10 Tweetable Truths about Women and Social Networks

I've already talked (written) about the research study #Femininsight - part of the project I'm every WOMAN-  some 3.000 Belgian women, aged between 15 and 75 years, were surveyed about their daily life (in February - May 2011). Besides sector-related information, we, marketeers at Sanoma Media Belgium, were also curious about the media consumption and media behavior of Belgian ladies. 

My colleagues Trui Lanckriet and Marie Carranza were guest speakers at the last Media Session at the GRP about the evolution of media habits in Belgium. Their presentation will be available soon on the official website of the media sales house of Sanoma Media Belgium. I was really inspired by their presentation and wanted to add my personal touch to their analysis. So, I've focused on the use of social networks by Belgian women. THE HOT TOPIC nowadays.

With only 4% of Belgian women sharing information through blogs and fora - 2% on social networks - the easiest conclusion should be: Belgian women don't care. But that's just one side of the medal. Belgian women are digital ladies: 35% visits social networks daily and women with a profile on facebook even more: 22% checks it more than once a day. And nearly 1 out of  5 agrees with the fact that Internet helps to avoid ‘bad buys’. Discover more about Belgian women and social networks in the presentation below. Feel free to share and to spread the word. As usual, you can download this presentation on SlideShare .

10 Tweetable Truths about Belgian Women and Social Networks

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The audience I try to reach through my blog is made out of people with a busy agenda. That's why I like the difficult exercise to put information in so-called Tweetable Truths, summarizing facts and figures in less than 140 characters. Right now, I'm just wondering about the ideal numbers of slides/truths. I guess, somewhere between 20 and 50. Let me know if I'm right. 

Our iPad Not Mine

From early July to the beginning of August 2011, Sanoma Media conducted an iPad survey in 6 European countries in which it is active and distributes apps: the Netherlands, Finland, Russia, Hungary, Belgium and Germany. Via banners in various Sanoma apps, a total of 3,673 respondents were asked about their use and experience of working with this famous tablet.

Not a personal toy
The iPad has become the primary device at home and the preferred tool to access the internet. But it's by no means a personal computer: 67% of the iPads are actively used by other persons. This is usually the partner and, in over a third of cases, the children.

Click on pic to enlarge

She plays, he surfs
Traditional surfing behavior still rules, even with an iPad. It is used mainly for reading the news, surfing and browsing, searching and e-mailing. A second category includes social networking/blogging, playing games, reading magazines, watching TV and videos and looking at photos. Women play more games than men. Shopping, comparing and internet banking are less frequent activities.

On the couch, in bed and at the breakfast table
The iPad is a companion for the evenings in the living room (83%) and for reading the news in the morning (70%) at the breakfast table. But it's also ideal for a last 'social media' check in bed before going to sleep (67%).

Click on pic to enlarge

More info and another nice infographic with socio-demographics available here . Some specific information on Belgium coming soon.

50 Tweetable Truths about Women in Belgium

It's been a while since my last blog post. September is usually a tough month with the release of the Print Audience Study (always on September 15th). But this year was particular: besides analysis on the evolution of the Print Audience Study, I have this other beautiful and interesting project at work: the project I'm every WOMAN with the announcement and launch of #Femininsight .

#Femininsight is so much more than another quantitative research. Some 3.000 Belgian women, aged between 15 and 75 years, were surveyed about their daily life and media consumption behavior (in February - May 2011). Enriched with facts and figures about beauty, fashion and food. But the cherry on the cake - in my point of view - is the specific typology that describes 6 different types of women. It's a powerful and inspirational tool for marketeers and creative people.

You could probably write a book with all the information included in this research. But I've started with a PowerPoint presentation. But one with a feminine - practical- and viral touch; summarizing more than 50 facts and figures about women's daily life in less than 140 characters.

My specific task on this project is to feed @iewoman and monitor this account. I will also regularly add new information through this blog and the corporate website of the media sales house of Sanoma Media Belgium, my employer. Enjoy and don't hesitate to spread the word :-)

50 tweetable truths about Belgian women

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Belgians Still in Love with Magazines

Personal message to marketeers and media specialists: as you may have seen in specialized shops, printed media are still alive. That's because they are still relevant to a lot of different people. Not only to the old grumpy retiree or the discount hunter in search of good deals in local free sheets.

