The Funny Stuff

It was very easy this time around to find great merriment on the web. Please enjoy the best of what our world has to offer, starting with Deb Does Lonely Boy on her spoons; type “askew” into Google (another good one is “do a barrel roll”), click on the ! on Yahoo!7′s AUS page; my favourite has to be texts from your dog (this is just like my Labrador speaking to me, except my dog doesn’t swear); dating for desperate dogs (which I think is a bit weird) and the funniest rap-off I think I’ve ever heard from Rhett & Link Rap Battle.

Facebook’s Algorithm – EdgeRank

It’s something you’ve probably heard plenty about, but probably something you know little of – the magic of the Facebook algorithm called EdgeRank. This beautiful blog spells it out perfectly for marketers – how does information get “decided” by Facebook, what appears in feeds and how, and what content plays a bigger role than others. This blog will become your greatest resource to ensuring your FB activity is paying its way. A bit like Google, this algorithm can change in a flash, so stay up to speed and informed. When you understand EdgeRank, you can then make the most of the advertising options on FB too.

Retailers are showrooms, right? Not!

There’s a lot of conversation around e-tail / e-commerce and our bricks & mortar stores becoming expensive showrooms driving the actual purchase online. Just ask any retailer where this sits on their agenda and they’ll tell you it’s right at the top. So what strategies are being developed to stop this? In Target’s case in the US, they’re simply stopping the sale of the product, in this case, the Kindle. I’m not convinced this is the best possible option, but it sure is an option. Explore these revolutionary themes for additional options. Do you buy on price alone? What about the customer service that comes with it?

Robotic Teddy Bear Educator for Kids

If you’ve seen how nerve-wracking it is to manage a child’s Type 1 diabetes, then you’ll embrace this glorious invention built into a teddy. Jerry the Bear has a display on his chest that indicates his blood glucose level and his eyelids become droopy when his blood sugar gets low. It’s gamification in the most precious way – teaching kids to look after themselves for the rest of their lives.

New Cookies Laws in EU/UK

Before you start asking “why should I care about the UK/EU’s new cookie laws”, just take a second to ask where you believe AUS laws are modelled.  Now that I have your attention, you should be up to speed with what the new laws mean as they come into effect from 26th May. In short, a site must provide that certain information must be given to that site’s visitors and the user must give his or her consent to the placing of the cookies. No need to freak out just yet, but you’ll look like the clever cookie if you’re asked about it from your boss. There’s also a good run down on what this means for mobile marketing too.

How to tell your friends they need a divorce

It’s a tricky subject, telling one of your friends that they may need to consider divorce. Well it’s no longer tricky in Mexico it seems, with the introduction of a Divorce Gift Card available from your local supermarket. With just four steps to complete the process, perhaps making up your mind to proceed is as easy as impulse buying at the check-out. I don’t encourage women to shop with PMS that’s for sure.

The New Lynx “Soft Porn” Invisible Ad

Labelled the world’s first “invisible ad” is the new experiential campaign from Lynx. It’s been all over the news but just in case you’ve missed it, check it out. I quite like that it’s using some new technology we haven’t seen, but I do question the overall strategy. A Sydney based Terrace house on Oxford Street is making we wonder why a relatively hetro-sexual brand is being advertised on the gayest part of town? I’m confused.

Coke cross-promotes all brands for music

I understand that teenagers love music. I also understand how much they share things they love and how they love to create. However, I’m still not so sure that Coke’s Musical Caps campaign from Brazil would have delivered. Teenagers love to collect things, but that’s a short term buzz and I can’t see that many kids popping their lids into their pocket in our disposable society.

So, yes, in terms of virability and generating awareness it was a smash hit and blew the entire world away upon its release early March 2012, and became THE trending topic for quite some time.

However, what about converting the Kony Facebook community pages into actual physical action?

According to news.com.au, of the 18,700+ people that indicated via Facebook they would attend the Cover the Night event in Sydney, only around 25 could be seen in Martin Place on Friday Night.

