The five brands that missed out on cashing in from the Six Nations

So, following a three-day hangover west of Offa's Dyke (and in some parts east of it too), some business bosses are deaf from the ringing cash tills and can't move for money following a non-stop buying spree to celebrate the Grand Slam.
Brands like Brains are now past masters at making hay from Welsh victories and were straight off the blocks with some viral ads calling for a Bank Holiday and telling the English to be quiet because we have a hangover.
But hang your heads in shame the following companies, who could of ching-ching cashed-in on the glorious achievement:-

Alka Seltzer. An audience of tens of thousands were milling around Cardiff on Sunday and Monday mornings with the mother of all hangovers. So why wasn’t the ‘premier’ hangover cure being handed out on the streets of the city -or at least being offered at a special price in shops up and down the land?

Warburton's. It's an obvious one for the Bolton-based bakery, isn't it? Use your loaf - partner with Sam. You could even bring out a special product called...wait for it...BREAD OF HEAVEN!

Norton antivirus (or any similar antivirus software). Dear Norton, sign up Dan Lydiate for your next TV ad as the world's top tackler is the sort of robust role model you want to be associated with. You can see it now "Hello, I'm Dan Lydiate and nothing gets past me...just like Norton antivirus!"

Red32 - the casino company. Red wins - every time! They should have offered free play on the roulettes by choosing Red only.

And finally..
Visit England. Two of the greatest rugby players in the world right now are English. What better way to extol the virtues of the nation of the Rose than a campaign highlighting this fact. Oh, hold on a minute. Those world beating players were born in England, but they play for....Wales! Oh dear.

Bear in mind though, they are English-based companies, so they probably don't understand about rugby.

Now the money men are integrated, will TV companies FINALLY realise the power of TAMi?

For some time now I have been an advocate of traditional media adopting a multimedia audience measurement policy. I have bored-to-death many a TV and newspaper executive with my insistence that they need to shout about the number of people they are speaking to in-the-round, as opposed to reel out the same one-sided measurement systems such as BARB and newspaper sales or circulations.

I always knew that the powers that be would only truly start to take notice when the people that pay their bills -i.e. ad men and women - also started using a more unified measurement system.

Well, I am delighted to report (via the New York Times) that Group M, the largest media buying group in the World, is now doing exactly that. They have teamed up with Neilsen Ratings to develop a measurement which tracks the effectiveness of TV advertising in the online world.

The “cross-platform campaign ratings” will apply the same metrics that ad buyers and sellers are used to through tele media buying to the crazy world of websites and mobile video. Full details on this link to NYT blog.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/new-nielsen-ratings-to-measure-tv-and-online-ads-together/

It's what NBC has been doing with programmes for a while with its TAMi (Total Audience Measurement index) and the likes of the Financial Times are starting to do with their products.

And we all know, what the ad man wants...the ad man gets.

The truth is, an overall index like this ENHANCES the value of all the output. It doesn't make the TV output look worse, it makes it look stronger. Also, for minority or niche broadcasters, reporting the total sum of people that engage with you (whether that be on TV, radio, the web or social networks) does justice to your company. It shows how strong you really are.

This is what I have been saying for a while, Glad to see the overpaid ad men have finally joined my party...just hope they have brought enough champers for me!

Cymdeithas yr Iaith and Jeremy Hunt - potential bedfellows?

Cymdeithas yr Iaith a Jeremy Hunt - Briodas o'r nefoedd?

(English translation below)

Rhybydd: Dyma'r brawddeg mor anghrediniol dwi wedi ysgrifennu erioed. Ond mae'n wir!

Mae'n anodd i gredu, ond mae Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg a Jeremy Hunt yn rhannu yr un breuddwyd. Hefyd, mae'r waith DCMS yn wneud ar hyn o bryd yn agor y drws tuag dyfodol disglair Cymdeithas yr Iaith.

Gadewch i mi egluro. Mae'r cyfan yn digwydd yn y byd cyfryngau lleol. Mae gan Mr Hunt breuddwyd, fel Martin Luther King. Breuddwyd Mr Hunt yw gweld sianeli teledu lleol yn lawnsio ac i rhoi llais newydd i gymunedau; llais mae llawer wedi colli ar ol doriadau mewn cynnwys rhanbarthol gan ITV a'r BBC.

