Is this a social media turning point?

A great deal has been written about social media and most of it about the opportunities that it offers brands and marketers. However, a recent survey by YouGov has suggested a negative side to using social media for marketing. Is this a turning point?

New research has revealed that brand engagement on social networks is not as positive as first thought.  

According to B2B Marketing Magazine, ‘Although the uptake remains high, users are demanding more, with two in five participants claiming to be ‘getting bored’ with social media.  

The survey of 1275 British social media users found that just under half of respondents would not be positive about a product their ‘friends’ have followed and/or ‘liked’, with 43 per cent saying they are unlikely to talk about a brand on social media sites. In addition, just over half of participants revealed that they ‘do mind’ seeing ads on social networks that are based on their profile activities.  

Dan Brilot, media consulting director at YouGov, says, “It appears that while social media can be a key tool in the brand marketer’s armoury, in particular to maximise commitment among those already highly engaged with the brand, it has not quite reached the effectiveness necessary to be considered as a truly mass media marketing tool.” 

 

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How to succeed as a marketer in 2012

Joel Harrison, Editor of B2B Marketing Magazine has been taking a look at how to be a great marketer in 2012 and offers his top ten tips.

He comments, ‘We’ve got to accept that economic indicators don’t look great, and it’s unlikely to be a boom year for many companies. But that doesn’t mean as marketers we have any excuses to rest on their laurels – far from it in fact; unless they are prepared to roll up our sleeves, take some tough decisions and generally get involved, marketers may find themselves in a spot of bother, as companies constantly re-evaluate their spend and personnel. In other words, to put it more succinctly, in the words of the old cliché: when the going gets tough, the tough get going.’

Joel lists10 things that a marketer needs to be to succeed in 2012:

1. A polymath – in other words, good at many things. A jack of all trades (and probably a master of a couple of those). That includes so-called ‘traditional’ and digital marketing disciplines.

2. Pragmatic – willing and able to change, responding to changing needs and demands.

3. Engaging – they must be excellent communicators, with anyone and everyone, across the organisation. That includes everyone from the boardroom to the call centre.

4. Technologically adept – analytics, automation and social media monitoring must be your new best friends.

5. Passionate – really believe in what they are doing and why, and in their brand and the organisation that they work for. Lip service won’t do.

6. Convincing – able to sell ideas and concepts, and rally others to their cause.

7. Robust – they must be able to justify and prove their decisions and actions.

8. Collaborative – able to work with other key stakeholders in the organisation, such as sales, IT and finance, where necessary.

9. Dogged and determined – able to keep going in the face of adversity.

10. Inquisitive – interested in new tools, techniques, insights and ideas. Marketing will continue to change, and practitioners must change with it.

To find out more read the full article here

Which social media tools are B2B marketers using?

Pardot Marketing Automation has been looking at the most popular social networks amongst B2B marketers.

They found some interesting facts and created an infographic to show some of the key results. Twitter was deemed to be the most popular social network among B2B marketers however LinkedIn was found to create the most leads. 

See the infographic here to find out more of the interesting results.

social-infographic-pardot.pdf (169 kb)

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Another successful night at the B2B Marketing Awards 2011

The B2B Marketing Awards 2011 were a great success last Thursday, 24th November.  

For the fourth year The Think Tank managed the awards event on behalf of Silver Bullet, publishers of B2B Marketing Magazine, and it all went very well. The theme this year combined a 60′s lounge atmosphere with the glitter of Las Vegas, setting the scene for a fun and enjoyable night.  

Jack Whitehall took the stage to entertain the audience and present the awards and after a great dinner and ‘refreshment’ many headed off to the after-show party until the early hours.  

Well done to all the winners and a big thanks to all The Think Tank team for running another successful event.

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The Think Tank shortlisted for Best Brand Campaign at B2B Marketing Awards

The Think Tank has been shortlisted for Best Brand Campaign in the B2B Marketing Awards 2011 for our brand creation and development work for Biome Technologies Plc, a leader in the provision of bioplastics.

Following a brief from Stanelco Plc, Biome’s previous name, we developed a new brand to promote the bioplastics bias of the business, developing a new brand identity, collateral and web site and then promoted the brand and business to a diverse customer base through PR and electronic direct marketing.

Biome has seen great results since its re-launch and this recognition of the strength of the new brand is great for both The Think Tank and Biome.

Fingers crossed for the Awards in November.

For more information about The Think Tank’s work on the Biome brand please click here

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B2B Marketing Awards video takes no prisoners!

B2B Marketing magazine has posted a video of the awards held last week. Very entertaining and some of the filming was quite late in the evening with guaranteed results.

A great evening was had by all, as demonstrated by the video, especially as The Think Tank received the award for Best Product Launch.

Take a look and enjoy!

The Think Tank wins Best Launch Campaign at B2B Marketing Awards 2010 for OKI Printing Solutions

At a fantastic night of mobsters and 1960′s gangsters, The Think Tank secured the Best Product Launch Award at the B2B Marketing Awards 2010 for its EMEA launch campaign for the OKI MC860 multifunction printer.

