Category Archives: Digital

Blog, Creative, Digital, Social Media

#NorthamptonClown: The Social Media Circus

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past week you would have heard of the infamous Northampton Clown. Forget Ronald McDonald or Krusty, this social-media savvy clown operates a Facebook page that currently has over 145,000 ‘likes’.

Not only is the Northampton Clown an Internet sensation, the entertainer’s antics have made news worldwide. Dressed in full clown regalia that bear’s a striking resemblance to Pennywise, the killer clown from Stephen King’s IT, he is keen to keep his identity hidden behind face paint.

Since his first appearance on Friday 13th the Northampton Clown’s Facebook page ‘Spot Northampton’s Clown’ has grown faster than you can say rubber chicken. The Clown frequently updates the page, posting pictures of himself standing in various places across the Shire, eerily pointing at passers by. The page receives thousands of comments a day from users worldwide, mostly aged between 18-34 years old.

The same day a flurry of social media activity began on Twitter under the hashtag #northamptonclown, which has since had a total of 14,055 mentions. On September 13th,  there were only 22 tweets mentioning the #northamptonclown hashtag. This then grew to 517 mentions the following day after media interest in the Clown story exploded.

Screen shot 2013-09-20 at 11.24.18

On the third day after the Clown had been spotted again in Northampton town centre, tweet numbers spiked to an incredible 4,438. Similar numbers of tweets were made on the 16th after Northamptonshire Police (@northantspolice) got in on the action, denying rumours that they had arrested anyone dressed as a Clown. Both of the hashtags #northamptonclown and #Northampton were the highest trending topics in the UK over that weekend, as people from the area tried to capture their own snaps of the clown.

Whether or not the ‘Northampton Clown’ is a carefully calculated publicity stunt or someone just trying to cause a bit of mischief only time will tell. Whatever the reasoning behind Pennywise’s appearances the whole saga is an incredible social media achievement, which brands across the world could only hope to pull off.

So, what’s next for the world’s most social Clown? A final check on the ‘Spot Northampton’s Clown’ Facebook page shows that ‘like’ numbers have continued to spiral, with the total currently standing at 147,158 (and counting). It seems for now the balloon of interest surrounding the mysterious Northampton Clown hasn’t popped yet.

EDIT: Since making this blog post live we have had this anonymous note through our office letterbox… I think we might take the Clown up on his/her offer!

clownletter

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital

Game of Phones

If you’re looking to upgrade your iPhone, for the first time ever you can decide between two brand new devices: the iPhone 5s or the lower priced iPhone 5C.

What’s the difference between them I hear you ask? Well, the iPhone 5s (which comes in gold, silver or ‘space grey’) is your more traditional ‘step up’ from the iPhone 5, which was released this time last year. The 5s comes with an A7 chip, a fingerprint sensor, ‘ultra-fast’ wireless, an 8-megapixel camera and iOS 7.

The iPhone 5C will be available in blue, green, pink, yellow and white and is marketed as the more affordable device. It features an A6 chip, the same ‘ultra-fast’ wireless, an 8-megapixel camera and iOS 7. The main difference between the two is the plastic shell of the 5C, which is cheaper to manufacture compared to the classic aluminum and glass combination of previous iPhone handsets.

Apple’s move into the lower priced smartphone category is presumably to increase their handset sales. However, at over £450 a pop (and just £80 less than the 5S) the 5C isn’t exactly a budget buy. If Apple had priced the 5C at around the £350-400 mark, similar to the Android offering of HTC or Samsung, the company might have had a chance to expand its smartphone sales.

There’s mixed reviews in the office, here’s what we’re saying:

“A password for this, password for that, memorable data here, memorable data there – I forget the lot! The iPhone 5S & 5C’s built in fingerprint sensor is the future, fingers crossed Apple got it right again.
Gavin Willis, Creative Director

“The screen still looks a little small for my liking but I’m loving the gold colour and the fingerprint scanner- no more snooping!
Colette Busbridge, Financial Administrator

“I feel like Apple may have lost it’s way slightly. Instead of creating new, innovative products, they’ve, again just re-skinned what they already had and are expecting another £500 for it? Steve Jobs must be turning in his grave, where’s the innovation? And the fingerprint scanner doesn’t count; the Motorola Atrix had the same technology two years ago.
Chris Dudley, Graphic Designer

