Anyone watching Newsnight this week may have caught the interesting feature on popular design website Information is Beautiful. For the uninitiated amongst you, the site is the brainchild of David McCandless, who describes himself as “an independent data journalist and information designer…interested in how designed information can help us understand the world”.

With nods to the seminal philosopher and statistician Otto Neurath, whose motto, “words divide, images unite”, led him to design an icon-based language to express quantitative information, Information is Beautiful presents a fascinating series of visualisations, a distillation of democratised data, if you will. In a world where we’re constantly struggling under the weight of statistics, news, opinion, video – not to mention a healthy measure of total junk – McCandless questions whether there’s a compelling means of simplifying, and in some way better understanding the constant stream of facts and figures routinely presented to us by the media.

This mission led to one of IIB’s most famous designs, The Billion Dollar-o-Gram, an exercise in quantifying the unquantifiable: I mean, what does $1billion really mean to anyone?

It was inevitable that this project would attract the attention of the media, with sites such as The Guardian’s Datablog providing a ready outlet for data and stats with a journalistic hook, that can be represented in a new and appealing way.

Mr McCandless’s appearance on Newsnight was certainly a little different, as you might expect, with host Kirsty Wark and guest, respected designer Neville Brody, critiquing McCandless’s previous assertion that visualisations had the potential to offer new insights into the politics of the world around us.

The debate’s well-worth watching, even if it involves the somewhat unjust intellectual skewering of Mr McCandless by the Brody-Wark duo, whose main argument is that designs such as those found on IIB, whilst beguiling and attractive, are likely to oversimplify the deeper issues behind the information from which they are drawn. We might feel slightly cleverer, but we aren’t necessarily any better informed; the designs are knowing, without necessarily imparting knowledge.

It was an awkward paradox for McCandless, as, by the nature of his work, he is bound by the information he illustrates, restricted to those nuggets that lend themselves to visual representation, however clever or imaginative the resultant images are.

Interpretation is all important, with IIB less about blind acceptance than mental stimulus: if it forces you to find out more, it’s achieved a goal.

Other examples of this include the excellent online resource Wordle – a word-cloud generator, which can quickly deliver images like…

Whilst certainly a valuable tool in linguistic sifting, it’s hardly something upon which you’d base an entire opinion. Instead this presents us with a means of examining the patterns in a complicated world, rather than explaining them.

Similarly, the online project ‘We Feel Fine’ – also referenced in the Newsnight report – is a resource as alluring as it is technically impressive. Scouring the global social media landscape every 10 minutes for any posts starting with the words “I am feeling…” or “I feel…”, the output is a demographically configurable snapshot of sentiment. Emotion trending, perhaps. The organic, transient and in many ways fickle nature of social media updates questions this as a means of truly tracking the mood of a nation, but it certainly offers food for thought.

There’ll always be a précis, a Cliffs Notes, an elevator pitch or edit to help us cope with today’s crowded and clouded data-stream – the impetus on us is to question, examine the bigger picture, ensure that visualisations such as those of David McCandless serve as cues to curiousity. It’s not just a design, but an invitation to explore the numbers, opinions, testimony, photos and history surrounding an issue, all accessible via a few extra clicks of the mouse.

Information might be beautiful; integration is essential.

By Jonathan Izzard on August 17th, 2010

Tags: Design, Media, Online communities, Social Media, Television

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Never realised I was such a fan of the common cephalopod mollusc before this week. Turns out I, like half the population and every red-top news editor in the land, love a good octopus – especially one with psychic powers. If there’s one nimble-legged genius seizing all the headlines this week, it ain’t the expected superstars (sic) we might all have predicted in the run-up to this year’s tournament. Not Wayne Rooney (currently sunning it up with Coleen in Barbados), Frank Ribery (dissolved mid-mutiny with the rest of the French team) or Gilardino (you’re only as good as your last World Cup win Alberto).

Nope, clearly our powers of prediction are not world-beating.

Unlike Paul. Paul the Psychic Octopus. The German star who has correctly predicted the outcome of all six of Germany’s World Cup matches. This morning, during a live television broadcast, Paul predicted Germany would beat Uruguay in tomorrow’s third place play-off match - his seventh prediction of the tournament. And more importantly for those who live in Spain and the Netherlands, Paul has plumped for Spain, the pre-tournament favourites, to lift the World Cup on Sunday evening. Viva España.

Eight arms. Eight predictions. Coincidence? I think not. Paul is good, damn good for a suckered seer, and given the level of attention on him right now, I imagine he’s praying to the bottom of his mussel filled tank that his powers haven’t deserted him at this crucial stage of the tournament.

