"Ideas must work through the brains and arms of the good and brave, or they are no better than dreams."

A pop up fashion boutique in South Africa is asking its customers to pay with their vital organs instead of money.
The retail experience in Cape Town lets customers take home clothes and handbags as long as they sign up to a organ donor list.
Created by digital agency Native, The Exchange was designed to encourage more people to sign up with the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa. 

From Inside Retail READ MORE

The 2014 Death Watch list: Living Social, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Olympus, J.C. Penney.
A fatal elixir of bad sales, ominous company news, declining market share and other criteria has landed J.C. Penney on the top of 24/7 Wall Street's list of brands that might not make it beyond 2014. Martha Stewart Living and Road & Track magazines, Mitsubishi Motors and Volvo, Olympus, LivingSocial, Leap Wireless, Barnes & Noble's Nook and the WNBA are also predicted to fail.

From 24/7 Wall St READ MORE

As a treat for Sydney-siders this winter, indulge in the delicious yet affordable dishes at The Larder. Bustling with history, the Wharf encompasses the charm and style of Sydney, with views to match. Located inside the prestigious Otto Ristorante, you’ll be spoilt by an ever-changing menu from Otto's head chef, Richard Ptacnik.

From The Urban Society READ MORE

Some cutting-edge branding for the Japanese Sword School. Check out his inventive approach.

From Creative Bloq READ MORE

Check out the Google glasses viral ad - expect to see a lot more POV youtube videos like this - 20 million hits since February this year. 

From Google READ MORE

Social media management system HootSuite has taken the various social media platforms and reimagined them as warring 'Game of Thrones' houses. Designed in the form of an infographic, it shows the "tense relationship" between the houses and how the social media wars have affected the different realms. 

From Design Taxi READ MORE

China leads internet growth, mobile growth and brand value growth, India is second. Indonesia is third. Australia is on the doorstep of this next wave of global growth. How about we stop relying on selling what we can dig up out of the ground and be a driving force for facilitating these behemoths become first world economies?

500 million photos are uploaded every day. Sharing of digital information has grown 9 times in five years. And China is leading the digital charge.

From The Official SlideShare Blog READ MORE

Today, about two out of every five minutes of digital content consumption occurs on smart phones & tablets. Consumers are using multiple touchpoints to access digital content, creating a challenge for businesses to understand their own customers' behaviours. In this presentation, comScore VP of Digital Analytix Jodi McDermott shows key trends in multi-device content consumption. 

From comScore. READ MORE

"Mad Men" is a prestigious television show with devoted fans who fit into a desirable demographic, and so its broadcaster, AMC, likely has little trouble selling the advertising spots. One can even imagine meetings in which men and women talk breathlessly about the opportunities for "synergy" in advertising for a hip and intensely fashionable show that is itself about advertising. And yet, there is a built-in challenge to placing commercials adjacent to the fictional ad world of Sterling Cooper. What digital camera company would have wanted to come blaring into the gaps in the action after Don Draper had just defined nostalgia and conjured the Kodak Carousel?

From The New Yorker READ MORE

YOU SAY POTATO, I SAY TOMATO

What is a social product? In this article you'll find a clear definition of the often confusing and misused definitions for the terms social, social media, viral and community. 

From Tomasz READ MORE

Take a look at these five well-known trends: where they are now, where they are headed, and the many opportunities they continue to offer. 
SELLSUMERS: Will there be any consumers left NOT making some money on the side? 
MATURIALISM: It's a raw, transparent, mature world out there - time for brands to grow up or give up. 
POINT & KNOW: Get ready for a POST-POINT & KNOW future. 
ECO-SUPERIOR: Why even 'carbon-neutral' won't cut it. 
MADE FOR BRIC: And now let's get busy with MADE FOR N11. 
With examples from UNICEF Sweden, Airbnb, L'Occitane, Google, Hong Kong's Zero Carbon Building, and many more...

From Trendwatching.com READ MORE

If Brown Sugar rings a bell - and with that bell comes salivation - then listen up. The brother sister duo behind Bondi's famed brekkie haunt have opened their second digs just around the corner. With a name that's hard to remember, and hard to forget,LOX, STOCK and BARREL is a New York inspired deli/diner ready to please the cab loving masses with bagels, bagels and more bagels.

From Daily AddictsREAD MORE

SAYS A LOT ABOUT TV

New York public broadcaster WNET has launched a series of spoof TV commercials poking fun at the glut of reality TV in the country. The TVCs follow an out-of-home campaign featuring promos for shows like The Dillionaire ('Life's a pickle'), Knitting Wars ('It's sew on'), Married to a Mime ('She's got plenty to say') and Bayou Eskimos ('Their life is headed south'). 

