An internet Christmas round-up...
Happy New Year from everyone at E-consultancy. We’ve picked out a few interesting stories that came out over the holiday season, in case you missed them…
Tories weed out inner tosser with budget web spot
The UK's Conservative party has launched an online campaign against consumer debt, featuring an odious overspending character they dub "the inner tosser".Created by Karmarama, the Sort-it website includes money-saving tips and a mini manifesto on fiscal responsibility. A short video features a flash, suited American encouraging an English shopper to overspend on consumer items from shoes to a sports car.
BK markets flamers to gamers
Fast-food chain Burger King has begun selling BK-branded video games along with its burgers and fries, in an effort to build customer loyalty through digital entertainment.Three titles for Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles will sell for $3.99 each with Value Meals purchased at US restaurants.
Borkowski PR: 'it wasn’t us what uploaded it'
When a YouTube clip featuring London-based PR firm Borkowski moving offices achieved over 10,000 views, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was a canny piece of marketing by the company.
Not so, apparently. PR Blogger.com reports that the PR firm denies posting the Benny Hill-style clip on YouTube.
Microsoft in cool-envy, Zune to be a ‘dismal failure’ - BusinessWeek
In an article called ‘Zune: Falling Down On Cool’ BusinessWeek savages the forthcoming Microsoft device, predicting that “by this time next year, it will be considered a dismal failure”.
And the reason why it will fail? Because it isn’t cool, and neither is Microsoft, says BusinessWeek. It adds that attempting to become cool is the only reason that Microsoft is launching the Zune in the first place.
Authored by Arik Hesseldahl, the article states that “the Zune will be seen for what it is: a me-too product that is expressing Microsoft's envy at not being cool”.
Maybe so, but business isn’t really about ‘being cool’. 'Cool' helps with product marketing and customer aqcuisition, but product quality and lifespan are key to customer retention, recommendations, and repeat business.
Fast Track Digital Training
On the back of numerous requests from our users we are launching a new 'Fast Track Digital Marketing' course this month. If you (or a colleague) want to boost your digital skills quickly this two day course will do the job.
Blogging for business - round up
As promised at our recent Blogging For Business conference, here is my first E-consultancy blog post. I’ve been set up as a blogger on our system for three months, so why haven’t I blogged before?
Well when I looked at Debbie Weil's list of reasons people give not to blog I had used nearly every one. No time, nothing to say etc. The real reason it simple – it’s just harder than it sounds. You can't make someone blog who doesn't want to.
Greenpeace delivers campaign message by moblog
Greenpeace protesters gave web users a bird's eye view of their latest online communications campaign when they used a moblog to capture an effort to shut down a power station in Oxfordshire.
Environmental campaigners stopped the flow of coal into the facility at Didcot before dawn on Thursday, then scaled a 600ft chimney in protest against the use of coal-fired stations.
Google's noun-sense falls on deaf ears
Tough guidelines issued by Google to those who persist in using the company's name as a verb have provoked an angry reaction from users.The search giant first got riled by the passing of its brand into common lexicon back in 2003, when it issued Word Spy proprietor Paul McFedries with a cease-and-desist letter commanding his removal of the word "google" from his site.
Do your users know their RSS from their elbow?
Whilst we get all excited about social software and Web 2.0, does the average web user care at all? Should they?
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
