Archive for the ‘Social Media & Digital’ Category

The Blagger’s Blog 3rd February 2012

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

… Celebrity Big Brother again, with 48 articles reporting on the series finishing with presenter and actress Denise Welch coming out on top, whereas just 29 reported on footballer Anton Ferdinand receiving a bullet in his mail…

…George Clooney, whose Best Actor Oscar nomination secured him 82 headlines, while EU sanctions against Iran only took 63…

…and finally, The Only Way Is Essex starting up for a new series, and bagging 47 stories in the process, far more than the 7 that covered the Yes vote on Salford’s Elected Mayor Referendum.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

The anti-superhero, lo-fi blockbuster Chronicle opened in cinemas this week. The film focuses on a group of friends who develop the ability to move things with their minds, amongst other talents, and soon discover one of them has pretty questionable intentions. To celebrate 20th Century Fox hired viral marketers Thinkmodo to fly pilot radio controlled planes made to look like people around New York airspace.

Weekly low

As the most valuable consumer IT company Apple is much loved. Clean, white, crisp designs suggest transparency, and the ‘everything in the box’ approach also supports this notion. It’s unfortunate to learn then that due to conditions in some of the factories owned by its Chinese suppliers there have been calls to boycott the household brand. There may be some explaining to do.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs Johannesberg

Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 3/2/2012)

#mufc #mcfc

#lfc #towie

#10thingsthatareattractive #5thingsicantstand

#transferdeadlineday #cbb

#deadlineday #manchester

The window of opportunity for new signings in the world of football has now been temporarily closed (#deadlineday). Aside from sport use of #towie is back (as if it ever really went away), whereas this may be the last we see of #cbb.

One to watch: itvcorrie (Coronation Street – UK’s longest running soap; 5,5138 followers / 3,808 updates)

Top London #tags (seven days to 3/2/2012)

#lfc #5thingsicantstand

#mufc #10thingsthatareattractive

#towie #10basicfactsaboutme

#arsenal #cbb

#transferdeadlineday #afc

This week’s Twitter trends in London largely mirror those in Manchester, from the transfer deadline day to the comical combination of five things people hate and ten they love.

One to watch: bobbyllew (Robert Llewellyn- Conflicted wet liberal, amateur nerd, and every few years Kryten in Red Dwarf; 78,487 followers / 34,030 updates)

Top Johannesberg #tags (seven days to 3/2/2012)

#ausopen #dear6yearoldself

#djokovic #generations

#live #nadal

#mufc #useatwitterhandleinasentence

#lfc #3talk

The South African capital is getting in on the Premiership act with #mufc too, though Jo’berg residents beat the UK’s sports fans this week by actually noticing that Djokovic won the Australian Open with a blinding victory over Rafael Nadal.

One to watch: trevornoah (Trevor Noah- Stand-up comedian; 2,863 followers / 276,166 updates)

That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

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Facebook will finally float

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

The internet is abound with news today that the world’s largest social networking site is set to sell off the highest value shares ever offered by an internet company. Despite this the funds now expected to be raised are still only half of what analysts predicted.

As anyone who caught David Fincher’s slick feature film The Social Network (itself an adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires) knows, Facebook began life in a university dorm room. With that in mind floating the company on the stock market for $5billion (around £3.16billion) doesn’t sound like a bad deal, especially when you consider that gatekeepers Google only managed $1.67billion back in 2004.

Founding father Mark Zuckerberg- who currently owns around a quarter of the company- should be satisfied with these numbers. And no doubt he is, or at least the quotes currently being banded about concerning his re-emphasising that Facebook is more of a ‘global mission to connect’ than a business opportunity suggest he’s not quibbling over the odd billion dollars.

But one of the reasons why the social network in question isn’t going on sale for the price some had initially thought possible is its potential for future growth. With 845million monthly users, and some 400million daily users (give or take… again, who’s really counting when the numbers are this high) Facebook still has a long way to go before complete global domination, but profiles do not mean profit, and in the world of global trading margins are everything.

