Día 1 · The Blog of the New Brand · El Blog de Barcelona Virtual

Goodbye, Steve

2011-10-06T10:58:00.001Z

Source: Social networks, author unknown. No copyright infringement intended.

The Future of Customer Service?

2011-04-11T15:38:00.003+01:00

The New Brand now has a real-time human face, personified by your most cheerful, people-loving Customer Service Reps. Coming to a webcam soon near you! ;-)

A special thanks to Juan at Pasión por el Marketing for this tip!

Digital Marketing:Straight Talking with No Hot Air

2011-03-01T16:11:00.013Z

El Marketing Digital sin pelos en la lengua, ni cortinas de humo / Digital Marketing: straight talking with no hot air

View more presentations from Paul Fleming

Paul was in Galicia (in Northwestern Spain) yesterday, speaking to the Confederation of Business People there.

We have taken the liberty of adding English to the presentation
so that you can enjoy it here on the blog.

You might also enjoy the interview published today in the newspaper LA REGIÓN, if you are comfortable reading Spanish.

Also worth a look: "Redes Sociales, vitales para el 20% de las PYMES" (Social Networks: Vital for 20% of SMBs)

As always, we welcome your comments!

A Chat with Isabelle Le Cam

2011-02-17T12:51:00.028Z

Immersed in a complex economic context in constant technological evolution, accompanied by changes in consumer purchase habits in Fashion, the Redcats Group, through its brands La Redoute and Vertbaudet in Spain, has radically changed the way it sells its clothes.

In this interesting interview with Isabelle Le Cam, Director of Client Marketing, we see how New Brands now use the various media mixes, adapting their Direct Marketing from paper to smartphones to webs, all the while tracking the ROI of each initiative.

What are the Keys to creating effective Direct Marketing
these days?

Keeping your Database clean and enriched with information about
user behaviour, online and offline
Creating multi-channel Communication campaigns, taking into account their efficacy using Internet
Communicating such campaigns with techniques adapted to each medium: moving from the paper mailing, to Mobile Marketing and online access according to profiles, then further on to adapting the messages by type of Social Media on the Net (Twitter, Facebooks, blogs and forums)
Measuring the efficacy of your Direct Marketing, including the results of all online campaigns

What new possibilities do Social Networks offer
to Direct Marketing?

Direct Marketing, since the very beginning, has always been a Marketing of Dialogue. Social Networks give us the opportunity of using most of traditional Direct Marketing's techniques: from database management vía Facebook to new promotional channels on Twitter, or by means of exclusive sales to a group of VIP customers using a blog, for example.

What trends and challenges do you forsee in the future?

I am definitely closely watching Mobile Marketing and Geocoding
as well as Interactive Social Shopping.

We encourage you to visit these two dynamic New Brands ;-)

La Redoute · Vertbaudet

"I Need Spain", Spirit of the New Brand

2011-01-18T15:57:00.010Z

We'd like to share with you a true gem of a campaign: the new Line of Communication for a surprisingly fresh and vibrant New Brand: the nation of Spain.

In the video above, you will find 4 different spots (in Spanish, for English please see below*). Each one is directed to a different target group. What is noteworthy is the Voice of these "mini-movies", all of them intimate slice-of-life portraits.

It is the voice of the people to whom the message is directed, full of knowledge about their lives and their needs. Infused with empathy and emotion. A serene, compelling and utterly seductive invitation to consider for oneself:

Perhaps I Need Spain, as well?

* Please see these English versions if you do not speak Spanish:

Families | Young Couple | Seniors | Young Man

Social Media Monitoring with Brandwatch

2010-12-29T12:53:00.009Z

Click on the "Full Screen" icon to the right (with the four arrows) to expand the video and view details more completely.

In the coming year, it will become more and more important to quickly identify and monitor what consumers are saying about your Brand on the social networks. Not to mention a related need you might have: that of monitoring your competitors.

With this in mind, Barcelona Virtual is partnering with Brandwatch, the leading Social Media monitoring application, in order to offer this critical data to our customers in 2011.

In the video above, you can see a basic introduction to this easy-to-use console, which provides invaluable information for your strategic Brand-oriented decisions.

More information can also be found in the following post:
http://www.brandwatch.com/2010/11/brandwatch-tutorial-session-1-social-media-monitoring-101/

3D, Eye of the Twenty-First Century

2010-11-23T11:29:00.027Z

Silestone -- 'Por Encima de Todo' from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

We'd like to invite you to take a brief, 56 second journey,
accompanied by Beauty Herself.

To do so, simply click on the video above and you will discover the commercial created entirely in 3D for Silestone by Spanish 3D expert Alex Roman. Well-known for his 3D short film "The Third and the Seventh", Cosentino, parent company of the Silestone brand of kitchen ceramics, commissioned Roman to do this brilliant piece for their own campaign.

The dynamism and realism of the "photography" (which is actually based on 3D polygons) stirs the imagination and communicates in a very powerful way. These pieces remind us of another 3D masterpiece we highlighted here earlier this year.

Since our creation in 1995, Barcelona Virtual has always recognised the importance of 3D and included it in our strategies, when relevant.

Our 3D Department never stops pushing the envelope, researching the latest and greatest in our internal R&D projects.

The images you see here are of
3D projects done here in the agency.

The 3D hotel here, as well as the farm below, was recently created
for a project of Caixa Renting

3D office created for our client Simon

How can we make 3D work for your New Brand?

Apps: Mobile Marketing Fun with iPhone,iPad, Android & Blackberry!

2010-11-19T15:39:00.013Z

As usual, Sesame Street is in step with contemporary culture, as you can see in this video of loveable, tech-savvy muppets ;-)

We fully agree. Not only will we soon launch apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry for one of our most important clients. We are also restructuring the agency to respond to the increased demand for Apps and Mobile Marketing we forecast for 2011 (and beyond).

If you seek to connect with your own users in a new and dynamic way, just sing along with the Sesame Street gang and your friends here in Barcelona at The Agency of the New Brand:

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT!

Contact us: we'd be delighted to help you.

Why Many Social Media Strategies Fail

2010-10-18T11:01:00.020Z

In the United States, we have a popular saying:

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Truer words were never spoken, especially as we observe the current frenzy around the topic of "Social Media". The current moda of social networks has captured the imagination of Advertisers the world over. Yet, paradoxically, due to their own self-interest and pride, their explotation of such social platforms is absolutely anti-social.

Most Brands that stake a claim in the current social networks are as irritatingly boring as self-absorbed monologists at cocktail parties. They neither understand the art of conversation, nor do they possess authentic interest in persons they still consider "targets" to shoot at. If they sincerely understood the concept of Lovemarks, they would cultivate relationships with individuals in search of connection and engagement and build true Communities together with them. Pure Cluetrain.

Sadly, this is not the case.

In fact, the looming saturation that is clogging Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other networks threatens to convert "Fans" into "Enemies", should ill-conceived "Community Manager strategies" continue. Far from transmiting a warm feeling of Community, many Facebook "Fanpages" are a hollow, tepid flow of conventional (spam-like) advertising messages.

Too many absolutely irrelevant posts. Too many Brands that all look the same. Too much infotoxication, as Alfons Cornella of Infonomia calls it. We shut down.

Why? Because "We the Fans" don't feel the love... we don't see Brands that are truly interested in our opinions, nor in hearing our complaints. Worst still: such Brands don't understand a key concept crucial to the New Marketing:

They don't understand our "Digital Lifestyles".

As we say in Spain, ni flowers. They don't have a clue! And this is dangerous for Brands.

Because if they don't know how we live our "Digital Lives", they won't know where we are, nor how to connect with us.

If they did care, they would know how, when, why and where we connect. They would understand that Internet is our OXYGEN and that we "live and move and have our being" in the Net (to paraphrase a famous writer). And they would attempt to meet us there.

They would recognize that we listen to music in Spotify, play and explore in 3D worlds such as Habbo Hotel and Second Life, learn leadership skills directing groups in World of Warcraft, rent movies from PlayStation® Network, set up birthday parties via Facebook and make decisions about new products using Flipboard on iPads, from high-speed trains and not from our offices.

If Brands truly cared about their Fans, instead of talking so much, they would relish any and all opportunities to create more off-line events. These events would be designed to come into direct contact with the leaders of the Communities they seem to be so earnest about creating. In order to listen, learn... and then lead.

What might be the result? New Brands for this new century: humble, open, transparent, curious and... social.

Photo credits: Jeffrey Chen

Barcelona, City of Inspiration and Trends

2010-10-01T11:04:00.002Z

Delia - trend analyst with our Strategic Partner "TrendOne" (Hamburg/Berlin) - came back to Barcelona this summer, after having lived there for over a year. She describes the unique inspirational atmosphere of the Catalonian capital, in which with Picasso and Gaudi some of the greatest artist of our time lived. Be inspired!

As we travel all over the world for spreading the word on micro trends, we always want to grasp the inner feeling of the cities we visit and we are curious about their culture. There are many things that make Barcelona a charming place to be but most of the times it is about special people in special places. The mixture between Spanish, Catalan and the thousands of nations coming to live there for a while make the city one of a kind in terms of trends and influences.

El Borne and also Gracia are about the New Traditionalist, a developing trend we are seeing here. Young people are opening stores with very upscale, well made locally produced products. Bespoke tailored suits, handmade shoes, not Desigual style but very chic, mostly using traditional products in new ways. Spotted: revived interest in original Catalan craft.

In Ribera, the area which is slowly becoming an upper-Born, the old city is excavated while workers are remodeling its walls, building inside new trendy shops. In the past 6 months 4 new art galleries opened their doors along with many new cafe's and boutiques.

El Raval stands for diversity, colors and mods. Ex-Chinese neighborhood, el Raval is now a mixture of old and new, kebab smell, pakis (Berlin’s spätis), international phone booths, very good bars with Betty Ford at lead and some of the best shops in terms of vintage clothes and furniture in the city. More and more cool museums raise the area, like MACBA is doing, but Raval‘s inhabitants complain about the new “very modern” hotel (Barcelo Raval) which was thrown down in the neighborhood’s heart. They say it completely transformed the space where young people used to hang out, making its authenticity disappear.

At night, the Digital Nomads pop up. They are those who move a lot, always online connected to people, amplifying their presence through smart tech like Iphones, Ipads etc. Mobility is part of their bodies and soul and technology is part of their veins.

Barrio Gotico is the aristocratic version of El Raval. Charming and elegant, smells like pastry and goes well with a red wine in the jazzy atmosphere. Funky, small art galleries and antique shops fill the neighborhood. An emerging group of young people here are the New Italians, young entrepreneurs from Italy that are opening cafes and restaurants everywhere. They started with Spritz/Aperitivo Italiano which is a big scene in itself and livelier then the Vermouth scene for young people because it includes free Italian tapas and in some places great DJs and live music on a Sunday night. Lots of Vespa clubs and piadina chains along with gelaterias everywhere now.

