Punktilio started life as a rock n’ roll band. We moved from Oxford, England to Los Angeles, California in 2003 – just as Myspace launched. By 2005 we’d become part of a huge cultural shift that saw bands dropping record labels in favour of the ‘DIY’ model, and it was social media that made this possible – we could now connect with fans directly, attracting them to our shows and having them buy music and merch from us. Musicians were the catalyst that made social explode, and we were leveraging it five years before brands and agencies even thought about it (note – a brand and a band are no different).

During a trip back to the England I discovered the UK’s largest social network, Bebo. It was without a music offering – I called them up and asked why. Long story short, I was lucky enough to meet Michael and Xochi Birch, who offered me a job there and then to help build Bebo’s music offering. I spent the next 18 months sitting on a rocket ship as HMS Bebo grew into one of the biggest social networks in the world. The amount of brands and agencies that flocked to our network was overwhelming – they knew they had to get into social, but they didn’t have a clue about why, where or how. That was a light-bulb moment for me. When Bebo sold to AOL in 2008 I got down to the serious business of creating the best social media agency in the world. Our first client was Dolly Parton, closely followed by Simon Cowell’s music label Syco.

As more brands started to flock to the social web, Punktilio changed its focus from music to brands. What we were able to offer (that the big media groups couldn’t) was a truly specialist understanding of how this new world rocked; we weren’t trying to mould social to traditional thinking, we had coal-face knowledge and understanding, we thought differently, social was natural for us. Not only could we build successful communities packed with genuine engagement, but we were also able to remain fluid, consistently morphing as the space did – when Facebook brought in another change, we were so close to it all that we could react and exploit in real-time. The biggest win for us was the ability to deliver deep insight and ROI – we can tell a client exactly where  each penny of each pound gets spent and what it actually delivers – something the big guys are still struggling with. And now, one of the most important deliverances from ‘fluff’ to ‘bottom line’ is the fact we can sell products and services directly through social. The social web is the new web, and that made Punktilio a fairly hot proposition.

So, why sell? Truth is, social media can’t be limited as a specialism in it’s own bubble: just as users don’t segment new and traditional media, nor can we. Social impacts everything – there isn’t a brief that doesn’t incorporate social, but more importantly, there are very few actions that don’t deliver a social media reaction. This means that social has to be a part of bigger, more joined up thinking, cutting through the very heart of line – or perhaps even the other way around. I’m not suggesting for a minute that social doesn’t demand very specific knowledge and skills (note – avoid ‘social media gurus’) but it has to be genuinely integrated and part of the complete picture. My personal belief is that the future of MarComs lies in the fused skills and knowledge of Social, Marketing, and Technology. The social media hype hasn’t died or diminished, it’s now dominated and switched from something early adopters did to a mainstream utility. And this is why we chose Essence – the future’s digital, and social media is very much the heart of it.

Hal Stokes, May 24 2011

Pic credit: www.searchandmore.co.uk

We’ve been saying it for a long time now; social media success is built on engaging communities not having huge number of passive likes or follows. The Expion Poll reported on US based restaurant news blog NRN.com shares this view, which places YO! Sushi at the top of it’s Top 10 Chains With Highest Percentage Of Active Fans. Outshining even Starbucks which apparently places somewhere around 25!

While foodservice’s biggest social-media player, Starbucks, boasts more than 21.3 million Facebook “likes” and nearly 31,800 active fans, according to Expion, that active-fan percentage rounds up only to 0.1 percent, which just cracks the top 25 rankings.

The top 10 chains with highest percentage of active fans
Base = Expion’s full Top 50 rankings based on number of active fans

1. YO! Sushi (6.4%)
2. Papa Murphy’s Pizza (2.4%)
3. Denny’s (2.0%)
4. O’Charley’s (2.0%)
5. A&W (1.8%)
6. White Castle Burgers (1.7%)
7. Panera Bread (1.7%)
8. Arby’s (1.7%)
9. Burger King (1.6%)
10. The Melting Pot (1.3%)

Read more: http://www.nrn.com/article/chains-most-active-facebook-fans#ixzz1LNEkPw3b

Not resting on her laurels after getting international press for her #happybirthdaybill trending topic, our @letitiawolf has done it again.

This article was originally posted by Simon Caine from Crab Creative in The Guardian on 18/04/2011

Twitter tips: how I used social media to find jobs

A social media executive has always used Twitter in his job seeking. Here, he shares some tips and insights

 

A Twitter exchange between social media exec Simon Caine, and Letitia Wolf.