With 9 out of 10 reading one I dare to say Belgians are still in love with magazines. Take a look at the presentation below. It contains the latest audience figures of printed media in Belgium (based on annual CIM Audience Study - release 15th September 2011). 

Belgians in Love with Magazines

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Why I'm Not Following You Back

A short blog post to explain why I'm not always following back:
1. you don't tweet or have/spread (interesting) content - it seems hard but I'm sure you can understand
2. obviously, you wanna sell me something - even if I'm a marketeer... I'm in the first place a consumer (in search of interesting content/ content curation)
3. it's always about you

I don't agree with specialists who declare that you have to follow back every person who subscribes to your tweets. Some people are on twitter to catch news about specific content, like my boyfriend for example. He never tweets.

Other people are interested in many topics but always tweet about one item that doesn't matters to you AT ALL. What will be the point to follow them back? One example: I follow some stand-up comedians and  quotes specialists. I totally understand that these people don't follow me back. In my eyes, social media helps me to stay up-to-date about specific topics I'm interested in. The fact that some specialists comment and retweet my (own) content is a major plus. But what I like the most is to help other people and sources to get attention. Even if sometimes I think: I should have written that!!! :-)

You Are What You Tweet

A personal infographic about my twitterstyle. It seems like I'm a workaholic but that's not true. I'm not obsessed, just passionated :-) Thanks to visual.ly

Which Media Diet for Light TV Viewers?

(FMCG) Advertisers continue to spend large amounts on expensive TV campaigns. The (long time ago) announced death of the TV-spot is still not a reality. On the contrary! Honestly I'm wondering why, knowing that 4 out of 10 Belgians are light TV viewers. My gut feeling says that these people don't like pushy TV ads. Unfortunately, the CIM-PMPA*-study - which contains data about media audiences and frequency of usage - doesn't measure advertising likeability. But it defintely can help you in your media choice with specific analysis on light and non TV viewers.

Why would advertisers be interested in reaching light and non TV viewers? According to an analysis I've made on the CIM-PMPA, this category represents 3.700.000 people in Belgium (over 12 years old). Not a minority. More than half are the ones in charge of picking up the groceries (the so-called Main Responsible for Purchases). My 'investigations' also demonstrate that light viewers have a more attractive demographic profile: 37% of them are classified in the highest socio-economic groups (1-2)  and 36% are highly educated. It's also a very gender-balanced profile with 51% women. So don't make the wrong match:

LIGHT or NON TV USER =  

MAN or CHILD PLAYING with a MOBILE/COMPUTERLIKE THING

Talking about segmentation, it seems that cultural differences don't play a big role in the media behavior. But gender does. It was really not a surprise to me that women tend to be more print-minded and heavy users of magazines (both weeklies and monthlies). Men seem to appreciate internet and the seats (or popcorn?) of movie theatres more.

Female light viewers represent 20% of the Belgian population. As an employee of Sanoma Media Belgium, with a women-oriented portfolio, I have a strong interest in the media behavior of this target.The CIM-PMPA study gives me insight into the reach and the coverage of magazines in general and of our titles specifically. The most important findings are summarized in a presentation below. As usual, you can download this material for free on SlideShare, with speaker notes for the most difficult slides :-) If you like it, feel free to share.

Not a Minority: Light TV Viewers in Belgium

 

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Even with its limitations, the CIM-PMPA survey is a wonderful tool. All the (most important) media brands with a 'Belgian' ratecard are taken into account. It has one handicap: it doesn't measure (big) foreign channels/titles and of course, non-subscribers. That could be a little bit tricky, especially when 'measuring' the 'real' impact (reach) of TV and some radio channels in the south of the country. Why? It's commonly known that a lot of French-speaking Belgians turn to French TV-shows for entertainment. Each survey has limitations. This is one of them. It's not the Holy Grail. But even if it only gives us an indication of each medium, it's still a valuable tool with a qualitative and quantitative sample. 

