Tuesday, March 08, 2011

The Importance of Digital Advertising Offline

Offline advertising or advertising through billboards, newspapers and other media outlets has been highly profitable over the past centuries. Although people constantly see ads online, offline advertising is still considered important because people still interact with their surrounding. As companies spend millions for online advertising, they spend a lot more in offline advertising to get their customers attention.
But offline advertising is no longer just another dull commercial or billboard. Advertising companies and manufacturers are thinking out of the box so that they could get the attention of the potential customers. These agencies are now tapping technology which could offer more than just a simple commercial of the product. With the help of technology, digital advertising offline is quickly becoming interactive.
One of the leading pioneers of digital advertising offline is Nesquick. They created a wall with giant screen that interacts with everyone who pass by. The official mascot and the companies milkshake product were interactive and moved as people passed by, something that will surely catch your attention. The technology implemented is considered revolutionary because this is the first time offline advertising has become truly interactive using such a large screen LCD.
Digital offline advertising is already an increasing trend in Japan. Manufacturers are using tech giants to offer unique advertising with advanced options such as being able to scan the gender of the person looking at the billboard. This idea of a truly interactive environment is slowly being implemented in many countries advertising campaigns and soon people will not just stare at bare billboards they will interact

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Best XLV Super Bowl Ads and Groupon

Super Bowl is not just about the game as people who watch the event are also there to enjoy the commercials. With an average of $3.1 million for a 30-second commercial, you should expect quality advertising and not just something written over the weekend.

The Force is Strong with Volkswagen
The most popular and well loved commercial is undoubtedly from Volkswagen. The mixture of original soundtrack from Star Wars with a near-perfect replica (except the size) of Darth Vader costume worn lovingly by a kid will always draw attention. The kid’s reaction when Dad reaches out for a hug is an epic scene.
Get Out of Prison with Audi
It seems that this is the year of car manufacturers as Audi pulls an impressive commercial for their brand. Millionaires in prison should whet up the appetite for us regular folks but what really makes this commercial interesting is the “Kenny G” references. The appearance of the master musician himself should never be missed.
Eminem’s Detroit by Chrysler
This one doesn’t tickle any funny bones but it certainly gets the attention of millions because of Eminem. Aside from being patriotic, it reminds everyone how bleak it is in Detroit but people are fighting hard to win their city back.

Groupon’s Fiasco
While other companies have enjoyed the publicity during Super Bowl, Groupon had a hard time during this event. Groupon‘s advertisements weren’t shown during the Super Bowl because of complaints. Their ads about Tibet, Whaling and the Amazon were deemed as offensive. Although the idea of dark comedy within commercial is not new, the company opted to pull these out to avoid repercussions. These commercials can still be seen online.

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Facts You Need to Know About Super Bowl Advertisements

Super Bowl is a championship game between two professional American football teams. It is the most watched sports event in USA and its popularity is slowly creating different traditions around the country. Half time show performances are always anticipated and sports fans in North America and even in other countries hold viewing parties as they enjoy the game. More than 90 million viewers watch the game each year.
But aside from the half time shows and parties, the Super Bowl is also a chance for companies to advertise their products and services. With more than 90 million viewers, the advertisements space during the Super Bowl have become a traditional time for companies to introduce new adverts. High-quality advertisements that often solicit nationwide reactions are always anticipated, some people even watch the game just to enjoy the advertisements.
30 Seconds to Entice Potential Customers
The real interesting fact about Super Bowl commercials is that they are only given 30 seconds in order to pitch their product. But even in 30 seconds companies can entice their customers to buy their products or subscribe to the services they offer. Some products and brands just want to get the attention of potential buyers this advertising spot allows them to easily promote their products around the whole of the U.S.A.
The Most Expensive 30 Seconds Ever
With 90 million viewers, it is expected that TV spots for the commercials are very expensive. Companies who wanted to have a spot during the game are expected to pay an average of $3 million. This is considered a very costly type of advertising because the ad will only run for 30 seconds and the fee does not include production costs and actor fees.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Starbucks to Go Through 4th Logo Change

The largest coffeehouse company is not only known for their coffee but also its recognizable logo, which is now associated with world-class coffee. The Seattle-based coffee giant has plans to l shed its old logo and introduce a new design in the coming months.

