cafécreate

The Forgotten Part of Social Media: The User

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:09:00 -0400

Why did you get Facebook? Twitter? Hell, why did you get MySpace? It was probably to keep in touch with friends, old and new, or maybe to remind yourself of the glorious summer days gone by and the great nights out that prolonged the turning of a new day; an extensive photo album that documented the highs and lows of life well lived. We took to the social networks to share, to become part of a wider community… and to play FarmVille.

Let me ask you this - what has social media done for you lately? How life changing was the Facebook timeline, or the new Twitter cover photo? They’re not exactly slap-in-the-face upgrades to your life; it’s the social media equivalent of the release of Coke Zero - I’ll drink it but inevitably life ticks on by. Anyway, the point I’m getting towards is that everything that changes on social media networks is generally geared towards advertisers and everything you hear in the news is about how they’re failing advertisers. Look no further than our buddy Facebook and it’s plummeting share price.

Don’t get me wrong, as an advertising type, I believe social media when harnessed right has huge potential for brands, that fact is undeniable. Facebook have invested huge amounts of capital into helping brands advertise, the pinnacle being Reach Generator - a revolutionary, yet overly complicated, way for brands to engage through Facebook. It’s now been scraped. Nicholas Carlson of the San Francisco Chronicle questions ‘Can you imagine if Apple announced an iPhone and then cancelled it six months later?’ People would not be happy.

The difference between Facebook and Apple is that Apple creates its products with the users in mind. With the users on board and happy, sales go up and a loyal following adds weight to a warmly received advertising campaign. By contrast social networks, are now being geared towards the advertiser in a desperate attempt to monetize the platform, users are considered mere numbers and pools of data… I’m reminded of the fact I accidentally liked KFC Australia on a daily basis. Furthermore, the new Twitter cover photo adds a billboard element to a platform that is being more and more dominated by advertising and brands, not the general user who helped sculpt the network in the first place.

No doubt brands have made great moves in the realm of social media, but the focus must move more towards the users before social networks can look to generate revenue through their respective platforms. And if this doesn’t happen sites such as app.net, which provided users with a way to view their existing feeds without ads for a annual fee of $50, will continue to rise in popularity. It’s not a huge amount of money to pay, but could have severe implications for advertisers in the future. Real talk.

iPad Mini? Mini interest.

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 08:12:00 -0400

I have heard a couple of things that have baffled me this week. Firstly, thieves stole over a quarter of Canada’s $30 million maple syrup reserves. Why so much syrup? What kind of world are we living in where a country feels the need to stockpile that much liquid sugar? And allow it to be stolen? For Canadians, I guess it’s the equivalent of the Queen being kidnapped. And two, Apple’s rumoured iPad mini. As hard as I try, I’m struggling to make sense of it all.

In what kind of world do we need a giant iPhone? Or a mini iPad? See, I’ve already confused myself. I was there the first week the iPod Touch came out - I believed in it, so much so I upgraded to an iPhone, and no other phone has even come close to tearing me away from it. However, I was also there when they announced the iPad, shamelessly lampooning it. ‘It will never catch on’ I said, a backing voice to a substantially sceptical chorus. I’m pleased to say I was proved wrong, and now my iPad is with me wherever I go.

But as news spreads about the iPad mini, I feel a strange sensation of indifference. I neither love it or loathe it. I’m not even that curious. All that it evokes is images of people using their Samsung Note as a phone, which is just plain ridiculous. In recent times, Apple’s strength has always been to drive opinion and rumour around its new releases, something that feels like it is missing this time around. I just can’t figure out what you would use it for.

As far as I can ascertain, it’s an entry level iPad, developed in order to combat those cheaper tablets, and to get you to join the Apple family in the hope that you’d upgrade in the future. For those who say it will be easier when commuting etc - what about your iPhone? For those who say it’ll be an easier size to read on than an iPhone, what about your iPad?

So with my iPhone, iPad and iPad mini, I ask myself, do I really need 3 sizes of Angry Birds? I’m not sure, but I’m leaning towards ‘no’. But, when was the last time Apple released anything that didn’t really take hold. They will surely highlight a failing in my life that the iPad mini will solve… I can’t wait. Time will be the real measure of success, so I guess I’ll wait this one out. No doubt I’ll update you all on its success from my brand new iPad mini in October.