Which when looking at the Facebook status on the KONY 2012 Sydney page on March 10^th, “Remember to get down to Martin place at 8:30am to show your support. Actions speak louder than words, and being there proves you’re not just talk,” only received around 39 likes. Which was potentially an early indicator that the turn-out would result in such poor numbers in the way that it did.

Which raises the question of quantity vs. quality of Facebook fans.

It is one thing to shoot for the stars, and gain thousands of Facebook fans, but it’s another thing entirely to have thousands of engaged and committed Facebook fans. This is evident by the poor turn out to the Kony Cover the Night even in Sydney, despite the thousands of people saying they would be there to support the cause. When push came to shove, they had better things to do be doing on a Friday night.

Don’t get me wrong, KONY 2012 was indeed successful, hideously so in terms of opening the world’s eyes to the issue of child soliders. It just begs the question about Facebook fans and what it REALLY means to have thousands of them? Having masses of Facebook fans does not necessarily mean you have masses of people who will do anything you happen to ask of them in a status or a Facebook event request. It’s about creating a mutual and engaging relationship with a brand and its fans.

Engagement in a Facebook community is difficult at the best of times, but following these tips you can begin to improve engagement levels;

Check it out

A few examples of Facebook pages that not only have the numbers, but great levels of engagement as follows;

- Bubble O’ Bill Icecreams

- Improve your plant/life balance

- Skittles

- SurfStitch

Start worrying about the engagement levels and the quality of your current fans before you begin deciding you need 10,000 likes on your page.

I have been a closet Pokemon player for years, and will pretty much play any game going – so the idea of gamification revamping boring branded content into games I can become addicted to, is really quite appealing.

Gartner released a report claiming that, ‘By 2015, More than 50% of organisations that manage innovation processes will gamify those processes.’
This is truly exciting news, imagine 50% of the processes I use on an ongoing basis like internet banking becoming gamified! I already love internet banking as it is, so applying gamification concepts to it could be dangerous

Gartner identified four principal means of driving engagement using gamification:

1. Accelerated feedback cycles. In the real world, feedback loops are slow (e.g., annual performance appraisals) with long periods between milestones. Gamification increases the velocity of feedback loops to maintain engagement.
2. Clear goals and rules of play. In the real world, where goals are fuzzy and rules selectively applied, gamification provides clear goals and well-defined rules of play to ensure players feel empowered to achieve goals.
3. A compelling narrative. While real-world activities are rarely compelling, gamification builds a narrative that engages players to participate and achieve the goals of the activity.
4. Tasks that are challenging but achievable. While there is no shortage of challenges in the real world, they tend to be large and long-term. Gamification provides many short-term, achievable goals to maintain engagement.

Gamification strives to send engagement levels with consumers stratospheric, alter behaviours and stimulate creativity. This is a real opportunity for organisations, from improving customer interaction and crowdsourcing innovation to keeping employees on their ‘A’ game.

So let’s take a look at some brilliant examples of brands using gamification to turn boring content into games that actually engage customers;

1. Mint: A great example of gamification which is based on good financial principles:

• Spend less than you earn
• Make your money work for you
• Use debt wisely
• Be prepared for the unexpected

You win by earning points for accomplishing specific tasks and earning trophies for consecutive success.
Check it out here.

2. Samsung Nation: Join the Fun A truly interesting example of making branded content fun!

• Samsung Nation is a social loyalty program where you earn badges, move up the ranks and have fun discovering everything Samsung.com has to offer. Unlock badges and level up just by visiting, reviewing products, watching videos, participating in user-generated Q&As, and much more.
• Analytics give an indepth look into how users interact, insights into attitudes towards core products and experiences

“We created Samsung Nation as another way to demonstrate to these enthusiasts that we appreciate their loyalty and interest. This platform will help us better recognize and empower this online community of passionate advocates while they discover everything Samsung.com has to offer,” said Kris Narayanan, VP of Digital Marketing.

Check it out here.

