Pinterest – Social Media Phenomenon or Distraction?

Posted on February 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

In the last 7 or 8 years, social networking has crept deeper and deeper into our subconscious and has, to a large extent, changed the way we communicate. A whole new aspect of marketing has grown into a speciality practice in its own right with millions of pounds spend every year on running Facebook and Twitter campaigns that will affect businesses as small as a one-man-band, right through to big brand giants like Coca-Cola and MacDonald’s.

At First, it was Facebook and Linked In then came Twitter, not to mention FourSquare and Google+. Now – well now, a new player has arrived in the form of Pinterest which is growing in popularity faster than you’d imagine. I have to admit to being a total Pinterest junkie. It’s an online pin board where you can share things you are interested in by either pinning something to the board or sharing and commenting on something that is already up there.

It launched in 2009 but it was only really towards the end of 2011 that it started to show any strength, entering the top 10 Social Networks list in December. It’s reported to be the fastest site in history to break the 10 million unique visitor mark, having registered 11.7million in Jan 2012 according to a recent comScore report.

The thing I love about it is the potential for absolutely anything to be shared. Anything from a new cake recipe to a news story that got you going. The potential for it’s use as a marketing tool is remarkable as well. If you were launching a new brand onto the market and wanted a little feedback on the look and feel of the thing – just pin it to the board and see what comments come back. If you were promoting an upcoming event or looking to generate new customers you could just pin something to the board to create some commentary around it. Job hunters and Recruiters are already starting to see the potential for it all too.
Is it going to be the next big social media platform…so simple to use, so clever and so open. It has almost limitless potential. Or is it another SM phenomenon that gets swallowed up by another fad in a few months? Get involved, have a go, you can lose yourself in it for hours…

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Posted in Digital Interest, Marketing, social media

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Creative CV vs Career Blunder

Posted on February 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

Being a professional recruiter, the part of my job that I love the most is being able to help candidates present themselves in the most positive way possible to a potential employer and watching them grow in confidence when they go for a job they really want and are successful. That process often starts by consulting with them on writing a great CV.

I saw this one on Pinterest this morning (loving this new social media platform by the way – totally addictive!) and it made me chuckle. If a CV is as creative as any of these landed on my desk I’d certainly remember it for a long time.

But it does beg the question – how ‘out there’ is a too ‘out there’ on a CV? With a market saturated by CV consultants and recruiters, you could ask 10 different people and get 10 different pieces of advice and working out what works best for you as a candidate can be difficult. I love the creative element of the CV’s that this Pinterest article found but it has to be appropriate for the industry. I like to think about it like this – present yourself and your skill-sets professionally with a healthy dose of YOU to balance it all out.

Our MD Jonathan Hirst, who is always full of good advice has a short video about writing a great CV. Have a look at it here.

And of course, if you need any more support on producing the best curriculum vitae for your next marketing job then just give me a call.

TeeJay Jones

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Posted in Digital Interest, Marketing Jobs, Marketing Recruitment

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IKEA Jobs Recruited through…Paper Media

Posted on February 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

As a passionate lot of marketing and creative recruiters here at Network Marketing towers we’re always keeping our eyes and ears out for new and innovative ways of recruiting the right candidates for our clients brands. The fit of the person culturally is as important as their experience and skillset. Who was it who said “Recruit for culture, train for skills”?

So when we spotted the campaign by Ikea in Australia to recruit new staff for a new store we thought you’d love to see it. It’s not the much over-hyped social-media IKEA are using here but the most direct form of direct mail!

The key here is less about the lack of media spend but more about the highly specific targeting and innovative way they added the ‘instructions’ in to the packaging for their products. Now we accept that this approach to recruitment isn’t going to work for everyone but well done to Ikea for genuinely thinking outside the box (excuse the pun).

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Posted in advertising, Marketing Jobs, Marketing Recruitment

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“Healthy Doesn’t Have to be Humdrum”

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Emma spotted this TV advert by Wieden Kennedy for Lurpak Lightest called Be Wonderful and Wise.

The Creative Director has done a great job and whoeverhas the job of Marketing Manager at Arla on Lurpak these days must be really proud.  However (you knew there was one coming didn’t you…) I did some research…

Do adults still think vegetables are humdrum?  Certainly in our household we’re generally very enthusiastic about them.  Well, nearly all of us.  My 10 year old really isn’t that keen at all.  He will try them and, if forced, will eat them.  So, could this advert change his mind?

