Discover Keen

Website Development Strategy - Reminders from an Unlikely Source

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:34:27 GMT

by Alex Gardner - Project Manager

Here's something not a lot of people know about me (and the company blog is the perfect place for such personal revelations):

I'm actually a big fan of Lady Gaga.

Usually, I don't like pop music much (except for Britney, but who doesn't love Britney), but for some reason, I can't get enough of Lady Gaga. The music, the videos, the personality - it's all very, very good.

Rather than hide it, I thought it might be better to push the (weak) pretense that this is a business interest, and I think there are a lot of lessons worth highlighting from the Lady who broke the billion-view mark on Youtube.

1. Seek inspiration outside the box

One thing that is immediately obvious is that Lady Gaga draws inspiration from a blend of many different artists, across genres, and even other industries. She's pulling from art, fashion, some drama, a bit of Eurotrash, classic rock, urban, of course Madonna, and I'm sure the list goes on.

The lesson? There are so many sources to draw from for your website too. Yes, a review of competitors in your industry can provide a lot of inspiration in and of itself, but think bigger.

Why limit yourself to sites that are competing directly? A consultancy website targeting the HK and SG market can still learn a lot from a European peer targeting UK or US clients?

And even beyond that, look at partner industries - hotel websites can learn from the best PR websites, or from the best travel blogs. I think even the McDonalds site can offer lessons for other industries in terms of use of photography, whitespace & even simplicity of page layouts.

2. Keep your content relatable

Lyrically, I love that Lady Gaga's songs can be playful, clever and stay relevant to a wide audience all at the same time. I mean who hasn't stumbled out of a dodgy nightclub asking themselves "How'd I turn my shirt inside out?", right? Guys? Anyone? Ah, maybe just me then...

Moving on, the first point here is to look at your site content in terms of how it is going to be received by the audience. Yes, companies often have a message to get across, but doesn't it make sense to present it in a way that the audience can immediately relate to some situation in their own life? Try thinking less about what you want to say and more about what your audience wants to hear.

Secondly, there is more often than not a place for playfulness on a website, much more so than in other mediums. The web is more informal than print and possibly even more so than TV or radio, so take advantage of this.

Finally, target content you can create that will have people itching to view it again and again. This isn't specifically a Lady Gaga trait, but she does seem to have a way of making you want to listen or watch her songs/videos again and again.

The easiest way to do this with your content is to keep adding to it. Find new pages to add to your site each week - news, blog posts, resources, it doesn't matter, but give people a reason to come back.

3. Worry less about "Pretty", more about "Memorable"

I don't think anyone would say that Lady Gaga is the best looking singer in the world. In fact, to me, she looks downright strange. And yet she seems to celebrate that oddness in her videos and has turned it into an advantage. People want to watch her videos to see just what she is going to do/wear/not wear.

Whilst we can't do exactly the same for websites, I believe there is a place for having something a little "off" when it comes to the look of your website. It helps to make it memorable and may offer a way to focus attention where you want it.

And this doesn't have to affect the whole site, maybe you do something a little funky with the design and content of the About Us page, or take the blog pages into a different creative direction.

The main thing is to have something that is a little bit different, otherwise who is going to remember their visit?

4. Move beyond your own channel

Whether by design or by accident, Lady Gaga does a great marketing job outside of her music. She has managed to mobilize a massive army of fans, whom she affectionately renamed her "Little Monsters" and has done so by putting herself and her music further out there than most other artists.

She earned loyalty by talking directly with her fans, through MySpace, through Twitter and on Facebook. Not only that, but she bucked the trend by continuing to offer a lot of her music/videos for free through these and other channels.

Many websites must learn the value of this lesson, with more emphasis placed on putting (great) content on other websites and not just focusing on what is on your own.

It is important (as stated earlier) to get the content on your own site right, but don't forget that you also need a lot more content that you can seed elsewhere. Guest posts on other blogs, useful how-to guides in forums, videos on YouTube or even something as simple as a consistent comments strategy for your team.

A press release every quarter is not going to cut it any more and an increasingly large part of your focus needs to be off-site from now on.

This, perhaps more than any other lesson, is what will make the difference between a site that just hums and a site that ROCKS!

The Power of Spreading Ideas

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:55:20 GMT

by Amelia Salyers - Concept Developer

This weekend, I spent some time exploring some of the latest TED talks. As always, the breadth of the subject matter covered is almost overwhelming, delving into science, technology, design, philosophy, literature, development, economics, the arts, and more. In addition to topics that would not be out of place in the academic realm, there are also speakers who discuss modern marketing and design. This weekend, I listened to two talks in particular that I found quite interesting.

The first talk is by David McCandless, called "The Beauty of Data Visualization." McCandless, a self-described "data journalist", takes the vast amounts of data that exist on the web and visualises them through graphic design in order to help the viewer to see the forest for the trees. His talk demonstrates the power of visual identities and design as a means not only for creating something aesthetically appealing but also for relaying and revealing important information.

The second talk is by Seth Priestbach, entitled "The Game Layer on Top of the World." Priestbach posits that while the 1990s were about the emergence of the internet and the 2000s were about the emergence of social networks, the upcoming decade will see a revolution in the use of games online. This doesn't just apply to the popularity of games like Farmville or World of Warcraft. Rather, Priestbach draws attention to "the 'game layer,' a pervasive net of behavior-steering game dynamics that will reshape education and commerce." I've written about the use of games like Farmville for marketing before, but this speech takes a more macro-look at the phenomenon and also points out some interesting gaming tips.

What do you all think? Are McCandless and Priestbach approaching the vast Web community in an effective manner? What implications does this have for generating business and strengthening your brand online?

Digital Ethnography

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:18:05 GMT

by Ron Edwards - Strategy Director

‘Send us all the invite on Facebook’.

‘I’m going into withdrawal. I haven’t looked at the camera blogs in over a week.’

‘This is a Blackberry office. Just Ping him.’

‘I so don’t want to friend her. I guess I’ll accept but I’ll just switch on all the privacy settings.’

Society has been digitized – that’s no surprise to anyone. The sky is blue, and the internet has changed our lives. But what people don’t realize as often, what hasn’t sunk into our collective consciousness, is how the rules of online communities differ from those of physical communities – and exactly how extensive and deep-rooted the cultural framework of each community is.

Many of today’s people spend six, eight, ten, twelve hours per day, sometimes over half their day, interacting in online communities. That’s not even taking into account the multi-taskers who spend their waking minutes living in the ‘real’ world while simultaneously existing, conversing, participating in a handful of digital cultures. If you add up a multi-tasker’s daily hours in online communities, it might be more than 24 hours per day – more time than spent in the ‘real’ world.

Each online community – from a group of friends on a social network, to a circle of professionals who inhabit their own specialized region of the blogosphere, to the citizens of an industry forum – possesses their own customs, their own rules, their own politics, their own communication methods and etiquette.

First, just think about cultural essence that comes to mind when you envision different kinds of communities. The narcissism of Myspace. The reciprocal altruism of a programmers forum. The not-so-subtle courting rituals of Adult Friend Finder versus the soulful outreaches on eHarmony.