Mae'n gwybod fod rhaid consortiwm o cwmniau lleol ddod at ei gilydd neu fod rhaid i amrywiaeth o leisiau lleol yn ymddangos ar yr sianel er fod yn llwydianus. Roedd Mr Hunt hefyd yn gwbl glir fod 'na siawns i bobl creu rhaglenni Saesneg a Cymraeg. Mae e'n gweld hyn fel cyfle i rywun yn creu cystadleuaeth yn erbyn S4C.

Felly, dwedwch croeso wrth Cymdeithas yr Iaith. Hefyd yn anhapus efo'r 'hen' S4C ac yn galw am S4C newydd, mae nhw wedi sefydlu wasanaeth teledu ar-lein eu hunain. Mae 'na ymateb da ymhlith y 'twittersphere'.

Mae'n teledu difr ac yn perthnasol - y cerddoriaeth yn arbennig. Dim lot yn bod efo'r darllediad o gwbl a 'dyn nhw ddim yn wario filoedd o bunnau ar y peth. Mae'n dod o gymunedau Cymru ar gyfer pobl Cymru. Wrth gwrs, mae Cymdeithas yn defnyddio'r amser i rhoi eu barn ar bethau, ond 'dyn nhw ddimn yn wneud lot of 'tubthumping'. Ewch i www.sianel62.com i weld y sianel.

Felly, dyma grŵp o bobl leol yn ceisio creu teledu lleol a gweinidog y Llywodraeth sydd yn hapus dros ben i gefnogi grwpiau o'r fath. Mae'n ymddangos yn naturiol felly bod y cam nesaf ar gyfer 62 Sianel yw gwneud yn ymddangos mewn rhyw ffurf neu'i gilydd ar y trwyddedau teledu lleol ar gyfer Abertawe a Chaerdydd.

Trwy ysgrifennu hyn, dwi'n awgrymu fod Bedfellows yw Cymdeithas a Jeremy Hunt. Rhywbeth a dylai rhoi gwallt llwyd ar ben Bethan Williams, Jeremy Hunt a llawer o bobl eraill, siwr a fod!

Ond, dwi ddim yn gallu gweld unrhyw problem efo synaid i rhoi amser ar yr awyr i Gymdeithas. Bydda'n creu amrywiaeth yn y cyfryngau Cymraeg ac mae'n rhoi llais i gymunedau lleol. Sibrwd, gallai hyn fod yn briodas a wnaed yn y nefoedd!

==
It is the most unlikely partnership I’ve ever written about. It’s hard to believe, but the Welsh Language Society and the Tory culture secretary share a common vision – and it seems he is helping open the door for them to have a louder voice in Welsh society.

Before you faint in disbelief, or tell me I am talking out of my backside, let me explain. It all takes place in the heady world of local media. Mr Hunt, like Martin Luther King, has a dream. His dream is to see the launch of local TV channels; allowing communities to have a voice which many have seen as being eroded by the cutting back of regional programming on ITV and BBC.

He knows that to get his vision, a consortium of local groups must come together or that a variety of local voices must appear on the output for it to be considered credible.

Mr Hunt has also made it very clear in the meetings he has attended on this in Wales, that the airwaves should be open to English language AND Welsh Language content and he sees this as an opportunity for someone to give S4C a run for its money.

Now, step forward Cymdeithas yr Iaith. Also disenfranchised with the S4C of old, it has decided to set up its own online TV service. It has been well received amongst the twittersphere and the only complaint has been the lack of streaming capacity to deal with demand. It is watchable TV and it nshould be cheered as a bold move, coming from the communities of Wales for the people of Wales. For those worried about it being too ‘tubthumping’ for the Cymdeithas cause, I never really got that perception when I watched it…but you can make your own mind up by going to www.sianel62.com

So, here we have a group of locals trying to create television and a Government minister who wants to encourage such groups. It seems natural then that the next step for Sianel 62 is to make an appearance in some shape or form on the forthcoming local TV licences for Swansea and Cardiff when they are awarded.

