HOTSAUCE INTERACTIVE WINS INTERNATIONAL MOBILE WEB AWARD
The Winning Team (from the left; Ayodeji Shittu, Damola Ogunbambo, Otibho Okharedia, Joshua Riebelle)
Few days ago, we emerged as the winner of ‘Best Advertising Mobile website’ category in the International Mobile Web awards for building a
highly interactive mobile website to host the online community of Golden Penny Foods [make Golden Penny link to www.goldenpennyfoods.com].
The award is sponsored by the Web Marketing Association to recognise the individual and team achievements of Web professionals all over the world. Entries from various digital agencies all over the world were examined by experienced professionals on various judging criteria –Creativity, Design, Interactivity, Impact, and Use of Medium, Content and Ease of Use.
We are humbled by this new achievement and we are glad that our commitment and hard work is being recognised globally.
On many occasions we’ve been called the ‘Best Digital Agency in Nigeria’, ‘No. 1 digital agency in West Africa, others refer to us as the leading innovation company. However, all these only make meaning to us when we’re able to satisfy and deliver best value to our clients’ brands.
We say a big thank you to our client Golden Penny for believing in us to create the online community that has attracted such global recognition.
We pledge to continue to deliver cutting edge digital and interactive solutions to our clients’ brands in 2015.
On behalf of the staff and management of Hotsauce Interactive, we say MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A FANTASTIC NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE.
A perfect definition of ‘’putting ALL eggs in one basket’’ has to be the reliance by some Brands on Facebook and its advertising engagement service. This is not to say Facebook no longer has a high user base, neither is it that brands can no longer reach their respective Target Audience, rather it is because brands will no longer be able to reach this audience through purely organic marketing efforts. Hence, to reach the widest possible audience on the social media site, a large chunk of investment will have to go into more costly Facebook advertising in 2015.
TAKE OUT:
Brands should be ready to significantly increase Facebook spending as from 2015 to give their social engagements better reach.
Current researchindicates rapid growth of visual and video driven social platformsand micro-video platforms with platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Vine leading the way. Even Facebook has in the last 6 months rolled out more direct video advertising usage on its platform to tap into this shift in consumer consumption of content. You can read about it http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/13/facebook-launches-video-ads/While Facebook remains the clear winner in terms of its user base among social networking sites, Instagram experienced the biggest rise in active user members in quarter 2 and 4, 2013- (global web index). With the launch of Instagram in October 2010 the world began to more consciously adopt mobile photo and video sharing sites as the platform racked up 100million monthly active users as at 2012 and currently boasts of over 200million monthly active users. Interesting when you compare this to micro-blogging site Twitter which launched in 2006 and has about 284million monthly active users, it can be seen that Instagram and its emphasis on photo and video sharing is a growth trend.
However this is not the full story as far ensuring sustained success with digital. At HotSauce we also recommend Brands should add other useful consumer engagement components into the mix for best results.
We believe that while social media marketing remains important, it is very essential for brands to embrace Content Marketing as well as Email Marketing.
CONTENT MARKETING
“78% of CMOs around the world believe custom content is the future of marketing” Content marketing is the way to be more relevant with customers. It is how brands create, deliver and govern curated content to attract and retain customers. It is a necessity for brands to remain visible. They have to build their position as thought leaders and attract and retain audience on their content hub.
Content marketing is said to be like ‘’organising a party in your own house and you can party as long as you like with your friends’’. While social media marketing is like ‘’marketing in a village hall, where the owner of the hall can decide to make today alcohol free or party ends at 6pm’’ what can we do?
Custom content can be video driven like the Ndani TVseries by social media pioneer brand Guarantee Trust Bank or online communities like Guinness VIPor the Golden Penny Foods Community which a fast growing online hub for foodies in Nigeria and West Africa.
EMAIL EVOLVES BUT STILL GETS YOU LEADS
Also, brands must take into quick consideration the use of Email marketing.Email marketing helps to build Loyalty, Trust and Awareness. It is worthy of note that one of the most obvious benefits of Email marketing is its lower cost compared to mainstream marketing channels. With Email marketing, brands can directly focus on its current and prospective customers. Email marketing is one of the only channels that consumers ask to receive. The majority of other businesses utilising the platform only send messages to those who have signed up to receive them.