But then go deeper. How does the narcissism manifest itself? Why? To whom? When? Certainly you don’t find shirtless men flexing in towels at every reflective surface on a city street. Nor do you find women walking at such an awkward angle that every onlooker can see down their shirt. Not many people want to have 2,387 friends in real life. And ghetto blasters are a blip in the past – do two-thirds of the people you see in daily life force you to listen to their personal taste in music at every encounter?

The reasons why behaviour of an online community manifests itself the way it does are just as substantial as the underpinnings of behaviour for an offline community. Because of this depth of cultural development and organization within online communities, the implications of digital ethnography for commerce stand tremendous. We’ve all heard about some of the grand marketing failures of the past when companies branch into a new culture. Just as much care and background research and localization strategy needs to take place when you branch into an online community. You can’t throw your print ads onto Facebook, just as you can’t throw your Hong Kong marketing strategy onto a French market.

The emergence of digital ethnographers such as Michael Wesch and danah boyd (yes, she writes her name uncapitalized as some kind of digi-political statement) shows how seriously academics are now taking digital culture. In fact, some of them already have a decade of specialization in the subject under their belt. And now, technology companies are also piling onto the train and incorporating ethnographic research as a vital component of their working process. For just a few brief examples, see this cnn.com article that touches on the efforts of Microsoft and Nokia.

The tech companies may be early adopters, but online communities affect every product. If other industries don’t follow suite, they may soon find themselves with a Chevy No Va on their hands.

Emails for mobile: are you ignoring 20% of your users?

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:26:26 GMT

by Anthony Green - Digital Director

I was looking through some email newsletter stats for some of our clients yesterday, and one thing surprised -- no, make that shocked -- me. The number of people reading emails on mobile phones was far, far more than i expected.

Looking at a hotel client with a B2C email list of over 60,000 subscribers, 22% of users are reading their email on a mobile device. All but a handful of those were iPhones, the rest being Android devices (strangely, Blackberry devices weren't listed, although Mailchimp, the provider of the stats, says they will be adding support for tracking these in the future).

Even more incredible was that the iPhone was the second most common email program used to read these newsletters: Hotmail was the most common, at 37%, with iPhone at 22%. This means that the iPhone is a more popular way to consume emails than Outlook (so dominant in business), Yahoo (the number 1 free email provider) and Gmail.

The findings for a B2B list belonging to a different client are similar: taking a list of over 11,000 subscribers, mobile made up nearly 10%, with Outlook taking the top spot at over 27% (as might be expected, as these emails are targeted at business users).

The stats aren't bulletproof, but it does highlight the need to consider your mobile email strategy -- we tend to spend a lot of time making sure that emails work in Outlook, Hotmail, and Gmail, and also have started to think about mobile websites, but clearly there is an urgent need to make sure email newsletters perform well on mobile devices.

Morning's roundup of the New York Times web edition

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:06:30 GMT

by Amelia Salyers, Concept Developer

I just read this profile piece this morning. It caught my eye because it discusses the social media games company Zygna - the star of my blog article last week. This week's article, by Miguel Helft, does a good job of explicating the pros and cons of Zygna's rise to fame and fortune (though, word on the Silicon Valley street is, Mark Pincus and his company is even more of a down and dirty competitor than this article suggests - the world of cartoon games can be ruthless!).

Furthermore, this trend piece, though a bit late to the game, discusses why we Westerners are looking East for our own fame and fortune.

And just for good measure, I thought this little blurb about some recent marketing research about what luxury consumers prefer in logos was interesting, though not exactly shocking. Enjoy!

More than just fun and games: Social Media Marketing and Games

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:51:31 GMT

by Amelia Salyers - Concept Developer

If the proverbial Old MacDonald had a farm in 2010, he is also likely to be one of the 20 million people around the globe who daily check on their virtual farms with FarmVille, the wildly popular Facebook game. More than just a “moo-moo here and an oink-oink there”, FarmVille players harvest pretend crops, create alliances with neighbouring farms, and try to prosper online in a way Old MacDonald would never have imagined.

FarmVille’s players themselves are a diverse crowd. The Bangkok Post reports on the growing number of retired and senior citizens in Thailand who join Facebook and MySpace – traditionally seen as the domain of Generation Y – in order to play games such as FarmVille. Sixty-year-old Naruvorn Panyarachun, for instance, stated that, “"I can honestly say that if I did not use Facebook, I would feel as if something were missing in my life, particularly during the red-shirt protests, because I could not go out then.”

While FarmVille, like most social media games, is free to play, its users are increasingly able to spend real money in their virtual domain. They might purchase farm-specific goods like a faster-growing crop, or they might buy gifts to entice others to join their farms. It is this junction of virtual goods and actual money that is beginning to attract other retailers

In recent months, FarmVille – and its creator Zygna Game Network – has been integrating the offline world with the virtual one even more through real-world marketing partnerships. Retailers like 7-11 implant their products and services within the realm of FarmVille.

Most recently, Cascadian Farm, a subsidiary of General Mills that specialises in organic food products, has offered Farmville users the chance to plant a Cascadian Farm organic blueberry crop for a limited time. Furthermore, players can also find a $1 coupon on the FarmVille site for use in actual stores.

A recent New York Times article by Elizabeth Olson about the partnership quotes Tim Goldsmid, the marketing manager for Cascadian Farm, as saying, “We’re at a crossroads for the brand.…We’re looking to get our message out in a bigger way, and we wanted a creative way to do that.” Though Cascadian Farm is active in the social media sphere – it has the usual Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube accounts – Goldsmid said, “FarmVille has a scale that we lack.” With 20 million players a day, the direct brand exposure is unprecedented for Cascadian Farms.

Instead of trying to lure potential consumers to its various social media platforms, the Farmville promotion allows Cascadian Farm to bring its products and brand directly to players, who then interact with the brand on a personal level. The inclusion of the coupons also gives players further incentive to go to stores and buy the Cascadian Farm product directly. Thus, with just one promotion, Cascadian Farm could both increase its brand’s equity with consumers and increase its bottom line – the eventual goal of all social media marketing.

It doesn't all end on the 11th...

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:21:00 GMT

by Laura Markes - Concept Developer

With World Cup fever reaching a climax this week, what mental ‘tag clouds’ are forming in our twitter-paced, global citizen, attention-span-as-long-as-an-ad minds? Boo refs? Ooo vuvuzelas? Paul the Octopus paella?

How much more about South Africa as a destination do we really know? And how much more about South Africa do we want to know?

Because all the billions of dollars spent – the coveted successful bid, the years of planning, the hype and marketing communications – all of it boils down to one big investment: investing in ‘Brand South Africa’ (football fanatics breathe – there is a purpose to life other than kicking around a ball).

I read an interesting article today about exactly that, branding nations in Africa – yes I choose my wording very carefully – because there is a big difference between ‘Brand Africa’ and ‘Brand Nation-in-Africa’.

The title of the piece, “Is Africa Misbranded?” leads timely to the question – how has branding Africa as a whole affected the image of each of the continent’s 54 nations on an individual level? Should there even be a Brand Africa? After all, there isn’t a Brand Europe or Brand Asia – and this has, in my opinion, been to the strength of each country.

Africa is the most diverse continent in the world, ranging from desert to savannah to dense rainforest. With a billion people, over a thousand different languages, distinct cultures, traditions and religions, how can there be just one Africa?

