Spotlight on the Google Doodle

One of the best things in life is change, and even better, innovation. There is something exciting about  coming to the same place every day and having something new and fresh pop up, just to teach you something, or just to make you smile.

Isn't Google awesome? Their Google Doodles are simply brilliant. By re-configuring their masthead in simple yet fun ways, they keep millions of cyber residents coming back, just to find the answer, not to their random questions which they eventually type into the Google search engine, but to a more burning question - What's today's doodle?

"Having a little bit of fun with the corporate logo by redesigning it from time to time is unheard of at many companies but at Google, it is a part of the brand. While the doodle is primarily a fun way for the company to recognize events and notable people, it also illustrates the creative and innovative personality of the company itself." - Google

The Google user experience is enhanced and user participation is encouraged, with users encouraged to submit doodle proposals to Google. The zipper doodle came out yesterday, celebrating Gideon Sundback, the guy who invented the zipper. Quite a random promotion, I agree, and not a fact I would have been able to blurt out on cue. I bet if you ask anyone today who invented the zipper, more than a few people may be able to at least give you a first name.

Doodle 4 Google also allows students to submit their own Google Doodle - a competition they have been hosting since 2008 - and recognising that "this crop of students will be tomorrow's leaders and inventors".

Google is truly living up to its brand promise of being an innovator, being on trend and being fun. A lot of oodle around the doodle from Google...and users love it.

Check out past Doodles here.

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Has Branding Gone to the Dogs?

Boo and George Stephanopoulos

I am obsessed with Boo. Not just because he is cute as a button, but he is a perfect example of the amazing effects of viral marketing and how it can create buzz and online engagement. Boo is a dog, for crying out loud – but a dog with over 3 million followers on Facebook. He is a social media darling! He simply had a case of knotted hair, needed a buzz-cut and the photo of the result went viral. Now with excellent marketing and promotion, “Boo” has articulated his popularity into a coffee table book, a stuffed replica of himself, appearances on morning talk shows, and endorsements, as well as lent his fame to good causes such as Operation Smile. What’s next for our four legged pal? Movie? The Presidency? Who knows? But Boo is testament to what great content can do for one’s brand. He is the Kardashian of the canine universe! Just way cuter (and less annoying).

If a dog can do it, why can’t your brand?

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Social Media Crib Sheet

Too funny not to share. A great crib sheet for the social media virgins. But all jokes aside, some people may REALLY find this useful. I think I am going to print it and share it at the office.

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Pinterest – Playing with the Big Boys… and Winning

Pinterest fever -
Photo credit: Pinterest

I resisted Pinterest initially as I thought it was pointless. Then I started using it and realised it was a great concept. Here it was, I could not only bookmark “stuff” but I could also bookmark my blog and drive traffic to it. I was a pinner!

Now Pinterest is showing Google and Twitterthat it has the chops to be a major player in the social media space.  

A new study from content-sharing firm Shareaholic has revealed that the social sharing platform Pinterest, which was established less than two years ago, is now the fastest-growing site for referral traffic - (read more...)

Brands can definitely explore the thousands of possibilities from the ability of customers to pin products or content that they like or want, and have their pins, re-pinned, liked and shared across multiple networks.  I will, of course, keep on pinning! Are you pinning yet? And…is your brand pin-worthy?

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Avoiding the Employee Engagement Rubber Rat!

The boring staff meeting

This article about employee town hall meetings where sitting was banned is great. On first reading that line, one might say – what a horrible organisation. However upon closer inspection, you realise that it is not as mean as it may sound.

How often have you been dragged away from your desk and from the productivity the C-Suite keep harping on, to sit in a meeting that drags on for hours? While I am all for engagement and especially where leadership is concerned, some meetings – and note I say, SOME – do not use time effectively, nor do they add value. They simply run the risk of aggravating the audience and in their minds, “wasting time”.

Engagement is important but it should also be effective. Many of us work in a fast-paced environment, and increasingly, our lives shape the way in which we communicate. We now communicate in a world of 140 characters, status updates, and short and succinct videos. Conversations do not always have to be epic. The best messages can get lost in the mire of sluggish corporate speak. The challenge for internal communicators is finding the best way to convey these messages so that 1) they are well received, understood and the receiver has good recall of the message;  2) do not head into the sphere of information overload.

While the rubber rat concept may not work for your organisation, other techniques would be more relevant – be it desktop or mobile video, internal social networking platforms or simply, better structured, better managed face-to-face meetings. 

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Season's Greetings!!!

Have a great holiday season everyone. See you in 2012!!!

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