Emma Hardwidge

Tweeting is a sport and Uniqlo are playing the game well

2010-06-17T09:49:00.006+01:00

Uniqlo have launched another really interesting Tweet based gadget to promote their latest range of sports clothing. Sportweet rates you against all the other Twitter users according to some unknown algorithm and places you somewhere in the World Ranking. The result is fairly meaningless and yet I feel compelled to take part regardless. I'm not sure if this is because the technology intrigues me or that for some reason my Tweet World Ranking actually matters to me. I want to be a valuable part of a social media experience. Anyway...

Uniqlo seem to be on a role at the moment, producing some really engaging ways to use Twitter. For me the product shots on this latest effort are a little long but I still wanted to hang around for my results so they kept my attention.

I think they need to be a bit careful they don't end up overdoing it with Twitter or it could all just become a little too predictable. In the meantime though enjoy some of their fun and totally useless toys.

UTweet

Color Tweet
Sportweet

Tweetminster Predicts...

2010-05-13T17:56:00.004+01:00

Someone asked me if I thought that the political opinions of twitter users would be a true reflection of the voting public. I mused for a while, thinking about the twitter demographic and decided that a twitter poll would probably show a similar skew to those run by news papers or TV channels.

It seems however that Twitter's election predictions proved pretty accurate.

Final Tweetminster prediction was:
Conservatives 35% 
Labour 30%
 Liberal Democrats 27% 
Others 8%

The actual results were:
Conservatives 37%
 Labour 30%
 Liberal Democrats 24% 
Others 10%

#leadersdebate

2010-04-16T10:30:00.007+01:00

Last night's debate was fascinating but what made it truly amazing was the real time response by the voting public empowered by social media to air their views alongside the three candidates. According to @tweetminster #leadersdebate tweets totalled 184,396 with an average frequency of 29.06 tweets per second and with a total of 36,483 tweeters taking part.

I think some of the unrepresented parties missed a trick and I hope during the subsequent debates we will see them having their say online too (if they are permitted). It would be of great benefit to the Green Party, who according to Vote for Policies are gaining public favour, if @CarolineLucas was making comments on policies rather than “Indian veggie food” while the 3 main party leaders are sweating it out under public scrutiny.

Last night I thought the election would be won or lost not on the content of the debates themselves but on the way the parties were represented in the media as a result. This morning I think it will have more to do with the way we all report it, on our twitter feeds, blogs and Facebook pages. I will be watching the next debates with interest... and Twitter.

Top Notch Events

2009-11-14T11:38:00.009Z

To produce a cost effective piece of promotional material to show the range of services and expertise offered by event organisers and venue dressers, Top Notch Events and to encourage traffic to their website.

It was important to the client to communicate the vast range of their services currently detailed on their website. It was therefore decided that this piece of communication should show a strong call to action for clients to go online or contact the company on the phone as well as communicating the services available.

Producing a 'wedding planner' allowed for a great detail of information to be communicated without listing the services available. It also included information not relating to the companies offerings, showing them to be the experts in their field and also making the material appear less like a sales brochure.

Top Notch Events spend a great deal of time making sure that they colour match the accessories they offer to the chosen colour scheme of their clients. The inclusion of a colour chart helps to demonstrate this as well as giving the clients ideas about colour schemes and helping the company to colour match items.
The company also provides chair covers tailored to different chair designs so a chair design chart demonstrates their attention to detail and also helps them to identify which chair cover will be needed for a specific venue.

The piece can therefore be used both as a hand out to prospective clients to demonstrate the services available and also by the company to gain information about colours and chair designs.

You might like to see the piece in full, click here»

D&AD Student Awards

2009-07-07T10:39:00.009+01:00

A pat on the back is always nice and when it comes in the shape of a yellow pencil, well, that's just a bonus. With several thousand entries from all over the world it's hard not to be proud of achieving a nomination let alone a pencil.
It was a delight to meet Steve Garrick from The Co-operative who set the brief and who would say no to a champagne reception and an excuse to get dressed up? Certainly not me.

All in all not a bad end to my time back at university, a 1st class Hons and a D&AD Award, what more could I wish for... a job maybe?

Photos courtesy of D&AD: Noah Da Costa

TV Licensing

2009-06-30T12:14:00.018+01:00

Planning and Strategy

Insight
There is currently a great deal of ill feeling towards the TV licensing collection system and their methods of communication. This has been observed in social media activity, included the launch of anti-TVL Facebook groups including "10 million for NO TV LICENCE" and campaign groups such as "The People's United Community" and "BBCresistance" as well as general media wide discussion.
The 'big brother' brand image and the 'pay or else' approach to collecting revenue is considered by many to be "heavy-handed", "intimidating" and "bullying".

The BBC have acknowledged this and began reviewing licence fee collection with a public consultation in September-November 2008. This will include an investigation into "the tone of the marketing and advertising about the TV licence" BBC Trust (2008) BBC Trust to review how the licence fee is collected the results of which were due for publication at the end of April 09, a few months after this body of work was completed.

Based on this activity a need was identified to improve perceptions of and create a more approachable feel to, the TV Licensing brand by studying their current CRM and creating a new strategy for their customer approach one which would encourage consumers to feel positive about paying their TV licence while still warning those who evade payment of the consequences of their actions.

