The event was a great success, Weboo got to speak with a wide variety of people and gain invaluable feedback on Fliplet, our latest app management system for tablets.

For the event we created a short overview of work we have done for our clients using Animoto’s impressive video generation system. The video features work we created for Google, Cancer Research UK, Thus, Marriott, Core Consulting Group, National Skills Academy and Teach For All. Without furtherado here is Weboo’s inaugural showcase video including work we did throughout 2011:

But this Sunday I felt extremely proud of LinkedIn and Apple as both organisations worked together to deliver direct marketing to me.

What’s more, the marketing they delivered didn’t require me to load an app on my iPhone or view my emails. The marketing was on my phone’s screen BEFORE I accessed any of my phone’s features.

How did they do this? It’s called Apple’s Push Notification Service.

Push notifications have a number of benefits, the ones most interesting to marketers are:

• Free – if a user has your app installed Apple will allow you to message them via their servers for free
• Branded – your icon/branding/logo is next to your message creating brand association
• Permanent – these messages last for a long time compared with other marketing mediums, and appear on the notification screen once the phone is unlocked ensuring the user can find and action the message
• Direct – if a user interacts with this message, the app will load relevant content allowing a direct relationship between the message and the app’s functionality
• Scheduled – push notifications can be told when to display on the phone meaning they can be setup during business hours and appear at a specific time on a user’s phone

Think of the power this type of notification system could do for your brand or product: offers that are easy to accept via a mobile phone, show relevant information as soon as the message is actioned, track the different messages and who reacts to them, send extremely cost effective news releases straight to your customer base.

Firstly, it’s unusual. You expect McDonald’s or Burger King. But no, it’s for the Fire Brigade.

The Fire Brigade was clearly in an daring mood by running an advert that looks like a fast food chain yet discusses fire safety.

’60% of all house fires start in the kitchen, often after a few drinks. So if you’re on a night out, get a takeaway and stay out of the kitchen.’

• It’s factual and informative with statistics
• It encourages readers to buy takeaway food
• It’s bold with the ‘Fire Safety Equipment’ headline

Client: Strongbow
Role: Directors Assistant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKd85iBLpQY

Client: Hyundai
Role: DA and 2nd Unit Cinematographer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3nPq0uzPDo

Client: Rapha
Role: Shot and Directed
http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-rides-the-victorian-alps

Client: Eagle & the Worm
Role: Shot and Directed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJcOEmIe7h4

Client: Cancer Research UK
Role: Shot and Directed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuTSO9y-Yf4

Client: RedBubble
Role: Shot and Directed
http://vimeo.com/20450713

Client: Absinthe
Role: Shot and Directed
http://vimeo.com/29464007

Yes, in some ways these companies are our competitors, but in other ways this work is so amazing that we would be crazy not to bring it to our clients’ attention as a method of demonstrating what creativity and technology can bring to our client’s projects.

1. A video by a Canadian agency called John St about the power of cats in advertising:

2. An extremely engaging, highly creative, and utterly impressive use of interactive video from Mercedes created by London agency AMV BBDO

http://www.escapethemap.com/

It has a document that helps agencies to learn about mobile, and I found one question in particular quite interesting. It was:

Q: I can’t afford to build a mobile site. Can it wait?

Weboo’s response to this question is: It depends on your industry, your appeal to people on-the-move, the country and demographic you’re targeting, and how you intend to recoup your mobile development costs. Unfortunately, mobile is still a nice-to-have alternative to a web site. I don’t believe many of Weboo’s current clients would see a significant uplift in web site traffic or sales by adding a mobile web site to their portfolio of marketing activities. I also suspect that many would include little or no on-going budget for a mobile site.

Google’s response was far more positive than Weboo’s: Sure it can wait…if you’re willing to risk missing out on a ton of business. Soon, more people will be accessing the Internet from mobile devices than desktop computers 1. By 2015, mobile commerce will reach $119 billion worldwide 2. Can you afford to wait while your competitors beat you to the punch?

Regardless of our clients’ current views on mobile, there is no doubt that it is quickly gaining momentum and will become a significant channel for web site traffic as time passes. The really big question is: When will mobile overtake desktop computers as the preferred and primary form of web browsing for the majority of web sites?

The system works like so:

1. The system monitors twitter for the hashtag #tweetcamp
2. As a twitter account tweets the hashtag more, they are rewarded with a place on the map. The more they tweet the more they ‘own’ on the map.
3. Everyone starts at the campfire, then upgrade to a tent, a teepee, and the highest place on the map is ‘warden’ of the campsite.

Why is this so cool?

The site is great as it encourages users to hover over the map to see who owns it, and what their last tweet about tweetcamp said. It is a simple system that rewards loyalty and drives promotion of the hashtag via twitter. It also includes the number of tweets and other information presented in a highly visual manner.  It even includes sound effects and other ‘easter egg’ features that react when you click on the ducks!

Checkout the Tweetcamp twitter mashup at http://labs.brandwatch.com/tweetcamp

1. It is very easy to use and to teach clients how to use.  This empowers our clients to make their own changes, but it also helps us to make changes quickly.
2. The templating/layout system is very powerful and well documented, it makes creating new web sites fast without limited how creative or unique the design can be.

We lacked a strong client, external stakeholders and hard deadlines. What’s more, we will also let any client work quickly become priority and drop our own web site to prioritise working on theirs. Its no wonder our site has taken us so long to create.

But thanks to August being a quiet month, long hours from the team, and a soft deadline from a few clients who have asked to share our web site, we have finally made it! And in the process we have been reminded of the benefits of deadlines, clients, and stakeholders!

We hope you like it, and thanks for visiting our new site.

Weboo will be using this to promote interesting bits and bobs we find exciting. Topics are likely to range from technology to design, from great sites to great SEO!

Please note: we don’t intend to update this blog unless we find something super cool so please don’t get angry if we go silent for a while.

Thanks for reading!