SMiB Conference London October 23rd
Geronimo’s Head of interactive, Eaon Pritchard will be doing a turn at the Social Media in Business Conference in London on October 23rd.
The theme is ‘conversations matter’, Eaon will be doing something on consumer empowerment and engagement . How the digital revolution has changed the way purchase decisions are made and why understanding this matters for marketers and business.
Other contibuters include Chris Hambly, Neville Hobson, Joanne Jacobs, Judith deCabbit Lewis, Benjamin Ellis and Will McInnes.
Check out the SMiB site for full details.
It’s at The Strand Palace Hotel, London, WC2R OJJ
women on the web
In 1995 only 5% of internet users were women.
It’s easy to understand why there weren’t many female adopters in the early days of the web. It was just a massive store of information, in effect a huge library so why would we bother? Whilst men may (in a pub-quiz, top-five loving, Nick Hornby sty-le) enjoy delving through endless reams of information, there is nothing compelling about facts.
Whether gathering dust on shelves or whizzing about in the ether, facts on their own don’t spread.
Now the web has evolved and become an enabler, a connecting force and story creator - it has truly been given a place in the lives of women. And the stats reflect this, with us now accounting for 50% of Internet users.
In ‘Inside her pretty little head’ Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts identify key areas that motivate women. Under the guise of ‘codes’ they propose that to motivate women you must appeal to at least one of these to resonate with the female psyche. Specifically the four areas identified are Altruism, Aesthetic, Ordering and Connecting.
Bearing these four codes in mind, has there ever been a medium more suited to women than the web?
It provides freedom from hassle and the ability to save time with online shopping, reassurance through research and comparison sites (all appealing to the Ordering code), in-depth learning and detail (Altruism code), as well as enabling the quick and easy passing all of this information and opinion on to family, friends or anyone that’s listening (Connecting and Altruism codes).
The web is now seemingly built for chatting and sharing, gathering and exchanging – and that’s why women are thriving online.
As a result of this alignment of web-functionality and innate female drivers, a multitude of female sites are springing up.
Our primary view of the world is not a competitive but collaborative one – thus the connectivity, personalisation and sharing aspects of web 2.0 enable these to happen better, quicker and further than ever before. From shopping and chatting, to communities and gossip – these all serve a thread of the female codes. No longer are lone women sat isolated at kitchen tables; they are online, sharing, advising, commenting. In essence doing as they always have done, but on a wider, global scale.
Combining this with a growing awareness of the female influence on purchase decisions – us women as the purse holders - means we are driving innovation within the digital space, creating apps to further service our needs.
Taking the hassle out of the weekly shop and suggesting dinner menus was just the start, as the latest addition to online fashion retailer Zappos, MyZappos service shows.
It now provides a virtual closet of identified possible purchases, which friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter can view, comment and advise. Using social media groups to recreate the in-store ‘shopping with a friend’ reassurance – in an easy, accessible way. You get to virtually try before you buy.
One quote I heard (though irritatingly can’t remember where from) was ‘There will be no Web 3.0 – social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace will be the web’.
This places the web firmly as a channel to aid and be embraced by females – open, social exchange is where we thrive. The web is not a means unto itself but a channel through which our normal social behaviours can be amplified. It’s not changing our behaviours, just making them easier and faster to happen.
So keep a look out, for a continuing rise of women online not only changes marketing tactics but also the shape and functions of the space itself.
Becky
Scott Cooper joins the Geronimo planning team.
Geronimo has recruited Scott Cooper, a Senior Planner to further strengthen our planning department. Scott joins us from Archibald Ingall Stretton, where he was the lead planner on O2 Business and Corporate accounts.
Scott has also worked client side with Amex. His financial credentials will support existing clients, and extensive B2B experience help drive our continued growth in this area, our B2B client list includes Direct Line for Business and SEAT Fleet.
Scott will work with Chris Dickens, our Head of Strategy, to deliver strategic planning across all of our clients, supporting their value creation proposition to clients and their customers.
Managing Director Andy Snuggs said:
“In this tough climate you need to invest in order to grow. We’re working with our clients differently to create value for them and their customers, and great strategic planning is at the core of this. Scott’s CV speaks for itself and with his finance and B2B experience he’ll fit right in at Geronimo.”
Scott added:
“Geronimo impressed me as an agency that seeks to genuinely understand the big picture before designing the creative response. Working in this way allows them to add real value and make a big difference to clients and consumers alike.”
no fun for swiftcover
Interested to read that the ASA have given the Metallic K.O. to Swiftcover’s ‘Get a life’ car insurance ads featuring godfather of punk, Iggy Pop.
Whoever The Idiot was that said Blah Blah Blah to the clause in the insurers policies that stated driver cover was NOT available to drivers in the entertainment business was certainly a Naughty Little Doggie.
Swift cover have now been forced to Search and Destroy all the ad material. The creative director responsible has been told ‘Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell’.
On the upside, Swiftcover have subsequently implemented some New Values which now allow the insuring of musicians. The Stooges in the product development department can now Soldier on and no-one is going to Beat ‘Em Up.
You see what I did there? <= that’s plenty - Editor’s voice
Jan van Toorn - D&AD President’s Lectures series 2009
Jan van Toorn - D&AD President’s Lectures series 2009
Thursday 19th March, Mermaid Theatre, Puddle Dock, London EC4V 3DB
For this D&AD President’s Lecture, influential Dutch graphic designer Jan van Toorn reviewed his career, an overview spanning from the 1960s through to his current activities and ideas.
Jan van Toorn has been a graphic and exhibition designer since 1957.
The emotional charge of van Toorn’s designs stems from his interest in investigating visual meaning and the social role of graphic design rather than purely practical requirements. The slides shown included projects such as his posters and catalogues for the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, and his long-running series of calendars for the printing firm Mart.Spruijt. All powerful demonstrations of graphic design with a message, used as a means of commentary and mass communication. His highly original, actively engaged and often controversial body of work poses a challenge to visual communication that is just as relevant today.
The tone of the talk was informal, and due to the nature of the work, academic rather than commercial. No soundbites here, but a measured and meandering stroll through the slides and graphic design practice in general. Expecting the usual punchy, pitch-like presentations associated with today’s designers, I have to admit to struggling with the pace and breadth of van Toorn’s discussion. Areas covered included the influence of the Dutch landscape, as well as the politics of social democratic traditions and the 1960s.
This was more about graphic design as visual communication than as a promotional tool. Jan van Toorn’s clients have largely been cultural - Stedelijk van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, the Dutch Ministries of Culture and Public works, Ptt - as well as printers & publishers. So he has been lucky enough - and/or created the space - to explore the deeper meanings of graphic design as a medium with a message.
The modern work (a recent book commission, which van Toorn spent a year working on) showed the development of his craft and thinking from the early slides. But perhaps the most interesting examples were his stamps for the Netherlands post office, which combined layers of meaning and history into these small sticky spaces. The designs fitted the brief, made me think, and I wanted to know more.
After the talk, there was a Q&A session, with some interesting questions, particularly about what it means to be a designer in the face of ‘the collapse of international capital’, and an explanation of how he got into design (’by accident’).
A few video clips from this thought-provoking and informative evening.
Jan van Toorn Q&A:
How did you get into design?:
http://vimeo.com/3775122
The relationship between form and technology:
http://vimeo.com/3775270
Advice for a student designer:
http://vimeo.com/3774839
Richard Gallon