I apologise if there seems no real point or opinion to this blog. It’s just a reflection of the beige emotions this release has filled me with. Now, let’s talk more about that syrup robbery…

Here’s hoping that we see another one of these in Henley...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:15:53 -0400

Here’s hoping that we see another one of these in Henley soon. Good luck Team GB. (Taken with Instagram at Cafecreate)

Cafe Cat! No name. We want your suggestions! #cat #kitten...

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:49:10 -0400

Cafe Cat! No name. We want your suggestions! #cat #kitten #mascot (Taken with Instagram at Cafecreate)

The power of video

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 08:16:00 -0400

48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. To say that’s a lot is an understatement - mind you, it’s probably a figure which won’t surprise most regular Internet users. But more important than upload is download, who is watching all this video?

People have been banging on about video for a while now - to the point where it has almost become the stamp of approval for a website. “No, I’m not going to take you seriously until I see your 30 second infographic video. Come on, you think I’ve got time to read?”.

The truth is, video is great. There’s a reason 48 hours are uploaded every minute - because people know that once a video takes hold, it can do wonders for your business, band or the really messed up stuff you’re into that you feel everyone else should know about, even though they probably don’t.

When people talk about ‘going viral’, it basically means ‘let’s make a YouTube video, get millions of hits and retire famous Internet sensations’. Unfortunately, there’s no formula to going viral, but that shouldn’t be put you of creating a video. The fact that there is so much video just shows how captivated audiences are by it. Every now and then, one video catches the attention of millions and it’s great for them, but your video still shows that you understand your audience, and regardless of hits, will resonate with those who actually watch it, engaging them on a level clever headlines and beautiful imagery can’t match.

Think about this, television adverts are notoriously known as the time for making a cup of tea, or quick dash to the restroom. However, search the latest Apple ad on YouTube, and it’s had 500,000 views in 4 days. People are no longer avoiding adverts, but actively searching them out, well in the online world. That’s active audience participation - the holy grail for advertisers - and it’s exactly the same video that features on the TV.

People want video, there’s a reason YouTube is regarded so highly. Just being viral is often as powerful as ‘going viral’. Someone will see it, and they will act on it.

iApologise

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:19:00 -0400

So Samsung’s tablet isn’t a rip-off of Apple’s iPad because Apple is far cooler than Samsung. Pretty solid argument I’m sure you’ll agree. Not sure who came out of that better? Apple may have lost the case, but the brand damage sustained by Samsung will surely make this a shallow victory.

Anyway, the saga rumbles on with Apple now forced to say that Samsung did not copy the iPad across their advertising. Apple have a track record of taking companies on, think ‘I’m a PC/I’m a Mac’, so it’s hard to imagine Apple not trying to do something clever with this.

At Cafecreate Towers we rather like Apple, well apart from our PC loving web developer, but we heard he killed a dog with his bare hands so you can’t trust his judgement anyway. However, I digress; so we’ve done Apple a lovely advert so they can apologise to Samsung in true Apple style, and hopefully fan the flames in the process. Fight!

Join the debate with #AppleSamsung.

The Olympic Torch comes to Henley

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:20:00 -0400

So the Olympic Torch passed through sleepy Henley this morning. A chance to glimpse man’s oldest achievement - fire. But not before man’s second greatest achievement rolled by, shameless advertising. Now, we’re all in this advertising business together, but even I find it hard to warm to the hype guys from the Samsung and Coca-Cola buses pass by, with their huge tunes and big afros. It’s 9:20am buddy, take those bloody sunglasses off, this ain’t Ibiza.

Eventually, the flame passed by the waiting crowds, iPhone’s at the ready ready to snap and share photos of one old man running - this must be what they mean when they say this is the first social games. Lloyd’s TSB also drove through, largely unoticed, so a good use of sponsorship money. And the crowd was then left to be entertained by a streaker and reflect on a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment. Hurrah. But on a more pressing issue, where was will.i.am? Is Taunton better than Henley will.i.am?

Activated Trader

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:27:00 -0400

The plan was to stage the largest trading seminar ever seen in London. With the biggest names in the industry including Richard Farleigh, Lex van Dam and City AM’s own Allister Heath, Cafecreate developed a strong strategy to help generate a buzz around this ambitious event. The result?

