Claudine has just returned from a fantastic weekend event in Sorrento, Italy with Zanussi and Gino D’Acampo. Back in September 2012 Zanussi ran a consumer competition on facebook for the chance to win a villa holiday with friends and an Italian lunch cooked by Gino. It was Claudine’s role to organise the entire weekend, from sourcing the winners villa, all travel and booking arrangements to management of schedules and planning during the weekend.
After a busy day on Saturday buying ingredients from local suppliers, collecting villa keys, opening up the villa, prepping the food ... oh and getting lost in the mountains for an hour or so, we greeted the winners in the evening with big smiles and a few bottles of Prosecco.
The lucky winners Roger, Linda, Steve, Craig and Mike were thrilled to be there and full excitement in anticipation for the lunch the following day. After introductions and a quick tour of the villa we left them to settle in and get a good night’s sleep ready for the big day on Sunday!
Sunday morning arrived with the skies looking grey and the air feeling cool. We made our way to the villa high in the mountains on the windy narrow roads to Massa Lubrense. A quick pit stop was had on route to a beautiful patisserie to sample an Italian coffee and a few rum babas, a traditional Italian dessert.
To our delight, on arrival at the villa at 11.30 am the skies had cleared and it was a stunning sunny day. Great news as we wanted to dine alfresco! We introduced Gino to our guests then popped a few bottles of Prosecco and Italian white wine to get the day started. Gino and Flip got straight down to business in the kitchen with Claudine and Glenn on hand to help.
An hour or so later the winners were treated to an amazing Italian spread which consisted of foccacia breads, an array of Italian meats, mozzarellas and vegetables as well as octopus, anchovies and an al dente pesto pasta. Wine flowing and Gino being a great host we all enjoyed the wonderful lunch under the shade of the orange blossom looking at postcard views of the sea. After lunch we cleared up the kitchen and Gino signed some of his cook books then it was onto the veranda for a photo opportunity with our guests.
Before we knew it, it was 3.45pm. Time went so fast and we had to dash to catch our plane. The weekend was perfect, with beautiful weather, stunning sights, great company and of course amazing food! Roger has since texted to say ‘Many thanks to Gino and the gang for making things so special, we wish you were all still here with us’.
From my four week placement at FRASERS I learnt a lot of things about the world of design and had a good laugh as well. I got set a task on the first week which was to re-brand Saracens rugby team. This was to help me get to know all the tools on Photoshop and Illustrator. The software seemed like a maze of tools which I would never understand but with the help of the designers I got my head round it eventually.
Throughout the work experience I also sat in on some important meetings and spoke to the account manager about the business side of the company which showed me that there is much more that goes on behind the design work. Overall I thought my time there was very good and I took a lot of positive things from it and didn’t have to make a single cup of tea!
It’s great to see good old fashioned craftsmanship still alive through the work of Seb Lester. He gave a witty insight into his typography career at St Brides Library. Previously a designer for Monotype he produced corporate typefaces used by brands such as Waitrose, Barclays and Intel. He even designed a custom typeface for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics seen on Arnold Schwarzenegger!!
His current work draws on the art of calligraphy placing the importance on the quality of the inks and paper used, most importantly the words form the foundation to every piece. Seb’s passion for letterforms is clear to see in the series ‘Breaking bad news through calligraphy.’ It shows the whimsical side to his work which we really enjoyed during his talk. The attention to detail in his work really stands out. He still hand packages each of his limited edition prints, which is a great personal touch.
Craig maintains that instructions are an integral part of a product and if they're 'faulty' then so is the product and it should be returned. His team at Userview writes and designs product instructions and tests them with typical users to ensure that they are easy to understand. Hence the name Userview.
Michael assembles an Argos bedside table with instructions that were created with Userview guidelines. Craig shows him an example of a bad instruction and explains why they can be so dangerous. He also reveals that creating great instructions has a really positive effect on the whole customer experience. Many retailers believe their responsibility stops at the moment of purchase but the joy of buying an item quickly turns to misery if it can't be assembled and used easily.
