Category Archives: Social Media

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital, Social Media

How To: Write A Strong Creative or Digital Project Brief

October 2, 2019 Amanda Smith

Get it right and your agency will deliver first time – no mistakes.

Writing a creative or digital brief in an agency can be particularly hard. So where do you begin? A good brief is one that inspires, is clear, sticks to one goal, has supportive constraints and inspires others to take on the project. Here are our top 5 ‘ignore them at your peril tips that any novice or expert ought never to exclude from a brief.

The Business Case: This part of the brief will encourage you to precisely outline what the problem is that you are addressing with a new campaign or project. Make sure you have a clear objective, avoiding jargon and any internal lingo. Write with your creative agency in mind; give an obvious and detailed description, so they can fully understand all of the factors they need to consider to achieve your goal.

Measurement: What impact do you want to make with the project? Include facts, figures and success indicators.

Competition: Investigate what your competition are doing and describe how they are achieving results.

Target Audience: Take your audience into consideration – is the project you’re commissioning targeted and tailored towards your target market? This is particularly important when making big decisions like whether building your website to work on mobiles/tablets is just the latest fad, or something you really need to consider.

Budget: Supplying a budget guide is always tricky, especially if you’re not sure how much it is likely to cost. With that being said, giving your design agency an idea of a budget will mean they can better tailor their recommendations to your expectations. If you don’t have a fixed budget, then a price bracket such as ‘between £2,000 to £4,000’ will be the best solution.

Ultimately, a creative brief should inform your agency as best as you can, so you can work together towards a shared goal: growing your brand and business.

Blog, Creative, Digital, Social Media

The Internet and Education: what next?

March 26, 2014 Amanda Smith

The web’s 25^th anniversary celebrated an invention that has changed our lives forever, particularly within education.

We have come a long way since using the Internet solely for research. Teachers, students and parents have thousands of different learning tools at their fingertips each day thanks to the Internet. Over the decades we have seen connection speeds increase, the rise of social media and more recently, the shift to online learning.

We live in an era where the wealth of data available and the growth in new technologies is challenging institutions to rethink teaching and learning on a global scale. The impact of how we develop the web and improve digital skills will ensure that the future generation will continue to reap the benefits over the next 25 years and help us to learn faster, better and deeper.

Privacy and Cyber Security

Security will become an enormous issue across all markets – particularly in education. The BYOD revolution, social media, data in the cloud and big data will all lead to a complex network of people and devices. By planning ahead and putting thoughtful and strategic security systems into place, organisations are not only better prepared to implement new technologies, but more in control of their current structure.

Incorporation of Social Media

Learning is changing; over 90 percent of teachers are using social media in courses they’re teaching. This means almost 9 out of 10 teachers now prefer social media and personal learning networks compared to old methods*. In order to link up the worlds of formal education and students IT skills learnt outside the classroom teachers are using apps such as Skype, Google Hangouts and Edmodo to encourage students to engage actively in the material. Other tools such as Schoology and CourseSites also allow students to submit and receive feedback through online communities.

Augmented Reality

Learning will become more creative with Augmented Reality, which allows educators and students to unlock or create layers of digital information on top of the physical world that can be viewed through an Android or iOS device. More and more teachers will begin to use Augmented Reality products like Elements 4D, which allows students to manipulate and combine elements like mercury right from devices, rather than just reading about them or watching a video. Anatomy 4D is an app that allows users to explore a human body and isolate various body systems.

Connectivity in Developing Worlds

One of the major factors education advocates have faced during the last century was a lack of decent education for students in remote or poor areas of the world. Currently, three out of five people in the world still do not have access to the Internet*. Google is launching Project Link which provides faster, more reliable Internet to the places, and people that need it. There are installing an open access fiber-optic network around Kampala, Uganda, to help Internet service providers reach end users with faster speeds at lower prices. Schemes such as this will provide cities with a foundation for growth and will allow the world to have universal access to knowledge.

The Internet has opened up learning for those who cannot find the time or money to attend traditional courses. Schools and Universities have increased their reach and the number of students they can teach by a major push in online classes and MOOCs. Soon mobile devices will be available worldwide, and educational tools like the Khan Academy will be readily accessible. Mobile devices will allow students to learn online without the need for teachers or classrooms.

What next?

These technology enhanced learning solutions will have a huge impact and will eventually lead to a more informed and educated world population overall. In a recent survey, 76 percent of people believed the web has been a positive force for society*. In a lot of ways the Internet has made it possible to receive a free and more engaging education.

Sources:

Freedom to Tinker, 2014
EdTechnology, 2014

Blog, Digital, Social Media

Fashion Week through 612 pixels

February 28, 2014 Amanda Smith

Fashion Week was once a platform for established designers to debut their collections to the ‘invite-only’ elite crowd of buyers and editors. But then the Internet happened, thrusting what used to live in glossies into the digital age and attracting a whole new audience.

