-H. H. Munro

Your favorite advertisement, movie, artwork and joke all have one thing in common: you.

The funniest jokes are the ones that not everybody gets. The best works of art are those pieces that appeal only to a core audience, and the best movies are always the films that let you in on the secret twist. Likewise – for marketing, in order to create a community of those who are engaged with the brand’s message, it inevitably means alienating others. For 2012, I say this is ok.

All of my favorite ads, sites and brands do not tell me what to think but rather give me the necessary tools to come to my own conclusion. Take for instance this recent installment by Nike. Not everybody you know who sees this ad will immediately get it, and that’s the point. It subtly gives you the map but let’s you drive yourself, coming to your own conclusions.

Nike Run Park Bench

It’s not nearly enough to tell the audience what to think; the real power comes from letting consumers think for themselves. Getting the joke, identifying with the ad, seeing the twist coming all involves respecting the viewer and allowing them to be a part of the process and as anybody who has ever assembled furniture from Ikea will tell you, being a part of the process can hugely impact how much you value the final output.

A lot of the discussions I have had with thought-leaders recently on where they see marketing going for 2012, so much of their responses have been centered around respecting their audience. Ending irrelevant content, stopping the one-size-fits all approach that has plagued so many campaigns and beginning to pay attention to the context in which decisions are made.

To take this metaphor a step further, marketing organisations have a huge responsibility to ensure that when they tell the joke that the punch line is funny. Making sure the sense of humour resonates with the listener means knowing the jokes they have liked in the past, understanding when best to deliver the punch line and making sure they can pass the joke on to their friends.

Why? The HTC Velocity is the first 4G mobile phone on sale in Australia on the Telstra network, and it will be released tomorrow. Telstra launched the 4G network back in September 2011; however it has only been available on USB modems from Sierra Wireless.

The HTC Velocity is a powerhouse of a phone – headlining features such as an 8mp camera with 28mm lens, 1.5 GHz dual core processor and massive 4.5″ high resolution screen; by far the best spec’d phone to hit our shores!

The only thing that is a mystery is if it will come standard with the latest Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. It may have to run the older OS, Ginger Bread, to overcome any unforeseen network related issues with 4G – let’s hope not.

How can a device have such an impact on Australian businesses? Well, it’s not all about the phone; it is the array of data heavy applications that can now become a reality on the faster network, coupled with devices that have serious processing power.

It will be exciting to see what the development community start delivering, given the high speeds now available to them. VoIP, Augmented Reality, Video and File Transfer will be four segments that we will be watching closely and focusing on for developing business applications.

There will be limited devices available for the first couple of years, but when they become mainstream, consumer applications taking advantage of 4G will start to flourish. The iPhone 5, whenever it’s released, will need to support 4G, which will again push the consumer market. If Apple does not support 4G, they could lose even more market share to their Android counterpart.

Have an application idea or would like to know how 4G can help your business? Get in touch with us – we can even assist with devices and access to Telstra through our sister company National Telephone & Data.

We’re so excited about the possibilities!

Two nights ago I was laying in my three year old son’s bed, reading him his favourite Dr Seuss book. We both get a kick out of them to be honest! I think I enjoy making silly voices even more than he does.  After he fell asleep, I went on my iPad 2 and headed straight to the App Store.

Usually I look for apps that can benefit me or my work, such as a PFD reader or Flipboard. This time, however, I was looking to see if there was anything out there that could turn the old Dr Seuss books into a something more engaging – and it turns out there is!

I found a plethora of apps for storytelling every Dr Seuss book. There were apps that had little furry characters bouncing above each word ‘karaoke style’ while a voice said the read the words out loud so my boy could learn the words and pronunciation. Others had little ‘angry bird-esque’ games that you can literally shoot a cow over the moon in the middle of the story – pretty cool I know!

So the next night, putting my little guy to bed – armed with the latest story presentation apparatus – we started off on a digital Jack and Jill escapade, which was great! We got to Dr Seuss’s ABCs and then the strangest thing happened; around the D’s my little guy asked me to stop and read the “real one, the one over there” to which he was pointing at just the normal Dr Seuss book. I asked why and he replied “because it’s funnier when you read it”.  You see, the whole time we were doing this, we both were actually being read to and were a lot quieter than we’d ever been at story time.

The technology-age we are in is quite simply amazing, anything is possible. I know this because I see and hear about it in our office every day.  And while it continues to push ahead in leaps and bounds, it is a comfort to know that some things just can’t be replaced or replicated – like my crazy voice storytelling, or the way my son laughs at me because of it!

Following on from my fellow Tea Club founder Jamie Bracken’s introduction of our mission statement, I thought that it would be beneficial and insightful for me to take a step way back in time and reminisce about the first time I fell in love with tea.

There are many among us who can recall the first time they fell in love with something/someone – partner, band, sporting team, vodka, the list goes on and the list for me includes glorious, glorious tea. That moment was when I was three, fresh out of hospital after getting my head split open by an opening door and sporting a karate kid-style bandage/headband. My first sip turned pain into pleasure in one delectable moment.

To paint the picture, I grew up in a humble (some call it squalid) town in Borneo, Malaysia, where the poor are poor and the rich are, well, still not that rich. Not a lot happens where I’m from – I recall the local newspaper dedicating the front page to the opening of our first KFC. Being a seaside town, food, until today remains one of the few attractions and talking points for both tourists and locals.

