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Creative Round-Up: Magnus Voll Mathiassen, Pentagram, Steven Bonner, Mash Creative, Akos Papp, Jessica Hische and Paul Buckley, Mother New York, Music, Pencil Studio, Love

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The Drum brings you a round-up of some of the latest interesting creative work.

Creative Round-Up: Magnus Voll Mathiassen, Pentagram, Steven Bonner, Mash Creative, Akos Papp, Jessica Hische and Paul Buckley, Mother New York, Music, Pencil Studio, Love

Submit work to feature in the magazine and online Insight section. Contact Thomas@thedrum.com to have your work considered.

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What happens when you invite 12 rival design agencies to do posters for each other: Next Big Thing and 20:20

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We have reached the end of our week long reveal of Truce Commission posters created by rival design firms. What is the Truce Commission you ask? Well we invited 12 rival design consultancies to do posters for each other. Why not? They always advise clients not to attempt their own creative work on the grounds they might be too close to certain issues to be objective. And it proved particularly timely as a way of marking the international day of peace – September 21.

What happens when you invite 12 rival design agencies to do posters for each other: Next Big Thing and 20:20

This week we have seen work from 'rivals' SEA and The Brand Union, Howdy and Brilliant Path, Cubo and Constuct, and yesterday Gardiner Richardson and Lloyd Northover when they were given each other’s design briefs. Now it’s time to look at what Next Big Thing and 20:20 thought of each other, you can find the work, briefs and rationales below.

The Truce Commission has proved to be a fascinating exercise in how a bit of 'outsider's perspective' can go a long way for creative agencies and so The Drum is continuing the project by asking more agencies to get involved. Our first new brief for Puur Creative, and the poster they created for creative agency Baxter and Bailey, will be published later today with the first agency to get in touch - jen.faull@thedrum.com - winning the commission. Find out more here.

20:20’S BRIEF FOR NEXT BIG THING

What would you like your poster to say?
We want our poster to convey our mission – our mission is to be the most trusted and progressive strategic design business for extraordinary and rewarding customer experiences. We believe the world will be a better place when people feel more involved and connected.

Who should it be aimed at?
It should target new clients.

What would you like them to think of your agency after seeing the poster?
Wow I didn’t realise they were so relevant to us! I want some of them/that for our business!!

Mandatories:
We use imagery using circles to represent our brand (see images on the homepage www.20.20.co.uk)

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Ironic Wikileaks paywall infuriates Anonymous

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Ironic Wikileaks paywall infuriates Anonymous

Wikileaks, the whistleblowing website which prides itself on providing free access to information, has erected a paywall… to the bafflement of its supporters, most prominently Anonymous.

Dubbed a ‘donation’ the mandatory payments are required to be made in order to access several of Wikileaks document files, including its Global Intelligence Files, Spy Files, Guantanamo Files and Iraq War Logs.

It is justified by way of a Youtube video which asks about the expectation that US voters should have over their politicians and what they can expect from whoever wins the election. These questions are each answered by Obama stating ‘Yes we can’ taken from an address he made during the last presidential campaign.

The video claims that Wikileaks can help run America by donating to the whistle blowing website and ends with the voice of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange who states ‘I’m Julian Assange and I approve this message’

The move immediately led to a war of words on Twitter between the organisation and Anonymous -which demanded the paywall be taken down.

They were rebuffed however, prompting Anonymous to release this statement: “When this 'paywall' appeared last night, there was a brief and intense exchange online between Anonymous and Wikileaks. Within two hours all of the 'paywalls' were removed.

"At that point Anonymous was willing to let this pass, for the sake of peace in the over all movement. But now tonight, as if taunting us to rage -- the 'paywalls' reappeared not just on sections of the site but for every single file. Enough!”

Anonymous states that its actions will stop short of attacking the Wikileaks site directly but that it will no longer feed information to the site but instead post documents on its own outlets.

“We have been worried about the direction Wikileaks is going for sometime now. In the past year the focus has moved away from actual leaks and the fight for freedom of information and concentrated more and more on Julian Assange and a rabid scrounging for money.

