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Comment by Devin Drake on March 14, 2011 at 12:10pm

Appacci is introducing 3 new products to the African market. All 3 have done particularly well in the US and Europe in the marketing automation, virtual eventing and social networking spaces. All offer back-end powerful analytics reporting to the client - the day's of shoot-and-miss digital marketing are over.

 

Reseller opportunities are available, email partners@appacci.com for more info.

Comment by Themba Dlamini on September 8, 2010 at 5:58pm

Hi guys
I am new on IT and marketing but looking at making it a career. Can you please critic my site, www.phuzemthonjeni.com. I will learn from every comment.

Comment by Grant Pringle on May 28, 2010 at 11:09am

Six things you should know about augmented reality

1. A potted history

Augmented reality is thought by many to be the next big thing – but is it really that new? Conjuring images of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “bionic-vision” in sci-fi classic Terminator, the concept of a digitally enhanced world has long been considered a futuristic flight of fancy. 2010 was supposed to be the year fantasy became reality, but the truth is it’s all a bit old hat.

Though the term only recently gained currency, we’ve been experiencing augmented reality (AR) in various guises since the ’50s. It has a history of use in television sports coverage, where analytical visuals are superimposed onto replays – revealing whether a footballer really was offside, or if the ball would have hit the stumps. It has also been used in museum exhibitions and military training applications.

The term was coined in 1990, describing a head-mounted display that helped Boeing engineers identify aircraft electrical wires. But the principle of AR predates its naming. Morton Heilig’s 1957 “Sensorama” motorcycle simulator is often credited with being the first AR experience.

Historically marketers have shown little interest in AR. This all changed in 2009 as brands clambered to be the first to use the hot new technology. M2end commercial director Simon Jobling explains why: “For home-based AR, a webcam is crucial – penetration is now at a point where an AR app for consumers to use at home is a mass market proposition.”

The appearance of cameras and high-speed internet as features of most new mobile phones gives them the potential to act as mobile webcams. In response, app developers created the first AR browsers in 2009.

2. Brands must act fast

Total Immersion sales director Myles Peyton says the hype surrounding AR stems from the potential for consumer engagement. “By using AR in their campaigns marketers can increase consumer interaction, and the longer consumers interact with a product or brand the more likely they are to purchase it.”

Dairy Crest group brand manager Mike Smith used AR for a Swamp Soccer World Cup promotion for flavoured milk brand Frijj. On holding a Frijj bottle up to an activated webcam, a Swamp Soccerette cheerleader appears to climb from the bottle and perform for the consumer.

The bottle acts as an AR prop. Props feature small “targets”, often similar to barcodes, that are recognised by a webcam and cause digital information, such as 3D graphics, to be superimposed on the real-world image.

The strength of such a promotion is its novelty, but Smith insists it was important to use it only where relevant. Frijj consumers provided the perfect opportunity. “We’re targeting 16 to 24 year-old lads. We know they love new technology and actively seek it out.”

But youngsters are fickle and the love-in won’t last forever. Does AR have enough substance to prove more than a gimmick? Director of Koko Digital Stuart Howarth isn’t convinced. He says the technology’s lack of viral potential is a major flaw. “The user must have a webcam installed and enabled – there goes a large chunk of your potential audience. Then, chances are the user will require a prop, another proportion of your audience will be lost at this point.”

Limited accessibility means Howarth is sceptical of prop-dependent AR’s credentials in marketing. “If you’re looking to win awards for innovation or design then an AR campaign will do the trick. If you’re a brand looking for serious ROI then stay clear and don’t alienate your audience.”

Marketers’ love affair with AR may prove nothing more than a fling, but brands that take the plunge while passion is running high can achieve great results. Peyton cites a campaign for the launch of Transformers 2: “According to the Picture Production Company, which oversaw the campaign for Paramount Pictures, an AR website experience developed by Total Immersion delivered 82,000 visitors in the first few days and two million visitors to date.”

3. Mobiles might not be the answer

If prop-dependent AR is a flash in the pan, mobiles are considered by many to be the technology’s saving grace. But mobile is not the only alternative available to marketers.

JCDecaux has developed AR bus shelter advertising panels. These host all the elements necessary for webcam AR – a camera, screen, and coded props. A Samsung campaign during the Vancouver Olympics used the technology to offer commuters a virtual ski-jump experience.

Despite the emergence of rival platforms, Howarth believes the future is mobile. “The benefit of using a mobile for AR is that a user can see a product featuring an AR experience and engage with the brand and product there and then – you could never get that with a computer.”

Juniper Research principal analyst Dr Windsor Holden attributes the rise of mobile AR in 2009 to the confluence of enabling technologies in high-end smartphones. The first to feature all the necessary components was the Android-software operated T-mobile G1. “Most smartphones already had GPS, a camera and mobile broadband, but it was the appearance within the G1 of the digital compass and accelerometer that provided the final building blocks for AR applications.”

This enables handsets to be more than just mobile webcams. Location based services use a phone’s GPS, compass and accelerometer to overlay information about the immediate environment onto a real-time camera view. Yelp is one of the most popular location based apps; it presents reviews and ratings of local restaurants, shopping and nightlife.