The fusion of the three main ethnic groups – Malays, Chinese and Indians brings with it an abundance of food and subsequently drink options and creations, one of which is called ‘teh tarik’, which literally means ‘pulled tea’. Quite simply, it is made by filtering water and tea dust through a sock-like strainer and adding condensed milk, and then pouring the delightful tea concoction from one mug to another, often from great heights to essentially froth the tea. Served hot or cold, it is absolutely delicious and is definitely my first tea love.

As a self-proclaimed purveyor of all things tea, I feel that it is my duty to provide education of the above described tea in visual form (thanks YouTube). Behold these rather eccentric examples, utilising the differing techniques while straying from the basic one, these gentlemen have created an expressive art form befitting the grandeur that is our beloved tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cvH8bCl14Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N14sM6IrwkA

As a self-confessed ‘Shopping Queen’ I have bought many products online. It goes without saying that this list includes clothes, shoes, books, and groceries – just to name a few!  I’ve also bought some more expensive items online including a vacuum cleaner, a welder – for my hubby, pool parts and a $600 pair of Jimmy Choos – now that was a bargain!

So where do YOU drawn the line? What wouldn’t you consider buying online, and why?

An interesting survey around the office revealed we all have different ideas about what should or shouldn’t be bought online.  Some responses to what people wouldn’t buy included a wedding ring, a pet, a house, car or motorbike.

These are high involvement purchases. We need to be more emotionally involved in the buying process as they will become an integral part of our lives, thus carrying more risk with the money we are forking out. While research will quite often start online, we will usually go to the store to experience the product – whether that is for a house or a wedding ring!

The most frequently bought items included travel, DVDs, books, groceries and food. A few considered electronics and clothes to be bought online, however these are to be bought with caution.

Some Limelighters are tactile shoppers and need to touch and feel an item. They are sceptical that what is shown on the screen is not actually what they will get in real life. I think I’m more online savvy and will check photos carefully, ask the seller questions and check return policies before committing.

Common sense prevails just like any purchase you make in store. So do your research and happy shopping!

Some were afraid, some were brave, but all Limelighters climbed the Story Brigde… then abseiled it!!

A big red bus comes to pick the team up…

We are swiftly taken to our next destination.

By swiftly I mean a two hour party bus ride around the city! Sarah and Libby will be singing

The Limelighter’s were getting pumped – all in casual clothes, they worked hard to get all their tasks done in the morning.

By this time, everyone was here. They had all brought their presents for the inaugural Present Swapping Game and were all excited to find out more.

It wasn’t going to be long until they all found out what the day would hold.

“A few more clues”, he said “in case you needed a bit more”

I’ll leave you with this, a sneaky lil’ clue

You still won’t know what we’re going to do.

This service is new, it’s very exciting

And I think a few will go down fighting.

It all starts above, we make our way down,

It’s not a scary as it all sounds!

At the end of the night, drinking will be done,

In a secret, hidden place – trust me; it’s fun!

If you haven’t guessed yet, don’t worry! There’s more to come!

Image: juliaeatssweaters

The date was the 16th of December, 2011.

The Limelighter’s all got out of bed a little more excited than usual that morning. While some of them had cracked the clues and knew what was in store – none of them really new just how fun the day was going to be.

A clue for the first part of the adventure:

We’re starting out doors with a trip down the side,

Then starts the party – it starts with a ride!

Stay tuned for more!

Image: Paparutzi

This is a question most SEO specialists and SEO companies frequently come across.

To put it simply – in Australia Google has over 90% of the market share of the search engine world. In saying this, around 85% of Australians search daily to find what they need; whether that is for an electrician, a mechanic or even what dress to wear on the weekend.

This means that if a potential customer is searching for a product that you offer, you really need to be in the top 10 positions – the first page – of Google, or any other search engine for that matter. Chances are if you’re not, you’re losing out and your competitors are gaining your potential customers without you ever knowing it.

So now you’re wondering, “how do I get to the first page of a search engine?” There is, unfortunately, no short answer to this – nor is SEO an easy method of ‘attracting’ traffic to your website. Generally, a well optimised website will consist of the following:

• Good content (around 400-600 words per page; remember, “Content is King!”)
• Good keyword-to-content ratio (1 keyword per 200 words of content)
• Validated website architecture (no dodgy coding in the back end!)
• Quality inbound links pointing to your website (quality, not quantity)

The mind boggling part is that these are only the tip of the iceberg. There is quite a lot more where that came from – as well as methodology and trends to keep up with. I was reading on a fellow SEO blog just a few days ago that Google’s algorithm changed roughly 13,000 times in just 12 months; that’s a lot to keep up with! Nobody knows for certain how many times the algorithm changes except for Google themselves – and they are NOT going to let out any of the fine details! We just have to calculate and predict what’s going to happen next.

This can all be very confusing, so if you have any questions about SEO, let us know. The important thing to take away from this is that SEO is a long term investment, but it is an investment nonetheless. It will ensure you appear front of mind, and sight, when your potential customers are looking for what you offer. SEO is a necessity for any business that wants to continue making money either in-store or online.