Email marketing is great for driving a ‘Call to action’’. There aren't many other marketing platforms which allow customers to go from witnessing an offer to purchasing an item within clicks of a button. With a tempting call to action and a link straight to the checkout, email newsletters can drive sales way faster than other marketing channels.
Paranoma.net
Some brands currently make use of Email marketing; such brands include Dealdey, Hello food. Dealday with over 100,000 fans on Facebook currently use Emails as their primary marketing channel.
Although Social media marketing is highly ubiquitous and easy to use, it is recommended that brands should not only be dependent on social media marketing alone, but should be ready to explore and leverage on other marketing channels, particularly Email marketing and Content marketing. This way the brand can get more Return On Investment for their digital spend.
Contact HotSauce for how we can help you analyse your requirements and help you make the shift from one track engagement star to ROI Super Star!
HOTSAUCE BREAKS THE RECORD: WINS ‘DIGITAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR AWARD’ FOR THE 3RD TIME IN A ROW
We did it again! We love braces but, we love hat tricks even more.
For the third time in a row, Hotsauce Limited -Nigeria’s leading Digital Marketing Agency has won the ‘Digital Agency of the Year Award’ at the 4th edition of the Marketing World Awards which held on November 4th at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki.
Hotsauce beat four other agencies nominated in the category to win the highly acclaimed award.
The criteria for the award includes how the agency has helped maximise their clients’ marketing programmes in terms of return on investment, scope of operation, client profile & disciplines, new business wins as well as how the agency has played a positive role in the advancement and reputation of the industry during the review period. Clearly no fluke then as HotSauce has continued to live right on the cutting edge of digital marketing by exploring new and better ways of building brands.
In less than four years of existence, we continue to demonstrate our belief in innovation as a way to stay relevant and develop high impact out of the box ideas that fuse creativity, data and technology to deliver rich and positive experiences for consumers.
Big congratulations also to one of our esteemed clients – SAMSUNG MOBILE NIGERIA, winner of the 2014 Marketing World Awards ‘Smartphone Brand of the Year’.
We say a huge and never ending thank you to our highly discerning and ambitious clients, thanks for believing in our crazy out of the box ideas and for letting us handle your precious brands.
Visit our website here www.hotsauce.com.ng for more info about us and how we can help you bring the HotSauce effect on your brands.
See more pictures from the event below
Dayo Adefila, C.O.O. Hotsauce Limited.
From the left: Kunle Shokunbi, Modupe Ogunyemi, Dayo Adefila, Joshua Riebelle and Phebe Okeyinka.
Dayo Adefila and Kunle Shokunbi of Hotsauce Limited
From the left: Phebe Okeyinka, Joshua Riebelle and Kolawole Oyeyemi; GM (Sales and Business Development)MTN Nigeria.
HotSauce Wins Most Outstanding Digital Agency At Cyber Africa Innovations Awards
HotSauce was crowned Most Outstanding Digital Agency at the third edition of the Cyber Africa Innovation Awards held at the Banquet Hall, Sheraton Hotel & Towers Lagos on Sunday 18th May 2014.
At HotSauce we understand that reaching customers online is an integral part of any marketing plan. Whether the goal is to drive sales, deliver a high performing campaign or increase brand recognition.
Cyber Africa Innovation Awards also honored other companies and organizations from different categories. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) walked away with the award for Best Government website, TECNO picked up the Most Innovative Mobile Brand, Vodacom took home the Enterprise Solution Awards, Visafone won the Most Outstanding Mobile Operator Award.
The Cyber Africa Innovation Award formerly known as the Africa Information Society Merit Award is a showcase of the very best innovation in science, technology, and ICT and enterprise.
Enjoy pictures from the event below:
Dr. Bayero Agabi, President & CEO of TMC & Kunle Shokunbi, Head Of Business Development HotSauce
Akin Akinfe, Otibho Okharedia & Kunle Shokubi Of HotSauce
Kunle Shokubi receiving the award for #TeamHotsauce
Akin Akinfe, Otibho Okharedia & Kunle Shokubi Of HotSauce
Time For Story Telling To Take Its Place In Digital Marketing
So if this is such a good thing, why do we have so little of it being expressed via digital, especially in a place like Nigeria where storytelling is a part of the national culture? And I don’t just mean bedtime stories but stories during lunch, on the bus on the way to work, in the elevator, in the queue there is someone regaling someone else with a story that often encourages the bystander to listen in semi-actively and even add their own line or two.