Quoting from the article; “Africa is suffering from the ‘continent branding effect’ where every country shoulders the reputation of the others.” The reality is that the untapped potential for investment and tourism is huge. Look at Condé Nast or Travel + Leisure ‘Top 100’ lists and you will invariably find that the best up-and-coming resorts in the world can be found in Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa – and they wouldn’t survive if each of these countries did not have such unique, rich experiences to offer.

At the moment these countries have only captured a niche market. Yet with effective branding that builds on the specific assets of each destination – not just its nature and wildlife, but its music, its arts, its traditions, its distinct vibe and its people – and a marketing campaign that effectively portrays the unique identity of each, perhaps the countries of Africa will no longer be lumped into the (so far “beyond hope”) Brand Africa basket, but will each be recognised for their distinct appeal.

How a Red Card can be foul on and off the pitch

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:00:04 GMT

by Caroline Loevner - Concept Developer

Every four years the entire world falls apart into mass hysteria, childlike enthusiasm and frenetic nationalism. We call it the World Cup. The final match between Spain and the Netherlands, scheduled for this Sunday, will be the most watched sporting event of the year and international corporations slobber over the advertising possibilities. But these sporting extravaganzas can have unintended marketing consequences of another kind: on destination branding.

The idea that sportsmen are “representing their country” becomes quite literal during the World Cup, especially for small countries like Côte d'Ivoire or Slovakia who rarely find themselves in the international news. For many people, this year is the first time they have seen eleven North Koreans all in one place. Millions of viewers are watching closely during the gruelling weeks of the World Cup and are likely to base their opinions of these countries on the behaviour of their players.

Many will come away from the Cup remembering phenomenal plays, goals and saves, perhaps viewing Uruguay with new-found respect after their fierce and surprising rise to the top four. But behaviour off the field comes under equal scrutiny in the international media and can easily colour people’s opinions. What will people take away from the Cup this year for example? Will they remember the pre-Cup drama surrounding the English team and their “WAGS” (wives and girl friends) that lead to the resignation of their leading left-back? Will the French be labelled as dramatic and petulant after the infighting that led to the shocking dissolution of the team?

If the on- and off-field behaviour of the players has such a profound effect on the brand image of the nation they represent (and therefore potential political, social, and economic consequences) should coaches choose players based on more than just their ball skills? Should branding strategists be called on to advise on the best team to represent the country? Sports fans might consider that going too far, but perhaps it is something to consider in 2014 when we all indulge once again in our collective insanity. In the meantime best of luck to Brand Spain and Brand Netherlands. Good luck to the football players too.

What happened to Hotmail?

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:06:35 GMT

by Fabrice Burtin - Commercial director

Hotmail used to be one of the most powerful brand in the world. It used to be at the forefront of online communication. Early 90′s we all went there to get a personal email address like we all get a Facebook account today. We all got one.
But in all honesty, who really desires to have an hotmail email address today? It claims to have 380 millions registered users but most of them are now either secondary email addresses we use for admin purpose or a must have to be able to enjoy MSN Messenger. Gmail and Yahoo! have taken over that role of leading free email provider.

Few months ago, Hotmail has been re launched (again) with a new skin. Unless I missed something, the functionalities seem identical to others and this video presentation less than inspiring… Note the computarized voice to give a bit of fake modernity feel into the brand positioning. It reminds me the futuristic TV shows in the 80′s.

What happened?

What happened happened to all brands that are taking their leading position for granted. Hotmail went in hibernation for over 10 years, stayed in their comfort zone and find it hard to catch-up. The regular change of name, logo and visual identity over the past 15 years shows Hotmail is probably not sure of its own positioning and what it really stands for.

Internet (and technology as a matter of fact) is evolving so fast that what was right a year ago is not anymore today or at least is being challenged.
Hotmail is a one dimension product. The future is all into multi dimensional products. MobileMe, Google, Facebook etc. are all offering multi dimensional experiences where from one platform you have access to integrated products all functioning together. Microsoft could claim to have a multi dimensional offer by putting Windows Live, MSN, Hotmail, Bing, Outlook etc. next to each other, but do they really work together?

Is there really an integrated branding strategy behind all of this?

Fabrice Burtin – July 2010

Who are your best customers, technically speaking?

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:00:54 GMT

by Anthony Green - Digital Director

Recently, i chewed over the web booking stats for some of our clients. Taking 45 properties in 8 countries in Asia Pacific, i broke down the numbers over the 6 million visitors and 66,000 bookings to see if i could discover anything about the trends from a technical viewpoint.

Finding 1: Mac customers are more likely to book

Yes, Mac customers aren't just used to paying more for their computers, they're slightly more likely to book than their counterparts using Windows. However, the revenue per transaction is roughly the same as Windows users.

Finding 2: Non-Internet Explorer users are a significant group

The days of Internet Explorer being the only browser worth developing for are over. Approximately 30% of visitors, bookings, and revenue came from visitors using other browsers.

Finding 3: Bigger screens mean better customers

Users with large screens are more likely to book, and have a higher share of revenue than users with standard (1024x768) or smaller screens: 72% of revenue comes from users with these larger screens. The old benchmark screen size -- 800x600 pixels -- resulted in just 1% of revenue.

Finding 4: Firefox users seem to be careful with their money

Firefox users book as often as Internet Explorer or Safari users -- it's just that the average transaction is worth 10% less than a booking from an Internet Explorer or Safari user! Google Chrome users, a very small group, actually averaged 9% more revenue per transaction than other visitors.

What does this tell us?

Firstly, make sure that your website has effective tracking installed – Google Analytics is a great solution, and is completely free, so there should be no excuse for not doing this.

Making sure that sites work on all computer platforms – Mac as well as PC – and all browsers – Firefox, Chrome and Safari as well as Internet Explorer – is a must, otherwise, money is being thrown away. Most developers will do this anyway, but there is still sometimes a reluctance to test on all platforms – it’s something that gets forgotten when time is short.

Finally, big screens are not just the future, but very much the present, and sites need to take advantage of these big screens to convince users to book. Of course, 1024x768 screens will be with us for a long time to come, so we still need to cater to them, but designs that can give something extra to users with bigger screens can deliver greater rewards for hotel sites.

The beauty of the tweet

Thu, 06 May 2010 05:52:43 GMT

by Ron Edwards - Strategy Director

‘It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear’

Like many of you, for the past few years I have looked upon Twitter with nothing but derision.

What a worthless piece of tripe…Vapid. Time wasting. An egotistical platform for people to dribble bite-sized globules of gibberish. Yes, there are many messages I could have created about Twitter in 140 characters or less. And most of them would not be fit for repeating in genteel company.

But then my galaxy shifted. Like with the proverbial unfamiliar food before a small child, how did I know I didn’t like it if I had never really tried it? First, I dabbled. A couple months back I subscribed to a handful of Twitterers whose writing looked interesting. Then quickly I added a few more and a few more. My list grew to respectable proportions and I have now found myself on Twitter I.V.

Why? Because it’s timely. I use it to follow politics and news in my own personal areas of obsession – Thailand, India, Sri Lanka. Is it accurate? About as much as a fortune teller. Is it biased? Twitter allows any whacko to say whatever they want at any given moment. Is it valuable? Infinitely more than any other news source on the planet.

