2010 Australian Digital Marketing Predictions

Digital marketing trends from our resident guru Teresa Sperti of Digital Marketing Lab:

As 2009 begins to draw to a close marketers are starting to look ahead to 2010. So what will 2010 bring for Australian digital? With a big gap between the have and the have not's - this article identifies the key tactics that will be leveraged by the market leaders;

Mobile Strategy Maturity & Integration; 2009 was definitely the year of mobile internet take up by Australians - with 1 In 2010 organisations will look to leverage the channel in a more sophisticated way. Mobile analytics will mature, offering a new depth of insight for marketers to support decision making and assit organisations to build upon their core mobile site offering. Organisations will also look to leverage mobile as a tool to bring the online and offline space closer together.

Social Search: With search engines losing eye-balls to social media, we will see Search Engines build upon integration efforts with social networks to provide users with a richer / real time experience.

Engagement - The next big thing: The Government has done it (for Brand Australia), Telstra has started it and Kraft fudged it. A few Australian brands have toyed with concepts to co-create the brand experience with consumers however such activity will increase significantly in 2010. Tactics such as crowd-sourcing will be key, as will spending time in the community on social platforms to gather feedback from consumers and participate in meaningful conversations.

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Image credit - "walking through light" by GILLES ET DADA

Street art...literally

The human imagination is a wondrous thing, and we never tire of finding people whose imaginations are just...beyond imagining!

These extraordinary images come from Parisian photographer and street artist JR, who converts entire cities into his own personal (and often illegal) gallery. Borrowing from the idea of the street poster plastered to a building façade, JR makes enormous, building-sized images of the people who live there, creating an effect both stunningly intimate and surprisingly integrated with the street. The people become the place.

In this project from the slums of Rio de Janiero, the women who hold the community together are literally woven into the fabric of the buildings. Beautiful and moving.

More here

Online addiction #3 - Christmas pressie ideas for art lovers

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Two fantastic websites full of eclectic, fabulous, affordable art.

(Note to reader: please don't try to sing this as it doesn't fit the tune and you may upset the person next to you, or the cat.)

If you're still pressie shopping (or shopping for self as permitted under Rule 5.1 of Christmas Shopping Etiquette), check out these two sites and give the people you love some original art this Christmas.

Bakers Dozen, selling work by artists/makers from around the world in limited editions of 13 (exclusive to their online shop) Works above are part of a limited edition of 13, all prices are less than $60AU per piece! www.bakersdozen.bigcartel.com

Print Society, an open and transparent global marketplace for printed artwork. www.printsociety.com

Pieces shown above are priced between $50 - $400AU per piece!

Two brands can be better than one

Your next and most powerful brand building activity may be staring you in the face. It may not be a multiplatform advertising blitz, nor a gimmicky strap line -but another brand.

Think about it. Other businesses and organisations go through the same process of identifying and targeting audiences. Identifying and forming partnerships with other brands not only widens your own exposure, it reinforces your own position.

High profile examples such as the Paul Smith designed Evian Water bottle reinforce the message and position of both brands by leveraging the prestige of each other. As well as utilising each of their existing brand channels the partnership opens up other avenues, like the dedicated website

Other, functional examples include the Stella McCartney designed clothing range for Adidas The apparel giant partnered with the high-end fashion designer to produce a range of stylish sportswear. The ensuing range opened up both brands to new customer bases.