Do You Social Network?

The number of ads on Facebook has rocketed by a third in the last year as marketers increasingly look to harness the world’s largest social networking site.

According to ComScore data, Facebook served 19.7bn ads in the UK during May 2010, up from 11.8bn a year before. Traditional brand advertising is driving growth, led by the likes of Virgin Group, Telefonica Europe and Quick Credit Score.

The figures cement Facebook’s position as the biggest online advertising platform in the country, serving almost four times more ads than second-placed Microsoft Sites (4.7bn). Google Sites, eBay and Yahoo Sites complete the top five, with 2.68bn, 2.71bn and 2.4bn ads in the month respectively.

The findings come as the world’s largest advertisers, including Procter & Gamble and Unilever, commit to increasing digital spend in general and on social media in particular. Facebook is preparing to launch a location-based app that will enable users to receive personalised information and advertising based on their current surroundings.

Speaking at the Cannes Ad Festival last month, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, said: “It’s a really important area, but it’s also a very sensitive one, so we want to make sure we get it right. We’re working on it. We’re pretty close, we’re happy with what we’re getting to.”

Personalised Phone Gadgets

More than a billion mobile phone connections have been added to the global tally in just 18 months, according to Wireless Intelligence; bringing the world wide total to more than five billion connections.

In many regions, penetration exceeds 100%, where there is more than one connection per person in the country. Ben Wood, mobile phone analyst at CCS Insight said the mobile phone may be “the most prolific consumer device on the planet”.

“If you just take the UK in 1987, when the first mobile companies launched, an industry insider predicted a maximum of 10,000 phones…Now almost every adult, child and domestic pet seems to have one, given that 30 million phones are sold every year in the UK,” he said.

With so many of the things, using promotional mobile phone accessories as upmarket marketing tools may not be a bad idea. Gift Selection in conjunction with Gadgets2order can supply practically any personalised phone accessory you can think off.

In their new brochure you will find a branded iPhone case, this plastic hard case can have a full colour print, with a great print area to maximise your design. Another new product is the ‘G Dock’, which is manufactured from recycled cardboard and combines the functionality of a multi-purpose docking station or phone stand with a large 4 colour process for advertising space.

My favourite ‘up market’ gadget is a ‘grippy’ phone holder which is suitable for al mobiles; it has an integral card reader/USB hub and charging adapters for iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia and Sony Erikson phones.

Contact their friendly team for more information!

Personalised Coins

Are you one of those characters who get’s up at the crack of dawn, scouring beaches with their metal detectors, only to find loose change and a ring pull?

Well Dave Crisp, from Devizes in Wiltshire has found one of the largest ever finds of Roman coins in Britain has been made by a man using a metal detector. The hoard of more than 52,000 coins dating from the 3rd Century AD was found buried in a field near Frome in Somerset.

The coins were found in a huge jar just over a foot (30cm) below the surface by “I have made many finds over the years, but this is my first major coin hoard,” he said. After his metal detector gave a “funny signal”, Mr Crisp says he dug down 14in before he found what had caused it. “I put my hand in, pulled out a bit of clay and there was a little Radial, a little bronze Roman coin. Very, very small, about the size of my fingernail.”

Somerset County Council Heritage Service now hope the coroner will declare the find as treasure. That would allow the Museum of Somerset to acquire the coins at market value with the reward shared by Mr Crisp and the land owner.

If you feel a bit cheesed of because you haven’t found a hoard of treasure, you may appreciate some branded chocolate coins. Branded chocolate coins are a fun promotional idea, which can either be fully bespoke, or can be selected from a wide range of existing coin shapes.

Let the friendly team know over at Gift Selection and Sweets2order if you want more fun promotional confectionery ideas.

Top Slogans

We see a lot of slogans and catchphrases branded onto products, some great, others not so great. It was interesting to see this year’s Adslogan’s annual shortlist:

The full list of this year’s contenders:

• The last place you want to go - Dixons, M&C Saatchi
• Let’s colour - Dulux, Euro RSCG London
• Bursting with berryness - Ribena, M&C Saatchi
• Why Britain loves curry - Patak’s, JWT London
• Motion & Emotion - Peugeot, Euro RSCG Paris
• For ladies that crunch - Ryvita, Grey London
• I’d go Directgov - Directgov, MCBD
• The game is just the start - Sony PlayStation 3, TBWA London
• Every dessert deserves a squirt - Anchor, CHI & Partners
• Write the future - Nike, Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam
• Find the strength - Victim Support, MWO
• There’s method in the Magners - Magners, The Red Brick Road
• Be Stupid - Diesel, Anomaly
• We care because our name’s on it - Warburtons, RKCR/Y&R
• Power to you - Vodafone, Santos Argentina
• It’s great in the middle - Clover, Grey London
• Here for good - Standard Chartered, TBWA Singapore
• Let’s go - Shell, JWT London
• Smell like a man, man - Old Spice, Wieden & Kennedy Portland
• Quality you’d expect at prices you wouldn’t - Waitrose Essential, MCBD

The nominated slogans have to have appeared for the first time since 1 May 2009, and a panel of judges will determine the top three. The panel is made up of representatives from advertising and creative agencies throughout the UK.