Well I think we just forgot. Digital marketing was new so we got busy designing websites, building apps and buying ads online and we just forgot the power of a good story to create genuine connection with the consumers of our brands. Authenticity is at the heart of what the consumer picks from a good story. Your brand is seen as getting ‘it’. ‘It’ being that the brand understands what makes me tick; the brand is up to date. The consumer basically says: “hey, I love this brand!”
So what makes a great story and how can we use digital platforms as brands in a developing environment like Nigeria?
“Good storytelling is not about a product”
Good storytelling is not about a product. It is usually about values. Something bigger than a shiny new phone or heady new drink that has higher levels of alcohol (not a bad thing by the way!).
Firstly, a good story allows the audience to connect with a greater thought. Like Nike’s storytelling effort with a video called
#MakeitCount, that shows a guy originally asked by Nike to make a movie on #Makeitcount but he decides instead to travel the world with his friend, Max. They keep going till the money runs out. They do it in 10 days and they end up producing a video record of some pretty awesome experiences along the way as he is shown running every now and then (of course running, yes nothing wrong with slipping in some brand exposure in just the right dose, ok?) Useful quotes by Marilyn Monroe and Abraham Lincoln are sprinkled throughout the video. Get up and go basically. The video has racked up over 10m views.
Secondly, a key component of good storytelling effort is that stories are supposed to inspire and motivate. It’s not going to work if you just try to create a standard TV commercial professing the best features of your product. That’s a story about your brand. Not something the audience can deeply care about.
On one of our projects HotSauce delved in this direction by tapping into a global literary phenomenon called #1000words and used it as a foundation in developing an engagement story for Samsung Mobile.
The whole idea was for people to imagine a day without technology and express their thoughts in #1000words. A day without technology considering the average Nigerian ‘Netizen’ spends close on 4 hours online (across devices).
It sounded scary especially for the young content driven generation. And so they responded in their thousands with entries. Expressing their fears and their joy with technology. A blogger who participated cried, “I feel pain already, and it’s just 8:30 a.m. how I’m I supposed to survive the day?\"
Thousands of votes later, 3 winners emerged with a better appreciation for their technology dependent state of being. Not
a bad thing though since great technology also enhances human living, something at the heart of innovation efforts by Samsung globally.
“A Nigerian ‘Netizen’ spends close on 4 hours”
The third component… there really are no rules to telling a story but it needs to be something people can relate to your brand or company vision or reason for being. Aha… if you did not know clearly what your company vision was, well, trying storytelling
quickly brings that out and everyone from the brand management team to the agency team quickly re-immerse themselves in the core purpose of their brand.
The fourth thing is to be real. Trying to do perfect productions usually means the audience can spot the made up part as if they could see the Director yelling “places everyone”. “…be real…”
The fifth point… (well I had to add a fifth so you can really take this seriously) is to be original. So we have a great example of storytelling by Redbull and the Stratos ‘thing’. Do you want to take your brand to the edge of space too? Maybe try the Nebulae system then. So you have to look into the heart of your brand or company and bring out the essence. That is what you share in a way the audience can relate to.
The sixth point – co-create. Advertising folk can stretch that to making babies but no, I mean invite the audience to create the story along with you or to be part of it in some way or another. Your story is also their story.
The seventh and final point- use social media effectively. Leverage on your loyal influencers, share, invite feedback, discuss, engage don’t just post. Use Facebook and all platforms that your audiences enjoy.
The best stories are after all, those we get a chance to participate in and shape.
Authored by HotSauce Nigeria, culled from thenetworkone: Africa
Former South African Nelson Mandela President Dies At 95
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities and led his continent into a new era, has died at age 95.
South African President Jacob Zuma confirmed the news:
"He is now resting. He is now at peace," Zuma said. "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father."
Mr Mandela, who was 95, will get a state funeral and national flags will be lowered to half mast, said Mr Zuma.
He had been receiving medical treatment for the last three years and for the last six months has been critically ill.
The anti-apartheid icon served as South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999, after spending 27 years in the notorious Robben Island prison.
Madiba – as he was affectionately known by many in South Africa – was released in 1990 and went on to guide his country to democracy, bringing an end to white minority rule.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “A great light has gone out in the world.
“Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time. I’ve asked for the flag at No10 to be flown at half-mast.”
Mandela’s death comes months after his 95th birthday on July 18, which his foundation, various charities and businesses vowed to celebrate with a nationwide day of service that includes painting schools, handing out food and books, and running a 41-mile relay marathon in the spirit of Mandela's 67 years of activism and public work.
Nelson Mandela is survived by his wife, Graca Machel, his former wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and three daughters Pumla Makaziwe, Zenani and Zindziswa Mandela.
HotSauce Scoops Digital Agency of the year at the Marketing World Awards 2013 SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!
Hotsauce was crowned Digtal Agency of the Year at the 3rd Marketing World Awards held at Intercontinental Hotel Victoria Island Lagos on Friday 8th November 2013.
It has been a wonderful year so-far and we have grown significantly; with strong new client relationships, new team members, and we have also put out high-quality work on behalf of our clients.
We want to say a big thank you to the MWA organizing
committee, our highly esteemed clients for having confidence in our crazy ideas and ability to deliver continually for their businesses, and also the other agencies who were nominated in our category.
Enjoy pictures from the event below:
Oni Bolawa Opeyemi and Carol Ofem
Ikeh Chidi and Chinedu Abili-Mordi
Femi Adegbemiro, Okeyinka Adesewa and Kunle Shokunbi
#TeamHotsauce
#TeamHotsauce with the Chairman Troyka Holding, Biodun Shobanjo
BBM now officially available for Samsung Customers in Africa
Image credit: blackberry.com
The demand for BBM on Android and BBM on iPhone continues to grow, according to Blackberry about six million people signed up for information about BBM at BBM.com.
To manage the demand for BBM, Blackberry is implementing a simple line-up system to ensure a smooth roll out.
Here’s the roll out details from BlackBerry:
Download BlackBerry Messenger for Android or iPhone
Once you install the app, open it, and enter your email address to hold your spot in line
Blackberry will email you as soon as you reach the front of the line and can start using BBM
Samsung launches smartphone with curved display screen
image credit: technodify
Samsung Electronics, the world's best-selling smartphone maker, has launched a handset with a curved display screen.
Called the Galaxy Round, the smartphone will feature a 5.7in (14.5cm) display.
Digital display technology has been progressing towards curved screens. Both Samsung and LG already offer curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED) television sets.
Samsung said the curved screen display would help consumers use some of the features on the phone, including those that enable users to check information such as date, time and missed calls when home screen is off, with more ease.
At the same time, users can also change music tracks on their phone, even while its display is off.
The Galaxy Round will initially be launched only in South Korea. The firm gave no indication of its plans for a global launch.
'Internet of Things'
The global smartphone market has been growing rapidly.
According to research firm CCS Insight, worldwide smartphone sales will hit nearly one billion in 2013 - accounting for more than half the total of 1.7 billion mobile phones sold.
As as result, smartphone manufacturers have been keen to offer new products to win consumers.
With display technology moving towards flexible and bendy screens, it is one area that companies have been looking at.
Some analysts said that while the initial offering of curved-screen phones may not see huge sales, the segment of flexible displays was one to keep an eye on.
"These phones may not be a game-changer today, but they are definitely an indication of things to come," Manoj Menon, managing director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, told the BBC.
"Flexible displays have a huge role to play as the market place for 'internet of things' grows."
This refers to the idea that many things in homes or offices - not just typical computers - will soon be connected to the internet.
The sector is tipped by many to be a major industry in the near future.
Mr Menon said that as flexible screens became more advanced and cost-effective to make, it was likely to speed up growth in the sector.
Failed smartphone maker BlackBerry has agreed to sell itself to Canadian financiers for less than $5 billion, ending one of the most spectacular declines in recent tech history.
BlackBerry shares had fallen below $8.25 before trading was halted ahead of the announcement of the Fairfax deal. The deal would take BlackBerry private. Fairfax CEO Prem Watsa — who resigned from BlackBerry’s board last month over “potential conflicts” as the company explored a possible sale — said that the future of BlackBerry lies with “secure enterprise solutions,” in keeping with the company’s stated plans last week to move away from the consumer market.