As Kathleen Smith, principal of IPO investment advisory firm Renaissance Capital, told BBC News- Facebook is more profitable than predicted, but then “what new areas of business is it expecting to pursue beyond display ads?” Longevity is something people are still sceptical about when it comes to dotcoms, and so far the exponential increase in Facebook users hasn’t done much to ease concerns, with the phrase ‘burning yourself out’ coming to many minds; similar sites have come and gone in the past.

There’s also an even bigger gamble here; user numbers have fallen in some areas, if this happened on a large scale the implications could be grave, and with more advertising a likely outcome of the impending floatation it’s easy to imagine a worst case scenario on that front. Meanwhile, the advertisers will need to start seeing some regular large returns to warrant injecting the amount of cash into Facebook that currently supports the overall company worth (between $80-$100billion).

That figure is under a quarter of Apple’s value, less than half of Microsoft, and $87billion short of Google. Considering the strength inherent in those brands (and the fact all they all produce ‘physical’ products, not simply online services) Zuckerberg’s web based pension plan isn’t doing too badly at all. But it’s where things go from here that could well be the real baptism of fire, as ever then only time will tell how this one pans out.

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Simply unmissable

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Much like our weekly Friday morning Blagger’s Blog, we scour the web to keep you informed of the best, hilarious and occasionally useful content distracting us right now!

How to turn a page with a hamster and a hairdryer. What last year would look like if social media controlled the news. It’s amazing what you find on the internet in just one month. These are some of our recent favourites.

Statistic of the month
The average American teenager sends 75 text messages per day.

Cult clips
This Google-produced short detailing 2012‘s highs and lows ranked Number 1 in the viral charts. Yes it’s over-sentimental, but it’s also quite well made…

…in contrast the equivalent video from electronic card and ‘sendable’ manufacturer Jib Jab pokes a lot more fun, and is probably far more accurate.

Sometimes even reading a newspaper is too much effort. With the help of this handy, easy to install invention such pains will become a thing of the past.

Multimedia resumes are nothing new in the creative industries. Here’s one done properly by Eileen Sweeney, and yes, there is another detailing her experience.

Infographic of the month
Social media gives us a wonderful insight into what individuals think the burning issues are, not the mass media news agenda. As this informative image proves.

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The Blagger’s Blog 27th January 2012

Friday, January 27th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking ponts, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

… Celebrity Big Brother again, with 92 articles reporting on the series dominating UK audiences, just a few more than the 88 that reported on Wikipedia temporarily closing down amid piracy fears…

…and Amanda Holden wearing heels whilst pregnant, the crux of eight stories, the same number that covered the fall of Tom Harris, an ex-Scottish Labour MP (see below).

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

Scandinavian Airlines have a been responsible for several successful interactive, social media, and digital campaigns over the years. The company’s ‘Couple Up to Buckle Up’ QR initiative is no different, as this typically smooth case study video from the firm confirms…

Weekly low(s)

Tom Harris resigns from his post as Scottish Labour MP after creating a spoof video comparing First Minister Alex Salmond to Adolf Hitler in another one of those Downfall based clips. The result means the internet is now full of reactionary work such as this…

…meanwhile the private sector ensured we had to include two cock ups for the price of one this week, as McDonalds launched a Twitter campaign inviting people to share their #McDStories but instead received jibes, abuse, and the following PFSK headline. Fail.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs Sheffield

Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 26/1/2012)

#mcfc #mufc

#cbb #lfc

#30thingsaboutme #manchester

#youknowyouredrunkwhen #thingsicantstand

#supersunday #takemeout

The last week of January has played out much like the rest of the month in Manchester- quietly. That is, of course, apart from the city’s two Premier League teams both beating London sides, in the capital no less.

One to watch: gemsmaquillage (Gemma – You Tuber/blogger on makeup and beauty; 12,773 followers / 27,744 updates)

Top London #tags (seven days to 26/1/2012)

#cbb #30thingsaboutme

#lfc #arsenal

#mufc #mcfc

#afc #youknowyourdrunkwhen

#thingsicantstand #takemeout

Understandably Arsenal (and no doubt Tottenham) fans have been Tweeting about the weekend’s double loss against Manchester’s big two, elsewhere Take Me Out and Celebrity Big Brother are high on the agenda, while others reveal personal secrets. No change there then.

