The Woolies Blog

The news has been extremely well received by the UK public who, having had a belly full of the recession and business failures, has taken the whole revival story very much to their hearts.

Woolworths, or Woolies as it was affectionately known, was once on every high street and was THE place to buy, well, just about anything before discount stores arrived, with most kids in the 80’buying their first 45 record there, a quarter of  raspberry ruffles and a plastic (blow in the wind) football.

The first single I ever bought

Well, all that has changed but rather than Woolies rise from the ashes as a shadow of it’s former self, the rather smart agency that has been handed the task to re-invent them online have provided a lesson to us all.

Rather than use lame site under construction notices – the team looked to leverage the publics hunger for more information on its future by hosting a very entertaining home page. The holding site features an entertaining day by day blog on their plans and progress in re-launching; blasts from the past with historical Woolworths ads on YouTube and they’ve even asked customers on Twitter and Facebook about the first single they ever bought (which in the UK was always bought at Woolworths)  and in the words of the Woolies team “Some were embarrassing, some were all-time classics!”. They’ve even created a best of album that can be downloaded or listened to through lastFM online radio.

A great story but one can’t help but think that if the public had been this enthusiastic when the real store was still on the high street things may have turned out differently – but hey I bet they build one hell of an online store!

http://www.woolworthsblog.co.uk/

Matt Scott, DraftFCB

Now Google is looming on the mobile horizon, promising to change the landscape in its typical fashion. Forget Apple’s proprietary “our way or the highway” approach, Google’s vision is built to be shared. The key difference is that they build the software (or Operating System) and the services it delivers. Think of it more like your computer – you choose the hardware you like and install Google’s operating system, just like Windows. Hell, you can even build your own mobile phone to run it!

Google Android

So why is that so exciting? Well, if you consider the power iPhone draws from iTunes and the Apple app store, think of the possibilities of a phone connected directly to the largest online provider in history. Instantly the ever-growing list of features and functions Google is developing become integral to your mobile device – search is the obvious one but location based information driven by maps will become ubiquitous. Leveraging the upcoming explosion of the ability to link your friend’s together through your social network, your mobile becomes the always-on, goes-everywhere-you-do social connection.

Here comes the gPhone (aka Google Android) – click to watch video

If you think that is just another me-centric plaything, take a moment to search for the nearest restaurant of your favourite cuisine on Google (or even better your mobile Google app). Not only will you see the nearest one to you on the map, but you’ll also be able to read a variety of user ratings and even reviews. If you’re having trouble finding the right place it can give you driving directions and even a shot of the storefront, courtesy of StreetView.

Watch the CEO of Google itself explain it in more detail here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg

Might be a good time to dust off that SEO plan for your website!

Matt Scott, DraftFCB

In my view, many clients have not developed or adapted their communications in recent years to compensate for the tremendous paradigm shift in media consumption from traditional channels into digital platforms – with a clear focus on the internet. The traditional media approach longer resonates with many of our advertisers’ target audience segments. For clients’ marketing investment to drive ongoing success a step change needs to occur.

The internet has a clear advantage over other media, in that it’s the enabler of interaction and will always be, at its core, a central tool for interpersonal communication. The way our consumers are communicating and engaging with each other can often be polarising when compared to how the messaging strategy is delivered through media.

Tagging photos on social networks, posting and sharing of videos on YouTube, twitters, blogs, forums, chat rooms and wikis are now not only common, they are the central pillar to communication with many New Zealanders. We all now live in a 24-hour 7 day continual media world where our typical customers are satisfying their demands to be included. We need to become part of this conversation – not just wrap messages around it. Our everyday consumers now wield incredible control over their media consumption habits. Moreover, with the explosion of online participation, consumers exert greater influence over the products and brands that make their consideration set for purchase.

There is no “silver bullet” for how to deliver an optimum brand experience in a social or community environment. What we do know is that the placement of advertising in this environment for no other reason other then “scattergun” targeting can be considered ineffective. Trusted brands can create loyalty through communities, ongoing conversations and importantly, foster peer-to-peer advocacy. Success will be measured by how we “engage” our community and deliver a deeper brand experience; one they will tell their friends about.

Most advertisers in New Zealand still adopt a “safe” traditional linear approach to reaching a shared target audience. The work we’ve done with social networks and communities has delivered compelling results.  It’s proved to us the doorway of opportunity is wide open for those with a sound strategy for targeting and ongoing “live” engagement in a community environment.

Author: Chris Riley OMD Digital

Author: Daniel Wright, Tribal DDB