3. LinkedIn: Interesing insight into human behavior and the use of progressioin bars.

• It is basic human behaviour that drives us to get to 100% completion.  Linkedin (professional social networking site) uses this insight to its full advantage, and gamifies the process of completing your profile via progression bar to compel users to take full advantage of all LinkedIn features. It then goes further and gives you a breakdown of how to achieve the remaining % to complete your profile. See image below of my own Linkedin Profile.

I’ve got to say, bring on a world where everything is gamified, I was born ready!

Do you agree?

Apologies for the 3 week gap in the news front, I figured you’d all be too busy over the short Easter weeks to read newsletters. Did you OD on the chocolate? I spent more time hiding the goodies from my daughter than devouring them – not helped by Greek Easter the following week. We also celebrated my so-called “newborn” William’s 1st birthday (isn’t he gorgeous).

Thanks to Studio Channel I also had the delight of seeing The Australian Ballet’s “Infinity” Performance. Such a wonderful expression of movement and not your usual ballet so I recommend getting along to check it out.

We have some interesting new projects on the boil too which I can’t quite talk about yet, but watch this space, there’s plenty to be excited about.

Who’s liable for your social media comments?

It’s a common question when we talk to our corporate clients about social media – everyone seems to understand the impact of interactions but there is little clarity around who takes the heat legally. This post from von Muenster solicitors gives a nice outline on who gets what with some additional references to cases with Google, Twitter and Facebook. Invest 5 mins of reading to make sure you don’t get caught out.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a flying car!

With the congestion of all major arterial roads in pretty much every state, I’m sure we’re all going to welcome this new technology from PAL V who has developed a flying car. Skip the traffic entirely – though I’m looking forward to NRMA’s Safer Driving School taking this on! The 3-wheeler needs an airfield to take off and valued at USD$300k we don’t have to worry about too many less experienced P-Platers falling out of the sky. I feel a little bit close to this project because I actually know the voice over dude! (Kudos to you Nick).

Personalised, Digital Shopping for Men

Shopping used to be about women and I quite dislike the stigma because men have the same needs, just not the same care-factor as women. Trunk Club out of the US has taken that need and turned it into a personalised & stylised experience for men. Your personal stylist will select a wardrobe based on your preferences and anything you don’t like you just send back. It’s online with a difference – for men who are too busy to be shopping online. I need one of these I think.

An eco-toilet fail

Elise’s blog “When Technology Crosses the Line” was just the beginning of many examples of things we don’t really need. When I saw this luxury eco-toilet from Kohler, it simply got added to the list. I get the features in some ways if you lived in a Nordic country, but what type of loser thought that a toilet using power and requiring a remote control could be classed as “eco” anything? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Baconize your site

I don’t know many people who aren’t bacon fans – it’s one of those meats that has a certain something about it. So when I came across this behind the scenes “Baconize Button” from Kraft, it kind of got my taste buds flowing. What an odd way to pull something together in the light of the digital industry’s ability to CGI anything! Everything is better with bacon.

First Twitter Ad?

I’m not a fan of Smart Cars, but their Argentinian ad for Smart is exactly that. Go to the Smart Argentina Twitter page and hold down the J key to watch it live; otherwise you can see the video in action here. I’m still trying to see the commercial value of Twitter and this is an interesting start. Smart could have taken a leaf out of the book from American Express by rewarding tweets / retweets.

Is Everything.Me going to rival Google?

As Twitter & Foursquare were launched at SXSW, most people are expecting to discover the next big thing at the event of the year. One of the highlights that seems to have stood out is the Everything.Me platform – a mobile search engine ready to rival Google. What rubbish I hear you say? Well, Everything.Me is a visual experience where Google is a very text heavy one – have a look at the difference. There are definitely some pros of this and what I like about them is that they are focused on mobile only for now, on the basis that “PC is not broken”. Good work.