BlackBerry’s demise happened alongside the arrival of the iPhone and the smartphone revolution that followed, though the decline did not take hold immediately. In mid-2008, nearly a year after the iPhone was released, BlackBerry shares — then trading as Research in Motion — peaked at an adjusted high of $147.55, a price that today would have valued the company at more than $77 billion.
At the time, investors clearly would never have believed that the company that had pioneered mobile messaging would essentially commit corporate suicide through misstep after misstep, never figuring out how to hold onto the market it had nearly single handedly created. As late as 2009, BlackBerry still dominated among U.S. smartphone subscribers, and even in 2010, it led iOS and Android by a sliver. By this summer, BlackBerry’s share of the worldwide market had fallen to the low single digits.
Once BlackBerry goes private, its survival will only really matter to its workers and the corporate and government clients who continue to use the platform. But the company won’t likely sink into anonymity entirely: Its implosion will loom as a nightmare to haunt the dreams of tech CEOs whose companies’ heydays have long since passed.
BlackBerry Suspends Roll-out of BBM for Android and iOS (Update)
Image credit: BlackBerry
Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.
As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone.
BREAKING NEWS: BBM for Android and iphone available from 21st Sept
That’s right BBM fans — the iconic mobile social network will begin rolling out for Android and iPhone customers around the world from September 21. Soon, you’ll be able to easily connect with friends on different platforms. As you may know BBM was previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, and it will be available as a free download in Google Play and the App Store.
BBM for Android and iPhone features:
BBM Chat – Enjoy real, immediate conversations with friends on android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. Not only does BBM let you know that your message has been delivered and read, it also shows you that your friend is responding to the message.
More than chat – With BBM you can share files on your phone such as photos and voice notes, all in an instant.
Keep your group in the loop – Multi-person chats are a great way to invite contacts to chat together. BBM Groups lets you invite up to 30 friends to chat together, and go a step further than multi-chat by sharing photos and schedules. And, with Broadcast Message, you can send a message out to all your BBM contacts at once.
Post Updates and stay in the know – BBM lets you post a personal message, profile picture and your current status, and lets your contacts know instantly in Updates.
Your unique PIN – Every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains your privacy, so you don’t have to give out your phone number or email address to a new or casual contact.
BBM gives you a private social network for active, real conversations and it has more than 60 million customers on BlackBerry alone. The overwhelming majority use BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Messages on BBM are typically read within seconds, reflecting how truly engaged BBM customers are.
It’s immediate. BBM is always on so you are always connected. And because messages on BBM are typically delivered and read within seconds, it’s the closest thing to a live conversation.
You trust it. BBM always tells you that messages are delivered and read. BBM conversations come alive on a private network you can count on.
You control it. BBM allows you to choose your contacts and how you share your information. BBM uses a PIN so you don’t have to give anyone your phone number or email address.
In a recent press release, Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President for BBM at BlackBerry said:
“BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalize and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications. With more than a billion Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones in the market, and no dominant mobile instant messaging platform, this is absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android and iPhone customers.”
Availability
BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22. For more information, or to download BBM for Android or iPhone, visit www.BBM.com.
BBM will continue to evolve quickly. Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you. By creating a Channel, individuals and brands can engage their friends and communities in conversations sparked by their thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a Channel will let you join conversations with people who share your interests. In addition, BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling are planned for availability for Android and iPhone in a future version.
Excited about getting BBM on your Android or iPhone? Let us know in the comments and spread the word to your friends.
Trends are basically whats hot within a specific period of time, these trends change all the time, lets face it most of us don’t remember trends from last year. Lets do a quick run on some of the trends of today.
Today's youth are totally crazy about groups (tribes), they want to start a cause or be part of a cause, they want to lead and at the same time they are ready to follow. Young people today are no longer waiting for permission to speak, and they intend to be heard! They speak up on social, moral and even political issues. Social media as well as other new media have broken down barriers creating a new reality; Platforms like twitter and Naira land have provided a 24-hour forum/newsreel for anyone with social, political or “notice me by force”ambitions.
In today's world On-the-go is a way of life, information is everything and really nobody wants to be ignorant or left behind. Mobility is no longer just about convenience; consumers crave information, entertainment and services at the touch of a button wherever they are. Mobile apps and mobile browsing is what consumers are into now, anything outside that is old school; even with low end devices consumers can enjoy Facebook and also surf the net. In Nigeria 67% of consumers use mobiles as either their primary or exclusive means of going online.