*CIM- Center for Information about Media in Belgium
  PMPA: Pluri-Media/Products/Attitudes

Overview: Magazines in Belgium

With 9 Belgians out of 10 reading magazines and 7 out of 10 buying (at least) one each week, I cannot understand why advertisers, creatives and media planners don't use this powerful medium more often. Perhaps this video will help them to understand the added value of my favorite medium.

Google+ vs Facebook

Who will win the battle on the social networking front? The future will tell. But the topic seems to inspire a lot of people. Today in the picture: Beatriz Torres, best known as Zirta, a freelance illustrator, graphic designer and comic artist from Tampico, México. I have to admit: I gave +1 :-)

The Naked Truth

Why using nudity to sell shoes and clothes to women as in the new Zappos More Than Shoes campaign ?

Thanks to twitter, and spotter @lacorbeau, I've found some evidence that can defend this choice. It's commonly accepted that confronted to nudity in ads, men would spend more time looking at female bodies than women would. Research firm EyeTrackShop recently surveyed both gender to find out.

And it's not always that obvious (click on pics to have a better view):

Women actually looked at the torso before looking at the face. But there's more:

In two stimuli showing less-dressed or naked persons men looked at the faces about 40% longer than the women did and it's the first area noticed. When looking at a naked model, there are smaller differences than one would expect:

Again, the greatest differences were found in how long respondents choose to look at a specific area:

Conclusion? Almost all women fixated on the shoes and spent almost 1.5 seconds on them. So:

"Using an undressed model to sell shoes to women could definitely do the trick"

Source: Business Insider -  EyeTrackShop report (links)

When Business Wants YOU to Be Social

This brief training video was first aimed at EMC employees. According to the website of EMC, it is designed to communicate the key points of proper social engagement while not losing sight of the 'fun' side of Social Media. Like the approach.  

More at https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-10364

Dalinian Traces in Cadaqués

Together with my best buddy, we went to the province of Girona, also in Catalonia, right after I arrived at Barcelona. As a surprise, he organized two days in this beautiful region near the French border.

Two days dedicated to Dalí and his art with a first stop in Cadaqués (and Portlligat), on a bay near the Cap de Creus peninsula, on the Costa Brava of the Mediterranean. It is only a two-and-a-half hour drive from Barcelona, and thus it is very accessible and not only attracts tourists but people who want a second home for weekends and summers.
Not that I think that I'm a great photographer, but I'd like to share a selection of pics I took in this fishers village. For sure, I can understand why the master was in love with its native region. Click to have a better view.

Sky Variation

Love to live on the 4th floor... The Belgian sky is so versatile:

Tools to Revamp your Pics

A walk in Tervuren Park

Sometimes I'm frustrated by my lack of competences with tools like Photoshop. I'd love to be a creative or graphic skilled person. But I'm not. Definitely. I'm even struggling with Picasa (desktop) when adding effects to my pics. But picnik is a nice online alternative to resize images, add a frame or special effects. Most of these services are free of charges. Another tool I like for its simplicity, speed and user-friendliness is Rollip. Choose out of 40 filters to revamp your pics. And more important: get the result in less than two minutes. Just the kind of tool I like...  All the images in this post are clickable for a better view.

Digital Clouds

Spotted on twitter: Tagxedo a very easy way to make word clouds. I'm always in search of tools that turn data into smart and/or attractive visuals to spice up my presentations (both at work and for this blog). I'm a user of Wordle but Tagxedo offers many more possibilities: embedding, word filtering, upload of docs/url,... Click on the pictures to have a better view:

Twitter profile page:

{if it was a painting} The Migration of Information

And what about my blog?

My blog, a way to start a conversation...

5 Must-Read about Magazines

I like to think that my blog is a kind of logbook where I can post my thoughts on things I have read. An open archive. This week I've read a lot of interesting stuff about magazines - printed and digital - and I thought it would be a nice idea to make a selection. I can't promise this post is the start of a serie. It will depend on what I've spotted online. This week: a healthy mix of research and creativity.

Print is NOT dead - Marketing Mag
Recent proof that magazines can optimise advertising effects. Or when neuroscience proves that placing an ad in a magazine not only helps consumers gain brand retention, but also adds positive brand salience for your brand.

