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Friday Roundup 3rd September 2010
Friday Roundup 3rd September 2010
Some things aren't quite as simple as first they seem. And when this is the case, it's good practice to consult widely. And on this count, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has failed.
On 1st September, the ASA announced: "Landmark agreement extends ASA's digital remit". The scope of its Committee of Advertising Practice, the body responsible for the CAP Code governing UK advertising, will extend to "apply in full to marketing communications online, including the rules relating to misleading advertising, social responsibility and the protection of children. More...
Social Rebranding
I've been drinking coffee from a glass recently. The last time I did that was a few years ago and the experience wasn't altogether satisfactory. Unlike my previous experience in Marylebone, however, this time I was in Spain. In Spain, real men drink their coffee black. I'd tried ordering a white coffee ('con leche') but had been laughed out of the bar on the grounds of questionable sexual orientation. Real men definitively drink their coffee black in Spain. Black, and bastard strong. It's ok to have sugar for some reason, but milk is strictly for girls or men wearing dresses. More...
CIPR calls for clarity on ASA’s digital remit
In a statement issued by the CIPR (disclosure: I’m a member of the CIPR panel) it said that it was given an undertaking in May that the views of the PR industry would be heard.
"We are disappointed this action has been taken without our involvement,” says Ann Mealor, Interim CEO at the CIPR. “We are writing to the ASA regarding our concerns and advocating the need for closer working relationships on this issue.”
The CIPR said that it has reservation about the planned changes to the ASA’s remit. More...
Girls Fight Back… with video
In this spirit, I'd like to talk about Erin Weed and her terrific program called Girls Fight Back.
GFB empowers girls and women from around the world through personal safety and self-defense techniques. The information is delivered via in person sessions on university campuses, at high schools and workplaces. Erin and her team have trained over half a million people.
This valuable content is also available via Erin's book Girls Fight Back!:
More...Are Smartphones Transforming Our Social Media Interactions?
I’ve made it one of my goals recently to try and get a bit more involved with local events and the local community, meet new people and get contacts in the industries I’m interested in. Cambridge is a good place to do this as it hosts many events and meetups, catering to technology geeks, creative people, internationals and whatever else may take my fancy.
So I started going, and I’m really enjoying it so far, most recently at last week’s CamCreative MeetUp.
But surprisingly, there’s one thing that has made the biggest impact on my experience of the events so far: More...
Video: Bringing a Brand to Life in Social Media
We’re approaching the last bits of this enlivening conversations where Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo) and I examined the state and future of social media.
In this installment we review the various aspects and formalities of bringing a brand alive, truly alive in social media. Everything begins with establishing the rules of engagement in order to define the boundaries, context, and objectives for conversations. Guidelines such as “don’t be stupid,” “use common sense,” “stay positive,” is not the most useful approach to steering representatives or consumer experiences. More...
Crowdsourcing comment on the ASA extension to digital remit; opinion polarised
Media and marketing experts have been quick to share their views on the ASA announcement published this morning.
Opinion is polarised: consumers need to be protected and advertising standards should apply to all media yet the ASA’s approach is heavy-handed and impinges on editorial engagement. More...
Deleted Tweets make great news stories
Here’s an example of the genre spotted by The Guardian by cricket star Kevin Pietersen after he was dropped from the England squad today.

TweetMeme developer Chris Alexander suggested that the process of spotting deleted tweets could be industrialised by storing tweets for a few hours and then comparing them against messages that are subsequently flagged as deleted. But that would break Twitter’s terms and condition according to Alexander. More...
How To Find Your Thought Leadership Voice Online
Few seasoned marketing professionals would argue that online thought leadership is a waste of time or money. Most would say it's an imperative. But while the "Must dos!" on this topic are whizzing past, the instructions on "How?" seem to have been left behind. To help with the how, I work with thought leaders within enterprises via a social media immersion program. More...
What Makes an Influencer?
Influence is the subject of some of important conversations lately. Each time we surface questions, answers and new thinking that starts to reshape the landscape for how businesses view, define, and embrace influence.
The socialization has democratized content and equalized influence. As such, we are at the inception of an an era when everyday people are presented with an opportunity to earn authority, trust, and leadership based on their actions and words.
I’ve partnered with Vocus to take the conversation to you. As I believe that we all have a voice in the shaping and direction of any topic, it’s up to you to help us make sense of the future of influence. More...