Public Opinion
The following are comments from the Facebook Group "10 million for NO TV LICENCE"
Positive
"who wants to watch 5 minutes of adverts every 15mins? not me. i'd gladly pay to never see a shitty advert ever again"
"The BBC is awesome. If we didn't fund the BBC......television would become one giant advert. The BBC makes amazing programmes and I gladly pay the license fee and I'm a skint student."
"i love the bbc. i'll gladly pay a mere £140 a year for match of the day alone!"
"noticed on there it states it covers the use of a tv set, digital box, computer and/or mobile phone. is it good value then? I didn't realise it covered all these things"
Negative
"people all over the country are being bullied into paying for a service regardless of whether they use it or not"
"I dont even watch BBC why should I pay for it?"
"I am subscribed to sky and neva watch bbc unless on the rare occasion they put a good film on, i think they should scrap tv licence and switch to adverts like the other channels!"
"The only programmes I've watched in the last few years are the comedies 'The Mighty Boosh' and 'Black Books'."
"i have a tv but cannot afford to use it. thanks tv licencing."

"Paying for the BBC (like a Sky subscription) *IS* a choice... i.e. those (like me) would happily do without a Tell-lie-Vision and so perfectly legally not have to pay for a TV Licence." Webometric Thoughts

Mintel’s research shows that "only a fifth of respondents like to watch adverts, while six out of ten find the volume of adverts intrusive and seven out of ten will, more often than not, leave the room or do something else while the ads are on."

What does the licence fee pay for?
The BBC is paid for directly through each household TV licence. This allows it to run a wide range of popular public services for everyone, free of adverts and independent of advertisers, shareholders or political interests. BBC About the BBC - Licence Fee The BBC provides 9 interactive TV channels, 10 radio networks, more than 50 local TV and radio services, the BBC's website, and the on-demand TV and radio services, BBCi, BBC HD, BBC iPlayer with money from TV Licensing. BBC Trust Licence fee key facts
Many consumers do seem unaware of what their TV Licence pays for; "I didn't realise it covered all these things".
Although they may not like everything that's produced by the BBC some do note that they would not like to be without the programmes which they do enjoy. "I'll gladly pay a mere £140 a year for Match of the Day alone".
The breadth of content and services produced by the BBC means there is something for everyone to enjoy because everyone contributes they have a right to something they would like to watch.

Brand Identity - Logo and Design
TV Licensing is an established and understood organisation name for the collect of licensing fees.
It's logo was re-designed in April 08 after 17 years. The new logo designed to represent a power button was intended to encompass the expanding technology which is capable of receiving TV programmes and which would therefore need to be covered by a licence. The tick was intended to convey the positive connotations of being licensed. Farey-Jones, Daniel (2008) TV Licensing updates logo ahead of fresh campaign Brand Republic
Unfortunately the flat brand colours of the logo are still rather institutional, more reminiscent of tax documents and P45's rather than media company communications. The block capitals also appear to shout at the consumer rather than appearing friendly and inviting.
A reworking of the current logo into a more Web 2.0 design style would help to create a friendly more positive, media brand image.

From a visual perspective current communications including forms, leaflets and the brand website are also more indicative of a government tax collection than media bodies. While the Virgin and Sky approach may be a little too lifestyle and aspiration driven a more approachable visual mechanism would change consumer perceptions of the brand to a media lead rather than state governed body.
TVL are currently not permitted to use images of BBC programmes in their communications. This seems rather odd as the money collected pays for these same programmes. While working with this restriction for most communications it may be appropriate to show BBC images on the TVL website where video can be used and a direct link provided to the BBC website.

Brand Identity - Tone of Voice
The BBC trust currently aim for a "polite but firm" tone of voice in TVL communications. However, 'firm' seems to be misinterpreted by many consumers as "dire threats" and "people have accused the organisation of intimidating people with the tone of its marketing and advertising".
TVL rarely thanks the consumer for their payment which sends out the message that payment is expected rather than appreciated. While TV Licensing is not a subscription service like Virgin or Sky this sort of approach may improve feelings towards TVL. The consumer does have choice whether or not to watch TV and therefore whether or not they have to pay a TV Licence. Encouraging this feeling of choice will make TVL seem less like a tax and more like a subscription.
A more friendly approach to communications would allow the consumer to feel that they are being spoken to on a level ground. This is particularly important in DM communications, "Given the personal nature of mail as ‘my medium’, it’s important that the tone of communication is courteous and personal, like a private conversation between equals. Bad mail tends to pressure, bully or shout down at the consumer." An encouraging voice rather than a superior authoritarian tone would change consumer perceptions about the organisation.
Moving the tone of voice more in-line with the BBC, professional and yet personable would also help strengthen links between the two associations and not leave consumers feeling that TVL is the BBC bullying sibling.

Brand Identity - Association with the BBC
"Despite the complete absence of references to the BBC and its otherwise ubiquitous logo on any of its advertising or official material, the TV licensing authority is in no way independent of the BBC".
There is a great distance between TVL and the BBC. The lack of BBC imagery in TVL communications and the very different tone of voice all compound this feeling and while there are obviously not the same organisation they do work together along with the consumer to provide the great range of services on offer.
Perhaps the BBC do not want to be associated too closely with TVL. Allowing it's separate agenda and tone of voice to act independently and to do what it needs to do without impacting in a negative way on the BBC brand. However, the effect is only to confuse the consumer by removing the best reasons for paying their licence from the agenda and instead conveying messages of warning and prosecution.
A positive feeling towards TV licensing will reflect well on the BBC as a whole, at the same time positive feelings about the BBC could be used to improve feeling towards TVL.