From AdNews. READ MORE

But seriously, what do you really think? Is neuromarketing the holy grail of consumer behaviour research? - Maybe not...yet. 

From Australian Popular Science. READ MORE

It's always a worry that you'll tweet from the company account and realise you've spelt something wrong or left a word out. But what happens to those unfortunate companies who have their accounts hacked - often with disastrous outcomes? Find out how McDonalds, PayPal, Jeep and other big brands dealt with the issue.

From JeffBullas.com. READ MORE

No, Mr Murdoc hasn't porked up. Fat Rupert is the newest bar to hit the Bondi scene. Named after the owner's rotund cocker spaniel, you'll find vintage style, seasonal share-plates and boutique beer and wines. Try "The Grand Rhupy" with vodka, Grand Marnier and rhubarb chutney. 

From Daily Addict. READ MORE

What happens when brands break Facebook law? Pages can be shut down. 
It doesn't happen all that often, as far as 
we know, but it is a possibility and potentially a huge hassle.

From Search Engine Journal. READ MORE

Infographics are 7 times more likely to be shared via social media than articles. 
Data visualisation is a popular new way of sharing research. Here is a look at some of the visual devices, informational elements, and general trends found in the modern 
day infographic. 

From www.Good.is READ MORE

SAYS HE'S TAKING OVER THE WORLD

How connected is too connected? Steven Burda has 50,000 direct connections and 3,000+ recommendations. On the top of this his long profile boasts: "I'm Steven Burda & I move mountains. The Most Connected Person on Linkedin. One day I'll take over the world. Nothing's impossible for me."

From Business Insider READ MORE

If you ever wanted proof that we ain't in Kansas anymore - for the first time ever in Australia online spend overtook free-to-air TV spend in first half of 2013. Mobile advertising was the star performer as advertisers move their budgets to match consumer behaviour.

From B&T. READ MORE

Google Glass is going to charge advertisers based on what content has been looked at. Dubbed as 'pay-per-gaze', it measures the direction of your pupils and the duration you focus on the ad. It is rumoured that the next development will focus on the emotional response by measuring the pupil-dilation of the user.

From MASHABLE. READ MORE

While we mourn the death of fine-dining, Sydneysiders have cheerfully adopted to the cheap-and-cheerful-dining without too much of a fuss. We know that not everyone's willing to embrace the spontaneity of eating next to a food-truck or queue for their food outside popular establishments like Mamak and Gelato Messina. This list of crowd-pleasers will ensure that neither your belly nor your wallet will go empty.

From SMH. READ MORE

If you haven't already joined the Pinterest movement, it's not too late. We take a closer look at this fast-growing social media channel that claims to be 'made for marketing'. New insights in the marketing potential of Pinterest should not be overlooked.

From Market Land. READ MORE

Inspirational leadership is in short supply across the workforce. In a British survey asking employees to rate their bosses, only 7% of respondents find their bosses 'extremely inspiring'. And those employed in the media, marketing, advertising and public relations sectors are most likely to rate their bosses as inspiring. Here's a counter-survey for bosses to find out if their leadership abilities measure up.

From Market Week. READ MORE

The 80 years of ads featured in The New Yorker offer a revealing glimpse of the cultural idiosyncrasies of the past and the evolving perspectives of the magazine's readers. While we chuckle at the sexist stereotypes or the outlandish aspirations portrayed in these ads, they also highlight the positive social evolution of our civilisation.

From The New Yorker. READ MORE

The invention of anesthesia made the doctor's job easier and was caught on overnight, while the idea of using antiseptic took decades to spread because it made surgery harder. When we're challenging behavioral norms, it requires not just inherent value, but the natural osmosis from interacting with people over time. Some ideas just need more love than others - even in this effortless online-sharing era. 

From Co. Design. READ MORE

Video killed the radio star. The downfall of this market leader paints a sobering picture of how innovation and consumer insight remain the critical key to the success of a brand. This detailed recount of BlackBerry's fight to regain its market is a warning for companies to never undervalue the importance of innovation.

From The New Yorker. READ MORE

Ask not what your bar can do for you, ask what else your bar can do for you. Fellas, if you're looking for a shave and haircut with your beer, stride in, take a seat in one of the old school barber chairs and be indulged. This little gem on York Street will redefine your meaning of feeling refreshed.

From Daily Addict. READ MORE

5 STEPS FOR CREATING A SUCCESSFUL BLOG.

It sound simple but its amazing how many people get it wrong – the secrete to a successful blog? Write one that people actually want to read. This article will help you create a content marketing strategy for your blog that ensures that you will reach your goals.