"The conclusion for us is that Anonymous cannot support anymore what WikiLeaks has become...what we will do is cease from this day all support of any kind for Wikileaks or Julian Assange."

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Conservative chairman Grant Shapps criticises BBC over denial of Jimmy Savile child abuse

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Conservative chairman Grant Shapps criticises BBC over denial of Jimmy Savile child abuse

Conservative chairman Grant Shapps has cast doubt on the BBC’s denial over knowledge of child abuse by former TV presenter and DJ Jimmy Savile.

Speaking last night on BBC’s Question Time, Schapps stated of the four decades of reported abuse by the late host of Jim’ll Fix It, ; "It seems unimaginable that the people in the BBC didn't know.”

He also questioned why the BBC found it right to broadcast tributes to Savile after his death, knowing the rumours that were around about his conduct.

He said; "after it was already known at senior levels within the BBC that something was wrong, enough to have had a serious Newsnight programme made about it and enough to raise serious concerns".

Over 30 claims have now been made against Savile, with police said to be investigating over 100 lines of enquiry in a campaign of abuse that is said to have lasted four decades.

Several incidents are said to have taken place within Savile’s dressing room within BBC Headquarters in the 70’s.

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Goodfella’s to launch £1m marketing campaign this weekend

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Goodfella’s to launch £1m marketing campaign this weekend

Goodfellas’s Pizza have announced that they will debut their latest TV campaign this Saturday as part of a bid to woo adult diners looking for quality pizza at home.

Designed by creative agency Mother the promotion incorporates a five second end frame which focusses on the brands Superiore pizza which is said to be of restaurant quality.

The £1m campaign will run for an initial four week burst and will be supported by a 10-week in-store activation drive.

MediaCom acted as media buyer.

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NUJ calls for workplace harassment clampdown in wake of Savile revelations

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NUJ calls for workplace harassment clampdown in wake of Savile revelations

The NUJ has called on the government and media employers to clampdown on sexism and harassment in the workplace in the wake of the latest revelations surrounding Sir Jimmy Savile.

Their intervention is designed to derail Conservative plans to amend health and safety legislation which they see as an attack on trade union rights.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary said: “Sexism and sexual harassment is totally unacceptable and the NUJ is united and determined to challenge it. We are calling for media employers, trade unions and journalists to work together to ensure that women are safe at work. We want to see measures put in place to protect victims and we want procedures to be introduced to effectively tackle the harmful and damaging behaviour of the perpetrators.

"Our women members have come forward to describe instances of sexism and harassment to us and it is clear that media organisations are not always willing to acknowledge or prevent sexism and harassment at work. One of the most recent examples is the sexually-based abuse targeted at women journalists on the internet and the lack of measures introduced to protect staff from harm. The last thing abused women need is the offer of shares in return for giving up their employment rights.

"Supporting a strong and representative trade union can help to address the problems and the NUJ will continue to work hard to convince the government and employers of the need for equality policies aimed to challenge unhealthy cultures and practices at work."

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BBC to answer Newsnight journalists queries over axed Savile investigation

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 BBC to answer Newsnight journalists queries over axed Savile investigation

The BBC is to explain its decision to pull the plug on a Newsnight Jimmy Savile investigation after journalists at the broadcasters flagship current affairs programme lined up to query the decision.

Thus far the BBC has merely stated that the decision not to air the investigation was taken due to ‘editorial reasons’ but has refused to elaborate further.

This hasn’t satisfied several BBC journalists however who have written to BBC director general George Entwhistle to seek clarification as to why the programme was dropped.

In response Entwhistle has appointed Ken MacQuarrie, head of BBC Scotland, to answer their questions which are thought to include whether or not the plug was pulled to avoid embarrassment around a then in-production tribute programme to the disgraced presenter.

It is also claimed that the corporation was aware of sex abuse claims but failed to act on them.