Communicating the benefits of A3 colour printing at a price comparable to other A4 products, the campaign featured visuals demonstrating that you see the bigger picture with an A3 printer. This media neutral idea was used across the marketing material, both on and off line, and then executed by operating companies across the EMEA region to great effect.

This was one of the first campaigns that The Think Tank had developed for OKI Printing Solutions since winning the EMEA creative account in a competitive pitch.

Liam Bateman, Director at The Think Tank, commented, ‘This is great news and testament to the hard work of both the OKI EMEA Marketing Team and my team at The Think Tank. Well done to all.’

The Think Tank was also shortlisted in the B2B Marketing Awards 2010 for its promotional work with AkzoNobel in the Most Commercially Successful award category.

See all the winners here

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Industry Gallery, Washington DC, opens Nature/Data exhibition

The Industry Gallery, Washinton DC, is holding a new exhibition called Nature/Data by New York-based Italian designer and architect Antonio Pio Saracino. The exhibition features eleven chairs that are constructed in a range of materials including plywood, metal, carbon fiber and synthetics and in various forms such as molecules, leaves, blossoms, and crystals. Great furniture designs that inspire.

See the collection here

 

The Think Tank

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A hunter shoots a bear

This is a fantastic viral but very addictive – a few swear words though so be warned – click on the image below and get started. Enjoy!

The Think Tank shortlisted in B2B Marketing Awards

The Think Tank has been shortlisted in the prestigious B2B Marketing Awards 2010 for two campaigns. Firstly for our EMEA campaign work with OKI Printing Solutions for their multi-function printer the MC860, which is shortlisted in the Best Product Launch category, and secondly for the ICI Summer Scorcher promotion on behalf of AkzoNobel which is shortlisted in the Most Commercially Successful category.

Fingers crossed for the results in November.

Click here to see the complete B2B Marketing Awards Shortlist

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Research reveals events sector is boosting economy

The trade body for the events industry, Eventia has announced the overall value of the conference and business events market is worth £18.8 billion to the UK economy.

Eventia hopes that the findings from its UK Events Market Trend Survey (UKEMTS) will confirm the importance of the events sector to the national economy.

Other findings include the news that the number of events held at each venue had dropped slightly to 379 compared to 391 in 2008. However, many venue providers are optimistic about the future with 65 per cent of the venues planning to invest in their property in 2010, and nine per cent spending more than £1 million to do it.

View more on  B2B Marketing Magazine website

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas

Below are a series of stunning photographs by photographer Matthew Carbone of Frank Gehry’s latest project, the recently-completed Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. This research centre for degenerative brain diseases is divided into two separate buildings connected by a courtyard.

To read more click more on Dezeen

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Internships at The Think Tank

The Think Tank has a range of internships available in the Creative and Account Management teams. If you are looking to get a foot on the ladder in marketing visit the careers section of our web site to see how to apply. www.thinktank.org.uk/careers.php

Latest Boutique Hotel opens in Singapore

theclub_160610_02-200x200.jpgSingapore’s newest boutique hotel is the The Club by Ministry of Design. Situated in the uber chic Club Street conservation area it has 22 unique rooms, a rooftop skybar with alfresco deck and a destination F&B venue with a tapas bar on the ground floor.  Colin Seah, Design Director says, “Searching to ground the hotel in the context of Singapore as well as the historically rich conservation area of Club Street and Ann Siang Hill, we drew its inspiration from 2 sources.” “The first is Singapore’s colonial past, which we have made modern tongue-in-cheek references to through art installation like features such as an larger-than-life statue of Raffles with his head in the clouds as well as through some key furniture pieces and artifacts.

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Ten Stunning Interactive Buildings

View some of the best interactive building designs from the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion to the Pixel Skyscraper. Innovative buildings using outstanding technology to interact with their environs.
Click here to see all ten

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London Festival of Architecture announces events

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The London Festival of Architecture 2010 has announced details of some of the 300 events taking place between 19 June and 4 July. The biennial festival promises to be a celebration and exploration of buildings, streets, spaces and places in the capital, including exhibitions, debates, dance, street markets, workshops, talks, parties, guided walks, and bicycle and boat tours around London.

Studio East Pop-Up Dining opens next week

The latest in pop-up installations, Studio East Dining, will be opening next week above Westfield Stratford City at the gateway to the 2012 Olympic Park. Open for only three weeks and designed by architects Carmody Groarke, it will provide stunning views of the Olympic Park. Studio East Dining is headed by chef Tom Collins and managed by restaurant group Bistrotheque.
For bookings and to read more see here

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The Think Tank comments in PR Week on marketing integration

Replying to an article in 4th June issue of PR Week, Samantha Dawe commented on the integrated marketing approach to PR that some of the larger marketing agencies are now taking and how The Think Tank has been providing this level of integration for many years. She also comments upon the impact that the mix of individuals within a team has upon idea generation and the way that integration simplifies the client’s role in agency briefing.

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Success at the Blenheim Triathlon

Congratulations to all The Think Tank team members that took part in the Blenheim Triathlon on Saturday 6th June. All six successfully completed the course in the high temperatures of the weekend. Those taking part were WIl Roberts, Paul Stroud, Kelly-Anne Steenbok, Dragana Knezevic, Lisa Officer and Louise Gough. The team raised almost £900 for charity. Well done again.
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