Gen Z: the young and daring consumers with a conscience
Traditionally, brands have stayed neutral when it comes to politics and social issues. It’s generally been felt that taking sides risks alienating a large proportion of a customer base. But in today’s increasingly polarised climate, staying neutral can actually be riskier. As consumers look for ways to support the world’s most pressing issues, including the present threat of climate change, and fighting social and racial injustice, many see their wallets as a way to do so. Social analysts, McCrindle, found that this approach was particularly prevalent among Gen Z consumers who want to know exactly where brands stand on complex issues before investing. COVID-19
Amplify your content with content stacking
The benefits of content marketing are well documented. It enables brands to break through the noise and connect with their target audience by providing information and experience that adds value. Developing quality content is time consuming, therefore it makes sense to get the greatest mileage possible from your content investment. What is content stacking? At its heart, content stacking is about taking a chunky piece of content like a blog post, video, interview or presentation and splitting this down into snackable, bite-size pieces of information. For example, an original long-form video you spent time and effort producing is well suited to Youtube, but with some
Cannings Purple Help Hyzon Take Hydrogen To The World
Perth in Western Australia might not be the first place you’d expect to be the home of a global communications campaign for a hydrogen fuel cell business based in America. But Cannings Purple has always done things differently, and Hyzon Motors recognised that when it selected us in a competitive process as its global communications provider. In August 2020, Hyzon Motors, a US- headquartered global supplier of hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, hired Cannings Purple in anticipation of speeding up the deployment of its vehicles around the world and preparing for a major transformation – a listing on the NASDAQ. Cannings Purple built the Hyzon Motors story and brand, helping
Is Australia’s COVID vaccine messaging off?
The most popular overseas COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have included comedy skits, well-liked celebrities, and catchy music, all using creative out-of-the-box thinking to encourage their citizens to get the jab. New Zealand, U.K and Singapore get creative In New Zealand, their positive ‘Ka Kite, COVID’ campaign became an online favourite. It’s warm and funny, and incorporates the Maori language, declaring ‘Ka kite, COVID’, meaning ‘see you, COVID’ in the Maori language. This ad clearly targets different audiences and promotes the message that "vaccination is for the community not just the individual". In the U.K, Sir Elton John and Sir Michael Caine help the NHS promote COVID jabs in a humorous 90-second ad. Singapore’s quirky ‘Get Your Shot, Steady Pom Pi Pi’ is something else entirely. A disco-themed
Is email marketing dead?
Is it difficult to ‘do’ email marketing? No. Is it difficult to ‘do email marketing well’? No, but you need to put the fundamentals in place and stick with them. Don't set and forget There are myriad email service providers like Mailchimp, Active Campaign, Campaign Monitor and Send Grid that are intuitive and can have you on your way to sending your first email campaign within an hour. So often we see a set and forget, spray and pray, un-targeted email marketing approach that achieves little and is likely doing more damage for your brand than it is achieving your goals. And this is really
Did you know your employees are your influencers?
One of the biggest and latest trends in social media marketing is influencer marketing. With more than 4.14 billion active social media users, it has emerged as one of the most effective ways for your brand to reach new audiences. What is influencer marketing? The technique involves engaging with an influencer - an online persona with a large and active following - who promotes your product or service to their audience. The method effectively shines a light on who you are and what you do. To put it into perspective, influencer marketing is estimated to have grown a market size of $9.7 billion
4 ways to better brand recognition
What is brand recognition? Brand recognition is exactly what you might expect. It’s how your stakeholders and members of the public 'recognise' your brand. Beyond the name of your business, a good brand recognition strategy involves the development of colour schemes, logos, visual elements and tone of voice that people can attribute to your brand. Prioritising how a story is told increases the likelyhood of positive brand recognition for an organisation. Actively telling your story By actively telling the story of your company and the people working there, and sharing its values, you are influencing how people view your business. A professionally written news story, a
The technology driving the mining, resources and defence industries in WA
The usual hi-vis and red dust was swapped for robotics, artificial intelligence and automation at yesterday’s Resources Technology Showcase. The Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre came alive as the world’s biggest resources companies showcased the incredible technology driving the mining, resources and defence industries in WA. Innovation plays a critical role in these industries as a tool to enhance productivity, to meet increasing environmental and health concerns, and to heighten safety. Technology helping to mitigate risk and ensure safety Addressing safety concerns has been a major driver for innovation. Focus has been put on removing workers from dangerous activities through the automation of processes and the use of autonomous and remote-controlled equipment. On display at the Resources Technology Showcase was the Australian Defence Force’s new bomb-disposal robot designed by THALES. Australian
Has Apple killed email?