Conservative party chairman Grant Schapps said: “It's particularly disturbing that a programme paying tribute, a three-parter, went out just last Christmas after it was already known at senior levels within the BBC that something was wrong, enough to have had a serious Newsnight programme made about it and enough to raise serious concerns.”

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Download your copy of The Drum: 12 October

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Subscribers can download a copy of the latest issue of The Drum here.

Download your copy of The Drum: 12 October

This issue of The Drum features some of the best pieces of advice garnered from the creative industry, favoured ad moments and film clips from Thinkbox's Tess Alps and an interview with Harvest Digital MD Emma Wilson.

Cover story – The best advice ever
The Drum takes a look at some of the best pieces of advice from creative thinkers, brought to life in a new book by creative professionals network Creative Social.



Desert island clips

Tess Alps, CEO of Thinkbox, shares her favourite ads and classic movie moments in the latest of our series celebrating the moving image.



Women in digital

In the latest of our series profiling influential women in digital, Propel CEO Melina Jacovou interviews Emma Wilson, MD at Harvest Digital.



Case study – Nokia's social media insight

Following the Social Buzz Awards judging, we publish one of the nominated case studies, which details 1000heads’s strategy behind delivering social media insight for Nokia.


Our regular creative round-up, The Works, features recent branding, illustration and design work, including:

  • Illustrated portraits of Jay-Z and other rap artists by Norwegian graphic designer Magnus voll Mathiassen
  • Steven Bonner's graffiti-inspired designs for Nike's Fall/Winter 2012 range
  • The new Penguin Drop Cap range featuring specially illustrated letters of the alphabet by type designer Jessica Hische

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WPR announces five new accounts including Handmade Burger Co. and Staffordshire University

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WPR announces five new accounts including Handmade Burger Co. and Staffordshire University

WPR has announced that it has won five accounts: APC Overnight, Staffordshire University, Your Vets, Ingersoll Rand and Handmade Burger Co.

The agency will be running a PR programme to raise awareness of overnight network delivery company APC; while trying to raise awareness of Staffordshire University as somewhere that specialises in the sciences, targeting parents, businesses and students alike.

For Your Vets, the agency will be supporting the brand’s seven operating practices, raising the brand’s profile in the trade press and driving patient recruitment.

WPR’s digital team has been appointed to improve and increase the access controls & security technologies for Ingersoll Rand’s online presence through a combination of social media based activities; as well as working with restaurant chain Handmade Burger Co to design a micro-site specifically to attract families.

The wins come as WPR add five new recruits to its team: four graduates - Jo Phillips, Rosie Daly, Jade Mansell and Peggy-Sue Elliott – as well as Rebecca Bieniaszewska as a senior account manager.

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Pick of the digital crop: Harvest Digital MD Emma Wilson discusses the challenges for young women in digital

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The Drum’s series of interviews with the digital industry’s top female role models continues, with Propel London’s Melina Jacovou catching up with Harvest Digital MD Emma Wilson.

Pick of the digital crop: Harvest Digital MD Emma Wilson discusses the challenges for young women in digital

When Emma Wilson was in her early twenties she co-founded a new advertising agency, Harvest Digital. Setting up any new business is fraught with challenges, yet under Emma’s leadership Harvest has not only survived, but flourished as one of London’s outstanding new media agencies.

It’s an exceptional achievement for someone so young – one earned through hard work, dedication, and steely determination.

“I’ve had to think and act quite differently to how I might naturally want to,” says Emma, describing her reputation as a straight-talking, no-nonsense manager. “It’s not always easy, but in order to achieve the things I’ve wanted to achieve, I’ve had to sometimes be quite hard.”

How much does that “work version” of Emma differ from the “real” Emma, I ask?

“They’re getting closer together as time goes by. I think I’m mellowing, definitely. Starting out as a 23 year old, it was impossible to know what I know now – about how to best get what I want, how to work from a position of strength. The media exposes a certain view of how to run businesses, and how to lead, and I’ve not always got the balance of carrot and stick right.