Along with meeting all the world’s nations, hearing all the languages, enjoying whatever type of cuisines gets through your mind, the architecture follows the same trend. Modernist walls marked with tags or stencils, outstanding modern buildings thrown down into old and authentic neighborhoods, Catalans and tourists, all this mix of different styles and behaviors somehow works perfectly and gives the city its charm. In the end, it is a great match!

Credits text and photos: Delia Dumitrescu · TrendOne

Our 3D Community, Now on Facebook!

2010-09-27T16:21:00.007Z

We're late, we know! The constant flow of projects and deadlines here in "RL" (Real Life") has kept us from doing the obvious much earlier. But now it's done:

Our vibrant community in the agency's Virtual 3D World finally has its very own Facebook fanpage! If you've attended conferences in the past in the open-air conference centre, grooved to the live DJ sessions or otherwise enjoyed our virtual Island, we hope you will choose to follow our 3D Marketing campaigns now on Facebook.

We're preparing new surprises this Fall you won't want to miss.
See you there?

Co-Creation: Facebook Fans Help Name Mascot

2010-07-15T14:04:00.006+01:00

The Age of Social Media is making one of our long-held dreams of Interactive Marketing come true: that of Co-Creation.

By this, we mean the active collaboration of Fans and implicated customers in the creation of a New Brand's campaigns... and even new Product Development.

The concept has been actively championed by Spanish airline Spanair and now our client Cinesa has embraced the idea. Counting on the more than 58,000 fans on the Cinesa Facebook page, this "New Brand" is asking fans this week to help name the new 3D image of its well-known, yet clumsy mascot.

As many readers of this blog in Spain will know, until acquiring his new glasses, the Cinesa Duck slammed up against the company's logo again and again in cinemas across the country, just before films were shown.

Now that he is less myopic, he just needs a name.
Want to help us out?

The Cinesa Challenge: "¡El Doblete!"

2010-06-22T17:37:00.004+01:00

It's the classic "Double or Nothing!"

Cinesa, a major European cineplex chain (and client of the agency) has put out a major challenge to all its fans on Facebook:

If we DOUBLE the amount of fans (from 25,000 to 50,000), we will ALL enjoy a DOUBLE PRIZE. Sound fair?

We think so... so let's get to work! We need to reach 50,000 fans by the end of the day, Sunday 27 June at MIDNIGHT.

Got friends who love cinema? Pass it on!

Erick Morillo, with Chiclets Day & Night

2010-06-21T16:40:00.002+01:00

The New Brand is one that seeks out relationships
with its most fervent fans.

For this reason, most successful digital promotions
these days should be closely integrated with Event Marketing
strategies that bring brands directly to where the people are:

on the street, in their offices... or even right down
to the beach, with the world's very best DJs!

That is what "Chiclets", Cadbury's chewing-gum brand
proposes to its fans in Portugal...
in the new website we've created together
with our friends at Sidecar.

An unforgettable evening in August,
complete with the unmistakable sound

of world-renown Erick Morillo,
soft breezes and all of this accompanied by

the beautiful Portuguese and their incredible,

poetically-sensual language.

Ahhhh! Sounds like heaven...

http://www.chicletsdaynight.com

A Complete Make-Over of Our 3D World

2010-06-16T18:20:00.003+01:00

In 2007 we opened humble offices in Second Life, as renters as first, just to "test the waters".

However, once we saw the great potential of 3D Virtual Worlds, we later purchased a full island in the Metaverse, which we were able to use successfully as a promotional and community-building platform.

In 2008 traffic surmounted 214,000 visits and unique users totaled more than 55,000 users. Brands as diverse as Obra Social Caixa Sabadell (now Unnim), Universal Pictures, Infoempleo.com and Sony PlayStation joined us in pioneering initiatives, all of them groundbreakers in Experiential Marketing.

Now, three years on, we are effecting a complete renewal of our 3D space, which includes new buildings designed by SL arquitect Razt Bellic (a student of Industrial Design in "RL" - real life). At the same time, as Certified Linden Labs developers we are optimizing the technology to ready the Island for more ambitious promotions in the future.

See you on the Island?

Facebook: 700 fans to 23,000+ in A Week

2010-06-03T13:03:00.005+01:00

en una semana, con una promoción en Facebook" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485568244964497058" />More than 6,000 people went to the movies with Cinesa, the past 6th of May, taking advantage of special tickets they won just for being fans of the chain of multiplex cinemas on the brand’s new Facebook page (facebook.com/cinesa.es).

Conversion to sales of the promotion thus reached a solid 25%.

In just one week, Cinesa fans on the page increased by a whopping 3,035%, reaching well above 23,000 followers, thanks to the promotion managed by Barcelona Virtual, which also manages the rest of Cinesa’s Social Media.

By using Facebook as the central platform for running this initiative, Cinesa saved costs in production and shipping that is estimated could have reached up to 23,000 €.

Barcelona Virtual: Fifteen Years Young

2010-03-28T14:14:00.008Z

AN EXTREMELY SHORT VERSION OF THE HISTORY OF INTERNET MARKETING IN SPAIN ;)

1995: The Multimedia Boom begins, as the first CD-ROMs "land" in Europe and in Spain, vanguards of the coming wave of technological surprises. Internet remains a very strange concept, except for a handful of self-anointed "prophets", unrecognised and disdained at first by agencies and advertisers alike.

Nevertheless, the 1995-96 Business Plan is put into motion: Paul Fleming and Josep Torra move forward to create Barcelona Virtual, "Spain's First Internet Advertising Agency" in March of 1995. Above: the original "Start-Up Team" that year in our Tomàs Mieres walk-up offices (fifth floor, no elevator, just pigeons!).

2000: The First Wave of Internet 1.0 conquers Spain, as major brands are enamoured with the glittering New Economy. Our ping-pong table, English classes and other perks are the incentives designed to protect our staff of almost 30 people from "poachers" hunting hungrily for the first "Internet Experts".

Paul publishes his first book "Hablemos de Marketing Interactivo" with the ESIC publishing house, a pioneering professional title about the emerging New Marketing that quickly becomes a bestseller and goes into a second printing.

2002: CRASH! The Dot.com bust hits Europe, sweeping away with it dozens of the early agencies and causing the muscular few who survive the crisis to focus on "First Things First". (These good business practices: provide value, create relationships, always be ethical, stand them in good stead as darker clouds gather once again, later in the decade.)

2006: Ah-Choo! Viral Marketing captures the imagination of an increasingly digitized Spanish and European populace. YouTube, viral videos and Blogs fuel the interest and lead to the success of campaigns such as "Fin de la Corrupción", which we created for Universal Pictures that year to promote "Miami Vice" (view 'Making Of').

2007-2009: The Net reaches critical mass in Spain and users begin to adopt "Digital Lifestyles", forsaking traditional television in droves and looking for new, personal experiences in Social Networks, Virtual Communities and Immersive 3D Worlds. Barcelona Virtual opens offices in Second Life in order to explore Experiential Marketing. Visits to our Island reach 218,000 in 2008 and we close 2009 launching a promotion for Sony PlayStation Home that achieves a 9% conversion rate.

2010: The worldwide economic crisis continues to rage around us, as a matured and customer-focused team continues to explore and grow. Innovations currently in full swing: "Everything 2.0", Facebook and Twitter APIs, iPhone and Android App development (< seen at left) ... and much more.

Our 3D Island celebrates its 3rd Birthday with a complete redesign by Razt Bellic, a talented 3D arquitect, as we focus on helping new clients such as La Redoute and Cinesa achieve more ROI, whilst further deepening relationships with PlayStation and other long-standing accounts.

A company "Calçotada" (a Catalan tradition) sets off our official 15th Anniversary Celebrations, as we send a heartfelt GRÀCIES out to all of our clients, partners and friends! Please join us at our Facebook Fanpage to stay abreast of all the latest developments during this special year :)

'Customer Intimacy': Love Leads the Way

2010-01-05T14:44:00.028Z

This year, Barcelona Virtual celebrates its fifteenth anniversary,
a milestone we are proud of.

Given the earthshaking events of the last decade and a half, I think we can feel genuinely pleased to have not only survived, but prospered, despite all manner of challenges:

- The birth pangs of the Internet in 1995...
- Followed by the glittering "boom years" of the late 1990s...
- Then chastened by "bust" of the Dot Coms in 2001-2002...
- Only to be challenged by recurring paradigm shifts ever since...
- Now fortified by the current, worldwide, economic crisis...

Fortified? Yes, indeed. If there is one, single thing that we are learning these days, it is the age-old maxim, "First things first", or in Spanish: Primero, lo primero.

What is this mysterious "First Thing"? What exactly have we learned?
Again... and again... and again?

It is simply said, but agonizingly so, because if we tell you, it will sound like a cliché you have heard so many times that the meaning has been lost. Nevertheless... here goes:

The most important thing is, has been and always will be
Our Customers.

But we don't mean that in the obvious way. What we've always been clear about, is the importance of building relationships in order to succeed in business.

What we now know, is that it's not only important: it's essential!

The only way any company will survive the changes of the New Decade is for it to cultivate a deep friendship and intimacy with its Key Customers.

Why? Because they possess all the Secrets! They know what new trends are important. What improvements in products they need. And if you are a True Friend, they'll share the very best part with you... THEIR OWN CREATIVE IDEAS (and even Dreams).

If you are not sure how to "be intimate" with your customers, keep coming back to this blog. All during this year, we will be exploring new ways to foster genuine, sincere friendships and strong alliances with... your own Customers.

To get you started thinking, here are a few fantastic tips from a legendary leader who intimately knows and cares for his own Customers, Steve Jobs of Apple Computer:

1. Do what you love to do.

2. Be different. Think different.

3. Do your best. Do your best at every job.

4. Make SWOT analysis.

5. Be entrepreneurial. Look for the Next Big Thing.

6. Start small, think big.

7. Strive to become a market leader.

8. Focus on the outcome. Be a yardstick of quality.

9. Ask for feedback... from people of diverse backgrounds.

10. Innovate. Learn from failures.

Learn. Continually.

Día 1 · The Blog of the New Brand

Source: www.1000advices.com · Photos: Yasin Öztürk · Appletribu.com

The Sweet Smell of the New Brand

2009-12-02T17:35:00.008Z

The New Marketing is relationship-based.

This said, the New Brand seeks to fully know and anticipate all potential needs of its fans and friends.

In fact, true New Brands don't even view such friends as "customers", but rather "partners", people whose lives are enriched by their products and services and who have a vested interest in the growth and success of these same brands.