One to watch: sbtvonline (SB TV Online- The UK’s leading youth broadcaster; 61,264 followers / 52,697 updates)

Top Sheffield #tags (seven days to 26/1/2012)

#cbb #swfc

#30thingsaboutme #sufc

#youknowyouredrunkwhen #ntas

#takemeout #mcfc

#sheffield #127hours

Both Sheffield teams are enjoying good times too, albeit in League One (United and Wednesday). Aside from that the recent screening of 127 Hours, a film about a guy stuck in a rocky crevice with his arm trapped under a boulder, also seems to have made an impression.

One to watch: swfc (Sheffield Wednesday FC- Official Twitter profile for the football team; 16,115 followers / 10,892 updates)

That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

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2011 in retrospect (through Google)

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

With the memories of last year already beginning to fade now we’re all back in the swing of things at work it’s no wonder a video that summarises the whole 12 months is currently topping the viral charts, getting bloggers blogging, and lighting up social media hotlines everywhere. After all, without it how would we be able to figure out what just happened?

Even if you do still recall everything though the clip is well worth checking out. Zeitgeist 2011: Year In Review has had an impressive 7.5million views (give or take) since it was uploaded mid-last month, and is Google’s homage to the year that was, featuring major events that took place across the world, all recounted through search engine requests. A nice idea, albeit saturated in sentimentality, we’re just trying to think if there’s anything they’ve missed off, apart from Smoking Gun PR turning two, of course!

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Recommended viewing: The Future of Advertising

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

As a public relations agency we spend an awful lot of time online, and a major benefit of this- outside effectively managing social media, PR and press office affairs for a plethora of clients- is that we stumble across interesting content on a daily basis. Just like this video.

The Future of Advertising quite clearly visualises something we practice on a regular basis here at Smoking Gun PR, the art of storytelling with brands. Take a look for yourself and things should become a lot clearer, thanks to Story Worldwide for putting it together

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The Blagger’s Blog 13th January 2012

Friday, January 13th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort


Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

… Celebrity Big Brother launching, of course, with 102 articles reporting on the series beginning (again), in contrast Steven Hawking turned 70 and appeared in just 42…

…Dancing On Ice, another reality-talent show, started and seized no less than 90 headlines, in comparison William Hague’s visit to Burma- the first British foreign secretary to do so since 195- only featured in 49…

…and finally, Peaches Geldof announced she was pregnant and grabbed eleven stories, while Michael Brown, the biggest donor to the Liberal Democrats, was arrested in the Dominican Republic and just four ran.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

They say there’s nothing as good as a Dyson, but if this latest advert for LG’s own vacuum is anything to go by that’s not true. We all love a good tongue in cheek commercial, and as this one managed to raise plenty of mid January smiles we thought it only right to reference it as our pick of the week.

Weekly low

You can’t predict what celebrities are going to do next. Blue Ivy Carter has been lucky enough to be born with parents Jay-Z and Beyonce, and everyone at Lenox Hill Hospital knows it, what with reports abound of the superstar couple’s security team refusing other new parents entry to specialist units and clearing out the waiting room. Click for more.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs Leeds

Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 12/1/2012)

#mufc #mcfc

#cbb #facup

#lfc #takemeout

#1thingifindsexy #manchester

#100thingsihate #derbyday

The recent Manchester derby that saw United take on City in the FA Cup 3rd round is rightly a big taking point, ending up 3-2 and providing 90 or so unquestionably entertaining minutes. Similarly Celebrity Big Brother has been keeping people engrossed on another channel, while some people are also listing their their biggest turn ons and dislikes.

One to watch: buzzshire (Buzz Shire- breaking news headline buzz; 22,210 followers /4,167 updates)

Top London #tags (seven days to 12/1/2012)

#cbb #mufc

#facup #100thingsihate

#inanafricanhouse #lfc

#mcfc #takemeout

#1thingifindsexy #arsenal

As up north people in London have been lured in by Celebrity Big Brother, though reassuringly the FA Cup is also a major talking point. Meanwhile the new series of Take Me Out is also proving popular, along with another list of things people loathe.

