http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/ en LEON Bailey Green Copyright 2008 2008-09-01T00:40:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/people_think_of_glasses_direct/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/people_think_of_glasses_direct/ #When:00:40:00Z Visit the Glasses Direct blog to see my blog post ‘Will you join Glasses Direct’s online fan base?’. Websites, E-Commerce, Online PR 2008-09-01T00:40:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/the_future_challenges_of_online_retail_delivery/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/the_future_challenges_of_online_retail_delivery/ #When:14:22:01Z Read my article ‘The future challenges of online retail - delivery’ on E-Consultancy. E-Consultancy, E-Commerce 2008-08-30T14:22:01+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_marketing_economic_downturn/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_marketing_economic_downturn/ #When:00:05:00Z Economic downturn = offline advertising (unmeasurable) spend down, online marketing (measurable) spend up? That’s what a lot of people seem to be saying [here and here]. But not me. Not entirely anyway. I can see online marketing spend increasing in line with the already forecasted increases, but in terms of a higher jump because of the downturn no. A downturn should not necessarily lead to an increase spend in measurable online marketing tactics such as PPC and email, instead the growth area will be social media monitoring. So the majority of spend moved to online in theory should be spent on monitoring services (analysing brand conversations on blogs, forums, social networks etc.) rather than spending on pay per click. That’s my crystal ball view at least, only time will tell what will really happen. If you subscribe to the idea that businesses that brand build through traditional advertising, such as TV, during an economic downturn benefit greatly when the economy picks up, then you’ll agree the best thing big brands can do is to push spend to monitoring their brand online. They can use this insight to increase the effectiveness of their brand building activities. It would be nonsensical to conclude from this that direct response isn’t the way to go. For many businesses budget restraints and aggressive targets there isn’t a choice. What I am saying is that any business that is thinking of moving spend away because they assume it is the thing to do in the short term should consider the benefits of continuing with awareness building and how social media monitoring can help. A fair criticism that marketers can point at this analysis is that brand building doesn’t bring in the sales like direct response, but after the downturn you will have to keep selling. When people have more cash they’ll be choosier, and they’ll buy into a brand, not into what suited their pocket the year before. Marketing, Online Marketing, News 2008-08-27T00:05:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jordan_katie_price_marketing_kp_equestrian_clothing/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jordan_katie_price_marketing_kp_equestrian_clothing/ #When:00:00:00Z This week on my Drapers blog you can find out how Jordan/Katie Price can market her equestrian clothing range online. Drapers, Online Marketing 2008-08-27T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/diy_seo_campaign/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/diy_seo_campaign/ #When:21:27:00Z I’ve put together some tactics that businesses can do, without the help of an SEO team, to help their search engine rankings. Read them here on the Score Communications website. Online Marketing 2008-08-26T21:27:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/future_challenges_online_retail_offline/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/future_challenges_online_retail_offline/ #When:18:45:00Z Internet business has changed to meet the demands and expectations of the growing numbers of online shoppers, shifting their pounds from the high street to the internet. But with many high street stores now offering the same prices as their online counterparts, the internet is no longer always cheaper. Let’s take a look at how online stores can launch an offline presence to continue the trend of growing numbers of online shoppers, now that price is no longer a stark differentiator. Web to high street Taking a successful online operation to the high street seems to be a key move for fashion websites. Other sectors must follow surely? Recently at the Drapers Online Fashion Retailing Conference Nick Robertson of ASOS said he would consider launching a flagship store for the online brand. Fashion website Lipsy is too opening a store in London’s Brent Cross. Old media partnerships Old media brands and online retailers partnering – like OK! Magazine and Glasses Direct - is something we’re definitely going to see a lot more of in the future. It gives the online retailer the ability to capture an audience offline. Interactive TV This is definitely an area with a lot of potential for online stores that hit the demographic of TV shoppers. Marketing, E-Commerce, Media 2008-08-25T18:45:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/enterprise_nation_online_permission_marketing/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/enterprise_nation_online_permission_marketing/ #When:09:00:00Z You’ve just embarked on a marketing campaign for your website, the visitor numbers are going up but you want these users to engage with you in the future too. So how do you sign up visitors to register on your site or newsletter? See my article on the Enterprise Nation website. Websites, Marketing, Enterprise Nation 2008-08-25T09:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/tip_a_website_just_clicking_on_an_ad/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/tip_a_website_just_clicking_on_an_ad/ #When:15:33:00Z Seth Godin thinks we should tip websites we like by clicking on adverts. His heart may have been in the right place but the recommendation didn’t go down well with many in the online marketing world. Here are some alternative ways you can tip a website that you like. Bookmark it Return Digg/Delicio.us/Furl the link Add it to your Facebook Email/Send the link to a friend Send the URL to your friend Link to it from your own blog Write about it on a forum/message board Tell your friend about it SMS is to your friend Comment about it on another blog Sign up to a newsletter Register with the website Add a comment to the article Send a thank you email to the author/webmaster/editor Send content suggestions to the author/webmaster/editor Take part in a poll Engage in the forum/message board Enter a competition Buy something And finally, click on an advert ONLY if you’re genuinely interested Websites, Online Marketing 2008-08-24T15:33:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/seth_godin_unintentionally_promotes_click_fraud/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/seth_godin_unintentionally_promotes_click_fraud/ #When:21:08:00Z Are adverts the new online tip jar? Seth Godin thinks so. Apparently if we read something online that we like we should say thank you by clicking on an ad. On his blog Seth says… “If you like what you’re reading, click an ad to say thanks.” In the view that the company or blogger will pocket your click cost from the advertiser. But LEON Bailey Green says… “If you like what you’re reading, keep coming back. And click on an advert IF you like it.” So what are the effects of the visitor, webmaster and advertiser? Seth’s way Visitor – They have to load a page they are uninterested in. Webmaster – Reduced advertising as advertisers notice the clicks are of poor quality (as nobody wants the product/service, they just wanted to tip). Advertiser – Poor quality website visitors. LEON’S way Visitor – Enjoys the content. Comes back for more enjoyable content. Webmaster – Repeat visitors. More eyeballs on adverts resulting in an increase in potential person-to-product relevancy, equalling ad revenue. Advertiser – Quality visitors. I totally get what Seth is trying to say, but I think there are better ways people can support publishers - Update here are a few. Websites, Advertising, Online Marketing 2008-08-23T21:08:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/how_else_can_google_ascertain_relevancy/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/how_else_can_google_ascertain_relevancy/ #When:10:00:00Z Read my article ‘How else can Google ascertain relevancy?’ on E-Consultancy. Websites, E-Consultancy, Online Marketing, Online PR 2008-08-14T10:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/are_newspapers_taking_online_fashion_revenue_seriously/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/are_newspapers_taking_online_fashion_revenue_seriously/ #When:00:55:00Z This week on my Drapers blog you can read my views on whether newspapers are taking online fashion revenue seriously. Websites, Drapers, E-Commerce, News 2008-08-12T00:55:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/is_loreal_is_a_player_in_an_unfortunate_game/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/is_loreal_is_a_player_in_an_unfortunate_game/ #When:00:01:00Z This is round two of marketing the L’Oreal brand to black women, who spend three times more on beauty products than their white counterparts – and with a growing black middle class on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s a target group not to be ignored. Any number of entities could have been the target of vitriol after the release of the advert; Beyonce, the creative director of the advert or even the magazines which published it could have taken the hatred, but L’Oreal picked up this unfortunate tab. The reason I think it’s a chance for L’Oreal to communicate its brand values to black women, whom supposedly feel like they have been slapped in the face, is because deep down we all know what would really drive the behaviour of lightening dark skin. And we don’t like it. The L’Oreal brand is damaged if it is true that blacks really believe L’Oreal dislikes black women. The L’Oreal brand isn’t damaged if it’s true that blacks believed whites subconsciously dislike, or are put off by, products with adverts featuring black people. If the latter statement is true the outrage would be towards those whites rather than L’Oreal as a brand. It’s all about understanding the player and the game. The offended [blacks] will understand – not necessarily tolerate – the alleged offender [L’Oreal], if the offender is a player who was simply adhering to rules of a game [black doesn’t sell]. Marketing, Advertising 2008-08-11T00:01:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/newspaper_websites_grow_up_journalists_challenged/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/newspaper_websites_grow_up_journalists_challenged/ #When:20:11:00Z Newspaper websites have come a long way. There was a time when they were merely token presences, but they all now seem to be adhering to the ‘the more content the better’ motto. (see Jemima Kiss article on Mirror.co.uk revamp). Whilst more content is always good, I think the next step for newspapers to understand that in the online world this content should be more pictorial and video led than textual. A lot of content is good, but too much to read is bad. I would like to see newspapers offer shorter articles rather than copying the editorial as it appears in print. Web users want to dip in and out and digest quickly. The skills of journalists are going to be key to the success of newspapers online. We have a generation of citizen journalists who have access to wide audiences through blogs. They know how to write for the web. Newspapers need writers that understand the difference between writing compelling print copy and must-read online news. And as newspapers seek extra revenue through affiliate sales, these writers will have to know how to push sales whilst keeping an editorial tone too. A great challenge for the next generation of great wannabe journos. Websites, Media, News 2008-08-10T20:11:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/e_consultancy_article_is_the_role_of_the_seo_dead/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/e_consultancy_article_is_the_role_of_the_seo_dead/ #When:15:44:00Z This week on E-Consultancy I asked the question ‘Is the role of the SEO dead and should PRs own natural search?’