Is this a social media turning point?

A great deal has been written about social media and most of it about the opportunities that it offers brands and marketers. However, a recent survey by YouGov has suggested a negative side to using social media for marketing. Is this a turning point?

New research has revealed that brand engagement on social networks is not as positive as first thought.  

According to B2B Marketing Magazine, 'Although the uptake remains high, users are demanding more, with two in five participants claiming to be ‘getting bored’ with social media.  

The survey of 1275 British social media users found that just under half of respondents would not be positive about a product their ‘friends’ have followed and/or ‘liked’, with 43 per cent saying they are unlikely to talk about a brand on social media sites. In addition, just over half of participants revealed that they ‘do mind’ seeing ads on social networks that are based on their profile activities.  

Dan Brilot, media consulting director at YouGov, says, “It appears that while social media can be a key tool in the brand marketer’s armoury, in particular to maximise commitment among those already highly engaged with the brand, it has not quite reached the effectiveness necessary to be considered as a truly mass media marketing tool.”

James Bond wine cellar by Spiral Cellars

Spiral Cellars has launched a retractable round glass trap door, featuring a motorised action which drops one of the panels before swivelling under a fixed panel. Finished in satin polished stainless steel and sturdy glass it is the ultimate addition to a slick modern interior.  

They say, 'Cellars are sunk into the untapped earth beneath a house, working by using the earth’s natural attributes and a clever ventilation system, and can easily be installed into existing rooms or as part of an extension.'  

For those that collect fine and drinking wine but don't have the room to store it this is a great solution, holding up to 1,870 bottles.

Find out more about these great space saving solutions here.

Mobile Advertising Wars

There is a lot being written about the impact of mobile technologies right now.  The Financial Times’s Tim Bradshaw wrote a piece on Google and Apple lowering the price for mobile advertising in an attempt to encourage more marketers and application developers to use their technologies, ahead of Facebook and LinkedIn’s expected entries into the markets.

He cites how many brands are still unsure how to tailor their messaging for the small screen, thus available ad slots in apps and on mobile websites are often left unsold.  

At the same time City AM reports that Apple has shot past Samsung to “nab top smartphone spot”.  Around 427 million smart phones were sold in 2011, up 50% on 2010.  Apple sold 35.5 million in the fourth quarter of last year.  

One company which seems to have done some smart thinking on this is Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland and says it has seen a “breathtaking surge” in online sales… yes, you guessed it, after the launch of two new apps last year which let customers chose a pizza via their smartphones or iPads, and which helped drive a 43 per cent rise in orders over the internet.

The FTSE 250 firm has 726 outlets in Britain, Ireland and Germany, and its franchisees created 1,800 jobs the company claims through the opening of new outlets.     

So mobile can also mean a neat “pizza profit” (piece of profit) it seems.

UK Pinterest users buck US trend

A recent study has shown that Pinterest is more popular with men than women in the UK. This is, at first glance, quite surprising seeing as 83 per cent of Pinterest’s US users are women.

However, a closer look at the data reveals that many UK users are in fact professionals working in the media industry. This perhaps explains why the gender split is more even in the UK (44 per cent female, 56 per cent male) compared to the US, where women have adopted the site for social rather than professional reasons.

We expect to see this gender trend reverse in favour of women later in 2012 as Pinterest grows its UK user base.

To read more about the research’s findings on Pinterest users click here.

Stairway to heavenly design

The Design Milk website has featured pictures of beautiful and unusual staircases which illustrate how these functional features can prove to be stunning pieces of sculpture in their own right.

These pictures, of projects from around the world, showcase a range of styles from spiral and floating through to geometric and triangular using a range of materials from wood, stone and steel.

The list of projects include designs from Maxwan Architects + Urbanists, Bell Phillips Architects, Ab Rogers Design and Alphaville Architects to name a few. Click here to see the full list of interesting designs.

The Lunch Book

Alessandro Garlandini and Sebastiano Ercoli designed Lunch Book, a recipe book made of paper plates.

The 100% recyclable and compostable dishes won the 1st Prize for lunch box design at Expo 2015 in Milan.

Describing dishes from different countries, the paper plates were used to taste the actual recipes during the exhibition.

Employee relations

On the subject of employee relations, City AM ran two stories last week which caught the eyes of the Think Tank PR team.

The first was about RBS chief Stephen Hester taking “the unusual step” of emailing a letter to every member at the bank to rally morale.  Excerpts from the email printed in the newspaper appear to show that he communicated his message in a straightforward and supportive way, recognising that being in the spotlight makes the job harder and could be potentially damaging for RBS, customers and shareholders.  He offers a pertinent cue for anyone looking at issue management: “We should try to be strong, to do our jobs, to deal with facts not fears.”

Meanwhile in the same edition of the paper, GlaxoSmithKline’s head of global brand communications, Kerry O’Callaghan, was interviewed about the company’s involvement in the London 2012 Olympic Games. This is the first time that a pharmaceutical company has provided the drugs testing services for any Games (the organising committee usually approach an academic institution or leading anti-doping centre in that country).