By writing this, I am probably aiding the premature ageing of Mr Hunt, Bethan Williams and many others by suggesting they are potential bedfellows. But, as long as Cymdeithas abided by OFCOM rules on impartiality, I can’t see anything wrong with this idea. It creates diversity in Welsh language media and it gives a voice to local communities. Whisper it, this could be a marriage made in heaven!

Right problem, wrong solution - why David Davis is (partly) wrong about our awful broadband

I was enthralled by the David Davis piece in The Times today, highlighting the crime that is the UK broadband system and his suggestion for resolving it.

The highlights were that the lack of decent connectivity in this country is not something that should worry just geeks and politicians, but it should worry everyone as it has a direct effect on many aspects of our lives.

A man after my own heart. I always knew he was a genius.

But his solution is just a little too renegade for me and misses the easiest way to solve this issue. He suggests getting the long-term unemployed to get digging the trenches and laying the pipes that will allow us all to have superfast broadband. Not so much ‘on your bike’ but ‘on your digger’.

Now, I am sure there are many people who are ready to wave the ‘typical Tory’ baton at Mr Davis for suggesting people should be forced down the trenches in some Dickensian –inspired workhouse scheme. But they should all stand back and listen more closely to what he is saying and take heed. Because, to be honest, he is one of the few UK politicians willing to come up with a solution for this problem.

His suggestion that long-term unemployed should help build the digital network we need benefits everyone. People that have been on the dole for a while get a job and start to regain some self-confidence back. They will be contributing to our society in a way that quite a lot of jobs don’t (I would have more respect for them than, say, a car salesman or a double glazing salesman) and we would all get the broadband we need.

Now, the big problem with Mr Davis’ theory can be summed up in two letters –B and T. He is expecting British Telecom to care about the digital needs of every British person. Problem is, they don’t.

You can pay to employ as many BT engineers as you like, you can give BT free labour for years and they will still have no intention of providing proper broadband coverage for 100 % of the population. Because, Mr Davis, it is not in BT’s commercial interest to wire the whole of Britain. They can’t make big profits out of a village with three croft farms on the Isle of Lewis or even a village like Howden where, if you forget its biggest employer (the Press Association), there is not the volume of customers and usage BT needs to make a profit.

If there was, they would have done it by now. They would have taken the investment cost hit knowing they would reap the rewards later.
The truth is, BT is a global company with far bigger interests than improving broadband connections in the rural parts of the UK and the quicker politicians realise this, the better.

We need to forget about BT and look at alternatives. Politicans in Cardiff Bay, London and Edinburgh should be falling over themselves to engage with companies that deliver broadband by satellite.

There are loads of them out there and the one thing you can guarantee is if you can't get a pipe to a place it will have a satellite spinning over it.

Why haven't we forced Arquiva to surrender more spectrum from traditional TV and radio masts for terrestrial broadband? OFCOM seem to be constantly handing out licences for radio stations no one listens to - why aren't we handing that spectrum to potential wi-fi companies?

In short, there is no need to buy spades for the long-term unemployed just yet - let's just give up our heroin-like addiction of BT and move on to new partners who can deliver what we need now.

Here endeth the lesson!

Why radio stations will always be better at social networking than TV stations.

Trawling through the myriad of media Facebook and Twitter presences I could find, it is becoming clear to me that radio stations have a far better grasp of the power of social media than newspapers or TV stations or programmes.
And there's an obvious reason why they get it - community is in their DNA.
Social Networking ticks when the company trying to start it knows they have to have a conversation with the other people on the page.
Radio has always been a conversational medium. It's never been a broadcaster in the true sense of the word, because it has engaged people as a core part of its output, where television and newspapers restrict where the viewers'/Readers' voices can be heard and have only recently become interactive media.
The other reason why radio stations do social networking better than other media is because they have always been embedded in a community. They know what it is like to live in the area where they broadcast, so they know what to say to people to spark a social conversation.
With radio stations, it's all about a two-way conversation, and that is why it always looks like social networks works for them.
Now, whether that means radio will become worse over time as more local stations merge into national brands, only time will tell.
There is a danger of that. However, community doesn't just refer to a geographical space bit also a common interest. That is why stations like Jazzfm are able to use social networks effectively, despite being a national (arguably global) station. They have a community of jazz enthusiasts they can connect with.
Now, don't get me wrong. There are some abysmal attempts at social networking by radio stations. But the level of them compared to the amount if dross you find from TV companies is far less.