. Marketing, E-Consultancy, Online Marketing, Online PR 2008-07-23T15:44:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/celebrity_fashion_brands_analysing_online_conversations/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/celebrity_fashion_brands_analysing_online_conversations/ #When:15:32:00Z This week on my Drapers blog you can read my views on celebrity fashion brands analysing online conversations. Drapers, Marketing, Online PR 2008-07-23T15:32:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/gold_watch_alibi_uktv_brands_website/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/gold_watch_alibi_uktv_brands_website/ #When:00:20:00Z There’s been much talk in meedja circles about UKTV’s rebrands for three of its main channels, UKTV Gold (GOLD), UKTV Gold+1 (Watch) and UKTV Drama (Alibi), but little mention of how the brands will work online. All three channels quite rightfully have unique identities, although I do think UKTV should have stuck to the formula of having an overall brand feel so viewers know the channels belong to the same family. I say that with my online marketing head on as that strategy would have allowed UKTV to offer a marketable web presence which houses content to complements the programmes, video on demand and community features. We will have to see if UKTV plans to house the websites for the new channels on UKTV.co.uk as it presently does. Dave, the only channel which does not use UKTV branding, is hosted on the UKTV.co.uk domain. This URL (uktv.co.uk/dave/homepage/sid/5002) shows up in Google when you search for the brand. So although there is no UKTV branding on the Dave channel or Dave marketing material, it is expected that people have an affinity with UKTV (as that is the domain name), after all that’s what shows up on the Google page and that’s where the online brand engagement by people using search begins. And yes, as well as the title and descriptive text, searchers DO look at the URL to when deciding whether it’s the right website to click on when looking at a search engine results page. Unsurprisingly all UK domain names for the new channels are gone, as are the .tv equivalents. So I can only assume the websites will remain on the uktv.co.uk domain. Once all UKTV stations are stripped of UKTV branding the public will cease to have an affinity with UKTV and thus UKTV.co.uk, which will certainly have implications for click through rates. There’s also the possibility of confusion when advertising the URL on air? Advertising UKTV.co.uk on air does nothing to drive engagement with the individual channel brands, as they are totally divorced from the corporate name. I know UKTV is very active with its marketing, and they have been very successful with rebranding UKTV G2 to Dave, and probably have a strategy in place for online. We’ll have to wait and see what it is. Websites, Online Marketing, Media 2008-07-21T00:20:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/10_things_seo_search_marketer/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/10_things_seo_search_marketer/ #When:00:20:00Z 1. You’re website’s been dropped by Google (BMW) 2. You’ve dropped in rankings (GoCompare) 3. A uncomplimentary website is bidding on paid search for your brand name 4. A competitor is bidding on paid search for your brand name 5. A bad news story ranks for your brand name (British Airways) 6. A porn site ranks for your brand name 7. A web page which damages your brand reputation ranks for your brand name (McDonalds) 8. Google crawled your website when it was down (Sainsbury’s) 9. A company with the same, or similar, name ranks for your brand name (British National Party/BNP Paribas) 10. Search engine usage is decreasing (although that’s never gonna happen, right?). Websites, Online Marketing, Online PR 2008-07-20T00:20:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/protecting_brand_image_online/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/protecting_brand_image_online/ #When:14:33:00Z This week on my Drapers blog you can read my views on protecting brand image online. Drapers 2008-07-17T14:33:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/orange_i_am_seo/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/orange_i_am_seo/ #When:13:52:00Z Orange is now encouraging people to find their website by typing ‘I Am’ into search engines instead of advertising www.orange.co.uk. At first I thought it was quite clever and innovative, but I am surprised that the only Orange presence for a search on ‘I am’ is in the sponsored listings. Any brand that intends to follow Orange’s ‘find us by searching’ tactic, should employ an SEO agency to get their website to appear for the said phrase BEFORE the start of the campaign. For Orange’s campaign website to rank naturally for ‘I Am’ they will need to try to encourage lots of websites and blogs to link to them with the text ‘I Am’. Where is the call to action on their website for webmasters and bloggers to add a link? Which part of the wider campaign encourages them to link in this way? At least Orange will be helping I Am Bored, which ranks first for the term I Am, get heaps of extra traffic. New Media, Marketing, Advertising 2008-07-13T13:52:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_lucie_follett_search_marketing_maven_metrics/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_lucie_follett_search_marketing_maven_metrics/ #When:20:13:01Z Self styled commercially focused search engine marketing agency Maven Metrics was set up last year by Lucie Follet. I caught up with Lucie to get her thoughts on the search marketing industry, why she has set up automotive parts websites and her plans for new bottled water company Sip’s online marketing campaign. Maven Metrics is described as being commercially focused. How do you think this approach makes Maven Metrics different to other search marketing agencies? The main difference with us is that we have worked in other, highly commercial and competitive environments – specifically non-marketing, ‘non meedja’ industries. In my own case, I worked in Investment Banking as a Japan equity sales/analyst until 2002 and also operate my own niche websites which I use as a test bed for hands-on work for any tips or advice I find in blogs and forums. This combination of being commercial and hands-on is unusual and not always found in larger agencies. It’s not uncommon to find individuals working in SEO and especially web analytics who are so hung up on terms such as ‘conversion rate’ or ‘measuring engagement’ or the anthropological nature of blog networks that they have forgotten the commercial purpose to the website and how this relates to the bottom line – it has become totally abstract and a mere blip on an excel sheet. I personally find this quite alarming. Many search marketing agencies are becoming full service, or becoming part of media agencies. Do you think there will be demand for specialist search agencies? Where are you taking Maven Metrics? Arguably, it could well be said that such large behemoths pose a very real threat to smaller, specialist search agencies as they have the name and client base to pull them through, regardless of the quality of their work and leave smaller agencies to mop up what little there is left. For example, I am always suspicious when I hear of large, well known pr agencies launching ‘digital marketing arms’ yet when you cast an objective eye over their own websites, you often find all manner of things which make you wonder whether they can actually ‘walk the walk’, (absent or duplicate meta tags, non-search engine friendly flash etc.) There’s no doubt that they perceive online to be nothing more than a convenient money-spinner and they benefit from their clients’ ignorance in all things online. Realistically, we can’t change that and have to work double-hard to get the business. We get most of our business through word of mouth referrals and, perhaps surprisingly, we do receive unsolicited approaches from companies who have found their experience with larger agencies to be unsatisfying, both in terms of lack of personal attention but also on value for money. It has to be said, though, most companies are not this enlightened or have too many layers of internal politics to be able to make such a choice and will plump for what they consider to be the ‘safe’ option – which is not always the case. Tell me more about your niche automotive websites. I import car parts from Germany and operate several niche automotive sites including one for Volkswagen and Audi water pumps. This one in particular was set up as an arbitrage site to take advantage of perceived flaws in Original Equipment (OE) parts which are, on the whole, manufactured in China. The obvious benefit to me in doing this – aside from an additional income stream – is to keep my hand well and truly on the commercial pulse.  For example, at present, my North American sales have dropped considerably on a YOY basis on account of the unfavourable exchange rate and as I am not importing huge quantities and cannot forward fix my rate, I am having to raise my prices. So I am more than sympathetic to those retailers who are trying to sell into the US – it’s not easy in such price-sensitive times – and it means that you have to work extra hard to build up online coverage. You’re doing the online marketing for Sip water. What are the advantages of marketing an up and coming brand online? Sip is a great company to be involved with, mainly for the fact that the founders are both incredibly open to the idea of using SEO and web analytics and are always hungry to learn more. Not only is this attitude extremely refreshing, but it means that it is entirely possible to work in sync with the sip PR dept so that at all times, we can monitor just exactly how useful, say, a particular article in a particular magazine or event sponsorship has been in terms of visits to the site. This approach is ideal and is one I would highly recommend to others. What is the online marketing focus for Sip? Is it driving brand conversation across the web or driving traffic to Sip’s website? At present, the sip site is not selling online – yet. This means that our task at this point is twofold – a/increasing awareness amongst potential distributors both UK and ex-UK and pushing them to the optimised, multilingual pages on the sip site and b/using the optimised blog to highlight offline press coverage we have achieved to get people to find out more about the brand. It is working – since the site’s launch in February, unique visitors to both the site and blog have increased on a month on month basis. What exciting projects are on the horizon for Maven Metrics? In addition to working with new clients, we are also building up our preparation to launch a new site which will act as a go-between for PR firms representing brands and consumers. Our experience of working with PR firms, especially in the health, beauty and lifestyle sectors, has shown us that there is still very little knowledge and appetite within PR co’s for proactively targeting consumers online, other than to send out the, hopeful press release and sample to a relatively short list of ‘themed’ blogs.  Given the current economic outlook, this will become increasingly more important. -- Maven Metrics Websites, Online Marketing, E-Commerce, Online PR, Interviews 2008-07-08T20:13:01+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/primark_communicate_ethical_standards_online/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/primark_communicate_ethical_standards_online/ #When:01:00:00Z This week on my Drapers blog you can read my views on how Primark should communicate its ethical standards online. Drapers, PR, Online PR, News 2008-07-03T01:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/buy_glasses_direct_online/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/buy_glasses_direct_online/ #When:00:00:00Z Buying glasses from a high street optician is a thing of the past for me, I always buy online. If you haven’t yet made the switch here are ten top reasons why you should buy from Glasses Direct! 1. Price Why pay high street optician prices when you can get glasses for as little as £15? Designer glasses can cost hundreds of pounds, but start from £45 on Glasses Direct. 2. Choice There’s a pair of glasses to suit EVERYONE on Glasses Direct. There’s never been so much choice. 3. Leisure You can take all of the time you need to decide which pair of glasses is right for you. Browse in the comfort of your own home, rather than a crowded high street store. 4. Try them on virtually Did you know you can try on your glasses virtually? Upload a photo and the snazzy software on the Glasses Direct website will show you how you will look with any glasses you decide to ‘try on’. 5. Try them on at home As well as trying them on virtually Glasses Direct allows you to try on a pair at home for FREE! 6. Money back guarantee If you’re not entirely happy with your delivered glasses, send them back, get a refund and order a replacement. 7. Fashion At these low prices you can afford for your glasses to become a fashion accessory. You can have a different pair for every day of the week to go with all your outfits. 8. Support Entrepreneurship Glasses Direct founder James Murray Wells is a young entrepreneur who started the company with his student loan.  By supporting the company you are supporting entrepreneurship amongst the young. 