We watched it together and I asked him at the end which of the vegetables he would now like to eat.  His thoughts hadn’t changed.  If he had a choice, there’d be no vegetables on his plate – with or without Lurpak…

So – are vegetables just one of those things that you grow to love as you get older or has the power of advertising got the ability to change a young person’s mind?

Discuss….

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Posted in Marketing Jobs

Tiger Bread – A Social Media Success or Genius PR Campaign?

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Sainsbury’s and the mysterious case of the Tiger Bread- this story doesn’t seem to have left the press since it first emerged that a young customer, Lily Robinson, had written to the leading supermarket retail chain, to question the product name. What seems to have started off as another letter added to the pile at Customer Services, has quickly expanded in to a social media phenomenon. Is this the cynical workings of an incredibly creative PR department or a genuine story from a naive consumer?

If you aren’t familiar with the story, it all starts with a young girl who writes to Sainsbury’s wanting to know why their ‘Tiger Bread‘ isn’t actually named after a Giraffe, like its pattern and design would suggest. The Customer Marketing Manager at Sainbury’s, Chris King, kindly writes back to Lily explaining what a great idea it was. A short time follows and before you know it the letter has made its way to Facebook and Twitter and had become a social media phenomenon. One might say what a fantastic example of how social media can work in the most unexpected ways. Sainsbury’s today announced that due to popular demand they would now be changing the product name to Giraffe Bread. Brilliant! A product relaunched and to great publicity.

However, am I the only one that thinks this is slightly all a bit too convenient? One letter happens to be picked out from thousands, the response happens to make its way on to numerous social media platforms, and now they happen to be relaunching a product as a result? If anyone has seen the letter as well it does look suspiciously ‘constructed’ in quite a child-like manner- oh what perfect mis-spelling of ‘called’- twice! Yet Giraffe (the key product name) is spelt perfectly.

Maybe I am being a cynic and sweet Lily really has made a huge impact on Sainsburys’ 2012 product line. Either that or they need a pat on the back for fooling us all.

Helena Krzeminski

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Posted in advertising, Digital Interest, Marketing, social media

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12 in 2012 – the Big Challenge

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

TeeJay Jones writes-

2012 is set to be one of the most exciting years of my life. I am working with a team of 26 sport-mad folks who will put their bodies, minds and souls on the line to raise a quarter of a million pounds during the year in support of HOPE HIV, a charity who work with children in Sub-Saharan Africa who’s lives have been devastated by HIV.
Having grown up in Africa myself, I have seen firsthand how HIV can tear families apart. Its not just the stigma of having the virus that can alienate you from the community, but when both parents die, often leaving children to either be looked after by elderly grandparent, or in the worst cases, left to fend for themselves – it almost doesn’t bear thinking about.
Living in the UK now, I am all too aware of how privileged I am. Free healthcare, a great job, and the security of an active and working social security system. I can’t imagine living below the poverty line , losing my parents and at the age of 10 or 11 having to take responsibility for a couple of younger siblings. How do you survive? No social services, no access to free education, no means of income?
The team are a particularly creative lot, with events being arranged from all sides of the sporting world. Everything from the Marathon Des Sables, to a bog snorkelling triathlon (?), from downhill mountain bike racing to the Three Peaks Challenge and from military style obstacle courses to the London to Paris Bike Ride.
With the full support of the incredible team at Network Marketing and The Book, I am looking forward to my first BIG challenge: a 12 hour Squash-a-thon. I’ll be playing squash from 08.00 until 20.00 on Saturday 25th February at Kirkstall Leisure centre in Leeds. It’s possibly the biggest physical challenge I have ever faced and what makes me nervous is that generally by the end of a 40 minute session, I am completely exhausted…how will I manage 12 hours?
Take a moment to wander though our website (www.the12in12.com) where you can see what crazy events are being organised, meet the team, and read about our motivation for getting involved in a project this big. I’ll be blogging about my journey though the year fairly regularly, so check back here to keep up to date!