I'm buzzzz-ing after that match

We should never laugh when someone is injured at a football match. But as I was doing my research for a safe standing article for the next issue of F.C. Business, I couldn’t help but have a little chuckle at some of the injuries people pick up when watching the beautiful game.

For example, did you know that 43 people were stung by a wasp at UK football grounds last year?! I’m not able to tell you if that was down to one swarm of wasps or 43 separate attacks. But I find it amazing that it is the 10th biggest reason why people are injured at UK football matches.

I mean, it’s too cold for wasps for most of the season – so there must have been an influx of the blighters at the start and end of the season. The moral is – take your Raid spray with you to every game.

Oh, no, hold on….you can’t take aerosols into football grounds!

Are our clubs leaving their fans vulnerable to unnecessary injury? Should Claims Direct or Injury Lawyers 4 U be swarming around football grounds looking for people with sore arms?!

Maybe Rentokil should sponsor all summer soccer games and hand out free lemon-scented candles to ward away the flighty characters?

In other silly injury news. Did you know a 108 people were hit by a football in a stadium last year? I can totally sympathise with this and I was probably on this statistics list in season 2007/2008 when a Michael Chopra slice connected with the perspex on the press box at the old Ninian Park and smashed it while I was reporting live on the game for BBC1 Final Score.

They never replaced the perspex as they were about to move into the new stadium. However, I would like to think that it was left broken as a monument to me – a sort of Blue Plaque to mark my place on the list of the UK football injured.

Wasp victims and those bruised by sphercial leather -British football salutes you!

You can see the full injury statistics here http://www.flaweb.org.uk/docs/injstat.php

The 20 Welsh seats which Facebook users could win and what politicians are doing about it

I was on Five Live on Thursday talking about my latest research which shows up to 20 Welsh Assembly seats could change hands if the candidates involved spoke to their constituents through social networking.

It also got a mention in the fantastic South Wales Argus - click here for link - it also got a mention in the Western Mail.

I've listed the seats that could fall below. The methodology behind my madness is that there are more people on Facebook in these constituencies than the majority which the incumbent AM holds. In some cases, like Bridgend and Ceredigion, there is a whopping difference between the number of people on Facebook and the majority. This means that if one candidate was really serious about winning those constituencies, they could overturn the majority and be returned with a near 8000 vote majority if they persuaded all the people on Facebook in the constituency to vote for them.

As I explain in my Five Live piece - the problem is many politicians think that just chucking up a Facebook page or a Twitter feed means they've ticked the box when they come to social networking - and that is totally wrong.

Candidates need to have a proper two-way dialogue on social networks just as much as they do in real life. They must not be afraid to answer questions, face criticism and be more informative about where they stand. The question is, would they turn up to a constituency surgery and not listen to the constituent's concerns?

And whilst I don't think one single party in Wales is doing well, there are individual candidates that get this.

And, finally, I do agree with Matt Withers from the Western Mail that the message is the most important thing -after all, content is King and the parties do need to get their message over in a better way. However, the problem is that you can have the best message in the world, but if you don't get it out there, no one will hear it. The parties know how to get this message over through canvassing and hustings, but as more and more people choose to get their information from online and mobile services, politicians need to hone their skills in this area if they are to stand any chance of getting their message across effectively.

Anyway, rant over, the full press release and list of constituencies is below. Let me know what you think.

