I just got sent this presentation that showcases an amazing collection of innovative projects from around the world that have digital at their heart...

It looks at projects about music, movies, art, science/ technology, light, politics, advertising, history, books, sport...pretty much everything! You might need some time up your sleeve to watch it all :-)

 

Source: https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0Abmo0iWBO2gEZGY3cnc3dnpfMzM4Y3o2bmdu...

- Coops

 

Blackmores has launched a revolutionary new website that puts health-minded consumers in the driver’s seat. Working with leading digital services agency, Bullseye, Blackmores has created a destination that is set to become Australia’s biggest online community dedicated to natural health. The new website is personalised to each individual who joins, and is designed to inspire, inform and educate Australians to better health. Cassandra Brill, Blackmores’ Digital and Interactive Manager said: “We believe something truly revolutionary is happening with the way people are using the internet to learn about health and wellbeing.” “We want to help people take control of their own health. No longer will we be telling our consumers what we think they’d like to know, we are using technology to allow them to tell us what is most important to them, then supporting that with informed and reliable information they can use themselves and share,” added Brill. Concerned by trends highlighting Australia’s escalating health challenges such as its ageing population and high levels of obesity, Blackmores looked to its existing 288,000 Australian online members as well as trends from the social media boom to understand what Australians want to know about health and wellbeing. In response, the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ website has been replaced with a site that can be personalised for each member. This is generated from each member’s nominated interests and interactions on the site. Users can also view and share updates on the most popular topics that have been read and discussed by the rest of the community, and access an array of health-related communities where they can chat about the topics that matter most to them. Jason Davey, Bullseye’s Managing Director of Digital Marketing, said: “Consumers have little patience for irrelevant content, and everyone’s health and fitness outlook and experience is different. Using the intuitive features of leading-edge technology, we have built a website for Blackmores that offers a totally personalised user experience. It’s slick, clever and designed entirely to delight each individual visitor”. The website aims to ‘get to know’ each member, and then intuitively interacts to guide them to topics of interest, community discussions and product information. Users can then access reliable natural health information and a selection of interactive tools, which include: Communities Blackmores has developed ten inspiring and informative health communities. In each one, consumers can find groups where they can research and discuss personal health concerns. These are: • Women’s Health • Men’s Health • Digestion • Weight Management • Fitness and Energy • Stress and Mental Performance • Pregnancy, Preconception and Breast-Feeding • Parenting and Children’s Health • Healthy Ageing • Cold, Flu, Allergies and Immunity Virtual Wellness Centre For free natural health advice, members can ‘ask a naturopath’ with options to chat online, send an email for a detailed, personalised response, or speak directly by phone to one of Blackmores’ Naturopathic Advisory Team members. Health Topics Blackmores ‘Health Topics’ cover causes, symptoms and natural therapies for more than one hundred common health conditions. Learning Centre Stocked with articles, videos and podcasts, and regularly updated, there is an extensive collection of material covering a range of topics like diet, nutrition, lifestyle and exercise. Product Assistant The ‘Product Assistant’ tool helps consumers find the products they are looking for - quickly and easily. Wellbeing Blog The ‘Wellbeing Blog’ boasts the latest news and updates from our natural health bloggers. Shop Online Exclusive to members only, Blackmores products are now available to purchase directly through the new Blackmores website. To take a virtual tour and experience the new website, visit www.blackmores.com.au/sitetour.

Some interesting stuff coming out of the Sydney Google office for Google Maps. Live traffic conditions (hit the ‘Traffic’ button) RTA traffic webcams on the Harbour Bridge and Tollways (Click the ‘More’ button then ‘Webcams’) For full details, here's an article from today's SMH

Jason Davey has been recognised for outstanding participation in technical communities and sharing CMS expertise by Sitecore, the leading provider of .NET Web Content Management System (CMS) software. The MVP program recognises exceptional technical community leaders who encourage free and objective exchange of knowledge by actively sharing their real-world Web CMS expertise. For 2009, twelve individuals from around the world were selected to be members of the program and honored with a Sitecore Most Valuable (MVP) Award. We're particularly chuffed that Jason was the only Aussie selcted to join the elite group, including: Guillaume Buat-Ménard/Aqueduct, Sebastian Winslow/Codehouse, Stefan van Dockum/Colours, Kern Herskind Hansen/Consultant, Vincent van Middendorp/Evident Interactive, Sean Kearney/Hedgehog Development, Andreas Bergström/Metamatrix, Jens Mikkelsen/Pentia, Matt Hovany/The Revere Group, Aren Cambre/Southern Methodist University and Gabriel Boys/Velir and, of course, Jason Davey/Bullseye, Congratulations Jason!

