Brands

We were delighted to have Antony Mayfield present to us on Friday, about privacy and his book ‘Me and My Web Shadow’. Gradually as anonymity begins to fade our web shadow/digital footprint/online persona is added to the list of on-going things we need to manage. In order to maintain a realistic impression on the web; the responsibility ultimately lies with us to manage this, even if we don’t want it to!

Read more about: The art of managing your reputation online

A year is a long time in gadget politics, it seems. Despite numerous journalists, analysts and industry observers writing it off as a one-trick-pony in a stable of multi-function thoroughbreds, the Amazon Kindle e-reader is now burning brightly as a popular, mature device in its own right.
Read more about: Why the Kindle is burning bright

The Apple iPhone saga continues… To cut a very long story short; after jumping through various hoops to prove to the Orange call centre that my iPhone was dysfunctional, I have finally received a brand new handset. However, I’m confused as to which brand should be tainted by the initially poor customer service that I experienced. And on the other side, which should be praised for the excellent customer service at the end of the process. Read more about: Delivering a unified customer experience in co-brand retailing

Gap this week announced a new logo, and all they had to say about it  (this only after a social media storm was unleashed around it) – is that after 20 years, it was time for a change. To put things in perspective, the “old” Gap logo is something of a branding icon – the 84th most-valuable brand in the world, according to Interbrand’s 2010 study, valued at nearly $4 billion on its books. Read more about: When the 84th most valuable brand makes a change

Rumours of the Apple iPhone4 have been circulating for months and for so long I’ve been waiting to make my free phone upgrade worthwhile, I’ll finally get my hands on an iPhone. Now the launch date has arrived and I only have a few more weeks to wait.

So, what are some of the new features of iPhone4 that are going to be so special? For me forward facing video calling, is going to be a really good feature (in the main). A number of my close friends live all around the UK so being able to actually see their faces when we chat will be a real bonus and make them feel much closer. This is great. But, I don’t want all my friends, family and colleagues to be able to utilise video calling. Read more about: The iPhone4

By Billie Andersen

Even if you’re not a Facebook addict or regular Twitter user, you’ll know how difficult it is to escape social media. Why? Because social media is revolutionising the way that people consume content.

Social media is opening new channels of communication between brands and customers and there is a lot of potential in the social web that marketers can tap into. For example, a study earlier in the year by Penn State University showed that 20% of all tweets mentioned a brand name. Sales and marketing professionals need to be aware of these significant media consumption trends so they can tailor and target their messages as effectively as possible across a changing landscape. Read more about: Trick or tweet

I want one now…not.

A new Apple product is always an exciting design moment. iMac, iPod (I have owned one since 2002), iPhone, iTouch …and now iPad. Of course when I saw the photos of this sleek, sexy machine, I wanted to get my hands on one. Now. Then the reviews started coming in, and I started reconsidering (there is also, alas, the small matter of budget…) In the end, reason won the day, with two sets of considerations which will help me hold on a little bit longer before I splurge… Read more about: I want an iPad

By Billie Andersen

Johannes Leonardo has launched a mysterious and (potentially) engaging social advertising campaign around New York and it will be interesting to see how New Yorkers respond to it. Read more about: Hide and seek for grown-ups