For years, Instagram has been the photo-sharing app of choice for Fashion Week attendees. In the two months after launching in October 2010, Instagram had amassed a million registered users. Today, it has more 150 times that, a large proportion of whom make up the fashion elite. Research has found that consumers are engaging with London Fashion Week 39% more on Instagram than on Twitter*. Instagram’s influence has never been more prominent with over 316,359 London Fashion Week conversations taking place on the channel.

From backstage to the front row, the way in which the rest of the world views the collections has been altered forever. As the lights go down, the screens come out. Whether it’s the likes of Jourdan Dunn or Cara Delevingne who are regular ‘grammers, or the hundreds of fashion obsessed editors and bloggers who capture every moment through the lens of their smartphone, we’re now able to see Fashion Week almost instantly, through real-time 612-pixel squares.

Of course, designers have realised the potential of hundreds of fashion week attendees coming armed with their phones, ready to snap the entire foray. As early adopters of many technologies, the fashion industry has firmly adopted the app, with many fashion brands now orchestrating their own marketing directly through this platform.

Instagram made its biggest showing yet at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York this year. To encourage picture taking and posting, Instagram mounted a 6ft by 27ft screen, which featured a rotating selection of photos posted to their platform using the hashtag #mbfw. Designer Tommy Hilfiger teamed up with the platform to launch ‘InstaMeet’ – where twenty influential ‘grammers were invited to cover the show and share their view on the latest collection.

Brands are providing a balance of high-quality editorial on their social channels, as well as exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ images. This approach builds a community, which in turn amplifies their messages and actively engages their fans. British fashion house Burberry was by far the most talked about brand yet again at Fashion Week, with nearly 20,000 more mentions than the official #LFW hashtag.

Another British brand that took full advantage of the platform was Hunter Original, who engaged fashion fans in real-time by using a second-screen experience to share their debut catwalk show. As part of the Hunter #BEAHUNTERORIGINAL campaign, the brand uploaded video clips to Instagram to capture the inspiration behind the collection. Similarly to Tommy Hilfiger, the brand also invited three Instagram users to the show to capture images and videos from behind the scenes.

This is how we see fashion now – through pint-sized images and 15-second video clips. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; Fashion Week has never been so instant or accessible. However, if we can admire the same Topshop show whilst on the 176 bus, or the shoe of the season before the season even starts, through the feed of a fashion editor, then how ‘exclusive’ is Fashion Week anymore? Instagram is the Golden Ticket we’ve all been waiting for, and its tinted Valencia.

*Source: Bell Pottinger Wired, 2014

Blog, Creative, Digital, Social Media

How ‘Discovery Shopping’ Is Fuelling A £3.3bn Industry

February 3, 2014 Amanda Smith

The latest evolution in the e-commerce space is the world of discovery shopping. For years influential fashion reporters and industry insiders have controlled the trends, mostly relying on personal taste and intuition to predict the next big thing. In 2014, it is becoming quite apparent that social media networks and content sharing platforms are influencing stock decisions, and fuelling significant growth in a flourishing e-commerce market.

The potential of discovery shopping has only just been realised by retailers, and will have far reaching implications for marketers when it comes to customer reach, marketing and brand control. This content-rich, socially consumed shopping experience is changing both how we shop and how we sell.

Discovery shopping is driven by a combination of striking visual imagery and entertaining social interactions. Shopping sites such as Pinterest, Fancy, Wanelo and eBay, not only help consumers find and share products in a busy digital space, but make the experience socially appealing. ‘Social shopping’ may only be in its infancy, but it is already encouraging growth in the e-commerce market, where it will continue to thrive.

IMRG figures report that £91 billion was spent online during 2013, an 18% year-on-year increase. Much of this success can be attributed to the growing influence of mobile retail, with sales via mobile devices increasing 138% on 2012. In fact, new research from eBay estimates that in the next two years the value of social media for retail will more than double, growing from £1.5bn to reach around £3.3bn.

This increasingly powerful online community of shoppers and traders who pin, post and share their tastes will transform the retailer/shopper relationship. Nearly half of social media users are already using social platforms while thinking about making a purchase, and a similar number of users are actively deciding what to buy based on what they have seen on content sharing platforms. There’s an affluent prize for those UK retailers who utilise social media to influence and help customers make decisions. Currently nobody delivers inspiration more lucratively than photo-sharing website Pinterest.