“What’s interesting is the differing attitudes to that kind of behaviour. If a man behaves that way then he might be called assertive, ambitious, or strong-minded. A woman behaves the same way and is called a ballbreaker or a bitch.”

It’s understandable that a young woman starting out in digital would have felt the need to push especially hard to be taken seriously. In the decade that’s passed since then Emma and Harvest Digital have achieved a lot together. That process of achievement has changed Emma’s character.

“I’m definitely much more confident now than I’ve ever been before. Part of that is down to what we’ve achieved, definitely, but it’s also due to the guidance that I’ve received from the people around me.”

Harvest Digital in many ways typifies the evolution of the digital agency model. Starting out as an email marketing specialist, its model soon expanded to take on projects in media planning and performance marketing. The agency can now claim “full-service” status, working on design & build projects and social media too.

In Emma’s mind, it’s been a logical progression which has ultimately benefited the agency as well as its clients.

“The disconnect between creative disciplines and performance marketing has always failed to make much sense to me. Creative decisions affect performance and ROI as much as anything else – the two are intrinsically linked.

“Coming from a performance background, we live and die by the sword of ROI. Maintaining a creative offering doesn’t do anything to dilute that. If anything, it’s helped us to maintain better control of our output – we know what creatives will work for particular tactical objectives and ensure the best chance of success.”

When we touch on the subject of the increasing noise around the digital media technology space, Emma is typically robust: “I think, to be honest, there is a lot of hot air,” she says.

“An awful lot of people are claiming to have paradigm-shifting technologies, the ability to deliver intricate and sophisticated targeting. The reality is that an awful lot of companies in the space are using the same technology as each other – and it’s what’s been around for years.”

Likewise, on the challenges of retaining talent: “It can be frustrating – we invest a huge amount of time and energy into developing staff, and constantly have to deal with the challenge of losing them to larger organisations. Mike [Teasdale, co-founder of Harvest] tells me that’s a huge compliment that our staff are so well thought-of in the industry. Frankly, that doesn’t help me.”

And when we discuss again the issues of gender politics in the digital space she is especially direct.

“Obviously I want women to do well and to succeed, but I’m not some Germaine Greer-esque thinker about it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not about businessmen and businesswomen, it’s about business people. Women need to succeed in the commercial, corporate world.”

What does that entail? For Emma, it’s been about the aforementioned attitude shift – recognising that, rightly or wrongly, for now at least, she’s operating in a world dominated by male decision makers, and adjusting the way she thinks and acts to ensure she’s taken seriously and can succeed.

None of this is to say that Emma is satisfied with the status quo; whether she’s talking about digital advertising, gender issues or anything else in between, it’s clear that Emma is adaptable and encouraging of change. Her pragmatism is the surest way to make that change happen – hence her attitude to gender.

“When women can demonstrate their abilities to succeed at the highest possible level, that’s a good thing. What it means, though, is that they have to break into that space in the first place.”

It’s that hunger to demonstrate her ability – to overachieve and consistently succeed – that keeps Emma motivated. A healthy and well respected digital agency like Harvest has attracted the attentions of plenty of prospective buyers over the years. Emma’s not tempted to sell out any time soon, though.

“I’ve worked so hard to get here and there’s still lots more to do. I’m not the kind of person who just wants to jack it in and go and sit on a beach somewhere – I like being busy, meeting new people, and getting involved.”

Having benefitted from some great mentoring, Emma now passes it on herself through her involvement in a handful of new ventures: she sits on the boards of Brainient, an interactive video technology; Payumi, a social payment platform; and Conviviality, a “social at home” entertainment company.

“It’s really affirming to realise that you’re able to pass on useful information to other businesses. I really enjoy getting involved in new ventures and helping out, and of course it presents great opportunities for me to learn as well.”

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The Mission acquires Balloon Dog in £3.2m deal

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The Mission acquires Balloon Dog in £3.2m deal

The Mission Marketing Group has acquired Balloon Dog for a deal worth £3.2m.

The multi-channel marketing agency, which has offices in London and Norwich, offers s range of marketing services, working with Aviva, Barclaycard, Pret a Manger, and Rightmove.