Digital Subscriptions Will Lift Magazines But Not Newspapers - Jeff Bercovici's blog on Forbes.com
Over the next five years, both magazines and newspapers will enjoy large gains in paid digital circulation, PwC forecasts. But the revenue generated will grow far faster for magazines than it will for newspapers.

25 Creative Use of Magazines - Magazinespunt.nl on SlideShare
Magazinespunt.nl has made several ppt with examples of creative advertising in magazines. Each presentation focuses on another sense. This one contains treats for the eyes (Sight is the sense in the picture in this chapter). Enjoy!

Apple iPad usage habits {INFOGRAPHIC} - The Telegraph
In May 2011, app specialist imano conducted a survey among 2008 iPad users in the UK. The findings were highlighted in an infographic. Some 69% use their device to read newspapers and/or magazines. Learn more about their usage and behavior.

Shieldtox: Natural Protection - CreativeCriminals

Click to see greater format

An insecticide is not a very sexy product to advertise. But creativity is the most important key. Euro RSCG Bangkok has done a great job for Shieldtox, a natural insecticide. The central idea: natural predators. Spotted by the CreativeCriminals, 3 guys of the advertising world that present each day a selection of the most creative ads from around the globe. Click on link for another campaign visual.

Thx to @social_media!

Today in my mailbox about 1 p.m. (Belgian time), get congrats of SlideShare. Click to enlarge

Apparently, they 'reward' hot topics in a unique way. Also hot topics on other networks like Twitter and Facebook, of course. And that's probably why, combined with loyal twitter followers who like to share, that my stats on SlideShare made an amazing jump (from 29 views this morning around 10 a.m. to more than 450 views about now - 12 hours later).

Thanks to the lessons of @bnox - and I was skeptic in the beginning - I now have found a way to combine my passion for (media)marketing and my degree in journalism in a very trendy way. With some encouraging results. Of course, I keep in mind that good & targeted content is important, but you need to reach somebody with that content. So yes, I think that for education and regular updates & valuable insights, social platforms where peers can feed each other, share and spread knowledge are becoming more and more valuable.

Online News is like Chinese Food

(Celebrity) Information Diet is a very nice idea of ADWEEK. I like reading this little Q&A section. I was reading the (last?) one with Dr Who's Matt Smith, when I saw an interview with actor and stand-up comedian Kevin Nealon. As a lot of my French-speaking friends I discovered this guy in the comedy Weeds - as pot lover and accountant Doug Wilson.

Actually, it seems that Mr Nealon is a mobile phone addict, checking breaking news on twitter and playing Angry Birds when bored. Nevertheless, he has his own words to describe the added value of newspapers and magazines and why a lot of people still turn to print(ed) media. I smiled, I hope you too. Click to enlarge:

picture by Michael Schwartz

Read more about the media diet of Kevin Nealon

5 Belgian Tweetable Truths about Smartphones & Tablets: Part 3

Third and last part of my 5 Tweetable Truths about the adoption of mobile devices in my little country. Still based on what I've heard at the last Media Session organized by the GRP (see previous posts). This chapter focuses on the difference between Belgian men and women. With some extra data -like socio-demographics and purchase intentions - in some slides. Up to you to be creative with these pieces of extra information. Feel free to steal this presentation from Slideshare and to spread the knowledge :-)

5 tweetable findings tablets and smartphones in Belgium: part 3

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La Nouvelle Ménagère: un homme comme les autres?

Cette sacrée ménagère. Objet de toutes les attentions. Pour preuve, un des derniers Lunch BMMA avait pour thématique "Il ne faut pas la lui faire à la nouvelle ménagère", avec Marc Vandercammen du CRIOC (Centre de Recherches et d'Information des Organisations de Consommateurs). J'avoue: je n'y étais pas. Pour toute consolation: ne pas devoir entendre la notion nouvelle ménagère 150 fois en moins d'une heure.