“The real selling point for me is the new and improved design of the operating system. When I upgrade I’ll go for the iPhone 5C in green.”
Scott Bloomer, Senior Designer

“I love the colour iPhone 5C’s, I would definitely go for the pink one! My one criticism on looks would be when you add on the cover you can only see part of the iPhone wording on the reverse… ‘Non’ = meaning Rubbish! It would have been better if you just saw the apple icon.
Nina Billington, Senior Art Director

“Android is king, down with the iPhone!”
Christian Duffy, Web Developer

“Even though the iPhone 5C is marketed as the ‘budget’ option I still think it’s mega expensive, £80 isn’t much of a saving! Saying that, I have a bit of a soft spot for the bright yellow one so I still might have to make a cheeky purchase when my current contact runs out”
Amanda Smith, Social Media Manager

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital

Android takes a break with KitKat

In a surprise move, Google has announced that it will be calling the latest version of its operating system Android 4.4 KitKat in partnership with Nestle.

“We couldn’t imagine a better name for our Android K release than the tasty chocolate that’s been a favourite among the team since the early days of Android,” said Marc Vanlerberghe, Director of Android Marketing in a press release.

The Google giants have traditionally named different versions of Android using a sweet theme in alphabetical order. Google had initially planned to call the next version of Android Key Lime Pie – but were concerned that people didn’t really know the taste of it.

The sugary naming started with Android Cupcake back in 2009, before continuing with Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. The launch of Android KitKat will be celebrated with 50 million specially branded bars, which are available in 19 countries including the UK offering Google-related prizes.

Nestle have also joined in on a spoof promotional video for their famous chocolate bar that takes a dig at Apple. The KitKat 4.4 is described as offering, “adjustable orientation” and “global coverage” meaning you can take the snack anywhere in the choice of “a two mega-bite, four mega-bite, or chunky bite option”.

Watch the video below

The KitKat 4.4 website however is the real star of the show. It continues the ‘high tech’ campaign celebrating “the immersive multi-sensory” KitKat experience with the use of some nice scrolling tricks.

Blog, Design, Digital, Social Media

Our Favourite Apps – August 2013

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Here at GWHQ we use a lot of apps. We’re a team of 9 who are addicted to all things digital and social so it didn’t take us long to decide our must-have apps ranging from cult favourites to unsung heroes. Presented in a random order we give to you “Our favourite apps of all-time” (for now anyway…)

p.s The titles are all clickable and go straight to the website where you can download the app from. Thank us later

1) Team Stream from Bleacher Report

What is it? Team Stream helps you stay in the know with your favourite teams – get hand picked sport stories from around the web without having to subscribe to a bunch of RSS or Twitter feeds. The experience is designed to be highly customisable and social allowing users to take control of what they read.

Price: Free

2) Vintage Camera

What is it? The App that gets the most hype when it comes to photo-editing is nearly always Instagram, well we’re bucking the trend! If you’re looking for a retro vibe to your photos we much prefer the filters on offer with Vintage Camera.

Price: Free

3) What’sApp

What is it? Cult favourite – What’sApp is the ultimate cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. It’s quick, fun and customisable (what more could you want?)

Price: Free

4) Snapchat

What is it? Snapchat allows users to capture videos and pictures that self destruct after a few seconds. You send someone a message, decide if you want it live for 1-10 seconds, then that’s it it’s gone. Extremely addictive, hilarious and a great way to pass time.

Price: Free

5) Spotify

What is it? Spotify gives you instant access to millions of songs, albums and playlists. It’s a great way to discover new music or listen to old classics… Such as The Spice Girls (yep, we made a Spice Girls playlist shhh don’t tell).

Price: Free/subscribe

6) Candy Crush Saga

What is it? And the award for the most addictive app goes too… Candy Crush! It’s basically Bejewelled in hunger-inducing candy form. You score points by lining up at least three candies in a row to ‘crush’ them. If you haven’t downloaded this yet you’ve got to give it a go. However if you get stuck on level 38 don’t come crying to us… We can’t get it off it either.

Price: Free

7) BBC Weather

What is it? Pretty self explanatory but a great app nether the less. Living in England you need to know what the weather is like day to day and this does the job perfectly.

