Does mainstream media really boost Twitter followers?

January 26, 2009 By 2 Comments

There’s been some coverage of the appearance of Twitter on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, due to both @wossy and guest @stephenfry not only being ‘celebs who Twitter’, but actualy ‘celebs who really get how Twitter works’.

Martin Belam calculated that Stephen Fry had increased his follower count by 16% between the filming on Thursday and Sunday morning.

Personally, I’d have calculated any effect from when the programme was first shown, as that’s when new followers would appear. Neville Hobson used Twittercounter to count 4000 new followers for StephenFry in the first 24 hours, but really focuses on the increase in activity and conversation from existing Twitter users about the TV mention. (Techcrunch UK also has a summary of the TV coverage)

But hang on a minute.

Even if we take the total at 10.30pm on Sunday, @stephenfry has gained 8864 from an audience of 4million+. Meanwhile 84% of his followers appeared before the mass media appearance, by finding him on Twitter and spreading the word.

So he gained 8/10 followers by conversation, word of mouth and social networking, and just 2/10ish by broadcasting on the biggest national TV station in the UK.

Does mainstream media coverage really boost followers or validate Twitter?

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Something for the weekend, Sir?

January 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

In between complaining about the endless reshashed guides to Twitter tips for beginners, and at exactly what point newspaper and TV coverage, celebrity usage and user figures can officially class Twitter as mainstream, there’s something that stops me in my RSS tracks.

How about an article on Twittersexuality: A Twitter Sex Guide from SFGate’s Violet Blue? It’s not as crass as you might think, and has some interesting points – for instance, listing some of the adult entertainment industry personalities on Twitter, along with sex educators and tips on flirting.

And after all, the adult industry has been involved in popularising every piece of entertainment technology of the last 100+ years – from photography, through home video and the internet.

Alternatively,  Twitter @wossy and @stephenfry have discussed Twitter during recording for the return of ‘Friday Night with Jonathan Ross‘ on BBC1 tonight at 10.35pm, if it makes it through editing.

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Which of the following would you purchase?

January 23, 2009 By 3 Comments

A lot of blogs are talking about the new advert for Cadbury, which comes from Fallon on the heels of their Gorilla and Airport adverts.

I’d agree it’s entertaining, but it happened to coincide with me witnessing the following video, shot with a Samsung Pixon phone.

Bike London – Shot entirely on a Samsung Pixon from Angus Farquhar on Vimeo.

The question is which one is more likely to make you part with some hard-earned cash – the professional advert, or the video shot by someone to test the product they’ve just paid for with their own money?

A case for Advocurrency?

After all, do you feel more affected by

Or by:

I’m not saying that advertising/marketing shouldn’t be entertaining, or professional shot and edited.

I do wish some of it was more informative, and was based around making my life suck a bit less – for instance, T-Mobile sorting out their customer support, or Cadbury‘s sticking more Dairy Milks in their Roses selection boxes.

How about alternating between one piece of pure entertainment for awareness, and one bit of making things better for people buying your products?

Filed Under: Advertising, marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Some presentation inspiration

January 22, 2009 By 1 Comment

Rather than trying to force a post on some topics which need more thought and research, or pretending I’ve spotted something where I can add value in my RSS feeds, I’m going to get back to some presentation work I need to finish, and leave you with some great inspiration for presentations:

1. Logic + Emotion blog by David Armano: Everything he does seems to combine between clarity and looking good.

2. Presentation Zen: Hardly a secret, but full of useful information and insight.

And lastly a great presentation by Neil Perkin which I thought I’d already shared but couldn’t find on the site just now.

Goodness And Happiness – Why Generosity Is The Future Of Marketing Strategy

It’s a pretty short starter list – so where do you find inspiration, advice, or useful tool for presentations?

Filed Under: Presentations Tagged With: , ,
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