9. Charity For every pair of glasses from the Colours range that is sold, Glasses Direct donates £1 to Orbis, the charity committed to bringing sight-saving care to the developing world. 10. Because I do How many more reasons do you need? Visit Glasses Direct, and the Glasses Direct blog to check out my article ‘summer trends according to fashion bloggers’ Websites, E-Commerce 2008-07-03T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/market_brand_online_competitor/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/market_brand_online_competitor/ #When:00:00:00Z Last week I was forwarded an email with various “mashups” of Cadbury and Nestle brands. Both Cadburys and Nestle are keen to reignite interest in their products and are relaunching some of their old brands (see my interview with branding expert Jonathan Gabay on this). I am not at all suggesting that this viral was a contrived marketing effort, but it leads to the question of whether brands properly explore the option of marketing online with their competitors. Marketing, PR, Online PR 2008-07-01T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/dannii_minogue_cheryl_cole/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/dannii_minogue_cheryl_cole/ #When:00:00:00Z In a previous study I named Cheryl Cole as the most talked about Girls Aloud singer on the internet. But how does Cheryl square up to her new work colleague Dannii Minogue? Like her sister, pop star Dannii has been around since the 1980’s and joined the X Factor panel in 2007. Cheryl and her Girls Aloud crew may be Britain’s biggest girl band, but with less than six years of fame can she be more talked about online than Dannii? Most blog mentions in last 24 hours Cheryl Cole: 32 Dannii Minogue: 28 WINNER: Cheryl Cole Most Google Search results Cheryl Cole (Cheryl Tweedy): 1,039,000 Dannii Minogue (Danni Minogue): 2,479,000 WIINNER: Dannii Minogue Most tagged YouTube videos Cheryl Cole: 990 Dannii Minogue 1,090 WINNER: Dannii Minogue Most DigitalSpy X Factor forum mentions Cheryl Cole: 53 Dannii Minogue 191 WINNER: Dannii Minogue Most Yahoo News mentions (June) Cheryl Cole: 129 Dannii Minogue 154 WINNER: Dannii Minogue Most Bebo Group mentions Cheryl Cole: 61 Dannii Minogue 35 WINNER: Cheryl Cole Most mentions on... The Sun Cheryl Cole: 967 Dannii Minogue 610 Daily Mail Cheryl Cole: 27,854 Dannii Minogue 233 Holy Moly Cheryl Cole: 461 Dannii Minogue 82 WINNER: Cheryl Cole Cheryl may be the most famous Girls Aloud member, but Dannii is more famous online. Having a famous sister has meant that Dannii’s name is often mentioned when Kylie’s is. This is the likely reason why Dannii has so many pages indexed in Google that mention her name. A huge back catalogue of records means Dannii is tagged on over 1,000 videos on YouTube. Videos Cheryl features in are tagged Girls Aloud rather than Cheryl Cole. Cheryl does do well on newspaper and gossip websites, due to her high profile marriage. Online PR 2008-06-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/aldi_lidl_marketing_middle_classes/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/aldi_lidl_marketing_middle_classes/ #When:08:00:00Z With everyone apparently “feeling the pinch” discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have seen year on year sales rise by 13% and 20% respectively. It’s the perfect time for Aldi and Lidl to increase marketing activity. With more of their shoppers coming from the middle classes, how can they market themselves to attract more of these affluent shoppers? Press Features in the media help Aldi and Lidl remove the stigma attached to discount supermarkets. Over the past month Aldi and Lidl have benefited highly from analytical coverage surrounding their increase in market share due to the credit crunch. Almost every article has mentioned the rise of the middle classes shopping in discount supermarkets; which certainly dispels the myth that Aldi and Lidl are the prevail of the underclass. Note to Aldi and Lidl PRs - more of this please (especially in the broadsheets). Television Last week’s Dispatches: The Truth About Food Prices on Channel 4 saw one family save hundreds of pounds by shopping at a discount supermarket. The homepages of Aldi and Lidl could have contained an article about the programme, and a link to the Channel 4 website to watch it. A programme featuring discount supermarkets is publicity Aldi and Lidl can’t buy, although it is the type of coverage that will come and go. To keep the coverage alive it’s important that they shout about it online, as that lives forever. Pay Per Click Google now allows UK advertisers to bid on competitor names, so Aldi and Lidl should consider bidding on Waitrose, Ocado and Sainsbury’s. Although Aldi and Lidl are yet to be transactional - and searchers are most likely to be looking for an online ordering solution - it would be a great opportunity for them to gain awareness at a time when shoppers are susceptible to cheaper alternatives. Videos Aldi and Lidl should move into creating content. Nintendo DS – Why not make an interactive cooking guide for the handheld video game player? YouTube – Simple recipes hosted on a dedicated YouTube channel. VideoJug – More recipe ideas and also ‘how to save money’ style videos. I would also put it out there that Aldi and Lidl should also be focusing on communicating clearly how they are able to provide cheaper produce. As they grow market share rapidly they will be opening themselves up to the same kind of negative coverage that Primark has recently receiving. Marketing, Online Marketing, News 2008-06-29T08:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/osoyou_sex_and_the_city_night/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/osoyou_sex_and_the_city_night/ #When:18:40:00Z Last week OSOYOU, in association with Philips Sonicare, hosted a Sex and the City night in London. Fashion blogger Michele Obi from Myfashionlife.com (above, reaching for her Cosmo) was there to enjoy the action, as was new Gladiator Spartan! The drinks party finished with a talk by my celebrity stylist friend Zoe Lem. Everyone then headed off to watch a private screening of the film. -- Click to see more photos from the Sex and the City party Events 2008-06-28T18:40:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/seo_negative_rankings_brand_name/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/seo_negative_rankings_brand_name/ #When:05:00:00Z Isn’t it horrible when search engines crawl your website when it’s down (1)? When bad news stories (2), and damaging web pages (3) rank for your brand name… And when the suggested related searches are uncomplimentary (4)? Websites, Online Marketing 2008-06-27T05:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/drapers_maximising_revenue_online_fashion_retailing/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/drapers_maximising_revenue_online_fashion_retailing/ #When:00:50:00Z Read my articles on the Drapers Maximising Revenue Through Online Fashion Retailing conference. ‘Being relevant’. ‘Search engine traffic’. ‘Trust’. Drapers, Online Marketing, E-Commerce 2008-06-26T00:50:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/danielle_brown_spice_girl_sister_mel_b_google/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/danielle_brown_spice_girl_sister_mel_b_google/ #When:00:00:00Z Continuing the family theme from my previous post on celebrity relatives (Kardashian vs Lohan), I thought I would show you an example of how one celebrity sibling, Danielle Brown, is using her Spice Girl sister Mel B’s name to attract attention for her own business online. Danielle Brown, sister of Mel, former Emmerdale actress and some time OK! magazine feature, is sponsoring the keyphrase ‘mel b’ in Google’s search results. This means every time someone searches for ‘mel b’ they are presented with an advert for Danielle’s events management company Danielle Brown Events. If someone clicks on that ad to the website, Danielle pays a small fee to Google. This form of marketing for Danielle Brown Events will create some form of brand awareness. Indeed, I am writing about it here, others may write about it too; but it’s highly unlikely to drive awareness to the real target market of the company. Instead it’s going to be seen by fans of Mel B and celebrity gossip hunters (I’m the former). Danielle could certainly, with taste, use her sister’s name to increase the profile of the business. It would actually be a good way of achieving that initial trust. The first and most important part would be to get the website up and running. Paying for traffic to a one pager website (above) with no visual elements is a no-no. Danielle, if you want a web marketing strategy you know where to come! Websites, Online Marketing 2008-06-24T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_virgin_marketing_lounge_group_james_layfield/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_virgin_marketing_lounge_group_james_layfield/ #When:00:02:00Z You may know James Layfield as one of the youngest ever Managing Directors in Richard Branson’s Virgin group. James, named in the Top 30 under 35 UK Entrepreneurs by Growing Business Magazine, caught the entrepreneurial bug from Richard Branson and went on to found youth marketing agency The Lounge Group. The best marketing agencies understand their client’s clients. With a network of 8,000 under 35’s, The Lounge Group has the upper hand on devising campaigns that work to the youth market. In this interview I ask James what he learned from working with Richard Branson and how The Lounge Group fills a gap in the market. You once worked alongside Richard Branson. Did any aspect of working for Richard’s Virgin group inspire you to set up The Lounge Group? As Branson’s youngest ever MD I definitely learnt a few things. I was inspired by his ability to trust and give responsibility to good people, he taught me to have the confidence to bring in people to the businesses that are better than me. He also showed me the importance of culture to driving the success of a business and that passion and drive far outweigh any sort of experience when it comes to getting the best job done and yes, it made me want to start the Lounge for a market that I was passionate about. Your agency has a clear focus - working on campaigns aimed at under 35s - was this a case of wanting to work on young brands, spotting a gap in the market or both? Unlike nearly everyone who starts an agency I did not come at it as an ex Account/PR/Creative type wanting to go it alone. Instead the decision to start The Lounge Group was inspired by a need that I had seen whilst I was a Marketing Director for Virgin. Having seen what was out there I knew that there was the market for an agency that was genuinely in touch with younger consumers. So The Lounge Group is first and foremost an excellent business that has been crafted to fill a gaping hole in the market.  Tell me about the most fun online campaign The Lounge Group has worked on. To be honest all of our campaigns are fun to work on and nearly all of them have an online component but I don’t think any of them just live online. Our consumers don’t just live online so nor do our campaigns. I really love the work the team have been doing recently for the launch of Sure Girl, check out our Bebo page. You have a peer network of 8000 people, can you explain who these people are, what they do and how you keep in touch with them? Our network are the heart of our business, they are the ‘clever bit’ they are the bit that means we are not like any other agency. Our network ensures that The Lounge Group is more in touch than any client or agency. They give us our edge and they make sure that our campaigns resonate and get the results our clients expect. Finally, what happens when you’re above the age of your target group?! That is the magic of The Lounge, we believe that “only the market gets the market”. So we don’t pretend to be “down with the kids”, in fact one of our team is over 70 – this is not a joke, she really is. We deliver genuine insight based on our network, so no matter how old we get The Lounge will always be more in touch than anyone else. -- Visit The Lounge Group’s website Marketing, PR, Online Marketing, Interviews 2008-06-23T00:02:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/heather_mills_jamie_walker_gossip/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/heather_mills_jamie_walker_gossip/ #When:23:42:00Z The News of the World has just published news that Heather Mills is dating a “toyboy hunk” called Jamie Walker. It’s less than an hour after the story was published online and there are currently 47 results in Google for a search on “Heather Mills” “Jamie Walker”, and only the News of the World piece refers to a story on the couple. I wonder how long it will be before there are millions of web pages mentioning Heather and Jamie. PR, Online PR, News 2008-06-21T23:42:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/talked_about_online_kardashian_lohan/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/talked_about_online_kardashian_lohan/ #When:13:56:00Z Whether you’re using your family name to gain notoriety (Paris Hilton) or riding on the coattails of a world famous sibling (Jamie Lynn Spears), today’s fame is family sized. Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan are two celebs with fame embracing relatives. Both sets of families have appeared on reality TV shows. With the Kardashians being talk of the town, and the Lohan’s new series Living Lohan currently airing, I thought it would be good to judge which Beverly Hills family is the most talked about online, the Kardashians or the Lohans? Most Wikipedia entries Lohan: 5 (Lindsay Lohan, Aliana Lohan, Dina Lohan, Living Lohan, Michael Lohan) Kardashian: 9 (Robert Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Rob Kardashian Jnr, Kris Jener, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Bruce Jenner, Brody Jenner) Winner: Kardashian Most reader comments left on latest TMZ post Lohan: 125 (see here) Kardashian: 178 (see here) Winner: Kardashian Most blog mentions in 24 hours Lohan: 371 Kardashian: 169 Winner: Lohan Most Google search results Lindsay Lohan: 33,600,000 Kim Kardashian: 8,190,000 Winner: Lohan Most YouTube videos Living Lohan: 84 Keeping up with the Kardashians: 124 Winner: Kardashian Most links to official website (according to Yahoo) www.lindsaylohanmusic.com: 1,102 www.officialkimkardashian.com: 4,299 Winner: Kardashian Most Google News entries (past month) Lohan: 4,272 Kardashian: 471 Winner: Lohan Most del.ico.us posts Lindsay Lohan: 2,033 Kim Kardashian: 775 Winner: Lohan Most E! Online discussions Living Lohan: 57 Keeping up with the Kardashians: 186 Winner: Kardashian and the MOST TALKED ABOUT ONLINE is... the Kardashians PR, Online Marketing, Online PR 2008-06-21T13:56:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/misspelled_internet_brands_names/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/misspelled_internet_brands_names/ #When:21:45:00Z When I asked TechCrunch UK & Ireland’s Mike Butcher about start-up names, he made a very good point that most English language domain names have gone. This has led to a flurry of dot coms with alternative – or misspelt – names. Digg Alternative for: Dig Reevoo Alternative for: Review Vimeo Alternative for: Video Flickr Alternative for: Flicker Mixx Alternative for: Mix Can you think of any others? Websites, New Media, Branding, Media 2008-06-20T21:45:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/marketing_an_online_brand/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/marketing_an_online_brand/ #When:18:57:00Z This week Emma Jones from home working website Enterprise Nation asked me “When marketing an online brand, should all marketing stay online?”. See my response on the Enterprise Nation website. Websites, New Media, Marketing, Enterprise Nation, Branding, PR, Online Marketing, Media 2008-06-18T18:57:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_mike_butcher_techcrunch/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_mike_butcher_techcrunch/ #When:00:00:00Z Editor of the TechCrunch UK & Ireland website, Mike Butcher has seen many start-ups come and go. In this interview Mike reveals the most unforgettable start-up name he has come across and reveals which dot.com he would have conceived if he could go back in time! Is it me or do start-ups seem to have similar names? What can I say? Most good names have gone; at least in English. This is why you see common “misspellings”, like Digg.com. I am also increasingly seeing more EU-based start-ups use .eu. Another favourite is .tv. What’s the most unusual or unforgettable start-up name you have come across? iliketotallyloveit.com - German startup. What would you say makes one start-up more successful than others operating in the same space? Is it the technology, branding, marketing strategy or a mixture? It completely depends on circumstance. If you have no unique intellectual property - like an amazing new technology - then your only other USP is speed to market share. Which start-ups have amazed you with brilliant marketing techniques? Now and again you see funny virals. But most start-ups are bad at marketing, or just not old enough to do it well. And why should they? Marketing is for dull old businesses. Start-ups should - and usually do - compete on merit. Are there any start-ups that you have been sorry to see go? Yes, but usually you find out later that there was some fundamental flaw which meant they were doomed to fail. Many were too early to market, or their founders were just out and out crap. Shit happens. And finally, If you had the chance to go back in time, what internet brand would you have launched? PlanetAll.com. It had many of today’s start-ups contained within its business model. It had a big exit, but if it had been managed right it would be like Facebook, MySpace and Google wrapped into one today. -- Read more about Web 2.0 and mobile start-ups at TechCrunch UK & Ireland Websites, New Media, Branding, Online Marketing, Interviews, Media 2008-06-17T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/marketing_tips_v_water_website/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/marketing_tips_v_water_website/ #When:06:00:00Z Websites, Marketing, Online Marketing 2008-06-15T06:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/link_building_and_bad_publicity/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/link_building_and_bad_publicity/ #When:06:00:00Z Link Building is the process SEO’s go through to increase links to websites they are marketing. These links drive traffic to websites, and also help to increase the website’s search engine rankings. In this example Website A links to Website B. People reading Website A may click the link and go to Website B – this is Website A driving traffic to Website B. The link from Website A is also read by Google. Google then ranks Website B higher (depending on the quality of Website A) in its search rankings because of the link on Website A. I recently guest blogged on The Link Spiel, a link building blog by one of the industry’s top search marketing speakers Debra Mastaler. I talked about the positive link building effect of negative stories. Websites, Online Marketing 2008-06-14T06:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/drapers_online_fashion_asos_nick_robertson/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/drapers_online_fashion_asos_nick_robertson/ #When:20:21:00Z Today was the Drapers online fashion conference at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in Mayfair. The conference theatre was taken over by independent fashion stores interested in getting online, established online retailers and the big players. As an online marketer having worked on fashion websites, one of the most surprising comments I heard was from Nick Robertson of ASOS who said “nobody searches for ‘black frilly dress’ [in Google]”. According to Nick people search for stores (such as his own) and brand names (such as UGGs), but not for the actual item they want (such as black frilly dress). I couldn’t disagree more. I believe that whilst many want inspiration (which is why they search for stores) and some are driven by brand (they search UGGs), an increasing amount knows exactly what they want and they do search Google for things like black frilly dress. It’s been my experience that the latter is more likely to convert. And I know that view is also shared with others in online retail – (I wasn’t the only one in disbelief at the comment!). Perhaps because of ASOS’s scale, the rules that apply to most online fashion stores don’t apply to them. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Websites, New Media, Drapers, Marketing, Online Marketing, E-Commerce, Media 2008-06-12T20:21:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_fashion_stores_mary_portas_shopping/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_fashion_stores_mary_portas_shopping/ #When:19:35:00Z Read my article ‘Five online fashion stores for Mary Portas’s shopping tribes’ on Drapers. Websites, New Media, Drapers, E-Commerce, Media 2008-06-10T19:35:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/amy_winehouse_google_racist/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/amy_winehouse_google_racist/ #When:18:28:00Z If you’ve not yet seen the Amy Winehouse video, where she appears to have turned one of the world’s most innocent songs into a race filled chant, click here. Below is the Google search results for her name on the day the video first appeared on the News of the World website. The only mention of the controversial video is within the News Results at the top of the page. I’ll be monitoring this to see if any of the main listings are taken over by the hundereds of websites and blogs that will no doubt be commenting on it. It will be interesting to see if this story has more of a viral effect than Amy caught smoking crack on film. What will cause more online conversation, racism or drugs? PR, Online PR, Media, News 2008-06-08T18:28:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_branding_expert_jonathan_gabay/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/interview_branding_expert_jonathan_gabay/ #When:10:26:00Z Author of 12 books and an expert on everything to do with branding, Jonathan Gabay is one of the most respected names in the world of marketing. When he’s not writing influential books Jonathan travels the world spreading his knowledge on marketing, branding and communications. This week I spoke to Jonathan about the re-launching of our favourite chocolate brands, how internet only players can compete with established names online and managing online reputation. What do you think of Mars, Nestle and Cadbury’s bringing back old confectionery brands such as Marathon, Wispa and Opal Fruits? The ancient Greeks had a term:  νόστος = nostos = returning home, and άλγος = algos = pain/longing . The power of nostalgia in branding is one never to be underestimated.  However, FMCG companies have to be careful of the time between relaunching brands.  You can’t reintroduce a chocolate bar for nostalgia’s sake if it was only off the market for a question of a few years. Snickers is renaming to Marathon for a limited period. Do you think there is a risk of confusing a generation of young people not familiar with Marathon, or is the logo and branding on the packet stronger than the name? The trouble with reverting to an old brand name and then going back to a new one is that it shows a lack of confidence in a brand:  My opinion? Stay in for the long race not just a quick Marathon. Cadbury’s brought back Wispa in response to several online petitions. What do you think is the primary motivation for people to join Facebook groups such as ‘Bring Back Wispa’? Fun, nostalgia and sense of the consumer having a say in a much-loved brand. An online petition has brought a brand back but do you think the internet generation will ever create a FMCG product? Will we see online petitions like ‘the campaign for Banana flavour KitKat’? A brand leader is like a conductor of an orchestra.  If he (or she) totally dismisses out of hand what the audience wants, they could end up conducting nothing more than a one-man Penny Flute. YouTube is one of my favourite internet brands. The word ‘tube’, which itself has connotations to traditional TV sets, is appropriately enclosed in an TV shaped box, ‘You’ adds a sense of personalisation, and the tagline ‘broadcast yourself’ says it all in two words. What’s your favourite internet only brand and why? Google.  It is useful, distinctive and even has the accolade of being a verb in the Oxford dictionary. I also like Leonbaileygreen.com.  Fun, informative and sharp why thank you!. What can internet only brands do to compete with online offerings from established bricks and mortar competitors? The question should be reversed.  Give it ten years and most of the high street will be on the Wi-Fi street. Do you think big brands are actively doing enough to achieve positive first page results on Google for their brand names? I hope so - I teach a lot of them how to achieve that aim! With universal search Google now shows news results alongside some brand name searches, making online reputation management more important than ever. Is reading a bad news story on a brand, when you’ve searched for it, more damaging than coming across the bad news story in a newspaper, or is it the same? Someone famously said that “all publicity is good publicity” That’s not necessarily true, especially on the web.  