There were a series of privacy upgrades and changes to Apple operating systems announced at last week’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, changing the way millions of people’s data will be used. When the keynote started, a good chunk of time was given to showcase subtle software upgrades. For many, boredom started to set in until the first mention of “privacy” woke everyone up. One of the many privacy updates announced by Apple was a new feature called Mail Privacy Protection, which restricts email services and senders from collecting information about its users. In its official announcement, Apple says: “In the Mail app, Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from using invisible pixels to collect information about the user. The new feature helps users prevent senders
I don’t need a videographer; I’ve got a smartphone…
The technology that is packed into our phones is quite mind boggling. Even the camera on most phones is now of such quality that it can compete with some professional cameras. And if that’s the case, why would you need a videographer or a video camera? This comes down to what you are shooting and what you want your video to do. Where agencies add value At Cannings Purple, we position ourselves as a strategic communications provider – the operative word being strategic. Agencies can add value through their technical proficiency with professional video recording equipment. But most of the success of a video comes
Zuckerberg takes a swipe at Apple’s fees
In a Facebook post shared on Monday, and just moments before Apple CEO, Tim Cook took the stage at his company’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg announced that it won’t take a cut of revenue from creators who make money on its platforms until 2023. What this means is that Facebook will not take a cut of any revenue generated by paid online events, fan subscriptions, badges or its upcoming independent news product. Zuckerberg also promised that when Facebook does start collecting a cut of revenue from creators, it will be less than the 30% that Apple takes. A never-ending dispute Facebook’s promise to take
Why your business needs to start the conversation about digital accessibility today
Never have we had so much knowledge available at our fingertips. The web provides unprecedented access to information, goods and services and a virtual platform for networking and socialising with others. However, many digital platforms are developed with accessibility barriers, making them difficult and frustrating for people with disabilities and impairments to use. Global Accessibility Day (GAAD) Today we celebrate the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a day of recognition that shines a light on digital access and inclusion for the one billion people with disabilities and impairments around the globe. If you communicate with customers, you need to know about web
It’s arrived: Apple’s biggest privacy changes
Following the release of Apple’s iPhone iOS 14.5, and its new privacy feature, App Tracking Transparency, all developers must now ask permission before tracking users across apps and services. Until now, Facebook and other apps have been able to mine data from iPhones if users had not changed their settings to prevent it, which very few people did. This new feature requires users to give explicit permission to an app to share their location data and activities with advertisers. Without this permission, it will be harder for companies like Facebook and other app developers to track users’ activity, and that restriction in data will likely impact their advertising effectiveness. "We think that some number of
Could AI Generated Models Be The Future?
Beautiful, diverse and ready to show up in your next ad campaign, Generated.Photos holds a collection of more than two million human faces, free for download. Oh, and none of them are real. These faces have been generated by artificial intelligence. The site allows you to narrow your search of the massive database by “head pose”, “eye colour”, “hair length”, “emotion”, “sex” and “age”, to name a few. Generated.Photos says its faces could be useful for clients needing to jazz up promotional materials and promises clients they can “increase diversity” and “reduce bias” by including “many different ethnic backgrounds in your projects.” Generative adversarial
Cannings Purple Launches New Website
We are very excited to announce the launch of our newly designed website, www.canningspurple.com.au. To discuss our new website and the process behind the strategy, design and copywriting, a few members of the team share their opinions.
How Spotify uses data to tell a story
Big data can feel scary. Data collection is seen as a giant absorbent sponge, soaking up any and all information from consumers. At least, that’s the sentiment shared by 70% of Australians. Yet without the power of data, life would not be the same. Take Spotify. The popular audio streaming and media service provider celebrates its data and uses it to tell stories about its subscribers. Spotify not only relies on data to make its user experience better, but it is also the source of its marketing campaigns that users find hilarious and relatable. Spotify Wrapped With more than 345 million users, Spotify annually causes a social media frenzy with its ‘Wrapped’ feature, a window into the listening habits of its users. Spotify provides subscribers with a detailed summary of their music history over the year, top artists, favourite genres,
How I grew my LinkedIn network by 50% in six weeks
One of the things I do a lot of is training and coaching people who want to improve their use of LinkedIn. The professional social media network has about 700 million registered users, and can be a fantastic place to learn, build genuine relationships, and extend your network. But it’s also a misunderstood platform, and many people aren’t sure what they should be using it for, what they should post, or how to write for the platform. (If this sounds like you, feel free to get in touch with me). The more I have used LinkedIn, the more I realise it’s essentially a
Purple Conversations: Cameron Wong
Cameron Wong is a key part of Cannings Purple’s digital team, helping clients choose the right tools and interpret data to hone their digital strategies. A self-confessed marketing nerd, Cameron has a background working for non-profits and sporting organisations in Western Australia and a leading global technology conference producer in London.