The beauty of Twitter is that it is a window on real-time conversations. For those, who have a critical mind, who enjoy filtering the truth from the lens of the sources and their surroundings, who like to read between the lines, who take pleasure in deconstructing people’s strategies, who embrace the chance to get to the bottom of a situation by parsing out meaning from all the conscious and unconscious forces shaping what people do or don’t say, Twitter is a gold mine. It is access to information. It allows you to observe conversations and debates and take part if you wish. It enables you to see the rifts and fault lines before they get smoothed over several hours later in your daily newspaper. Whereas traditional news media is a monologue, Twitter, like any social media, is dialogue. Twitter is subjectivity before the news is watered down into what goes by the somewhat-deceptive banner of objectivity (which in reality is just information that has been stripped down to bare bones and then pressed into the mould of whichever publication is distributing it).

Certainly you have to treat each tweet with a dose of healthy skepticism. There are countless twitface Casanovas trying to sell a lark for a nightingale and vice versa. But take into account the ulterior motives and there is a beauty and eloquence and authenticity to those 140 characters unlike what you will find anywhere else.

Mobile and iPhone development for hospitality

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:50:34 GMT

by Anthony Green - Digital Director

Everyone loves their smartphone, whether it's a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android. The size of the market (172 million smartphones sold in 2009), the amount of time people spend on these things, as well as the realisation that mobile internet is a new battleground for (often wealthy) customers, has inevitably lead to clients asking about mobile development — should they do it, how to do it, how much would it cost.

Developing for mobile devices at the moment means 3 things.

The glamour approach is iPhone app development. iPhone users are passionate about their apps, and even those who don't own an iPhone have been bowled over by the magic of seeing a really cool iPhone app. The reality is that this is really quite an expensive undertaking, which is why we've only really seen the chains and OTAs doing it at the moment. Accor, Hilton, Starwood and others all have apps, but even these are really flag-waving, positioning statements, with chains touting the number of times the app has been downloaded rather than the number of bookings that have been made. The problem is not the technology (although having an integrated booking engine is a prerequisite), it's the simple fact that only the most dedicated road warrior — think George Clooney in Up in the Air — would stick so religiously to a brand that they keep the app on their phone.

If iPhone/BlackBerry/Android app development is out of reach for standalone properties and small chains, what are more practical options? Well, secondly, there is the mobile web. These days, smartphones have great browsers, sometimes better and more modern than the browser on their main computer (this is particularly the case in corporate environments, as those of you still suffering with IE6 can testify). Hospitality sites produced using web standards will display fine on smartphones — shameless plug — check out Anantara.com and Pata.org to see modern sites in your mobile browser. All of you should encourage your web developers or ecommerce team to follow web standards so that sites display well on all platforms.

Thirdly, you can develop special low-graphics versions of your website for smartphones. This shouldn't involve too much extra work if you're using web standards with CSS based code, or a modern MVC framework — a different 'skin' can be out on the site for mobile devices, making it much easier to access the information on your site.

However, most hospitality clients are not selling rooms as commodities, they are more interested in selling the USPs and the brand promise, so a low-graphics approach may not work well, and could be a waste of focus. One situation where a low-graphics version of the site can be worthwhile, is for those of you who have an integrated booking engine — having the ability to check rates and availability from the smartphone will be a plus for many people.

One thing's for sure, the mobile space is getting more and more important, and as a marketer or revenue manager, it's important to keep up with trends and look for opportunities in this area.

The proliferation of brands in South Asia

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:23:41 GMT

by David Keen

Nirvana. The recent growth of the hotel business in India, Maldives and Sri Lanka is set to eclipse anything Asia has seen. China is of course seeing its own growth, but this has resulted in a market brimming with dull, non-descript international chains. Not so in India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, which will be home to a number of seductive, original, even sexy new products and brands. In short, South Asia is becoming the subregion to watch.

I have recently returned from Mumbai, where I attended the fairly unimpressive HICSA event. Bringing together the might of the hotel business, HICSA mostly just reinforced the message of HIFI (held two months ago): namely, that the growth, definition and development of the mid-market is the place to be.

It is true that India is hard to penetrate – a fact that has been well noted by the business community at large. Some of the larger brands have tried and failed, unable to navigate through the country's entrenched bureaucracy. Building times are longer. Scoring permits can be maddening. However, those with the tenacity to find their way through the maze will find a market ripe with opportunity. A blank canvass upon which their creativity can run wild – if they unleash it.

To succeed, this new generation of trailblazing entrepreneurs need to build brands that are brimming with distinct culture, rich colour and seductive personality. They cannot be cookie-cutter moulds dropped into the landscape, but must be well defined and shaped by their very surroundings. They have to sing to the local market. It's no good putting a sign on your roof and expecting the local market to be automatically attracted to it. Each brand must think local and behave with dignity and, most of all, panache.

While India gets most of the media attention, exciting new brands are also coming soon to Sri Lanka, a destination newly reopened and steadily gaining its own share of international buzz...watch this space.

In Maldives, a market that was once pioneering new trends in luxury hospitality, new products are popping up on every atoll. These islands are experiencing a new burst of growth and we will see them once again become a showcase for spectacular new products not seen in the area for a few years.

What we're seeing is a region on the move – and Keen is thrilled to be coming along for the ride.

The world in action - in few square kilometres

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:20:12 GMT

by Fabrice Burtin - Commercial Director

In my past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to join several travel shows around the world. But they were all “human size”. From 10 to 12 March I went for the first time to ITB in Berlin. Several companies have tried to build theme parks showing the world in a very condensed way, for example, Disney World or Dubai-based developers. Yet none come close to presenting the world like ITB does. Walking around the show is a fantastic eye opener. Not only are all the countries represented, from large to small. Not only are all the airlines are there. From big hotel chains to small hotel brands, to cities, regions, cultural associations, the worldwide press, social media players, and more, all the world is there and it is all within several square kilometres. Cultures, food, music, songs, art, costumes, wildlife and flora. A fascinating experience for anyone looking at all the pieces interlinked, working together, complementing each other. Forming a magnificent monument. For those familiar with Jatujak market in Bangkok, the feeling is very familiar. You just cannot see it all in a day or even in two days. And, like Jatujak, if by accident you take the wrong turn, you quickly realize that it will take you time before you can find you way back. It's big, it's beautiful and you quickly realize that the world is much larger and diverse than you ever imagined.

We often read that the travel industry is facing a crisis. This is a very simple shortcut used when we are not able to explain what is really going on. The travel industry is not facing a crisis, and given the current trend, it never will. The travel industry is only a victim of its own success. In the early 90s it was the “I can travel the world” era. In the early 2000s, we moved into the “I want to travel the world” era. We have now entered the “I want to travel the world NOW” era.

Today, when we all make decisions (and alter our decisions) with the click of a mouse, our desires and wishes are also changing in the blink of an eye. The crisis in the travel industry is really that our desires and travel plans can change quickly and on a whim. We want it now. On our terms. Some players can adjust themselves, be flexible and will win. Some are too heavy, too conservative and are trying to fight against the “Now” era. The latter will die or see their profit margins reduce steadily.