Pour le coup, j'ai une nette préférence pour le terme PRA (principal responsable des achats) quand on parle d'achats d'ordre domestique, et de principal responsable pour la préparation des repas chauds ou du choix des marques dans un domaine particulier. Ce n'est pas pour rien que le Centre d'Information sur les Médias (CIM) fait la distinction. Et c'est nettement moins sexiste. De plus, ça pourrait peut-être contribuer à faire évoluer les mentalités de ces messieurs :-)

J'entrevois déjà le lever de boucliers! Malgré l'avènement de l'homme aux fourneaux, c'est encore madame qui range, qui nettoie le plan de travail et qui décide principalement des marques et aliments qui sont servis à table. Principale conclusion à tirer: la nouvelle ménagère a pour principal défaut de ne pas assez imposer la contribution des autres membres du ménage quand il s'agit des corvées domestiques. Plusieurs études, dont l'étude CIM-PMPA (pour volet Plurimédia-Produits-Attitudes), démontrent que les femmes sont toujours  n°1 lorsqu'il s'agit de cibler les décideurs de (marques de) produits ménagers. Exit le nouvel homme?

La Nouvelle Ménagère

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Honnêtement, je me demande encore qui ça peut étonner. Mais alors, pourquoi certains annonceurs utilisent des voix masculines et/ou acteurs pour nous vendre leur marque? Pourquoi ce genre de spots/pubs existent-ils encore et jouent-ils sur des clichés où l'expert est masculin? Pensez-y à deux fois lors de la conception de vos campagnes.

Dans une prochaine analyse: les enfants et les proches, quelle influence pour les marques de grande distribution? Timing prévu: fin du mois de juin.

5 Belgian Tweetable Truths about Smartphones & Tablets: Part 2

Five new tweetable truths about mobile devices in Belgium. The presentation below also summarizes notes I took at the last Media Session organized by the GRP - a group of media specialists from agencies, publishing houses, market research agencies. Four speakers talked about Mobile Internet in Belgium and the Influence on Search. I was mainly interested in the Global Survey Mobile Study by Havas Media and the research Me, My Smartphone and Brands by Space.

5 tweetable findings on tablets and smartphones in Belgium: part 2

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5 Belgian Tweetable Truths about Smartphones & Tablets

I have absolutely no doubts about the rise of mobile internet usage and the tablet/smartphone penetration in Belgium. Mobile Internet is still too pricy - the prices are too high in comparison to our neighbouring countries France and the Netherlands - but telecom players are finally adapting their strategies to seduce "the average Belgian consumer".

Reason enough to follow the last Media Session organized by the GRP - a group of media specialists from agencies, publishing houses, market research agencies. Four speakers talked about Mobile Internet in Belgium and the Influence on Search. It was really nice to get a quantitative point of view on Belgian tablet and smartphone usage by Huges Rey (Havas Media - study Global Survey Mobile) on the one hand, and qualitative insights about smartphone owners and their expectations by Françoise Gehin (Space - study Me, My Smartphone and Brands) on the other.

Below you can find 5 tweetable findings I heard on this seminar. Feel free to steal and spread. Although most of these make (common) sense, it is sometimes good to have recent proof about this fast evolving market.

5 tweetable findings on tablets and smartphones in Belgium

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Is papier leuker dan digitaal?

Hoe zit het nu met digitaal lezen in Vlaanderen? Memori, een expertiscentrum van de Lessius Hogeschool, onderzocht het fenomeen dit voorjaar. Net voor de commercialisering van de iPad2. 

Zo'n 2.770 personen namen deel aan een online enquête. Er werd niet alleen gepeild naar hun interesse in e-reading maar ook naar hun verwachtingen en de betalingsbereidheid op het vlak van digitaal lezen.

Eén van de meest frappante conclusies (pdf) heeft betrekking op jongeren. Hoe jonger, hoe groter de bereidheid te betalen voor digitale content. Die jongeren waarvan de meeste denken: zij willen toch niet betalen. Diezelfde jongeren die opgevoed zijn in het 'nieuws is gratis op internet' - tijdperk. Nog sterker: andere internationale onderzoeken kwamen tot dezelfde conclusie.