Brands receiving bad PR could always be consoled by the PR men saying “today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapping paper.” Pieces on the web linger much longer and because people read in short bursts on the web, they sometimes see the bad news headlines and just take it as read, rather than delve to find out more of the real truth behind the story. And finally, what do you think is the next big trend in the world of branding? More personalization and more permission based intrusion. That includes everything from the world of technology with customizable computers and interactive video ads on the go, to FMCG chocolate bars that come in banana flavours. See more about Jonathan Gabay on the Brand Forensics website. New Media, Marketing, Branding, PR, Online Marketing, Online PR, Interviews, Media 2008-06-07T10:26:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/stylist_fashion_blogger_rebekah_roy/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/stylist_fashion_blogger_rebekah_roy/ #When:23:31:00Z I met with fashion stylist and blogger Rebekah Roy a couple of weeks ago for lunch. We talked non stop about blogging, fashion, celebs, and loads more. She told me about an upcoming girl group she is styling called Stonefoxx. Rebekah’s got one of the best, if not the best, fashion insider blogs out there. It’s not just a “this is what I styled today” fashion blog, it’s a collection of Rebekah’s creative thoughts and musings as a stylist. Styling in itself is art so to be a good stylist, as well as knowing your labels and being good at ironing, you have to be creative. And creative people are inspired by all things stylish. Rebekah’s blog is a new media example of aspirational escapism. Celebrity and fashion magazines take readers out of their own world and allow them to live other people’s lives. Rebekah allows people to live - and follow - her life as a stylist through her blog. Visit Rebekah Roy’s blog Websites 2008-06-03T23:31:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/asda_george_clothing_online/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/asda_george_clothing_online/ #When:01:00:00Z Read my article ‘How Asda’s George clothing will succeed online’ on Drapers. Websites, New Media, Drapers, Marketing, Online Marketing, E-Commerce, Media 2008-06-02T01:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jodie_prenger_george_sampson/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jodie_prenger_george_sampson/ #When:00:00:00Z Britain’s Got Talent may have beat I’d Do Anything in the Saturday night ratings battle, but which of the show’s star is being talked about most online? I’ve analysed the online mentions of Jodie Prenger and George Sampson to see which of the two has the highest online profile. Google Search Results Jodie Prenger – 25,200 George Sampson – 73,000 WINNER: George Sampson Google News Jodie Prenger – 225 George Sampson – 274 WINNER: George Sampson DigitalSpy forum threads Jodie Prenger – 39 George Sampson – 105 WINNER: George Sampson Blog mentions Jodie Prenger – 215 George Sampson – 1,333 WINNER: George Sampson Not only did he win the ratings battle but George Sampson is more famous than Jodie Prenger. PR, Online PR, Media 2008-06-02T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/life_search_engines/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/life_search_engines/ #When:09:33:00Z If you search for something positive [smiling] you get positive results. If you search for the negative [crime] you get negative results. If you search for something that you consider to be positive [dunkin donuts], you realise that other people might consider it to be negative. If you search for something that you consider to be negative, but you’re only presented with the positive, you’re either wrong or seeing the results of good reputation management (search results manipulation). If at first the world doesn’t understand your request [paris], you make changes to the way you request what you want [paris hilton]. If after your search [paris hilton] you’re presented with related search options [one night in paris] you might – though unlikely – learn something new about what you were searching for. Search exposes brands and people more than ever. Effort should be put into encouraging positive dialogue about brands, rather than silencing the negative – concentrate on that and you’ll only get more of it. New Media, Branding, PR, Online PR, Media 2008-06-01T09:33:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/watch_honda_live_skydiving_advert/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/watch_honda_live_skydiving_advert/ #When:23:14:01Z Honda Live Advert Sky Dive Difficult is worth doing This live (and very impressive) advert may have been for Honda but Channel 4 and Come Dine With Me also benefited from the press surrounding the stunt. This is one commercial that won’t set fingers on that Sky+ fast forward button! There seems to be a bit of confusion over Honda’s strapline. The advert is said by many to focus on the strapline “If it’s difficult it’s worth doing”, but the advert closes with “The Power of Dreams”. So what does Google say when you search both brand messages? If it’s difficult it’s worth doing - No mention of Honda on the first two pages of search results. The power of dreams - Most of the search results, including the three images in the integrated image search, relate to Honda. It would have been a good idea for Honda to create a landing page on their website, in anticipation of the advert, to ensure it ranked for terms like “honda advert”, “sky dive advert” and “live advert”, ready for the flurry of searches following the ad and press. Marketing, Advertising 2008-05-29T23:14:01+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/waitrose_summer_picnic_advert/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/waitrose_summer_picnic_advert/ #When:02:00:00Z The new ‘Everyone deserves quality food, everyone deserves Waitrose’ tv advert is one of those commercials that isn’t really iconic or special but is weirdly captivating (click here for info on the song). Nothing much happens in it other than a massive picnic! What really impressed me about the campaign is that the messaging and visuals from the advert is the first thing you see when you log on to the website. There’s even a call to action to watch the advert on the website. Nobody is going to be able to have a picnic this year without thinking of Waitrose. www.waitrose.com Waitrose summer picnic advert music The song in the advert is ‘Going up the Country’ by Canned Heat. The song is included on their Greatest Hits album, which you can buy from Amazon.co.uk. Advertising 2008-05-29T02:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_fashion_trust/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_fashion_trust/ #When:19:37:00Z Read my article ‘the online fashion trust factor’ on Drapers. Websites, New Media, Drapers, Marketing, Online Marketing, E-Commerce, Media 2008-05-28T19:37:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/brand_coleen_mcloughlin/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/brand_coleen_mcloughlin/ #When:23:16:00Z Coleen McLoughlin, fiancée of Wayne Rooney, is one of many footballers wives and girlfriends who shot to fame because of their partner’s status on the pitch. She’s estimated to be worth £5m in her own right, thanks to her high profile and clever brand building. Coleen’s brand has taken the fashion, style and beauty route. Last year she earned millions being the face of Asda’s clothing range, writing a weekly column in Closer magazine, presenting her own TV show and launching a perfume. By involving herself in numerous fashion and beauty based projects, and avoiding the usual ‘lads mag and falling out of nightclubs’ routine, Coleen has managed to become a style icon; unusually respected in the fashion industry. But how does Coleen’s website help to communicate her brand message which is essentially ‘a normal girl who’s become an expert on fashion, style and beauty’? Unfortunately, Brand Coleen, worth an estimated £5m, doesn’t have an online presence. This is one brand that isn’t using the internet to communicate its message. Here are three reasons why Coleen McLoughlin needs a website… 1. Brand Extension Last year Coleen signed a 10 year beauty deal with Robertet, through whom she launched her first perfume. Coleen could use a website to capture data on her brand followers, to help shape the decision of the most sensible next launch. 2. Trust Coleen is competing with many celebrities in a competitive beauty market. We often hear the line “I chose the bottle and scent myself” from many celebs to which most people are cynical of. Coleen can use a series of ‘behind the scenes’ articles and videos to demonstrate the work she puts into her products. 3. New Markets If Coleen decides to introduce her brand to foreign markets, where she isn’t as well known, people will be ‘Blind Googling’ (searching Google for someone they don’t know) her. If she creates her own website she can tell her brand story, if not, blogs, forums and newspaper websites will come up in the search results tell their version for her. Marketing, Branding, PR, Media 2008-05-27T23:16:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_marketing_organic_stores/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_marketing_organic_stores/ #When:18:52:00Z Read my online marketing tips for online organic stores on E-Consultancy.com. Marketing, E-Consultancy, Online Marketing, E-Commerce 2008-05-27T18:52:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_marketing_kate_moss/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/online_marketing_kate_moss/ #When:01:00:00Z In the fashion industry image is everything. And Kate Moss, one of the world’s most famous fashion models, benefits from newspaper and magazine column inches touting her as a style icon, to promote her Topshop clothing range. Her celebrity status and public persona all help to create the sellable brand that is Kate Moss. But what could Kate be doing to market her brand on the internet? Here are five online marketing tips for Kate Moss… 1. An official website Kate needs her own website which is themed the ‘career of a supermodel’. It should be a portal of Kate’s life and include a career timeline, a profile of the campaigns she appears in and her Topshop collection. She should also create a dialogue with wannabe models and designers offering tips on how to get into the fashion industry, 2. Social networks Fancy making friends with Kate? An official profile from which Kate has a dialogue with her fans would help her to connect with an online community. She would then be able to leverage this community help her in various different ways. For instance, she could ask her online friends to put a Kate Moss for Topshop application on their personal profile. 3. Bury negative web pages Search for Kate Moss in Google and you get the ‘Cocaine Kate’ story from the Daily Mirror on the first page. One way Kate could try to bury negative web pages like this is by creating an official website which links to other positive fan websites (read my Tom Cruise example) 4. Viral competition Kate should celebrate her successful foray into fashion design by offering someone the chance to design part of her collection. Entrants can be asked to submit a design for a dress in the Topshop collection. Every entrant could then have to rate other entries. 