This more relaxed approach to the Relationship with the people who purchase and recommend their products causes New Brands to view everything in a much more organic way. They spend more time thinking "out of the box" and less time obsessing about GRPs and clicks.

In fact, if they DO obsess about anything, that would be how to enhance the user experience of their fans and friends in the best possible way. This affects product concept, design, the pre- and post-sales experience and, of course, what happens whilst the customer is making the potential purchase decision. This critical moment might occur in a retail space, an office, public fora such as a gym or even during "down time" en route to work in planes, trains or automobiles.

An exciting new development in this area of 360º Customer Experience is emerging in the field of Sensory Marketing, especially in the discipline related to the sense of smell. Omniaroma, a European leader in aroma-based Marketing is now applying specific strategies in Spain, Germany and other European markets, based around the idea of enhancing ROI while making the Customer Experience much more personalised and enjoyable.

According to María José Alberdi, Sales & Marketing Manager for this
Barcelona-based "New Brand",

"We remember 5% of what we see, only 2% of what we hear, a mere 1% of what we touch... but a whopping 35% of what we smell!"

Hmmmm... Might be time for a little "Aroma Therapy" for your own New Brand as well!

3D Is Cool, We Love 3D!

2009-11-06T09:18:00.010Z

Be sure not to miss this amazing video!

Not only is it the expression of the many virtues of 3D; at the same time, it's an excellent example of online storytelling. Just the thing you might need for your own New Brand, in order to capture the attention of Gen X (as well as Y and Z, for that matter!).

Our hats are off to "Pantural", the sole scriptwriter-director-producer-animator of this riveting mini-epic, visual love-poem to both cars and the merits of 3D.

WE BELIEVE IT! WE LIVE IT!
Since our creation in 1995, Barcelona Virtual has always recognised the importance of 3D and included it in our strategies, when relevant. Our 3D Department never stops pushing the envelope, researching the latest and greatest in our internal R&D projects.

How can we make 3D work for your New Brand?

Credits: Profile of Pantural on YouTube

Brave New World: 3D, e-Paper & Holograms

2009-10-07T09:27:00.045Z

Please click on the photo to enlarge it

Paul Fleming, founder of Barcelona Virtual, recently spoke with Germán Sierra of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya about innovation, 3D Virtual Worlds, Electronic Paper and Holograms. Shall we listen in?

Facebook has just launched an application for Infojobs, Twitter is on many people’s lips when describing how they found work after being unemployed for a time, and you at Barcelona Virtual are committed to the virtual world to generate added value for the company.

Are social networks and interaction on the internet fundamental for any company?

PF: The strategy to pursue in terms of digital marketing has to tailor itself to the needs of the target group in each company. When they have customers made up of urban or young professionals from the digital generation, the use of social networks is unavoidable.

In other cases (family SMEs, for example), it may be more effective in terms of ROI (Return on Investment) to go for an integrated “On+Off” strategy, using a combination of traditional means, personal contact and the Internet.

Do you think there is a distrust of virtual worlds or simply ignorance?

PF: That’s the sixty-four million-dollar question, as for agencies and entrepreneurs, the answer determines whether they will sell or not.

Any new technology is a new habit to understand, learn and adopt. The speed of today’s changes frightens anyone who wasn’t born a “digital native”, which translates into passive ignorance (inertia) or even active ignorance (distrust). The distrusting ones are those who see a threat in these changes, or who simply shut down due to information saturation.

In our 15 years as a digital agency, I’ve learnt to wait the time it takes for a new technology to be understood and become part of the fabric of everyday life.

What do you think of the news that practically wrote off Second Life?

PF: They’ve made me see the great importance of the media of the “Matrix” of the twenty-first century. Something that is not analysed and disseminated in the media, no matter how valuable, simply does not exist. There is an imperative need to educate journalists, to explain very well to them the significance and application of the new technologies in terms that they can take in, and consequently communicate.

The perception of the “death of Second Life” is proof of this. Second Life has done nothing but grow and improve since it burst on the scene as the media “favourite” in 2007. There are specific data of real cases that show its huge usefulness to universities and business. However, we at the forefront of 3D Virtual Worlds have to fight a great deal against ignorance. The majority of people who criticise Second Life are like the ones who talk negatively about a film without having seen it.

Do you think, then, that this prevailing lack of knowledge of Second Life has been a drawback in attracting new users and evolving more quickly?

PF: It is, in any event, a lack of knowledge that doesn’t frighten me, because I still remember very well the years of struggling, for example in 1995, when we insisted with the press and business that the internet wasn’t just a fashion but that it was going to change everything. In those days, there were only 296,000 web surfers in Spain and the technical barriers were significant.

For this reason, in terms of the integration of Second Life and other 3D Virtual Worlds in the strategies of companies and brands, let’s just say that I have learned a patience based on this experience with the web. Its time will come, when there is a critical mass of users and more technical improvements. Then, the demand for experts in “Experiential Marketing” with the experience that we’ve accumulated over recent years will grow – and be valued – as is due.

Please click on the photo to enlarge it

Barcelona Virtual goes back to 1995, but you opened offices in Second Life in 2007. Why did you take this decision?

PF: We are virtual and restless. I personally have “the gift or failing” of living always some 2 or 3 years in the future. There are issues such as wireless e-paper, 3D virtual spaces and holography that I take completely for granted and I long for the day when they start to figure more in our everyday life.

The decision to be the first Spanish advertising agency with offices in Second Life was born of this restlessness and desire to be always at the forefront. We also wanted to get in early to learn and experiment with these new codes and languages of communication and relation.

And it hasn’t gone badly, as your traffic rose by 85% compared with last year. How did you get people to hear about you?

PF: That’s right: last year, we had 214,000 visits to the Barcelona Virtual Island in a year when many reckoned that Second Life had died out.

The secret behind the 85% rise is simple. You have to create a community: paying a great deal of attention to the details and creating contents and activities that your online community likes. You have to put in hours, nurture the users, place a lot of emphasis on the relationship. Many companies that started on Second Life and failed did so because they didn’t understand the commitment to the user that exists the moment you open your doors.

What is the profile of the companies that have contacted you to work in a virtual world?

PF: There are big leisure and entertainment brands like Universal Pictures and Sony PlayStation®, whose target publics are found in these online 3D environments. Added to this sort of company are FMCG companies like Sunny Delight. Curiously, we’ve also been able to help financial institutions such as the Foundation of Caixa Sabadell and Banco Sabadell (creating the Leo Messi avatar) to establish themselves on Second Life. They know that they have to evolve and experiment to continue to be relevant.

Finally, it is evident that universities, with their vocation as knowledge and innovation catalyser in society, cannot get left behind. In this sense, we’ve had the pleasure of working with the IE Business School and, more recently, with the UOC itself.

Video of the successful launch of PlayStation® Home
on the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life

Saving on costs for training, on travelling to meetings, Second Life could be considered by many companies with employees spread all over the world to be a low-cost forum. What other functions does it have?

PF: Absolutely: telematic meetings offer these advantages, huge savings in training, travel and accommodation costs.

This year, to give an example, Intel saved 265,000 dollars in costs of this type by organising its conference on Second Life. And not just that: bringing together a multinational team from various branches and countries in a telematic space is a “greener” option, as it reduces Co2 emissions. For its part, teaching is strongly committed to the use of spaces like Second Life because they are ideal for experimentation, role play situations, therapies with people with physical disabilities and prototype development.

Would you recommend interaction in a virtual world to every company or do you think it can only be successful in certain sectors?

PF: I believe that the majority of multinational companies can benefit from the advantages of 3D immersive spaces, especially those whose internal culture is very digital. In the case of the more “traditional” companies, I would only recommend it for those that are capable of adopting the new mentality of “borderless offices” and whose managers support the initiative.

Can you describe some of the advantages that may make virtual worlds a future commitment for companies.

PF: The company that works in the virtual world gains a more modern and innovative image to the outside world, internal revitalisation with its own employees and their day-to-day motivation, besides better and greater knowledge management thanks to the breaking down of internal bureaucracies that hinder the flow of information.

In addition, it can establish a stronger, more lasting connection with the New Consumer of the twenty-first century. It also grows in terms of brand affinity and tangible support for sales since 15% of Second Life users have bought a product in real life thanks to information that they’ve seen “inside” the virtual world and a further 62% have recommended real products to other avatars.

Please click on the photo to enlarge it

You have your own e-Learning centre. What were your expectations when you designed it?

PF: With our “CEL” (e-Learning Centre), we want to offer the option of telematic meetings and their corresponding cost savings to our clients, besides providing added value to the Barcelona Virtual Island Community, where we hold all sorts of courses. I would also point out that we want to carry on experimenting, along with partners such as the UOC, with the e-Learning project in itself.

Any predictions about what may happen in the future? Will companies take a punt on virtual worlds?

PF: The issue of avatars and their 3D Virtual Worlds invaded popular culture some time ago. We have our alter egos in Second Life, Habbo Hotel, World of Warcraft and PlayStation Home, but also in Wii, Messenger and our mobiles.

CINESA cinemas are being fitted out digitally with 3D features to exploit a new film genre. December of this year sees the premiere of “Avatar”, a film by James Cameron that has revolutionised the movies. All we need is for the internal culture of companies to understand and value everything that 3D Virtual Worlds can offer.

When this happens – and it will happen – a very strong demand for these services and for professionals and teachers capable of conveying this new knowledge will be unleashed. Beyond this, I predict the fusion of holography with the Metaverse. In other words, I believe that from the middle of the next decade it will become common to hold meetings where we press a button and find the avatars of the people we’re talking to in a 3D holographic virtual space in front of our very eyes.

62% of Users Recommend Products In-World

2009-09-17T14:59:00.012Z

Click on the photos and charts to enlarge them

The IX Innovation Forum of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), held today on the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life, was an appropriate showcase for new information for marketers.

In his speech "3 Things Every Marketing Manager Should Know About 3D Immersive Spaces", Paul Fleming revealed interesting, recent data on consumer behaviour in Second Life.

Citing from the study Real Life Brands in Second Life, Q3 2008, published by Market Truths in November of last year, he underlined the great influence held by so-called "WOM" users, those who engage in active Word of Mouth recommendations.

According to Market Truths, a full 62% of users in Second Life have recommended a real life (RL) product to someone else in Second Life (SL).

Furthermore, another 61% had actually considered buying a RL product as a result of a recommendation they received from another avatar in the 3D space.

Does this generate "Real Life Sales"? Absolutely.

One of the virtues we never tire of extolling here at Barcelona Virtual is the complete integration of SL and other 3D platforms with the Internet. This makes a "click-to-web" process possible that brings an avatar who clicks on an ad or infocube directly to the web of the advertiser, or even to a specific product page on an e-commerce site.

