Twitter Launches New Bird Logo

Twitter has updated its bird mascot, with the company saying the redesigned mark will now become 'the universally recognisable symbol of Twitter'. The new bird will become Twitter's main identity, replacing the former main logo, which was 'Twitter' in bubbled text. Twitter's creative director Doug Bowman (@stop) says the Twitter bird will be used to represent Twitter in all instances, adding, 'There's no longer a need for text, bubbled typefaces, or a lower-case "t" to represent Twitter. The new Twitter bird is a simplified version of the previous bird mascot, and is rendered in a slightly different shade of blue. Source: SaatchiNow

How a Brand Becomes The Talk of a Nation

We spoke about this before at Branded Citizen When Brands Hijack the News - satirise; poke fun at; ride in the wake of, whatever you want to call it; this ingenuity can result in a whole lot of free press coverage for a brand that nobody in the boardroom is going to complain about when they see the numbers. If you are Nando's this is not unfamiliar territory. In my last post I paid tribute to Nandos latest Diversity campaign, which tackled the present topic of Xenophobia in South Africa, which, since then, has been stirring up feathers with local broadcasters to the point that the TV commercial was banned for being potentially offensive and trivialising the subject of Xenophobia. In the process garnering Nando's more press coverage than the actual commercial itself. And today Nando's made the announcement that they are determined to fight these allegations, arousing another round of publicity as the news media continue to follow and stir the nations conversation with Nando's at the centre of it all. Source: 2oceansvibe

Nando's Hits Home With Its Latest Diversity Campaign

In a country as diverse as South Africa, there is one thing we may all still have in common - a taste for peri-peri grilled chicken and a dose of Nando's candid humour. In their latest Diversity campaign Nando's brings the very real issue of Xenophobia in South Africa (an unfortunate by-product of diversity) to the forefront. The ad mocks the very notion of Xenophobia and instead encourages South Africans to embrace its unique diversity, because in the end it's our differences that unite us. Source: 2oceansvibe

The Thank You Economy: How Business Must Adapt to Social Media

Gary Vaynerchuk aka 'the king of social media' has over 900,000 Twitter followers. Had you ever heard of him before today? I'm going to guess probably not. But if you have 8 minutes to spare today and would like to own the topic on 'how brands can get the most out of their social media strategy' then you should watch this, because in Gary's words "marketing is about to get really f***ing hard"

Will.i.am and Budweiser Bring Back Vinyl with Latest Ad

Bringing the past back into the future, the Budweiser brand and Black Eyed Peas frontman, Will.i.am, have joined beats and flavours to create a unique vinyl ad. 

Budweiser launched Will.i.am's new song "Great Times" by pressing it into a vinyl magazine advertisement that can be played on any turntable. The ad was created to promote Budweiser's partnership with Will.i.am in Brazil. Source: ADWEEK

When Brands Highjack the News

I really do appreciate it when a brand jumps at the opportunity to be a part of a breaking news story. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it is usually has  fantastic results for brand awareness at a fraction of the cost. However in order for it to be successful it requires quick-turnaround and lightning creativity. 

Think about the decision to sponsor the Chilean miners with Oakley sunglasses as they made their ascent into the face of the world's media. It is estimated that  Oakley garnered $41 million in television alone from this opportunistic stunt.

Nandos together with its agency Black River FC is notoriously known for being right on queue when it comes to commenting on controversial current affairs and ruffling a few feathers in the process as their ads almost always go viral. You can check out examples of their genius on 2oceansvibe.

So when a fishing trawler recently ran aground on the prime property of Clifton beach in South Africa and my Facebook news feed filled up with the attention-grabbing image, there was one company preparing to get a slice of the action, Butlers pizza. The delivery-only franchise thought it would show the Japanese visitors some hospitality by sending a delivery team, dressed in their characteristic butler uniforms, to deliver pizzas right up to the ship's starboard. And the media were there too to capture it. Brilliant. Source: 2oceansvibe.

Heineken Tackles Social Media

Seen the iconic red star pop up on your Facebook news feed lately? It all forms part of Heineken, the maker of one of the most valuable global brands, social media strategy to build brand awareness with a younger generation of consumers. As Europe's age graphs take a dive, Heineken has been looking at the upswing in emerging economies. To target this group Heineken recently launched an advertising partnership with Google for worldwide digital campaigns on YouTube and mobile phones. (Mobile internet being the dominant form of internet access in developing countries). Read More on Heineken's strategy at INSEAD.