The agency recorded a pre-tax profit of £0.7m last year, with a turnover of £6.3m.

James Clifton, CEO of Balloon Dog will join the board of The Mission Group, with the management structure set to be retained according to the acquisition release.

David Morgan, executive chairman of The Mission Group, said; "We are very pleased to add a further high quality business to The Mission family. Balloon Dog is an exciting, profitable business and fits perfectly into our portfolio of agencies.”

Clifton added: "Balloon Dog have enjoyed an excellent four years and we are looking forward to continued growth within The Mission family. The Mission model fits us perfectly as we are a strong entity in our own right but can benefit further from a likeminded network of agencies."

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ServiceSource selects LEWIS PR as its retained agency for UK and Ireland

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ServiceSource want LEWIS to translate complex messages to C-level executives

Service revenue management company, ServiceSource has retained LEWIS PR as its agency in the UK and Ireland. LEWIS will now work towards raising the profile of ServiceSource amongst C-suite executives as it grows its presence across EMEA.

To date, ServiceSource has quickly helped companies increase revenue, profits and shareholder value and has generated more than $1.5 billion in free cash flow for its customers.

Alex Plant, director of corporate communications at ServiceSource, commented: “It’s critical that we have the right PR partner to help us educate the broader market. From day one, the LEWIS team showed in-depth understanding of our offering and a real ability to translate our complex messages to target C-level executives.”

Head of UK at LEWIS, Elizabeth Littlewood, added: “This is an exciting time for ServiceSource, which has aggressive growth plans across the region, and for businesses that have worked so hard to secure their existing customer base.

“We relish the opportunity to educate even more companies through a dynamic communications campaign.”

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OFT hands Christmas ultimatum to rule flouting online retailers

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OFT hands Christmas ultimatum to rule flouting online retailers

The Office of Fair Trading has found that as many as a third of the UK’s online retailers are failing to comply with consumer protection law, prompting them to demand that those websites which are currently failing to up their game by Christmas.

A survey of 156 of the most popular websites found that 62 didn’t meet minimum standards due to unreasonable restrictions on refunds and compulsory charges applied without warning upon check-out.

The most common failing identified by the OFT was retailers wrongly informing their customers that returned goods needed to be in mint condition or still in its original packaging, something which flouted a buyers right to inspect the product.

Two thirds of the websites surveyed also failed to provide an email contact address, as opposed to a web contact, in breach of web regulations.

In addition some 60% of sites apply compulsory additional charges such as delivery in addition to the advertised price, with 24% adding additional card charges and booking fees on top of those.

Cavendish Elithorn, a senior director at the OFT, said: “The OFT recognises that most businesses want to play fair with their customers and to comply with the law. We encourage all online retailers to check their websites so customers can be confident their rights are being respected when they shop online."

Any sites failing to comply with consumer legislation by the deadline could be taken to court or be fined.

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Duo Plastics selects Lucre to handle its PR and events activity

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Following a trial Duo has signed-on with Lucre for PR and events

Following a three month trial, polythene packaging manufacturer, Duo Plastics has appointed the Leeds-based office of Lucre to handle its PR and events activity.

The PR agency has now been briefed to look after all B2B public relations for the firm, key objectives include increasing brand awareness and highlighting the brands 25th anniversary through PR and client/supplier events.

“We hadn’t worked with a PR agency before, so we asked Lucre to work on a three month trial basis both to confirm it was the right move for us, and to make sure that they’d deliver,”
commented managing director of Duo Plastics, David Brimelow. “We were really impressed with the team’s insight and professionalism, plus the quality and volume of media coverage they generated has already brought us business. This is an exciting time for Duo and we are very much looking forward to working with Lucre to make sure we maximise its potential.”

Sophie Spyropoulos, founder and director of Lucre added: ““In the current economic climate few companies are experiencing such success as Duo and it is great to be a part of that.

“Our results-driven activity will go to great lengths to help the company achieve its business and communications objectives – we are thrilled to be working with such a personable British brand.”