According to the same report, this is reflected in more relevant data:

- 28% of users in Second Life have gone to look at a product in the "real world" after seeing information in SL

- 15% actually purchased a product outside of Second Life after seeing information on it in-world

- And the even more advanced types of users bought RL products whilst inside of Second Life

It's time for marketers to turn a deaf ear to ill-informed journalists and others who do not understand the power of Immersive 3D Spaces.

The ROI and the results are beginning to speak for themselves.

IX Innovation Forum of the UOC

2009-09-14T14:17:00.009Z

Next Thursday, 17 September, from 9 to 11:30 AM, the Ninth Innovation Forum of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya will take place, this time on the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life.

The UOC continues its commitment of developing activities in interactive applications, on this occasion focusing on the possibilities offered by 3D Virtual Worlds for learning and the creation of Online Communities.

The event’s speakers include (in alphabetical order):

Justin Bovington, CEO of Immersive Workspaces in London
Paul Fleming, founder of Barcelona Virtual
Begoña Gros, vice-rector of Innovation at the UOC and director of the eLearning Center
David Maniega, director of the Open Innovation Office of the UOC
Vicent Partal, director of VilaWeb and talk show host of “L’Internauta” on Catalunya Ràdio

The Forum’s conferences will not be offered in a physical venue, but instead will take full advantage of this year’s topic of telematic presence, by taking place live in-world within Second Life.

Visits to the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life surpassed 214,000 in 2008. During the first semester of 2009, traffic jumped 85%, when compared to the same period last year.

Our Second Life Traffic Jumps 85%

2009-09-07T11:19:00.019Z

Those in the Press and within Advertising who are overzealous in their criticisms of Virtual 3D Worlds, and of Second Life in particular, will soon have to bite their tongues.

Their grounds for rejecting investments in Second Life and similar immersive spaces just don't hold up when one takes a look at real numbers from real sites that use such platforms correctly.

Take our own site, for example. Since launching the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life in mid-2007, the site has grown to be a leading Second Life brand for the Spanish speaking user population.

This fact is borne out by the numbers. In the first six months of 2009, traffic to our Island jumped 85% when compared to the year before, logging 133,195 visits*, compared to 72,079 registered during the same period in 2008 in the comparative report.

The number of unique users also increased (18%) to 26,186 avatars* during the first Semester of '09, a solid gain from the 22,198 users logged during the first part of last year.

The comparative report gets even more interesting when we track numbers related to Brand Loyalty and Community strength:

DAILY VISITS JUMP 85%
from 396 a day to 736

DAILY USERS increase almost 20%
from 122 unique users/day in 2008 to 145 avatars daily.

STICKINESS AND LOYALTY metrics also rise,
reflected in an average of 5 visits a day per avatar, compared with 3,25 a year ago.

Without a doubt, this loyalty to the Island of Barcelona Virtual is due to a constant focus on the part of the Island's team on Community-Building through Live DJ events, personal attention to individual needs and successful campaigns in-world for Universal Pictures, Obra Social Caixa Sabadell, Sony PlayStation, Sunny Delight and other "New Brands".

Isn't it time we talked together about getting you started in 3D Worlds?

* IMPORTANT NOTE The comparative data excludes the first 25 days of January, since we began tracking metrics beginning on 26 January 2008. Hence, the full data for 2009 is even higher: 151,266 visits and 31,695 unique users.

Barcelona Magic!

2009-08-26T11:00:00.007Z

A famous song here in Spain shouts out the catchy theme "¡Barcelona tiene poder!" (Barcelona is powerful, seductive, entrancing...) and this new video of Turisme de Barcelona shows that off quite well.

This is our city, this is the creative air we breathe.
It gives a special touch, that "Barcelona Magic" to every project we do.

May we make that Magic work for you and your project?

Sensationaaal!

2009-06-30T16:42:00.016+01:00

We always love to show our clients in their very best light,
but this time we wanted to go further.

Our goal is to make the public foundation run by Spanish savings bank Caixa Sabadell look simply sensational, in a new campaign that will be launched online 1 July 2009.

In a word, it's just SENSACIONAAAL...!

which is best said and understood if you add a thick Catalan accent to the pronunciation of the campaign's theme, which aims to communicate how dynamic the Foundation's free public activities are.

In addition, by offering a draw of free hot-air balloon trips over Catalonia, the "Obra Social" of Caixa Sabadell hopes to enrich its data base and get to know its users even better.

Linden Labs Solution Provider

2009-06-25T16:20:00.007+01:00

IT'S OFFICIAL:
Barcelona Virtual is honoured to be one of the select, professional developers in Europe listed by Linden Labs.

This designation gives the agency the recognition of the creator of the "Second Life" 3D platform and establishes the credentials needed by many firms who seek a Partner capable of creating turn-key business solutions in 3D immersive worlds.

Already well into our third year in "SL", it is an enormous pleasure for us to form part of the far-flung, worldwide pioneering family that is the Linden Labs Solution Provider Network.

A Blue Planet for Simon

2009-05-28T16:11:00.006Z

If you thought that eco-friendly New Brands are all green, think again!

Barcelona Virtual has just launched Simon Blue Planet, a web dedicated to presenting the innovative solutions offered by the Spanish multinational for energy savings, and in which the company’s commitment to the environment is clearly communicated.

The site, whose strategy, naming and image was developed by the agency in close collaboration with Simon’s Marketing Department, helps users to discover leading products for energy saving in lighting, climate control and water use, for home use as well as in the workplace.

In addition, the “Cultura Blue” (Blue Culture) of Simon commits the company to sustainability in all areas of the enterprise: as part of its company culture, in the design and choice of materials of its products, all of which is shown by the specialised companies now grouped under the new brand “Simon Blue Planet” (Simon, Simon Connect, Simon Lighting, Simon Tech and Lightled).

www.simonblueplanet.com

La Redoute Spoils Its Customers

2009-04-20T11:34:00.009Z

We're feeling very "fashion" lately!

Why? We've recently activated the new microsite "MyRedoute.es", our first step in a long-term online Marketing strategy of the French multinational "La Redoute". The brand, owned by the well-known Redcats Group, is a true pioneer in catalogue fashion sales - and now, via the Internet.

The goal of the new microsite is to employ "1 to 1 Marketing" strategies in order to augment the brand's presence in the Spanish market.

We think the best way to do so is to spoil the heck out of their customers!

For beginners, the promotion currently online offers a free image session with a Personal Stylists, compliments of La Redoute. Organized with their partner "Qué me pongo", the lucky winners will be able to participate in hands-on sessions in several Spanish cities.

But the fun doesn't stop there: the other prize is to have an exclusive and personal conversation online via chat with one of the same fashion experts of "Qué me pongo", so that they might make the most of each individual look - with the latest trends from La Redoute and the savoir-faire of real Personal Stylists.

The site also includes a Making-Of video of similar sessions held with Spanish fans of La Redoute in Madrid and Barcelona.

Like a few personal fashion tips? ;-)
www.myredoute.es

Under New Management

2009-04-09T15:47:00.009Z

Last week, Barcelona Virtual celebrated its 14th birthday, an event we decided to toast in a different way.

Of course there were congratulations, cake and cava... yet beyond that, we decided to listen more closely to our own staff as we now enter the agency's fifteenth year in a highly competitive and changing market.

To that end, the current management team made up of Paul Fleming and Josep Torra, decided to "resign" for a week and hand the reins of power and decision-making over to our own team.

"Free and fair elections" were held in the agency this week, in order to fill the positions of President and GM. The results were surprising:

Our intern in the Art Department, Pilar Giménez, was elected General Manager, whilst the position of President went to veteran staff member Edgar Griñant from the technical department.

Both new managers had one week to lead a series of meetings with the team, in order to seek out ways to innovate and "grow the agency". The proposals that they presented in the name of the entire agency staff are not only practical, but visionary. We´re looking forward to implementing many of them in the coming year.

Hats off to the New Management!

The Growing Success of Second Life

2009-03-17T14:18:00.029Z

Please click to enlarge the chart.

Second Life is beginning to emerge from its "Dark Night of the Soul", out of the desert of misunderstanding into the bright day of a second upward interest curve.

One indication of this are recent media reports which document a "rediscovery" of the virtues of 3D Virtual Worlds such as Linden Labs' flagship invention. Today, the digital edition of El Mundo.es, as well as major wireservices such as Agence France Press and Europa Press cite "surprising" growth figures.

We're not surprised; not in the least.

Barcelona Virtual is now entering our third year in Second Life, as a consolidated New Brand in the Metaverse and with a thriving social network on our Island there. We are grateful for each and every one of our fans there - thank you!

Last year, visits surpassed 214,000 and the number of unique visitors climbed to over 56,000 people.

Yes, avatars are people too! ;-)

The fulfillment of Second Life's promise -- as well as that of other "Web 3.0" communities -- obeys almost to the day the famous "Hype Cycles" that Garnter so clearly devised to explain the evolutive path of the acceptance of New Technologies.

Please click to enlarge the chart.

That said, here at the Agency of the New Brand we are just plain EXCITED.

As European companies begin to understand how to use 3D Virtual Worlds to lower training budgets, cut travel costs and motivate their employees, we'll be there to help them with our new "E-Learning Center".

Intrigued? Let's have your avatar talk to my avatar: Faithful Pau

More Resources:
- Microsite on our services in Second Life · Press Release

- Barcelona Virtual, betting on Sony's PlayStation® Home

- VIDEO: Paul Fleming interview, Marketing in 3D Virtual Worlds
(MPG TV, in Spanish · January 2009)

New E-Learning Center in Second Life

2009-02-26T18:57:00.014Z

We are happy to announce the launch this month of the "CEL", the new Center for E-Learning on the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life. The CEL includes a modern learning space with desks and audio settings, a large Powerpoint-ready screen and integrated voice and video.

Given the new pressures for many companies this year to save travel costs and reduce training budgets, we have designed this new initiative in Second Life in order to help companies reach their staff training goals by offering a 3D virtual environment for conferences and classes.

Not only are the cost reductions significant: better yet, the 3D experience fosters a strong sense of community and provides employees with a much more enjoyable, motivating and "human" online experience - even for avatars!

At this time Barcelona Virtual is in advanced talks with the leading creator of e-learning software in London. Together we will offer an enterprise solution for pan-european multinationals with far-flung subsidiaries: a visionary work-flow solution especially designed for 3D Virtual Worlds.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT

We hope to shortly be able to announce more details here about this partnership; in the meantime, if you are interested in knowing more, please don't hesitate to contact us directly: secondlife@bvirtual.com

Welcome Home!

