Archive for March, 2009
Posted by Stuart on 19 March 2009
Tags: | Design, IA, Technology
‘ve had my iPhone for just over a week now (I know, with the imminent release of iPhone 3.0 I haven’t exactly been an early-adopter on this one) and I’ve figured out why it’s been such a success.
It’s not because it’s sexy and shiny and plays music and lets you watch YouTube and play great games and read blogs and twitter.
It’s not because the touch screen keyboard is pretty good and the accelerometers mean it automatically rotates the screen when you turn it over.
It’s not because the location services and built-in GPS mean it knows where you are and can do cool things with maps and friend/restaurant locators.
It’s definitely not because of the quality of the camera or the life of the battery or the slightly flaky exchange server push mail integration.
Nope, it’s more fundamental than that.
Using the iPhone is relaxing. Seriously. The gestures, the screen transitions, the responsiveness all combine to make a calming user experience. No other mobile device manages to achieve this: The Blackberry is a tense fiddle of scroll wheels or mini track-ball followed by cramped two-thumb typing, all Windows Mobile devices I’ve used are sluggish and require almost pin-point accuracy with a small stick and every Nokia, Motorola or Sony Ericcson I’ve ever used has had a counter-intuitive interface a predictive text system that has made me want to smash it against the nearest solid object.
Just about the only thing that’s frustrated me about the iPhone in the last week has been level 64 on Blocked.
Posted by Clive on 18 March 2009
Tags: Global Beach | Company, Staff
Ad spend is shifting at an alarming pace, catching out most that are intimately involved in the industry (ITV is a good example of this). Brands need to be much more willing to get ahead of the curve rather than be left behind. They need to address head on the changes that they need to confront in terms of how consumers consume media and consequently how brands can influence them.
If brands are to truly get ahead of the game, they need to embrace a step change that will require top down direction and ownership starting from the very top of the organisation. Every CEO must recognize that part of this step change will necessitate new blood and new thinking across the management team, and the first candidates to go will be very easy to spot. The real challenge will be whether the board has the stomach to make such dramatic change, or instead hope that things will get better of their own accord.
There are many good and recent examples of where traditional businesses have adapted to this brave new world and many examples of where established brands (regardless of whether they are tech or traditional) have been pushed aside. I am sure you will find a few of both in the broadcast, technology, gaming and travel sectors without trying too hard.
With the reality that we are experiencing oversupply across most sectors, dwindling finance options, combined with a smaller and more cautious consumer base looking for best value – brands must be willing to adapt or get swept away.
Having implemented a range of dramatic changes to the management team and structure of Global Beach, I do recognize that such change brings with it a new and perhaps even scarier set of problems, and that having swept away the past there is nothing left to hide behind but the results of your future efforts.
Posted by Peter on 16 March 2009
Tags: Global Beach | Company, Uncategorized
7:30am on a beautiful chilly, but sunny, Spring morning in London and I’m at my desk with a big smile on my face. That smile has been there pretty much every day, with a few exceptions, since returning to agency life. I bloody love it and I’d forgotten how much I do love it.
My Nano is plugged into one of our clients, Bowers and Wilkins, fantastic Zeppelin Ipod Speaker systems . For those of you who are like me and only know Bowers & Wilkins because of the Zeppelin they are an amazing British company making some fantastically innovative audio equipment. Check out their new surround sound Panorama system that we have launched on the website today.
I have always loved starting work at this time of the morning. The phones don’t ring and the office is quiet allowing me to get my thoughts together for the day ahead as the staff start to drift in for our 9am start. This morning I have a new business catch up with one of my closest friends who is helping us build our pipeline. This has been sorely neglected and is one of my highest priorities. With the reputation and experience Global Beach have we should be appearing on many more companies radars when they are looking for a digital agency.
I then have a kickoff meeting for a new Bentley project. Bentley!!! I still keep pinching myself. I may only drive a people carrier but I definitely got goose bumps when the cab taking me from Crewe station pulled up outside the gates at Bentley. I was made to feel very welcome and the whole experience took me back to the days when I ran the Waitrose accountat my old agency. Being in the canteen with all the workers sitting down to lunch around us was a real sense of déjà vu.
After that I have a catch up with Clive to discuss how I am getting on against my 7, 30 and 90 day plan (Pretty good I think but you can always do better). One of the discussion points is going to be personnel and what skill sets I think we require to be the strategic and creative agency I want us to be. Having worked in this industry since 1996 I already have my feelers out amongst old contacts and the first post I am looking to fill is Creative Director. On that more next time…..
Then Lara and I are heading over to Kings Cross to firstly discuss a new project we are about to launch for Terrance Higgins Trust and then one of my favourite things, presenting new designs for a brand new project for the same client.
Being that I live in Bethnal Green I will probably G-Wizz it home from Kings Cross and work on the Business Plan I am writing before finishing the day with a call to Matt Passey in our Los Angeles office to discuss ways we can help each other.
Not bad for a days work and I might even find time for a bit of twittering and Facebook catch-up, despite Lara’s scepticism. Like Lara I may not want to know about my mates dissolving earwax but that’s my choice. The beauty of mediums like Twitter is you choose what it is you are interested in, not the other way around.
Posted by Stuart on 14 March 2009
Tags: | Fun, Social Networking
Yesterday was Red Nose Day and people all over the country were doing unusual things for charity. Some were cringe-worthy, some really weren’t very funny and some were just bizarre.
There was one that really made me laugh though, and that was Peter Serafinowicz‘ twitter vegetable pop star pun war. The idea is simple, think of a vegetable pop star combination, say ‘Tina Turnip’, donate £2 to comic relief and tweet your pop star to @serafinowicz. A great idea, nearly £5k raised for comic relief and something that just wouldn’t have been possible without Twitter.