One to watch: davegorman (Dave Gorman- AbsoluteRadio, Sundays 10am. Podcast too, don’t drop litter; 187,308 followers / 31,397 updates)

Top Nassau, Bahamas #tags (seven days to 12/1/2012)

#afterclubtexts

Ah the Bahamas, what a wonderfully beautiful, lackadaisical place to live. We Brits are busy talking about the latest celebrity gossip, but over in the warm waters of the Atlantic people appear to have far less on their mind, with amusing examples of tipsy #afterclubtexts the only trending discussion.

One to watch: wizzwatch (Wizz Watch- Forex trader, stock trader, technical analyst, finding the best stocks; 1,972 followers / 13,039 updates)

That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

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Daily Mail proposes news provision cap

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

As any media professional that regularly deals with the press knows only too well, the modern day news landscape is dominated by group ownership. Up until relatively recently this wasn’t much of a talking point, then Murdoch moved to take a majority stake in BSKYB and the subject became a heated debate.

The war of words continued, and last week Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT), the publisher behind Daily Mail, and one of the country’s biggest media groups, stated that it believes a cap should be introduced on news provision. Around a 30 per cent limit would be a good idea, its spokespeople said, and perhaps most controversially amongst its peers, the BBC needs to be exempt from such rules.

The size of Britain’s most famous broadcaster has been the root of numerous disagreements of late. At the moment it controls over 40 per cent of the news available in the UK, and steps have been taken to restrict, and downsize this (with cuts taking place across platforms such as the World Service). As such it’s reassuring to see one of the key commercial rivals showing some degree of support.

It’s a gesture made a little more surprising when you learn that in the web world the Mail Online is now the most read English speaking news site, meaning the two organisations are in direct content competition. But if the BBC were taken out of the equation then News Corp would be the largest provider, wherein lies the real reason behind this display of solidarity from private to public media.

Should a deal go ahead between Murdoch’s News Corp and BSKYB, as was derailed in the wake of last year’s phone hacking scandal, then the combined share would breach the 30 per cent margin. Clearly then DMGT has a protectionist agenda, but what’s most important here is that what has been said does make sense- no single organisation should be given anything close to market dominance, though by nature the BBC serves people not politicians or business investors and therefore should sure be allowed to continue to do that effectively. Whether Acts will be introduced or not as a result of the ongoing rhetoric remains to be seen, but we’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on things.

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The Blagger’s Blog 5th January 2012

Friday, January 6th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

… Russell Brand and Katy Perry preparing to divorce, and claiming 34 headlines in the process, significantly more than the ten dedicated to renewed bird flu fears that emerged after a bus driver from the Chinese city of Shenzhen died from the virus…

…Sinead O’Connor’s fourth marriage coming to an end- news that featured in 24 articles, whereas Chinese activist Chen Xi was imprisoned for ten years and appeared in just 14…

…and finally, opera singer Katherine Jenkins and TV presenter Gethin Jones are also set to split, with eleven articles running on the fact they made the announcement via Twitter, exactly the same number that were published following Portia Simpson winning the Jamaican election to become the country’s first female Prime Minister.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

German manufacturer Edding have found a novel way to keep highlighters in the public’s digital minds with this little app. Click here to access the website, and from there you can simply drag and drop the icon into your Internet browser’s toolbar. Then with one click you can highlight web text, and share via social media, making this little concept our favourite marketing idea of the last week.

Weekly low

OK, so it’s not necessarily the beginning of the end of the world, as the Mayan civilisation predicted 2012 would bring about, though there’s still plenty of time left in the year yet. But we still couldn’t help feeling sentimental at the thought of the BBC World Service running adverts on some websites and radio stations. The end of a very long era no less.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs Leeds

Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 4/1/2012)

#mufc #mcfc

#lfc #eastenders

#describeyoursexlifewithamovietitle #nufc

#happynewyear #manchester

#thingsihatethemost #2011in3words

The trend describeyoursexlifewithamovietitle is certainly a challenge with just 106 characters left, while we also enjoyed seeing the creativiy at work in responses to 2011’s three words. Elsewhere, Newcastle United just beat Manchester United, which is also the talk of this town.

