverts. Apparently the average distance travelled out-of-home each week is 241km at an average speed of 19.94 km per hour and according to the research, men travel faster and further than women.

Here’s the film Route made about the project:

I think the research is interesting, but don’t we really need to know what place outdoor has in driving sales?

Is it key? Or has the rise in mobile meant that we are all glued to our devices when travelling on public transport blissfully unaware of the advert opposite us on the tube (unless you are me of course).

I’d be really keen to see some findings about that ….

 

 

JAMES MCAVOY IS MACBETH

Back at my desk and fully up to date with all the Oscars news. But far away from the gossip and hype of the red carpet in LA, is the London West End stage.

And gracing that stage is a UA client who is very familiar with Hollywood and the world of film.

James McAvoy is starring in Macbeth, Shakespeare’s darkest work at the Trafalgar Studios until the 27th April and I advise you to beg, steal or borrow tickets as he gives an utterly amazing performance as the tormented Scottish lord struggling for power, fuelled by ambition and paranoia.

The reviews have been amazing:

It would be a cliché to say that James McAvoy inhabited the part; also inaccurate. It’s much closer to the truth to say that he was possessed by it. Every beautifully rolled Scottish word, sounded like it had just occurred to him and issued forth that moment for the first time. His take on  the character, as someone composed of equal measures of courage, doubt and a dark sense of humour at his own predicament, was innovative yet true. He is no Hollywood star, trying to prove something. He is a supremely talented, consummate professional who holds nothing back. [Huffington Post]

You could say that he is always the man of action even when laying bare – in incisive and pungently Scots-accented verse-speaking – the knotty nuances of his innermost fears and torments. And the actor makes that seem perfectly natural in a gripping, no-holds-barred performance that will impress fans of his work in the X-Men movies and unlock for youthful newcomers to Shakespeare some of the poetic and psychological riches of the play. [The Independent]

Be ready, too, for an excellent and harrowing performance from McAvoy. His Macbeth is possessed with manic brutality. We often glimpse, unnervingly, the whites of his eyes and the sudden blaze of his smile. He is a man of action whose words go awol: he chokes on “amen” and the names of the men he has killed. [The Guardian]

You can buy those tickets HERE.

FRIDAY FABULOUSNESS FROM, OF COURSE, ALDI

I’m off next week enjoying the delights of Paris with teenage daughter, but I couldn’t leave without sharing Aldi’s latest offering (I know, I can’t help it, I just love them!).

Their new commercial provides a much-needed antidote to the advertising schmaltz which always surrounds Valentine’s Day and really makes me laugh:

What’s not to like?

WE SAVED YOU A SEAT …. IN IRELAND

Anyone who has visited Ireland recently can’t have failed to notice banners and signs everywhere all promoting ”The Gathering“.

The Gathering isn’t a rock band, but an initiative to persuade the great Irish diaspora, which apparently numbers some 70 million worldwide, to return home (and spend lots of  money).

Described in terms designed to pull at the heart-strings of anyone with a smidgin of Irish blood in them, Ireland will open its arms to friends and family from all over the world, inviting them home to locally organised gatherings in villages, towns and cities. There are clan gatherings, festivals, special sporting events, music and concerts taking place across the country, all year long.

As part of the marketing drive, the fabulous Andrew Maxwell is fronting a very funny short film to mobilise everyone to pack their bags and get over to the old country in 2013:

I think I might have to pin my 1/8 of an Irish person badge on and get over there!