“We set Cafecreate an incredibly ambitious brief – specifically, we wanted to create the best retail investor conference in the UK from a standing start. The market place for these events was cluttered and un-ambitious, Cafecreate analysed and identified the optimum market position to secure the best possible delegates. As importantly, they delivered an informative and entertaining advertising campaign that genuinely changed consumers perception of events, whilst sticking to City AM’s core brand identity. I attribute a significant part of the events success to Cafecreates database management, holistic approach to the challenges of the brief and delivery of an impeccable microsite on time and within budget – we were delighted to have over 800 attendees at City AM’s first Active Trader. Definitely an agency to watch in the future, great group of hard-working people who really deliver for their clients… and a particularly sharp web developer!”

Harry Owen, Commercial Director, City AM

With a concept born out of Hollywood, the speakers were transformed into headline acts, creating a ‘premier’ feel, and attracting only the top traders and hottest leads for the companies exhibiting.

A microsite, built entirely from the ground up formed the backbone of the campaign and beautiful design and an interactive element ensured that the conference appealed to the high calibre of trader the event wanted to attract. The exclusive event was limited to only 1,000 paying traders, ensuring only serious traders attended.

The campaign drew on all available media to secure maximum exposure. A print campaign included a strategic build up to the event and leveraged full page adverts and cover wraps to keep the conference on the minds of those it was targeting. Far from just a print campaign, the microsite was accompanied by an HTML campaign tailored to the various audiences, and with dedicated landing pages the user journey was completed, and provided a highly involved customer experience.

The event saw over 1,000 traders attend the event, with Cafecreate implementing and monitoring all e-commerce and ticket distribution. The result? A huge success for City AM, which helped cement their place as the publication of choice for the financial industry.

It’s not how early you get up… it’s what you...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:20:36 -0400

It’s not how early you get up… it’s what you achieve in a day #photooftheday #olympics #henley #riverthames #ig #picoftheday (Taken with Instagram at River Thames)

The search party for a lost 93 year old woman in Henley....

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:58:46 -0400

The search party for a lost 93 year old woman in Henley. Seriously. #OTT #photooftheday #picoftheday #ig #henley #helicopter #police (Taken with Instagram)

Gary Connery vs Gravity

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:45:00 -0400

For centuries, man has longed to fly and land safely on earth, unaided, into a massive pile of cardboard boxes. Today Gary Connery, becomes that man… hopefully.

A world record attempt of epic proportions, miles better than that odd fellow from the White Stripes whose apparently going to break the record for the most amount of metaphors used in one tour. This one is actually exciting, and the man behind it deserves all the credit that comes his way.

With nearly 1,000 skydives to his name, Gary has spent most of his life as a stuntman, filling in for actors, and never getting the credit. But today is Gary’s… assuming he makes it. He knows he can make it, and thousands of people are willing him on across television and social media.

The transformation of a man, relatively unknown outside the BASE jumping circuit, now has the world watching as he attempts to defy the greedy hands of death. You’ve had your fill death, Gary belongs to the people, and we missed breakfast for this.

Gary’s profile has rocketed as build up to this jump has gained momentum. A hugely prominent and well designed online profile (#shamelessselfpromotion) has helped transform Gary into more than a stuntman and more than a brand, but a stunt-brand. He will become synonymous with BASE jumping and will become the name attached to the daredevil label. With social media, he has engaged a large amount of people who would previously of being oblivious to such stunt.

So, fingers crossed. Nah, he’ll be fine. Good luck #wingman

www.GaryConnery.com

Money and the power: Can money buy you success in the realm of social media

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:52:28 -0400

On a weekend where Manchester City became only the 5th team to lift the Premier League Trophy, the morality around buying success has never been more prevalent. With the millions of pounds on display, it’s clear that even if money hadn’t prevailed, it at least brought entertainment.However, the parallel of money in football, and money in social media are quite clear.

Think of the events of the past month and it becomes clear that for services that are free, money has a big part to play. Facebook’s $1billion Instagram takeover; Zynga’s $200million buyout of Draw Something inventors, OMGPOP; the ability to pay to ensure your Facebook post is seen by everyone; and the topic of how Twitter needs to look at how it can monetize its service to avoid being bought out itself are all signs of how commercialism is trying to take over social media.

People are also starting to ask if organic search can compete with paid advertising, and although this subject is an essay in itself, it makes for a great battle between quality and cost. Personally, I ignore the paid for ads on Google. We all know why they are there, but this a question of whether money talks. I’d choose organic search everyday, it’s there because people have visited the site in their droves, instantly validating my decision to follow the link. I know this site has got to where it is because of its quality. Facebook and Twitter got to where they are because of the quality of service, not the money advertisers threw at it.

