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

View more presentations from Vanessa Sanctorum