Apps to Tap

I’ve been coming across a bunch of apps lately that I thought I should share around. GymPact gets you motivated to make use of your gym membership using cash incentives; HeyTell is push-to-talk messaging rather than sending an SMS; AllRecipes Dinner Spinner takes the guess work out of what to cook – just pick an ingredient and a time frame and it sorts you out quick smart; FoodSwitch lets you scan an item’s barcode and will make a healthy choice recommendation for you; and whilst we’re on food, the Woolworths app just got a whole lot better by allowing you to shop & pay on your mobile to have goods packed and delivered to your door.

I have pretty high expectations on most things and so I really had to brace myself for what I thought was coming – because I tend to expect the worst and be surprised by reality rather than the other way around. Indeed I was surprised – by the brutal honesty of our clients and moreso, just how pleasant it was to receive the feedback that I did. I’m not saying I was expecting a raft of disasters, I’m simply saying that there is always room for improvement and I didn’t feel that the “room” was too large.

When we started Zuni we had some very strong thoughts about what we wanted to achieve, what our business was to stand for. We distilled those thoughts into 3 key themes:  Happy People, Happy Clients, Quality Work. I feel like my little survey achieved a gold star for all of those things.

Feeling proud, I thought I’d share some of those results:

What you liked about us:

• 95% of clients would definitely or comfortably refer us to others
• 95% of clients rate our overall performance as “excellent” or “very good”
• 80% of clients have an “excellent” or “very good” relationship with us
• 59.1% of clients believe they are well aquainted with our services & offerings (that leaves me a big opportunity to make sure more of you know what we do)

Areas we can assist in and improve upon:

• Strategy Implementation:  Ensuring that next steps of our strategic recommendations are actionable, making implementation easy. Zuni also facilitate the implementation process and have a myriad of the best providers possible to do it with.
• Analytics & Reporting: we highly encourage our clients to analyse their digital footprint and optimise against it regularly – Zuni offers performance monitoring & analytics management – we don’t just hand over a strategy and wish you the best of luck, we want to make sure it succeeds too!
• Education: we offer tailored internal education sessions to meet individual business needs. Our clients have already experienced the best of mobile, digital trends, social media developments or writing copy for the web. Whatever it is, we can create it and deliver it, from 1 employee to a room of hundreds.
• Proactivity – I couldn’t agree more that we need to be more proactive and in the coming months I hope you all feel that we’ve picked up our game here.

What Makes Us Different?

I’m quite excited to run this survey again next year to measure our success at improving what we said we would.

Well done Zuni, I’m proud of you.

It’s been a hectic fortnight. Jacki & I were invigorated last Friday seeing Ita Buttrose address the Business Chicks Breakfast last week who is incredibly empowering, and all of Zuni took some time out to bring ourselves together in a fishing trip along the Hawkesbury (Justin was the only one to nab a fish). Sarah returned from her honeymoon and I finished the week on a high with a hot air balloon ride (totally incredible & recommend it). There’s no rest for the wicked they say, so the next few months ought to be exciting! So what’s exciting in digital then…

Data is King

The competition between Content & Data being king lives on and depending on the scenario, there’s an argument for both. Yet so many brands ignore the data that they have right under their digital nose. Brands are observing their customer’s digital body language – they can create real dialogue, the case study where Target knew a customer was pregnant before her family did is evidence of this. Unilever get it – In a digital age, that means inviting and empowering people to own our brands – their brands – and shape them alongside us. Creating marketing that is social by design. Helping people tell their brand stories, not just hear ours. The line that best describes this shift is “outsmart v outspend”. Enter behaviourial targeting. If you’re ignoring your data, then you’re missing the biggest connection with your audience. If you’re unsure what to do with your data dump, then let Zuni help you optimise your reporting and draw insights that can change your brand and consumer’s behaviour.

When Technology Crosses the Line

It’s a statement I consider often, so I was nodding along to Elise’s blog about digital advancements that have just taken it a step too far. I think the highlight has to be the vibrating tattoo – I mean truly, who in their right mind would get a vibrating tattoo? Or what about touch-sensitive wall paint that can ultimately replace your light switches and control your TV? Have you seen a heinous technology development? I’d love to hear about it.

