I was recently trying to choose a holiday destination, and like many people nowadays, I started by scanning holiday websites and searching feedback from ‘real people’ on sites like TripAdvisor.com. I managed to unearth some useful info, particularly in blogs and forums, but then suddenly something occurred to me. Why not search YouTube for other people’s ‘holiday videos’ of the destinations I was considering? Not exactly a stroke of genius…but it certainly was a new way of thinking for me, and I suspect for many others.

It doesn’t seem to matter how obscure your destinations are, SOMEONE seems to have posted a video from there on the internet! In my case, I found YouTube ‘home-videos’ that gave me great insights to Cape York fishing safaris, Cambodian trekking and remote Fijian getaways.

Look, maybe it’s the advertising cynic in me, but I do find great value in seeing real peoples real videos, rather than risking being influenced by professional footage that has been carefully manipulated by tour operators and local tourism bodies. I like that the power is now in the public’s hands, to show the REALITY of destinations that await travellers. These YouTube clips, often just 10-20 seconds long, can contain a single magic moment that will either convince you to book your trip, or turn you away from paying a deposit! In my mind, they offer better insurance than the policy you take out with the likes of a dodgy travel insurer. Try it out!

I was interested to read stats from comScore this week which showed that as of December 2008, the global Internet audience has now surged past the one billion mark, fuelled by users in China. With 180 million Internet users, China represents nearly 18% of the total worldwide Internet audience, followed by the US (16.2%), Japan (6%), Germany (3.7%) and the UK (3.6%). When you consider that Tim Berners-Lee wrote the World Wide Web server in 1990, and the web did not really become commercialised until 1998, the figure is just astounding – particularly in light of the fact that half of the world’s population is impoverished.

Undoubtedly, the Internet has been a major agent of change in the life of just about everyone in the industrialised world. Most of us are now only just becoming used to the idea of the next incarnation of the Internet, the mobile web. However few of us are prepared for the third and most revolutionary phase of the Internet which is just around the corner – the Internet of Things. According to some futurists, sometime between now and 2010 the Internet is poised to reach beyond virtual space and take root in the physical world. Almost every object has the potential to be connected to the Internet – everyday items like domestic appliances, clothes, books and cars may one day be assigned a unique IP address to enable them to talk to one another.

Recently, a coalition of big technology companies, Cisco, Ericsson and Sun Microsystems among them, formed the Ipso (IP for smart objects) Alliance, www.ipso-alliance.org, with the aim of shaping a set of standards for the coming Internet of Things.

Imagine IP enabled lights that can switch off as someone walks along a corridor or rooms that are only heated when some one is in them, or smoke detectors capable of turning off gas appliances.

Few experts doubt that the Internet of Things will have a profound effect on the world but many have fears about a world where “the environment is the Web”, a phrase coined by Kevin Kelly of Wired magazine. Will we become enslaved to our devices or use the technology to improve our quality of life? There is no doubt that this next phase of the Internet will gradually enter our lives over the coming years, in fact some say it is already here. It will be interesting to revisit this post in a couple of years to see how humanity has coped with the change.

The web has never made it easier to share stories and connect with people who have common interests and experiences. It’s this thinking that led to the development of our latest campaign for Queensland Transport. The ‘Share My Story’ campaign and website is designed to encourage people to tell their personal stories about the lasting impact of road crashes. In addition to posting stories people can click on and show their support as well as thank people who have made contributions.
The site and the thinking behind it is a first of its kind for any Road Safety authority anywhere in the world.
TV and press advertising is being used throughout the state to let people know about the site.
Although launched less than 24 hours ago, on average a new person is logging on every 20 seconds. Please visit at sharemystory.qld.gov.au and tell us what you think.

I have to say, I am enjoying the controversy and media attention that has snowballed over the past week as two now infamous viral stunts have unraveled and become exposed.  Tourism Queensland successfully generated free global publicity from their so called ‘mistake’ related to ‘the best job in the world‘, and it’s now official that the Naked clothing line from Witchery are in fact the modern day Cinderella… only after receiving significant prime television coverage, Nationwide press and became the latest hot blog topic to trot.

With the media’s spin that we as marketers should be ashamed for sneaking our brands into the lives of unsuspecting consumers, it has made me wonder; where do we draw the line between developing innovative ways to engage the increasingly indifferent consumer, and propping up the stereotype of advertising seen as simply shallow sales antics?  Are we risking the trust of our bloodline with reckless and deceptive acts? Or is this the evolution of the traditional PR stunt gone viral?

In this technology-driven and busy world we exist in, it is a necessity for survival that we place our brands firmly in the eye of the world where possible, and granted these recent events have done just that, but what are the long term costs which result, if any? Are we helping or hindering our brands? Or will these stunts just become ‘yesterday’s news’?

Ladies… ever wanted Cleavage on Demand?