1. Understand your goals

2. Know your audience 

3. Write with your readers in mind 

4. Be consistent 

5. Use marketing tactics to create visibility

From Social Media Today. READ MORE

WHERE EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE PENTHOUSE IS FOR SALE

What could be better snooping and shopping at the same time in the uber slick penthouse suite of the new Pacific Bondi Beach apartments. Bill Tikos of mega hip culture blog The Cool Hunter - the one that’s let you peruse the interiors of so many other magnificent buildings around the world - will be tastefully stuffing this ultra cool pad with stuff you can buy from worlds of fashion, music, design & entertainment. 

THE COOL HOUSE 
Pacific Bondi Beach, 180 Campbell Parade, Queen Elizabeth Drive, 
Bondi 7 – 16 December 2012 
Open daily 10am – 6pm 

From Daily Addict. READ MORE

The need for businesses and individuals to measure their activity on social media is constantly growing as the industry is becoming more mature. This measure-ment can be split into two types of data: the much buzzed-about big data as well as the relatively invisible small data. Find out what you most likely aren’t doing. 

From Social Media Today. READ MORE

While everyone is talking about the growth of social media and all it has to offer let’s not forget about the importance of email.
Email marketing remains as one of the top channel for delivering marketing messages. Research shows that “77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based marketing communications through email.” Here are 3 examples that creatively pushes your online customers to opt-in.

From Get Elastic. READ MORE

Ananas is Sydney’s complete bar & dining destination, bringing a taste of contem-porary French Mediterranean to Sydney’s Rocks district. Housed within one of Sydney’s landmark historic buildings, Amanas is both sassy and savant grade with fun 1920’s inspired décor.

The bar offers a hand-picked selection of Champagnes, signature cocktails and an impressive selection of local and French wines (some exclusive to Australia) complete the comprehensive drinks list. The brasserie serves produce-centric food, cooked with traditional French methods but featuring global cues and accessible prices. A dedicated Oyster Bar is a highlight treating patrons to shucked-to-order oysters and a daily plateau fruits de mer.

READ MORE

13 MAJOR MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2013

As 2013 comes to an end with the benefit of hind sight we can see how many of these predicted major trends have been in fact major? Have we kept up with the opportunities and risks that face marketers today in this fast-paced, ever changing communication environment? 

THE DIGITAL WALLET CREEPS FORWARD 
So far, the long-promised digital wallet has lagged behind expectations. Google Wallet, Square, Apple, and others have introduced electronic payment, So loyalty, and couponing systems, but there’s no single solution that works everywhere and all of the time. 

BIG DATA GETS REAL
The buzz over big data has been nothing short of deafening. It has beckoned with the promise of delivering a better understanding of customers and the overall business.

SOCIAL MEDIA GROWS UP 
Many marketers have turned to social media to promote their brands and dive into reputation management, so now the area is evolving rapidly. 

MOBILITY MATURES 
The post-PC era has arrived. Any major organization that isn’t investing heavily in mobile tools and strategies is DOA. 

REAL-TIME MEDIA BUYING 
TAKES HOLD
The intersection of location awareness, social media, and mobility is finally delivering the ability to target customers with incentives and coupons at the point of decision-making. 

ORGANIZATIONS LEARN TO BETTER IDENTIFY THE MARKETING PIVOT POINTS 
In recent years, the sheer number of marketing channels and options has overwhelmed more than a few Comes. 

QR CODES GET REAL 
Marketers have used QR codes across a wide swath of industries over the past few years. Unfortunately, many organizations haven’t tapped into the tool's full potential. 

REPUTATION MANAGEMENT JOINS THE BIG LEAGUES 
The rise of social media, including blogs and review sites, has created a need to monitor posts and gauge consumer sentiment. Although Google Alerts has 
been around for years – and many organizations use it and similar tools to track online postings – many organizations lag far behind. 

GREENWASHING SUBSIDES 
The rise of green and sustainable business practices has sent a tsunami through the enterprise.

INTRAPRENEURIALISM GROWS 
The most successful organizations recognize the need to be highly agile and flexible. The problem is that simply decreeing a need to be innovative or assigning employees to address the task doesn’t necessarily produce results. Consequently, some organizations are revamping conventional marketing practices and allowing small and ad-hoc teams to compete for new projects or initiatives that are on the leading edge of conventional and digital marketing. 

METRICS MATURE 
The ability to measure every click, tweet, and page view is both a blessing and curse. On one hand, there’s a wealth of potentially valuable information that can transform an enterprise. 

MARKETERS ARE SQUEEZED TO PRODUCE CONTENT 
When the Internet burst on the scene in the mid-1990s, some observers predicted it would greatly diminish the demand for content, particularly the written word. That prediction now ranks right up there with flying cars and robot assistants. In reality, the emergence of a truly digital business environment has fuelled huge demand for content – blogs, videos, interactive tutorials, white papers, social media content, and much more. 