It was a busy morning. The traffic was bad and the parking at UNSW was even worse.

The Federal Government’s Realising Our Broadband Future Forum was a highly sought after event, with a lot more people turned away than could attend. The first morning of the two-day event saw the rollout of heavy weight digital evangelists from around the world who spoke eloquently about the digital future. Prime Minister Rudd made it clear that the Government was committed.

Of the plenary sessions, I found Mike Quigley’s, CEO of NBN Co, the most beneficial. He gave a good overview of the actual network design. This is the perspiration to support the inspiration. The Forum was divided between the main plenary session and five specific streams: Smart Infrastructure, Digital Education, e-Community, e-Health and e-Business. Each stream was asked to address their topic in three stages, i.e. What are the Possibilities?, Reality Check and Next Steps. As the presenters were not advised of this approach till very late in the piece, many had already prepared their presentations and things did not flow quite to plan, but nonetheless, a lot of good ideas came out.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to speak in the e-Business stream and I summarised some of Bullseye’s thinking on ‘business@100mbps’. Our white paper had been read by many of the participants and that allowed for some meaty discussions to take place. The wrap up session was intended to bring the findings of the various streams back to the plenary group. It was difficult to condense all that was canvassed in the time available, but this was more than offset by utilising digital tools to capture and publish the outcomes. So as I cleared away my parking ticket (had to happen), I reflected on over 20-years in the telecommunications and digital industry and the many false dawns witnessed. This is the real deal and anyone with their head in the sand is heading for a rude awakening.

By Mark Nicklin

There was a lot of hype and expectation around the American Chamber of Commerce lunch with new Telstra CEO, David Thodey, and for many it was the first time we had the opportunity to hear his perspectives first hand. There is no doubt that David has to mend many bridges with customers, shareholders, industry, partners and government, as Telstra and its Exec team have been renowned for their arrogance. David seems to bring some humility into the Exec team. My overall summary was that David skirted around the big issues, and was not keen to tackle any highly sensitive matters, but at the same time we got an insight in to his make up and passions.

Key take out points for me were:

• Thodey is very passionate about technology and its advancements as an enabler for business opportunity realisation
• Technology is NOT the panacea, but part of the solution
• Technology should be part of government policy
• Customer service is the number one focus for Telstra, and they are committed to being number 1 in customer service in 3 years' time
• Telstra has transformed from a cable business to value adding in software and applications (60% of Telstra capital now invested in software and applications)
• Telstra is on a mission to increase broadband capacity. Thodey cited examples with schools and recent deployment of 100mbps in Melbourne city
• Thodey could not discuss the NBN or Telstra's role

Overall, the presentation was an informative, centering on the technology opportunities now and in the future, and how government and business can take advantage by starting to think strategically.

Dell has just released a resource that provides expert advice to Australian SMBs. Following its success in the United States, Dell decided to provide the same service locally. With over 1.88 million SMBs in Australia, technology can be used as a competitive differentiator for SMBs competing in the global economy, and the right technology is key to survival. Having worked with SMBs extensively in the past, I know firsthand that SMBs have the greatest technology needs, but are often restricted by limited budgets and a lack of access to IT know-how.  This is a fantastic initiative by Dell that provides a useful resource to help Australian SMBs make the right technology purchase for their business. I am delighted to be part of this initiative as the IT Expert. Keep an eye out for the monthly articles as they are both educational and informative. Website: www.dell.com.au/sb360 First Articles: Does Social Networking pose a threat to your business? Boost your business with online technologies Bio: Pedro da Palma Rosa

If you watched the US election coverage, you would have noticed the big networks vying to outdo each other in the 3D graphics department. CNN wowed its viewers by ‘beaming’ holographic reporters into their studios. Oooh... They also gave us a 3D model of the US Capitol building complete with removable roof and live stats floating in the air. Ahhhh.. Over at NYtimes.com, we were treated to something even cooler, a so-called ‘WORD TRAIN’ that gave us a glimpse into the hearts and minds of Obama/McCain supporters. Oooh. But, the most whizz bang gizmo we saw during the campaign came from the Republican Party. They used advanced animatronics and Jurassic Park-style supercomputers to build the most realistic-looking dinosaur we’ve ever seen run for president. Raaaaar. Read more at Wired

Some say marketing is becoming more complex in the digital age, but the principles have not changed whether you run an ‘online' business or ‘offline' business.

