Archive for March, 2009

Posted by
Julian Gratton
March 22nd, 2009

Creating an affordable social network

by Julian Gratton

They’re an enduring part of everyday life, and it’s safe to say they are here to stay. Facebook, Faceparty, Bebo, Badoo, Cake Financial, Gurgle, Fubar and Geni… these are just a handful of social networking websites that can be found on the web that allow users to meet online, share interests and interact with each other.

For companies wanting to create their own social network, the expense of setting one up can be huge. And for every success story like Facebook and MySpace, there are stories of failure like The Globe, Bolt and Capazoo. Many companies have got round this expense by creating Facebook and MySpace brand pages, that act as their own ‘low cost’ social network… but there is another alternative, a ‘white label social network’ that allows you to have total control.

 

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Posted by
Julian Gratton
March 11th, 2009

Answering the most common question a creative gets asked…

by Julian Gratton

“How do you come up with those ideas?”

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked that question by friends or clients. It’s probably the most common question a creative person gets asked. Trying to define the creative process can be very difficult for most creatives, probably because the word ‘process’ implies that there is a series of steps that you follow to reach a solution… and we creatives like the mysticism that comes with the answer “it’s just something I can do… the ideas just appear in my head”.

Like it or not, though, there are processes that the mind goes through in order to generate ideas. I’m not saying that all minds follow the same process, but there is a basic process that the mind follows and because of the uniqueness of human beings and their life experiences; a 1000 minds can be set the same creative challenge and come up with a 1000 completely different answers.

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Posted by
Julian Gratton
March 3rd, 2009

Red C’s Swinton Mystery Tipper gets 2 Nominations at 2009 ISP Awards

by Julian Gratton

Red C's Mystery Tipper Campaign has picked up a hat-full of marketing awards for Manchester's best Direct Marketing, Direct Response and Advertising AgencyThe Swinton Mystery Tipper campaign created by Red C has received two nominations at the prestigious Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) Awards. The ISP Awards honour the most creative and effective campaigns promoting sales, or changing behaviour, across all media channels.

The Awards culminate in a spectacular ceremony at the London Hilton, Park Lane, on 4th June 2009. Fingers crossed we’ll follow up our Gold and Silver DMA Awards in style!

The Swinton Mystery Tipper campaign, which has seen thousands of UK taxis donning the Mystery Tipper sticker in the hope of winning a £1,000 tip, has achieved spectacular results for Swinton’s Taxi Division.

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Posted by
Julian Gratton
March 1st, 2009

A campaign that changed the face of Electioneering and Political Fundraising

by Julian Gratton

President Obama Campaign PosterOn October 29th 2008 a 30-minute infomercial entitled ‘American Stories, American Solutions’ aired on virtually all of America’s TV Networks. This infomercial was the glittering jewel in Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign and garnered him over 30 million viewers and significant news coverage around the world… largely due to the $3 million it cost to air.

Obama’s Campaign, though, was newsworthy for more reasons than just this 30-minute infomercial. He was the first Presidential Candidate since John F. Kennedy to embrace a new medium successfully. In Kennedy’s case it was television… in Obama’s it was Web 2.0.

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