Since entering the world of digital, my partner and I have always tried to figure out how we can recreate our senses online.  Imagine smelling a banner ad.  We’d be sleeping on a bed of money by now.

I stumbled on to Sensehub -

“We want to connect everyone online with the way we experiment the real world – through our senses”

Wow, sounds interesting.

Almost like they have discovered time travel, for real!

Check out the website HERE.

To me it felt passive; these days I’m a big fan of 2-way action.  I want to interact, feel like I’m doing something, making a difference.  However I walked away feeling teased.  Maybe this is a good thing, as I will no doubt pop back for some more.

One thing that really caught my mind was this clip…

To be honest I’m not sure why, there’s something about the clip that makes me watch it over, and over again.

What are your thoughts?

It’s certainly and interesting thought, and Kudos to Matt & Sarah for getting this out.  Long live the Bucks massive.

How long is a piece of string? – twice the length from the middle to the end, some smart arses might say…but how long is the pitch process for a digital agency to win a new project or campaign? now that is a question that could have endless possible answers.

I read in the press recently that AKQA have recently won the Fitness First digital account in a staggering 3 month pitch against RMG Connect. That is a seriously long time for a client to make their minds up – but when the pot of gold at the end is to create a whole new digital marketing strategy for a company worth in the region of £900 million… 3 months doesn’t actually sound that long.

I’m not going to get into that historical debate whether clients should pay for new agencies to spend their time ‘pitching’. It’s been kicking round for years, and the only agencies who seem to moan about how much it costs are the ones who never win anything decent. A cost of sale is a cost of sale, no matter what.

There is no magical formula in a client’s decision making process when choosing a digital agency – often when time is of the essence, a decision could be made the same day. Other clients (mostly public sector or very large corporates) have to consider a tender process which may take months before even meeting with the potential suppliers, getting slowed by invitations to tender and PQQ’s.

In my personal experience, I have seen timescales ranging from hours to months and days to weeks – it really just depends on the client and the project or campaign in question.  But one thing is for certain, PATIENCE is required no matter who or what the situation is. Too many times I’ve heard of nightmare stories where pushy sales people try to close a deal too soon.

AKQA win Fitness First Pitch

Man 1: We are chasing him.

Man 2 (Voice filtered by telephone/walkie talkie): Is he in the car?

Man 1: He’s getting off. They talking. He is wearing a red Tshirt. I don’t understand. He’s leaving the car. He’s got a motorbike.

Man 2: What bike?

Man 1: A Ducati. He’s leaving…

Man 2: Follow him follow him…

(alarmed): Watch out, he could have a cap!

SFX: Ducati engine leaving

SFX: Shell Music

SPK: Live the adventure, stop at Shell and leave with Ducati.
Refill at Shell and you can have the fantastic Shell-Ducati tshirt and cap.
Moreover, until 10.08 you can win an exclusive Ducati Monster.

Man 2: Offer valid until the 30.09.2008. All details on fermatiallashell.it

SFX: Shell Sonic

SPK: Shell. Made to Move.

“A perfect definition. Even after the third glass.”

SKY launches HD sport channels. And we used beermats. Got it?

The visual plays with the colors of the peace flag.

It’s not Cannes but still… We arrived first at our network contest, featuring the work of RMG’s 33 offices in 21 countries. It used to be impossibile, it eventually happened.

* Media, Telecoms&Entertainement

• Award: Silver
• Campaign Name: ‘Telia Safety’
• Client: Telia Sonera
• Agency: Swedish Daddy

• Award: Gold + Best Use of Microsoft Advertising Network award
• Campaign Name: ‘Big Brother’
• Client: Virgin Games Virgin Bets
• Agency: Uk Lean Mean Fighting Machine

* FMCG/Consumer Goods

• Award: Gold
• Campaign Name: ‘ImpossiBLOG is nothing’
• Client: Adidas
• Agency: Spanish Netthink

*Transport&Travel

• Award: Bronze
• Campaign Name: ‘Upsidedown’
• Client:Trentino Spa
• Agency: Italian agency RMG Connect

• Award: Silver
• Campaign Name: ‘Mid-Life Crisis’
• Client: VW Passat
• Agency: Tribal DDB London

• Award: Silver
• Campaign Name: ‘Keep discovering’
• Client: Emirates
• Agency : UK Lean Mean Fighting Machine

• Award: Gold
• Campaign Name: ‘Non Stop Fernando’
• Client: Emirates
• Agency : UK Lean Mean Fighting Machine

*Charity&NG

• Award: Bronze
• Campaign Name: ‘Cannabis’
• Client: UK Government department COI
• Agency: UK Profero

*Category Financial Services:

• Award: Bronze
• Campaign Name: ‘No Difference’
• Client: Swedish Bank SBAB
• Agency: Akestam.Holst

Unfortunately I missed the creative debate on the entries, so dont expect too much anecdotes from me this time, but from what I heard from the juries it was hot and stiff competition. I’ll make it up with LMFM and Netthink in Cannes in a couple of weeks.

In meantime, all winning campaigns can be found here.

RMG Connect, JWT’s “below the line” (digital, CRM, DM, etc.) partner agency has lost its second EMEA CEO in less than 18 months.

Linda Jackson seemingly took a big step down in her career arc to leave London last month and take over as the new General Director of OgilvyOne Mexico (her predecessor at RMG, Nelly Andersen, left RMG to return to her prior place of employment, OgilvyOne, back in October 2006 and is now an EVP, Global Brands at OgilvyOne Worldwide out of the London office.)

RMG Connect, particularly in the London office, has had mass defections of both staff & clients prior to, and during, Jackson’s reign at the shop — so perhaps it is not a massive surprise.

But given the fact that prior to the recent economic downturn, there was a vast amount of money to be made in the “BTL” area over the past couple of years — especially in the UK market — and RMG did not have much luck in either winning or retaining their current client base (they lost their accounts at Sky, Vodafone, etc.)

Of course, they still retain the HSBC business (in conjunction with JWT) — so the office meal ticket is safe for the time being — but Tim Hipperson, the UK CEO, and Philip Greenfield, RMG Connect’s Global CEO (who is listed on their website at the current contact for the EMEA operation) cannot be feeling too happy at the moment.

At the European Best Event Awards, the project Extreme HD (Canon) wins three gold prizes.

Dopo le proteste dei lettori ( iaia ) forse è il caso di tornare a scrivere qualcosa nel dimenticatoio ( questo blog ).
Allora, al rientro dalle brevissime vacanze in sicilia, sono tornato alla classica vita milanese da automa.. sveglia la mattina… università – lavoro – torno a casa.. cucino… leggo/chatto – dormo.
Dopo un periodo di lavoro massiccio per alcuni grossi progetti in agenzia, ( vedi.. fine settimana in ufficio ) alla fine mi sono ritrovato a prestare per la seconda volta la mia faccia ad una multinazionale………..!!! infatti dopo Vodafone sono ritornato con Nestlè, per maxibon pops sul sito di misterpops.it ( guarda il sito ) mi trovate cliccando su “Gioca”.
Per il momento .. credo che non ci sia altro da dire..

vi saluto dunque e ringrazio tutti i lettori !

One of nine subjects. On each, a different destination.

“With Sea-Alitalia all Eastern Europe is just round the corner.”