One to watch: footballagentpm (Peter Morrison- Football agent, ex-Bolton player; 25,477 followers / 4,877 updates)

Top London #tags (seven days to 4/1/2012)

#eastenders #lfc

#mufc #arsenal

#nufc #happynewyear

#stephenlawrence #describeyoursexlifewithamovietitle

#sherlock #afc

The murder of Stephen Lawrence is sadly back in the news again, with a review of the sentencing handed out and the Metropolitan Police homicide teams being reduced in size. There’s also plenty of tweets about Arsenal and, of course, Happy New Year.

One to watch: mirrorfootball (Mirror Football- It’s all fun and games… until we make a gag about YOUR team; 81,045 followers / 51,418 updates)

Top Leeds #tags (seven days to 4/1/2012)

#lufc #nufc

#eastenders #lfc

#mufc #describeyoursexlifewithamovietitle

#sherlock #darts

#2011in3words #thingsihatethemost

If one team outside the Premiership rejoices when Man United lose it’s Leeds across the Pennines, so it’s no surprise Newcastle’s #nufc features in this list. Away from sport BBC One’s new series of Sherlock just began, which people in Leeds seem to love.

One to watch: leedsguide (Leeds Guide- Leeds food, drink, shopping, nightlife, music and culture; 10,751 followers / 4,247 updates)

That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

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The Blagger’s Blog 23/12/2011

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

This year’s light news success stories included…

… series eight of X Factor, which featured in 9,381 articles, while the campaign for US Republican presidential nomination only made it into 1,786…

…Charlie Sheen, who appeared in 1,187 stories, whereas the Higgs Boson, or mythical ‘God particle’, being glimpsed by scientists only saw 234 headlines…

…and finally, Jedward performing at Eurovision and appearing in Big Brother, making it onto the page 773 times, considerably more space than was afforded the UN’s declaration of a famine in East Africa, the focus of 411 stories.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

Other than Christmas’ impending arrival this harmlessly suggestive advert made our week. How do you best avoid jibes as a brand like Cockburns, one of Britain’s leading port houses? Well, how about by facing the problem head on, as the brand did here.

Weekly low

In a week when football’s been thrust into a negative spotlight, with two players caught up in very public racial misdemeanors, it goes without saying those in who earn their living as TV pundits need to be on best behaviour. As such Alan Hansen’s slip of the tongue during Match of the Day was utterly surprising, and stupid.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs Bristol


Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 22/12/2011)

#mufc #mcfc

#lfc #manchester

#suarez #scd

#stepbrothers #towie

#uksnow #motd

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez is banned from football for eight matches for racially abusing Patrice Evra, which is understandably dominating Manchester’s Twitter trends. As is the potential for a white Christmas, and The Only Way Is Essex.

One to watch: spinningfields (Spinningfields – Hosts some of the best events in Manchester; 4,400 followers / 3,013 updates)

Top London #tags (seven days to 22/12/2011)

#lfc #arsenal

#mufc #whyrelationshipsdontlast

#scd #afc

#eastenders #motd

#cfc

Chelsea captain John Terry also finds himself accused of a racial slur, but doesn’t appear in London’s most talked about topics (save for the possible #cfc reference). Eastenders does though, along with #whyrelationshipsdont last. All very Christmas-y then.

One to watch: stillsafe (Still Safe – Website dedicated to localised problem solving, from travel to breaking news; 49, 823 followers / 130,043 updates)

Top Perth, Western Australia #tags (seven days to 22/12/2011)

#perth #godisnotgreat

#whyrelationshipsdontlast #getscorched

#mydreamliveconcert #2011was

#greatcouples #goodluck1d

#lastteentuesdaytommo #change1dsongtitletocarot

Down under people are also listing reasons why lovers split, while residents of Perth, Australia’s fourth largest city, also seem to be big fans of the X Factor-spawned band One Direction. Then again, is replacing parts of their song titles with a vegetable flattery?.

One to watch: marketingtwitt (Marketing Guru- I enjoy marketing and selling things, on and offline; 5,238 followers / 7,900 updates)

That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

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