A recently launched campaign in South Africa involves Heineken, the worldwide sponsor of the UEFA Champion's League, challenging football fans to a virtual shootout through an innovative Facebook app. The winner each week will be treated to a VIP experience at the Heineken Star Final, where they can watch a live screening of the UEFA Champion's League Final Munich 2012 in comfort and style. Source: Ideate

Amex Launches SMS-interactive Billboard

If you enjoyed the post on the world's first interactive growing billboard for Bronx shoes, you might be interested to see what Amex is doing to interact with its customers through the previously one-way communication tool - the billboard. Placed in main London terminal train stations, the billboards invite passerbys by to send an SMS with their name to the "London's Inside Tip Generator" and in response a personalised message will appear on the billboard offering tips about activities in London. With London 2012 Olympic visitors on their way to London very soon, this is set up to be an effective tool, offering a useful service to travelers and enabling Amex to engage with its customers and deliver the brand's message of offering excellent service, including its access to extensive insider travel information and exclusive deals. Source: BrandRepublic

Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L Jackson Share a Friend Called Siri

Apple has friends in high places and more cash on hand than California's State revenue, so when it needs their endorsement some of the biggest names in Hollywood are more than happy  to help out. Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L Jackson are the latest to lend their star power to promote the Apple iPhone 4S. Watch the ad with Jackson as he turns on the charm for date night  thanks to Siri's help in the kitchen.

Watch the Zooey Deschanel ad 

How This Design Student Has the Attention of Coke

When the Chief Creative of Ogilvy China knocks on your dorm room, you know you must have done something right. That's just what happened to Jonathan Mak Long, a 20-year-old design student, who got noticed when an image he posted to his blog went viral. That image featured the Apple logo with Steve Job's silhouette in the "bite". If you haven't seen it yet you can check it out here. 

Mak was then given this brief from Ogilvy's Chief Creative: "Sharing a Coke", which led to the image you see here of two hands in the shape of Coke's iconic white ribbon passing a bottle. Since its premiere on the streets of Shanghai, the design has captured the attention of Coke's top executives. Designers should take inspiration from this story, which shows really good work does get noticed and nicely rewarded. Though Mak prefers has declined to disclose exactly how much. Source: AdAge

Emirates Officially Touches Down on Facebook

The Emirates Facebook page was officially launched today. It has been 3 weeks since its soft launch and the page has already racked up 300,000 fans. Occurring in conjunction with the launch of the airlines' new global brand platform "Hello Tomorrow", the page helps build on positioning the brand as an enabler of global connectivity and meaningful experiences.

Facebook is a visual medium where we share photos, experiences, travels and recommendations, therefore the Facebook page will be the ideal social media tool to promote Emirates evolution from a travel brand to a global lifestyle brand. In addition to its ability to facilitate deeper customer engagement, leading to improved customer service, the page will provide a platform for travelers to connect and share their stories, encouraging other users to purchase a ticket heading somewhere new and exotic or sentimental and familiar.

Read More Emirates Facebook page launch 

Read More Emirates new global brand platform

De-Branding: Implications for the Tobacco Industry

It's a well-known fact that alcohol and tobacco companies have been preparing for the day that governments decide to ban their advertising rights in the name of the public good. For tobacco it seems that day just got closer, with the British government considering plans to strip all branding from cigarette packs. Clearly, a touchy subject, this news has stirred up some award-wining PR spun arguments. 

BrandRepublic published a range of reactions to the news with branding experts re-branding the topic and taking it on the offensive together with lobbyists and confectionery giants right behind them; while charities and research centres keep up on the defensive. Here are some key sides to the argument:

"It means there is a loss of incentive for companies to invest in quality and reputations because they have no way to communicate that to consumers. While I’m sure the familiar brands will continue, if you were to launch a new product into the market it can only be a price fighting product and if that is a means of reducing prices to consumers then actually it may result in more people smoking rather than less because it becomes a very price sensitive market." - John Noble, Director, British Brands Group

"And, as over 40 years of increased duty on cigarettes has done little to dampen smoking habits, what makes anyone think putting tobacco in white packs with Helvetica type will?" - Paul Porter, Planning Director, Mars/Y&R

"The third thing is they are plainly less attractive to children, kids just don’t like the look of them and they take away all that cool appeal. The tobacco industry claims that plain packaging will give it an extra mystique for young people to make it look forbidden. If they really thought that was the case they would be doing it already. Their research and our research shows plain packs are a big turn off for young people." - Martin Dockrell, Director of Research & Policy, ASH

"Our trademarks are protected by law and we have a fundamental right to differentiate our brands from those of our competitors." - Imperial Tobacco  

Read More BrandRepublic 

What Happens When I Push This Red Button?

Ever been going about your daily routine, secretly wishing something dramatic might happen to shake things up and add a little spice to it? This usually ends up with you turning on your TV at the end of the day to watch these subconscious thoughts come to life, whether that be owning the wild with Bear Grylls or acting on impulse in the case of Hank Moody.