5. Guest blogs Fashion blogs are becoming increasingly influential. Bloggers are noticing and reporting on trends much quicker than newspapers and magazines. Kate should guest blog on fashion blogs every few months adding her views and thoughts on what trends she thinks are coming in. Marketing, PR, Online Marketing, Online PR 2008-05-27T01:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/brand_usher_raymond/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/brand_usher_raymond/ #When:13:23:00Z Usher Raymond, mostly known as just Usher, is an American R&B singer who shot to fame in the UK with his song ‘You Make Me Wanna’. The US star recently told Sky News that after selling 37 million albums he is concentrating on extending his personal brand as well as his new album Here I Stand. Usher now has his own branded clothing and aftershave, but are people talking about his clothing line? Does his fragrance have good reviews? Let’s take a look at how Usher’s extended brand is being perceived online and whether his website adequately promotes these brand extensions. Usherworld.com The first graphic on the website contains the motto ‘It is not how famous ur, it’s what ur famous for’. Obviously UR has a double meaning (you are and Usher Raymond). But this strong message on arrival of the website indicates that when you buy into Brand Usher you buy into fame, but fame for a purpose. When you click to enter the website there’s a promo for Usher’s His & Hers fragrances. Using his main website to promote the fragrances shows his commitment to his brand extension. Separate website to promote the Here I Stand album There is a New Music link on usherworld.com which you would assume would contain promo for his new album Here I Stand. Instead the page says coming soon, which is unusual as he has a standalone website for his music – why is this not linked to? Usher fragrance perception online The men’s fragrance gets a 5 star rating on Amazon.com and the women’s fragrance gets two 5 star ratings on the passion for perfume website. Usher’s Wikipedia entry credits him as a singer and actor. His music and film credits throughout the years are all included, but there is no mention of his clothing or perfume line. Although the brand extensions have been well received, Brand Usher has a way to go to cohesively tell a story which promotes the music and his foray into fashion and beauty online. Marketing, Branding, Online PR 2008-05-26T13:23:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/andy_abraham_dima_bilan/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/andy_abraham_dima_bilan/ #When:12:26:00Z This year’s Eurovision song contest has caused much controversy after Western European nations were again left out in the cold. X-Factor star Andy Abraham represented the UK and came last, whilst Russia triumphed with their star Dima Bilan. Dima may have won the contest, but is he more talked about on the internet than our Andy Abraham? I’ve analysed both Eurovision stars to see which of them is most talked about online. Search results in Yahoo! Andy Abraham – 687,000 Dima Bilan – 4,000,000 WINNER: Dima Bilan Stories on Google News Andy Abraham – 340 Dima Bilan – 446 WINNER: Dima Bilan YouTube videos Andy Abraham - 188 Dima Bilan – 2,990 WINNER: Dima Bilan MySpace friends Andy Abraham – 2,724 Dima Bilan - 710 WINNER: Andy Abraham Mentions on blogs Andy Abraham – 3,964 Dima Bilan – 144,363 WINNER: Dima Bilan So Dima Bilan is more famous online than Andy Abraham. Of course there is political voting going on but it looks as if Dima has built up a Europe wide online fan base. New Media, Marketing, PR, Online PR, Media 2008-05-26T12:26:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/leon_big_manbags/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/leon_big_manbags/ #When:18:38:00Z I have long been known for my love of manbags, and I am certain the larger and more feminine style of manbag are going to become more mainstream. I think we’re going to see more men experimenting with different styles of man bags making traditional male style record bags, holdalls and backpacks a thing of the past. River Island, £69.99 What do you think? Can you see yourself, or your man, with a large oversized manbag? Leave a comment below. 2008-05-22T18:38:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/law_attraction_advertising/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/law_attraction_advertising/ #When:00:26:00Z According to the Law of Attraction, you get what you think about (Watch the Michael Losier video below). So if you say to someone “don’t slam the door”, they will slam the door. But if you ask them to “close the door quietly” they will close the door quietly. The premise is, think more about what you DO want and less about what you DON’T. I thought it would be interesting to look at how this law of attraction rule would affect advertising campaigns, which tell us what NOT to do. Would they work if they told us what TO do instead? Let’s take a look at this anti binge drinking advert as an example… The strapline in the advert includes the term “Don’t Be A Drinkhead”. Going by the previous example this would be a akin to the “don’t slam the door” approach rather than “close the door quietly”. If the main text “Every night, binge drinkers put themselves at risk getting into illegal taxis” was rewritten concentrating on the positive, i.e. how the government DOES want us to act, it could read somthing like this… “Drink safely. Call for a licensed taxi to get home” But surely by the law of attraction, Drink safely would encourage people to drink. “Enjoy yourself. Call for a licensed taxi to get home.” would be another option which encourages enjoyment, and safety, without mentioning alcohol. Basically there would be more focus on what IS wanted (to keep safe) and less on the behaviour that ISN’T (to put yourself at risk). Government organisations seem to resort to advertising from the negative. Do “Don’t Drink and Drive” and “Stop Smoking” ads really work, or do they actually glamourise and create more drink drivers and smokers? Marketing, Media, News 2008-05-21T00:26:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jade_back_tv/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jade_back_tv/ #When:19:55:00Z According to The Sun she will be back with a new reality show. See my article The Return of Jade Goody Media 2008-05-20T19:55:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/william_kate_harry_chelsy/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/william_kate_harry_chelsy/ #When:02:00:00Z In my last study Cheryl Cole beat her Girls Aloud bandmates hands down and was rated the most talked about Girls Aloud star on the internet. Now I have analysed who is the most talked about royal couple online, Prince William and Kate Middleton or Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy. Google Search Results Kate Middleton - 1,220,000 Chelsy Davy - 269,000 Prince William - 6,890,000 Prince Harry - 1,090,000 Winner: Prince William & Kate Middleton by 84% Yahoo Images Kate Middleton - 3,802 Chelsy Davy - 269 Prince William - 112,869 Prince Harry - 12,384 Winner: Prince William & Kate Middleton by 90% Wikipedia Activity Kate Middleton - 6 edits so far this month Chelsy Davy - 9 edits so far this month Prince William - 45 edits so far this month Prince Harry - 15 edits so far this month Winner: Prince William & Kate Middleton Hellomagazine.com profiles Kate Middleton - 567 words Chelsy Davy - 464 words Prince William - 759 words Prince Harry - 757 words Winner: Prince William & Kate Middleton by 8% Blog mentions in May 2008 Kate Middleton - 1,168 Chelsy Davy - 1,002 Prince William - 11,544 Prince Harry - 3,022 Winner: Prince William & Kate Middleton by 69% News mentions in the past week Prince William & Kate Middleton - 743 Prince Harry & Chelsy Davy - 601 Winner: Prince William & Kate Middleton by 19% OVERALL WINNER: William & Kate Websites, New Media, Marketing, Online PR, Media, News 2008-05-19T02:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/photos_hoxton_pony_opening/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/photos_hoxton_pony_opening/ #When:01:20:00Z If you haven’t checked out The Hoxton Pony on Curtain Road yet, make sure you make a date with it this week. Here more photos from the opening launch party which I went to last week. Nat Weller and Henry Holland Jefferson Hack Elinor Olisa & Isobel Beauchamp Mark Hooper & Kevin Braddock Zoe Lem and me LEON Bailey Green Events 2008-05-19T01:20:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/boots_skincare_voucher/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/boots_skincare_voucher/ #When:06:30:00Z I thought it was a really clever marketing tactic for Boots to offer a free £5 facial skincare voucher to everyone who spent over £10. I looked at almost every item that was on offer when deciding how to use my voucher. And they were items that I would normally walk past! It was obviously a very successful offer, as most things were out of stock. Boots is one of the best stores when it comes to offers. Almost every time I shop there I get a voucher to redeem, and the points add up really quickly. Marketing 2008-05-18T06:30:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/fashion_week_high_waisted_jeans/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/fashion_week_high_waisted_jeans/ #When:06:00:00Z High waisted jeans, we were told, were the next big thing after skinnys. But with many not knowing how to wear them it didn’t really happen. With so much more choice for high waisted jeans, now’s the perfect time to rediscover the trend. Even us guys can get in on the act thanks to Topman. Four-Way Stretch High-Waisted Side Zipper Pant - American Apparel Premium High Waist Slim Jeans - Topman E-Commerce 2008-05-18T06:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jade_goody_living_and_learning_book/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/jade_goody_living_and_learning_book/ #When:20:24:00Z Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody. One of Britain’s biggest reality TV success stories. The Jade Goody brand was massive. Three highly rated reality TV shows, a salon, a best selling autobiography, a best selling perfume and numerous magazine covers. Jade had it all. But after the Big Brother racism row, she lost it all. But it’s 2008 and she wants it back and it looks like she’s going to get it. She’s been signed up by John Blake for a new, updated autobiography called Jade: Living and Learning - out in October - with the publishers expecting it to sell close to the 90,000 copies that her first book sold. And with a new perfume titled Controversial out soon, the Jade brand has every opportunity to get back what it had and more. Who said Jade was damaged goods? Thing is, the success of the new perfume and book aren’t really that important. What’s key for the longevity of the Jade Goody brand is that she is seen to be doing new things which get talked about more than the racism row, which is getting boring. If she’s clever there will be something in the book that’s more salacious than the BB row, that the media can pick up on. Look at Danielle Lloyd. Rarely does anyone mention her behaviour on Big Brother. She managed to eclipse what could’ve killed her career before it started by becoming a pin-up and dating numerous footballers - she gave the media and the public something sexier to concentrate on. Jade helped sales of newspapers and magazines rocket and there’s nothing to say she can’t work that magic for them, and herself, again. The media is probably waiting for her to do or be involved in something that they can use to bring her back. Nightclub rows and splits with her boyfriend won’t cut it. She’s going to have to pull something else out of the bag. Once she does, she’ll be back. Marketing, Branding 2008-05-17T20:24:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/angela_tassoni_newley_jewellery/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/angela_tassoni_newley_jewellery/ #When:19:15:00Z Wednesday night I went to Angela Tassoni-Newley’s jewellery and cocktail party in Chelsea. On show were Angela’s range of necklaces (above, with my glass of bubbles), which are made from antique brooches, buckles and trinkets combined with precious stones. Angela’s jewellery has been featured in Vogue and she’s not short of celebrity followers. Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani are both fans of Tassoni jewellery as is her mother-in-law Joan Collins, who also turned up to the party. Being a patriot I was immediately drawn to the Union Flag necklace, which I’m sure Geri Halliwell could pull off teamed with a floor length black number. I wanted to see what it looked like on, and as Geri Halliwell wasn’t available my OSOYOU colleague Rebecca did the honours and modelled it for me, and in the words of Bruce Forsyth didn’t she do well?! I’m not really a wearer of jewellery - especially the women’s variety - but after much force and persuasion I did try on one of Angela’s necklaces, much to the amusement of everyone around, and Angela who got in on this photo! If Angela ever launches a men’s range, you know where she got the inspiration! Tassoni is stocked at Felt in London and Linda Dresner in New York. Events 2008-05-15T19:15:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/bt_podshow_party_shoreditch_house/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/bt_podshow_party_shoreditch_house/ #When:00:02:00Z Two parties. One night. Second stop: The BT PodShow launch party at Shoreditch House. Shoreditch House is erm… very Shoreditch. Too cool for school, rough around the edges but glam enough for the most fabulous glamonistas. The perfect place then for BT to launch it’s PodShow website BTPodshow.com. Who would have thought that one of the UK’s most boring corporate brands would align itself to such a trendy London hang out? Party goers were “treated” to a collection of video podcasts from the website. The sound of the videos was muted and we listened to the tones of the resident DJ. Zoe and I missed Alexa Chung’s set as we were too busy people watching at The Hoxton Pony launch, but we did spot a very crazy Alice Dellal and her very EC1 crowd out-trendying (is that a word?) everyone and being the epitome of Hoxton cool. Visit the BT Podshow website. Click here to read about The Hoxton Pony launch party New Media, Marketing, Online PR, Events, Media, News 2008-05-14T00:02:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/hoxton_pony_launch_party/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/hoxton_pony_launch_party/ #When:00:01:00Z Two parties. One night. First stop: The Hoxton Pony bar launch. A very cool crowd descended onto Shoreditch’s trendy Curtain Road for the launch of The Hoxton Pony bar. Formerly