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The idea of Mobile Marketing always used to scare me because I didn’t understand it. Then my Population colleague Ben Cooper broke it down for me.

‘Mobile Marketing is just another name for the portable web.’

This is a really great 2min video on the evolution of the screen.

Fourth screen by Nokia.

This year I have noticed I have picked up doing this thing that I like to refer to as the half court shot technique. It is when you do something that you think is a bit of a risk and there is only a slim chance of pulling it off. However what I have noticed is that you overestimate how hard a lot of things are. You really have to give everything a go because you really never know the chances of pulling something off.

So far this year I have taken a number of half court shots.

Scores
1. Asked to write for Marketing Magazine
2. Put my name forward for speaking at the AMI conference
3. Writing the 'Don't Trust Social Media with your Advertising Agency' MarketingMag post
4. Speak on the Gen Y podcast

Misses
3. Got in contact with the person from Gruen Transfer to see if I can go on the panel
4. Submitted an article to Problogger for a guest spot
5. Asked if they wanted me to speak at the B&T Digital Bootcamp

Funnily enough all the misses have not been flat out NO, they have usually been that they will potentially get in contact with me in the future. You never know, now that I am on their radar, I may just be lucky enough to get a rebound shot!

I will be adding to this list as I go.

1. Work for Nike
I want to be a part of making awesome pieces of art. Like this


And this


And this

Does anyone else feel confused with the constant stream of advertising rubbish that comes out from Nando’s? They are clearly a marketing headcase who believe they can change their brand image through readjusting their promotion.

The rest of the marketing elements screams Family-Gen Xers offering, their pricing (highly priced), product (grilled chicken meals), distribution points (store designs that have clearly not been updated since 1992), and employees (the kids who couldn’t get a job at McDonalds).

Yet their advertising message would lead you to believe that they are a young, cheeky, humorous Generation Yers brand.

I ask, What happened to Brand Continuity?????


Here is their latest miss, with the a parody of the Big Brother House
Big Chicken 08


Nando's Fix Gum - WTF?

Video Music Clips are;
1. Good guides to predict future trends in Fashion, Technology and the Arts
2. Perfect grounds for companies to promote their products.

It seems these days gangsters rule MTV. This is no problem for me as I have a high tolerance for watching smoking hot woman dancing on camera. However recently something struck me as a little odd.

What the hell were all my Gangster hombres (Bow Wow, R Kelly, T Pain, Kanye West, Omarion) doing wearing sunglasses at night?

Clubbing with sunglasses was for a long time part of rave culture and to onlookers it helped communicate 'I am on some serious drugs and I will save you the pain of looking at my dilated pupils.'

However it does not seem like there is a drug or rave connotation with this new hip hop trend. Without this stigma it seems that Oakley have jumped on this meme, sponsoring famous rapper T-Pain. His clip (above) looks more like an ad for Oakley than a music video clip.

Poor Ravers, what is next 50 Cent glow stickin and Melbourne Shuffling his way around a LA nightclub?

Below is a collection of the more hilarious sunglasses choices from recent music video clips.

R Kelly - I'm a Flirt (0:07: R Kelly Diamond Sunglasses)


Souljah Boy - Crank Dat (0:17 Souljah Boy got his name in crystals on his glasses)


Omarion and Bow Wow - Girlfriend (1:20 driving at night with sunglasses)


Kanye West - Stronger (0:42 Kanye windowshade glasses)

I have been unable to write for the last few weeks because of the slow internet at hostels I have been staying at. However I did record a podcast with Peter Wagstaff on Marketing Today about some of the interesting advertising I have seen in South Africa and Argentina.

So click on the link and listen to the endless interruptions from doing an interview on a public phone on the streets of Buenos Aires.


Click here to listen to podcast

Here is a video of the Nike Barrio Bonito.

Happy 1 year and 11 days birthday Adspace-Pioneer.

I thought now was the right time to tell the story of how I started Adspace-Pioneers.

Last year I finished my degree and joined the other 5,312 recently graduated students applying for the 17 jobs in advertising.

I did all the things they suggested for getting a job; I got an internship/part time job at an agency, went to every university networking night and begged my parents to ring their long lost friends in the industry to hook me up with a job.

All I ended up with was a stack of business cards.

I dreaded the next step the awkward phone conversation; with the pleasantries aside I would get to business.

‘So any jobs on the radar “insert business card name here”?’

…….

‘No, Julian I will keep an eye out for you, Ah that’s a client on the other line. I will give you a call if I hear of anything.’

I kept thinking there must be an easier way than this. Then one day it just clicked for me. I was asking for so much and giving them nothing back.

I could understand it though, I was asking them for a massive break and then giving them nothing back.

Around this I was working at Sputnik Agency, I was working one day a week preparing a trend report which went out to all the employees. 4 or 5 new trends that people were talking about.

Then it just clicked.

I should be emailing this out to my contacts. This was valuable information; people are time poor and want condensed information. I sent an email out to my contacts telling them I have set up a trend report blog that I will email you every week with updates.

It just made so much sense. I was able to stay top of mind with all my contacts, they were receiving valuable information. I had something to talk to them about. No longer did I feel bad about asking for a job, I just put a note on the end of my email saying I am still looking for a job.

A year on the blog has become more of a tool to make sure that I am keeping up to date with what is happening in the digital environment.

It is great to see other students following this path as well, notably Zac Martin a Monash Student who has started the blog Making Marketing.

And another birthday card

Melbourne Healthy Burger franchise ‘Grilld’ is the first to have a stab at the riding the coat tails of the upcoming Australian election. With the national election looming it seems that there will be a number of brands jumping on the political band wagon.

Grilld have set up the Vote Grilld, the reason behind it is to help decide the three new burgers for the range and to get a larger Customer database. There are three parties the Green party, Republican United Meats Party and Right Wings Party.

The video is a little weak, don’t know what they are trying to do with the voice. The instore promotion is very strong with ballot boxes, political posters and the staff wearing Vote 1 badges. I will try to get some photos up soon.

Clearly this is great they have made the action just off the product on the people but have been able to intergrate the Elle Mac line in through having the girls dressed in the clothes. You dont need to give men many reason to look at the Elle Mac new line but if the girls are blowing bubbles out their mouth, well that makes for rivoting watching. Great complement and itergration into Online Social Networks with all the girls having Myspace profiles.