Paul is definitely ‘da man’, albeit a hard beaked, blue blooded, eight-armed one (technically six arms and two legs but who really cares?), and even better news for us English folk – embarrassed by our team’s recent knock-out 4-1 defeat to Germany – is learning that Paul is not actually German at all. He was born in Weymouth, back in 2006, where he was apparently much more shy on the predicting front. Paul joins other fellow famous Weymoutharians such as painter Sir James Thornhill (big in the 1600s), Strictly Come Dancing’s Karen Hardy and…urmmmm…not all that many other people it turns out.

So that’s two genuine English stars who have emerged late in the day in South Africa’s World Cup:

1. Paul

2. And Yorkshire’s very own Howard Webb who will referee Sunday’s Final; the first Englishman to referee a World Cup Final since Jack Taylor in 1974. Interestingly Holland lost that game 2-1 to West Germany (the signs are not looking all that good for the Dutchies).

Our much-hyped Premiership players may have failed lamentably to emulate the heroes of 1966 but all is clearly not lost.

Paul now resides in Germany’s Oberhausen’s Sea Life Aquarium whom I applaud for their quite brilliant PR campaign. Paul has put the city of Oberhausen (twinned with Middlesbrough) on the map which, as well as the aquarium, also boasts Germany’s biggest shopping centre and Europe’s largest disc-type gasometer.  Yep.

Back to Paul. The Times of India reports, “He has eight legs but has never kicked a ball. That, however, hasn’t stopped Paul the octopus from becoming the world’s finest football forecaster.” Spain’s celebrity chef José Andrés has taken octopus off the menu at all of his restaurants until further notice. Brilliant, it’s not just me who loves the little fella. He has well over 70,000 fans on his official Facebook page. He has become an online phenomenon and one of the most talked about topics on the web. The phrases “Paul the Octopus” and “Pulpo”, the Spanish word for octopus, are both currently in the top 10 global trends on Twitter.

However, celebrity fame has come at a price. Paul has made enemies along the way as a result of his predictions and is now enduring death threats on an hourly basis. Most recently he has become the target of bitter Argentinian fans, angry that he predicted their footballing demise, who have been sending seafood recipes to his aquarium. The Spanish government is reportedly ready to step in with Spain’s Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez stating “I am thinking of sending him a protection team“. Too right. Spain’s World Cup success may depend on it.

Will Paul be right for the eighth time? Are his days really numbered? Roll on Sunday night’s big showdown to find out…

By Stephanie Branston on July 9th, 2010

Tags: Football, Public relations, Television, World Cup

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Since FIFA announced its 2007-2014 sponsorship programme, many industry commentators have made much of FIFA’s new, so-called ‘less is more’ approach. It is a Very Good Thing, they say, that whereas the 2006 World Cup had 15 global partners and thus too much clutter, the 2010 edition has only 6 global partners and thus much less clutter.  I’ve never been persuaded by this argument, because I don’t think this is how it plays with consumers during the World Cup itself.

Consider, for example, what consumers see on the TV interview backdrops behind players and officials during the World Cup right now – illustrated in the still below (from the halcyon days before England played Germany on June 27). Call me old-fashioned, but I count 20 different brand logos.

Yes, I know that the logos of the 6 global ‘FIFA Partners’ are bigger than those of the 8 second-tier ‘World Cup Sponsors’, whose logos are in turn bigger than those of the 6 ‘National Supporters’. I know that the rights packages vary widely between tiers too. But I still count 20 logos. And that’s what the consumer sees. Not too different, then, from the 2006 World Cup, where there were 15 global partners and 6 ‘National Partners’. A difference, to be precise, of one less sponsor.

Consider too, Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal in the England v Germany match, surely destined to be one of the most replayed football moments of all time around the world.  Brilliant news for the 6 FIFA global partners then. Except it wasn’t. Because the brands whose logos were on display at that moment on the perimeter ads behind the goal, and who’ll be in shot forever, were MTN and Seara – as you see below.

Contrast this with the UEFA Champions League, which in the modern era remains the examplar of ‘less is more’. Only six brands are official Champions League partners, and that’s what you see when it comes to the TV interview backdrops – again, as illustrated in the screen grab below of Sir Alex Ferguson in post-match interview mode last season – and on the main televised perimeter ad positions.

Now that’s what I call ‘less is more’.

By Tim Crow on June 28th, 2010

Tags: Default, Football, Football Sponsorship, Sponsorship, Television, UEFA Champions League, World Cup

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Football and cricket fans in the UK would have noticed a certain synchronicity in action over the last couple of days on the subject of technology in sport.

