Tangible Content and Digital Retail
Branded Content
Topman launch their own monthly digital magazine
BA Executive Club digital magazine
To address the objective of building long-term engagement with customers and nurturing fans, brands are increasingly looking to become curators of quality content for their audience. Topman and BA have both launched digital magazines that source relevant cultural content. Topman’s digital mag will offer an insight into fashion, music, film, sport and art, be viewable across multi-platform and the editor is the former Dazed Digital Arts and Culture editor. Sounds like it should be a great read. The BA magazine content is focussed mainly on travel and city guides.
British menswear brand has launched a 120 page print journal that aims to support creative talent. Although this costly, exclusive approach is best suited to luxury brands, it is worth remembering that engaging content does not have to be video measured by the number of hits, especially when you’re looking to engage a niche market.
A Newspaper for the Twitter Age
Little Printer is an idea that allows you to print off your favourite bits of the internet into a receipt sized newspaper. The creators behind the idea believe that people still like having something they can hold, such as a puzzle, or post on the fridge – like notes to the family.
Digital Retail
John Lewis have launched an interactive window display for xmas
Passers-by to the Brighton branch of Waitrose will notice a John Lewis virtual store in the window. The virtual store features pictures of the top 30 items for Christmas and a QR code for people to scan on their mobile and buy directly 24 hours a day. P&G have also launched their virtual subway stores. A further build to the idea would be if the top 30 list incorporated elements of social shopping e.g. it updated to show the most popular items sold or incorporated customer comments. I think this could increase the motivation/confidence to make that impulse purchase if you see others have bought it too.
Live events
Predictions for the future of live events
What does the future hold as purse strings tighten and entertainment systems become more and more advanced at home? Some interesting thoughts from event promoters and marketing strategists; live events should learn from festivals which not only feature music, food etc but foster a sense of community by encouraging people to mingle and meet, which is difficult to recreate online. Also, leveraging technology to extend the experience before, during and after the actual live portion of the event, and incorporate augmented reality to enhance the event itself e.g. show statistics. Either way, it is felt that events will become more important to businesses as the hard core fans that will still attend push their experience and UGC content out to the masses.
Children’s Social Networks
Most Kids Graduate to Mainstream Social Media Networks at 11
Research has found that in Western countries, most children are using mainstream social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook by 11 years old and have migrated off children’s networks. The Digital Diaries report by internet security company AVG looked at the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, EU5 and only Japan bucked the trend with few kids present on these sites.
Juiced 