Nike: Love Fifteen

It's not the first time that Nike have been able to push out an ad almost before the final whistle blows, but this time they did it even better then usual. No sooner had Roger Federer taken home his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam win, Nike was on the tv (including BBC immediately after the match!) paying homage to the achievement. In true Nike fashion however, they didn't do it alone. Step forward Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, John McEnroe, Serena Williams and Pete Sampras.

It takes a big brand to do that and, quite simply, there is no one bigger when it comes to sports. This is an amazing piece of marketing. In the most subtle of ways Nike manage to reinforce their brand, their positioning, and enhance public perception. How?

Well, what does the ad tell us? Nike support winners. Winners support Nike. Winners use Nike. Nike are not bigger then any one person, and are humble enough to congratulate victory. That's powerful stuff. Also consider that they're capable of getting a 30 second ad on BBC - that's even more powerful stuff!

Bing Adds Twitter to Real-Time Search Results

When I first heard the news that Bing was incorporating Twitter into its search results (in real-time) I wasn't sure I thought there was much to talk about. Sure I find Twitter Search useful, but I use it in a completely different context to how I use normal search services. It wasn't until I considered what it meant for searches performed on specific people.

The convenience of being able to see a real-time feed of results for name mentions and comments, along side actual web results gives a more accurate and complete view of how someone is seen online.

Microsoft revealed that it has started indexing tweets from popular Twitter users in real-time on Bing. Furthermore, while they have started by only indexing the tweets of a few thousand people (based on follower count and tweet volume), the service would ultimately be expanded.

Bing displays these results sepperately from the main body of search results, but only when the search phrase includes "Twitter", "tweet" or the "@" with the name of the person they are searching.

Digital PR & Communities Manager

I am extremely happy to announce that my role within Cybercom has taken on an extra dimension. While I am still working as a Digital Account Manager, I now also have the responsibility of becoming Cybercom's Digital PR & Communities Manager.

I will act as brand ambassador and evangelist for Cybercom and all our clients, working to develop and manage all Digital PR and Social Media activities across all channels and platforms. As both a Blogger / Social Media Advocate and a Digital Marketer, this role allows me to combine all the elements I love most about my work, and expand them across the entire breath of clients that we have the pleasure of working with.

Exciting times!

Levi's Go Forth

Levi's latest campaign, “Go Forth”, attempts to reinforce the Levi brand as the original working class hero, the pilgrim settler and the revolutionary patriot. Driven through tv, radio and internet, Strauss & Co. have gone back to their roots, paying homage to the pioneer spirit, declaring...

"I am the new American pioneer, looking forward, never back. No longer content to wait for better times… I will work for better times. ‘Cause no one built this country in suits. All I need is all I got. Bruises heal. Stink is good. Apathy is death. So I strike up for the new world! A new mightier world. The one I will make to my liking. For after the darkness comes the dawn. There is a better tomorrow. Look across the plains and mountains and see America's eternal promise. A promise of progress. Go forth with me, go forth."

Developed by Wieden + Kennedy the campaign aims to write the New Declaration of the Unites States of American. The new site, Go Forth, features the new declaration and users are told... “Take up your pen, you general of the new revolution. Add your words, your images, your voice to a new declaration, redefined in the spirit of today’s America. An America in which we hold these truths to be self-evident…”

A brave and bold aim you might think, but considering 'Obama's America' and the dreams that it has instilled in much of it's people, this seems like the perfect platform and call to action to reinvigorate a jaded and tired consumer. The imagery is vivid and inspiring, asking only that people pulled themselves up, knuckle down through hard times, and get the job done.

In a perfect fit, the tv ad for the campaign features an original wax recording of Walt Whitman reading his poem “America" overlayed on black and white vinettes. The ad is viewable on the site as well as a host of downloadable content including an MP3 of the Whitman recording, various wallpaper and larger posters.

Executive creative director Susan Hoffman describes Levi's ambition as a want to “refresh and reinvent the idea of a pioneering spirit for the times in which we live”.

Augmented Reality: London Tube Map

This is the latest example in a rapidly growing list of practical Augmented Reality applications that I have found. In this example the new iPhone 3GS can be used to navigate to the nearest London Tube station.