Pinterest has over 70 million users and drives more traffic to websites than Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Reddit combined. Pinterest provides an amazing outlet for consumers to share and collect product images, and brands have definitely taken note. Fashion retailer Nordstrom, utilises Pinterest as an organic way to build brand awareness and drive direct sales. Each month, customers engage with the Nordstrom boards and ‘pin’ thousands of images, generating millions of impressions, creating significant site traffic and demand. They also added the ‘pin it’ button to their website, making the process a fully joined up approach.

Sites such as Fancy, Wanelo and eBay operate in a similar way, all supporting the ethos behind ‘visual imagery driving inspiration’, and ultimately purchases. What makes these sites slightly different is that you can purchase directly from the same platform making the shopping experience more seamless. Even though on Pinterest you are re-directed to the retailers own website it doesn’t seem to affect sales, as ‘pinners’ spend 50% more on average compared to other social channels. They’ll also spend 20% more than users referred from non-social channels, including search engines.

These advances in consumer behaviour can also allow shop owners to collect ideas, crowdsource opinions and gain inspiration. If more retailers actively monitored their social feeds it would actually help them to avoid unsold stock. For example, if some of their products aren’t being ‘pinned’ as much as other items, then they could look to reduce quantities of production, and vice versa. By empowering shoppers to communicate what trends they like, retailers will be free from much of the guesswork.

When it comes to e-commerce web development, the ultimate goal is to make browsing and buying as seamless and stimulating as possible. Brands must embrace this ‘social shopping’ innovation in order to appeal to today’s content sharing audience.

Sources:

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital, Social Media

Can Wearable Technology Ever Be Stylish?

January 10, 2014 Amanda Smith

We briefly touched upon the hype that currently surrounds “wearable technology” in our ‘7 Digital Trends To Watch in 2014’ blog post at the end of December. This emerging trend of personal accessories with embedded sensors and displays stands to be worth up to $50 billion over the next three to five years.

The smartwatch and Google Glass phenomenon will transform the way we interact with our devices. These pieces of tech will allow you to read instant messages, take photos and scan the Internet without having to reach for your phone. But wearables won’t just compliment our smartphones. This year the relationship between wearable technology and existing devices will become more prominent.

In 2013 alone, we’ve seen a handful of devices that aim to track what we eat, our posture, heart rate and even stress. Not to mention the array of communication products on offer to adorn our wrists, such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear, the Sony Smart watch, the Pebble, Jawbone Up and the Nike FuelBand. This year wearables will take the ‘personal assistant’ experience one step further. A wristband that tracks your heartbeat will now upload your data to the cloud, where an app will analyse your real-time health results and provide personalised dietary and exercise plans.

The fashion community is also driving its own fusions of technology and design. Advances in fabric, and ‘smart clothing’ mean that being able to charge your mobile phone from just the conductive fabric in your jacket pocket is fast become a reality. Imagine a leather jacket with the power to heat or cool appropriately, making unpredictable weather a thing of the past.

However, this trend still faces one big obstacle. Is it wearable enough to be considered fashionable?

Ever since the Google Glass made their questionable debut at New York Fashion week last September there has been a whisper of doubt surrounding these gawky accessories.

For a long time society has been obsessed with owning smaller and less intrusive tech, so it doesn’t conflict with personal style or preference. But the very crux of wearables means that they are designed to be on display for all to see, which brings a whole new challenge in aesthetics. You’re asking a world of fashion conscious people to make a commitment to an accessory, which favours practicality over style (remember the Bluetooth headset fashion fail?)

So far, several much-hyped wearables such as the Google Glass and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Smartwatch have failed to resonate with a large number of users. Much like fashion items, until these devices start to be pinned by influencers on Pinterest, lusted over and coveted in the same way as a Rolex, they will not become a product consumers will want to wear.

On the other side of the spectrum, a device that has achieved unrivalled success is the infamous Beats by Dr Dre Headphones. When these headphones first entered the market rivals did not think the company had a chance of getting anyone to part with more than £250 for bulky headphones. Little did they know that in less than four years Beats Electronics would be valued at more than $1bn. Dr. Dre has conquered the headphones market, but he isn’t even selling great sound. He’s selling celebrity. Technology companies could take the same approach and market wearable technology as something that is endorsed, and loved by famous faces. This would build a culture of aspiration, which has been noticeably absent from the wearables revolution.

In addition, technology companies must eventually converge with the fashion industry and form partnerships with top designers. It was only recently that Burberry’s CEO Angela Ahrendts made the move over to Apple as their head of retail, fuelling speculation that she will be involved in the design process of the rumoured iWatch. Will this spark the start of strategic collaborations between tech titans and fashion houses? Let’s hope so.

Unless companies settle on a device with both beauty and brains, there’s a danger that wearable tech will fail to become popular, remain unaffordable and nobody will have a reason to put them on, however functional they are.

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