The word ‘curator’ derives from the Latin curare meaning ‘take care’, and is commonly used in the context of cultural institutions; galleries, museums etc.

Over the course of the last year or so the term was increasingly used in conjunction with digital marketing, particularly social media-based campaigns. For fast-paced, content-driven comms planning, agencies would talk of acting as the ‘curator’ for the brand. In other words, deciding what content, stories, reactions, conversations and touchpoints to release at precisely the right time.

Now I think it can apply to the very nature of one’s digital identity itself.

Read More »

Is the internet leading towards a single, shared cultural identity? Or is it facilitating a break-up into many smaller groups, each of which see themselves as having a defined culture of their own?

Read More »

Facebook's Doctor Who Floor

It’s been two weeks since Facebook UK moved into its new home, having outgrown the previous space in Carnaby Street. Stacked boxes and busy delivery men reflect the transition that’s in the air.

Those seasoned in more traditional media spaces might be relieved to hear it’s not all picture perfect at Facebook’s new abode. The front door’s intercom is not working (yet), and once inside you’re greeted by a lobby that can best be described as functional… Read more about  Facebook UK here.

Today is the day many of us say goodbye to Ceefax after the analogue TV signal was switched off across London. The BBC’s teletext information service started transmitting back in 1974 and is still providing information on a wide range of topics covering news, sport, weather, TV listings and businesses.

Read More »

RamKrishna Raja, Digital managing director at IPG Mediabrands, looks at what the real digital innovators are doing while the rest of us worry about being cool or informative in the realms of social media.

Trying to create an ad as irreverent, funny and memorable as the Old Spice “man your man could smell like” is a gargantuan task that many have tried to achieve, and almost universally failed to do.

However, DollarShaveClub.com is within a whisker of being just as good. From a migrant worker to a bear, this ad is better than good. In fact, we’d go so far as to say it’s “F***ing Great”. Read More »

TwiIt seems so natural to many people now, that it’s a hazy memory of a time when it wasn’t possible to catch up on the latest news stories or updates from celebrities on your mobile, in the same amount of time it takes to step off the tube, jump on the escalator and order a latte in the coffee shop next door. In the modern world people want information quickly and in an easily digestible format, and this helps to explain the growth in popularity of Twitter since its inception six years ago. Read More »

Whilst online surveys often overstate the uptake of technology, Ipsos MediaCT’s offline Tech Tracker data tells us that just over four in ten GB adults now own a smartphone, representing an increase of roughly 30% in the last two years. The rise of the smartphone has coincided with the increased popularity, and normality, of social media usage. Arguably the two are connected, the modern mobile device being the ideal format for keeping up-to-date, and updating, as it means people are always online, even when on the move. Read More »

For me, trying to choose a favourite talk from Austin’s SXSW interactive festival this week would be like lining up a row of twelve pots of deliciously fruity yoghurt and stating that I was only allowed to have one.

Agony.

Anyway, whatever the talk, and no matter what its theme, there’s great potential for use within digital advertising. It was good stuff. If someone tells you they weren’t inspired by SXSW then maybe they’re looking for fully-formed answers on a plate, whereas half the fun of this industry is taking a raw possibility, be it a technology or channel, and trying to do something different with it. Read More »

I had heard prior to arrival that accommodation was one of the biggest issues at SXSW – there are not enough hotels for the delegates so people stay where they can with sites like airbnb and couchsurfing helping people to find a place to la their heads with some people staying 45 – 60 minute drive from Austin.

I had arranged my accommodation through UKTI staying with another mission company just south of the river in Austin. It turned out to be a futon in the living room but I was very aware it was simply a place to lay your head (and it was a bargain compared to the $400+++ that was being charged by downtown hotels. NOTE TO SELF/ OTHERS: book early in future and try and stay as close to downtown as possible so you can come and go during the very long days. Read More »