Over the last twenty years instructions have got better, but have to work much harder now, because they cover the whole product lifecylce from purchase to disposal. Products themselves are more complicated and this also presents a challenge.
But the real problem is that consumer expectations have increased faster over the same period and their perception is that instructions have got worse not better. Worringly for retailers and brand owners, customers also say they are more likely, than ever before, to stop buying products with bad instructions or to shop elsewhere.
Create a tweet plan
Establish a communication plan. Decide what to tweet and when to tweet it:
Write a batch of these ‘seeded’ tweets, each highlighting a slightly different angle and using slightly different words for search purposes. Use them as a holding position tweet if your account is going to be inactive for a while, or seed in amongst a more concerted campaign of tweets.
Regularly paced tweets
Send out tweets on a regular basis - you don’t want periods of tweet blackout. That looks like a neglected account to anyone cruising your timeline and is not a particularly appetising invitation for prospective followers.
Post throughout the day
Post tweets throughout the day to maximise the number and variety of people you can interact with. This research on what times of the day and what days are best is interesting http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/best-time-to-post_b32507 . There’s a summary here: http://socialtimes.com/best-times-to-post-social-networks-infographic_b104584. In a nutshell, 1 - 3pm and earlier in the week! Consider posting in bursts of 4 to 6 tweets throughout the day - that’s assuming you don’t get involved in any chatting!
Tip
Twitter does not like you posting the same tweet twice and will stop you. If it’s an important tweet that can’t be easily re-written, altering a comma or removing a full stop will do the trick.
Why post photos?
Tweeting photos is interesting for other tweeters - a picture speaks a thousand words after all - and therefore marvellous when you only have 140 characters!
Posting photos
There are many applications you can use for this eg http://twitpic.com - or you can tweet directly from your smart phone for tweets ‘on the go’ when you’re out and about.
IMHO (check out the glossary!), you should always ask anyone who is identifiable in your photo if they are happy for you to post their image on Twitter.
Photo bank
Currently, others perusing your timeline will see a bank of your last 6 photos. Therefore, when tweeting, you need to make sure you rotate photos so that the six displayed are not repeats of one another. You don’t want potential followers visiting your timeline and being faced with 6 copies of the same photo. Dull!
NEW SERVICE: You can share video too
Now you can post short looping videos of 6 seconds or less using a new mobile service called Vine. http://blog.twitter.com/2013/01/vine-new-way-to-share-video.html
A tidy account and a tidy timeline
If you have had some chat going on, make sure you end it by posting two or three general company style tweets. This ensures that anyone visiting your timeline in your absence gets an immediate sense of what you’re about.
Follower audit
Every now and then check who is not following you back. You can check this type of follower information at http://www.who.unfollowed.me/ although there are other applications you can use as well. If they are non-followers but tweeting interesting info or you want to know when they are online eg newspapers, important advocates - leave them. But otherwise, there’s no point cluttering up your timeline with peeps who are not interested in you. Unfollow! Don’t unfollow anyone who is following you unless they are being obnoxious. Bad form!
Small business Sunday #SBS
This is a Twitter initiative from @TheoPaphitis that takes place on Sundays between 5 - 7.30pm. His tweet below summarises it nicely! Tweet me your small business between 5-7.30 today & I will retweet my fav 6 and place on http://theopaphitissbs.com must include #SBS Good Luck ! You need to include @TheoPahitis and #SBS in your tweet.
Conversational Twitter Glossary
(Or Twictionary as I’ve seen it described!) Common ones listed below - but there’s a good list here http://socialmediatoday.com/node/512987
AFK Away from keyboard
BFN Bye for now
BRB Be right back
BTW By the way
DM Direct message
#FF Follow Friday (Follow recommendations that happen on a Friday!)
IMHO In my humble opinion
IRL In real life
Lol Laugh out loud
LOL A louder version of laugh out loud!
ROFL Roll on floor laughing
RT Retweet
TMI Too much information
TTFN Ta ta for now
TY Thank you
Self explanatory, visual ones:
:-)
:-(
;-)
:-0
:-))
;-))
:)
:(
:-/
Sources
This blog post is mainly the personal experience of our social media expert @llawen but thanks also to: Tŷ Hafan (@tyhafan) a charity supporting life-limited children http://www.tyhafan.org. Trudy Thompson athttp://www.bricksandbread.com, plus a number of very helpful tweety friends on her personal account. If they read this series of blogs - they will know who they are! TY!