Such apps are fantastic in principle, but in reality they can be cumbersome – the inconvenience of viewing the world through a tiny screen is made more so by the dubious accuracy of many location based services.

4. Prop-dependent AR is going mobile

Nanotechnologists at the University of Washington are hoping to make navigation of the digitally enhanced world easier with AR contact lenses. Though a working prototype has yet to be attempted, other alternative AR models are beginning to emerge.

Nokia, JCDecaux and Posterscope have collaborated to trial the concept of AR billboards – a compromise between prop-based and mobile AR. The Nokia Point & Find mobile app allows users to access information about local services, products and special offers by pointing their phones’ camera at bus shelter posters.

Pointing your phone at a movie poster might cause you to be sent the trailer, details of screening times, or the box office booking line.

JCDecaux marketing director Dave McEvoy explains the purpose of the trial. “We were testing the robustness of the technology – whether it would recognise posters in the street under variable light conditions – and also testing consumer reaction.”

“We did get the public involved, they did download the app, and they did interact with the posters.” The trial emphasised that despite the draw of the technology, content is still king. “You have to serve up decent copy and content – content that works in the mobile space is crucial.”

Using coded posters allows users to access locally relevant information without relying on their handset’s potentially inaccurate GPS and compass.

5. 2010 is too soon

Despite the hype, Holden doesn’t predict growth of mobile AR will live up to expectations in 2010. One reason for this is technological inaccuracies reducing the value of location based apps. “The limitations of these technologies – notably GPS, both in built up areas and indoors – will clearly serve as a retardant to growth.”

A further restriction on expansion will be poor distribution of enabling technologies. “Penetration of mobile AR-enabled handsets is still extremely low, and will remain so for the foreseeable future: even in regions such as North America and Western Europe, we don’t envisage that such handsets will exceed 10 per cent of the installed base until the end of 2012 at the earliest.”

Juniper Research forecasts that mobile AR revenue streams are unlikely to total more than $2m (£1.4m) in 2010. The long-term future of the mobile AR industry is deemed more promising with revenue predicted to reach $732m (£496m) by 2014.

Holden says advertising is likely to account for a large proportion of this growth. “Used imaginatively, the means by which product and brand promotions utilise AR are almost limitless. We would certainly expect to see ad spend accounting for a significant proportion of AR revenues by 2014, as the number of AR handsets within the marketplace reaches a perceived critical mass.”

6. AR is an “everyday” technology

PCs and mobile phones are just two of many technologies considered extraordinary when they first appeared, only for their usefulness to mean they eventually became everyday essentials. The range of practical applications for AR is so great it is predicted it will follow a similar path. Steve Hanna, director of mobile marketing agency Cymba, says, “My feeling is that practical AR will drive growth and adoption, not looking through a camera to see if a pub draughts Stella or Fosters.”

AR is beginning to fulfill this function in online retail. AR fitting rooms have been developed, such as the “virtual mirror” at Glassesdirect.co.uk that allows users to try on frames in real-time. Ikea has released a mobile app that enables users to see how items of furniture would look in their homes before purchasing them.

Koko Digital’s Stuart Howarth feels the entertainment industry will embrace AR. “It reminds me of how 3D first arrived in the ’50s – back then it was a gimmick that wasn’t very good. But look at 3D now, it’s everywhere and is fast becoming the future of how we watch movies and TV.”

Howarth points to the creation of AR gaming platforms by Sony and Microsoft. “As more and more people begin to adopt the idea of playing games using AR it will become a much more accessible option for marketers, very much like how 3D has now become an accepted format by the masses.”

John Manning is editorial/ web assistant at The Marketer

Comment by Grant Pringle on May 10, 2010 at 9:21pm

Procter & Gamble Recalls Pringles Chips

http://grantpringle.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/procter-gamble-recalls...

Comment by William Kleynhans on April 22, 2010 at 8:43am

Hi All

Things are moving a pace for the first Bootstrappers Braai . We now have a venue that we will finalize soon.

We need people to volunteer for the following roles
We require some help with the following:

Master of Heraldry: Someone to help design a funky logo
Master Gunner: Someone to help invite people and just create general awareness
Quarter Master: Someone to manage the booty
Boatswain: This person will help manage the stores and setting up functions
Sailing Master: Responsible for the Bootstrapper Braai Group/Blog and who polls attendees on changes/additions to the event
Again the main aim is to hold an informal social event for people starting companies/ involved with start ups or keen to start them.

Comment by Grant Pringle on December 29, 2009 at 4:59pm

How to...
go mobile marketing

Mobile marketing is calling for your attention and, with click-through rates to rival e-mail, it’s too compelling for any marketer to ignore

For several years now, mobile marketing has been a quiet but insistent buzzing in your pocket – vaguely aware of its cry for attention, marketers have been too distracted by other media to answer mobile’s call. A few brave brands have embraced mobile marketing, often with great success, but it still has not caught the attention or the imagination of the vast majority of brands. One reason is a lack of awareness as to exactly what the channel offers. It’s time, then, to get back to the basics of mobile marketing and how to do it properly.