Who are we talking to?
Anyone who watches TV programmes as they are broadcast and the general public.

Current communications largely target non-payers and evaders with very little communication to reassure payers.
The audience can be split into the following groups.

Payers – have always paid and continue to pay their licence, many by DD.
Possible considerations: CRM for payers would support positive feelings about paying the licence fee. Although the BBC services are the reward for paying communications direct from TVL would reinforce good feeling. Giving fee payers some extra bonuses like the ability to unlock an extra area of the BBC website perhaps or the ability to have a greater say about what goes on would make the consumer feel more involved. It would also create a dialogue between TVL and the consumer.
Possible media: could include renewal notices, thanks for payment, a redesign of forms and certificates to make the brand look more friendly and approachable, possible additional extras e.g. widgets, forums, ability to vote for awards etc, press to reassure positive feeling about TVL.

Non-payers - those who do not watch TV as it's broadcast.
Possible considerations: These consumers still need to contact TVL to declare that they do not have a TV. Currently they are often treated more like evaders and feel they must prove their innocence rather than TVL acknowledging that some people simple do not wish to watch TV. "TVL/BBC sends millions of letters every year to people who do not watch broadcast television, demanding payment. For many people, these letters can be very frightening."
Possible Media: DM to encourage non-payers to get in touch without accusing them of evasion would discourage ill feeling. Strengthening the evasion message if they do not get in contact with TVL.

Evaders – those who purposefully and continually evade paying despite watching TV as it is broadcast.
Possible considerations: Encouragement to pay by showing the benefits coupled with a warning message of the consequences regarding non-payment. Strengthening the evasion message if they do not get in contact with TVL over a period of time would mean that non-payers would not be treated as evaders.
Possible Media: press to reassure positive feeling about TVL, information on how to pay, DM specific to evaders.

New customers – these according to current campaigns appear to be students moving away from home with TV for which they have sole responsibility for the first time. Currently this campaign is less aggressive than other communications. This should be extended to cover anyone who has recently got or is thinking of getting a television of their own. New customers may also include those who have recently moved house.
Possible considerations: Encouragement about the benefits of paying, information on how to pay, gentle DM providing information and reassurance about TVL with subsequent DM showing an strengthened message regarding evasion if no correspondence is received.
Possible media: POS where TVs are purchased, new home cards, new TV cards.

Targeting Messages
"According to a spokesman at TVL 'some people will only buy a licence when told about the consequences of evasion"
TVL currently gathers information when a TV is purchased so the consumer can be contacted regarding a licence. This information could continue to be used providing personalised new TV specific DM to the purchaser.

Warnings regarding non-payment could be more appropriately directed to non-payers and evaders via DM.
TVL keeps a record of which houses aren't licensed. Houses which are recently unlicensed can be targeted with gentle reminders including information and reassurance about TVL and what it provides. This will hopefully encourage non-payers and new customers to come forward while longer term licence absence can be targeted with a stronger evasion message.

Equally targeted communications in the form of CRM and ECRM could be used to reward paying customers.

Press also has a role in reassuring and educating all consumers and should not just be used to issue warnings regarding evasion.

Conclusions
The TVL brand should be brought more in-line with the BBC brand which it works so closely with. Reinforcing the positive relationship between the consumer, TVL and the BBC. There should be more information about what the licence fee pays for both to reassure the consumer and to educate them.
Communications should be carefully targeted increasing relevance to the recipient. Messages should be staggered showing polite positive messages in the first instance which treat everyone equally with evasion messages increasing if the recipient does not contact TVL.
This campaign must work across media to improve perceptions of and create a more approachable feel to, the TV Licensing brand through tone of voice and design it must encourage consumers to feel positive about paying their TV licence.

Creative Brief
Why are we doing this?
To improve perceptions of and create a more approachable feel to, the TV Licensing brand through tone of voice and design. To encourage consumers to feel positive about paying their TV licence.

Who are we talking to?
Anyone who watches TV programmes as they are broadcast and the general public.

Payers – have always paid and continue to pay their licence, many by DD.
Non-payers - those who do not watch TV as it's broadcast.
Evaders – those who purposefully and continually evade paying despite watching TV as it is broadcast.
New customers – anyone who has recently got or is thinking of getting a television of their own.

What is the key insight?
There is currently a great deal of ill feeling towards the TV licensing system and their methods. This has included the launch of Facebook pages and campaign groups as well as general media wide discussion.
The 'big brother' brand image and the 'pay or else' approach to collecting revenue is considered by many to be little heavy handed. The BBC have acknowledged this and began reviewing the situation with a public consultation in September-November 2008, the results of this are due for publication at the end of April 09.

What is the one thing we want to say?
Paying your TV licence is the only way to get the high quality, uninterrupted entertainment you can enjoy in the UK

Why should I believe it?
The BBC is paid for directly through each household TV licence. This allows it to run a wide range of popular public services for everyone, free of adverts and independent of advertisers, shareholders or political interests.
The BBC provides 9 interactive TV channels, 10 radio networks, more than 50 local TV and radio services, the BBC's website, and the on-demand TV and radio service, BBC iPlayer.

What tone of voice?
This is the main area of this brief to create a new voice for TVL and develop their communications with this new tone of voice.
Generally this should be in-line with the BBC, professional and yet personable. Communication should be supportive and avoid reprimanding or lecturing.