Marketing is still about reaching your audience with your desired message, generating interest and then converting that interest into sales (in the most cost effective manner). What has changed is the way people consume messages and share information, with a lot more time spent using email, iPods, the internet, cell phones as well as ‘traditional' media such as press, radio and TV.

This media fragmentation means there are more choices for where to advertise than ever before so it can be difficult to choose which channel is right for you, let alone how you might integrate your efforts. The answer lies with your customers. If you can think like your customers and know how they behave, then you're half way there. Your customers are not very likely to respond and interact with only one form of advertising before making the decision to buy, so it's important you map out their typical behavior before deciding the right advertising mix. For example, if you were targeting working mums, they are likely to listen to radio between dropping off kids and work, access the internet at work for banking, travel and health tips, and potentially curl up with a magazine after putting the kids to bed.

Advertising using these channels is likely to reach your audience, but these are fairly cluttered environments so your advertising creative will need to have high impact to get cut-through and be memorable. That's where integrating online, with your offline advertising can help. Ensuring your brand's web address and name are prominent extends your communication and can help to create online post exposure to your offline advertising. Search marketing is another important consideration in helping to connect your audience to your website. Understanding the way your customers find your site, can help fine tune which keywords you should purchase, and also which creative content is generating the best lead sources. The destination from both your advertising and your search campaign is, of course, your website, so it's important to integrate your website as part of the communication and sales process. Here are some ideas on how to drive traffic to your website from your offline advertising:

1. Offer a discount voucher that can be accessed only from your website, and then redeemed in-store, over the phone or online.

2. Tell people they can experience more about your product on the website. For example: "Experience our product in 3D" or "Watch a video comparing our product with the competition".

3. Prompt people to "Find your nearest store" by TXTing their postcode to a dedicated phone number, or visiting the website.

4. Offer a free guide or e-book on a related topic to the product or service for download on your website.

5. Promote a newsletter whereby consumers can be informed of the latest product updates and promotions.

6. Make sure any offers you put in your advertising are included on your website, along with directions on where to buy your product, or how to make an inquiry.

It's important to get the best ROI from your campaign by asking consumers to register their details in order to access added-value offers or promotions such as some of those mentioned above. Don't ask for too much data, just their name and email address is a good start, plus their permission for future contact. That way you can start building a database of prospects whether they buy today or not, ensuring the best possible value from your advertising investment. Another simple way of ensuring your promotions get maximum exposure is to include your campaign message in the standard footer of all employee emails (with a link to your website). You'd be surprised how many emails are sent out of your organization on a weekly basis, and it's crazy to ignore this as an opportunity to reach a wider audience, and probably one with which you already have a relationship. I've heard of these types of campaigns having an 8% click-through rate which is enormous compared to general banner advertising.

Integration of online with offline marketing should be planned using consistent creatives and timed to run concurrently as research confirms that this has a multiplying effect on the results. It's imperative that you use the technologies available to track all channels of the sales funnel to measure effectiveness and optimize your creative and placements. Your efforts will be rewarded with cost-effective campaigns that not only deliver sales results; they will also deliver an integrated brand experience for your customers.

Jason Davey is the Director of Digital Marketing. Jason has over 14 years experience in digital marketing, design and multimedia in both Australia and the UK.

To help promote what is possible with the new digital economy, Bullseye has produced a limited run of T-shirts containing the Semacode of the Bullseye mobile site.

Here's our creative director Kev proudly modelling the t-shirt, as I point my camera phone at the semacode, which takes my phone directly to the site without having to key in the full URL.

 

This link lets you tag any URL to create your own semacode.

Semacode readers are included on many new phones such as Nokia's N95, but will also run on any recent camera phone if you download and install the free reader.

Here are some download links
Nokia http://mobilecodes.nokia.com/terms.htm
Other http://semacode.com/download
If you have web access from your phone you can simply go to http://www.i-nigma.mobi which automatically recognises if your phone supports the reader and provides a direct download (it's about 400k).
Smartphones http://www.quickmark.com.tw/En/basic/download.asp

The uses for Semacodes are varied, but here are 2.

Print media.  Used in print media they can be used to link an article or ad to a particular website. Say you see an ad for a product  in a Health and Beauty magazine, the code could be used to enable people to directly go to a page containing more information about the product, a place to purchase or a page to enter a competition. 

Music. You have just released your first song and you want to provide people with a direct download to their phones. You create a semacode that links to the free song download URL.