2008-12-11T10:49:00.017Z

Dear Friends,

The incredible paradigm shift from the web PAGE to the web SPACE continues. In fact, today it has taken an amazing leap forward with the worldwide introduction of "PlayStation® Home" for Sony PlayStation®3 users around the globe.

As you know, Barcelona Virtual was the first Spanish advertising agency to open offices in Second Life; now, two years later, our Island there attracts an average of 17,500 users every month. We have spent two full years honing our expertise in "Experiential Marketing" in 3D virtual worlds, and now the fruits of that investment can be seen.

To date, we have mounted successful promotions on our Second Life island for Banco Sabadell, Instituto de Empresa, Universal Pictures, Infoempleo (a Spanish online employment portal) and Sunny Delight, as well as with Sony itself.

We are currently in direct contact with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in order to collaborate more closely with them in content development and marketing strategies for "Home".

Take a peek here at one of the earlier "trailers" of Home:

WELCOME HOME!

Below, we include a fragment of Sony's official press release .

* * *

Highly Anticipated Service Open For All PLAYSTATION 3 Users

Tokyo, Foster City, London, December 10, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that its highly anticipated PlayStation®Home Beta service for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) will become available for all PS3 users around the world *1 on December 11, 2008. Following the successful completion of the closed beta service, PlayStation Home’s open beta service will continue to evolve with new features and functionality.

PlayStation Home is a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community available on PS3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences. By leveraging the power of PS3, PlayStation Home delivers overwhelming visual graphics and rich gaming social experiences only possible on the PS3 platform. Within PlayStation Home, users can create and customize their own unique avatars and explore the virtual community in real time where they can communicate freely through text or voice chat. PlayStation Home users will not only be able to enjoy variety of entertainment content such as mini-games, videos and special events along with their friends, but will also be able to create their own community by using the “Club*2” feature to create clubs with other PlayStation Home users who share the same interests. PlayStation Home also allows groups of users to launch directly into their favourite online games together from PlayStation Home.

PlayStation Home, available as a free download*3 starting December 11, will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation®Network column of XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) on PS3. Users will be able to experience basic features and services of PlayStation Home, free of charge*4. PlayStation Home will allow open interaction among users, business partners and SCE, and will evolve with additional features including dedicated game spaces, special events and exclusive themed items, to further enrich the entertainment experience on the PS3 platform.

“PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with the powerful combination of PS3's overwhelming computational power and PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCE. “We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward.”

Read the entire press release...

Heroes 2 Unveils Its Social Network

2008-11-04T14:00:00.013Z

A few days ago, we mentioned the launch of the DVD of the Second Season of "Heroes" here in Spain. Needless to say, the forums, fanzines and blogs have been buzzing ever since about the long-awaited release, especially due to the attractive extras that come with the Special Editions and Collectors' Editions.

Large-scale, high quality realistic dolls accompany the discs and other exclusive material, clearly designed to satisfy the deepest fetish-based desires of the Fans y Frikis who are the motor behind the Marketing.

Yet, that is not all... now, these same fans will be able to live out their fantasies in a new platform developed by Barcelona Virtual that immerses them in a total Branding Experience.

The teasing can finally end, because TODAY we can take the wraps off of a project that has been in development for the past few months. Below, we are posting the URL to the new Social Network we have developed for Universal Pictures, an ambitious site anchored in the power of community and fueled by what we hope will set off an irresistible wildfire of Viral Marketing.

www.encuentratuheroe.es

So get ready to rev up your mouse, think about which Heroe best matches you, sign up with his gang and off you go! A full-fledged forum, a challenges-based role game, random interactive tests, as well as great prizes await all those Héroes who need a place to release some of their nervous energy and meet other super-beings in the process.

www.encuentratuheroe.es

Who knows? If all goes well, we might just need to celebrate a set of Heroes Weddings, come the New Year.

;-)

Is Your Avatar A Yuppie Wannabe?

2008-10-27T13:37:00.003Z

Overheard yesterday on our Island in Second Life next to the pool:

Jennnnnniiiiiiii! Oh my GOD!
I think they are preparing something, like, TO-tally incredible,
like REALLY *amazing* here on the Island of Barcelona Virtual!
I'm so excited!

Just look at the poster!

And you know what? Melissa (my very best friend, like *4 life!!)
told me all about it yesterday at the disco...
and then Borja *confirmed* it:

something like, REALLY BIG is coming,
OMG, like maybe a really COOL beach party,
with cocktails and smoothies,
maybe with, like a really HOT DJ!

And peut-être some Linden dollars to do so shopping
at the BV Stores?

OMG, like I am already TOTALLY NERVOUS!!!!!
What IS it? Oh NO, *WHAT* will I WEAR???!!!

http://www.telojuroporsmoothie.com/

The Cluetrain Manifesto, Fulfilled

2008-10-24T19:24:00.009Z

This morning in the emblematic Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona Virtual was privileged to take part in the official presentation of a key project of one of our clients and friends, MPG.

Under the telling aegis of Leading New Thinking, the leading media agency, part of Havas Media, unveiled its MPG Community, an ambitious new professional network which is one of the cornerstones of MPG's new positioning.

The project is as big as MPG itself: in vision, in goals and in the resources dedicated to the project. Whether or not it will, indeed, grow to be the leading professional community is a question only time will tell. However, the initial contents and focus are very promising.

Not only that, we view it as yet another fulfillment of the prophetic (and famous) "Cluetrain Manifesto", penned by Internet visionarios in 1999 who were able to envision the stunning changes the Net would produce: the emergence of the New Brand, the power of the New Consumer, and in consequence, the urgent need for a "New Company".

The New Company: transparent and ethical, connected and relevant, open and self-assured represents a complete reinvention of how we typically understand large organizations to be.

The New Company delights in sharing, and leads by serving.

In light of the gloom of current events and the shocking avarice of many "leading" firms, this new form of leadership is a breath of fresh air. Thanks to their new "MPG Community", it appears that the claim "Leading New Thinking" might find its true meaning, and fulfill the ideals of "Cluetrain" itself.

Links:
- The Cluetrain Manifesto
- MPG Community

Heroes, Season 2 Now on DVD in Spain

2008-10-22T13:32:00.023Z

The New Brand is very connected to the Zeitgeist of the generation in which it moves and breathes, and an excellent expression of this in current TV series is, without a doubt, Heroes.

A skillfully crafted script about ordinary people with hidden powers (very relevant to 21st-Century audiences), as well as intriguing twists and turns that keep viewers guessing and blogs buzzing: these are the main ingredients that have made "Héroes", as it is known in Spain, a major media phenomenon.

In 2007 we had the good fortune at Barcelona Virtual to test our own superhero gifts: we were entrusted by Universal Pictures with the launch and promotion of the series' First Season in a Digital Marketing campaign that included user-created videos, teaming with Web 2.o Partners and even a costume party Halloween Night on our Island in Second Life (see video).

This potent online Marketing Mix drove the first DVD set to record sales, as well as a buzz echo that went deep into the Iberian blogosphere.

Starting today, the Second Season of Héroes is now officially on sale, from Madrid to Barcelona, and from Vigo to Sevilla. And, as is to be expected, here in the agency we have a couple of new surprises to promote it up our sleeves ;-)

In a week we'll stop teasing and let you know more - Stay tuned!

The Second Season is bound to please hard-core Fans and 'Frikis', as they are known in Spanish slang. The Collectors Edition above comes with 5 DVDs, special artwork and 5 realistic dolls of the leading characters. Other offerings include a Special Edition with a doll of Hiro Nakamura, whilst the Basic Edition will keep users happy with 11 episodes and a set of interesting extras.

www.encuentratuheroe.es

Advertisers Increase Investment Online

2008-10-13T13:52:00.012Z

The verdict is in: Interactive Marketing is the best investment for your Euro, according to leading Spanish Marketing Managers. In their recent annual study published at the end of September by the Spanish DM* and Interactive Agencies Association (AGEMDI-FECEMD), together with the Spanish Advertisers Association (AEA), the investment in Online Marketing continues to rise. Despite the adverse economic situation -- or better said, perhaps because of it.

Simply put, leading Advertisers, including those interviewed in the video here, continue to invest more in Digital Marketing because of its demostrable ROI. Experts interviewed include Spanish retail giant El Corte Inglés, multinational Telefónica, banking leaders Caja Madrid and ING Direct, as well as Audi, and energy leaders CEPSA and REPSOL YPF.

(We regret that the video is only available in Spanish at this time.)

According to these respondents, Interactive Marketing is:

- more measurable
- more segmentable
- more personalisable
- more economical
- more flexible

In addition, it is the preferred medium for an entire generation of New Consumers, in search of those New Brands with a greater affinity to their lifestyles. Affinity leads to greater implication, and this greater level of engagement leads to more faithful, active customers.

More interesting data:

+ 77,5% of the Spanish advertisers surveyed use DM and Interactive Marketing
+ 61% cite segmentation as a key benefit; another 60%, the ability to track results
+ 68% of Advertisers say that DM and Interactive Marketing give them 'better' or 'much better' results than other media
+ types of Digital Marketing most used: E-Mail MK, Online campaigns, Microsites, SEM**

Barcelona Virtual is a founding member of AGEMDI-FECEMD, and Paul Fleming, agency President, is a current member of its Board of Directors.

* DM = Direct Marketing ** SEM = Search Engine Marketing

Kinder & the Digital Generation

2008-10-01T16:25:00.010Z

As many already know, an effective means of connecting younger consumers with a New Brand is simply by playing together. The experience creates an emotional connection, while at the same time elevating the number of minutes spent on the Brand's site, within its online context and promise.

This is exactly what Kinder (Ferrero Ibérica) aims to do in a new interactive game launched yesterday, created by Barcelona Virtual. In a promotion valid in Spain and Portugal, lucky players who make it up the stairs to a mysterious temple might be elegible to win one of the hundreds of DVDs of Kung Fu Panda (Dreamworks) that will be given away in the daily draw, which will run until the end of the year.

The campaign is being supported by E-mail Marketing,
as well as off-line media.

Feel like trying your luck? ;-)

www.ilovekinder.info

Welcome to the Agency of the New Brand

2008-09-29T16:20:00.009Z

The New Brand is alive, every-changing, connected and international.
Barcelona Virtual has always been a "New Brand" of the 21st Century. And now, with recent changes to our website and image, we hope to communicate that even more clearly.

To begin with, from this point on we are "switching channels" and have chosen English as our official agency language. While it is true that "we're from Barcelona", born and bred in Gaudi's city and proud to be Spain's first Interactive Agency (1995), our vision has always been pan-European and global.

By engaging potential partners in English, we hope to be able to more clearly connect with Marketing Managers, Creative Directors and Advertisers looking for that special "Barcelona Spark" in their digital advertising agency.