Mandatories
TV Licensing is an established and understood organisation name for the collect of licensing fees. Although recently re-designed consideration may be give to changing the current logo to create a more positive and media brand image.
TVL are currently not permitted to use images of BBC programmes in their communications. While working with this restriction for most communications it may be appropriate to show BBC images on the TVL website where video can be used and a direct link provided to the BBC website.

What do we need to deliver?
CRM communications to deliver different messages to different target audiences based on a message which will work across integrated media.

payers - New look licence with DM pack, Widget providing an extra service
non-payers & evaders - CRM in the form of DM including a staggered approach to message delivery
new customers - DM
catch all brand messages - Website redesign, press ads

Possible brand approaches for consideration?
BT, British Gas, Royal Mail, Virgin and Sky.

Customer Journey

Communications are carefully targeted increasing relevance to the recipient. Messages are staggered showing polite positive messages in the first instance which treat everyone equally with evasion messages increasing if the recipient does not contact TVL.

Rationale
Logo and Design and Tone of Voice
The logo is still recognisable as the original but has been adapted to make it more approachable and reminiscent of a media brand. The font used for "TV" is the original logo font but in lower case. It is also spaced to reflect the way TV is written on the TV pages of the BBC website. The font for licensing is Helvetica Neue Condensed which was already used for TVL communications but again this is a softer lower case. This font is still used throughout the brand communications.
The colour in the logo reflects the green associated with a power on button and the shading creates a much softer modern feel to the logo bringing it closer to other media brands.

"Let's get it on"
The new strap line for the organisation encourages a feeling of working together, it's about getting on and getting the TV on. It also references the on button in the logo supporting this visual mechanism. It provides a good call to action encouraging the consumer to interact with the brand and work with it. It is not TV specific but can refer to the radio, internet etc. which is appropriate as TV programmes are increasingly available on other technologies.

The on button is followed through for the campaign using other TV buttons as a visual mechanism to illustrate TVL messages including services and content. Using this mechanism reinforces the on button in the logo and gives it explanation by continuing it through the rest of the communications. The DM also takes the form of buttons, the round shape is intriguing and according to the Royal Mail "consumers consistently said that they would always open any unusual shaped packages first, even before personal letters, and were clearly more engaged when mailings were creative beyond the form of a letter or leaflet." This would work equally well in online communications which could employ, stop, play and pause buttons for example.

The original logo was on a black background and this has been extended so the entire background of the communications is black. It is appropriate for the button visuals but also reflects the BBC TV website and iPlayer. It is not a direct reference but makes the brand feel more closely aligned with the BBC.

The new tone of voice is a much friendlier approach, chatty but informative with the content changing the strength of the messaging rather than a drastic change in tone to reprimand consumers.

Press
These ads are intended to educate and reassure everyone who watches TV. By promoting the breadth of services and content provided by TVL they show that there is something for everyone and just how much the consumer gets for their money.
The simple design has great stand out in cluttered TV guides which are read by TV viewers who both pay and evade the licence fee.

New TV Card
This DM is aimed at new customers using TVL's existing data collection to target people who have just purchased a new TV. This is a very personal communication which creates intrigue as the model of the new TV is referenced. The content of the communication is designed to introduce the consumer to TVL, to show the benefits of having a TV Licence through the services and content it provides and to educate them about how to get in touch with TVL and buy a licence. Removing the need for an envelope on the DM is one less barrier between the DM and the reader and encourages them to give it some of their time.

Click on the image to download a full .pdf version of the communication

What are you missing?
This DM is aimed at new customers who have not responded to the "New TV Card" and as a general communication to houses without a licence. It immediately engages the consumer by posing a question and by the feeling that there is something contained within the DM. What the reader is missing is not only a TV Licence but also all the TV programmes they can not watch as they are broadcast. they are missing the on button. The content of the communication is designed to introduce the consumer to TVL, to show the benefits of having a TV Licence through the services and content it provides and to educate them about how to get in touch with TVL and buy a licence.

Click on the image to download a full .pdf version of the communication

Why don't we get on?
This DM is aimed at non-payers and evaders who have not yet contacted TVL as a result of previous communications. It is designed to educate and advise the consumer both to the benefits of having licence but also contains a slightly stronger message referencing the consequences of not paying if you need to. It also contains more detailed information on when you need a licence based on some common misunderstandings and ill feelings, 'I already pay for sky', 'what do I get in return' etc.

Click on the image to download a full .pdf version of the communication

Warning letter
This DM is designed to target longer term evaders with a stronger message about the consequences of evasion. It is designed to inform them of the risks involved and the consequences and warn them that further action will be taken by TVL if they do not get in touch. The return to a standard envelope and letter format makes the message more official reflecting the seriousness of the message contained within it. This does not look like a government communication however as this should be reserved for court summons and prosecution details.

New Look Licence
This includes a licence card with the customers licence number which can also be used to unlock content on the TVL website. The TVL widget is also included in the pack.

Click on the image to download a full .pdf version of the communication

Widget
The TVL widget rewards licence payers and allows them to interact with the brand by having their say in the content they would like to see their licence fee spent on. This is designed to let the user feel that they have a say in what’s on the TV and allows TV Licensing and the BBC to gather information on licence owner opinions. Poll results allow licence payers to see what other people want to watch, this supports the ‘brightness’ message that the licence fee must provide something for everyone. BBC content is also suggested for each option.
The widget is also downloadable from the website.