In the final instalment of The Times’ 2010 Football Survey by Football Fan Census published this morning, 74% of the 5,000 plus fans polled supported the immediate introduction of goal-line technology, to put an end to the series of high-profile wrong calls by referees in recent seasons. Despite the fans’ views though, goal-line technology is highly unlikely to be featuring in top football anytime soon as it is strongly opposed by the game’s lawmakers.

What a contrast with cricket, where Hawk-Eye technology has now been an authorised, integral part of the game at top level for many years, enabling the umpires to make the right decisions and entertaining spectators and viewers into the bargain. Except in the current Test Series between England and Bangladesh that is.

Unlike cricket broadcasters elsewhere in the world, Sky is barred from selling on-air sponsorship of Hawk-Eye, and thus cannot recoup the £300,000 it costs to equip the umpires, because Ofcom considers Hawk-Eye to be ‘editorial content’. The ICC – cricket’s world governing body – is refusing to pay for the technology on the grounds that it is inequitable to pay for the costs of Sky but not broadcasters in other countries. This has already led to at least one wrong dismissal in the match. More inevitably will follow.

This isn’t about Sky, and it isn’t about ICC. It’s about Ofcom. Instead of enabling a virtuous circle of added-value technology loved by fans and funded by sponsors, they create a no-win situation where no one – players, umpires, fans, media – is happy. All in the name of ‘editorial content’.

I am conscious that many of you -  for I suspect you know where I’m going - may already perhaps be thinking ‘thin end of the wedge’. Let me assure you, then, that the last thing I want to see is British television becoming the ad-saturated nightmare that we see in so many other countries.  But this is surely an exception and it would be good to see sanity prevail. Come on Ofcom, stop being the problem and start being the solution. Have the courage to create a virtuous circle and let brands sponsor Hawk-Eye on-air in cricket.

And whilst I’m on the subject, can someone – yes DCMS, I’m looking at you – explain to me why Hawk-Eye in cricket on Sky cannot be branded whereas it’s acceptable for Hawk-Eye in the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon to be branded by Rolex?

By Tim Crow on May 28th, 2010

Tags: Broadcast sponsorship, Cricket, DCMS, Sponsorship, Television, Tennis

2 comments

With the general election looming ever closer, the media is crammed full of stories discussing the wonderful world of politics. Whilst I’d be the first to admit skimming through this section in the paper to get to the sport and celeb pages, an article by Daniel Finkelstein in today’s Times caught my attention.

Finkelstein discusses the concept of the brand, using author Martin Lindstrom’s example of the curved Coca-Cola bottle as one of the most recognisable and best-loved icons, to the point that it can be considered “smashable”. If dropped on the ground, and smashed into a hundred pieces you would still be able to recognise what it is from any one of those pieces.

He goes on to explain that “consumers purchase the product as much for what it says about them, and how it makes them feel, as for what it does. The product is much more than functional; it is part of their identity.”

This idea isn’t new in itself, and I’m sure we can all bring to mind a couple of brands that, for us, fall into this category. However, the twist that took this down a new angle for me was Finkelstein’s application of the concept to the Conservative party. We’re all aware of the photos of David Cameron cycling through London and visiting local schools and we understand that public perception is crucial in the popularity polls, but surely in this case we don’t “purchase” based on how this makes us feel? Isn’t it policies on the NHS, education and taxes that decide who gets out vote?

Think again, according to research by the BBC it appears that we absorb far more about the character and broad messages of our political parties than the individual policies they promote. All the more important then that the parties remain true to their brand positioning as any deviation from this could have a bigger impact on voters than they might realise.

Just goes to demonstrate once again, the power of the brand and it’s personality over our decision making in all areas of life. Thanks @Dannythefink – I’ll definitely be keeping a closer eye on the positioning of our political parties ahead of the election, whilst challenging the norm to see if one or two actual policies creep through.

By Kelly Russell on March 10th, 2010

Tags: BBC, Brand marketing, David Cameron, Default, General election, Politics, Public relations, Television

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The King of the World is dead, long live the King of the World.

You have to hand it to James Cameron: at $1.88billion in takings to date, his 3D epic Avatar is officially the biggest box office ticket of all time. And having taken only six weeks to eclipse the record set by Titanic, JC’s last feature film, this is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Yes, the world and his wife (and their three children, plus extended circle of friends) have queued up at cinemas to see Avatar: whilst it’s not perhaps a film for everybody, it has nonetheless garnered some strong reviews, and, 3D effects aside, features some of the best CGI ever used in medium. The spectacle in 3D, however, elevates Avatar beyond movie to experience, drawing the audience into Cameron’s alien world of Pandora without simply resorting to the customary “oh, that was the 3D bit” camera pans. Not all 3D films can claim to do the same.