Angry Birds Stop Cyber Bullying

A beautiful relationship was born when MTV paired up their anti-cyber bullying campaign A Thin Line by teaming up with Angry Birds Space to reward everyone who posts any action that they’ve taken to stop digital drama and you’ll receive instructions on how to unlock a secret Golden Egg level. It’s an innovative and integrated approach to branded environments and a perfect marriage of 2 social behaviours. This isn’t just another campaign, it’s attitudinal and hopefully behavioural change at it’s finest, with access to millions in a flash. I commend you MTV.

Best use of QR codes EVER

I love QR codes but fail to find something worthwhile about them most of the time, until this. EXCELLENT use of a QR code in France – where they can provide medical data for emergency responders. No need for an ID bracelet with limited information, imagine having all your medical history right there available at the drop of a scan? LOVE IT. Next application should be a QR tattoo so you can never be without your medical history. Or is that taking technology too far? The good are always met with the bad – this site shows a bunch of WTF QR Codes.

SXSWi Digest

If you’re not one of the lucky ones to be attending SXSWI, then you’ll appreciate an easy to digest summary of the interactive 5 day event. SXSW is the place to experience what is unfolding in the world of technology – new websites, apps, video games, startup ideas, film & video – if it’s technology then it’s there (Twitter & Foursquare launched here). There’s a feature on the Blogging Code of Conduct which was pretty interesting.

Brazilian Airline builds more than 600k Facebook fans

Brazilian airline company GOL jumped from 12k Facebook fans to over 200k in less than three days. During the Valentines’ weekend a series of images containing empty seats were uploaded on the company’s wall, without warning. The first users to see the images and comment the seat numbers won a pair of return tickets to any of GOL’s destinations. Whilst this is outside of the usual Facebook promotional rules, they did receive a warning, yet continued to grow 600k+ fans. Brilliant case study! (Thank you Bannerblog)

Mac Sales over 28 Years

This graph speaks for itself. It’s totally amazing to see the exponential growth for Mac sales over this period of time and the steep curve that every product has experienced. I’d love to see another product that has similar results in market.

Technology is generally created in the hopes of making our lives easier, but how much are we sacrificing in order to live happier, technology filled lives?

Val – our resident guru on all things trending, showed me this app just yesterday – Sleep Cycle alarm clock.

Essentially it is a smartphone application that tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you up when your in the lightest sleep phase – so that you bounce out of bed feeling brilliant.

My initial reaction was ‘SO GETTING IT!’ I always wake up feeling like I haven’t slept in years, and I thought this might be exactly what I needed.

So I immediately hit the app store, excited for something to improve my hideous efforts at getting out of the bed in the morning, until I realised that it sits underneath your pillow the entire night. Who in their right minds wants to sleep with their iPhone underneath their heads for the duration of a solid 8 hours?

What’s the problem you might ask? Well according to an article by CNN,  “Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.”

Brilliant – exactly what I always wanted, having my phone so close to my head for hours on end that the app that fills my brain with cancer, but helps me feel better about getting up in the morning. Not sure the short term gain would be worth it.

Which brings me back to my question, sometimes technology and its ‘helping hand’ just isn’t worth the sacrifice. Pondering this concept, another ‘innovation’ crossed my path today – a tattoo that vibrates when your phone rings or you receive a message.

One word. Ridiculous.

Apparently the new patent filed by Nokia describes a piece of fabric that can be attached to your skin, that will also alert you when you have a call.

Check it out.

However, there are a plethora of technologies that form my daily routine that I really enjoy using and don’t find them to encroach upon my sense of what is right and wrong at all. So what is it about certain technologies that cross the line and make us sit back in our chair, bang our fist on the desk and exclaim outrage?!

Would love to hear a technology/ innovation you have come across that you think crosses the line.