Klik voor een groter beeld

Vrouwen, laagopgeleiden, 60+ers en niet-bezitters van tablets zijn minder bereid te betalen voor digitale content. Hoogopgeleiden scoren goed op beide soorten publicaties. Op zich niet zo opmerkelijk. Maar net vrouwen, 50+ers en hoogopgeleiden blijken vaker voorstander te zijn van papieren publicaties.

Cijfermatig kan je stellen dat vrouwen en 60+ers niet echt tot de early adopters van technologische snufjes à la iPad behoren. Maar mijn buikgevoel zegt dat er veel meer aan de gang is. Er bestaat  namelijk ook zo'n tendens als: Neen, nu even niet connected. En als je stelt dat 50+ers de laatste 15 jaar overconnected zijn, hoogopgeleiden met een goede baan bijna altijd en overal connected zijn, dat vrouwen dat in hun genen hebben of het nu live of digitaal of telefonisch is...

Je hebt af en toe een pauze nodig, een moment voor jezelf. 82% van de respondenten hebben aangeven dat ze lezen nog steeds prettiger vinden op papier. En dat snap ik best. Het laat je toe om je volledig te verdiepen in het lezen zonder enige afleiding (mail bvb, open vensters op het internet, ...). Daarbij ben je zichtbaar met iets anders bezig en zullen de meeste toch (even) aarzelen met jou te storen. Het leesmoment heeft nog iets heiligs. En dat had wat mij betreft ook één van de conclusies kunnen zijn.

Andere resultaten vind je ook op deze link (pdf) : http://www.memori.be/sites/default/files/attachments/20110518-onderzoeksresultaten_digitaal_.pdf

Updated: Magazines are 'Home_Pages'

Almost two years ago the media sales house of Sanoma in Belgium launched MAGSCAN. A one-shot publication (pdf) devoted to magazines. Print publishers are crazy people: they actually believe in the power of this odd and misunderstood medium as no one else can. And you know why? Because of the strong emotional bond between readers and magazines. Take the place of reading: magazine readers can read everywhere but because they love being immersed in their experience, they prefer to read at home. Where they feel at ease, safe in their bubble.

(Click on icon full screen to see larger view)

 

Take a look at our latest campaign to promote magazines                     

What's a Magazine, Mommy?

Spring edition - latest issue

There are still some passionate people who thinks 'print' when pursuing true originality. Cathy Olmedillas is one of them. She is founder and editor of Anorak (UK), a quarterly children's magazine launched in 2006 and now sold in 22 countries around the world. Obviously, she is a magazine lover. In an interview published in the latest issue of WHAT'S NEXT? she explains the need she felt to share her passion for magazines with her son.

Excerpt:

"I had this nightmarish vision of my son, 20 years down the line, saying 'What's a magazine, Mommy?' And I felt, that can't possibly happen. I was brought up with magazines and they meant a lot to me because you found yourself reading things in them that made it feel like they were talking to you."

Uitgevers verdienen nog niks op iPad maar...

Goedele op iPad is een geweldige tool voor de redactie om 'out of the box' te denken en te experimenteren met de mogelijkheden die tablets met zich mee brengen.

Waarom op iPad? Omdat deze tablet voorlopig nog koploper is wat gebruikers betreft en aankoopintenties. En het is over deze markt dat ik het wil hebben. Niet zozeer over de verkoopcijfers van de Goedele edities op iPad die aangehaald worden in het artikel van de krant De Morgen.( Editie van vandaag, 05 mei - geen link naar het artikel want niet gevonden op de site). Context is ook belangrijk. En wat het artikel niet aanhaalt is net de adoptie van de tablet computers door de Belgen.

Volgens een recent onderzoek van de Online Publishers Assocation (OPA) zijn 6% van de Belgische surfers uitgerust met een tablet. Een studie uit eigen bodem, de Chocolate Barometer van Aegis Media, wijst op een penetratiegraad van 3% in de Belgische huishoudens. Men kan dus moeilijk spreken over een mass market product. Toegegeven: met zo'n lage penetratiegraad in ons land geloof ik nooit dat één enkele Belgische uitgever nu al winst maakt met de verkoop van iPadedities van Belgische printmerken. Daarbij speelt op onze markt ook nog de taalverdeling: volgens de OPA is de typische tabletuser eerder Franstalig.