EMBARGO 0001 THURSDAY 28 APRIL 2011
HOW FACEBOOK WILL WIN THE WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION
Up to 20 Assembly seats could change hands if candidates engage with their constituents through the social network
Facebook could decide the winner of up to 20 Welsh Assembly seats in the forthcoming election.
According to research, the number of over 18s using the social network in those constituencies is more than the majority that needs to be overturned to win the seat.
By engaging with these Facebook users, candidates could gain enough votes to win a seat or incumbent AMs to hold on.
Ultra marginal seats such as the Vale of Glamorgan could be won or lost by speaking to voters on Facebook. But some supposedly safe seats including that of Carwyn Jones in Bridgend could be captured if rival parties start have meaningful conversations with voters who have chosen to use social networks as part of their everyday lives.
There are enough Facebook users in Cowbridge alone to secure a victory for the Conservatives in the Vale of Glamorgan. And Labour could re-capture Llanelli from Plaid if all the Facebook users in the town were persuaded to vote for them.
Bridgend -which has the fifth-highest usage of the social network in Wales - could have a new AM if any of the opposition parties speak to the near 14,000 voting adults in Bridgend on Facebook.
This research was undertaken by Dipping Bridge Communications, the Bridgend-based digital media consultancy which helps Welsh companies and organisations develop their online and mobile presences.
"There are over 700,000 over 18s in Wales on Facebook and 500 Welsh Language tweets are posted every week on Twitter. What this research proves is that the people of Wales are digitally engaged and they expect their politicians to follow suit." says Marc Webber, MD of Dipping Bridge and former Assistant Editor of The Sun online.
"Some candidates have made a strong effort on the social networking front, but others are poor. They think that just by creating a Facebook fan page, that's the job done. That's not how you engage people on Facebook - it's the equivalent of not attending a hustings because you think people will come and find your office and listen to you anyway.
"Social networking is now part of people's everyday life. Not talking to them in the spaces where they have chosen to communicate could be seen as punishing them and a slight against their democratic right."
STATS OF MARGINALS FOLLOW

More can be found on Marc's blog www.marcwebber.com.
Marc is available for further comment by contacting him in the following manner: - Email Marc@dippingbridge.com, call 07879 415473 or find him on Twitter @marcwebber

THE ‘FACEBOOK’ MARGINALS
The following seats could be easily won or lost if candidates engaged with constituents on Facebook:

Vale of Glamorgan -Actual Majority: 83
Over 18s on Facebook: Barry 12,960 Cowbridge 480, Llantwit Major 1,160

Carmarthen West and Pembs South -Actual Majority: 98
Over 18s on Facebook: Carmarthen West 2,200 Tenby 1,300 Saundersfoot 400

Vale of Clwyd -Actual Majority: 92
Over 18s on Facebook: Rhyl 4,740, Prestatyn 2,340

Delyn -Actual Majority: 510
Over 18s on Facebook: Mold 2,680 Flint 1,460

Newport East - Actual Majority : 875
Over 18s on Facebook: Whole of Newport 33,800

Gower - Actual Majority : 1192
Over 18s on Facebook: Whole of Swansea 24,666

Wrexham - Actual Majority : 1250
Over 18s on Facebook: Wrexham 17,300

Newport West - Actual Majority : 1401
Over 18s on Facebook: Whole of Newport 33,080

Clwyd West - Actual Majority : 1596
Over 18s on Facebook: Colwyn Bay 2,380

Swansea West - Actual Majority : 1511
Over 18s on Facebook: Whole of Swansea 24,666

Aberconwy - Actual Majority : 1693
Over 18s on Facebook: Llandudno 3,160

Neath - Actual Majority : 1944
Over 18s on Facebook: Neath 11,400

Caerphilly - Actual Majority : 1937
Over 18s on Facebook: 8,180

Bridgend - Actual Majority : 2566
Over 18s on Facebook: Bridgend 13,080

Cardiff South and Penarth - Actual Majority : 2754
Over 18s on Facebook: Penarth 3,800

Ceredigion - Actual Majority : 3995
Over 18s on Facebook: Aberystwyth 12,380

Llanelli - Actual Majority : 3884
Over 18s on Facebook: Llanelli 9,700

Pontypridd - Actual Majority : 3387
Over 18s on Facebook: Pontypridd 6,240

Preseli Pembs - Actual Majority : 3205
Over 18s on Facebook: Haverfordwest 3,940

Rhondda - Actual Majority : 6215
Over 18s on Facebook: Rhondda 6,340


ENDS