I’ve been a massive fan of social media since I first joined MySpace in 2003. I love the way it allows you to communicate with your friends for free and learn more about people you may have only met a handful of times.

It’s this passion for social platforms that led me to design and develop my own social network – a website which allowed Nottingham-based businesses to communicate directly with their customers – while still at university, with the financial help and support from a business enterprise agency called The Hive.

The venture didn’t survive past its difficult first year, but it did lead me into working with businesses in Nottingham, helping them develop their online presence on social networks including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Upon graduation I wasn’t about to give up on social media, so I decided to incorporate it into my search for a job. In less than two years, I’ve become head of social media at a digital agency called Crab Creative.

Twitter has always been a key tool that I’ve used to create career opportunities. I’ve either found the roles advertised via Twitter or first made contact with a company this way. Here are some tips and insights I’ve picked up along the way.

Don’t follow everyone

I began my job search by following the 10 to 15 companies I really wanted to work for. The rest I added to a “list” on Twitter; these lists are designed to help you organise the people and topics you are interested in, whether you follow them or not. This meant I wasn’t bombarded with a mixed feed of friends, companies and brands. I checked my list everyday while I was searching for work and now that I have a great job I barely check it. I know it’s always there if I want to get an update on the industry or make another career move, but it doesn’t interfere with my regular use of Twitter.

Follow members of staff

I found following existing employees (particularly recruitment officers) much more helpful than following the company’s Twitter account. Individuals are much more likely to respond. Plus it may help you stay one step ahead of the rest of the job market: they’ll often tweet if they’re changing jobs, which let’s you know there’s a vacancy.

I found lots of companies had a list called “staff” where you can find the employees, but you can also search by users’ bios using Google – like I did here. I’d recommend following the list itself. It saves time and has the advantage that whenever a new member of staff joins the company you will get their tweets automatically (once they’ve been added to the list).

Increasingly companies are using Twitter to advertise jobs as well as message boards. The character limitations mean they have to be succinct. I recently worked with the Royal College of Nursing to devise a posting plan to advertise some upcoming jobs – so it’s not just social media companies utilising this medium.

Use Twitter search

Google searching is very useful, but you can’t filter by location. Twitter’s advanced search allows you to specify a location followed by some keywords. (This is a basic search for tweets containing social media within 25 miles of central London.)

You can also get more specific by removing keywords or including hashtags. This can make finding a local job a lot easier and for me location was very important as I didn’t want a commute that would take more than an hour. The majority of the previous positions I’ve held have been found via Twitter search, looking for tweets that include words such as “social media role”.

Tweet about your work and experiences in your chosen industry

Don’t do this every time you get told the report was good. But I’ve tweeted links to applications, blogposts and achievements that I am proud of. I’ve had people retweet these and reply to offer feedback on what they would do differently.

Additionally, replying to tweets from other people about their work is a great way of opening up the communication channels. If I am impressed by a campaign I’ll be very quick to praise the company or team that created it. For example, I recently had a chat with Letitia Johnson from Punktilio about their Phones 4u game and YO! Sushi promotions.

Don’t have a private account

When you make your account private, by definition, you make yourself less visible. I wouldn’t advise it. If you’re worried that your personal tweets will lose you a job or stop you getting an interview, either get a second Twitter account or don’t tweet while you’re on the job hunt.

Make use of your bio

Several industry (social media specific) recruiters found me from searching for people looking for jobs in social media. I had tweeted “looking for FT/PT/#freelance roles in social media” which helped them locate me. I wasn’t following them, but I did meet them offline to discuss opportunities they had to offer.

Once the recruiters had found me they knew the role I was after by reading my bio and were able to tweet me links to job specs on their websites directly. You only get 160 characters for your Twitter bio, so you have to be specific. At the time my bio was “Social media bandit, 3 years experience looking for social planner/community management role.” Followed by my email address and website.

Some organisations only use recruitment agencies so no matter how much you try and get their attention it will all be in vain. Recruiters are surprisingly active on Twitter (and LinkedIn) in my experience.

#FF

#FF stands for “Follow Friday” and it’s a way of people recommending other profiles they feel are worth following.

I helped a friend gain some recruiters attention about a month ago by using #FF to tweet that they were looking for a job. Three recruiters from my account followed them and contacted them about roles.

Simon Caine is head of social media at a digital agency called Crab Creative. And a standup comedian. Find him on Twitter @thismademecool

If you would like to receive advice like this and info about forthcoming live Q&As direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Careers update.