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to join me for one of my events and have a look at my justgiving page if what we are doing inspires you! www.justgiving.com/teejays12in12

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Posted in charity

The Gadget Guy is Our Top Advert at Network Marketing

Posted on January 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

In the spirit of sharing our favourite ads of the moment, the boys and girls at Network Marketing Towers are loving the all new Yaris advert – Gadget Guy.

It’s not that the technology they are introducing is particularly ground breaking although it is cool, we like the characters, music and the geeky gadget guy with a pasta machine on his car.

What Creative Director comes up with an idea like that? Genius! I wonder what the brand guys at Toyota had in their brief to come to this execution?

 

That’s it, we’ve decided – we’re all going to apply for jobs as  account Managers at this agency or a brand managers at Toyota – looks like it’s a fun place to work!

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Posted in advertising, Digital Interest, Marketing, Marketing Recruitment

Network Marketing and Welcome to Yorkshire Become Partners

Posted on January 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Network Marketing are delighted to report that we’ve joined Welcome to Yorkshire as a Partner for 2012.  We have worked with Welcome to Yorkshire for some time and as passionate, Yorkshire folk thought it was high time we put our money where our mouth was and make a commitment to the new era that is upon us!

Growing up and living in Yorkshire for most of your life brings with it an amazing sense of belonging. For those that move away there seems to be an insatiable urge to relocate back and certainly as a recruitment business within marketing we see this a lot.

When we ask people why they’re looking to relocate back to Yorkshire, whether it be for a marketing job or a role in a creative agency, most say “for the quality of life”.  There are few places in our wonderful country where you can be in the hustle and bustle of the UK’s 3rd largest city and yet within minutes be out in the countryside enjoying the Yorkshire Dales, real village pubs with Sunday lunches and pint of real ale.  Or venture in to one of our Michelin starred restaurants in the countryside and stay over in places like the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey.

We’re really impressed with the way Welcome to Yorkshire has re-engineered themselves to accomodate the change in funding and look forward to seeing them continue to support local businesses and in a wider sense, the economy in Yorkshire.

And as a final thumbs-up – well done on winning the World Travel Awards – Worlds Leading Travel Campaign!

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Posted in Marketing, Marketing Jobs, Marketing Recruitment

To QR or not to QR – that is the question

Posted on January 5, 2012 | 6 Comments

We have been playing around with QR Codes here at Network Marketing Towers – wondering if there’s a suitable application for it in our business or if it’s just technology for technologies sake.

We hear that farmers could use QR codes to brand cows. Yes, the ones that go “Mooo”.  Allowing farmers to scan their cows via mobiles enables them to quickly learn their origin, vaccination history and other vital information.

Here’s one we created earlier for our business as a bit of a test…

Not very exciting I know – you’re already on the blog so why would you need to click a QR code to go to another article?  Technology for technologies sake?

In a more practical application we’ve seen how Rightmove are planning on using them to help people access property information – we can see how this would work.

We’re keen to understand where our candidates and clients could see QR Codes as being useful in their interaction with us – the more ideas the better really!  Just add your comment at the bottom.

Hopefully we’re asking the right audience!

Thanks in advance

Jonathan

 

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Posted in advertising, Digital Interest, Marketing, Marketing Jobs, Marketing Recruitment, social media

British Heart Foundation Ad Gets Us Pumped Up Today

Posted on January 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Being die hard Leeds fans here at Network Marketing Towers (well, maybe not Miles…or Tom…) we still have a big place in our hearts for the legend that is Vinnie Jones. His hard man reputation has only increased since his retirement from football with his presence on the big screen.

However, many won’t know that he has a softer side. His wife had a heart transplant over 20 years ago and now his latest job is featuring in an advert for the British Heart Foundation promoting compressions as a way of reacting to someone having a heart attack until the emergency services get there.

Take a look at the full advert here:

In our humble opinion t’s a marketing stroke of genius and in using the Bee Gees ‘Staying Alive’ as a tune to time your compressions to we’d like to think they were thinking along the same lines as our good selves at Network Marketing when we chose Take That and ’Patience’ as our hold music!

Well done to Vinnie for supporting a great cause and for The British Heart Foundation for bringing a level of humour and clarity to what can be a complicated area.

 

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Posted in advertising, charity, Marketing, Marketing Jobs