Everyone is looking for new experiences, a holiday that differs from our neighbours’. The times when we used to choose a hotel or an airline based on the so-called “security of a known brand” are over. The market requesting the security of a chain where a branded hotel in Beijing looks identical to a hotel in Madrid is shrinking. Worldwide chains with over 400 hotels based on a unique mould will face difficulties. How many years would it take for a chain of over 400 hotels to adjust its product concept to answer a new demand? From a market that wants it now? How many years would it take for a worldwide hotel chain of over 400 units to roll-out a new room concept? It would take as many years as the trend would last. This is a typical case study of a player being a victim of its own success.

Small, flexible and creative hotel chains that will be able to adjust themselves to the fast change of demand, create desire and manage to connect themselves to consumers and travel partners will win big. Some will die though. Fast. Some new ones will be created. Fast. All will happen in the click of a mouse. Some dated destinations taking past success for granted will fade away. New destinations will arise and get a slice of the pie.

Several new hotel brands that didn't exist a year ago were launched at ITB with innovative and desirable brand concepts attracting people's interest like magnets. New destinations that never exhibited at ITB had a stand for the first time. Because the reality is that unless destinations/countries have a stand and show their flags at ITB, a destination doesn't exist in the tourism world. A diplomatic representation is not enough. Amazing or unfortunate but real.

Price is not really part of the equation. Exclusive products and destinations are still in high demand from a growing high-end market asking for even more exclusivity and who are ready to pay more. And mid-range and budget products will further grow to answer demand from both emerging markets and developed countries.

No one can say that the travel industry is facing a crisis while the money being spent worldwide on travel (directly or indirectly) has doubled in the past ten years. The so-called crisis is not coming from short demand but from all the players’ abilities (or inability) to handle this fast-changing demand. It's a race. A race against conservatism and for creativity.

Airlines will of course have a big role in being able to provide the flights and seats but that’s another debate all together.

The bandwagon is fully loaded

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:25:08 GMT

by Oratip Nimkannon - Concept Developer

The internet boom (and bust) came and went, but it has just dawned on me that the internet really was (and still is) a huge thing. I don’t mean in the commercial or social networking sense. Rather, I am talking about the URL hoarding business.

Try searching for a dot com domain name for “monkey”. I tried this the other day. Any combination that makes sense has been taken, obviously. But when I actually visited these sites, about 70% of them don’t really have any relevant content. Some even flash the “Make an offer for this domain name” sales pitch on the page.

Among those that I tried, from the obvious to the ridiculous:

monkeytree, monkeyculture, monkeystudio, monkeyplay, monkeyfun, monkeyway, monkeyme, mymonkey, memonkey, gomonkey, funkymonkey, twomonkeys, threemonkeys, fourmonkeys, and so on…

As a joke, a friend said, “try monkeymonkey.com”. Taken.
“What about monkeymonkeymonkey.com?” Taken.
I tried sevenmonkeys. Taken.
Even ****ingmonkey is taken.

Could be a frustrating process. Somehow I had fun with it.

And in case you are wondering, monkeymonkeymonkeymonkey has not been taken. But who would actually use this as their URL?

I'd say, you never know.

Foiled by spellcheck (or, in praise of the proofreader)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:08:50 GMT

by Cody Griggers - Editorial Director

We've all had it happen. Academics. Students. Journalists. Novelists. And yes, destination branding copywriters – we especially feel your pain.

You run that final spellcheck on your document, and it saves the day by cleaning up those typos that would have otherwise detracted from your brilliant prose.

Except when it doesn't.

Editorial team, I know we make you proofread every ad that goes out the door at least 18,000 times. And don't think I can't see you mentally rolling your eyes when the production team asks you to review that one last proof. But if you love your words (and I know we all do), you'll make sure you see them through.

Because if you don't, you might find it hard to live with yourself (Ask Riga).

A frappuccino by any other name...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:42:29 GMT

by Cody Griggers - Editorial Director

If you've been hanging around our side of the office these past few weeks, you will have no doubt seen the open dictionaries, books of Roman mythology, lists of Greek roots ending in fricative consonants, web pages scrolling through poems in Esperanto and perhaps the odd Scrabble board. You may even have been privileged (or standing still long enough) to have been called into one of everyone's favorite agency meetings: The Naming Session.

The Naming Session can at once make you feel exhilaratingly erudite, gratified for taking all those university electives ("I remember there were great words for 'flower' in my Early Modern Aramaic Poetry class!"). They can also make you feel hopelessly cliché ("But I really LIKE 'Jasmine'!") or just downright clueless ("Zam? We're actually considering Zam?"). Having taken part in these sessions throughout my five years at Keen, I have seen firsthand the months of brainstorming, researching, testing, competitor analysis, dissecting, linguistically mapping (who knew that class would actually come in handy?) and agonizing over the perfect name. That elusive one word – sometimes even a single syllable – that encapsulates everything a brand is about, forging that instant, lasting personal connection deemed so essential for success.

Which is why I almost spit out my grande double-shot latte when I read this.

Starbucks, you see, is apparently taking its cue from the likes of other simultaneously loved and reviled celebrities the world over – it's going incognito. And how does a multi-national coffee empire throw on baggy sweat pants, oversized dark sunglasses and a floppy hat when it ventures out into a new neighborhood so that it won't be recognized? It loses its name.

That's right. The newest kid on the block in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea, is drawing public ire for being nothing more than a Starbucks in disguise. Inspired by the original, small-scale coffee houses that put Seattle on the coffee connoisseur map (and which, ironically, spawned the birth of the Starbucks brand in the first place), this new concept appears to make every effort to distance itself from its parent, a brand synonymous to many with all that is wrong with globalization, and to some, with civilization itself. Menus are redesigned, drinks are "handcrafted" using high-end (rather than mass-market) machines, and that green logo you're used to passing at least 3 times on your way home? Completely hidden away, banished to a single fine-print tagline on the door: "Inspired by Starbucks".

Is this deception, as many have decried? Is it a further sign of the evil that Starbucks has inflicted upon life as we know it? We all know that spin-off brands are a dime a dozen in just about any market, and that some of the most celebrated of them – from boutique hotels to skincare products to seemingly niche foods and beverages – can trace their lineage to a parent often criticized for being a global behemoth.

As we rack our brains from our cubicles and meeting rooms to create brands that people will remember, it just strikes me as a bit sad that there could actually come a day when success may become more dependent on having them be forgotten.

A nod to persuasion

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:41:22 GMT

by Yingyos Vuttisant - Strategic Analyst

I was recently trying to figure out the best approach when it comes to persuading consumers when I remembered a great insight I read about a while ago in the 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell; that the act of simply nodding one's head repeatedly can be a powerful persuasion tool.

Gladwell talks about a piece of research on persuasion where students were told that researchers worked for a headphone company. The subjects were given headsets and asked to perform specific motions while listening to music and a piece of editorial about a rise in tuition fees. A third was told to nod, a third to shake their heads, and a third (the control group) to remain still.