MARKETERS REDISCOVER TRADITIONAL MEDIA 
A funny thing happened on the march to digital marketing: Many marketers are rediscovering traditional media. In fact, conventional advertising and commercials still represent the largest chunk of the marketplace – about twice as much as digital media in terms of total dollars spent, according to Malaviya. “The bottom line is that TV and print are more important than ever.”

From CMO. READ MORE

The Greek-Chinese-Australian answer to Japanese cooking? A fabulous ride all the way, from J-pop fried chicken to sashimi to spanner crab buns. All in a bright, white, light space-odyssey room.
73 Macleay Street, Potts Point, chochosan.com.au

Read MORE

A Sydney Christmas is like no other in the world, with its sun-drenched summer days and balmy nights, uniquely Aussie festivities, and tradition with a twist.
This year interact with festive Christmas decorations in different fun ways. Jump on the interactive dance pad at the Martin Place Christmas Tree, or text us your message and make it appear on the tree’s branches for everyone to see. Use a new smartphone app to change the colours of our Christmas Light Forest in Pitt Street Mall, and share your celebrations online with our hashtag #sydxmas.

From lighting up the buildings in the city to  village markets  find out what’s on this season

Read MORE

The battle lines are being drawn for the IPTV / SVOD Australian market, with the upcoming entrance of Netflix, by standing homegrown competitors Presto, Stan & Quickflix.  There is a current realignment of Australian media around the distribution platform of the future, which will be delivered by Australia’s Telco’s and is set to redefine the Australian media landscape

SVOD Battle Plans:

Streaming: The winners will be the best and biggest marketers
Content and marketing are going to play crucial roles in the survival of this upcoming competitive SVOD landscape. The bigger, smarter marketer may win over content rights.

How the combatants are aligning.

“This emerging battle has produced some serious media posturing from various parties in the last year, as almost every major media player moved to find a partner or ally.” Scott Lorson, Fetch.

The triple Play Telco war has started so..

Who will survive and what happens next?

It is hard to know who will win the SVOD/ triple Telco deal war but the best content and most effective marketing will effectively determine who will be left standing after the SVOD battle.

From Mumbrella. MORE

A lot of the conversations we have today are hinging around digital and programmatic buying, big data and social interaction, but the basis of a great outdoor campaign is great copywriting and great art direction. If you haven't got it right at the base level, you're not going to have a successful campaign.

From AdNews. MORE

2015 is almost upon us; trend predictions will see industries worldwide need to shift marketing budgets and strategies to stay in the game.

20 digital marketing experts were interviewed by Forbes Magazine on their thoughts for 2015 and the 6 common predictions emerged.

Content Will Be More Important Than Ever
Relevant content is no new thing but in 2015 helpful content will grow with a focus on transparency as people fight for free visibility on Google.

Marketing Channels Will Be More Important Than Ever
Right content format for the right channels will be vital and 2015 will see tracking get closer to how we earn each customer from top of the conversion funnel to the bottom through evaluating all marketing channels.

Mobile Will Take Over
‘Mobile First’ will continue to influence all marketing sectors - the increase of cross-device attribution, which runs on people-based, data driven attribution (Facebook and Google Adometry) will see a drop in the reliance on click based/ cookie tracking.

2015 will also increase in mobile usage with wearable technology and uptake by B2B marketers as business consumers move to ‘mobile first.’

Marketing Campaigns Will Be More Data-Driven & More Hyper-Targeted
All design, advertising and social media will focus on driving increased measurable results through cutting edge tracking and predictive analytics – who, what and where.

“Hey Dan, don’t forget to pickup Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.” goes the push notification from my iPhone as I walk into the grocery store.”
— Dan McGaw

The Laggards Will Finally Adopt
“Digital Marketing will start to be accepted by traditionally late arrivals to new technology, specifically business to business manufacturers.”
— Rob Felber

Google Plus Will Go Extinct
Google plus is a dying platform with media experts claiming a 50% chance of the platform dying out in 2015.

Read all the detailed comments from 20 of USA’s digital marketing experts HERE

Facebook has recently announced posts with excessive promotional content will be cut. What classifies a post to be “overly promotional?”

1. Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app

2. Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context

3. Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads

What this means for advertisers? Expect organic reach to decline even further but in a chance to increase advertising opportunities Facebook has rolled out an ad preference tools, allowing users to manually curate the types of ads they want to be served.

“Putting in a more efficient way to match the right ad with the right person as those prices rise makes their overall investment more efficient and more effective because you're actually getting the right people to see the ad as opposed to a broader audience than a smaller audience that convert.” – Brian Boland, VP of GMS product marketing and AdTech for Facebook

From AdNews. MORE

From PR Daily. MORE