After reviewing Yahoo’s top searches two week ago, let’s take a look at the results for the world’s most popular search engine, Google. Last week, it released Google Zeitgeist, examining the spirit of the times through popular search terms. 1.2 trillion searches. 146 languages. What did the world search for in 2012? The top trending searches for 2012. By trending, it means growth compared with the previous year. The death of singer Whitney Houston in February topped the world’s trending searches list for 2012, followed by Korean pop sensation, PSY, and his song Gangnam Style, which Google says also became Read More

You might have noticed more companies are trying to engage you by playing a game. In 2009, German-based car company Volkswagen launched its BlueMotion technologies that were part of its environmentally friendly cars. In deciding how to market these cars, Volkswagen’s advertising agency, DDB in Stockholm, believed the easiest way to get more people to drive them was by making it fun. The company set up a competition in which people from across the globe were encouraged to come up with a fun solution to a common problem. It was called ‘The Fun Theory”. To kick off the competition, DDB Read More

We’re all in the business of influencing other people. Whether it’s getting your children to eat their vegetables, or encouraging someone to buy your product, every day we’re trying to get people to do what we want. Listening to a podcast of ‘Freakonomics’, I heard a fascinating way to influence behavior. The story began with the fact that if Americans had to find $2,000 over 30 days for an emergency, most would find it difficult to do. Why? Because they are terrible at saving money. At the same time, they spend a fortune on lottery tickets. Half of people surveyed Read More

You know you’ve made it when MC Hammer wants to share the stage with you at the American Music Awards. And share he did with Korean YouTube sensation, PSY – they went Gangnam-style in front of an appreciative audience. Not sure what I’m talking about? In July this year, Korean artist, PSY, released a song that went viral on YouTube called ‘Gangnam Style’. He’s been traveling the globe ever since performing the catchy song with equally catchy horsey dance. Except for lyric ‘Hey, sexy lady’, the song is in Korean and is apparently a parody of newly rich Koreans aspiring Read More

Imagine you’re planning a holiday. You’ve picked the destination and booked the flight, but haven’t decided on the accommodation. How do you work out where to stay? You might ask friends or go for the well-known options. But most likely, you’ll head online to see what others say. And it’s likely you’ll be swayed by comments from people who have visited your destination and shared their experience. But can you trust these recommendations? Reviews of hotels, books, films, and restaurants increasingly drive consumer decisions. But research suggests up to a third of user reviews are fake – written by stooges, Read More

No doubt you’re aware of the revolution taking place between you and your smartphone. To reinforce how pervasive and all-consuming these devices have become, check out these figures from Time magazine’s poll on mobile use across the globe. 84% of people surveyed in the TIME Mobility Poll said they couldn’t go a single day without their mobile device in hand. 1 in 4 people check their phones every thirty minutes and 1 in 5 check every ten minutes. “It’s hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history with which so many developed so close a relationship Read More

Much has been written about how marketing has changed over the past 15 years because the tools have changed. My question – has marketing really changed? I recently hosted a full day seminar and asked participants what they expected from our time together. I do this to make sure I cover the most requested areas in enough detail. As usual, social media was the top vote getter and as usual, I said we would get to the topic after lunch. Before that, I explained it was important to understand what we at Dinkum call “the foundation”. The foundation is digging Read More

What’s the best way to get someone to like you? Most people assume it’s by doing someone a favor. But it turns out the opposite is true. The best way to get someone to like you is by asking them to do you a favor. Sounds crazy, right? The phenomenon has been labelled the Benjamin Franklin Effect after the American founding father and it’s an increasingly important tool in marketing. When Franklin ran for his second term as clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly, one of his colleagues delivered a long speech to the legislature attacking him. In Franklin’s autobiography, he Read More

If you’re online, then you need to write snappy, engaging, interesting copy. It’s an important part of the business. For many people, facing a blank screen is confronting, even excruciating. If this is you – relax. These six strategies will help get your writing juices flowing. 1. Who are you writing for? Even before your fingers hit the keys, work out who you are writing for. Is it customers? Colleagues? Prospective customers? As Henri Junttila from Wake Up Cloud suggests, “Imagine sitting across from your ideal reader and having a cup of tea. Answer their questions, anticipate their worries, and Read More

At Dinkum, we often ask our clients to write blogs. Blogging is supposed to be pretty free-form and perhaps because of this, people can get stuck at the beginning of the process: what to write about. If I had to choose the single most common impediment for would-be bloggers, it’s not time but ideas. “I don’t know what to write about!” and “What do I have to say that would be interesting to people?” are pretty common. Other good ones include “Does it need to be long?” or “It should be short and easy to read, right?” My answer is Read More