Afterwards, they were asked some questions to gauge how persuasive the article was to them. Those in the control group were unmoved by the editorial. Those who shook their heads while listening were strongly opposed to the editorial. Those who nodded their heads found the editorial to be very persuasive. The simple act of nodding while listening to the editorial was enough to get them to agree to policy that they would otherwise most likely be opposed to.

The authors of the study concluded that "television advertisements would be most effective if the visual display created repetitive vertical movements of the television viewers' heads”.

Could there really be a link between the ability to persuade with the repetitive movement of one's head? If so, then can this insight into persuasion be used in other forms of media and contexts? Would consumers, for example, be more compelled to click on a banner ad which features repetitive vertical movements? This would be an interesting idea to test for in further studies or during concept tests.

Discussion: By looking at this Sony Bouncy Ball ad, do you feel like you’d be more willing to buy a Sony Bravia? And, is it possible that the commercial success and market leadership of the Sony Bravia is due to this little insight?

The Beauty of a Billboard

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:42:49 GMT

by Caroline Loevner - Editorial Assistant

Fiercely proud of their skyline, the NY Times printed this interesting article on banning billboards on the Long Island expressway.

The title “Free Speech vs. Beauty” got me thinking about the conflict between advertising and aesthetics in general and when we consider it okay to “ruin the view” for commercial purposes.

If advertising is a scourge on the face of beauty, who decides where to draw the line? Ads in magazines and newspapers have been the norm since the beginning of time but no one wants a full page on Moroccan Travel Agencies in the middle of their novels. We’ll sit through (and even enjoy) trailers at the beginning of films but when we go to the opera, we don’t expect a preview of the Pirates of Penzance.

I am from New Jersey, and like all true Jersey girls, I have a tumultuous love-hate relationship with the Jersey Turnpike and with the billboards that define it. On the one hand, they are hideous. On the other hand, the Jersey Turnpike is an ugly highway already and those billboards provided hours of amusement when I was younger. Advertising is always forgiven when it provides entertainment, like the constantly running ads on the Skytrain here in Bangkok, which people stare at glossy-eyed every morning though they have seen the same ones every day for weeks.

There are places where I wish that billboards would be banned. There is an a gorgeous stretch of I-90 that runs through the Badlands of South Dakota with the most breathtaking views of the Great Plains and the Black Hills: it’s also littered with horrendous advertisements for “1880 town,” “Dinosaur Hill” and “Wall Drug Store.” Neither clever, nor amusing, these billboards simply ruin a naturally beautiful view.

So let the New Yorkers have their skyline back, as long as they realise that their outrage is a little arbitrary. The real enemies to aesthetic beauty are hanging out beneath a life sized plastic stegosaurus on Dinosaur Hill.

A good read? Well, of course!

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:53:14 GMT

by Oratip Nimkannon - Concept Developer

Just got a tip from a friend the other day to read this book called "A Whole New Mind". I didn't know much about the book, so I searched Amazon.com.

I typed in "A Whole New Mind", then clicked "search".

The full title came up "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future". Oh, interesting!

Right brainers, in this book, are creative people and those who come up with concepts behind an advertising campaign, a book cover, a store layout/design, a candy wraper, a hotel experience, a desk calendar...and a host of other things that we see, hear, touch, taste and smell everyday.

I was a left-brainer in college, now a complete right-brainer and sometimes wish I could go a little more towards the left. But never mind, then.

Naturally, I scrolled down to the customer reviews. The first review by John H. Hwung:

"The title of the book is very appropriate. For the age that we are in, we need a whole new mind. However, the book promised a mansion, but ended up giving us an apartment. It begins like a Porsche, but ended like a VW Beetle...."

Oh wow, this is even more interesting. I want to find out for myself whether this book is a mansion or an apartment, a Porsche or a VW Beetle.

So, if you were to ask me if this book will be a good read? I'd say "well, of course. I'm a right brainer (now) and I will rule the future, according to Daniel H. Pink, the author."

Did I convince you? Or have you read the book? If you have, was it a mansion or just an apartment to you?

Getting strategic

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:35:50 GMT

by Amelia Salyers - Concept Developer

As we at Keen continue to develop and finetune our strategy department, it's good to see that we're in the company of the big boys on Madison Avenue ...

Food for Thought?

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:41:48 GMT

by Pradon Sirakovit - Strategic Analyst

Modern-day lifestyle calls upon us 'young professionals' to look after ourselves more often than not. But realistically, as busy young professionals, it is almost impossible to take care of ourselves 100% day in day out. That's why we are now bombarded with industrially made products that claim to serve the needs of consumers on the basis of efficacy, effectiveness and most of all, convenience.

We usually consume food to look after our bodies, but how many times is there an inherent need to consume something to fuel the 'brain'? How often do we say to ourselves 'I'm going to eat this and that just to be smarter'? Yet either way, the nutritional value from the food we eat does eventually make its way up to the brain doesn't it? Apparently not fast enough, according to a research study in Japan.

Protein-based products such as milk, meats, fish, nuts and egg yolks are thought to stimulate the brain, increase IQ and make you concentrate better. So when we think better, we can, subsequently, function better.

Here in Thailand – birthplace of the global energy drink phenomenon that is Red Bull, don't forget – a number of companies are going into overdrive to market convenient health tonics in a bottle to serve that growing need for a quick health fix. Let's look into the growing line of 'Functional Brain Drinks' on the market at the moment. There is a small market here in Thailand directed mainly at health-conscious individuals which has seen 100% increase in revenue growth over the past year, indicating its lucrative potential. Of course Thailand is not alone, as any trip to an American or European convenience store will remind you, with their refrigerators stocked with a full array of vitamin waters and even diet sodas enriched with essential nutrients.

The latest player to jump on that bandwagon here in Thailand is Peptein Original Soy Peptide, which is making an audacious bid to grab a piece of that lucrative pie. This product is made from the humble soy bean, readily available in the market, sold at modest prices as a commodity, and as a finished product at retail level in various forms. When looking at the brand value proposition, it claims to make you smarter, which is no different from any other 'smart drinks' out there in the market. But wait, I forgot to tell you – it makes you smarter, quicker! Yes, it is supposed to be absorbed into the system within half an hour as a opposed to eating your traditional meals that can take 6-8 hours to be absorbed. So says the brand's own scientific research team, that is.

Peptein, spearheaded by Osotspa, had a budget of 400 million baht allocated for marketing and advertising activities when it first came out. I am not kidding. It was the talk of the town. Brand awareness and brand recall was startling. Everyone knew about it, or tried it at least once. You could see its product from all corners of Bangkok; traditional media, new media. You just couldn't get away from it. Osotspa used 'educational-marketing' as the core mechanism to drive awareness, trial and recall.

But wait. There's a catch. It sounds great and all but, how do you prove that by drinking Peptein, you become smarter, faster than any other product? Especially within 30 minutes. It is a bold statement for a product made from soy. Do we reign in customers, sit them down, analyze their brains and count the amount of neurotransmitters generated by this drink? It's almost impossible to tangibly audit a functional benefit that is directed at the brain. Tsk tsk.

Their previous ad campaign was revoked by Thai FDA due to making unsubstantiated claims about the product's benefits. In additional to this dilemma, market perception of the taste had not been well received, as consumers compared its taste to other energy drinks already on the market. At price point, (approximately US$1 for 4000mg & over US$2 for 8000mg), consumers view it as too expensive for what it essentially is – the humble soy bean – in contrast to readily available soy bean drinks on the market which can be had for less than US$0.25!