But Starbucks is not changing their logo for the first time. In fact, this is the 4th logo change for the company. The first version was during the 17th century and the design was originally brown with a topless siren and a fully visible double fish tail. The second logo was used from 1987 to 1992. The logo features a siren with the breast covered with its flowing hair much like the later version except that the navels are revealed. The current version is used from 1992 and 2011. In this logo, the siren’s navel and breasts are no longer visible but the shape of the fish tail remains.

A few weeks ago, the Seattle-based company announced they will undergo another logo transformation. The logo will feature a simpler image as the logo shows a bare-chested mermaid with the tail fin split in half. The words have been removed and only a larger version of the mermaid image remains. The logo will be launched this coming March 2011 on Starbucks stores in time to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

There are people who do not agree with the changing of the logo. But considering the track record of Starbucks making good decisions, we think the coffee maker giant will simply breeze through the criticism. After taking a second look at the logo you will realise it hasn’t changed a lot and the major difference to the design is the removal of the coffee chains name.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Photo editing services

The team of talented designers and digital photography manipulators from Fixar offer photo editing and retouching services.
The main Fixar services are: photo retouching (face and body slimming, digital make-up, retouching bad make up), Photo manipulation (removing unwanted people and backgrounds from your pictures, add a celebrity in your photo) and Photo restoration (remove water and ink spots, add sepia tone etc.).

If this doesn't sound convincing enough visit the website gallery and admire some of the photo samples in the portfolio. With Fixar any lady can end up wearing sophisticated make-up, glowing skin, whiten teeth and the look of a top model.

The expertise of the Fixar team did wonders with wedding pictures: unwanted shadows were removed, unflattering light was toned down and the final pictures deserve the best place in any wedding album.

The way to order your photo retouching is simple: just upload your photo, write the instructions and for a fee you will get back a work of art.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Bloomberg.com - New Design & Free Content

Entering Bloomberg.com yesterday was like entering Steven Lisberger’s 1982 Tron movie. The black background and orange font environment created a feeling of 1980s Wall Street madness which made the user’s hearts pump faster, preserving that “boiler room” feeling fondled greatly from the now retiring old-school stockbrokers generation.

The new website features a fresh and easy to read design, blending effortlessly white and orange colours to reinvent Bloomberg’s online identity. The re-design which rolled out in April was in beta until this morning.

The new website incorporates additional changes other than the crisp design, promoting not only user-friendly characteristics but also embracing the current trend of making more free content available while sustaining the business through other-to-subscription revenue-generating sources.

Although the additional free content is a very exciting turn-around on the company’s policy, the design might come across overly simplistic, as it dangerously resembles a blog-like environment where the blog’s content is not always viewed as transmitting market expertise and authority but rather gossiping or capitalizing on old news and content. Have a look at the screenshot taken this morning and you can be the judge.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Opus Energy Poll Shows That SME Owners Think Renewable Energy is Too Expensive or Too Confusing

Opus Energy has recently polled UK SME owners on their attitude to renewable energy. The survey found that companies were put off by the price and perceived complexity of using renewable energy. As a result only 12 % of the businesses Opus asked were currently using renewable power.
Approximately three quarters of the small companies polled were not using a specific renewable energy tariff. 72% have said they would consider renewable energy in the future, the other organisations stated that they did not want to use renewables either because of complexity (18%) or cost (47%). One third claimed they were not interested in the using renewable energy.

Opus Energy's Managing Director, Charlie Crossley Cooke has stated that the findings are insightful and show the current views of UK small businesses on renewable energy. He estimated that approximately 10% of all customers' bills are made up of green subsidiaries. Mr Crossley Cooke also believed that the proportion of renewable subsidies that all UK businesses pay will increase to approximately 25% over the next 12 months. SME businesses are already paying for renewable energy whether they realise it or not.

Mr Crossley Cooke commented that there needs to be more transparency for small companies who are already contributing to renewables. He believes this may then increase the take up of this form of energy by SMEs.

Opus Energy has sourced a large percentage of its energy from cleaner, low-carbon sources. During the past 2 years 70% of the power Opus Energy has supplied to customers has been sourced from cleaner or low carbon sources. 33% of the power was obtained from CHP (Combined Heat and Power) generators; the remaining 37% was sourced from renewable generators.