Avatar is a 3D success because the extra something this technology brings makes us believe it more, enriching the immersion and further suspending disbelief. The question is, how to monetise this on a more regular basis, as opposed to only once every 15 years, when Mr Cameron decides to take us one step beyond?

Naturally, the answer came in the form of the ever-inventive Sky, with Sky Sports’ first foray into 3D programming the live coverage of Arsenal vs Manchester United last weekend. For those lucky enough to be in one of the nine bars across the UK to feature 3D screens – well, if you’d call ‘lucky’ being reciprocally filmed by Sky Sports looking like the rejects from a Buddy Holly casting session – the experience was mixed. The customary Sky Sports graphics, player line-ups (where a sense of depth and perspective is inherent to the camera view) and wide angle shots from behind goal were suitably impressive; however, the third dimension was not the totally eye-popping revolution many were imagining.

To be fair, Sky does spoil the viewer: with up to 20 cameras tracking the game in regular Ds and lovely High Definition crispness for those willing to pay an extra tenner a month – it’s hard to say whether the final spectacle of 3D could ever match up to our expectations. It’s no massive surprise that this was basically a glorified experiment by the broadcaster – football may not be the ultimate sport to benefit from an extra dimension, versus, say boxing, rugby, or even golf – but the fanfare of such a world’s first certainly captured the public’s imagination, leaving viewers hungry, or at least peckish, for more.

Whatever the future holds for in-home 3D, it’s clear that from a sporting perspective, as James Cameron understands, the extra dimension needs to add something to our experience, to give something back, with Sunday’s experiment representing a small step in furthering Sky’s opinion on exactly how it plans to achieve this.

By Jonathan Izzard on February 2nd, 2010

Tags: Barclays Premier League, Branded content, Broadcast sponsorship, Experiential marketing, Football, Football Sponsorship, Manchester United, Media, Sport, Television, Television audiences

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The first thing I noticed on arrival at Wembley was the smell.  The second thing I noticed and the bane of my bank holiday weekend was the fact the inner workings of the stadium are a labyrinth; complete with secret doorways and lifts that lead to everywhere you don’t want to go.   Amazingly the 90,000 capacity stadium can be evacuated in twelve minutes which shows that the labyrinth design works, not only if you have a PhD in quantum physics but also in emergencies.  This was the second year the Coca-Cola Football League Play-Offs have been staged at the new stadium and as a ‘Play-Offs virgin’ I got to see what a great event it is for the first time.  193,885 fans travelling thousands of miles to watch their team try and grasp promotion in the final game of the season. 

Burnley v Sheffield United

The majority of Coca-Cola’s experiential activity this year was focused on Olympic Way; the route from the tube to the stadium.  Fans had the chance to receive a video message via Bluetooth from their team’s manager (which they could then download from Coke Zone), and also a message telling them about Coke’s other activity – the Coca-Cola Fan Cam.  At the Fan Cam marquees, fans could record a message of support for their club, the best of which were shown on the big screen at half time. To reward the fans who couldn’t make it to Wembley a Coca-Cola TV advert was created for each day of the Play-Offs.  The ads (which were shown before kick-off on Sky Sports each day), featured the relevant team’s fans describing what their clubs mean to them.   I believe this is an advertising first. 

Some fantastic goals were scored over the weekend, particularly in the League 1 game between Millwall and Scunthorpe.  The best part of the weekend was having the opportunity to walk onto the pitch at the end of each game to hand the winners their ‘We’re Going Up’ t-shirts.  After working so hard for 90 minutes in 90°F, and indeed working hard all season, it was great to see the elation on the faces of the players. 

At the end of each day it was back to the hotel and it’s extraordinary clientele – the cast of Britain’s Got Talent, whose shrieking in the hotel bar was certainly on a par with the smell of the Wembley Stadium plumbing.  Overall it was a fantastic experience, a scorching weekend and some great memories that will stay with me forever (providing I don’t spend any more time in a bar with the Football League!).

By Erica Hodges on June 2nd, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Branded content, Event management consultants, Experiential marketing, Football, Football Sponsorship, Media, Mobile, Sponsorship, Synergy, Television

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I’ve been in plenty of creative meetings recently. Creative sessions to me are brilliant: lots of enthusiasm, energy, ideas and the best thing is you can’t be wrong (often!)  One of my favourite things is how fresh and innovative they can be. However, in the last year or so, one thing always seems to come up; flash mobbing. Now I’m not opposed to it – quite the opposite if you see below - but I don’t think it works for every brand.