Furthermore, people are finding themselves confused with the 'Original Soy Peptide' nutrient when compared to the well-known nutrients such as Omega-3s or DHAs, which have been well-received in the past. Now, they are faced with being singled out as a black sheep on the market.

This leads to my conclusion that huge marketing efforts built on the backbone of astronomical budgets and the goal of being the first mover don't necessarily guarantee business success. In the end, consumers shape the product's value. The iPod didn't invent MP3 players. A group of German investors did back in the late 80s but didn't really rise to prominence until the new millenium. But look now – the iPod has stolen the show completely, with over 80% market share worldwide.

The campaign described above lacked emotional benefits that are necessary create an affinity for the brand. It just makes the claim that you will be smarter, quicker. But what it does not do is tell you what that means to you, the consumer, i.e.: 'You will be smarter, quicker, and will be able to engage in more intelligent conversation, achieve greater career success, raise your own profile, etc.'. This is just an example. Consumers fail to identify any emotional benefit and it is not their fault. I'm not sure they had accounted for all the consequences of a bad repuation and limited media channels to work with because of the FDA's refusal of Peptein in claiming ambiguous benefits. Let's wait and see what they've got up their sleeves in a new bid to reposition themselves, having been in the market for less than 2 years.

Do we all need faster brains?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:19:36 GMT

by Oratip Nimkannon - Concept Developer

If you are one of those people who constantly keeps yourself up to date with online news, fashion trends, web gossip, Twitter, Facebook status, stock market updates, e-mail alerts, beware!

Some researchers believe that the digital age has opened a floodgate of information and is threatening to freeze our brains with an information overload, thus turning us into zombies with little or no empathy towards others.

One of the solutions, as we all know of course, is to ignore all the bombarding messages around us. But some researchers are suggesting that there should be a way to upgrade our brains. Yes, the same kind that we give to our computers, so that we can multitask and process information at an ever faster rate.

Here I quote from an article “Warning: Brain Overload” by The Times' John Naish:

Singularity is the term created to define the point at which machine intelligence surpasses that of human beings. Nasa and Google are funding a new institution, Singularity University, to explore this future. Salim Ismail, one of its leaders, says that we should re-engineer the human brain with computer-style upgrades. “The current system is flawed,” he says. “We need computer chips monitoring our neural networks. Evolution isn’t going to do this for us, so technology must do it.”

(Read his article and scroll all the way down to "Faster Brains"?

If we were to get a chip implanted in our brains, can you imagine what a mess that would be? How fast is fast enough?

I have always wished my brain could think and process information faster. But no, thank you, not THAT fast. I have a better method for a brain upgrade: meditation. Believe it or not, in stillness and silence, our brains can think and process ‘faster’.

The big picture or the little details?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:43:19 GMT

by Oratip Nimkannon - Concept Developer

Which of these do you think is more important? The big picture or the little details?

I think these days people tend to look at the big picture. If the big picture looks good, then who cares about the little details?

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point, he asserts that it’s the little details that start the fire (in the branding business, it’s word of mouth). One of the examples he gave in the book particularly captured my interest, although it also seems so ordinary (you almost want to say ‘anyone can think of that’, but then you will immediately counter-argue yourself that no one will ever implement it because it’s too minute, too detail and therefore unimportant).

His example was about how the subway system in New York got cleaned up. He said that in the 1980s, the subway system in New York was at its worst in terms of the daily crime rate and assaults on the riders by gangsters. And then in 1990s, the system got cleaned up and the crime rate spiraled downward.

If you were assigned the task of cleaning up this system, how would you approach this task? I almost want to bet that no one would probably start by cleaning up the graffiti and getting rid of the fare-beaters. But that’s what made all the difference (according to the book). By cleaning up the little things, the authorities were sending out the message about how the system could no longer be messed with. He also gave an example of the broken window theory, which supports this idea of how one broken window in a neighborhood, if left unfixed, can send a message to robbers about how no one cares about keeping order. And very soon more windows will be broken.

Gladwell also talks about how little things can start all kinds of epidemics (fashion trends, crime, particular behaviors, etc.), given all the ‘right’ elements. This book is a very interesting read and definitely is useful for people working in the branding business.

BETA fever

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:42:26 GMT

by Oratip Nimkannon - Concept Developer

We have google chrome (BETA), MSN Live (BETA), Firefox (BETA) and this and that with the beta tag next to them.

Now we have beta chocolates. This is what you get when a group of techies turn chocolatiers. Check it out at http://www.tcho.com/ . The owners say it's a way to engage their customers. I think it's a great way to test the market and also get the customers do part of the research for you.

Would anyone like to try the 1.0 Nutty?

Tourism & Authenticity

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:54:14 GMT

by Ron Edwards - Strategy Director

Mmmmmmm SPAM!

Most 'indigenous' experiences in the travel industry are canned ham. Chopped up from the dregs, reconstituted, moulded into shape, injected with some artificial colour, and VOILA! Authentic Thailand.

This questionable authenticity has been at the top of my mind for years. So when I came upon this blurb recently while doing research for a client, I was really intrigued. It’s the product description for a book by anthropologist Edwards M. Bruner:

“Recruited to be a lecturer on a group tour of Indonesia, Edward M. Bruner decided to make the tourists aware of tourism itself. He photographed tourists photographing Indonesians, asking the group how they felt having their pictures taken without their permission. After a dance performance, Bruner explained to the group that the exhibition was not traditional, but instead had been set up specifically for tourists. His efforts to induce reflexivity led to conflict with the tour company, which wanted the displays to be viewed as replicas of culture and to remain unexamined. Although Bruner was eventually fired, the experience became part of a sustained exploration of tourist performances, narratives, and practices.”

I loved this. Partly because of the sadistic streak in it. Maybe someone should have given the Indonesians cameras so that they could fire back and assault each unsuspecting load of tourists as they stepped off the bus. I bet after about four of five stops, they’d get the picture. I also loved it because someone was blowing holes in the magic.

A lot of this cultural packaging is developed by well intentioned people. They think this is what tourists want. Slap some people in artificial costumes that are a semi-approximation of what some people wore 400 years ago. Throw in some headlines about golden glimmering shimmer of gilded wonder of Thailand. Add some body copy about centuries-old tradition (never mind that the copywriter, who very well may be Thai, is wearing Levis and Burberry and probably spends that traditional holiday out at a bar with friends instead of prancing around in a costume and bowing their head).

Even the sophisticated versions of cultural authenticity are, to be honest, more like something culturally inspired than culturally genuine. Then again tourism is not anthropology. Most tourists are not looking to toil in rice paddies for a week or to immerse themselves in an experience that is basically the same as home except the surrounding skin tones may be a little different.

And tourism infrastructure can also provide a safeguard for local communities. Herd the camera-toting crowds into an amphitheatre, for a couple hours. Do a song and dance routine. And then get them the hell out so you can go back to your own authentic life without the voyeurs around.

Maybe that’s how it should stay?

Can authenticity be profitable? Should it be?