All the renewable power Opus Energy has sourced has been taken from generators accredited by Ofgem, the UK energy regulator. All the generators have all been given Levy Exemption Certificates by Ofgem to prove they meet the set standard. Opus Energy will continue to source significant proportions of its power from generators accredited as low carbon by Ofgem.

Opus Energy provide gas and electricity to companies within the UK. The business based in Northampton and Oxford was featured in the Sunday Times Top Track 250. A typical top track company has between 100 and 13,000 staff and is run by established families or entrepreneurs. Opus Energy was featured in the lisiting after seeing a 31% growth in sales figures over the previous year. The company has seen a continued growth rate during the first six months of this financial year.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Chemistry Club's Events

Link
The Chemistry Club is an independent business that works within the technology field. The company hosts an assortment of different events each year in Central London and provides a variety of services including; executive coaching, special briefings and master classes. CEO of the Chemistry Club and his team, have run networking events for the past eleven years. They give executives the chance to meet people within their industry and discuss experiences in a neutral environment.


The Chemistry Club currently hosts nine networking events each year. The evenings are all based in Central London venues and enable individuals to meet each other in a very time efficient way. The Company states that the meetings are work events not social occasions.

The forums are usually fairly busy but still allow attendees to move around the room at their own pace. Each executive can meet as few or as many people as they wish. It is entirely by mutual consent as to who each individual speaks with and many people discuss industry topics with people they haven’t met previously.

The Chemistry Club's events also have a relevant topical speaker where possible. This is usually followed by a question and answer session which leads to further thought provoking questions.

The evenings are a great way to bring together people from different groups. Attendees usually include; senior executives from media companies, directors from venture capital firms, individuals from the public sector and executive management from leading companies. To encourage further debate the Chemistry Club also invites; heads of procurement, marketing directors and chief executives.

For more information about The Chemistry Club, Mark Simon and their services please visit the company's website.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wall business opportunities

Large and small businesses sometimes have to deal with a small but constant problem: graffiti. There are great looking graffiti made by local artists in every city. On the other hand there are graffiti that are just plain annoying and their removal costs time and money.

This problem can turn into a business opportunity. One can offer help to remove the unwanted graffiti from walls for a small fee. This can be a small activity one can do during weekends and can become a full time job.
Setting up this type of business is actually very easy. After taking care of legal documentations for a business license, you can purchase materials that can remove paint and other stains in the walls. Solvents (for paint), scraping tools such as sand paper, squeegees, detergents are some of the tools you will need for this business. Together with the business license, one should spend no more than hundreds of pounds to start this business.

The most challenging part is actually getting clients. Focus on small businesses in your area so that it will fit a one-man operation. As long as you do a great job in these small projects, you can be assured of expansion because of your reputation.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Healthy business idea: alternative medicine

A definition for alternative medicine would be any healing practice which is different from conventional medicine. It includes practices like: naturopathy, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda or yoga etc. Alternative medicine is also a lot more affordable compared to regular medical help which is why it's very attractive to millions worldwide.

You can use this demand as a good source of income or even a strong business idea. There are many areas in this industry that you can consider. Among them is to be an affiliate of various official websites of alternative medicine. You're practically a middle-man by creating a website and earning via commissions. On the other hand, you can also become a hands-on reseller in your area. This might require some upfront fee in becoming a reseller for alternative medicine products but the commission is usually attractive.

Those who are really serious in being part of the industry can choose to study alternative medicine. There are short term courses where one can learn alternative medical practices from massage to phytotherapy. The biggest challenge in this industry is actually on legitimacy and preventing scam. If you're interested in reselling alternative medicine products, make sure that the products you're selling are recognized by the food and drug regulating authority. It's also important to research a little bit on the reviews of the product. There are many health products online that do not work so be sure to make a reliable choice.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Personal shopping business

Purchasing products in behalf of another person is a small but very lucrative business. This type of business is often offered by image consultants where they offer their services to individuals who want to have smart choices on clothes, shoes and other products. Becoming a personal shopper is not only for companies. It is a business that can be done by solo professionals.