known as The Pool Bar, the place was scheduled to relaunch as The Stoned Pony but was changed to The Hoxton Pony at the last minute. Why? You tell me. Anyway, the crowd was buzzing and it looked like a great place to hang out, but without the je ne sais quoi of an exclusive bar The Hoxton Pony looks set to be just another Shoreditch bar. Not bad. Not Good. Just another bar in Hoxton - but a nice one at that. This weekend is the official launch weekend of the bar so be sure to stop by and have a drink if you’re in the area - 104-108 Curtain Road, EC2. Tip: Check out the mirrors on the bottom floor, they make the room look massive! And also what seems to be the remains of a crushed car on the wall (pic below) in the main bar - strange. (Thanks for the Champagne guys!) Visit The Hoxton Pony website Click here to read about the BT Podshow launch party Events 2008-05-14T00:01:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/bbc_itv_news/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/bbc_itv_news/ #When:08:50:00Z Bad publicity offline has positive effects online. By reporting ITV’s record fine from Ofcom, the BBC News website has helped ITV.com’s online rating by linking to it. Every link to ITV.com that Google finds across the web makes ITV.com more important. And there’s no stronger link than one from one of the UK’s most respected and high profile websites - BBC News. with every cloud there’s a silver lining, and ITV’s silver lining in this phone scandal debacle, is a web link from the BBC. (No link is worth a £5.68m fine, but you get my drift) Marketing, Online Marketing, Online PR, Media, News 2008-05-09T08:50:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/gordonbrown_telegraph_headlines/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/gordonbrown_telegraph_headlines/ #When:08:45:00Z Three Gordon Brown headlines on The Telegraph yesterday that made me chuckle slightly… Cabinet minister warns Gordon Brown about growing ‘southern discomfort’May 8 2008 Peter Mandelson lays into Gordon BrownMay 8 2008 Gordon Brown on sofa with Fern [Britton]May 8 2008 Some would say it’s a Telegraph conspiracy. Others would say it’s pure coincidence. I’m going with the latter. News 2008-05-09T08:45:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/tom_cruise_website/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/tom_cruise_website/ #When:08:35:00Z This week Tom Cruise launched his new website and appeard on Oprah to celebrate twenty five years of movies. Apparently all part of a PR campaign to focus Brand Cruise on his acting and away from Scientology. Tom has to deal with the fact that when you type ‘Tom Cruise’ into Google the third result, after his IMDB and Wikipedia profiles, is the Tom Cruise is Nuts website. The hate site hasn’t been updated since September 2006, but it’s still up and terribly damaging for Tom’s online reputation. The internet’s a free world so to speak, and although he could sue or have his lawyers send stern letters, it would be better for Tom’s PR machine to hire the expertise of an SEO (search engine optimisation) expert or Online PR specialist to bury anti-Tom websites. An SEO/online PR specialist - like moi - has the know how to bury the Tom Cruise is Nuts website by elevating pro-Tom websites to the top of Google’s search results. Tom’s people need to start linking to Pro-Tom websites from his official website. It kind of works like this… Blogs and websites, like this one, make tomcruise.com popular by linking to it Which means... tomcruise.com becomes popular So then... Google will think websites that are featured on tomcruise.com should be popular too This means that... It will start to rank websites that are linked to from tomcruise.com higher in the search results than those that aren’t Which ultimately leads to... The Tom Cruise is Nuts website, which obviously won’t be linked to from tomcruise.com, disappearing from the top of the search results That’s the simple version of how to stop Tom Cruise from appearing “nuts” but if you want to know more detail about the dark world of SEO I suggest you read up on it at Wikipedia! Don’t say I never teach you anything. Tom on Oprah Websites, New Media, Marketing, Branding, Online Marketing, Online PR, Media 2008-05-08T08:35:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/amancio_ortega_zara_billionaire/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/amancio_ortega_zara_billionaire/ #When:09:21:00Z 45 years ago Amancio Ortega and his wife started sewing dressing gowns and lingerie in their living room. Some $20bn later the owner of fashion chains Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti is the 22nd wealthiest person in the world. I can imagine there are a few guys out there that might get a kick from making lingerie at home with the missus. Personally I think Amancio’s been unlucky. I’ve never sewn anything in my life, and don’t intend to. If I did I’d want to come off a little bit better $20bn richer. I bet he’s sitting at home now wishing he had a really cool website like this, so he could write blogs about people like Kerry Katona and Harvey from So Solid. Instead what’s he got? 14,000 employees, successful businesses, $20bn in the bank and a St Tropez tan. Well bully for you Amancio, bully for you. Click here for the Forbes fashion billionaires News 2008-05-07T09:21:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/girls_aloud_most_famous/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/girls_aloud_most_famous/ #When:09:00:00Z Cheryl Cole IS the most famous Girls Aloud member on the internet. I analysed everything from how many search results each girl attracted on Google and YouTube, the amount of mentions they have on blogs and how many threads they have dedicated to them on their official message board and the popular Digital Spy. Measuring online popularity adds a different dimension to the commonly tracked newspaper and magazine column inches. Online popularity measures what individuals are publishing (on blogs and forums) as well as what the major newspapers and magazines are printing. But if Cheryl came top, who came bottom? Read on… RESULTS: 1. Cheryl Cole Cheryl won all but one of the tests hands down. Cheryl’s marriage to Ashley Cole and feature on Will.I.Am’s Heartbreaker has pushed Cheryl’s online fame above that of her Girls Aloud bandmates. 2. Sarah Harding Photoshoots for OK! Magazine have paid off. Sarah scored particularly well on the Digital Spy Showbiz forum, proving her popularity with celebrity culture vultures is high. 3. Nadine Coyle Nadine has a high blog mention score, indicating her relationship with Jesse Metcalfe has increased her awareness on American celebrity gossip blogs. 4. Nicola Roberts Somehow Nicole scored highest on the QDOS test. QDOS uses a number of measures to analyse the digital status of individuals. 5. Kimberley Walsh Kimberley scored badly when analysing conversations on the official Girls Aloud messageboard. Winner of each test in italics Google Search Results Cheryl Cole - 734,000 Kimberley Walsh - 149,000 Nadine Coyle - 273,000 Nicola Roberts - 234,000 Sarah Harding - 618,000 YouTube Video Tags Cheryl Cole - 942 Kimberley Walsh - 581 Nadine Coyle - 488 Nicola Roberts - 441 Sarah Harding - 545 Blog mentions Cheryl Cole - 276,457 Kimberley Walsh - 3,154 Nadine Coyle - 8,584 Nicola Roberts - 3,430 Sarah Harding - 8,405 QDOS Rating Cheryl Cole - 6331 Kimberley Walsh - 6575 Nadine Coyle - 6684 Nicola Roberts - 6733 Sarah Harding - 6371 Digital Spy Showbiz Forum Cheryl Cole - 155 Kimberley Walsh - 27 Nadine Coyle - 53 Nicola Roberts - 26 Sarah Harding - 107 Girls Aloud Forum Cheryl Cole - 6463 Kimberley Walsh - 2845 Nadine Coyle - 4787 Nicola Roberts - 3208 Sarah Harding - 5073 Websites, New Media, Marketing, Online PR, Media, News 2008-05-06T09:00:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/ten_motivational_quotes/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/ten_motivational_quotes/ #When:16:00:01Z 1.“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”, Maya Angelou 2.“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”, Aristotle 3.“It’s not what you think or say that matters, it’s how you feel about what you think or say that counts.”, Michael Losier 4.“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”, Margaret Thatcher 5.“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.”, Oprah Winfrey 6.“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”, Richard Branson 7.“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up again.”, Vince Lombardi 8.“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.”, Henry Ford 9.“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”, Bill Cosby 10.“You get what you think about, so think only of positive things”, LEON Bailey Green 2008-05-05T16:00:01+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/leon_predicts_tucked_in_tops/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/leon_predicts_tucked_in_tops/ #When:10:14:00Z And you thought wearing your top tucked in was uncool. Tucking in tops, not just shirts, is going to be in vogue this Summer and Autumn. This shot, taken by Topman, shows one way of working the look. The top itself is quite fitted so it’s teamed with looser trousers. Men preferring skinny jeans should work the trend with a loose top. 2008-05-05T10:14:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/ok_magazine_katie_price_kerry_katona_cover/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/ok_magazine_katie_price_kerry_katona_cover/ #When:11:03:00Z There’s a famous saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. And isn’t OK! magazine sticking to the rule. Jordan (Katie Price) and Kerry Katona practically own the front cover of OK! magazine, with the pair appearing on the front almost most of the time. The formula of using Katie Price and Kerry Katona to sell magazines works. It’s worked well for OK! magazine, which seems to have exclusive deals with the pair, since they appeared on ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2004. Everyone’s a winner. Katie and Kerry get the publicity and an avenue for their version of the “truth” sorrounding press rumours, OK! magazine gets the sales and advertisers grab the eyeballs of their target market. But how vulnerable is this business model for all parties concerened? OK! Magazine There’s no such thing as loyalty in the business world, and certainly not in the land of celebdom. Katie and Kerry give their exclusives (weddings, new births, pregnancy announcements, post surgery pics) to OK! but they’re still free to talk to rival celeb weeklies. If either of the pair decided to take their exclusives elsewhere it could mean a dip in sales for OK! magazine. They would then have to presumably spend four years building up another reality TV celebrity that it could exploit. Why are they not doing this already with Michelle Heaton? Although covers with Michelle would sell less than Katie and Kerry now, the magazine could help generate interest in Michelle and build Brand Heaton up to become their next big seller. This would leave them in a less vulnerable position, should either of the Ks decide to share their latest heartache, nightmare, hell and baby photos to another weekly mag. Katie and Kerry What happens when readers get bored of Katie and Kerry? There will probably always be some sort of interest in Katie Price and Kerry Katona, but they could stop appealing to OK! magazine’s demographic. Their popularity, or noteriety, may shift from the type of popularity that sells magazines. There is also a risk that these constant magazine “exclusives” could hurt sales of their many autobiographies. Some would say it helps promote them, but really, how much more can they possibly have to tell in a book that hasn’t been published in a weekly mag? Advertisers Many beauty brands will be aiming to target a demographic of women interested in celebrity culture. They may not be looking for the kind of reader who may find someone like Kerry Katona a role model or an aspirational figure. If this is the case they may not want their brand associated with a magazine brand that is heavily associated with her. However, it must be said that there are many brands that will want to attract Katona idolisers. What do you think of Kerry and Jordan on OK! Magazine? Have your say below. Marketing, Branding, Media 2008-05-04T11:03:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/microsoft_walks_away_from_yahoo_deal/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/microsoft_walks_away_from_yahoo_deal/ #When:01:01:00Z I was hoping Microsoft and Yahoo join up up so they could challenge Google together. Seem it’s not going to happen. Google is doing great, with its new applications, features and services. But I suspect it would do even better if it had more serious competition in the search arena to keep it on its toes. A Microsoft Yahoo tie-up would have given it that competition. Websites, New Media, Media, News 2008-05-04T01:01:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/freesat_glasses_direct_brands_similar_logos/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/freesat_glasses_direct_brands_similar_logos/ #When:18:59:00Z The logo for the soon to launch satellite TV service freesat looks very similar to the new work-in-progress logo for Glasses Direct. Which brand uses their logo best? Company Glasses Direct What do they do? Affordable prescription glasses, with lenses, in many styles, shapes and colours, at a fraction of the cost of those on the high street. How does this logo represent the brand? The colours represent the new branding concept; fun, funky and fashionable. With the shapes signifying a selection of the various glasses shapes available in its wide range. Website www.glassesdirect.co.uk Company freesat What do they do? Over 80 free satellite television and digital radio stations. How does this logo represent the brand? Fresh colours to demonstrate the fresh HD pictures maybe? I’m at a loss. This logo doesn’t scream TV service. The Freeview logo is an example of a broadcast service whose brand logo tells the story of the product/service. Website www.freesat.co.uk Glasses Direct gets my vote for representing its brand in its (soon to be) logo. Who do you think works it best? Add your comment below. Marketing, Branding, E-Commerce 2008-05-03T18:59:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/fashion_beauty_style_advice_online/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/fashion_beauty_style_advice_online/ #When:18:50:00Z Want to know whether sparkly dresses or high waisted jeans suit you? Need advice on the best skinny jeans for men? Here are five tips for getting fashion, beauty and style advice online! For the girls... 