Website
The new website design reflects the content currently available on the TVL website but with the addition of a forum. People are already talking about TVL on other forums and social media sites and TVL might as well own the conversation and take part in it by providing an area for discussion on their site. It will also allow them to publicly answer questions posed buy the consumer.
The site also provides un-lockable content for licence holders in the form of a monthly film on how money has been spent and also a like to unlock exclusive licence holder footage on the BBC website. This makes the licence holder feel like they are getting a little bit extra from their licence.
Information on TVL's relationship with the BBC is brought to the front of the site making it easier for people to find and also strengthens the connection between the organisations.

BBC Consultation
On the 31st March 2009 the BBC released it's findings of the public consultation in TV Licensing the following quotes from these documents support the findings of the planning and strategy for this campaign and suggest that the creative executions are in line with much need changes in the way TVL communicates.

"There is a role for advertising in reassuring licence fee payers as well as targeting evaders."

"Perhaps the strongest theme running through our audience research and our consultation responses was a public perception that the tone of the letters was too harsh and implied that people were deliberately evading when a licence had expired only recently or they had moved house."

"a balance should be struck between ensuring early reminders are polite, informative and non-accusatory, and strengthening the messages about evasion the longer a property remains unlicensed."

NHS - Social Media

2009-05-26T21:15:00.023+01:00

Brief Outline
Promote sensible drinking to the over 40s to reduce alcohol related harm in later life. Stimulate thought and self analysis by encouraging the target audience to talk about any drink related issues.

Background Information
People of this age group can be highly defensive regarding their alcohol intake. Just speaking about it is tantamount to 'having a problem'. This is a barrier which needs to be overcome.
This can be encouraged by giving the audience somewhere to talk and using places where they are already talking to deliver information and encourage them to find out more about alcohol consumption and their health and well-being.

Project Aim
To come up with ideas for content, external feeds, apps and a design for a social media site, www.tippletattle.com designed to encourage people to talk about and ultimately question their drinking habits. This site will provide a platform for conversation, information and professional advice about alcohol consumption and the health and well-being issues surrounding it. Although the information and advice on the site will be provided by the NHS this is not an NHS website. Its aim is to encourage user generated content in an environment which does not preach about issues surrounding alcohol consumption. NHS branding will be kept to a minimum but will be used to give credibility to information and professional advice offered. The site is intended for UK users.

Who are the audience for the project and what are their motivations?
Men and Women, mainly C1-E, aged 35+ Home drinkers who don't know how much they drink or how much they should be drinking. Social drinkers who drink with and as much as their mates and who see this as a 'normal' amount. Those who are aware that they may be drinking more than they should but do not want to talk about it to their friends and family. Those who have identified that they are drinking too much and want to help other people in the same position. Family and friends of people who may be drinking too much.
Motivations: reassurance, support, someone to talk to, a need to share experiences, advice, facts, information
Social technographic groups:
Creators – publishes blogs, their own web pages, uploads video and music they have created, writes and posts articles and stories they have written.
Critics – posts ratings, reviews, comments on other people’s blogs, contributes to forums and wikis
Collectors – use RSS feeds, bookmarks sites or photos Joiners – maintains a profile on a social network, visits SN sites.
Spectators – read, listen, watch Inactives – does none of the above

What is the single most important thing to communicate?
It's OK to talk about alcohol.

What do we want users to do?
Explore the site, join in conversations, share experiences, encourage friends to join in, spread content through other social media platforms, become regular users, seek advice, take in information.

Creative deliverables
Logo design, look and feel for tippletattle.com Site design for key pages Content ideas - apps, links to other social media sites, information, advice, forums... Traffic driving ideas - Possible use of beer mats and press to help promote the site. A visual demonstration of user journeys for three people with different needs using the site.

The “tippletable” would move around the country visting bars and pubs providing great PR for the campaign, encourage people to talk while they are drinking and drive traffic to the website.

The table itself is made of a touch screen surface showing the image of a bar or pub table and beer mats.
When the user places a drink on the virtual beer mat speech bubbles appear which contain live comments from the tippletattle Twitter feed. These include comments @tippletattle and #tippletattle and fade in and out as new comments are posted. One speech bubble prompts the user to have their say and join in the conversation.
On pressing ‘click here’ a keyboard appears for the user to type their comment.
This comment appears on the table and in the tippletattle twitter feed. It can be followed online on tippletattle.com and through Twitter.

The interactive banner uses the tippletattle twitter feed to provide live comments from people talking about drinking. Placing this on sites where people are reading about alcohol in the news or buying alcohol would help them to engage more with the content. This should then encourage them to visit the site.

The tippletattle.com homepage
Without creating a profile the user can browse the forums and news posts as well as accessing advice and resources and searching for content which might affect them. They cannot, however, contribute to the site by commenting on posts or using the drink diary this can only be done by those who login.

The user is able to create an anonymous profile where they would have to submit their e-mail address, which would be kept private, and create a username which will be visible to others and used when they log in to the site. They would also be asked what their usual drink was and where they usually consume it, this would be used to skin their logged in pages appropriately. Additional questions could be used to provide the user with more relevant content for example if their location was recorded they could be targeted with events in their area.

The drinks diary is an established tool for helping people control their drinking habits. Creating a digital version allows for greater flexibility for example users can text their units to the diary if they are out drinking so they don't forget what they've had. Users can also ask an expert to view their diary to get advice on how to change their drinking habits.