Triumph’s new product range promises you just that. And the new campaign microsite, launched this week, promises even more. Developed by the BCM ID team, the site is based around the fascinating skill of ’speed painting’ – hyper-fast replays of amazing Photoshop work. For the Cleavage on Demand site, three possible situations where the new product range can be used have been illustrated. Enough explaining though – just go and check it out, it is a pleasure to watch and interact with!

www.cleavageondemand.com

The possibilities are many, and the opportunity great. Advertising on mobile phones, while currently nothing to get excited about at all, has the potential to be hugely successful because of one thing – your location. Your network provider has a pretty good idea of where you are at any one time, even if your phone doesn’t have GPS inbuilt. This (technically) means you can be served with an ad from a shop nearby, or even sent a special offer just for being in the area.

Privacy advocates in the States are none too happy about this, though – even though Google is only just starting to get this kind of technology off the ground. The Center for Digital Democracy is about to file a complaint that “alleges deceptive practices throughout the nascent mobile advertising industry and asks the commission to launch an investigation into the privacy implications of marketing practices targeted at cellphone users“.

Now, I’m all for privacy, but back up a minute – firstly, Google hasn’t done anything wrong (yet), and secondly… who doesn’t want more relevant, timely and informative advertising? Keep in mind that this kind of service would always be OPT IN! Nobody likes getting spammed, especially on their phone – but personally, I wouldn’t mind location-based advertising becoming commonplace.

What do you think – will location-based advertising be a complete breach of privacy, or a boon to consumers?

Put your hand up if you spent your entire Christmas day away from a PC.

I see. Not many of you.

Put your hand up if you went on Facebook.

Right. More than I thought.

Don’t worry, if you had a cheeky look at Facebook on Christmas Day, you weren’t alone. In fact, as the above chart shows, Christmas Day proved to be Facebook’s busiest day of the year! I must admit, this surprised me. I assumed the combination of being away from work, being amongst family and generally falling out of routine on Christmas day would diminish the appeal of social networking. How wrong I was. Instead, as it turns out, the need to communicate with your nearest and dearest everywhere – not just around the Christmas turkey – makes social networking through sites like Facebook a highly attractive option for many people on Christmas Day.

As this article points out, some other factors probably play a part – the very cold weather in the northern hemisphere, and plain old boredom. Anything to escape from the relatives for a little while I guess.

What this really tells us, though, is that Facebook is less about attacking people with vampires, poking, and stalking, and much more about being a highly functional utility for staying in touch. It’s an intuitive platform for communicating that has been embraced by at least three generations (only the seniors are yet to come on board in large numbers). And despite what seems to be a growing number of detractors, I think it has a bright future, if they can get their revenue-raising off the ground this year.

Admit it – if you had a Facebook account, you logged in on Christmas Day, didn’t you?

BCM is very proud to be launching Queensland Transport’s latest anti-speeding campaign, Slow Down Stupid. This is the first in a series of TVCs that you will see on Queensland TVs over the next few years.

Slow Down Stupid was born of a desire to marginalise speeders by making it less socially acceptable. Far too often some drivers see speeding as a way to impress their peers and enhance their self image. The campaign sets out to counter the (perceived) emotional benefits of speeding and demonstrate the consequences that can result.

This first TVC is specifically aimed at getting young men to slow down by making them think about the consequences -- which could be as terrible as being responsible for killing their girlfriend. It encourages them to contemplate the nightmare of losing their partner to something as stupid as speeding.

Is there nothing that social media can’t touch?

Even the simple pleasure of admiring one of your fellow travellers in another car may never be the same again. It seems a new service in the USA called WhyHonk lets you get in touch with other drivers,  based on their number plate.

The WhyHonk service lets you send a voice message to any car you see by dialing a number and leaving their license plate number along with your message. It’s then converted to text and added to a searchable database. You can search your license plate number for messages online, on their mobile site, or register it to get the messages straight to your cellphone.

Of course, apart from leaving messages for potential suitors, this kind of thing could have some more practical applications – like simply letting drivers know they’ve left their lights on. Or letting them know the license plate of another driver who’s dinged their car.

Hats off to the smart folk behind WhyHonk. What will they think of next…?

Yes, I know I named 2009 the year of social media, but there’s another space we can expect to see some great innovations this year – the world of branded mobile applications.

In 2008, the iPhone opened up a whole new world of ways that brands engage consumers on their mobile in fun, functional and informative ways – in many cases, by utilising the converged capabilities of the phone, including the camera and GPS. Many of them even used the iPhone’s inbuilt accelerometer (the thingy that knows which way the iPhone is pointing) – two great examples from 2008 are the iPint and the Audi A4 Challenge.

In 2009, Kraft have now proven that even FMCG brands can develop engaging branded applications, with their new iFood Assistant.

The iFood Assistant contains over 7,000 Kraft-tested recipes, shopping lists and store recommendations, video demonstrations for on-the-go chefs, and daily updated content such as Dinner Tonight and Recipe of the Day.

Brands and their agencies are really hitting their stride now in thinking of ways they can make consumer’s lives easier by developing useful applications they can stamp as their own.

So, what branded mobile application is your brand going to build this year?