Last year’s AdSlogan winner was VCCP’s catchphrase ‘Simples’ for Comparethemarket.com, followed by Lynx Bullett’s ‘Pocket pulling power’ by Bartle Bogle Hegarty New York. In third place was Wall’s ‘We only select the best bits’ by Beattie McGuinness Bungay.

Facebook Fans

If you think your online marketing is going well, you could probably still learn a thing or two from Lady Gaga, who has become the first living person to have more than 10 million fans on Facebook with her tally standing at 10,673,476 (5 July).

According to new research by online site Famecount, the star recently overtook Barack Obama (9,824,885) to claim the number one spot. Despite setting the new record, she’s still only in sixth place overall. Above her are Texas Hold ‘em Poker, Michael Jackson, Mafia Wars, Facebook and the US TV show Family Guy.

Surprisingly I don’t even make the top ten. Daniel Dearlove from Famecount said: “Lady Gaga has seen her fan base across Facebook more than double this year and is currently the fastest growing star; “Achieving 10 million fans is a remarkable testament both to her stardom and to Facebook’s extraordinary reach.”

Pop-Up Shops

We love wacky branding ideas; guerilla marketing that stops and smacks you in the face (not literally). That’s why I was pleased to hear that Unilever is planning to open a number of Marmite pop-up shops as it looks to establish the brand’s positioning in new areas.

Last year Marmite opened a limited-edition pop-up shop on Regent Street, and is now set to launch new pop-up shops in 2011.Matt Burgess, managing director of the brand, admitted it is plotting further launches:

“We are looking at 2011 and it is under serious consideration. But it needs to be slightly different than before. It needs to be a new location, unusual location and bespoke.”

The pop-up shop in London was open seven days a week and stocked more than 100 Marmite-inspired promotional products. Marmite if you’re listening, Gift Selection can supply you with a full range of branded items!

Branded Seeds!

The US Supreme Court has made the controversial decision to allow the bio-tech company Monsanto, to sell genetically modified seeds before safety tests are completed.

Environmentalists had argued that there might be a risk of cross-pollination between genetically modified plants and neighbouring crops. They also argued over-use of the company’s weed-killer Roundup, the chemical treatment the alfalfa is modified to be resistant to, could cause pollution of ground water and lead to resistant “super-weeds”.

Monsanto make alfalfa, a grass like plant used as animal feed, which is the fourth most valuable crop in the US. Monsanto says claims its products were dangerous amounted to “bad science fiction with no support on the record”.

You may be wondering what the devil all this has to do with promotional products; well not a great deal, but you may not be aware that Ecoproducts2order offers branding bags of seeds (that are GM free). Branded bags of seeds, are a great low cost promotional item, that can be used as an innovative mailing idea.

Branded bags of seeds is just one unusual item that ecoproducts2order can offer, call their friendly team of promotion experts today to discuss your next promotional marketing campaign.

Feeling Fruity?

The Fruit-Pack from Sweets2order promises a great deal of summer freshness. The delicious fruit puree provides natural refreshment in the summer flavours strawberry, banana or passion fruit and creates likeable, high attention-grabbing value.

The promotional Fruit-Pack is approximately 20cm in length, and comes in a hygienic protection packet that can be opened easily, thanks to its optimised tear strip, which enables the fruit puree to be simply squeezed out of the aroma pack.

Whether enjoyed as sorbet straight out of the freezer or non-cooled, the fruity contents always taste delicious anywhere. The packets can be customised with a full colour digital print, for minimum orders of 1,050 pieces.

Sweets2order doesn’t just provide promotional confectionery, it has a great range of complimentary items, such as drinks and as well unusual promotional items like the Fruit-Pack.

If only I could guarantee the weather will be as summery…

Continued Environmental Concerns

US President Barack Obama has called on his party and supporters to back a “new future” of clean energy.

Visiting areas affected by the BP oil spill, he said the full resources of government were being used, with 17,500 National Guard soldiers available. BP’s US head, Lamar McKay, is to return to Congress shortly for further questioning.

Oil has been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico since a drilling rig it leased exploded and sank in April. The company has put the cost of the clean-up to date at $1.6bn (£1bn).  Mr Obama has been touring Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, on his fourth visit to the region since the spill.

He promised Americans living on the Gulf of Mexico that their beaches would be restored to pristine condition, vowing that he would bring full force to bear on BP to pay for the damage from oil pollution. He is due to put his demands to BP executives when he meets them face to face for the first time on Wednesday.

Remember if your business shares the planet’s environmental worries, and would rather market itself using eco friendly promotional products, then contact the friendly team over at Ecoproducts2order.

Queuing for an Ipad?

Have you got an iPad yet? I must admit I didn’t think Apple’s latest device would be as popular as it is, with stores sold out throughout the UK.

At the recent Apple convention, Steve Jobs reiterated that over two million iPads have been sold since its April launch (in the US), which amounted to one being sold every three seconds. He also said that in 65 days, users had downloaded over five million books equaling two and a half books per device.

It can’t be long before a range of promotional products become available for the new iPad, and when they do, the friendly team here at Gift Selection & Gadgets2order will be the first to offer them.

Don’t forget we can currently supply a great range of high tech promotional products, that are ideal for bringing your brand into the 21^st century.