Once logged in the user can contribute to the site and contact other uses through the on-site messaging service. They can also take part in online events such as live chats and personalise their homepage.
Heavy users of the site can become admin members who moderate the site by removing inappropriate content and report misuse to the site manager.

User Journeys

Why is social media right for this brief?
The brief highlighted the need to get people to question their drinking behaviour by encouraging them to talk about their alcohol consumption leading ultimately to them seeking further information and advice.

People already talk about alcohol in the news, online, among friends but the content of these conversations isn't always regulated and the advice they receive from their peers isn't always appropriate.

Tippletattle.com encourages people to talk by providing a safe environment for discussion. Professional advice is available on request which means the driving force of the site is not to preach about health issues; instead it becomes a gateway to more information.

The site also provides an anonymous platform for communication. Unlike the AA, people can access it whenever and wherever they like and may feel freer to speak their mind than they would in a face to face situation. It is also the case that the site is intended to target those who would not go to something like the AA as they do not perceive themselves as having a problem.

But is social media right for the target age group? Older users are increasing on social media sites. According to Neilson Netview [online] adults aged 35-49 account for 41.7% of twitter users. Other social media sites are seeing a similar trend, "the single biggest age demographic in the U.S. on Facebook is now between 35 and 44, and that Facebook’s fastest growing demo is 55-plus."

The Co-operative

2009-04-28T15:06:00.034+01:00

Bring The Co-operative's brand identity and local and global messages to life through an integrated campaign executed in your local area.

This brief was set by D&AD as part of the Student Awards and received a yellow pencil.

Shop front.

Local area mail drop.

POS.

Instore fridge.

Delivery van promoting local and global message.

Local walk sponsored by The Co-operative travel.

School nature pond suitable for Keystage 2 learning promoting local and global message.

Playground ambient media promoting global message.

Dog waste bin with used bags from The Co-opertative Food store.

Reciept directing customers to www.weliveheretoo.co.uk

Promoting The Co-operative as a local neighbour would allow the brand to be truly integrated within local communities. Showing where the brand lives, learns and plays both in the local and global community will promote consumer interaction across media.

Integrating advertising within the local surroundings will mean less waste and damage to the environment whilst supporting the feeling that The Co-operative is very much part of the local community.

‘We live here’
The Co-operative is part of everywhere, it is everybody’s neighbour and ‘good for everyone’.

SPAM

2009-02-26T18:49:00.014Z

Re-launch SPAM

Click on the image to read advertorial.

Click on the image to read advertorial.

SPAM is not a particularly trendy food. In fact, SPAM-eating seems to have developed a bit of a stigma. One woman confided in a whisper, “I really like SPAM, I have it every day for my lunch. My colleagues think I'm a bit weird, but I love it.” This campaign aims to play on this simple admission, promoting SPAM-eating as an underground movement. Creating fresh intrigue around a well established product to draw in a new audience.

Willie's Cacao - Online Brand Campaign

2009-02-16T12:31:00.015Z

Background

Willie's Cacao is a premium product, made with the “finest, rarest, most expensive cacao in the world”(www.venezuelanblack.com). Willie's Cacao is chocolate at it's best, an ingredient and not a cheap snack food. Chocolate in this form has more uses than people imagine, enriching anything from aromatic truffles, cakes and creamy hot chocolate to dark savoury sauces, gravy and casseroles. It is versatile and adaptable and can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes.

The product was launched as Venezuelan Black 100% Cacao with a TV series 'Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory' which followed the eccentric Willie Harcourt-Cooze along his journey to be the first chocolate producer to grow and make 100 per cent cacao from bean to bar.

Channel 4 viewer profiles suggests the programme appealed to middle class adults with a slightly female bias and supports the fact that Willie's Cacao is likely to appeal to a similar TA. The show was part travelogue, following Willie and his family to South America to harvest the cocoa crop from his own plantation; part cookery programme, as Willie demonstrated a range of different and unusual ways of cooking with his chocolate. It is this aspect of the show which is likely to have appealed to serious home cookers and chocolate lovers who would form the TA for this campaign. According to Cadbury's 2003 report “women continue to be the largest purchasers of confectionery, primarily for Home Consumption, Sharing Occasions and Giving.”

The product is available to buy in Selfridges, Waitrose and a short list of specialist sellers.

Since the TV show there has not been any noticable advertising to market Willie's Cacao. The brands online presence is poor with different art direction and tone of voice being used across three separate sites. The most recent site shows a current and much needed rebrand in process. This was not in evidence at the beginning of the project but was in line with the identified target audience and character of the brand discovered through research here. The new brand identifies Willie's fun and slightly eccentric character as one of the great selling points of the brand by using his name in the logo. With the new logo creating a much stronger and more appropriate brand identity it was therefore incorporated into the campaign undertaken here.

A fresh brand campaign would target a new audience and jog the memories of those who may have seen or heard about the show but who didn't research the product further first time around. This may have been because they did not have immediate access to the internet while the programme was being aired, while online adverts provide a direct link to further information instantly.