Card is the new cash! With CBN’s (Central Bank Of Nigeria) cashless policy phase two in place consumers are more dependent on their ATMs, mobile banking, and debit cards, making these items even more prominent in people’s lives. Cards have become some sort of accessory you can’t do without...scary right?
Social Entrepreneurs are taking over digital space! With the increase in access to social media and new media, there’s a more direct access to consumers. Bloggers and twitter influencers (e.g. Linda Ikeji, Bella Naija, Olorisupergal) can create value and generate income from the comfort of their homes. A lot of young people are quitting their jobs and joining the trend, i’m not recommending you quit yours though.
Vlogging is the new big thing; youths spend a lot of time online watching short videos and going through photos, rather than reading.
There will therefore be a need for brands to share more brand experiences and product launches through short videos and photos, so that it will be fun and easy for young people to understand. People just want to enjoy and share fun stuff, or basically any kind of information with their peers.
An Intense Work-Out at the Annual Creative Tai Chi
The Creative Tai Chi annual workshop is an ancient martial art form put together by The Newton Project Room (TNPR) to help peeps from different disciplines in the creative/marketing communication field align their thought patterns while letting their imagination roam wild.
A total of fifteen companies, five clients, a full class of 30 people delegates, a stella line up of facilitators including Kola Oyeyemi of MTN, Kelechi Nwosu of TBWA\Concept and our very own Olaseinde Alex-Oni of HotSauce.
Akin Adeshola (TNPR)giving a presentation at the Creative Tai chi
We put together a session on “The connected experience-making sense of the digital space”, with a view to equip participants and also give them a little insight into our digital recipe. Since digital marketing is still very new in this part of the world, the participants had a lot of questions and Mr Olaseinde Alex-Oni was on ground to drop knowledge.
@OlaCode, Head of Interactive Media at Hotsauce giving a presentation at creative Tai chi
The creative Taichi is an amazing programme that a lot of people can benefit from, especially for those who are passionate about brand communication and HotSauce is glad to be a part of it... see you guys again next year.
That seems to be the trend these days with super sophisticated technology calmly intersecting with consumer passions to create cool wearable tech. We know what you’re thinking, wearable tech? What is that about? Wearable technology, tech togs, or preferably “fashion electronics” are clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies.
The concept or vision for wearable devices or tech is to interweave technology into everyday life, making technology pervasive and interaction frictionless. We think the success of wearable devices won’t be technology but fashion. The idea behind these gadgets are fantastic no doubt but we believe consumers won’t wear devices that are obnoxious or garner the wrong kind of attention, because once you put a device on your body, it becomes an expression of who you are.
The future for wearable devices is really bright, there is a huge market of early adopters, who will rush to buy any new gadget. For the rest of us, the device has to provide real functional value, or it has to be perceived as so cool, so that it’s worth the investment.
Wearable gadgets are, in a word, are accessories, which mean the tech industry needs to get women on board; they are early adopters and incredible influences, especially when it comes to fashion and lifestyle. we see a future were tech companies form partnerships with fashion brands like Gucci to create amazing products. Just like fashion, if framed in the the right way and endorsed by the right people, a device can become a trend.
We totally believe wearable tech is the future, and we are excited just imaging what comes next, what would it be? Shoes that have our specific digital print, t-shirts that show how we feel on the inside by projecting our emotions, socks that regulates body heat...we don’t know, that's just us rolling the Nostradamus dice.
With gadgets like the Google Glass and the Samsung Galaxy Gear, we believe that someday we’ll all be walking around with tech embedded in our bodies.
BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN GEEKY and Uber Cool:
The Samsung Galaxy Gear:
The Galaxy Gear is a glanceable notification device (A super awesome watch) that integrates beautifully with Samsung smart phones, The Gear informs you of incoming calls, text messages and all other alerts. It represents a fresh beginning in the never-ending quest to marry consumer interests with wearable technology.
Google Glass:
Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) developed by Google. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.
Taking Brand Content Social: SamsungNX300 Camera Goes Guerrilla On The Streets of Lagos
Samsung Electronics West Africa, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Company Limited launched its latest compact system camera (CSC), the NX300.