Price: Free

8) Netflix

What is it? If you want TV episodes and films on your phone or tablet this is the app for you. Membership gives you unlimited programmes and films that stream instantly – we don’t have a bad word to say about it!

Price: Initially Free/ Membership required after a month

9) Shazam

What is it? Shazam recognises music and media playing around you. Ever had that annoying niggle when you can’t recognise a song or just want to know what it’s called? Tap Shazam to recognise, explore, buy and share what you’ve found.

Price: Free

10) Pinterest

What is it? Find your inspiration and share it with the world – Pinterest is an online scrapbook where you can collect, organise and share images of things you love. Warning: this app is highly addictive and may inexplicably cause you to plan your dream wedding.. (as a side note: there is the option to keep certain boards ‘secret’, in this case we strongly advise this)

Price: Free

11) Strava Run

What is it? Record your runs and rides, track your progress and join challenges. We love Strava Run for the ability to set progress goals – it keeps us motivated!

Price: Free/ Upgrade for better features

12) Skype

What is it? Good old Skype becomes mobile – use it as an instant messaging tool or for voice or video calls. Great for business and for catching up with friends.

Price: Free

13) IMDb

What is it? Learn everything about new and past movie releases, crew information, photographs, trailers, synopsis, user comments and reviews.

Price: Free

14) Sky News

What is it? Get breaking news straight to your device – Sky News features image galleries, live blogs, graphs, interactive pictures and videos.

Price: Free

15) Evernote

What is it? Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to do lists, record voice memos, set reminders and more. If you’re an organisational freak this one if for you.

Price: Free

16) IGN

What is it? Get video & mobile game reviews right to your phone or tablet. Not sure of what game to buy next? Search through IGNs’ top rated then bookmark them so you have them to hand next time your in a store.

Price: Free

Phew! That’s it, if you’ve made it to the bottom of this list then give yourself a big pat on the back!

And if you have any app recommendations for us then give us a tweet @GWCM_! 

Blog, Digital

It’s ok…you don’t have to admit it

We all know you’ve looked at it at one point in your life (some more than others). That’s right, it’s Porn, whether it was just a laugh with your friends, or a lonely Saturday night when the girlfriends away, we’ve all looked.

Thanks to our PM Mr Cameron, searching Google for that quick “fix” might not be so easy anymore. A couple of weeks ago David Cameron announced that the majority of UK households would have pornography blocked by their Internet provider. WOAH! Calm down, you will still be able to watch it, you’ll just need to contact your Internet service provider and have that awkward conversation where you explain your “son” is going through adolescence and needs some “education”. Good luck to all you teenagers that will need to confront your parents and ask to have porn turned back on, that’s something I wouldn’t want to do!

By the end of the year family-friendly filters will be automatically selected for all new customers. For existing users, your provider will contact you asking if you would like the filter activated or not. People who do not reply to their Internet provider will have the filter switched on, so make sure you check your emails! The UKs 4 largest ISPs have agreed to use the filters, likely to happen in 2014 and reach 95% of households.

Filtering systems will vary by ISP. Some will use installed software while others will use a Network level blocking system or time-based system. So when you’ve just come home from School, the parents are still at work and you need to relax, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.

What’s the point of these filters? The government says the filters are needed to ensure children are spared the “corroding” influence of pornography. They hope the filters will stop children mistakably seeing images or visiting websites parents don’t want them to see. It’s not clear what effect this is going to have on children. It could simply mean they just don’t see as much porn or that they try and find it elsewhere.

Personally, I think these filters will be too easily disabled. Although some ISPs will require you to telephone them, most will have a setting in their account page or software where you can turn them off. Now I don’t know about you, but the majority of teens nowadays are very tech savvy and I’m sure will be able to find out how to turn the filters on and off without their parents knowing. I know when I was a teenager my parents constantly asked me how to do things on the computer. Unless the filters are extremely clever, I think it will be too easy for people to get around them when searching online and with the way the Internet and websites are moving forward, I’m sure websites could be built and search engine optimised in a way that they won’t get blocked.

Although the filters may block the odd child from seeing porn, I think removing content from the Internet or making it more obvious instead of trying to block it could do more. So you won’t come across porn “accidentally” you would have to physically search “porn”.