Toch kunnen we vermoeden dat tablets binnenkort hun status van nicheproduct gaan verliezen: zowat 30% van de Belgische surfers geeft aan een tablet te willen aanschaffen in de komende maanden. Een mooie vooruitzicht voor uitgevers die al vertrouwd zijn met het medium.

Met Goedele op iPad wilt de redactie meer dan een doodgewone bladerformule/surfformule - met of zonder zoommogelijkheden- bieden aan zijn lezers. Goedele op iPad moet entertainen, verrassen, overvallen,...  Een maandelijkse challenge die deze straffe madam, samen met een sterk én beperkt team, weet te realiseren sinds een klein aantal maanden. Een première op de markt van de Belgische maandbladen, een voorbeeld voor alle printuitgevers. En hopelijk, een succesvolle zet in een nabije toekomst.

Magazines are 'Homepages'

Our Creative Marketing Inspirator Mark Struyf is a kinda jack-of-all-trades - and Master of many. Discover some of his latest work below: repositioning magazines and affirming the value of this particular medium. This campaign is aimed at media professionals of agencies and advertisers (still running in some business publications). Too bad I cannot translate the copy literally but I have done my best to do so below the picture (click on the image for a better view).

Even the most attractive homepage could never give the pampering feeling a (women's) magazine offers its readers. A unique and personal moment. She longs for it. She recognizes herself in it. She feels at home. Making authentic homepages is our craftmanship since ever.

(When) The Consumer is the Messenger

"Accept that consumers can generate more messages than you ever could. Don't fight this wave of expression. Feed it with content that touches consumers'passion points like sports, music and popular culture"

Joe Tripodi, Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer Coca Cola

Coca-cola adopts new model  - WARC 29th April 2011 

First Spring Pics

Don't get confused by the Belgian weather these days... It's still spring. Time to leave hibernation and to enjoy the revival of nature in the beautiful Park of Tervuren. I'd like to translate a tweet I've read yesterday in Dutch @kanhetnogkorter:

Everything is in bloom and enjoyable in 3D thanks to free software from (Mother) Nature

Beautiful colors

Family trip

Is there something wrong with the neck?

Into the woods to enjoy this most spectacular wild flower display

A carpet of Bluebells

Qwiki launches app

Qwiki, in my eyes the future of encyclopedias, launches its iPad app today! With some 3,000,000 topics summarized your kids will have a lot of information available for their next school assignment ;-)

The Joneses in Wonderland

A seemingly perfect family

A few days ago I watched the movie The Joneses. The plot triggered my curiosity: a fake family hired by a marketing company, moves in an upper-middle class suburban neighborhood. Their task is to introduce theirs neighbours to new luxury-level products in a very subtle way: by showing off clothes, cars, gadgets, frozen food (?),... Making everyone in the neigborhood envious and ready to buy.

This promising edgy exposé turns out to be a so-called anti-consumerism movie. Despite an entertaining first hour the blockbuster-happy-end is somewhat of a disappointment - stop reading if you haven't seen the movie-

Yeah, right! Shock the viewers with the suicide of a ruined neighbor - who'd tried to keep up with the Joneses- let them believe in the remorses of this newly hired employee David Duchovny, and finally, soothe them with an impossible love story between a middle-class sales man and an ambitious business woman. If this is not Alice in Wonderland... 

De magie van lezer-bladbinding

Vorige donderdag sleepte het neuro-onderzoek Het Mediabrein van mijn collega's uit Nederland een FIPP Research Award in de wacht. De toekenning van deze felbegeerde prijs uit onze sector werd bekend gemaakt op het FIPP Research Forum in Parijs. 

MRi staat voor Magnetic Resonance imaging

De middelen die ingezet werden om dit onderzoek in goede banen te leiden zijn best wel indrukwekkend. Niet minder dan 36 dames hebben in een MRi-scanner gelegen, waarbij ze onder andere tijdschrift- en tv-beelden te zien kregen. 