That's the jist of cable network, TNT's latest ad. Building on their slogan "We Know Drama", the team sets up a big red button in the middle of a quiet Belgium village square waiting for a brave soul to push it. With those who do becoming witness to an enthralling scene of dramatic events - check out the ad to watch a compilation of the best reactions.

It's Marketing Gone Mobile

Infographic presented by 2D barcode service Microsoft Tag.

Building Customer Loyalty in a Mobile Generation

Berlin is a city heaving with creative talent. Now combine that with its high-tech society and the innate German quest for efficiency and you have the platform for some pretty innovative ideas.The NextBerlin conference, taking place next month, is a highlight of Europe's largest festival of the digital scene and it is here that these ideas have a chance to be showcased. Startup companies are encouraged to apply for the NEXT Start-up Pitch, where their ideas will be presented and voted on to become one of the finalists. Finalists will be invited to pitch their ideas live on stage to an international crowd of opinion leaders.

10stamps is one such idea that particularly stood out for me. Here is their pitch:

10stamps is going to revolutionize the interaction between businesses and their customers. 10stamps is a mobile application that puts paper-based loyalty cards – on mobile phones. The benefits for users are obvious: Instead of having to carry many different stamp cards in your pocket you can store any number of loyalty cards on your mobile phone. You can also receive news about your favorite businesses (e.g. current lunch menu, seasonal specials, loyalty deals). The main benefit for the businesses is to strengthen customers loyalty, but in a more simple and powerful way. With a variety of premium features, 10stamps can be the major marketing activity of local businesses in the future.

If you think this is a revolutionary idea then simply click here to VOTE

Like It. Share It. Get Paid for It.

The startup, Wingsplay, is offering to pay you for sharing ads on your social networks. The idea behind it lies in the principles of social media usage, in the sense that we share only what we feel would be of value to our network whether that be based on its entertainment, newsworthiness or relevance. Our networks learn to trust our recommendations and with that trust comes a certain amount of influence, which Wingsplay is willing to reward you for. 

What does that mean for advertising infiltrating our online playgrounds?

Web advertising is constantly raising the bar of creativity, simply because if it's not interesting, it's not seen. With the concept behind Wingsplay, less remarkable advertising could end up in our newsfeed, appearing to have been recommended by a friend. However, according to Wingsplay, so far this has not proved to be the case, with most users choosing to share only the content they actually like. Can't say I am suprised, as it is our online reputation at stake and where would our influence be without trust? Read More Mashable

Why Facebook Bought Instagram for $1 Billion

While some Instagram hipsters are not too pleased with this news owing to Facebook's rather chilled privacy policy and profiteering ways, this deal made good business sense for strategic reasons more than instant money-making. At its core, Facebook is a photo-sharing site, which makes the hugely-popular photo sharing app, Instagram, a strong competitor, especially with social networking growing around the filtered images uploaded on user's accounts. To date those user accounts stand at 30 million+.

Secondly, while Facebook's mobile app leaves a lot to be desired, Instagram's strength lies in its user-friendly mobile app running on both iOS and, as of last week, Android devices. And have you seen the exploding growth of mobile worldwide? At the end of 2011 there were 6 billion mobile subscriptions with 472 million being smartphones and that figure is expected to grow by 25% in 2012 (IDC.com). Read More TechCrunch

World's First Interactive Growing Billboard

Like beards? Bronx does. Makers of the manliest footwear together with their Creative Marketing agency, Bletchley Park have created the world's first interactive billboard as a part their  latest campaign centered on 'manovation'. Along with brilliantly executed Facebook integration. 

Strategically located in Cape Town's city centre, the billboard displays a guy with stubble that grows with every Like of the Bronx Facebook page until he is 'Man Enough'. More Likes = More Beard. And if you got time on your hands, you can also watch it grow in real time with their webcam. This is the kind of creative integration of traditional and social media that will lead the way. You also need to do yourself a favour and check out their manly website. Its a treat. 

Google Glasses: A Whole New World of Branding Possibilities

Here is another reason for the Marketing and IT department to get cosy. Months after the rumours started, Google has officially launched their augmented reality glasses, called Project Glass, opening up endless opportunities for marketers. Hello the future.

"The Google[x] team that's working on the project says they've opened it up to the public to solicit ideas about what people actually want from a set of augmented reality specs." Read more Gizmodo

Starbucks, you Social Media Rebel, you!

Would you like some controversy with that coffee? It seems Starbucks is leading the social media strategy of personifying its brand into a real person. And like people, it takes its side on a range of controversial topics, from gay marriage to gun rights. Read More socialmediatoday