There are two types of personal shoppers anyone can consider starting. The first option is for those who want a simple make over. For example, a person will hire an individual who could look for good clothes for a specific function. As already indicated, this is offered by image consultants. But if you're already known for choosing great clothes and showing an impresive taste in fashion, you can offer your services for a fee.
The second type of personal shopping: shoppers can offer their services to people who can't move around well. They just get the list of things to buy and the personal shopper does the rest. There are two ways these personal shoppers can earn. The first is on charging the client. Most shoppers charge a flat rate plus percentage on the products purchased.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Clean Business Ideas

Opportunity comes for the very observant ones. If you see a need, you can create a business based on that need and earn in your spare time or even full time. A good example is in offering window washing services in your area. At first glance, window washing may just be a small task but it's actually very tedious and people are willing to pay to get the job done.
If you're interested in starting this type of small business, you should invest in your equipments. Fortunately, a small window cleaning business will not cost more than £200. As your business grows, you can expand your operations with more equipment.
For now, the following are equipments should get you started: squeegees,pole with squeegee holder, detergents and ladders.

You can purchase these online or in your local store as a kit so that you can save while maintaining quality in equipment. Of course, the right outfit should be purchased so that you can protect yourself and be presentable to your prospective clients. While you're taking care of your outfit, also take care of the legal side of your business. Once you've registered your small business, you should be able to offer your services in your area. You can start in your neighbourhood for an introductory price and slowly establish your reputation.

One last note: always be prompt in this business. Your business depends on the quality of your work and your punctuality. People do not want to wait for the window cleaner and they can always call someone else to do your job.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Playing Slot Machines Online

Online casinos are reaching out to more people everyday. As the internet improves the ability of people to connect and do business, casinos also grabbed the opportunity to offer entertainment to billions of users worldwide. There are hundreds of online casinos offering interesting games with real winnings 24/7. You just have to choose your preferred game.

One of the most interesting online games from casinos is the slot machine. In fact, slot machine rvm is one of the most popular games in online casinos because they are very easy to use - just like the real slot machine. Online casinos have even improved their virtual slot machines to be more enjoyable and secured. Because it uses programs with no human intervention, users are assured that the slot machine is not rigged. The winning system is also the same with regular slot machines. But the best feature of online slot machine is the "feel" of the online slot machines. Online casinos want to emulate the experience given by real casinos so the interactions with virtual slot machines have very little difference.

All these advantages and features can be experienced with online slot machines. This does not even include the higher pay which makes the game a lot more interesting.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Online business with videos


Many people are going online to watch interesting or funny videos. Some would naturally visit YouTube, Metacafe, Veoh and other video sharing websites. While these websites have thousands of videos that can be viewed anytime, there may be some videos that can't be seen on these sites.

The lack of some videos can be used as a niche which can become a part time business done at home. You can be a researcher of these videos and share them on your website or you can create your own videos (e.g. video tutorials about how to use a certain application, tips and tricks etc.). You don't need to have a powerful website, just make sure that you are constantly updating your website for your visitors.

These particular videos are not just the ones you can see in popular video sharing websites. These videos are often movies, TV series, tutorials and even cartoons.

Last but not the least; if you do not upload your own videos but videos made by third parties remember that you might be providing information on copyrighted materials that should not be streamed for free. When it's the case always indicate that you are only providing links but you do not host or own these videos. Be honest about this type of venture so that you'll constantly have visitors to your webpage and earn through advertisements.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Small Mail Service

Although the world is slowly moving towards email and tends to ignore traditional snail mail, this type of business still offers an opportunity for many individuals. Basically, this type of business will allow other businesses to place their coupons in the mail wherein they will be strategically mailed to potential customers.

This type of business specifically targets small businesses since they want an easily measurable method on how the coupons are attracting customers. By sending out coupons through the mail, they can have a concrete idea on customer's perception of the business. The mail service provider will also earn from this type of response as more mails will be sent out.

There are three factors that will contribute to the success of this business:
• Experience or Natural Skills in Sales - this is very important to start this type of business. You need to properly present the benefits of this venture to other businesses in your area.
• Software or Online Service for the Right Data - You need to subscribe to online services that provide information on specific households. This information will allow you to send mail to the right person or those who will most likely use the coupons.
• Right Printers or Outsourcing Company - you should also have the right printer and computer for this business. It's also possible to outsource this work but as a start you should try sending the mails yourself to know more about the business.

The only challenge to this type of venture is that other businesses might not see the benefit of mail campaign. As long as you point out the advantages wherein you advertise and gauge customer’s reaction to promos, the possibility of success is high.