It would be great if every fortnight I could start with a congratulations for something – and following Sarah’s wedding I have the grand news of announcing Jacki James, our strategic planner, is pregnant with her second child. Jacki’s upcoming challenge presents us at Zuni with an opportunity to expand our team as we’re searching for an additional planner to join us. Feel free to pass it around if you know someone who might be interested. There are plenty of interesting and new things online, so prepare for a bunch of updates that may impact you and your business.

Social Media Changes this Week

With all the Facebook Brand Pages changes this week, YouTube didn’t want to be left behind and have released their new channel looks too. You’ve now got 4 different templates to choose from and the Channel Feed now defines what you’ll get as a subscriber. Before you go changing the world, make sure you’re up to speed with the latest Google Privacy Policy changes, it’s all interlinked remember. I won’t spoil all the Facebook fun – but you can create milestones, move your apps around and coming soon…Facebook Offers.

Zuni Uni – Competitions & Promotions

Last week for Zuni Uni I hosted a session on all things Competitions & Promotions. Some of our clients came along to hear about the restrictions of running comps on Facebook, the permits you’ll need to do them and the strategies to employ to ensure they’re successful and rewarding. You can download the presentation and if you’d like to come along to a Zuni Uni (held each fortnight for 1 hour over lunch), email me zuni@zuni.com.au.

Lady Gaga a Community Leader

If you were ever guessing why Lady Gaga is quite the phenomenon that she is (like I used to), understanding how she was the first person to achieve 20m Twitter followers is a good place to start. I’m not a fan at all, but I find her incredibly smart for someone who appears less than so. When I wore make up like that, people crossed the street away from me. eConsultancy give a great run down on what makes this woman tick over and over with her community. Oh and all that CRC & SOSO work Zuni have been doing? Well we had the grand opportunity to present our SOSO campaign to the Gaga Foundation in the US last week. Watch this space!

Work of Art @STUDIO

If you love a bit of reality TV with sass, then you can’t miss this fabulous new series from STUDIO Channel. Starting on Wednesday, Work of Art is a search for the next great artist. Think Top Model x Project Runway for artists. Golden. To celebrate the launch, 2 awesome artists took over an iconic building in Sydney, transforming it with their amazing talents. Definitely one to watch.

M&Ms Super Bowl Ad

This Super Bowl ad from M&Ms is just so on brand and terrific. This confectionary totally gets their market and appeals with their advertising to rival their competitors. It’s cute, funny and uses a hit tune to make it an instant success. I love the Cupboard one – genius.

Sharing with your Neighbours

Love a great concept and this is one of those. Share Some Sugar is a simple site – sharing with your neighbours what you may not use that often. An easy to find search function can bring together 2 locals to share rather than buy. Retailers will hate it I’m sure, but how many times have you had to buy something for a one-off use and then away it goes? Bring it on!

Kony 2012

As I write, 43m views of the Invisible Children’s viral video of the week has made Joseph Kony infamous. On Monday, that entire sentence didn’t make any sense at all. If you were like me and quite clueless about it that is. If you want to know what’s going on, Joseph Kony is. I’m not a political activist, I’m just bringing digital news to the people. I’m continually amazed at what our world can do in a heartbeat. Why then is our physical world so slow?

Webcam in a Banner

I’m not that fond of a webcam in a banner because I think it really does ask a lot of people. There are so few good examples that I don’t have another one to liken to. So I found this one interesting because of its pure nature – making someone laugh – not just anyone – an “older” person. I’m sure he copped his fair share of nude body parts, however some of the “entries” are really quite funny and it shows just what people will do for a free drink. Catchy much? Totally wouldn’t give up until I had won a drink for sure.

Just a selection of my social commerce purchases

Brand communications fall somewhat flat with me. As a seasoned marketing professional I can often see through the spin, the promises, and the attempts for emotional connection in an ad or a brand website.