We have just completed a brand refresh project to help re-position Chartwells Independent (part of Compass Group UK & Ireland Limited) within the independent schools catering sector.
Chartwells was originally based exclusively in the independent education sector and was a pioneer in this field. Following the integration with Scolarest around five years ago it had become part of the Chartwells broader education sector catering offer which also includes state primary and secondary schools, local authorities and colleges and universities. The service that it once offered had suffered dilution by being part of this broader offer and consequently had lost its specialist reputation. This led to confusion in the market place as to what exactly Chartwells Independent actually stood for.
The newly launched website covers the four key categories in this sector (Pre-Prep, Preparatory, Senior and Sixth Form). The brand story is told from the perspective of each of the key audiences within each of the categories (chefs, bursars, head teachers, parents, pupils, catering managers, nutritionists, cleaners, hospitality and training).
The end result is a compelling, informative and easy to navigate website that perfectly illustrates the comprehensive (excuse the pun) range of skills and services that Chartwells Independent offer.
www.chartwellsindependent.co.uk
Tweet style - Project your personality
This is your chance to project personality, so don’t be afraid to interact with other tweeters. As long as you exert a modicum of judgement at all times you can’t go too far wrong.
Be interactive
Be chatty rather than corporate. Have genuine conversations. Don’t just shout your messages continually at others like a street trader. Engage with other tweeters!
Don’t shout
Avoid capitals - tweeters (also known as tweeps, tweeple and peeps) think you are shouting at them!
Confidentiality
In the business world, Twitter is for chatter not gossip! Do not talk about clients. Do not talk about any work you are doing that is not already in the public domain. Tweeting about the experience of a photo shoot, for example, is fine. Tweeting about who it is for or what it is about is not.
Don’t be controversial
Think twice before being argumentative, sarcastic, political or too highly opinionated - it’s not worth the risk of offending other tweeters. Remember that tone of voice is missing in a tweet. It’s easy to offend others with what you think is an innocuous, innocent sounding tweet.
Avoid me, me, me
Post a mix of company information and CHAT. Don’t be afraid of the seemingly miniscule. It has its place on Twitter eg a photo of your mid morning coffee cups might seem banal, but along with an enticing set of words it will get views. Lots of other tweeters like this sort of fleeting snapshot into your daily goings-on as it gives a unique insight into you and your company.
Take a peek at @innocentdrinks. Their timeline is a mix of all sorts of things - news items, company insights, product photos and, in the recent past, #dadjokes.
Links
Make sure some tweets are seeded with links to your company website and blog. Also post links from the wider world that are of interest to you and relevant to the business. Use www.bitly.com to shorten the web addresses and also give you the ability to assess the number of views you are receiving per link tweeted.
Photos
Accompanying photos are a great idea giving others a peep into your company’s world. See section below.
Retweeting others
Retweet relevant/interesting tweets from others. Just check links for content and suitability. Retweeting someone makes it far more likely that they will retweet something of yours to their timeline. NB It’s probably wise to put a RT disclaimer in your Twitter bio - eg RTs are not endorsements.
Insight
Twitter allows you to express the immediate. Don’t be afraid to sometimes tweet about interesting/quirky stuff that’s going on at your company on a daily basis. eg One tweeter posts a photo of every new flower arrangement at his office reception. And another posts about the weather on the late night walks he takes. Very evocative!
This type of post is a quicker and more immediate communication than a blog entry. eg a Twitter commentary on company awaydays and get togethers are ideal material for a bit of tweety insight into life at your company.
Tweeter of the day
Vary the pace, style and output of tweets by having a tweeter of the day to report on what’s happening. Some organisations use tweet initials as signatures eg ^CT or ^AF.