1. Social Networks Take a look at some of the users on OSOYOU.com, see whose style you like then make them your friend and ask them for fashion advice. Or, just check out their Stylefile to see what items they’re buying. 2. Gok Wan on Dorothy Perkins How To Look Good Naked’s Gok Wan is offering his must-have tips on the Dorothy Perkins website. There are also videos on how to dress for your body type. 3. VideoJug VideoJug’s Beauty & Style section offers expert made videos on everything from how to wear coloured eyeliner to how to run in high heels. And for the boys... 4. Topmanzine “Grunge has gone, Emo’s ended – herald the return of the prepster” says Topmanzine. Topman’s very own online style guide will keep you up to date with with what’s in vogue and what’s in store. And for boys and girls... 5. The Satorialist Photographs of trendy men and women on The Satorialist is a great source of style inspiration. 2008-05-03T18:50:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/everyones_got_a_perfume_and_a_fashion_line_what_next_for_celebrity_brands/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/everyones_got_a_perfume_and_a_fashion_line_what_next_for_celebrity_brands/ #When:19:30:00Z Heidi Klum’s the latest in a long line of celebrities launching their own fashion line. With everyone from Kate Moss, to victoria Beckham to the girls from The Hills launching their own ranges, the market for celebrity fashion lines is saturated and few of them stand out. Jade Goody’s fragrance Shh... was a best seller thanks to help from her reality TV show. Prior to this successful perfume launches were the domain of A listers such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Lopez. With Jade’s perfume being a commercial success, almost every reality star and Brit celeb jumped on the bandwagon. Along came Coleen, Jordan and Kerry Katona with their own fragrances. Even Big Brother’s Aisleyne is in on the merchandise act with her own fashion line Unique by Aisleyne. Now everyone’s got a fashion line or perfume, what’s a celebrity to put their name to? Kerry Katona Frozen Chips Who says you have to be a TV chef to have your face plastered on jars of pesto and ready meals? Kerry Katona has worked wonders for Iceland. Imagine how much more they would sell if you could buy her own range of chicken nuggets. Think less about whether you would buy it, and more about whether Iceland’s target market would. Jeremy Kyle Home DNA Kits It would save a lot of people the bother of having to appear on his chat show to get a free test done. It sounds so wrong, but it would scarily do so well. Pint of Al Murray (so to speak) Err… Why doesn’t Al Murray have his own brand of beer? Sir Alan Jobs.com Surely it’s time for Surrallan Sir Alan to front his very own recruitment website? Winehouse Wigs Amy could make millions selling her own brand of wigs and hairspray. Marketing, Branding 2008-05-01T19:30:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/friends_reunited_does_a_take_that_comeback_but_will_it_rule_the_world/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/friends_reunited_does_a_take_that_comeback_but_will_it_rule_the_world/ #When:19:58:00Z So Friends Reunited is free and hoping to take on Facebook. Many would say it’s taken ITV, owners of Friends Reunited, far too long to drop the subscription model. With 19 million registered users the website doesn’t fall into the niche/specialist social network category. Instead it’s hoping to take on the broader networks like Facebook. Here are five things Friends Reunited has to its advantage over Facebook… 1. The Privacy Debate Trust in some social networks is decreasing because of debates sorrounding how private data is collected and used for advertising purposes. Friends Reunited as a brand has so far managed not to fall foul of such negative PR. 2. Audience Age The older audience, who are more likely to worry about their privacy, will have more money to spend, and more free time to use the internet. This means extra revenue driving opportunities and more advertisers seeking [older] people with higher disposable incomes. 3. ITV Network With ITV.com’s Catch Up service becoming more popular it’s the perfect time to showcase the new Friends Reunited with in-house promotion. 4. Genes Reunited Genealogy is big business. If they can successfully use genealogy as a hook into the main website they’re onto a winner. 5. It’s British Nowt wrong with a bit of national pride! My take is that, although it’s unlikely to rule the social networking world, there is a definitely a market for Friends Reunited. PS - If you’re impressed with the new Timeline feature on Friends Reunited, I suggest you check out miomi.com Websites, New Media, Marketing, Online Marketing, Online PR, Media, News 2008-04-30T19:58:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/celebrating_too_early_is_asos_the_yahoo_of_online_fashion/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/celebrating_too_early_is_asos_the_yahoo_of_online_fashion/ #When:19:45:00Z So ASOS, formerly As Seen on Screen, has announced a 90% increase in year-on-year sales (£81m). Does this mean they’ve got the market sewn up? Have they created a product/brand/service that fashionistas just can’t live without? And is this a web business that is simply untouchable? Figures, numbers and a four pence increase in the company’s share price would suggest so. Although ASOS is a business that has so far understood how web works and constantly adapts its brand, I would say there needs to be some caution when celebrating its success. Yes, it has virtually come from nowhere to compete with bricks and mortar brands. Yes, it has picked up on a niche (celebrity fashion) at the right time and yes, it has grown into a beast that has fashion brands dying to be a part of it. But how long will it last? I reckon ASOS is in danger of becoming the Yahoo! of the online fashion world. Not that Yahoo!, which is worth $44bn, is a failure, but it’s hardly Google - the first name in search. Online fashion is still a growing market (as was search), and ASOS seems to be one of the first online only beneficiaries (as was Yahoo). But then will come along a product that’s bigger and better (just like Google). Websites, New Media, Marketing, E-Commerce, Media, News 2008-04-28T19:45:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/black_models_dont_sell_apparently/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/black_models_dont_sell_apparently/ #When:19:01:00Z The size zero debate has been done to death, and eco fashion on the catwalk is yesterday’s news. It looks as if the focus is going to be on models of colour. Or the distinct lack of models of colour. Naomi Campbell and Diddy on the cover of Vogue October 2001 I was pleased (so to speak) when Naomi Capbell first spoke out about black models rarely being chosen for advertising. According to The Independent on Sunday Carole White from the Premier Model Agency has said she has received briefs from clients stating “no ethnics”. Can you believe this happens in this day and age?! Whilst many commentators will conclude the fashion industry is racist, should we not instead look to why they are - if such allegations are true - doing it? Money makes the world go round. Advertisers want people to spend, spend and spend. If they’re finding that only white models inspire people to spend would we not then lay the ‘racism’ tag at the general public? Afterall, if people were equally inspired to spend a product modelled by a black model as much as a white model surely fashion brands wouldn’t engage in a “no ethnics” practice. Wherever the root cause of this problem exists there is undoubtedly a problem. Hopefully, this debate will lead people to think “do I only react to advertising which uses people that look like me?” I would guess the honest answer would be uncomfortable for most, if not all, of us. Marketing, Media, News 2008-04-27T19:01:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/does_the_five_step_brand_lifecycle_really_stop_at_five/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/does_the_five_step_brand_lifecycle_really_stop_at_five/ #When:10:34:00Z Seth Godin recently published the five step brand lifecycle. Does the cycle really end at ‘Who is Brad Pitt?’. I don’t think so. Nostalgia culture extends the brand lifecycle. The music industry, using band reunions (Take That, New Kids on the Block) and cover versions to make money, and the fashion industry, which has seen an increase in sales of vintage clothing, both rely on nostalgia and the old. Many of these brands never die, they just sleep. So after ‘Who is Brad Pitt?’ it would be… - I wonder what happened to Brad Pitt. - Get Brad Pitt back. - Get me someone like Brad Pitt, who was around the same time as Brad Pitt. Marketing, Branding, Media 2008-04-26T10:34:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/ask_118_118_anything_not_about_fashion_on_the_web/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/ask_118_118_anything_not_about_fashion_on_the_web/ #When:09:57:00Z As well as a directory enquiries service, you can now call or text 118 118 to answer a question on anything with their ‘Ask us Anything’ service. I decided to try this out by texting… What are the three most popular fashion websites in the UK? To which 22 minutes later I received the response… According to the BBC, Marks and Spencer’s website has topped the fashion retail along with rivals Next and Top Shop. Thanks for texting the 118 Team. I suspect they got the answer from this BBC News report on website usability. Before I had time to finish reading the answer I had another text from 118 118… The 118118 text team felt that the last answer took us longer to answer than we’d like. So this time we haven’t charged you. Please text 118118 again soon. But I suppose my vague question warranted a vague, and slow, response. Perhaps I should have been more specific and asked “what are the top three fashion etailers in the UK by sales?” Answer: Marks and Spencer, Next, ASOS Websites, E-Commerce, Media, News 2008-04-26T09:57:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/leon_predicts_leggings_and_uggs_for_men/ http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/leon_predicts_leggings_and_uggs_for_men/ #When:17:44:00Z Leggings for men I can really see leggings for men taking off as we look for alternatives to skinny, drainpipe and slimfit jeans. Slim legs will still be fashiony, making leggings, like these from American Apparel, a perfect replacement to skin tight denim. LEON Prediction: Topman will begin retailing wearable leggings by March 2009. Men’s UGGs Less controversial is UGGs for men. You can already get men’s UGG boots in high street shoe shops like Office, and online from Shudoo, but they’re not as widely available as other men’s shoe brands like Hudson, Firetrap and Timberland. Celebrities such as Jason Donovan, Laurence Fox and Matthew McConaughey have taken the plunge. LEON Prediction: A premiership footballer will be snapped wearing UGGs by September 2008. 2008-04-25T17:44:00+01:00 http://www.leonbaileygreen.com/index.php/site/permalink/is_britain_still_in_love_with_fast_fashion/ http://www.leonbaileyg