And to make some new friends in the process ;-)

In the months to come we will be unveiling more changes. Today we start with the new claim and with the new web (still in beta). Despite the noise and the dust, we hope you will join the Conversation as we transition over to our new identity which, curiously, is the one we have always had ;-)

We look forward to hearing from you!

Other links that may interest you:
- You've Got Mail
- The web of Barcelona Virtual
- Barcelona Virtual in Flickr
- Assorted videos of the agency in YouTube
- The Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life

De Second Life al Marketing en Metaversos

2008-07-21T16:03:00.007+01:00

Son muchos los que se niegan a reconocer el éxito de Second Life, aunque prueba del auge de este mundo virtal es la apuesta de grandes marcas por su gemela virtual.

Para reforzar esta teoría, la editorial Pearson saca al mercado una obra de Carlos López Ramo y Manuel Alonso Coto, que, bajo el título de "De Second Life al Marketing en Metaversos" y con prólogo de Paul Fleming, muestra la experiencia de los autores para aprovechar al máximo las herramientas de marketing en este entorno virtual.

"Si te interesa el tema de Second Life y las nuevas Realidades Sintéticas, queda claro que formas parte de una elite digitalis. El mero acto de emprender este nuevo viaje hacia tierras en 3D te prepara como nunca para los enormes cambios que se nos avecinan en este incipiente Siglo XXI." (Paul Fleming)

Artículos relacionados:
- Blog de Manuel Alonso, IE Business School
- Presentación del libro el 30 de septiembre de 2008

Operación Play: un casting poco usual

2008-06-27T11:51:00.009+01:00

Tan fácil como encender y apagar la luz, tan fácil como hacer ‘clic’. Si hay algo en tu casa que pasa desapercibido, son tus interruptores, por eso hoy queremos contarte lo último de Simon.

Con una parodia de ‘Operación Triunfo’, en la que unos interruptores participan en un casting en el que se les exige frescura, atrevimiento, color…, así se presenta la nueva Serie Simon 27play, unos interruptores con fundas intercambiables y una gran variedad de diseños para elegir.

Además, por si esto te parece poco, también tienes la posibilidad de crear tu propia funda a través de una sencilla herramienta disponible en la Web.

Disfruta jugando y si quieres saber más entra en www.simon27play.es

Cabaret a la Fresca 2008: ¡envíanos tu vídeo!

2008-05-30T12:50:00.020Z

¿Te va el rimmel, la noche y la música? ¿Darías lo que fuera por ser una estrella? ¿Imitas a Liza Minelli en secreto? ¡Pues no te avergüences, lo tuyo es el Cabaret!

Obra Social Caixa Sabadell lanza hasta el 15 de junio un concurso de vídeos de Cabaret hechos y protagonizados por los usuarios, para promocionar su ciclo de conciertos y espectáculos "Cabaret a la fresca 2008". Los más votados serán premiados, además de con el éxito y la fama en la red, con entradas para asistir a una de las noches del evento.

¡Haz tu vídeo y pide a todos que te voten!

Más información en www.obrasocialcaixasabadell.org/cabaretalafresca

Y el Chiki-Chiki se baila AQUÍ...

2008-05-23T07:53:00.027Z

¿Cómo?, ¿Que no tienes plan esta noche? Ahora sí... ¡tienes una cita ineludible!

Esta noche, a partir de las 22h, todos seremos un poco "Rodolfos" en la alegre Isla de Barcelona Virtual en Second Life. Daremos soporte a la candidatura de nuestro querido Rodolfo Chiquiliquatre en la víspera del festival de Eurovisión 2008. El Chiki-chiki no lo tendrá fácil, pero nosotros, desde la Isla, daremos todo nuestro apoyo a nuestro "bródel" Rodolfo para que deje boquiabiertos a finlandeses, suecos y demás nórdicos con su "crusaíto" y su "maikelyason".

Además, DJ Gárgola, el famoso pinchadiscos oficial de la Isla, presentará los grandes éxitos de Eurovisión mientras su séquito de Sexy Dancers harán las delicias de los asistentes. ¡Ven a perrear a la Isla de Barcelona Virtual, lugar de referencia para la comunidad hispana con más de 17.000 visitas mensuales! Tenemos dos fantásticos regalos para ti: la Guitarra de Chikilicuatre con animaciones, y... el Avatar de Rodolfo Chiquiliquatre, para que seas lo más "chiki" posible

;-)

¡Nos vemos en la pista de baile!

Ver más imágenes de Barcelona Virtual en Second Life

Ir a la Isla de Barcelona Virtual en Second Life

Créditos de la imagen del cartel: La Tienda en Casa

¡Gijón también tiene lado virtual!

2008-05-08T15:00:00.018Z

El próximo 17 de mayo, si paseas por Gijón, quizás te encuentres por sus calles tanto con personas como con avatares.

Y es que allí tendrá lugar el evento "Secondference". Como su nombre indica, se hablará del papel de Second Life, con la participación de profesionales, usuarios y uno de los miembros de Linden Lab, Everett Linden (Director de desarrollo de comunidades y redes sociales).

Si tienes uno o más avatares, o incluso tu propia Isla, te encantará. Si no sabes muy bien qué es Second Life y qué posibilidades ofrece, es la ocasión perfecta para descubrirlo de la mano de los que más saben.

La asistencia es gratuita, pero no olvides informarte y hacer tu reserva en: http://www.metaberso.com/secondference

Las marcas sí saben conectar

2008-02-29T14:28:00.013Z

Pues por lo visto, ¡sí! Me refiero a que podemos mantener la fe en los anunciantes, en las marcas y en los productos. El Banco Sabadell ha lanzado un servicio mediante el cual los usuarios, sean de la entidad bancaria que sean, pueden colocar su foto favorita en su tarjeta de crédito. ¿No os parece buena idea? Es una forma ética de fidelizar a sus ya clientes y de acercarse a los potenciales mediante una propuesta fresca, libre y con voluntad de crear comunidad (los diseños de las tarjetas pueden votarse, reenviarse, compartirse...).

Esperamos poder destacar en "Día 1" más iniciativas donde el usuario sea de verdad el protagonista.

Y si quieres crear tu tarjeta: www.creatutarjeta.com

¡Cumpleaños Virtual!

2008-02-22T13:39:00.005Z

Hoy, viernes 22 de febrero de 2008, Barcelona Vitual cumple su 1er año de vida en Second Life.

Y lo hemos estado celebrando a lo grande toda la semana con un DUELO DE DJ's cada noche. Nuestros avatares más fieles no nos han fallado, pero también hemos hecho un montón de nuevos amigos. ¡Mil gracias!

Estos días todo el equipo BV hemos rememorado la cantidad de cosas que hemos hecho en nuestra isla. ¡Y también se nos han ocurrido nuevas ideas para un futuro próximo!

Así que... nuestro camino virtual continúa. Desde aquí te invitamos a que crees tu avatar si no lo tienes y visites la Isla de Barcelona Virtual en Second Life.

Ahí va nuestra dirección:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Barcelona%20Virtual/58/126/23/?title=Barcelona%20Virtual

¡Te esperamos!

Los nuevos cantantes... Los nuevos humanos.

2007-11-30T10:21:00.000Z

Me planteo esta cuestión sobre el no saber si estás hablando con un ser humano o con un robot y... sinceramente, me da la sensación de que deliro.

Pero no creo que esta realidad tarde tanto en llegar. Por eso, deberíamos empezar a plantearnos cómo nos influirá todo ello en el día a día. ¿Serán estos nuevos seres capaces de amar, de reaccionar ante el dolor, de sufrir o ayudar al prójimo?

Pues ni idea.

El vídeo que aquí podéis ver es la muestra de que ya en la actualidad no es imprescindible una voz humana para crear una canción. Yamaha comercializa actualmente "Vocaloid", una herramienta con la que podemos tener una voz a nuestra disposición, con los matices que nosotros decidamos. En Japón, el personaje Hatsune Miku (que es la voz de la versión japonesa de esta herramienta) ya está haciendo furor.

Quizás en breve hagamos largas colas para ver conciertos de personas que no existen, o que existen pero no son del todo humanas.

Ya sé que no estoy aclarando gran cosa, sólo divago... Si lo tenéis algo más claro que yo, ¡arrojad luz al asunto en forma de comentario!

Pesadilla antes de Navidad

2007-11-26T15:44:00.000Z

Supongo que muchos ya estáis pensando en qué podéis regalar a vuestra pareja, vuestros padres, hermanos, sobrinos, amigos... Si la opción mascota estaba en vuestra lista, después de ver este video igual se os quitan las ganas. Frivolidades a parte, este vídeo nos muestra el punto de vista del animalito en cautiverio. Una perspectiva que quizás nos planteamos poco a menudo.

De todas maneras, si te encanta compartir piso con tu pececito, tu gatito, tu perrito o tu boa constrictor... Simplemente disfruta de esta bonita animación, con una canción de fondo también muy linda, en japonés, creo.

Marketing web 3.0 sobre ruedas

2007-11-16T12:54:00.000Z

Paul Fleming participó como ponente el pasado miércoles 14/11 en Inspirational Station, un festival de publicidad en Internet organizado por IAB SPAIN.

Esta iniciativa tuvo una clara peculiaridad, y es que cada ponencia se celebraba dentro de un bus, que recorría la ciudad de Madrid, con todos los asistentes como pasajeros.

La conferencia de Paul, sobre las nuevas posibilidades del Marketing Web 3.0, con Second Life como máximo exponente, fue todo un éxito. El bus estaba a tope, y nadie quiso levantarse para ceder su asiento ;-)

Durante su ponencia, Paul expuso cómo Second Life puede integrarse con éxito en una estrategia de Marketing, y explicó algunos de los proyectos que hemos estado llevando a cabo en este sentido en Barcelona Virtual.

Si quieres entrar en la isla de Barcelona Virtual en Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Barcelona%20Virtual/58/126/23/?title=Barcelona%20Virtual

Si quieres informarte sobre los servicios de Barcelona Virtual
en Second Life: http://www.bvirtual.com/bv/serviciossl.asp

Y no te pierdas las fotos de la fiesta de "HEROES" que hubo en la isla: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barcelonavirtual/

Oportunidades portátiles

2007-10-23T07:34:00.000Z

La organización One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) lo tiene claro: darle un portátil a un niño de un país en vías de desarrollo es poner a su alcance un sinfín de oportunidades. Un futuro digno.

De entrada, significa la posibilidad de explorar, descubrir, tener conciencia propia... Y a partir de ahí, adquirir una educación y crecer con recursos.

Se puede participar en la causa no sólo con donaciones, sino también con conocimientos. Toda la info, en www.laptop.org.