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Blinkx launches revamped video search engine

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Blinkx launches revamped video search engine

Video search engine blinkx has released a an open beta of the latest iteration of its site, sporting a new design and improved functionality for personalisation and recommendation.

Remodelled for mobile devices blinkx.com features a reworked user interface that is touch optimised for easier optimisation. New features include My Stream, a constantly updated video feed personalised to individuals social media preferences and viewing habits.

Users can also ‘pause and pick up’ content from one device with another, allowing people to continue viewing when moving between home, office and the commute inbetween.

Matt Scheybeler, CTO, blinkx, said: “The rise of social networks and the proliferation of powerful connected devices have profoundly changed the way that we interact with the Web.

“We use search as a starting point less often, and instead, we’ve become comfortable scanning and processing long streams of information - Facebook pages and Twitter feeds - a content universe delivered to us by our friends and the people we follow, and increasingly, we’re accessing that content through tablets and smartphones. The new blinkx.com has been designed for this behavior – optimised for discovery, sharing and mobile access.”

Brian Mukherjee, CEO, blinkx, added: “Internet video consumption is growing exponentially. eMarketer forecasts that by in 2016 there will be 1.3 billion online video viewers and blinkx is committed to delivering a world-class experience to this audience across all platforms. Building on our industry- leading technology, we’ve transformed our flagship consumer product to deliver an elegant, personalized experience that enables users to discover and watch video from any device with a consistent look and functionality.”

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Marketers are still asking the wrong questions about social media

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Justin Pearse: No stranger to a social media panel

The marketing industry remains obsessed by social media but the problem is that everyone keeps asking the wrong questions.

I spent a bit of time at Social Media Week a couple of weeks ago, appearing on a couple of panels and listening in to others. The week was the best yet and the debate was as vigorous as it always is at a social media gathering, with an engaged and engaging group of very smart people. One thing that struck me though was how, wherever you go in social media circles, the conversation really hadn’t moved on that far from what you would have heard at similar events a year or even two years ago.

This is not in any way to demean such debate; social media remains, despite the continuing media obsession with its fluffier elements, one of the most disruptive digital forces we have ever seen. Despite the wealth of amazing case studies of brands using social media to incredible effect you can read daily here at The Drum and encounter across the industry, most brands are still struggling to understand how best to employ it.

So, it’s unsurprising there’s a desire for healthy debate and desire for knowledge. Ask anyone that runs a marketing publication and they’ll tell you the term ‘social media’ in a headline works on readers like crack cocaine.

What’s interesting though is that debate, across the press and at events, still centres on issues of control and the rules of engagement: how brands can best use this new media to actively engage with consumers, how they can create communities, how to feed these communities, who in a company should ‘own’ such social media engagement, what new platforms and technologies should be used. And why, oh why clients are so reluctant to ditch decades-old control of intransigent brand control.

The discussion is too often about what brands and their agencies can do to ‘use’ social media to change their relations with consumers. Seldom is it about what brands have to do to change their actual businesses to get fit for this new world.

Stanford lecturer and Harvard Business Review writer Nilofer Merchant brought out a fascinating new book last month on the need for businesses to reinvent themselves for the social age. The inability of organisations to truly adopt social media can be simply summed up, she says: “They see social as the purview of two functions: marketing and service but social is not always attached to the word media. Social can be and is more than marketing or communications-related work.”

This view was perhaps put into neater real world context by Scott Monty, global head of social media at Ford, at the Salesforce.com Dreamforce conference a couple of weeks ago. Despite being widely recognised as a leader in social media he said. “Ford doesn’t have a standalone social media strategy…..we have a business strategy supported by social media,” he went on.

He discussed how social media for Ford was no longer about campaigns; it was now about how it helped it operate as a social enterprise,

All this seems to me the biggest prize. The ability of the marketing industry to help brands re-engineer their business to become social by default. To get more people talking like Scott Monty.

Maybe this means the questions everyone should be asking are not about how brands can change their communications strategies for social media but what they need to do to change themselves first.

