He may be the ghost of Christmas Past - but Birmingham’s IMAX launch of Christmas Carol on Saturday is turning to techniques of the future to bring in the crowds.
 

For the first time, promoters are using Bluetooth or proximity marketing to engage with local shoppers – with savings of 25% for anyone choosing to receive the free message voucher to their phone.

Saturday’s Millennium Point promotion forms part of an integrated worldwide marketing campaign for the movie and coincides with Birmingham’s Christmas lights switch-on and the estimated 40,000 expected to attend.

Bluetooth works from a nearby ‘Bloowire’ transmitter, offering shoppers within a 100 metre range the opportunity to receive a free voucher to their phone which they can then take to the desk to receive their discount.

PR Manager Caroline Durbin explains:

“The Christmas lights switch on represents a unique opportunity for us to engage with large concentrations of people which is where Bluetooth works really well.

“The content is completely free to receive to phones and we’re offering those taking part a special 25% discount on the door if they show their digital voucher.”

Unlike SMS or text messaging alerts, the actual names and numbers of those participating remain unknown and therefore privacy is retained.

The chosen partners for the campaign are Gencia, who have now been running Bluetooth campaigns throughout the UK for over 2 years.

Gencia Managing Director Tony Braide says that techniques are becoming more widespread due to increased mobile usage rates and the introduction of more sophisticated phones.

“Bluetooth is increasingly more popular as a promotional tool due to the amount of mobile users, sophistication of phones and range of uses this now brings to both the sender and recipient.

“The organisers have already done a sterling job in promoting the film in other ways and the 25% offer by Bluetooth will give them a measurable way of attracting even more people through the doors.”

Gencia this week successfully launched a Bluetooth mobile marketing campaign urging young people to act with Dignity when it comes to Alcohol.

The campaign - aimed at 13-18 year olds - uses Bluetooth to relay video messages of people compromising their personal safety and losing their dignity in public following excessive alcohol consumption.

The first in a series of campaigns was launched in Pembrokeshire this week in an event that included key partners within the police, health, education and youth services.

Bluetooth or proximity marketing is growing in popularity due to interactive way it engages young people and the validation it offers the sender in terms of how many people have received messages.

Messages are free to transmit and receive and unlike traditional text messaging, content is received only when permission is granted by receiver.

The official launch follows a successful pilot in which just under 60% of young people with compatible phones within range downloaded content that was offered to them.

At the event, Rhys Sinnett the Principal Public Health Officer in Pembrokeshire explained that the aim of the campaign is to reach and engage more people around potentially sensitive issues.

“Mobile phones are not just young peoples main means of communication but probably all of our main means of keeping in touch and so it seemed natural to move towards looking at ways of using this to our advantage”.

Jamie Adams deputy head of Pembrokeshire Council added in his speech that it was the first time the technology had been used in the county and discussed the importance of using digital media that could engage with as many young people as possible.

Dignity was chosen as umbrella brand name for a number of different strands of an ongoing campaign which will focus key issues such as drinking, personal safety, sexual health and bullying.

Gencia is now in talks with 20 other local authorities around the country about bringing Dignity and Bluetooth into schools to address key messages around drinking, personal safety and sexual health.

Managing Director, Tony Braide explains why many are now opting for the medium.

“Local authorities and schools are increasingly exploring Bluetooth as a more cost effective and environmental alternative to distributing leaflets and sending out letters.

“We are using Bluetooth differently to turn it into a pull technology, in other words inviting recipients to request content without the pressure or obligation often associated with traditional marketing techniques.

Where the content is particularly engaging or humorous as elements of Dignity are, content is often shared with friends spreading the message even wider.”

For more information about Dignity or Bluetooth marketing, contact (0)161 214 5214
 

Schools (with some justification) will point out that they are often competing with behavioural ‘values’ instilled by peer groups such as parents, siblings or friends and evidence suggests that where dysfunctional circumstances exist, cases are typically more prevalent.  

However the question remains - are schools really doing enough to challenge these behaviours, influence them and affect them in a positive way?

It certainly isn’t through lack of trying. PSHE is on every local authority curriculum in the country and the introduction of healthy schools a few years ago has certainly raised awareness of key issues such as healthy eating, obesity and substance misuse within schools.

However while intentions remain strong and the messages may be right in most cases, my belief is that schools are still in the dark ages in terms of how they are communicating with young people.

The truth is that young people are bombarded with messages from friends, family, businesses, printed and digital media on levels far greater than we have previously experienced.

How many young people want to take a drugs awareness booklet home with them to discuss with parents when there are 80 TV channels available to watch when they get home, 200 friends on facebook to catch up with and new music and applications on download on their I-phones?

The answer is they usually don’t and this critical information simply tends wash over them.

Unlike other competing message providers however, schools do have a significant advantage in that they have a captive audience for 1 or 2 hours at a time. This is a teacher’s time to shine; their time to create a lasting impression on the 20-30 young people sat before them.

So what can schools do to overcome the rising communications bar?

Ironically the very medium often blamed for the scourge of issues such as bullying, drinking and anti-social behaviour may now be the key to their ability to change for the better.

Mobile phones have been banned in schools since their popularity began 10 years ago on the basis that they are noisy, distracting and downright disrespectful.

However developments in sophisticated applications within Smart Phones (I-Phones/Blackberry) presents a new opportunity for schools to better communicate with young people and engage with them in ways previously unimaginable.