Video #1
Unbelievable David Beckham eerrrmm…Yes it is!

Video #2
Rebecca Black – Friday (OFFICIAL PARODY VIDEO) – Sunday – Sadie B

Video #3
Lucozade – Travis. Tinie. Taylor – The Wild Ones. ‘Simply Unstoppable – YES Remix’

Video #4
The T-Mobile Royal Wedding

Video #5
WTF! Insane Human Curling by BIC Flex 3

Full Playlist

We went down to see him play at 229 The Venue on Friday and, wow, what a fantasic gig. They had the audience dancing, cheering, and whistling along to Complicated Mess, Ricochet and Vernon Street before it was unfairly cut short, an act which only had the crowd chanting for ‘one more tune’!

Here’s some pics we took on the night followed by the quirky fan-made video for Chained On A Gorilla, which would have no doubt brought the house down. Maybe that’s why the organiser cut it short?

Chained to a Gorilla from Katherine Janes on Vimeo.

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Adidas – All In

Epic advert starring far too many famous people to mention, soundtracked by the much awaited new tune by Gallic electro rockers Justice.

The Governator

Yes, you’ve probably seen this already but Arnie now has his own cartoon. I’ll say again, Arnie, the Governor of California, has his own cartoon.

Charlie Sheen (The Unedited Version)

The latest video installment of distilled madness from Charlie Meme.

Quaked – Skating in Christchurch after the earthquake

To most people Christchurch looks cracked and broken but to these skaters the destroyed landscape becomes a series of beautiful jumps and ramps.  You may have already seen this over on our Tumblr but it was just too rad not to include here.

Morgan Spurlock: The Greatest TED Talk Ever Sold

The Supersize Me documentary maker humourously discusses brand marketing on his quest to make a completely brand sponsored film about sponsorship.

Introducing Suwappu!

Cute Augmented reality toy concept from Dentsu. The physical toys are canvasses to the digital world painted on top when viewed through an iPhone. I want these just so I can have Kanye West as a Tuna.

Kinected Conference

MIT students re-think and improve video conferencing with the help of a hacked Kinect, is this the future?

Metronomy – She Wants

Finally, a current favourite from Leif, our Video Content Manager, an impressively realised concept. It even has a QR Code which rewards you with a free download of the track. How nice is that of them?


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From Dogboarding, through to a cute video of twin baby boys having a conversation that’s spawned a lot of responses. From babies to profanity with the latest video of newly signed to XL Tyler The Creator – Yonkers. Then Charlie Brooker stands up for Rebecca Black. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Charlie Brooker being wrong. And finally a YouTube classic that’s made a few of us here fall in love with a shell.

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“Warner Bros has expanded its test of renting films through Facebook, adding “Watch” tabs to Pages for five more films. Since its release on March 8th, 98,330 users have engaged with the “Watch The Dark Knight” app hosting the original test of the streaming service. The streaming app for the additional films, developed by Milyoni, has not been changed to bring Facebook’s social features any closer to the viewing experience.

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We’ve just got the results in for our latest App, the 24 hour F4ce Inv4ders game for Phones 4u and Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY. It looks like many F4ces were Inv4ded:

- 15,000 game plays in total.

- On average, the game was played 9.4 times by each player.

- 5,000 plays just in the last 2 hours before closing at midnight.

- 1,572 total of individual app users.

- ..and one person even played the game a staggering 270 times!

Seeing as people really enjoyed playing the game we’re going to keep it up for a little while longer. Click here if you would like to INV4DE your friends F4CES!

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Take the classic retro game Space Invaders, inject it with Phones 4u’s cheeky sense of humour, add it to Facebook, then blast away shooting your friends as they float above in the UFO.

F4CE INV4DERS is a Facebook enabled version of the great old skool game which we wanted to engage existing and new Phones 4u customers with to raise awareness around the release of the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY and the fact that it will be available to buy from Phones 4u on 1st April.
The aim of the game is score as many points as you can by shooting as many alien Androids as you can. Your Facebook friends profile pics are also pulled into the game onto space craft’s which you get extra points for shooting.

As part of Sony Ericsson’s The First Ten campaign, fans of Phones 4u have 24 hours to obtain the highest score on the leaderboard. The person with the most points at midnight tonight will win a Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY and two tickets to the launch event on the 31st March 2011.

So hurry up, there’s only a few hours left, get blasting!


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