(Flawsome – meaning that if brands behave more humanly and show their flaws they’ll be awesome.)

I thought this could be quite a challenging position for a lot of brands to adopt as they (and we) usually spend a lot of time trying to create the perception of being perfect all the time. But of course when something is seen as being perfect we all just love to burst that bubble don’t we? There’s something really untrustworthy (and annoying) about a brand, or even a person, being too perfect.

Maybe it’s just human nature that we like to find the catch or flaw, as we’re generally happier once we find it!
It made me think though; perhaps we should all try to relax a bit and not get into a spin the moment there’s a negative bit of feedback posted on a blog or website – as a balanced view actually seems to be make us more comfortable and feel like we’re not being lied to.

Generally speaking the odd bad review has never put me off seeing a film or show I wanted to see – hmmm, maybe I should have listened though… The Da Vinci Code wasn’t great.

A story that has been picked up in a number of the papers today sent a touch of a chill down my spine.  It wasn’t about politics, war or crime.  In fact, you could argue it wasn’t really newsworthy at all.  This was the story of David Cameron’s kids’ new nanny.

The reason it chilled me was how such a mundane tale had been turned into a scandal through the ghost of an old social media profile.  The Metro article quoted Myspace as the source, but it matters not what the source was as what’s important is that a few comments made almost certainly in a youthful and off-the-cuff manner several years ago has seen the lady in question primarily labelled as ‘a drinker, a smoker and a shoplifter’.

It was a character assassination of a most brutal and unfortunate of nature, and one that will live on long beyond today.  Given her relatively unusual name any time in the future a prospective employer, business associate or even new friend decides to search for her in Google, this story will appear.  (I haven’t named her in this article so to avoid the irony of this piece further contributing to the issue.)

It’s a startling reminder that no matter how disposable a comment, post or profile may be at the time, the reality is that it will live on well after it’s forgotten.  If it’s not deleted, it won’t degrade; instead it will just sit there, waiting to be discovered.

Brands should see this no differently.  The rate at which the digital space has evolved has meant that efforts are naturally concentrated on the next big thing, and old properties are left to dwell in the background.  At best, this means there are countless ‘ghost towns’ out there – abandoned sites with no activity and no love.  At worst, this can mean failure to comply with legislation, completely undermining a new positioning, or leaving consumer questions unanswered.  Housekeeping should be part of any digital strategy.

So the next time you’re shredding your bank statements have a think about doing the same to your digital past.  Otherwise it could be you hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the future.

One thing that struck us whilst putting this together was just how buggy the process is for launch.  Facebook might be on the verge of their IPO but they clearly still stick to their policy of pushing developments and features live at the earliest possible date.  It makes for a frustrating process at times (ask anyone who used the Insights tool in its early stages) but you can’t say they are resting on their laurels.

We’re in the process of monitoring how the new layout is affecting our client’s pages and when we have something we can share we will be sure to do so.  In the meantime, to see our work in action head on over to the Douwe Egberts page and have a click around.

As a Barclays customer, I was happy to see my bank dabbling in some digital innovation with the release of Pingit- their money transfer mobile app.

It has to be said that Pingit isn’t actually new as a concept, Mpesa in Africa has been doing a very similar job for the last 5 years, but it is the first of its kind within the major UK banks.  It promises to make life much easier by allowing you to transfer up to £300 to your contacts via your phone, without ever needing to exchange back details.  Quite frankly, I like things that make my life easier, so I was looking forward to installing it and getting started after finally trading in my venerable HTC for an iPhone.

First experiences were promising; it is a well thought out app with a step by step sign up process that uses a 5 digit pin and a verification system that gives you confidence in its security.  Once set up you can browse your contacts, choose your recipient, write a short message and then send your payment which is valid for 24hrs.  It really is very impressive.

However, neither of the two payments I’ve sent have completed.

The reason why is pretty simple- if you haven’t got the app yourself getting the money isn’t all that straight forward.  You have to either download the app, or go through several sign up steps, that includes a verification process which requires you to find a 1p transaction in your account and note the reference number.  Like me, both my contacts were looking for simplicity, so they texted me and asked me to use an online transfer instead, the very thing Pingit is supposed to negate.

In my view this is a classic case of critical mass:

The very best ideas can fall down if they fail to gather momentum to push them beyond the early adopter, likewise seemingly inferior products can triumph if they become ‘the norm’ (Betamax vs VHS is a classic case).  Pingit is a nice idea, well executed, but until it reaches the critical mass of users needed to make it as simple as it promises, it’s going to struggle.  I for one will probably wait a while before trying it again.

This isn’t to say Pingit wont be a long term success, but just that as Google are finding with Google+, it is going to take time, money and that most valuable of factors – a change in consumer behaviour, to really be on the money.

So from a standing start I had spent a good 10 minutes looking at all my options and literally found this company based on Google alone. Must be a pretty cheap conversion and they didn’t even have to waste any other money on me to try and convince me to try their salon.

I then called them to make an appointment – the phone rang and rang and there wasn’t even an answer phone to take a message. I tried them again later that day and it just rang and rang. I tried a couple of times and eventually ran out of patience and just went with the number 2 option on my list.

Just goes to show, you can have all the best search and review mechanisms in place, but if your staff can’t perform the simple task of manning the phones and taking calls, who knows what additional sales will pass you by.