The brief to us was pretty simple:
Create highly engaging content to emphasize the NX300 features & benefits
Use above content to connect meaningfully with target audience
The Solution:
Engage budding photographers around the country in an offline/online activity tagged the “The Samsung NX300 Guerrilla challenge”.
Execution:
We used strategic social media (Instagram + Twitter) to reach TA (Pro photographers, aspiring photographers,etc); they were asked to submit their best photographs to enter the competition. Twenty applicants made it through the first phase and at the end of a screening process 10 contestants made the final cut.
Photographers from the NX300 Challenge
The NX300 Guerrilla Challenge went down on Saturday 27th July, 2013 at 3 locations within the Lagos Metropolis, #Ikeja, #Surulere and #VictoriaIsland and all the 10 contestants had 20 minutes ‘shoot out’ on Lagos streets using the Samsung NX300 camera.
A lot of great shots were taken; pictures of people, landscapes, buildings, and major land marks...i think Kelechi Amadi will be very proud.
Selected images from the Guerrilla Challenge and profiles of all participants were uploaded to an official web site for contestants, fans, viewers to share the pix and vote who they felt had the best angle. To view and share the pictures, visit www.samsungcamerang.com/nx300
Some #NX300Challenge shots. Go to www.samsungcamerang.com/nx300 to see more!
Lots of buzz was generated online by the contestants and fans of the contestants
Fans + Contestants shared and tweeted and Re-tweeted the content on Twitter + Instagram.
After rigorous campaigning and aggressive social media attention, Joseph Elliot of ElliSoft studios emerged as winner and was rewarded for his creativity and originality.
Needless to say, the NX300 Challenge created a lot of awareness and lots of consideration for the NX300 Camera, especially from aspiring photographers and photography buffs.
The two day Google agency training is over and Hotsauce is glad to have been a part of it. It was awesome getting a peak into souped up new features in existing Google products and how they can help boost businesses.
Since brands are re-evaluating their presence in this fast-growing digital space, we marketers are trying to lock down exactly how to take advantage of all the benefits Google offers.
Hotsauce and a few other digital marketing agencies around Lagos got together at the Google office in Ikoyi, where Google representatives gave us insights into the multi-million-dollar question: How Can Google+ help push brands? but ofcourse we agency folks were more interested in how we can monetize...and they also helped out with that.
Cross section of agency people paying close attention in class *holds laugh*
One thing is clear brands should embrace a holistic digital strategy that does not concentrate on only one platform, brands can also connect with consumers online using Google plus and Youtube. Having a strong presence on Google+ drives discovery of brand content, which is the first step in connecting with users and potential customers online. By regularly posting engaging and informative content on Google+, a brand can impact how easily users find that content in Google search results and on YouTube.
We also gathered that there are over 190 million monthly active global users, which means Google+ represents an opportunity for brands to reach a considerable audience through carefully targeted content. 390 million monthly active users take social actions across Google every day...and for the question of how many users are Nigerians? Ofcourse we asked Google for a figure and their response was “well that information is confidential” weird right?
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade (A Google huncho representative) dropping info bombs
Day 2 at Google was more of a practical and interactive session, participants were divided into groups to come up with solutions for a phantom client. The whole idea was to get participants to engage with one another and also use Google solutions to solve problems. It was a hard battle as different groups tried to best each other, everyone presented their ideas and at the end; the judges confirmed Group 3 as the winner.
Remi Dada (A Google representative) one of the judges for the competition
The main event of the entire training was the the Google+ Hangouts, the reps at Google simulated a hangout and gave participants a play by play on how to set up hangouts for clients. On-Air Hangouts allow brand managers to have face-to-face interactions with followers and it also gives your brand the ability to initiate a meaningful conversation with potential customers by bringing personal interaction with them to the web.
Lanre is Setting up for the Google Hang out
Q&A sessions after the Hangout
Lunch at Google was great, i would definitely recommend a +1
Olaseinde Alex-Oni (@olacode) of HotSauce with a soon to be trademarked pose after the hangout
A group shot of some participants and Google reps
To round up we must say the whole experience was awesome and Hotsauce is keen on re-activating its love for the Google bug. Brands may not know it yet but thanks to improving bandwidth and its inherent sharing functionalities, Google+ will eventually turn into an integral part of our online experience...so be the first to +1
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