Why media intelligence is important, and how to make it work for you
For business, Media Intelligence can be an invaluable tool, especially when used the right way. Unlike the common perception, Media Intelligence is more than just a regurgitation of every time you or your brand is mentioned. In fact, there are five very important ways following your news can improve your business and client outcomes.
Stakeholder and Community Engagement in a Post-COVID World
COVID-19 has created an atmosphere of uncertainty in almost every industry. Overnight, the world was forced to go virtual and with very limited opportunity for in-person interactivity and communication. We are currently still operating in a time of crisis, but businesses need to consider what happens not just today, but tomorrow and beyond. Those that do not take action to adjust their communications strategies risk losing their audience’s trust. A positive shift for engagement Fortunately, the digital era has normalised online communication to the point that many of us now prefer it. The pandemic forced a necessary shift to more online engagement, and in turn we see more opportunities to engage virtually with
Introducing Skyline – A Targeted Commercial Property Content Platform
Cannings Purple’s Skyline platform has been developed to ensure property players can deliver their stories to the right audience at the right time.
The case to Automate
For many people automation is no more than a buzz word, and really, how many more of those can we handle? However, the benefits are irrefutable. Senior Digital Consultant, Cameron Wong, explains how marketing automation could benefit your business.
Press freedom in Australia and defamation cases on the rise
Often the media is referred to as the harshest of critics. Over recent weeks we’ve seen the powerful pull of the media and its influence over public perception regarding royalty, celebrities and even our politicians. Having a free media means journalists have a fundamental right to publish content freely without censorship, control or restrictions. Concerns for this freedom have grown within the last decade as the number of defamation cases against media outlets has risen at an increasingly alarming rate. The international media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, has downgraded Australia’s global ranking for press freedom from 12th best in the world in 2002 to 26th. Their 2020 World Press Freedom Index highlighted the challenge journalists face. “In 2019, Australian journalists became more aware than ever
Safeguard your business against defamatory content on social media
The rapid evolution of social media and various other digital platforms means legislation is regularly playing catch up. Liability and ownership of defamatory content on social media is one such emerging area of law.
Branding analysis: WA State Election
With Zac Kirkup conceding that the WA Liberals are facing defeat, and the overwhelmingly positive polls that have been published of late for Labor, it seems that the WA State Election is in the bag for incumbent Premier Mark McGowan. Or is it?
The battle of the giants: Facebook vs News Corp
There’s an African proverb that when elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers — and that’s been abundantly clear for Australian media in the past few weeks. Facebook vs News Corp In the blue corner is Facebook, market capitalisation of USD $741 billion, with as many daily users as the entire populations of all of North America, Europe and Latin America combined. In the red corner is News Corp, a mere $10 billion in market capitalisation, but in charge of a sprawling international TV, news, digital and magazine empire that in Australia extends from Sky News to The Australian to the Fremantle-Cockburn Gazette. Alongside are Australia’s other big news houses: Nine, which owns
New Year’s Resolutions: Revisiting Brand Strategy
Every New Year, many of us make resolutions. We stretch to see a better version of ourselves and try and coax it into being. I believe brands are similar. Brands can sometimes get distracted from their true purpose. Often, it's because the people who manage them are time poor, and other times the market has changed, leaving businesses feeling like they’ve lost their way. So, it’s good to stop, take stock and ask the question, “is our brand the best version of itself?” Back to Brand Strategy Basics To answer that question, businesses need to ask themselves: What is our purpose? What is our vision? What is
Facebook blocks news from Australian users
Facebook has made the unprecedented move of banning Australian news publishers (and users) from sharing or viewing any news articles on the platform. It’s a response to the Federal Government’s bargaining code which has passed through the House of Representatives, and which will require social media companies to pay news organisations if their content appears on the platform. For many Australian users, this means their main source of daily news - their Facebook newsfeed - will look very different, with only content appearing from friends and family, and non-news organisations. It’s a bold, even aggressive action, on Facebook’s part. If you look at
Google vs Australia
Google is threatening to shut down its search engine in Australia over a proposed media law. Google said last month that it may stop delivering search results in Australia after the government introduced a new media bill that requires digital platforms to pay publishers to link their content in news feeds or search results. Essentially, Australia wants internet giants like Facebook and Google, to pay to display and link to news generated by Australian journalists. If Google does exit from Australia, it would deny more than 25 million people access to the world's most popular search engine, which handles almost 95% of the country's daily
The Conductor: Project managing the design studio
Have you ever watched a classical music concert and wondered why the orchestra needs a conductor? Surely the musicians can play without the person at the front? The truth is, the conductor holds everything together. The conductor is the only person who can hear the whole orchestra play. For example, the musician on the left can’t hear what’s being played on the right, so how will the musicians know when to come in and how loud to play? The creative It’s the same in the design studio. It is extremely ineffective for designers' to be constantly jumping from creative processes to analytical or