Justin Pearse is head of innovation at Bite Communications and a BIMA executive committee member.

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Tesco set to make Clubcard paperless with smartphone redemption

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Tesco set to make Clubcard paperless with smartphone redemption

Tesco has revealed that it is looking into making its Clubcard system paperless from next year, with the possibility of building a system where customers can user their smartphones to redeem vouchers in store.

This comes after it was discovered 300,000 customers have opted out of receiving paper coupons since August.

Tesco Clubcard director Janet Smith has insisted that the company is looking to make vouchers ‘more targeted and personalised’ instead of mass couponing.

She added: “We are looking at ways to take the paper out of it.

“We are working quite hard to turn it digital. We will be proactively doing much more about it next year.”

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Former New Media Age editor Justin Pearse joins The Drum as a columnist

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Justin Pearse

Justin Pearse, the former editor of New Media Age, has joined The Drum as a regular columnist.

Pearse is one of the best known faces in digital circles having spent 12 years at New Media Age, where he was editor until June this year.

He remains heavily involved in the digital industry as head of innovation at Bite Communications and a member of BIMA's executive committee.

In his first column, published here today, Pearse says it's time for marketers and their agencies to stop asking the wrong questions about social media.

He writes: "The discussion is too often about what brands and their agencies can do to ‘use’ social media to change their relations with consumers. Seldom is it about what brands have to do to change their actual businesses to get fit for this new world."

You can read the full column on Justin's Drum blog.

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American Express Global Corporate Payments appoints Affiliate Window for advanced online lead generation activity

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Affiliate Window will now work with American Express Global Corporate Payment

American Express Global Corporate Payment has selected global performance network, Affiliate Window as its sole business provider for driving new corporate business leads.

The appointment builds on American Express’ presence in the market and will provide the brand with greater access to a variety of new business opportunities for acquisition through its integrated digital channels.

American Express has said it is “looking forward to working with the vast range of publishers joined to Affiliate Window” and is looking to ensure its “highly visible ‘Corporate Payments’ brand continues to grow in the United Kingdom.”

Head of online lead generation at Affiliate Window, Michelle Boxall, commented: “The team is pleased to add American Express to the growing list of clients embracing online lead generation to further source new customer leads.

“We are excited by the challenge to achieve a wider B2B reach, targeting key decision makers within organizations”.

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The screen at its peak: Thinkbox CEO Tess Alps reveals her Desert Island Clips

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In the latest in our Desert Island Clips series, Tess Alps, CEO of Thinkbox, shares her favourite ads, TV and film moments with Jason Stone, editor of David Reviews.

The screen at its peak: Thinkbox CEO Tess Alps reveals her Desert Island Clips

Tess Alps is the foremost champion of the television commercial. Over the past six years, she and her able confederates at Thinkbox have crusaded against the idea that TV is a spent force. It’s been a tough fight. The conviction that television will inevitably give way to the internet has been pervasive for much of the last decade, but it says much for the excellence of Thinkbox’s lobbying that commercial broadcasters are in ruder health than any of the doomy soothsayers have predicted.

It’s a battle that has to be fought again and again. In part, this is because the greatest fear of those who work in the advertising industry is that they’ll be left behind if they don’t pay attention to new possibilities and this can make them dismissive of the tried and the tested. But using a combination of persuasive charm, intelligent analysis and a dog called Harvey, Thinkbox is continually tackling those heretically claiming that TV is a dying medium.

Its campaign has been so successful that it’s almost as if advertising and television have renewed their vows... with Tess Alps officiating at the ceremony.

It’s a surprise, then, to learn that she came rather late to a love for commercials and “only started working in the advertising industry by accident”. Newly married with a postgraduate drama degree in her back pocket, Alps took a temporary job as an accounts assistant at ATV and was as surprised as anyone to find herself still working in the business eight years later: “I just got sucked in... and because I was working in television, I rationalised that I was doing some good because advertising could pay for wonderful programmes to be made.” For a long time, that was the only upside as far as she was concerned.

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