Sources
This blog post is mainly the personal experience of our social media expert @llawen but thanks also to: Tŷ Hafan (@tyhafan) a charity supporting life-limited children http://www.tyhafan.org. Trudy Thompson athttp://www.bricksandbread.com, plus a number of very helpful tweety friends on her personal account. If they read this series of blogs - they will know who they are! TY!
Claudine recently enjoyed a day up in London and when we say ‘up’ we really mean it! The main attraction for the day was a trip to the top of the tallest building in Western Europe, The Shard. At a staggering 1,016ft tall The Shard towers above the London skyline offering a stunning 360 degree view of our capital. She not only enjoyed the beautiful views of London’s iconic landmarks but was also extremely impressed by the high speed lifts with integrated video screens on the ceiling showcasing stunning graphics. There was also funky wall art and fabulous retro paintings involving famous faces of Britain.
Build your account and a follower base
This needs an investment of time and patience in order to get some momentum going. Start by seeking out the Twitter accounts for the following sorts of organisations and follow them:
Other people’s followers
Sift through the follower lists of key people/organisations relevant to you. This will be a rich source of tweeters you want to listen to and who may want to listen to you. Check them for suitability by scanning the tweets in their timeline. Then follow! This is laborious but well worth the effort to get you connected and into people’s networks.
@connect
Keep checking your @connect section. It lists all the tweeters who have shown an interest in you whether it’s tweets directly to you as part of a conversation, retweets, a note of your tweets that have been favourited by others and notification of new followers. If any of these tweeters are new to you, check them out and follow if you are not already doing so. (Scan their timeline first to make sure they’re not controversial or questionable!).
Retweets
If someone retweets you, they’re interested in what you’re saying. Follow them if not already doing so. And thank them! It’s probably best to do this with a tweet that starts with their @address (@TheBarns Thankyou for your RT!). Otherwise you will be broadcasting your thankyous to everyone on your timeline. That’s boring for others to read.
Who to follow
Keep an eye on this area - which will be visible on your homepage. It throws up names or organisations that could be of interest. Check them out before following.
Search facility
Plug relevant key words/phrases to your business and industry sector into the search box. Sift through the results and determine who might be worth a follow.
Advocates
If you see a possible advocate online at the same time as you - tweet them - attract their attention. You need to be quick so have some interesting tweets on standby to copy and paste quickly. It may result in a retweet and getting your message/name out beyond your own network. eg tweets to local newspapers about what events a local charity has going on the area will sometimes result in a valuable retweet which gets ‘broadcast’ to all their followers. This is obviously harder for a commercial business to achieve, but if you catch relevant press online, maybe you could offer contact details for quotes for forthcoming articles.
‘Cross sell’
Put your Twitter @address or a Twitter link on your website, Facebook account, business cards, letterheads, emails etc
Tweets - 140 characters
Develop the skill at making tweets relevant and meaningful in just 140 characters. Try not to abbreviate words as this can make a tweet difficult to read and understand. KISS principle!
Who gets what tweets?
A tweet composed entirely of text is tweeted to the timeline of all your followers: Frasers is a branding, marketing and creative agency based in Hertfordshire. When you include a Twitter address at the front end of a tweet: @Craig_Thatcher Frasers is a branding, marketing and creative agency based in Hertfordshire your tweet goes to the timeline of Craig Thatcher. It can also be seen by anybody else who follows you both. If you write your tweet with the Twitter address in the middle, all your followers will see it. Just letting @Craig_Thatcher know, Frasers is a branding, marketing and creative agency based in Hertfordshire.
Tweet sense and context
Try to keep tweets as ‘standalone’. ie ensure your tweets make sense without needing the context of all your other tweets or the preceding tweet.
Tweet clusters
For the occasional instance where a story/idea needs more than 140 characters, use tweet clusters. Allow for a maximum of three tweets to tell a story. These should be pre-written and then quickly copied and pasted so they can be sent out in very quick succession. Some people number successive tweets eg 1/3. These tweets must be in the minority.
Spelling and grammar
Before posting a tweet, double check it for correct spelling and grammar. There is a tweet delete button, but best to avoid using this if possible. Avoid text speak in business tweets - although there is a short conversational glossary of abbreviations later on in this guide for personal Twitter accounts!