PD: Es esperanzador ver que en la era digital los más desfavorecidos también ocupan un lugar.

Platos que alimentan

2007-10-10T14:58:00.000Z

El pasado fin de semana se celebró en el Mercat de Sant Antoni de Barcelona el Festival Dj's Contra la Fam (Dj's contra el hambre).

Aunque ya no llegamos a recomendaros el evento, queremos felicitar a los organizadores por unir la música electrónica a un fin social. Y por incrementar un poco más la lista de "eventos con causa".

Pues eso, atentos a la edición del año que viene.

Fuente: http://www.djscontralafam.com y MateriActiva

Un bonsái toma las riendas

2007-09-25T13:44:00.000Z

No estoy hablando de un nuevo documental alarmista -creado por los detractores de Al Gore- en el que un arbolito maléfico quiere destruir el mundo. Es más bien mi presentación como blogmaster de Día1, en sustitución de Kike.

Entonces ¿por qué diablos pones la foto de un Bonsái? -estaréis pensando. Pues porque ocultar mi imagen, cual guerrero enmascarado, me permite ser un poco más libre en mis textos.

Y porque quedaría un poco feo escudarme tras la foto de una supermodelo eslava de 1,85 cm. y 50 Kg. en un blog sobre márketing ético... Lo de elegir un alter ego del reino vegetal queda algo mejor, ¿no os parece?

Además, este es mi bonsái ficus y aprovecho cualquier ocasión para mostrarlo. Se llama Uve. A todo esto, yo me llamo Desirée.

Vamos a ser sinceros

2007-09-05T11:59:00.000Z

¿Trabajas en publicidad? ¿Llevas una semana de locos? Ups, lo sentimos. Deberíamos haberte avisado de que estás ante una viñeta divertida, pero un pelín desalentadora.

Pero no importa... ¡seamos optimistas! Hay Marketing que vende VERDADES COMO PUÑOS. Y tú lo sabes. Incluso a veces lo practicas.

Quizás en poco tiempo tenemos que incluir una fe de erratas en este blog que diga: En la útlima línea de la entrada "Vamos a ser sinceros" sustituimos "Incluso a veces" por "Siempre".

Fuentes: Diario ADN

Bonita historia

2007-07-04T07:36:00.000Z

Nos encantó esta parábola del animador paraguayo Joaquin Baldwin.
¡Aún estamos a tiempo de cambiar las cosas!

Fuentes:
-Portfolio de Joaquin Baldwin

Mamá, quiero ser sostenible

2007-06-15T09:31:00.000Z

Quizá seas de esos emprendedores con alma de coolhunter que siempre se avanzan a los cambios. Quizá además seas de los muchos que nos sentimos bien al separar la basura para reciclar o al dejar el coche en el garaje y coger la bici para ir a trabajar. Quizá incluso estés pensando en montar un negocio sostenible.

Si te encuentras identificado con todas estas suposiciones no lo pienses más, estás esperando demasiado para poner en marcha tu propia empresa ecológica.

Seguramente dirás: ¡pero si no sé por dónde empezar! ¿Qué tengo que hacer? Es fácil. Empieza por el principio: un concepto para rentabilizar la ecología. Revisa ideas existentes en el mercado, aprópiate de ellas, adáptalas, transfórmalas, mézclalas y ya tienes tu concepto de negocio.

Una pista. Ecototal.com es un directorio de empresas ecológicas que se encarga de unificar las experiencias de los que ya han apostado por este camino. En él se incluyen explicaciones de todas las posibilidades, los pasos a seguir, la burocracia a tramitar, las propuestas del franquiciado alternativo y hasta una bolsa de trabajo ecológica.

Ahora ya no tenemos excusa para cerrarnos a los cambios: es hora de que la ciudad vuelva al campo.

Fuentes:
-Ecototal.com

Negocios sin fronteras

2007-06-13T10:35:00.000Z

Payasos sin fronteras. Médicos sin fronteras. Arquitectos sin fronteras. Bomberos sin fronteras. ¿Y los hombres de negocios qué? Los hombres de negocios también.

MBAs Without Borders es una organización con 3 añitos de vida, que se focaliza en la continua proyección de profesionales MBA para la dirección de negocios locales en países de África, Asia, Europa del Este y el Caribe.

El objetivo de la iniciativa es el de llevar a cabo proyectos comunitarios creativos y de gran alcance, que acostumbran a situarse en los campos de salud, tecnología rural, agricultura o educación.

Por el momento, ya cuentan con el apoyo de Google, YouTube o la DeGroote School of Business.

Fuentes:
-MBAs Without Borders

El tema del verano

2007-06-12T08:27:00.000Z

Parece imposible. Hace nada estábamos hartándonos a turrones y mazapanes y ya estamos en el mes de junio.

¿Y eso qué significa?

Básicamente significa que en algún lugar de España se está cociendo la canción del verano.

Por aquí ya estamos preparando a lápiz un ranking de posibilidades. Pero no de quién la cantará, sino de cómo nos la venderán este año. ¿YouTube? ¿Sonitonos? ¿Bluejacking? ¿Descargas gratuitas? ¿Factor X? ¿Jingle de algún anuncio de cervezas? Se admiten apuestas.

Fuentes:
-La canción del verano 1965-2005

¡Al rico helado neutral!

2007-06-06T09:31:00.000Z

Ben & Jerry’s nos ha sorprendido a todos con el primer helado climáticamente neutral del mundo.

Y diréis, ¿y eso qué es? Pues es un helado que prima el buen hacer ante el entorno, mediante soluciones como el transporte sostenible, el recorte de rutas, ayudas a la industria lechera o la implantación de energías renovables.

Y lo mejor de todo es que al entrar a su web comprobamos que este lanzamiento no forma parte de una táctica maquiavélica por conquistar un nuevo mercado.

Se trata de una manera de entender el consumo, de ser solidario con los demás y con uno mismo dentro de una sociedad que parece negarse a cobijarnos.

Y además venden helados.

Fuentes:
-“Ben & Jerry’s invertirá 2,4 millones de euros en los próximos 5 años para lograr un impacto medioambiental neutro”, Europa Press

- Ben&Jerry España

Un día para ser mejores

2007-06-05T08:45:00.000Z

Hoy es el Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente. Eso significa que tenemos la excusa perfecta para portarnos un poquito mejor con el mundo.

¿Cómo lo celebramos?

Fuentes:
- Reportaje de informativos Telecinco
- Web de la ONU

La responsabilidad de consumir

2007-05-29T09:34:00.000Z

Cuando decidimos revivir Día 1 estuvimos dándole muchas vueltas al papel de la ética en la sociedad capitalista. Y una de las conclusiones a las que llegamos es que, por supuesto, las empresas tienen mucho poder para cambiar las cosas, pero no está todo en sus manos.

Será posible construir un lugar mejor si todos nos implicamos desde el consumo, protegiendo a lo que nos rodea de nosotros mismos.

De eso va la revista Opcions, de cómo consumir respetando las personas y el medio. En su web podéis acceder a todos los contenidos y, si sois de los que aún disfrutan leyendo sobre papel, suscribiros a los próximos números. Ya van por el 21.

Fuentes:
- Revista Opcions

Una fiesta con buen sabor

2007-05-28T07:50:00.000Z

Del 9 al 17 de junio un total de 66 municipios catalanes celebrarán su propia fiesta del comercio justo y la banca ética. Una iniciativa convocada por la ONG SETEM-Catalunya para dar un pasito más en favor de la dignidad en el mundo.

¿Nos vemos allí?

Fuentes:

- Festa del comerç just (en catalán)
- Dossier de presentación de la fiesta (en catalán)
- SETEM-Catalunya (en catalán)

El amor en la era digital

2007-05-23T07:15:00.001Z

Bernardo Erlich, gran artista y mejor amigo, retrata los daños colaterales de Internet en el amor... ¿Habrá posibilidad de darse de baja?

Fuentes:
- Web de Bernardo Erlich

Publicidad contraproducente

2007-05-21T08:13:00.001Z

RENFE ha lanzado su última mofa en forma de campaña. Y las bondades del AVE ya se encuentran empapelando las calles de las ciudades españolas más punteras, amparadas por caritas de bebés recién nacidos que sonríen a la cámara.

¿El lema? “Al nacer cambiamos la vida de mucha gente”. Y la verdad es que formalmente no engañan a nadie. Cada mañana cambian la vida de mucha gente. Gente que llega tarde a trabajar por culpa de los retrasos de cercanías. Gente que debe salir con dos horas de antelación si no quiere perder su avión. Gente que acostumbra a llevar un abanico en el bolso para soportar el hacinamiento en las principales estaciones de la ciudad.

Les presentamos un ejemplo magistral de lo que no es marketing ético. ¿Alguien cree que esto puede hacer algún bien a los beneficios de la empresa? La respuesta: NO.

Señores de RENFE, búrlense de su señora esposa, que sus clientes tienen ya muchos años de experiencia.

Fast Meeting

2007-05-18T07:51:00.000Z

Los directivos de McDonald’s ya no saben qué hacer para sacarse el sambenito de encima. Y es que parece que se han dado cuenta de que la mala imagen que se encargaron de potenciar en su pasado, no se puede borrar simplemente lanzando una colección de ensaladas.

Consciente de ello, hoy mismo (de 13:00 a 14:00) su presidenta y directora general, Patricia Abril, se ha comprometido a contestar a todas las preguntas que puedan hacerse los internautas sobre el buen hacer de la empresa.

Será un encuentro a tiempo real a través del microsite www.dialogoconmcdonalds.com que, creemos, podría definir el inicio un nuevo período en ese posicionamiento transparente en el que lleva incidiendo desde hace años la marca del payaso.

¿Será suficiente? Seguro que no. Pero quizá sea una oportunidad para comenzar una bonita amistad con los consumidores…

Fuentes:
-Dialogoconmacdonalds.com

Incertidumbres cotidianas

2007-05-15T08:47:00.000Z

Fuentes:
- Diario ADN
- Más joyas de Ernesto Rodera

Dove, siempre tan real...

2007-04-10T08:37:00.000Z

Atención señoras y señores, agárrense a los interiores… ¡la campaña de Dove en Youtube ha alcanzado la cifra global de 4 millones de visualizaciones!

A finales del año pasado, Dove lanzó a la red este fantástico viral, obra de Yael Staav de Reginald Pike, con apoyo del equipo de Ogilvy Toronto.

En él se muestran las vicisitudes del tratamiento de la belleza en publicidad, mediante un juego esclarecedor y un tanto irónico, que ha calado hondo en Internet.

Nos parece una estrategia formidable, una realización maravillosa, pero con una retórica un tanto aterradora...

