Mainstream Media Still Rules Online

Mainstream Media Still Rules Online

May 20, 2009 • Blog • disabled comments
Still the most influential website based on links
Just had a quick glance at the Technorati Attention Index from Technorati’s blog.  This is a list of the 50 top sites with the highest number of blogs linking to them in the past 30 days.  

Other than YouTube, which has continued to surge ahead largely due to the immense interest in its ever growing pool of user-generated videos, it is interesting to note that mainstream media related websites are still the most influential in the list.  While American websites have dominated the list, several British content providers like the Guardian, Telegraph and BBC News have received attention.  Many of the media firms are also concentrated on a few cities (or megacities) in the United States like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, and Houston.
This shows several things about social media influence:
1) The lure of sight, sound and motion (sisomo according to Kevin Roberts) is still influential, whether online or offline.

2) Mainstream media players still wield incredible influence on social media debates and discussions.

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The World’s Largest Lobster and Murray River

May 16, 2009 • • disabled comments

One of the more prominent destinations in the state of South Australia, Murray River stretches all the way from the border of New South Wales, across the entire state of Victoria, and ends with its mouth at South Australia close to Adelaide. A popular location for water-based activities like boating, canoeing, fishing and going on river cruises, the river’s waters are pretty placid most of the time. While it isn’t quite as wide or broad as the Mississippi or Missouri, it does evoke that sense of riverine adventure with Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer floating along on an old-style river boat.

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First, a fond farewell to Kingston SE and Larry the Humungous Lobster.  

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A shot along the river close to where the delta is (ie where it connects to the sea).

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12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road and Beyond

May 8, 2009 • • 2 comments

As part of my family’s recent driving holiday from Melbourne to Adelaide, we coasted along the Great Ocean Road from the 12 Apostles to the Limestone Coast areas (like Robe, Beachport and Kingston where our hotel was). It was quite a monumental drive in more ways than one, peppered with lots of beautiful sights, sounds (of seagulls calling and waves lapping against the shore), scents (especially of the sea), and tastes (sandwiches and burgers!). The drive was long but fortunately not too difficult as the route was pretty straightforward.

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you would recall that this is the second time we took the GOR. The first time in September 2007 was from Geelong to Bells Beach, Lorne all the way to Apollo Bay.  In a way, this second trip was a continuation of sorts from our previous journey.

Here’s a photographic record of our journey for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

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Extreme Outdoor Advertising

May 7, 2009 • Blog • 4 comments
Courtesy of hojimoto

Came across this series of 15 of the most creative outdoor advertisements seen in the world from this fascinating compilation of superlatives called oddee.  The above advertisement was apparently one from Nationwide Insurance which specialises in automobile insurance services.  Well, it has certainly proved a point with this amazing visual spectacle.

I wonder if it got the approval of the authorities in doing that?  Hmmm…..

Outdoor Advertising in Melbourne

May 4, 2009 • • 3 comments

In a city like Melbourne where the streets are often chock full of people, it is important for brands to invest in outdoor marketing to gain visibility, awareness and affinity, especially those targeting end consumers. Depending on the objective of the advertiser, these can be highly brand-oriented without any calls for action or be tactical and hard-selling if they are focused on specific groups.

Due to the limited amount of time which one has to glance at them, outdoor advertising creatives and messages must be immediately impactful and to capture one’s attention in the blink of an eye. They should be easy to digest and readily appreciate by the (literally) man-in-the-street. Creatives that are too visually cluttered or that contain too clever messages tend to get lost in the sea of images, failing to resonate with one’s potential target audience in a highly competitive market.

Here are some advertisements that I came across recently while taking a walk through the city. Do feel free to give me your views on whether they work or don’t work for you.

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