Friday, 17 June 2011

The Birds

Angry Birds are everywhere (and yes the irony of that statement is not lost on me). What was a humble game for a phone has almost reached saturation point.

At Toy World the other weekend (I was there with the family, not just hanging out), there was a whole aisle devoted to the plush toys. Watching 30-Rock, Tina Fey refers off-hand to a level she just can’t beat. While in Barcelona (or Bathelona if you prefer) T-Mobile have created a real life version of the game, complete with accompanying Mariachi Band.

I don’t really want to get into if it’s a great game (it is) or why it is (it just is). Just that it was the 52nd game Rovio had made.

Your first idea might not be the greatest. Nor even the second.

But let’s get started. Who knows where it might lead.

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Giving the bird to digital

Penguins are an endangered species according to federal Minister for Small Business, Nick Sherry, who yesterday forecast that online shopping would wipe out general bookstores within years.

‘I think in five years, other than a few specialist booksellers in capital cities we will not see a bookstore, they will cease to exist.’

According to The Age, representatives from the bookseller industry were ‘gobsmacked’ at the Senator’s comments.

But I wonder why.

Were their heads stuck in a first edition War and Peace when news of Angus & Robertson and Borders broke?

Still, I don’t necessarily agree with Senator Sherry just as I don’t agree with the demise of direct many digital evangelists have predicted over the last decade.

In fact, in the ever-expanding online world, offline communications will become even more cherished and effective.

And for a simple, human reason – you can touch it.

Nothing compares to that feeling of buying a new book, pages unturned, spine unbroken and the anticipation of getting home to begin unravelling its secrets.

Navigating the newspaper on your iPad doesn’t bring the same joy as exploring a pristine copy of the Sunday paper over a coffee in your local cafe.

Equally, receiving a crafted piece of direct mail, produced with metered copy, paced art direction and perfectly weighted stock, cannot be rivalled by an eDM.

It’s the difference between high tech and high touch.

The difference between Corey Worthington and a Facebook party invitation, and Catherine Middleton and a Royal wedding invitation.

Digital is perfect for delivering information with high utility but may not be the best for conveying a message of high emotion.

So take a page out of THE DM GROUP book and consider the most appropriate medium for maximising the effectiveness of your marketing message.

It’s not always the newest.

Sometimes it’s a classic.

Stephen Flewell-Smith
Business & Creative Director
THE DM GROUP

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

3 essential steps to brand engagement

From time to time we see an ad on TV which we really connect with. We watch the ad, we link with the message, we desire the product and our respect for the brand grows. It’s a slam dunk. But behind that 30 seconds of delight will be a brand owner that has invested heavily in the process to ensure the perfect fit between brand and consumer.

I can think of a number of  iconic brands that get this right. What they all have in common is a direct connection between the message they deliver to you through the ad and their brand essence. The brand essence is the heart and soul of the brand, the central nature of what the brand represents to all those who come into contact with it.

For instance, Nike’s essence – “authentic athletic performance” – is translated to the following two slogans “Just do it!” and “I can”. Nike’s ads are created to harness the sentiment of both essence and slogan. 

BMW’s essence is ‘Joy’. It’s reflected in the long established BMW tagline “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” and, in recent ads, through the tagline “Sheer Driving Pleasure.”

Of its brand essence BMW says, “We don’t just build cars, we create emotions. We are guarantors of enthusiasm, fascination and goosebumps. We give you the keys to discover ever-growing and evolving Joy.” You can see how this plays out in their communications.

In (very) simple terms, there are three basic steps in developing effective brand communications. Of course,each of these steps involves a number of tasks, but if you follow the outline below and ensure you take the output of one step into the next you’ll be on the way to effective brand engagement.

Step 1 is the definition of  your brand framework – it’s personality, voice, values, unique attributes and, most importantly, its essence. These are the building blocks from which steps 2 and 3 should evolve. 

Step 2 is the development of your brand identity – its look and feel, visual language, use of imagery, colour palette and sometimes even a new or evolved  brand mark. Once you’ve completed step 1, there could be a number of directions the identity can take. Only one will be absolutely right for your brand.

Step 3 is the creation of a “go-to-market” plan – it defines who you will communicate with, when, where and what you will say. Make sure your communication platform, the idea or the slogan relates to your brand essence. Think online and offline communication channels, internal and external audiences.

At the heart of your marketing decisions should be how well you’ve connected steps 1,2 and 3. It’s the failure to do that properly which lets down so many brands. Don’t get carried away with a ‘big idea’ advertising concept if it has no relevance to your brand and its essence. That error is one of the main reasons ads fail.

At The DM Group we are committed to ensuring all our clients communications are built upon solid brand platforms. If you would like to discuss your brand or to see the work we have done then give us a call.

Malcolm Harvey – Client Services Director.

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Take one and call us in the morning…

When I was a kid, a tablet was something you took to take away a headache.  Now, a tablet is something that I use to read my son a bedtime story, play scrabble with my wife, catch up on work emails on the train and read the news I missed while all of that was happening. Do a Google search for tablet these days, and it’s not until page 4 that you’ll find any reference to medication. Yes, the year of the tablet is upon us – but you already know that.

You also know that the tablet computer is fast becoming a game changer, especially for traditional media. The business model for publishers who have for centuries had a monopoly on information, and charging for it, is currently trying to find its way and keep afloat in some fairly challenging times. After years of becoming accustomed to not having to pay for news and related content on the web, it’s safe to say we’ve offered some resistance to paying for it simply because it’s now on an iPad – Safari anyone?

Enter Apps, and a whole new way to monetise information. Today, Fairfax digital has announced thet it’s Age for iPad app will be providing a free six month subscription for download. So as an eager news consumer, you get your cake and are able to eat it for free. So what’s the catch? Enter Telstra and their sponsorship of the app. In a move that may signal how the app model will operate in the immediate future, Telstra will be footing the bill for the app – for you. Picking up on Adobe’s sponsorship of an iPad issue of Wired Magazine and Carpoint.com.au’s sponsorship of the AFL Footy Live app, app builders and marketers are finding new ways to get their message in the hands of a new, mobile and information hungry audience.

So given the fact that this new model may be a way to help the likes of Fairfax, News Limited and countless other publishers around the world again start to monetise their content, maybe the tablet of today can still cure a headache after all…

At clickDM, we’re also trying to cure business headaches, both with and without the use of tablets – if you want to talk to us about a way we can help bring your brand to life online, shoot me an email.

Craig Hockley – Digital Planning Director.

Friday, 6 May 2011

Evidently, the bird is the word.

The shifting of sands in the digital world is nothing new, and rarely does an acquisition of one online powerhouse by another raise an eyebrow – but this one certainly has me befuddled.

News out of the US last night is that Twitter has acquired TweetDeck, the small yet very popular piece of software that makes it so much easier for you power tweeters out there to manage the torrents of tweets flying across your screens on a daily basis.

Ok, so there’s nothing new there right – one software maker buys another – easy. But here’s the rub. Twitter is a free service that’s not funded by advertising. TweekDeck is a free tool that runs on that free service – yet it’s valued at $50 million simply because of its staggering reach? Yikes. That’s a lotta cash for comment.

To my mind though, it’s clear that someone, somewhere is hatching a plan to monetise this thing in a very big way before all the venture capital runs out. One little birdy told me that Twitter might even start delivering the occasional contextual ad into their streams – which means big opportunities – and big questions for brands. Like…how the hell do I make sure my bird gets heard?

Ian Ross – Technical Director