Making Virtue of Vice

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:06:12 GMT

by Amelia Salyers - Concept Developer

Check out this intriguing article by Andrew Adam Newman about a magazine which uses its writers to staff its sister company, a marketing firm. I wonder if these kind of talent-sharing ventures are the way of the future in media - or if this is an isolated case, successful not due to the business model but because of the "tastemaker" niche it has carved out. What do you all think?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/business/media/28adco.html?ref=media

A Keen Celebration: A Photo Album

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:28:19 GMT

by Patr Srisook (Ten) - Graphic Designer

During the celebration of Keen's evolved identity on Wednesday, January 14, Khun Ten - Keen's resident photographer - snapped a lot of great shots. Scroll down for a selection that gives you a taste of life at Keen.

String Theory

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:41:50 GMT

by Amelia Salyers - Concept Developer

It began with string. Sturdy, unassuming white string, the kind of string that ties up brown paper packages and conducts important conversations between tin cans. As I puzzled over the latest Brand DNA at my desk on Monday, I began to notice the string quietly strung from the ceiling tiles. Carefully and unobtrusively, it skirted the perimeter of the office, encircling my officemates and me. Not wanting to break my concentration, I let the observation go for the time being.

That evening, as I left the office and walked into the elevator bank, I saw that the string wasn’t unique to the office I work in – it hung next to the elevators and extended into Keen’s two offices on the other side of the floor. Huh. Was there some kind of game going on between the offices that I didn’t know about? Was Keen going retro with an actual revival of the tin-cup-phone-and-string communications strategy? Given that we had recently had an elaborate company-wide Ping-Pong tournament (complete with a live-feed and digital stats on screen – thanks, Khun Neo!), I knew that there were any number of creatively zany possibilities.

The question of the string was answered yesterday morning, however. As the climax of a months-long process to redefine Keen, the whole company gathered in the lounge space normally occupied by that (in)famous Ping-Pong table. Replacing the table was a row of Buddhist monks, invited by Keen to bless our new logo and new vision for the company. Upon filing in to kneel before them, I saw the end of the string’s trail – twined around a statue of the Buddha and draped over the hands of the monks. Suddenly, it struck me. The string was a conductor but not in the way I had imagined. Rather than words, the string was conveying the monks’ blessings all around the office, connecting each and every person with the blessings and what was being blessed. As the chanting – at once ancient and ethereal – filled the room, I closed my eyes to listen more closely. Though I didn’t understand the Pali verses, I could begin to understand the way they bound us together.

Like the foreign words of the Buddhist chant, the people of Keen come from diverse backgrounds and sometimes don’t even speak the same language. Yet, just as the experience of the chanting was shared by all, so too does the experience of working at Keen bring all the different personalities and backgrounds into a common whole. Indeed, our very differences give our team the edge it needs to find fresh perspectives and craft original designs.

After the monks had spritzed our heads and walls with water and left the office, we all stayed together for a company-wide lunch of Thai favorites. For a little bit, we (well, most of us, anyways) put aside our thoughts of the next deadline and the next project to eat, laugh, and generally enjoy each other’s company. The sounds of Thai, British English, American English, and French English, as well as near-constant laughter, floated around the room. If the string wasn’t still vibrating from the blessings, surely it was now humming with this unique chorus of Keen voices. Of course, I don’t need the string to remember how each one of us is tied together. I see that bond manifest itself every day as we work together to bring our creative visions to fruition.

I wouldn’t mind if we left the string up for awhile, though. I haven’t spoken over a tin-can two-way in a long time.

New year, new media

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:56:32 GMT

by Cody Griggers - Director, Advocacy Communications

Ah, that time of year is upon us again—a time of rebirth, renewal, refreshment and yes, in this year, recession. It comes as no surprise then that as companies and organizations across the board are making their resolutions for the new year, one of the first on their list is “cut costs”. And what is often the first line item to go under the knife, for both private enterprises and non-governmental organizations? You guessed it–communications.

Disclaimer: I work for a brand strategy and integrated communications agency, so don’t expect me to take this lying down. But I promise I am not going to launch into a sales pitch or tell you why communications should be the last thing sacrificed to the gods of financial austerity. Instead, I have one simple resolution that I would urge all the non-profits, UN agencies and NGOs I work with here at Keen to set for this new year: get more bang for your communications buck–and go digital.

I direct this towards my friends in the non-profit world not to single them out, but because this is something that the commercial world has already got a head start on. Keen’s multimedia team has been building interactive digital maps, on-line meeting planners, flash and video presentations and content management systems for hotels, resorts, residential developers and other private sector enterprises for years as a way of taking information that would have once been relegated to the static medium of print and sharing it with the world–with just one click.

Our Advocacy Communications division has been happy to borrow from the experience we’ve honed creating digital and online communications strategies with our commercial clients–because what is advocacy if not “selling” an idea, needed information, a new way of thinking or a social cause to your target user? And we’re happy to see that NGOs and non-profits are steadily coming onboard.

Over the last year, we worked with UNESCO to adapt an HIV/AIDS awareness education for teachers into an online learning module, have developed an online knowledge management system for project managers in the International Labour Organization, built a web-based database of communications tools for emergency response with UNICEF, and most recently, collaborated with IUCN on creating a multimedia presentation advocating for mangrove preservation.

All have had a worldwide reach, and all can be updated with just a few clicks–compare that to the time, effort and resources that non-profit organizations tend to spend on printing (and subsequent distribution), and you can see why we think digital is the way to go in 2009–whether you’re a business with a product to sell, or an organization with an issue that demands the world’s attention.

Don’t get me wrong–we like paper and love print design, and can’t imagine a world without it. But the next time you sit down to compile another report or publication, think about its purpose–who you’re reaching, where you want it to go, how you want it to be used, and how long you want it to last. And then think about how much further your message might go if it is instead powered digitally.

Panegyric

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:32:55 GMT

by Ron Edwards - Concept Director

The Concept Department’s first workshop of the new year went brilliant as expected. I’ve found these sessions to be so useful and the team loves them as well. Without boasting I could probably say that as a whole, we’re the most intellectual department of Keen (no offense all you other guys – but don’t lie, we can see you rolling your eyes every time we mention deconstructionist philosophy… again).

For those who don’t know, Keen – especially the Concept Department – tends to hire the young and bright. The ‘kids’ always say that these workshops bring them back to their Ivy League college days.

Topic of Workshop 2009 #1 was the “Panegyric” (or Πανηγυρικ for you other nerds and linguists who prefer to see it in the original Greek). It’s a literary and oratory form of the ancient Greeks and Romans. (And quite similar to the قصيدة for any Arabic scholars out there.) The goal was to praise someone as highly as possible, without going over the top and losing credibility. The speeches were judged by how close they could get to the threshold, how amazing and desired and wonderful you could make someone appear while still coming across as completely authentic. Which is really exactly what copywriting and marketing and branding is all about.

Full Disclaimer: No, we didn’t look at any real panegyrics. We are a commercial enterprise after all, but we did use the basic notion of the artform to explore how we could praise our clients in their branding and communications while simultaneously infusing the messages with credibility. Just in case you think three hours of this sounds interminably boring, we also took the opportunity to watch plenty of YouTube clips of ridiculously horrible advertisements.

This one below was probably our favourite.