Sources
This blog post is mainly the personal experience of our social media expert @llawen but thanks also to: Tŷ Hafan (@tyhafan) a charity supporting life-limited children http://www.tyhafan.org. Trudy Thompson at http://www.bricksandbread.com, plus a number of very helpful tweety friends on her personal account. If they read this series of blogs - they will know who they are! TY!
Anika has dug out a couple of her favourite books after being in the company of John Warwicker, co-Founder of Tomato. The design collective draws together an eclectic mix of creatives who continuously share ideas and influence each others’ work. ‘Mmm...Sky Skyscraper I Love You’ first published in 1994 shows the playfulness shared by Tomato, there’s a suprise on every page. Warwicker’s ideas come from everywhere. His fondest memories recall drawing maths equations and musical scores with his Grandad. Even though these books are 20 years old they still remain groundbreaking today.
We recently went to see a rare performance by Rolf Harris, the 82-year-old artist, musician, singer and TV presenter. He crashed out his classic songs, 'Jake the Peg and Stairway to Heaven', accompanied by his seven-piece band, wobble board and possibly the world’s largest didgeridoo. Plus Rolf painted a special portrait live on stage "Can you tell what it is yet?" of Uluru or Ayers rock. He even managed an 'Essex Girl' joke. A truly multi-talented guy. The only thing missing were some star pets from his hit TV show, Animal Hospital.
In our high-tech, fast-paced, hyper-interconnected world, we’d like to pause and balance this with a peaceful, calm moment to consider a couple of low-tech ideas to stimulate creativity here at The Barns. The first is some old school interaction over a cuppa.
We had a mega trade magazine catch up over the Christmas break because there was plenty of time to read. Especially because it was so rainy. Then we had a startling (and innovative!) idea to share all the interesting articles with everyone by creating a REAL and large ‘Pinterest’ board in our café barn. It’s somewhere we can share interesting info and ideas with everyone whilst having lunch, making the coffee or during our Monday morning meeting. The board is covered in articles from the trade press that have relevance to our current projects and also has clips from websites we admire. Ironically, there are also snippets up there about social media news!
Then there is our smart new piece of low-tech ‘cardboard technology’, which Mark Dresh, our creative director, has invented and christened Dresh-o-Vision. It’s a simple cardboard frame or viewer, and is proving very useful during the design and development process of our various website projects. First it helps at the initial stages when we’re trying to make quick but informed decisions about the best photos to select from our photo shoots by providing a simple and handy ‘cropping’ frame. It is wonderful when we have thousands of photos to review and saves us a lot of time.
Towards the end of our creative process, when presenting proposals to our clients, it also allows them to get a very accurate feel for how their website will look on screen and how the navigation will work - especially helpful with the visualisation of the long, scroll down web pages. Mark’s Dresh-o-Vision has proved a nifty low-tech innovation that has proved very helpful. We’re not afraid of using the latest software but will also make our own tools, too. In this high-tech world, sometimes low-tech can still surprise.
All three items make for a fantastic festive story. It wouldn’t be Christmas at FRASERS without our annual Christmas party. So on Friday 14 December we downed tools at lunchtime and took to the rainy roads up to Cambridge which was our destination for some very competitive cocktail making, dinner and then .... well we can’t really remember what happened after that! So let the photos speak for themselves! Enjoy :). All home safely and no arrests!
Held in ExCel, ‘taste of Christmas’ has enough sparkle and inspiration to get even the biggest Scrooge into the Christmas spirit. Courtesy of our client AEG, we took our complimentary VIP tickets in hand and were greeted at the entrance by a gospel choir; before working our way round the various stalls offering festive tips, gifts and ideas to re-create at home.
With only 7 restaurants offering the theme of ‘street food’ it wasn’t the same culinary journey as ‘taste of London’ in June. But what it lacked in restaurant offerings it made up for in masterclasses and demonstrations. New this year - visitors could take part in 30 minute interactive sessions thanks to the head sponsor Electrolux. With celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Rachel Allen and Michel Roux Jr making appearances, it was the perfect way to begin the countdown to Christmas.