Where do I start?

Russell Buckley, vice president, global alliances at mobile advertising network AdMob, says: “There’s a fast disappearing myth that the only thing you should advertise on a mobile phone is something related to the phone itself. This is complete nonsense. Any type of ad can run on a digital channel, so there is no reason why it could not work as well on the mobile channel.”


Brands have been advertising on mobile phones for many years but, until recently, the only brands that used the medium were those selling content for all things mobile; ringtones, wallpapers and mobile games. While these brands still dominate, mainstream brands have now jumped aboard.



Brands seeking to advertise via mobile have two routes to choose from: on-portal and off-portal. On-portal means the mobile operators’ mobile internet sites; off-portal is everything else. Many TV stations, newspapers and other publishers now have mobile sites, so if your target audience tends to read the Daily Telegraph or Marie Clare, those sites could be a good place to start advertising.



Networks and media planners such as AdMob, Ring-Ring Media and Yodel Digital, can help draw up a mobile media plan. As for the advert itself, says Buckley, you need to think about the medium. “Most online environments are built in Flash, which does not work on mobile,” he explains. And there’s the size issue, too: “On a desktop computer or laptop you can ask people to fill in lots of questions when they’re looking for something like an insurance quote. On mobile you have to keep things much shorter and simpler.”



Another major consideration is exactly where a click on a mobile advert will take a customer. At the very least your website should have a landing page that is optimised for viewing on a mobile phone and, in an ideal world, you should offer a full mobile website. Jonathan Bass, managing director of mobile agency Incentivated, concedes that mobile is still a niche advertising medium, but points out: “On mobile, you get a self-selecting audience that is consuming mobile media, that is on the mobile web, and that will click on ads.”



Mick Rigby, chairman of mobile media agency Yodel Digital, notes that now is a good time to try out mobile advertising. “Demand for mobile advertising inventory is creeping up, but costs are still low, and clickthrough rates as high as 7 or 8 per cent compare very favourably with online display,” he says.

Posted from the marketer http://www.themarketer.co.uk

Comment by Grant Pringle on December 7, 2009 at 1:50pm

brands internally

Staff who read brand statements to customers from a list sanctioned by marcomms are never going to set customers on fire, and could even drive them away. So how should staff get across brand values?

When a woman with a broken arm recently served Eliott Polak in MacDonald’s, he noticed the “I’m lovin’ it” slogan on her cast. OTT? He thinks so. “I couldn’t help cringing,” admits Polak, CEO of marketing consultancy Textappeal.
But the fact remains that to market an organisation effectively, every member of staff must “live the brand”. After all, if you don’t live a brand internally, how can it be delivered externally? “It’s an area that can’t simply be lip service,” insists Angela Hatton, consultant and trainer for Tactics Consultancy. “It needs real thought and management effort or customers will see through the scam.”
The way to achieve this, agree the experts, is through engaging and motivating staff using the brand values themselves. “The brand represents ‘how we do things’ and, as such, can be a sustainable differentiator in an increasingly competitive market,” says Hatton.

Branding at recruitment

Bill Gates once said that when he hired people, he always asked about their passions. If he didn’t see the person’s eyes light up, no matter how good they were technically, he didn’t hire. Polak believes it’s the only way. “Always get people who are passionate about what they will be doing for you. Before we started the company, I had never imagined anyone could be passionate about bookkeeping. But I was wrong.”



Google is renowned for going one step further – by only getting people on board who have a perfect fit not just with the job, but with every one of Google’s brand values. “Brand values are your guiding principles for running your business, so it makes absolute sense to recruit using these,” says Marcell Redpath, account director at brand agency Dragon Rouge. “In fact, the importance of consistency in your brand value message throughout the whole of the recruitment and employment process cannot be underestimated. Start with your job advert, be clear in recruitment and set the expectations right from the start. It will differentiate you, help you to attract the right people and ultimately it offers you more chance of retaining those staff, if what’s involved is understood right from the outset.”

Post taken from the marketer CIM http://www.themarketer.co.uk

Comment by Grant Pringle on November 19, 2009 at 11:23pm

social networks: different audiences depending on the continent ..very interesting http://bit.ly/3bQ58d

Comment by Grant Pringle on November 19, 2009 at 11:22pm

A Collection of Social Network Stats for 2009

Stats are important –but on their own, they don’t tell us much ....(by Jeremiah Owyang , SF, Silicon Valley , Partner, Customer Strategy to Altimeter Group and Regular Contributor to the Forbes CMO Network)

Stats on social networks are important, but I’m going to need your help in creating a community archive, can you submit stats as you find them? I’m often asked, “What are the usage numbers for X social network” and I’ve received considerable traffic on my very old post (way back in Jan 08) of MySpace and Facebook stats, even months later. Decision makers, press, media, and users are hungry for numbers, so I’ll start to aggregate them as I see them.

for more info go to http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/01/11/a-collection-of-soica...

Comment by Grant Pringle on November 10, 2009 at 7:48pm

will be looking forward to the first Silicon cape town networking event!!!

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