According to a Yahoo! report 'Research Online, Buy Offline: The Impact of Online Pre-Shopping on consumer Shopping Behaviour' (Yahoo! and comScore, July 2007) “While consumers have the option to purchase online the majority of shoppers turn to the Internet to 'pre-shop' for information about products before they head to the store to make a purchase.” As for the power of online advertising in actually increasing in shop sales they note, “Most retailers know that online advertising drives online sales. According to this study online advertising drives in-store sales at a much higher rate than online sales, indicating the value of online advertising is perhaps many times greater than currently recognized.” In this way an online campaign could be used to drive sales both instore and online while increasing general brand awareness.

In 2006, 67% of the total GB population was online (NOP World, December 2006) with the second most popular activity on the internet after using e-mail being sourcing information on activities and interests. This suggests that people who consider cooking and food to be an interest and who would therefore be in our TA for Willie's Cacao are likely to look online for information. Online advertising would target the consumers who are now looking online for their recipes and cooking advice giving them the perfect platform to instantly learn more about the product and it's uses and instant access to purchasing.

In terms of media placement www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/foodanddrink and www.uktv.co.uk/food/homepage are appropriate.

The 'Life & Style' pages (which include the food and drink pages) of www.guardian.co.uk received 4, 022, 326 UK page impressions in August 2008 (Omniture August 2008) This was the 5^th most viewed section of the online newspaper out of 21 sections recorded.

The readership of the 'Life & Style' pages is defined by www.guardian.co.uk as “Upmarket, affluent and female” with 69% of the readership being females compared to an internet average of 48% and 74% being ABC1 compared to a 58% internet average (Forrester Internet User Monitor May 2008). This fits in with the TA for Willie's Cacao.

Competitor brands

Green and Blacks does not produce a 100% Cacao bar but is one of the leading premium chocolate brands in the UK. This is convenient for Willie's Cacao as it removes this established brand from direct competition. The fact that Green and Blacks have established themselves relatively quickly (they started up in 1991) as such a leading brand makes them an interesting reference point for possible campaign strategies for Willie's Cacao. 5 years ago Green and Blacks was still a relatively unheard of brand and chose to increase brand awareness with a give-away on The Observer Food Monthly, this continued with other glossy magazines(www.chocolate.org/green-blacks.html). This could prove to be a successful method to employ for Willie's Cacao in conjunction with an online campaign.

Brief Overview
Produce an interactive online ad campaign to promote brand awareness and online sales of Willie’s Supreme Cacao. Encourage people to find out more online about the brand and the uses of the products in cooking.
This campaign was academic and is not endorsed by the brand.

Why are we doing this?
To promote sales and product awareness of the Venezuelan Black.

Who are we talking to?
Serious home cookers, chocolate lovers and professional chefs with an interest in high quality products and the money to spend on them. Food lovers.

What is the key insight?
This is chocolate at it's best, as an ingredient not as a cheap snack food. Chocolate has more uses than people imagine.

What is the one thing we want to say?
Venezuelan Black is a premium ingredient for your cooking.

Why should I believe it?
Venezuelan Black is made from 100% cacao. The finest, rarest, most expensive cacao in the world.
Venezuelan Black can be used in a multitude of ways, enriching anything from aromatic truffles, cakes and creamy hot chocolate to dark savoury sauces, gravy and casseroles. Its delicious, distinctive 100% pure cacao flavour is exceptionally versatile and adaptable.
http://www.venezuelanblack.com/index.html

What tone of voice?
Inspirational, friendly, informative

What media should we be using?
Banner advertising on sites such as
http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/566
http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/0,,,00.html
http://food.yahoo.com/
http://www.deliaonline.com/

Microsite for traffic directed from the banners

The Big Idea

Do you love your food enough?

Having identified the target audience for the brand as serious home cookers and chocolate lovers it follows that the target audience are simply food lovers. With Willie’s Cacao established as a premium product the question of ‘do you love your food enough?’ asks the audience to consider if they are 'foody' enough and therefore worthy enough of the product. This reinforces the premium quality of the brand while creating aspiration in the consumer to love their food enough. The question also reflects Willie's love for his cacao taking great care of it from bean to bar. It is about loving eating and loving cooking, caring for your food, where it comes from, what you do with it and how it tastes.

The campaign is aimed at inspiring food lovers to use Willie's Cacao to spice up their cooking and take it to the next level. To experience the taste and pleasure of cooking with Willie's Cacao and in turn to love their food even more.

Click on the image to view full site.

Click on the image to view animated banners.

Arts Centre - Website Re-design

2009-02-16T09:56:00.020Z

As the Arts Centre are currently undergoing a redesign you can no longer view a full working version of this site on my blog. Please contact me if you would like to view the site.

The Brief

This site was produced as part of an academic brief to identify an SME whose site was considered to be poorly designed based on ease of navigation, visual appearance, appropriateness for target audience and client, content and structure. This site was then to be re-designed, including the restructuring of the site map, and built in Adobe Flash.

The Client

The chosen client, a local Arts Centre, was a creative community venue and a group of creative clubs and organisations which use the venue. The existing site in no way reflected the creative output of this community and an opportunity was identified to re-design the website.

The Target Audience

The target audience for this site was the local community, especially those interested in creative past times. It was also identified that appealing to a younger audience would help to promote the Arts Centre to a new generation to help maintain this valuable community centre for years to come.

The Existing Site

Initial impressions of the existing site were that the layout and design were bland and uninviting. The user was faced with both top and side navigation systems which seemed rather unnecessary. Numerous internal links within the main copy on the pages resulted in navigation becoming complicated for the user as it was difficult to tell exactly where the links had taken the user. The site lacked constancy, with content being laid out differently on each page.