Doel? Een antwoord bieden op 3 belangrijke vragen waarmee magazine-uitgevers heel vaak mee worstelen:

• wat is lezer-bladbinding?
• welk effect heeft deze binding op advertenties in dat blad?
• hoe verhouden advertenties in bladen zich tot tv-commercials?

Het bestaan van lezer-bladbinding is namelijk moeilijk te achterhalen, aangezien deze (ook) door onbewuste processen wordt gecreëerd. Dat de relatie tussen een lezer en zijn blad niet enkel gebaseerd is op interesse in een bepaalde categorie/thema is altijd al duidelijk geweest. Waarom zouden er anders zoveel (verschillende) modebladen bestaan? Om maar één voorbeeld te geven. Maar hoe toon je aan dat een magazine een perfecte omgeving biedt voor advertenties? 


Tal van andere onderzoeken bewijzen de meerwaarde van magazines in een (multi) mediaplan: methodologieën à la media mix cases (pdf), onderzoek rond het halo-effect, cases waar traffic of sales gegenereerd werden, ... Toegegeven: deze tools bieden een antwoord op: hebben magazinelezers mijn advertentie wél gezien? En/of: heb ik een veilige investering gemaakt door mijn budget in magazines te steken (ROI-studie)? 


Het Mediabrein daarentegen geeft meer inzicht in de verwerking en de geheugenopslag van printuitingen vs tv-spots. En in tegenstelling tot mijn collega's, ben ik niet verrast door de conclusies: programma-onderbrekingen worden duidelijk als irritant ervaren. Een tv-commercial is weliswaar ‘sexier’ en wekt iets meer begeerte op dan een printadvertentie, maar roept ook meer irritatie op. Denk maar aan je eigen reactie wanneer één en dezelfde spotje 2 à 3 keer je tv-avond onderbreekt. 


"Waar traditioneel onderzoek liet zien dat de eerste TV commercial in een reclameblok de meeste impact heeft, blijkt uit bovengenoemd hersenonderzoek het tegendeel: de eerste TV commercial in een reclameblok is het irritantst" aldus collega David De Boer op het Researchblog.  


Het onderzoek bewijst ook dat lezer-bladbinding gebaseerd is op vertrouwen. Dit vertrouwen straalt af op de inhoud van het blad, inclusief de advertenties, mits deze passen binnen de bladformule (niet zo'n onbelangrijk detail). Doordat printadvertenties vaker aansluiten aan het blad en aan de belevingswereld van (trouwe) lezeressen, worden deze ook beter door het brein verwerkt en opgeslagen. In dat opzicht kan men dus besluiten dat magazines een 'reclamevriendelijke' omgeving bieden aan adverterteerders. 

The Mediabrain - the impact of the reader-magazine relationship proven by brain research

View more presentations from Researchblog

What kind of pasta do you like?

Click on pic to see larger version



What kind of pasta is on your plate? by Charming Italy

Magazine Readers'Expectations

"Readers expect much more from publishers on tablets than two-dimensional content. They expect digital narratives; along with content they can read, watch, touch and share. It means we need to learn to design for eyes and for fingers simultaneously. It means we must change workflows in our newsrooms. It means we must rethink subscription and advertising models. It means we must innovate as never before."

Juan Senor and John Wilpers, editors of 2nd Innovations in Magazines 2011 World Report
(Source: FIPP)

38 years ago: first mobile phone call

According to a lot of posts I've read, the history of cellphones all started back on April 3rd, 1973 when Martin Cooper made the first ever phone call while walking in the streets of New York. As pointed out in this article, there weren't cordless phones at that time. 


Martin Cooper is a man with a great sense of humour: one of his first calls was to his rival at AT&T Bell Labs (Cooper was working for Motorola).

"The battery lifetime was 20 minutes, but that wasn't really a big problem because you couldn't hold that phone up for that long". 

No kidding. At that time, mobile meant you had to carry around a 2 kg 'bricklike' handset. People would have to wait for another 10 years before even thinking of getting one. Oh yes, and the price was some $ 3,995 in 1983 dollars. Let's enjoy together how Motorola promoted their products at the time with this 80s cellphone commercial:

Spotted on Mashable - 10 Hilarious Vintage Cellphone Commercials by Amy-Mae Elliott