It would appear that certain blogs on the other hand, have a whole different hold over me. One blog in particular has directly influenced more purchases than I care to admit. In case my husband reads this, I’m only prepared to own up to purchasing two dresses, two pairs of shoes, several necklaces, and a pair of earrings. I’ve also changed both my foundation and daily moisturiser as a result of trialing products I first read about on said blog.  The blog I’m referring to is Styling You.

Case study: Styling You

As a worthy Winner Best Australian Blog 2011, there are many things that blog author Nikki Parkinson does well. I am constantly referencing Styling You as an example with clients to demonstrate blogging best practice. Nikki started the blog to support her small business, and now her blog has become the cornerstone of her business.  So if you’re a brand with a blog, or a blogger who wants to work with brands (and get paid for it!), there is a lot you can learn from someone who does it right!

Four tips for an effective blog content strategy that drive purchase

What’s so good about Styling You that makes me part with so much cash? Here are just some of the key elements of the Styling You content strategy that keep me engaged and coming back for more:

1. From me to you – Create personal relevance and be authentic: Nikki writes about her own experiences with products. It is always from her point of view. Sure there’s the occasional brand ‘features’ speak in her blog posts, but always accompanied with an interpretation of what this means for her audience and why we will care. She is front and center in many of the photos that accompany her product posts, and there is no retouching.For a personal touch, Nikki intertwines just enough about her personal life to get to know her, without over-sharing and jeopardising her family’s privacy, or the wrath of her teenage daughter. Her new series of “Keeping it Real” posts features her everyday outfits, including wardrobe favourites and the scenarios they apply to (think swimming lessons and school functions).

2. Walk the talk – Demonstrate trust: Prove your recommendations by showcasing real world use of the products you feature. My favourite series on the Styling You blog are ‘The Model and Me” where Nikki features photos of herself in an outfit alongside the catalogue shot, typically a stick-thin model.


The Model and Me posts compare how real world women and the models look in an outfit

Earning trust isn’t as easy as a single blog post. It is something that is built up with your audience over time. But your audience can be a fickle bunch, and you will have the best results if you make it easy for them to trust you. When Nikki really loves a product, there is a trail of evidence to let her readers know it. Take Garnier BB cream, there is no less than four posts raving about how Nikki uses this product. Even though I was happy with my current moisturiser, it was hard to ignore, and by her third glowing post I was actively seeking this product out in my supermarket aisle. I’m only days into using it myself, and so far I’m impressed.

3. Don’t just flog product – help your audience: It’s all good and well to show and tell how wonderful a product is, but what’s in it for me? I want your blog to give me benefits not features. I need advice that will give me the confidence to try something new. Make it easy for your experience to become my experience. Be mindful of being enthusiastic, not pushy. Here are some great Styling You examples to demonstrate:
   • How to find a maxi dress that matters
   • How to look bright and shiny when you’re not
   • Three reasons why a facial must be on your must-do list
4. Mix it up – Use variety to drive awareness: There are different techniques to try on your blog here:
   • Maintain a balance of both inspirational and practical content. Styling You features fashion and beauty products that start at the budget prices and head towards the more luxury range.
   • Create posts that feature a single product. Styling You does this well with The Model and Me: Sacha Drake Del Mar Dress
   • Include posts that focus on a certain type of product, for example Swimwear for those NOT seeking skimpy
   • Include a totally diverse collection of products. Wishlists and competitions can be a great way to include a huge variety of product, and an effective strategy to feature products those that may not typically be a natural fit for inclusion in your own blog content.

Underpinning each of the four tips mentioned, is effectively balancing the personal and product elements of the blog. Admittedly this may be easier to do in some industries than others. The key is understanding your audience, and tailoring your content around their interests.

Do you read a blog that influences your own purchase decisions?
What other techniques have you found to be effective in influencing your audience? I’m looking for more examples of best practice so if you have a blog or know of another one that does a great job of driving purchase behaviour, please leave a comment below so I can check it out.