Content about groups was also widely spread across the site often with no links between separate pieces of information and with some content being repeated in different sections.

The calendar, which could possibly have been one of the most used sections of the site was exceptionally complicated and could be navigated in two ways which were not clear to the user.

The Re-Design

The re-design was intended to create a more entertaining and creative site which functions better for the user, provides a creative platform for communicating information and creates an approachable online presence to promote the Arts Centre and the groups who use it.

By creating a room which can be explored by the user navigating the site becomes a more interactive and rewarding experience. Replacing the usual tabbed navigation system with a system of images is much more in keeping with the creative nature of the client. Labels which fade in when the user hovers over an item assist understanding of the navigation.

The curtain mechanism which plays in-between each section of the site prevents the change of background images from looking confusing and creates some theatre in the site.

A link for the user to return to the main 'homepage' of the site is present in each section in the top left corner, a conventional 'back button' positioning.

Although each section of the site is different and uses different fonts there is still constancy in the style of the illustration and the colours used. The 'homepage' of the site also brings together the different elements so they become part of a whole scene.

Extra interactivity is added to site for the users entertainment. In the 'Bridge' section the user is able to play solitaire and in the 'Classes' section they are able to move the chalk and draw on the blackboard.

The new calendar provides information much more clearly than the previous site. Although this area of the site is not fully functioning potentially he use of a database or XML CMS system would allow this information be easily updated buy the client and the RSS feed would allow the user to receive regular updates.

The new site provides a much more rewarding and entertaining journey for the user which will hopefully encourage usage and repeat visits.

This work won 'student of the year' at the DADI Awards '08.

lastminute - pink-less.com

2009-02-09T16:19:00.018Z

Create communications in any media or format that boosts awareness of the lastminute.com brand – turn the world pink!

Click on the image to view full site.

Click on the image to view animated banners.

The Idea

Turn the world pink? If lastminute.com wants to turn the world pink it is surely worth considering if the entire world is worth turning pink? What about impolite waiters? Thoughtless gifts? Hotels next to building sites? Some things just aren’t that great and would definitely not be up to lastminute.com standards. Perhaps what is more appropriate is to turn the lastminute.com world pink; and everything else? Well that’s Pinkless.

By creating the antithesis of lastminute.com, a pinkless brand offering mundane, tacky and crap alternatives to lastminute.com, all that lastminute.com stands for becomes pink. Pink-less.com is where we would be without lastminute.com. A world without magenta, where 1* holidays come at 3* prices, nothing is convenient and time is wasted.

The Execution

As lastminute.com are an online brand they’re adversary also needed to be highly visible online in order attract a similar audience and to easily channel traffic to the lastminute.com site. To catch a wider audience DM and a broadsheet insert encourage traffic to both lastminute.com and Pink-less.com.

Visually the Pink-less.com brand needed to look badly designed, cheaply put together and importantly pinkless. This has meant that the copy has had to work extra hard to engage the viewer in a site they would not normally pay attention to. Tone of voice was therefore of utmost importance. It had to reflect lastminute.com’s own cheeky and friendly approach whilst creating a unique tone for Pink-less.com to over sell their poor alternatives. As a visual alternative wherever lastminute.com is referenced within the campaign it is shown well designed and without fuss.

lastminute.com, describe themselves as bold and daring and this campaign shows them as just that. The campaign is a cheeky approach which lastminute.com have already shown they can get away with, with their own site content. The campaign could be easily translated for a global audience. The insert could be used in any broadsheet, the post card too is easily translated and lastminute.com already translate their own site globally and Pinkless.com could easily follow suit.

This campaign was nominated for 'student of the year' at the the DADI Awards '08.

Inner City Allotments - allot more...

2009-02-09T14:59:00.027Z

Promote having your own outside space for people in highly developed cities where there is a lack of outside space, see it more as a sanctuary, and try and modernize the appeal of allotments, as they’re in decline. Altogether rid the “Arthur Fowler” image of the allotment and try to make it into a cooler pastime.

People perceive allotments to be full of retired men growing prize turnips rather than a community of people each with their own unique reason for being there. An allotment is a space that allows you relax, attract wildlife, enjoy the outdoors, entertain children and friends, grow your own food and flowers and get away from city life. Allotments are for everyone but this campaign targets a more specific audience. According to a press release entitled ‘London's allotments losing ground’ by the Greater London Authority on 25/10/06

“The unprecedented interest in organic food has led to a renaissance in interest in allotment gardening, particularly among women and young families.”

A report by the Green Party Group dated September 2004 states that,

“People from different ethnic backgrounds, younger people and families are taking up allotment gardening. New allotment holders also tend to be younger and financially better off.”

A target audience of young professionals and young families who probably already take an interest in being ‘green’ has therefore been considered with the media being used as a key to targeting them specifically.

Public transport adverts target younger professional commuters and inner city dwellers. This will guide those interested to a website which will inform and educate in more depth. Online advertising will also encourage traffic to the website and reach a larger audience than the transport adverts. The 'gardening calendar' DM can be used to target addresses within city centre locations or those within a certain radius of available allotment plots.

Most allotments are provided by local councils so it is appropriate to consider that this campaign would be run by the government in areas where allotments are available. The campaign is therefore not city specific and could be run nationwide. To attract a young professional audience the tone of voice is friendly and approachable but nonetheless informative.

This was the winning campaign for this brief at the MPA Student Roses Awards '08.