Of course there is a balance to be struck and there will always be a place for certain traditional methods (and against this new media Internet is now classed as ‘traditional) but if we are to gain the respect of young people isn’t it about time we started to communicate on their level?

I’m sure there are an incredulous proportion among you screaming back with concerns about misuse, data protection and infringement of privacy rights.

But we’re not talking about text messaging here. We’re talking about proximity marketing or Bluetooth, the start of mobile media revolution within schools.

Instead of a one hour lecture on the danger of drugs young people can be invited to test their knowledge using a fun and interactive game situation which they can play whenever and wherever they want – completely free of charge for both sender and receiver.

In summary, Bluetooth presents content to young people in a way that intrigues them, in a way that invites them to explore issues for themselves and in a way that speaks to them on their terms and with their permission only.

Unlike the internet a mobile phone always stays with the individual, responses can be measured and educational games can be passed on to friends, virally spreading the message even further.

Furthermore campaigns happen at a fraction of the price of printed resources and its better for the environment.

Recently successful pilots within forward thinking schools, who now allow controlled dispensation of usage, suggests a mobile digital revolution is on the way within schools.

It is far from mainstream but attitudes are changing and the results are astounding.

So in the next 2-3 years schools may well be faced with one critical choice – stand still or get mobile.

To find out more about how Gencia is successfully working with local authorities and schools using Bluetooth, email gary@gencia.co.uk or contact 0)161 214 5214

We've put together a presentation for Trafford College to help entice prospective new students. It is designed to be delivered in sixth form schools and includes over 30 video clips showing aspects of life at Trafford College. The hidden menu system enables the presenter to pre-configure the contents of the presentation before it is delivered to keep it slick and professional.

TWD Accountants asked us to rationalise their existing website and reorganise the content to improve the customer flow around the site as well as optimising it for search.

The Gencia Blueprint process has achieved excellent results and the new design showcases TWDs' excellent range of services.

View the website: www.twdaccounts.co.uk

Coventry City Council has approached Gencia Media Ltd to implement a mobile marketing campaign aimed at commuters in the city.

The campaign, which raises awareness of unsecured break-ins to local businesses, is taking place at the city’s railway station. Gencia are using their Bloowire Bluetooth transmitters to broadcast the message to commuters’ mobile phones.

To encourage commuters to actively switch on their Bluetooth and receive the content, Gencia created a guerrilla marketing campaign using the station itself to raise awareness.

 Life-size images of wallets, keys, credit cards and mobile phones have been used as floor stickers as well as bright yellow barrier tape on most of the vertical surfaces throughout the station.

“Using Bluetooth is a fantastic way to deliver a serious message to the business community of Coventry and unlike other marketing methods, the Bloowire units record all the data from each campaign. This will allow Coventry City Council to analyse the success of this campaign and see exactly how many people have been contacted and received the content.”

Said Tony Braide, Managing Director, Gencia Media Limited.

The campaign is set to run for a two week period from Tuesday 14^th July.

Daisy PLC was named the UK’s 18th fastest growing technology company in the 2008 Deloitte Fast50 chart, the boast more than 200 staff and were able to report an annual turnover of £53m in the last financial year.

They chose Gencia to develop their new B2C eCommerce website which can be viewed by clicking on:

www.daisyplc.com

The website launch was also covered by How Do:

Daisy Communications and Gencia feature in How Do

Facebook would look to be opening itself up to some potentially damaging lawsuits with the introduction of vanity URLS:

http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/912263/Facebook-tells-brands-touch-protect-trademarks/

With names being given out on a first come first serve basis, you can bet that there'll be far more opportunists setting up URLs as opposed to the real person/company.  Although those who need to can register to protect their trademark, it's more than likely many will not simply down to not knowing about it.

Will be interesting to see how this one develops and which will be the first celebrity to sue....

Looks like it'll be a bit tricky making your way into, and more importantly out of, Manchester city centre on Thursday evening IF Utd bring the Champion's League title home:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2009/05/15/150509_manchester_united_parade_plans_feature.shtml

Come on Barcelona!

So the people who run our country have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar! It comes as no surprise to the electorate though some are shocked at the extent of the fraud as each new revelation breaks the news. And make no mistake, fraud it is. Not only will heads roll in the cabinet and Westminster in general but it seems that there is such an appetite from the public for criminal charges to be brought for some of the most blatant 'accounting oversites' that have occured that some of the more outrageous shisters might find themselves in court. This story is going to run and run.

The moral bankruptcy that permiates is clear for all to see. It makes a lie of the whole idea of democracy. If I hear the phrase 'it was within the rules' one more time I think I might put my foot through the TV. Of course if I were an MP I could put a claim in for a nice new 42" flatscreen, but as it is I have to buy my own out of what's left after I've paid my taxes and my mortgage so I'm restraining myself. The people who deem to tell us what to do have been stealing from us for years. They have tried their very best to stop it from becoming public and now it is clear why. They are a disgrace. For the most part they are self promoters who have been feathering their own nests with our money.

As government moves inexorably toward more and more transparency we'll clear out these parasites who have no moral compass and care about nothing but themselves. As they have consistently shown they will fight it every step of the way. The most corrupt fight hardest of all. It will take a long time but the exterminators are in and they're starting to clear out the vermin. It's a start.

Power to the people!