However, to discount the value of paid for advertising would be naive to say the least. On social media it doesn’t add value to the service which is why people have such a gripe with it. Of course there are brands that have done amazing things with social media to drive traffic and sales but at the end of the day, it’s all spikes and troughs, there’s no consistency. It’s crying out for someone to help brands to reach out to consumers, and actually make paid advertising worth their while. Money talks, but only if someone is going to listen.

So is this a case of the underdog buying success. City lived in the shadows of Manchester United for 60 years, and now they are finally on top.

Some will always say that in the case of Manchester City that money did buy success. I’d disagree. It’s a facet, no doubt, but at the end of the day it came down to execution. The task for social media is how to turn this money into success - but we’ve been searching for this Holy Grail for a few years now… so where is social media’s Roberto Mancini… and will they deliver what everyone is crying out for?

For advertisers, spending high on social media will no doubt get you seen, create noise and help you reach a new audience. Manchester City’s expenditure draws huge similarities with Facebook’s takeover of Instagram. The rich owner can now change the fate of the underdog, but in order to be a true success, what you do with that money will be the real measure. Following the underdog’s success at the weekend, all eyes are on the future of Instagram in the social premier league.

The Monthly Grind | April Update

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:47:05 -0400

http://bit.ly/IBTQ3r

I can (piva)see everything about you

Wed, 02 May 2012 05:23:01 -0400

So you’ve managed to stay off Facebook, and you’re not really sure of the purpose of Twitter. No biggie, there’s plenty of other sites for you to browse on the Internet. Except there’s not. More and more websites now require you to sign up using your Twitter or Facebook login details, or as it affectionately known, your personal information.

The question that continues to be the root of hundreds of debates, is what does this mean for your privacy? Well, for a start, more and more people know more and more about you, and they are loving that data. But are you worried, and do you care? Of course not, there’s a bank, police file or weird stalker that already knows pretty much everything about you anyway.

What’s the value of your personal information? Clearly, free access to Spotify and Draw Something is worth all your personal details. Bargain. Those details didn’t cost you anything, and as long as you can use them as online currency, the bank is always full, so let’s buy more fun!

However, giving away your personal information is not all doom and gloom, lost jobs and potential lawsuits, if anything logging in with one universal account provides vast synergies across the web. All data, advertising and recommendations are tailored to what you want and need, and can be accessed from one dashboard, a Facebook or Twitter account. It’s genius.

Furthermore, I have always maintained the belief that you are not yourself online, but a pseudo-personality capable of being whoever you want to be, hidden behind a screen. It’s all ‘keeping up appearances’ and popularity, so I wouldn’t worry about your privacy too much, it’s not really you anyway.

So, say goodbye to dignity and hello to a world of infinite possibilities… just sign in.

A social experiment

Tue, 01 May 2012 13:32:00 -0400

So this weekend, I found myself in Shoreditch. Previously I never considered myself cool enough to grace this part of LDN, but curiosity took ahold and I set off to experience the alternative parts of E1.

There’s definitely a look that comes with hanging out in this part of town; short trousers, boat shoes with no socks, glasses with fake lenses and vintage (charity) clothing. And the must have accessory? A huge camera. Everybody’s a photographer here and they take photos of anything and everything. I went to a pub and two guys literally just sat taking photos out of the window. But I digress, the interesting thing is that it’s a community; a odd dressing community, but a community nonetheless.

At Cafecreate, we fancy ourselves as photographers, but rather than professional cameras, our outlet is the marketing persons best friend, an iPhone with added Instagram. For those who may have been living in the proverbial cave, Instagram is not only a photography app, but a social media. A social media worth $1billion. And it is the social aspect that intrigues us. We have found a group of people where creativity can be collectively admired, easily and actively.

The question marketers have agonised over for years is how to monetize social media? However, we understand that there is no short term financial gain from social media, it’s about putting value into your brand, and not cash in your pockets. Social communities are rather opposed to advertising being introduced into ‘their’ space, however come to accept it as part of what is essentially a free service. That’s why at Cafecreate we’ve taken a shine to Instgram. Currently it is free from advertising, yet we have still managed to find value in the platform. The need to be social in today’s world goes without saying, and for a growing agency, generating a strong social presence is paramount to our future success.