Y es que hemos comprobado que, después de contemplar el video, se produce en los internautas un sentimiento contrariado:

Por un lado el alivio de haber desenmascarado a la publicidad, ese ente maligno que se encarga de martirizarnos con sus imágenes lascivas que nos impiden ser libres día tras día.

Por otro, la duda común de “¿dónde hay que apuntarse para que hagan eso conmigo?”.

Fuentes:
- Campaña por la belleza real

Microdonaciones en primera persona

2007-03-28T08:37:00.000Z

Anoche nos pasamos por el Movie (Roger de Llúria con Consejo de Ciento) al segundo encuentro Ingvar.

Se trata de uno de esos eventos de emprendedores para el intercambio de experiencias y feelings, algo muy sueco. El leitmotiv, “inspiración a través de las personas”.

Allí nos esperaba René, de lecool, para presentarnos a todos al fascinante Jil van Eule. Y diréis… ¿y ése quién es?

Pues es un holandés comprometido con la vida, una de esas personas a las que venderías tu alma sin remordimientos de conciencia.

Actualmente Jil vive en Catalunya por y para su hija Mónica y trabaja como asistente de Frank Rijkaard en el Barça.

Con un perfecto español, nos explicó de qué iba su proyecto Teaming, una iniciativa de microdonaciones con gran aceptación entre los empresarios, por ahora, de España.

Algo realmente alentador en un mundo donde hasta el más directivo de los directivos ha metido su mano alguna vez en una máquina de vending para recuperar el cambio de otro.

Sin embargo, lo realmente fascinante e inspirador fue la forma cómo nos contó la historia…

Jil nos habló en primera persona, sin tapujos, de cómo una vida verdaderamente intensa puede llegar a darle un vuelco a tus prioridades. Y dejar de pensar en ser feliz para empezar a ser feliz.

Y todos olvidamos nuestra billetera y nos quedamos encantados con su proyecto…

Fuentes:
- El blog de Ingvar.
- El proyecto Teaming.
- El dossier de prensa de Teaming.

¡A sus órdenes, mi consumidor!

2007-03-22T09:34:00.000Z

Always On. Ése es nuestro futuro. Donde todo estará conectado y en movimiento, gracias a Internet y a dispositivos como el teléfono móvil.

Éste es el eje que siguieron Joost van Nispen y Juanjo Azcárate durante la jornada “Cómo triunfar en un mundo plano”, organizada por DirectivosPlus.

Allí nos recibieron con los brazos abiertos y mantuvimos unas horas de charla distendida sobre macrotendencias, expectativas y oportunidades ante el cambio perpetuo.

Algunas de las preguntas que surgieron resultaron inminentes: ¿hasta dónde podemos llegar?, ¿están preparados los consumidores?, ¿qué relación quieren tener con las marcas y la tecnología?, ¿y cómo actuar ahora que son ellos los que mandan?

Y la respuesta era lógica: preguntarles directamente. Y después, escucharles.

Joost van Nispen es Presidente y fundador de ICEMD
Juanjo Azcárate es Consejero Delegado y Director General de CCC

La Caixa apuesta por el comercio justo

2007-03-14T11:16:00.000Z

Parece que la banca se pone las pilas con los más desfavorecidos.

El programa de Puntos Estrella de La Caixa ya incluye productos producidos bajo los valores del comercio justo.

A saber: un balón de fútbol y uno de basket de origen pakistaní, un estuche de azúcar orgánico del Paraguay y una mochila fabricada por artesanas guatemaltecas.

El objetivo principal para la entidad catalana es que el consumidor tenga un acceso fácil a este tipo de propuestas… ¿será cierto?

Nosotros por ahora aplaudimos la iniciativa.

Fuentes:
-Página de Comercio Justo de La Caixa
-“La Caixa trabaja en la promoción del sello de comercio justo”, Cinco Días, 12-03-2007

Intolerantesanonimos.org

2007-03-08T11:55:00.000Z

Si eres racista, homófobo o, simplemente, te aterra lo diferente, no te apures: ya hay un organismo que te puede ayudar.

Se llama Intolerantes Anónimos y surge de una campaña del Injuve que, con un cinismo formidable, cambia las tornas de la intolerancia.

No os perdáis los videos. No tienen desperdicio.

Fuente:
-Intolerantes Anónimos

Para tus favoritos

2007-03-06T14:50:00.000Z

Te parecerá mentira, pero ahora se puede navegar por Internet por una buena causa.

¿Que no?

Microsoft ha subido un buscador a click4thecause.live.com con el objetivo de ayudar a la campaña de la ONU Ninemillion.org.

La promesa consiste en que, con cada búsqueda, Microsoft donará parte de sus beneficios de publicidad para apoyar a los nueve millones de jóvenes refugiados que hay en todo el mundo.

En Estados Unidos incluso es posible ayudar mientras chateas por Messenger: una donación por cada conversación.

Nunca hubo antes un motivo tan potente para usar el botón de favoritos del explorador…

Fuentes:
-Click4thecause
-Ninemillion.org
-Space de Ninemillion.org

El mundo ideal

2007-02-27T09:38:00.000Z

Seamos sinceros. El mundo ideal no es un fondo oceánico repleto de sirenas y cangrejos cantarines…

El mundo ideal es un lugar donde todos pueden elegir ser guapos, trabajar como gogo’s o comprar en la tienda más cool de la city. Y eso es Second Life.

La alternativa virtual a la vida se abre paso en el mundo entero y ya no es un entorno exclusivo de nerds y freak-masters. Todos quieren tomar parte, incluidas las marcas más relevantes e innovadoras.

Consciente de ello, Barcelona Virtual ha abierto sucursal al otro lado de la pantalla. Para dar cabida a sus clientes ante la demanda de millones de nuevos consumidores. ¿La dirección? Tomad nota:

Electra 103,217,85 en Pacific Hills Square, Level 2.

Fuentes:
-“Barcelona Virtual abre oficina en Second Life”, Marketingdirecto.com, 25 de Febrero de 2007
-Welcome to Second Life, la oficina de Barcelona Virtual

D&G anuncia retirada

2007-02-23T09:58:00.000Z

Esta temporada los modistos vienen cínicos.

Tras la denuncia liderada por el Instituto de la Mujer contra la campaña de D&G por considerarla vejatoria para la mujer, a los empresarios italianos sólo se les ha ocurrido responder que en España nos hemos quedado “un poco atrás”.

Acto seguido, han anunciado que retirarán la imagen únicamente de nuestro país. Pero que si todo el mundo reaccionara así ante el “arte”, “se tendrían que quemar museos como el Louvre o los cuadros de Caravaggio”.

Por su repercusión, la publicidad es una de las actividades más reguladas de nuestra sociedad. Pero mientras existan marcas que se salten las normas de convivencia como forma de promoción, los profesionales de la comunicación seguiremos siendo observados con lupa. Y con toda la razón.

Fuentes:

-“El Instituto de la Mujer solicita la retirada de un anuncio de la marca Dolce & Gabbana”, Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales, 19 de Febrero de 2007

- “Dolce & Gabbana retirará la polémica foto de su campaña publicitaria”, ADN, 22 de Febrero de 2007

Volar como un pájaro, libre de gases

2007-02-15T08:28:00.000Z

Al fin sucedió. Llegó el compromiso real a las líneas aéreas.

El pasado 25 de enero se lanzó Flysilverjet, la primera aerolínea que vuela con carbón neutral, a diferencia de la mayoría, que basan sus combustibles en el CO2.

La compañía, de origen británico, cubre trayectos entre Londres (Luton) y Nueva York (Newark’s Liberty International Airport), y ofrece un servicio exclusivo para clientes con presupuesto ajustado.

En el precio del ticket se incluye un programa de puntos (Carbon Points) con los que el cliente puede colaborar con una serie de proyectos de reducción de emisiones, como un panel solar en la India o una granja eólica en Nueva Zelanda.

A cambio, se le garantiza un servicio flexible e innovador, bajo el epígrafe “silver class”. Las ventajas son de auténtico lujo: limitación de viajeros a 100 personas, check-in de sólo media hora, terminal privada, etc.

Desde su nacimiento, Flysilverjet se desmarca del resto de aerolíneas con una política responsable y cargada de buenos propósitos. Tanto, que a los 5 días después del lanzamiento ya cuenta con el reconocimiento del Institute of Transport Management, que le ha otorgado un premio como Environmentally Aware Airline 2007.

Fuentes:
- Silverjet
- “Silverjet Awarded Carbon Neutral Airline of the Year Award 2007”, Carbon Neutral Company, 30 de Enero de 2007
Créditos foto: albspotter

Invertir en los pobres es un buen negocio

2007-02-13T11:17:00.001Z

"Invertir en los pobres es un buen negocio para la sociedad en su conjunto, no sólo para los pobres". Esta es una de las principales conclusiones del informe "Reducción de la pobreza y crecimiento: círculos virtuosos y círculos viciosos" que ha elaborado el Banco Mundial y que fue presentado en Madrid.

"Si no se mejora su nivel de vida", los pobres "no pueden contribuir al crecimiento", explicó Guillermo Perry, economista del Banco Mundial. El enfoque es el contrario de los planteamientos habituales: no se trata sólo de crecer para favorecer a los pobres, sino de reducir la pobreza para poder crecer más.

Unilever, por ejemplo, es una de las primeras multinacionales en entenderlo. Han asignado a más de 500 managers de I+D la tarea de desarrollar nuevos productos expresamente para consumidores pobres en mercados emergentes como la India y China.

Según sus proyecciones, hasta el año 2010 1,2 billones de consumidores nuevos comprarán productos de Gran Consumo por primera vez; por lo tanto, las empresas más visionarias de este siglo ya están creando productos hechos a la medida de sus necesidades.

Fuentes:
- Rosa María Sánchez, El Periódico.
- "Unilever Develops Emerging Markets Products", World Advertising Review, 31 de Mayo de 2006

Créditos foto: Sustainable Harvest International

Bienvenido, Benvingut, Welcome...

2007-02-01T21:30:00.000Z

Nos encanta darte
una calurosa bienvenida
al nuevo Día 1, que
a partir de hoy se transforma en blog.

Lo que nació en 1999, primero como la newsletter mensual de la agencia y después como boletín trimestral sobre el Marketing Ético, adopta ahora este nuevo formato.

¿Por qué?

Para ser más ágiles y para estar más cerca vuestro. Para responder a nuevas formas de comunicación más interactivas. Y para maximizar la difusión del mensaje del Marketing Ético.

Como agencia y como equipo, creemos firmamente que un Nuevo Marketing es posible: más humano, más transparente y sobre todo, más ético. Esperamos reunir en este espacio a todas aquellas personas, profesionales o no, que comparten esta misma visión.

¡Esperamos tus comentarios!