2009 (Digital) Resolutions
Alpacas. The new LOL cats?
Kerry has started a meme to share resolutions for social media and digital blah in 2009. Ordinarily I probably just wouldn’t do it but then that’s already…
…My 1st Resolution: Enjoy doing more of the fun stuff on the web and less o’ the work side
My 2nd Resolution: Give up explaining why I use Twitter to non-users. Like with everything else just try it yourself and decide
My 3rd Resolution: Bother to show my friends more of the cool/useful stuff on the web. This will help with my 1st Resolution
My 4th Resolution: Express my opinion more even if it’s *shock horror* a tad negative. As a PR you can get a little paranoid that a) you are creating a problem for another PR b) will never work in this town again
My 5th Resolution: Trim out people in my communities who are unpleasant about PRs. Yes, we make mistakes but there should still be space for people to mess up without all this stoopid ‘naming and shaming’. Personal attacks on, quite often, junior people just starting out in their careers and following instructions, are rubbish. This includes PRs who are quick to cannibalise each other.
Could I suggest we spend 2009 victimising call centre support staff instead? Let’s face it everyone gets fed up with customer service, we’ll never find out their real names and we might get some vouchers from ranting.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
In line with 1st Resolution going to tag some non-marketers to see what they’re planning. Over to you Jess, Stuart, Steve, Leila and Ferdy
Free marketing and PR resources online
Sharing is caring
Something I like about working in this industry is that PR & Marketing agencies, who traditionally are a tad competitive and protective about IP, suddenly get great at sharing knowledge when it comes to social media.
The concept Wikinomics explains the business benefits of mass collaboration and if you’re one of the agencies still not open to the idea of sharing anything at all, then read it. Here’s a round-up of some of my favourite resources on the web. In the spirit of sharing what’s your favourites?
- Nixon McInnes eBooks: Currently 7 chapters in their series “A marketers guide to Social Media”
- iCrossing eBooks: 2006’s “What is Social Media” is still relevant for newbies and they recently added “Brands in Networks”
- Fallon Brainfood: Planners from the award winning agency have a monthly lunch and the fruits of their thinking have been shared; from live tweeting, to video and slidecasts
- SEO Chicks’ “How to lists”: Not just Search tips
- PNeo introduction to Online PR: Every single post full of “how to” and “what is” explanatory goodness
- Immediate Future Social Media Glossary: Even if you know your “above the fold” to your “XML“ you might still want to point colleagues and clients here to brush up
- e-consultancy: Not an agency but my ultimate go-to destination for useful information
- TED: Again, not an agency, but worth mentioning. The inspiring talks covering technology, entertainment and design are of interest for anyone in business or education
I’d also like to include a couple of my clients who have created some useful resources themselves.
FRUKT, the music and branding experts, recently began a series of talks called the ‘FRUKT Sessions’. The slidecasts from their 2nd event are here and I’d love to hear your feedback.
Don’t forget Attentio’s free blog topic trend tool, Trendpedia, and they now have a series of whitepapers about social media and industry specific trends.
Sackboy craft fans on Flickr
Too cute. Knitted Sackboy
Sony PS3’s latest game, Little Big Planet, has naturally been a big hit with gamers but the main character Sackboy has also become an object of inspiration to crafters.
This Sackboy group on Flickr is collecting pictures of different versions of the little guy rendered in wool, paper and ink.
*Tips hat to www.craftycrafty.tv for setting the group up*
UPDATE: Spotted on El Mundo Tech that clever old knitting mag Simply Knitting has created an unofficial pattern for would-be Sackboy knitters. It’s described as ‘the Grand Theft Auto of knitting’. Love it.
Treasure Hunt campaigns
Vodafone's Live Guy
I’ve seen two really good campaign ideas recently around Treasure Hunts.
Find Me
- What is it? Objects were hidden round London with clues to their location on blogs. Each object contained a letter which spelled out a question. The object locations were plotted, via map markers, to create a communal artwork
- Why? To promote American photojournalist James Nachtwey’s campaign to raise awareness of extremely drug resistant TB
- Results: for a short time it felt like this was all over the web, the hunt was solved in 36 hours, loads of participants = success!
More:
- Official moblog: moblog.net/findme/
- Campaign site: XDRTB.org
- BBC article
Vodafone Live Guy
More How to promote your music via social media
My Chemical Toilet praises the artist Little Boots’ use of social media to promote herself and engage with her audience.