We never set out to choose a social media and try and make it work for our marketing needs, rather we took something we enjoyed, something where we felt part of the community, and try and give something back. Social media is a two way engagement. So we decided to run a competition on Instagram. We asked the Instagram faithful to take photos of coffee in the most creative ways possible, hashtag them #coffeecreate and surprise us.

Without a huge global brand behind us, we managed to find an outlet which would become the catalyst in which we could grow our social network. The prize was a cheeky coffee machine and added the incentive that would set off the social chain reaction. We advertised it across all our social channels, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and once we saw Instagram taking off, the other social networks followed suit. Our Instagram followers grew by over 1000 in 2 weeks and we had 2500 entries in that time. Our Facebook and Twitter likes/followers cemented their numbers in the 4 figures and has now given a platform to engage with a larger community. We announced the winners on our Facebook, via a YouTube video

It’s important to realise that this is not a promotional campaign, it’s a way for a young company to build its following and share what we do with more people, while at the same time, getting involved with what other people our interesting, enabling us to broaden our horizons and take inspiration from more diverse places. It is also important to realise that now the competition is over, our social presence has only just taken off. We have built our own community, our own Shoreditch, and we did it without looking to make a quick buck, but looking for people who are genuinely interested in what we have to offer as a company, in this case it was photography. Instagram is a collective lace for ndividuality, and if its something people want to think of themselves as, its an individual. Despite being one of 40 million, people have found a place where they can express themselves. It’s Shoreditch online, just less exclusive and without the dodgy threads. Find something that interests people, find followers, build communities.

Ads Coming to Tumblr Radar

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:49:19 -0400

Ads Coming to Tumblr Radar:

shaneguiter:

futurejournalismproject:

But don’t call them ads.

Via Business Insider:

In a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Tumblr CEO and founder David Karp said, “We’re pretty opposed to advertising. It really turns our stomachs.”

How times have changed. Karp announced at Ad Age’s Digital Conference that on May 2, Tumblr will start offering advertisers the ability to buy an ad unit on Tumblr Radar, which highlights the site’s top posts and gets approximately 120,000 impressions a day.

“I was probably being an idiot then,” Karp said of his earlier renunciation of all advertising. His conversion is relatively recent—on April 12 he told Ad Age that advertising was “a complete last resort.”

Tumblr spokesperson Katharine Barna added that the real estate being offered to advertisers was “not an ‘ad unit’ per se, but a package of native promotion for the Tumblr post ― the most essential and versatile piece of our network.”

Last week Advertising Age interviewed Karp and asked a basic question: “Can the Company Be a Business Without Traditional Advertising?”

This can be done well, and if anyone can do it, it’s Tumblr.

How does everyone feel about Instabook? #Facebook buys...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:52:07 -0400

How does everyone feel about Instabook? #Facebook buys #Instagram for $1bn. (Taken with instagram)

#cafecreate launches first #instagram competition. What’s...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 09:30:51 -0400

#cafecreate launches first #instagram competition. What’s the most creative thing you can do with a coffee? (Taken with Instagram at The Hub)

Some light relief.

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:47:21 -0400

To say that Sport Relief is a huge charity whose work has done undeniably great things for the world is an understatement. To say that Cafécreate can collectively run a mile with ease is not.

Nethertheless, we donned our finest purple threads, dusted off the trainers and set out into the early Sunday sunshine. With unparalleled enthusiasm, we set about doing our part for a great cause… so no complaining about the effects of the night before. With the obligatory team photos taken, we lined up behind a behind the dedicated runners, the school children, and a man dressed as a chicken. The shame of finishing behind this man was too much to bear, and spurred Andy on to an emphatic finish.

Sarah left the pack behind, our male bravado in her wake, and Doug, rocking his iPhone with Nike+, counted every stride towards his total life mileage. Despite finishing in a respectable 2nd behind Sarah, Toby’s hangover reared its ugly head, and lead to rumours of him being sick… which are totally unsubstantiated. Leszek and Martin kept their cool throughout and Guy boxed James in behind a 5 year old to beat him to the finish line.

A rather eventful race considering it only lasted about 10 minutes. At least the memories will last longer… and the ridicule.

No-one died, so the run was a resounding success. To celebrate this, we headed off to the Chocolate Theatre Café for fry-ups and hot chocolate. What an adventure.

On location with Alistair Brownlee on the Saxo Capital Markets...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:06:03 -0400

On location with Alistair Brownlee on the Saxo Capital Markets for Bloomberg Advertising Campaign. (Taken with Instagram at Bramhope)