Rather than just being a sponsor for the 2012 Games (they are a Tier Three sponsor), GSK wanted to make “a material contribution based on what we are good at”. Partnering with King’s College London, GSK as the UK’s largest pharmaceutical company can bring scale to the testing, providing the appropriate facilities and support so that the KCL scientists can focus on the job of testing.

Kerry O’Callaghan says that GSK wants to use this opportunity to enhance reputation with key stakeholders and for people to think a bit differently about a big pharma company, to see GSK “getting in there and using science”.

What’s more they are planning on using 100 per cent of their ticket allocation as sponsors for employees and their personal guests, and running a global competition where you can nominate a colleague to receive tickets.

Michelle goes back to her German roots and visits ZOW!

Battling negative temperatures and snow storms, navigating the Autobahn and sampling some good German food; The Think Tank visited ZOW Bad Salzuflen last week.

ZOW Bad Salzuflen is the key supply show for furniture and interior design in Germany and ran from 6-9th February 2012.

It was not all Weiner Schnitzel and Weissbier, The Think Tank, along with PR support for Formica Group who featured on the Homanit stand alongside German distributor Homatrade, also took in the event to see what was new in the furniture materials world.

From tiles and doors laden with swarovski crystals to LED lit cooker hoods, ZOW showcased the most exciting and innovative products for the next season. We saw 3D surface finishes, thousands of furniture handles, from rose shaped to rhinoceros-tusk inspired. There were four halls filled with inspiration and free coffee (which we needed after walking everywhere).

Formica Group also featured new avant-garde texture Plex which illuminates the beauty and radiance of natural metals and provides a fresh alternative to the long-established brushed look. Inspired by satin textiles, damask and rough plaster, Plex is a crisp and versatile finish, ideal for use in luxury hotels and high-end retail environments.

All in all it was a great success and an excellent opportunity to see what's happening across European design.

Five things we picked up from the Surface Design Show 2012

The Think Tank visited the Surface Design Show, a well established event where Architects and Interior Designers get to see firsthand the latest in innovative surface solutions.

The show focuses solely on materials for surface design featuring inspirational solutions and seminars. As many of our clients work in the built environment it was the one place for The Think Tank to be last week. One of clients, Formica Group, featured on The Trend Wall, an installation presenting the colour trends for Spring/Summer 2013.

Here are some things we picked up...

1.  Future Thinking
The Future Thinking feature definitely gave us food for thought with its innovative and inspiring approach to materials. Using interactive recycled materials and renewable energy, the exhibitors at the Future Thinking feature proved that the products’ limits and boundaries can be pushed further while staying environmentally-conscious.

Pavegen Systems harvests a renewable energy from footsteps – every time you walk over the Pavegen tile, the kinetic energy of your footsteps is converted to electricity which can be stored and used for a variety of applications, such as powering street lighting, displays or signage. Made from recycled materials, this technology offers a cutting edge use for renewable energy.

The ‘Invisible’ project by Alicia Tam explores the modern notion of privacy, particularly in urban environments. She showcased personal accessories (umbrella and sunglasses) which disrupt the visual perception of both cameras and viewers through the use of an ‘invisible’ pattern algorithm and super-reflective materials. We, of course, had to try this out!

The ‘invisible’ pattern algorithm can be applied to various surfaces and objects and has many commercial applications. Whether shielding celebrities from paparazzi or blending in with nature, these ‘invisible’ products push the boundaries between what our eyes see and what our minds perceive.

2.  Sharing knowledge is crucial

The Think Tank popped along to one of the seminars at the CPD Hub. Hosted by the Association of Interior Specialists (AIS) the question was posed: ‘Environmental fit-out: a reality or a myth?’ This led to an interesting panel discussion which provided perspectives from a designer, contractor and recycling and waste specialist.

Sharing knowledge certainly seemed to be the order of the day. Collaboration of all parties at early design stage can be beneficial for providing a sustainable fit-out.

3.  How the process of drawing is important for understanding design
The PechaKucha evening was a great event allowing the packed room to gain a snapshot of some truly fantastic projects and insightful thoughts from leaders in the architecture and design industry.

Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", this simple format saw 11 speakers present 20 slides with 20 seconds to chat about each.

George Saumarez Smith from ADAM Architects spoke about how the process of drawing is important for understanding design. Take a look at his Three Classicists Video for some inspirational drawing.

4.  Elastic bands make funky light shades
Show regulars, the University of Huddersfield, asked ‘What if?’ BA Hons surface design students questioned and explored material curiosity resulting in a collection of items using wood, concrete, glass and elastic. The elastic band light shade caught our eye as a simple yet stylish way to reuse the material.

5. And finally, ‘Reuse is King’...

How many brands would you recognise?

There is often a lot of market research, time and effort that goes into creating a company's brand identity and it's interesting to know a person’s first impression of a logo, but what would a small child's impressions be when presented with certain logos?

‘Fresh impressions on brandmarks’ is a recently uploaded YouTube video that runs through a slideshow of famous logos with the commentary of an innocent five-year old giving her thoughts on them. A number of insightful comments are offered throughout the video that may make you laugh out loud. Google Chrome is described as looking like a beach ball and the Olympic Rings are viewed as baby toys; two observations that may not have occurred to the original logo designers.

Watch the video for a few more insights