With the theme for the year just past being the Olympics, there was a strong focus on all fronts to give the nod to the games. London based agency, Precedent turned their hand for all the branding and online communications while a select group of creatives were tasked with spoofing the 12 Official London Olympics 2012 posters which were unveiled early November 2012. The side project for Podge was supported by The Drum who set out to see if digital agencies really understood graphic design.

With all that said, yours truly had the opportunity to put together one of the spoof posters. The poster I was given was that of Sarah Morris, an artist best known for her abstract paintings based on cityscapes and architecture. Sarah’s Paralympic tribute poster was an abstract representation of one of London’s most famous landmarks, Big Ben. My take was the based around the London streets during 2012 and the controversy surrounding the Olympic Lanes we’ll all learn to love. Here’s what I had to say about it.

Sarah Morris depicted an abstract Big Ben during 2012 in her poster, here’s my take on the London streets during 2012. It won’t be fun. The olympic Lanes have caused quite the stir in the lead up to London 2012, while we are unlikely to get the same treatment for Podge 2012, at least we know that will be fun.

After the Christmas haze has subsided and the fuzzy red wine flog cleared it’s easy to see how Podge has helped us here at Cubo connect with potential partners, learn some key industry and forge some great partnerships. We’ll be there in 2012, posters or not.

If you’d like to see the full set of Spoof Olympics posters you can find them over on The Drum website. http://bit.ly/rUz8DX

Us marketeers often look at their campaigns with admiration as their down to earth approach always seem to hit the mark.  And their latest experiential campaign is another gem…

innocent’s HGV ‘Hungry Grassy Van’ which will be serving up tasty treats across the country and competition entrants will be in with a chance to win a visit from the HGV at an event of their choice.  And what’s particularly lovely it is that everything they serve up will be completely free.

As ‘Jamie Oliver’ and worthy as it all sounds I can’t help but wonder if the British public really care about their 5 a day.  I mean, I know we all care to an extent, as we all make a concerted effort once in a while, but we tend to lapse the moment temptation comes our way.  If your office is anything like ours there’s endless amounts of chocolate, cakes and biscuits brought in every time someone goes on holiday, and then there’s the birthday treats…  somehow a bowl of apples or crudités doesn’t quite cut it, does it?  And as obesity figures in the UK are predicted to soar it’s hard to know just what it will take before we choose fruit and veg over other types of snacks.

Anyway, wonderings aside… this is another step in the right direction to encourage healthy eating from innocent.  All we need now is a hot day in September and a reason for a get together!

There are a host of prestigious parties organised, with Virgin Holidays being one of the more spectacular, with guests encouraged to get involved in the theme for the year. This year’s theme was ‘Olympics – London to Rio’, therefore the team came together to forge ‘Team SEA’ the ultimate boxing combination, including the following competing ‘weights’:

Super Heavy Weight – Dave Ody

Lightweight – Simon Parry

Paperweight – Ruth Roseweir

Featherweight – Lucy Quilliam

Unfortunately the team missed out on the ‘best costume’ award, however they were praised for braving the cold in shorts.

A. A nervous wreck…..

Ruth has a fear of water… and breathing under it, so when she found herself submerged in a tropical reef surrounded by 2,000 fish, rays and even sharks at Discovery Cove’s SeaVenture attraction, let’s just say she was rather ‘sea-shell’ shocked.

Ruth was hosting eight travel agents on a recent familiarisation trip to SeaWorld Parks in Florida as part of our ongoing trade marketing activity to showcase the latest park attractions.

As the group prepared to experience the park’s newest diving attraction, there were reservations from various people, including Ruth, as to whether they could dive with ‘respiratory problems’. But Ruth wasn’t so lucky, as the tour caters for people with asthma and has various procedures which ensure everyone can have a go. Lucky Ruth.

So here she is, the first Cuboid to try out the new underwater walking tour, coming face to fin with venomous lionfish, sharks and spotted eagle rays. And look, she’s loving it, and so did the agents who are now raving about the experience to their customers!

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment  identified the need to respond to local market conditions and capitalise on opportunities to increase pre-sold attraction tickets to UK travellers embarking on their Florida holiday.

Pleasure Insight

Around 1m UK holiday-goers annually make the pilgrimage to Florida, the theme park capital of the world. Florida doesn’t come cheap for two weeks of unadulterated fun and this is underpinned with almost military precision style planning to squeeze as much as possible from budgets. Consumers not only feel that planning is essential, but also an enjoyable activity for all the family to build interest and anticipation of an unforgettable holiday experience.

Creative Execution

With a fully integrated team for SeaWorld in house, our advice has considerable influence in defining UK objectives and strategy, often working twelve months ahead. Responsible for brand and campaign management – above, below and through the line – our remit includes traditional media, digital, retail and b2b marketing.  A key aspect is tackling local needs by working with key third party influencers like tour operators and ticket wholesalers. Effectively we operate a micro sales & marketing team that mirrors the client’s US functions.

Campaign Results

We can be judged in many ways, namely making budgets work harder, identifying changes in this source market and reacting accordingly, and standing tall against competitor parks. The one fixed measure is ensuring the highest penetration of visitors to our Florida parks from the UK.  We think that working with SeaWorld for 16 years best highlights the value that we offer.