Online Marketing Consultant.

Self styled as “the World’s First Virtual Shopping Mall”, MyMall (www.themall.tv) launched a few weeks ago.

According to MyMall “Search Engines can be confusing and time consuming and often result in frustration when looking for the simplest of items”.

If MyMall is right and people will find their website easier to use than search engines, they’re sitting on a goldmine.

Read my article ‘Simon Cowell to choose new X Factor judge via social media?’ on E-Consultancy.

A couple of weeks ago at the launch night for RAW at London nightclub Jalouse (in support of Cancer Research UK), I saw an example of an established profession using the internet to generate revenue.

On arrival at the private members club, frequented by celebs including Sienna Miller, Ronan Keating and Leonardo DiCaprio, attendees were photographed red carpet style by Pictures Inc, and given the option to purchase the print outs on site; just like when you get off the Log Flume at Alton Towers.

But if you didn’t want to run the risk of losing your print out on the way home, you could always log on to the Pictures Inc website the next morning and purchase the photo online as an A4 print out or get it made into a key ring.

The internet means photographers can generate revenue after an event.

Read my interview with Helen Brown, founder of Catwalk Genius on Drapers.

Last week Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation posed the question “I know about traditional PR – it’s all about getting myself in the press/on radio/on TV but what is online PR and how do I go about being good at it?”

See my response on the Enterprise Nation website.

Already hailed by Vogue and InStyle Online fashion accessories store Lily and Lionel launched two weeks ago.

I am confident Lily and Lionel is a luxury brand to watch out for - the concept is borne out of Alice Stone’s true passion for fashion and love of travel, all inspired by her late grandparents; the real Lily and Lionel.

Shortly after Saturday’s The X Factor the Daily Mail website published a story about the feud between Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh. Quick huh?

The Daily Mail seem to understand the importance of breaking news online (extra Google love), but they seem to place story updates within the same article.

If they want to maximise visits they should write fresh articles whenever there is an update - this is because Google News will only spider content once, and Google News I’m sure is one of the Daily Mail’s biggest traffic drivers.

”A pound invested online is far more effective than one spent offline” say Martha Lane Fox - Read my take on Martha’s comment on the Market Sentinel blog.

I’ve recently been dealing with the guys at ShopStyle UK (If you’re a retailer I suggest you get on it. Fast.) and was pleased to hear they were launching a section with store discounts.

The section was called ‘deals’ mimicking the American version ShopStyle.com, but I suggested that either ‘discounts’ or ‘offers’ would be more in tune with UK audiences.

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is the trade association for online advertising.

They recently published a Social Media Handbook which contains a contribution from me titled ‘Using social media to increase paid-search marketing effectiveness’.

- Read my contribution here
- Read the full Social Media Handbook online
- Download a PDF copy of the Social Media Handbook

I was lucky enough to attend a listening event of Alesha Dixon’s new album at Volstead club in London with fellow blogger and friend Michele Obi of MYFASHIONLIFE.

The album sounds brilliant (can’t wait to get my hands on it) – I’m no music critic, music journalist or music blogger but I’ll use my blog as an opportunity to describe it as perfect infectious British pop.

The event invite actually came as a surprise. Arriving in my inbox two days prior to the event apparently I had won the tickets? I didn’t realise but weeks ago when I entered my email address to download a free Alesha Dixon track I also entered a competition to attend a listening event.

Read my interview with Jamie Murray Wells founder of Glasses Direct on Drapers.

Read my article Where’s Victoria Beckham’s website for DVB? on Drapers.

Behind every new look, new launch or new advert there has been thought as to how it will affect the industry, press and most importantly the end consumer.

Rebrands get planned months, if not years ahead. To make sure they’re right.

What does our new brand need to reflect? How will our current consumers/customers feel about it? Who are we trying to speak to with our rebrand? 

Product launches take years to master. To make sure they’re right.

Who would buy this? Why would they buy it? Where would they buy it?

And a lot of effort, by a lot of people goes into creating TV adverts, to make sure they’re right too.

How can we make impact? What times and which channels will it be on? Do we need a celeb in it?

Many will present a rebrand, product launch or advert and tell those in charge of their online – “this is what we’re doing, make our online fit”.

The wrong way round? I think so.

Product placement is a wonderful thing. We get little of it in the UK due to regulatory laws, unless of course we’re watching an American production when suddenly it seems to matter not.

Big brands can usually gauge how many people have seen their products in films by box office viewings, and likewise for TV. Neither was a true measure of consumer penetrability, but a good indicator anyhow.