We had a big celebration at Zuni last week, with our Sarah Wright becoming a Deitz and marrying her sweetheart Geoff. She looked totally gorgeous and is now relaxing in Tahiti for a couple of weeks. As I’m now managing the Zuni bank accounts, I wish her a wonderful trip and a speedy return! It’s always busy at Zuni and the last few weeks have seen us powering through developing the latest & greatest of all things digital as we prepare the 2012 content for ADMA’s Digital Certificate. With a new blended learning approach, students will not only attend a lecture, they will also have access to assets online, class demonstrations & exercises, robust forums and pre & post homework – gone is death by Powerpoint! We also tailor education & training sessions for our clients, most recently we provided a client with insights into the latest & greatest of mobile applications. If you’d like a quote or know more about in-house training, drop me a line.

Henry & Aaron – it’s a viral

If you haven’t caught sight of this yet then you can lead your friends & colleagues through the coolest thing online. This had just over 2,000 views the first time I saw it, now with over 1.8m it’s definitely gone viral. The Central Institute of Technology in WA wasn’t afraid to really focus on their target audience in producing this slightly ewwww campaign to encourage further education with them. It kind of made my stomach turn at first but it grows on you and it’s hilarious. Brilliantly executed. Don’t miss others in the series.

What is Pinterest?

I thought this might be a fad but I’m assured by many it’s here to stay. It’s basically a digital pinboard, turn your scrapbooking into an electronic & shareable board. Sounds like a great idea when you’re about to renovate your house and looking for inspiration on all sorts of things, but in the long run? I’m just not so sure. It’s like cutting out all your magazines and storing them. Kind of like the idea of it but not as an ongoing means of communicating with people who subscribe to my interests. There are 160k registered AU users, more than 50% female – check out the stats. Flickr allows opt-out, and all the brands are wondering how to use it. What’s so good about it?

Mobile in China & India

You simply can’t ignore that China will reach its 1 billionth mobile subscriber this week and with figures like that it’s no doubt that their technology adoption will shape and influence the rest of the world. You can get a great summary of the state of play to get schooled up. In the last ten years, China has become the 2nd largest economy in the world behind the US. In the words of the 1987 film The Lost Boys “how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?” Consumer behaviours are changing, and mobile technologies are among the predominant influences affecting the shift. More than 50% of all local web searches take place with mobile devices. Does your business have a mobile strategy? If not, perhaps Zuni can help.

Book Airline Seats using Facebook

Innovation at its greatest and I’ve found 2 great Facebook uses.  1. Malaysia Airlines’ MHbuddy is a Facebook app allowing passengers to book and check in for a flight while sharing their trip details with friends. The app reminds you of friends who live near the destination and during seat selection, passengers can see where their friends are sitting and choose their own seats nearby. 2. The Meet & Seat service – where you can choose who you sit next to on a flight based on passenger profiles in Facebook & LinkedIn. Not quite a stalking too, as both parties need to agree to profile sharing. That’s a dating app in the making.

NFC Digital Receipts

If you could give me a $1 for every receipt I’ve lost that I needed I’d have a uni fund for my daughter set up. The power of NFC has given us a service that lets physical stores directly send digital receipts to a shoppers’ phone. Simply tap your phone on that transceiver & the receipt is sent privately and securely to your phone, without the need to share your email address or any other personal information. Roughly 9.6 million trees are cut down each year to produce paper receipts. Trash the old way and fall in love with NFC.

Awesome Apps

A quick digest of some awesome apps in case you need some inspiration. Allrecipes: Dinner Spinner – put in your core ingredient for dinner, spin that wheel and out pops a recipe; Parrot Carrot Safari: a new quirky game for kids with binoculars and a great game from our FarmVille developers Zynga, WordsWithFriends: a big multi-player game of Scrabble.

Agency & Brand Christmas Cards

It used to be a highlight of mine, but not so much any more. Each year agencies & brands put plenty of time into their Christmas Card, usually a digital one. Admittedly, I rarely view an electronic card these days, they seem, well, all too impersonal to me. If you’re up for viewing 180 cards from the agencies & brands of the world, then plonk yourself down.