Hats off to T-Mobile who reignited the trend once again at Christmas.  I’m sure you’ll have read about it and seen the ad but if not take a look below:

A quite brilliant intro to the use of flash mobbing, I’m sure you’ll agree.  Now for my new favourite, one I’ve just been sent today.  This is from NY400, an initiative set up to celebrate 400 years of friendship between the Netherlands and the USA.  If you’re in a hurry skip the first 30 seconds, but well worth a watch.

Not right for everyone maybe, but definitely right for some brands and this one certainly got me thinking about going Dutch.  So next time we have a creative meeting and the ‘flash mob’ gem pops up we’ll be giving it some thought. This piece demonstrates beautifully that you can still be innovative with a concept that’s been used time and time again.

By Ben Wilkinson on April 7th, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Brand marketing, Branded content, Digital marketing, Experiential marketing, Flash mobbing, Media, Music, Television, Viral Marketing, YouTube

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Brian O’Driscoll has at last led his country to 6 Nations victory and I’m sure the party may continue for some time but I was honoured to meet Ireland’s other Grand Slam winning captain, before O’Driscoll could lay claim to that title.

In the week before Ireland won the Grand Slam in this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship, the 6 Nations Trophy made a special visit to Dublin to capitalise on Irish interest in all things rugby as they looked nervously towards their first Grand Slam since 1948.  Arriving early on St Patrick’s Day, the Trophy started its whistle-stop tour which involved extensive coverage across the major Irish broadcasters RTE, TV3, BBC Northern Ireland and Ulster TV. 

The Trophy was also an impromptu participant in the famous St Patrick’s Day Parade with fans of all ages getting their photograph with the sought-after silverware.  In addition shots of the Trophy outside famous Dublin landmarks were secured, ranging from the Molly Malone statue to Landsdowne Road - which received strong media pick-up in both Irish and UK media.

However, after the parade was over, the sea of green and the hangovers had parted, there is one memory that will stay with me for a long time.  I was honoured to accompany the Trophy to the home of 84-year old Karl Mullen, the captain of Ireland’s last Grand Slam team in 1948.  Karl and his family were extremely welcoming and there was something special about the whole occasion.  Doing the job that we do, we are lucky to meet and work with some famous names from the world of sport and entertainment but meeting Karl was a real honour and a strangely humbling experience.  It was a pleasure to see firsthand that a passion for sport never leaves you, and that sport is a language all of its own which has the immense power to unite people from all walks of life.  There is something about Karl, his nature and his hospitality that leaves you with nothing but admiration for this absolute Irish legend.  

By Alex Coulson on March 25th, 2009

Tags: Default, Media, Public relations, Rugby, Television

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Obviously The O2 and its owners AEG think so and I hope they are right.  But what damage will be done to their reputation if Michael Jackson is a disappointment?

I, like millions of others, watched the lengthy ad on ITN at the weekend designed to stir up those of us who witnessed Michael Jackson’s finest performances and have remained fans ever since.

 It had the desired effect.  I was propelled to think about how I could get tickets to see the great man in July.

And then sense prevailed and, I’m afraid, a certain cynicism set in. 

Yes, he was fantastic.  But is he still?  Everything would suggest that he isn’t, but oh how I would love to be proved wrong.  But, imagine the disappointment if I go along to watch and he’s just not up to it.  (I had a similar secret dread about Tina Turner last week but happily she was everything she always has been and the show was simply the best).

Then my sponsorship and marketing brain got working.  Hadn’t Pepsi had an unfortunate relationship with Jackson some years back when it became an embarrassment to be associated with the performer?  Is AEG taking a similar risk?

How much must AEG have paid to get him to commit to ten performances?  Or, maybe, he’s so short of money and desperate to rekindle his fans’ spending power that AEG’s outlay wasn’t as great as I first supposed.

Will he last for 10 performances?  What insurance does AEG have if he doesn’t?  Will punters get their money back if he can’t last the pace?  Would a  fallout damage AEG’s reputation?  The questions are endless and the risks are high.

And, last but not least, my practical side took over and I was left thinking what a nightmare it must be for whoever is responsible for putting together the crisis communications plan.  Good luck to them I say. 

By Karen Earl on March 10th, 2009

Tags: ITV, Music, Public relations, Sponsorship, Television

4 comments