Personally I like the fact that even as she’s about to hit the big time she does all the MySpace / YouTube / blog stuff herself. It allows her intelligence and sense of humour to come across, and you can’t help warming to her. Of course if she really makes it that’ll all be handed over to a lackey, but at this point it’s an example of how pop stars can use “social media” to promote themselves beyond just bunging a few tracks onto their MySpace. Or making videos that make them look like dicks.
Is it all pointless once marketers get involved ‘helping’ maintain social media platforms on behalf of artists? Or, is this just something we need to stop being precious about, much in the same way we accept stars have been media trained and not every autographed pic will be signed personally. What do you think?
Social Media Heroes and Villains
Love Facebook? Hate Facebook?
Love Twitter? Hate Twitter?
Too confused to know? Well apparently even ’leading online opinion formers’ aren’t quite sure. Their thoughts on everything from what they love and hate, to what they wish they’d known a year ago, have all been included in a new ShinyRed report Social Media and Brands 2009. You can download a copy of the report and decide for yourself.
Hghlights of the report? Well, um, a certain little grapevine *ahem* was included alongside big bananas like Charlene Li, Antony Mayfield and Neil McIntosh. Thanks for allowing me to participate guys, loving your work!
Other contributors:
FRUKT Sessions 001: What did we learn about Generation Free?
Last week I attended the inaugural FRUKT Sessions. I promised to drop a few notes down so here goes.
Dan Southern: Xtreme Insight
Dan kicked off with some interesting vox pops showing that if you ask people what they get for free they can’t recall exactly. Of course we’re accessing a huge range of free services & content everyday (particularly on the internet) but this has become so normal, especially for the young folk, we’re seeing ’Generation Free’
Dominic Hodge: FRUKT
Dominic listed some of the trends which have been driving the culture of free in music:
How to promote your music via Social Media
What a week. First I nab the goods from children’s author Alex Milway on How to promote your children’s book via Social Media then the ever talented solobasssteve whips up a similar post for musos with ‘Social Media- first principles for musicians‘.
At this rate I may never have to think of an original thought again!
Both new and established creatives are lucky; they don’t need to wait for help from fancy agents or publicists and can take hold of their online self-promotion today with these masters sharing their best tips.
is it a kiwi thing?
A stream of consciousness story told in video.
Yesterday I was lamenting on Twitter the geo-blocking on TVNZ’s OD service. Back home I’m missing the [re]debut of my sister, Narelle Ahrens, as Nurse Bernadette Hamblyn on Shortland Sreet :-(
Social PRobiotic, reminded of my kiwiness, then told me to watch the new Air New Zealand advert currently on YouTube.
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bh44yOZdPZo]
I liked it, but it doesn’t touch my fave NZ ad from a few years ago. This from L&P showcases how funny we can be when do that thing where we just laugh at ourselves (while secretly getting very very upset if you say one mean thing about our beloved country).
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GSFCvG6curE]
Listening to the ad again, the voice sounds suspiciously like Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords. Then I had a thought – now wouldn’t that be the perfect brand partnership for Air NZ!! NZ comedians + international audience + name related to flying = Advertising dream, no?
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_rXxi0zhM]
To try and round off this whole ramble, I discovered this old video of Jemaine AND my sis from cult hit Tongan Ninja. Now I don’t mean to perpetuate the myth that all NZers know each other it’s just, as Air New Zealand says, a kiwi thing.
[And she is gonna freakin' kill me].
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FtDtCqoDet0]
How to promote your children’s book via Social Media
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWSuuBVjtI]
This is a follow up post to How to promote your book via Social Media. In that post I mentioned a chidren’s book called The Mousehunter.
Now you can read the author, Alex Milway, explaining what he’d recommend for self-promotion in his own words (which, you know, is probably better than me trying to paraphrase here because he’s like a proper writer and stuff).
About:
I'm Darika Ahrens and I help brands develop marketing strategies for Social Media.
My background is in Public Relations for companies like Orange, Microsoft, Philips, HTC, Yell.com, and Estee Lauder. I've worked with and trained some of the UK's top agencies.
In 2009 the Financial Times referred to me as "a new breed of business matchmaker" due to my network of contacts and way I work creating bespoke teams to deliver projects.