smart cow view on SmartCow featured the cultural phenomenon of contemporary gaming at the V&A

The Cultural Phenomenon of Contemporary Gaming at the V&A

The V&A Museum has a ground-breaking exhibit on contemporary video games. Its aim in designing this exhibit was to diverge for the dull, repetitiveness or other video game exhibits which involved a lot of text to read and looking blandly into glass cabinets. At Smart Cow Marketing, we admire technological advancements and creative new ideas, which is exactly what V&A has offered us. They have created an immersive experience for the audience, all about the development of video games.

The exhibit begins in the noughties (because that’s when it starts to get interesting). Games included are the likes of League of Legends, The Last of Us, and Minecraft, it also includes companies such as Sony and Nintendo. The backstories and information of all these and more are presented to us through; mood-boards, photographs, prototypes, commentary, character sketches, all shedding light on games in the way contents of glassed cabinets would never do!

This exhibit gives you the opportunity to look beyond the game and end product you end up with. The Guardian describes video games as the ‘marriage of art and technology’, and V&A captures this in their display, through looking at video games as a cultural force.

We understand the immense amount of time and consideration it takes to showcase and market a product or service, and we admire V&A for coming up with a unique and innovative way to showcase video games development through the years. At Smart Cow Marketing we can help you come up with the best creative and digital marketing techniques to have your business stand out against the crowd.

Inbound marketing in 2019

Digital marketing trends 2019

With the new year fast approaching, here’s a round up of some of the top trends for digital marketing in 2019.

Video

As was the case in 2018, the year ahead will still see video content used prolifically for digital marketing. With the growth of Facebook and Instagram live and story functions, videos are the norm and a go to for all.

Marketing Automation

From business development tools through to automated tailored responses to specific emails, when used correctly, marketing automation can free up time, reduce certain admin tasks and highlight potential business opportunities. For an accounting practice it can monitor both outbound and inbound activity. By monitoring activity and aligning systems an overall view is presented thus enabling you to enhance engagement with clients and potential prospects. Ultimately marketing automation is here to stay, the tools available will grow so perhaps it’s time to explore the opportunities out there for your business.

Social Media

If you’re not on any social platform, then 2019 marks the year for your business to embark on the social media marketing journey. Why? Put simply, the channels will continue to grow. Statistics indicate that there’s over 3 billion social media users globally*, so we’ll say it again – join the conversation!

But, what will be the difference to entice you this year? Well, gone are the days of bulk following to get anyone to follow you back, it’s all about quality, not quantity. It’s also about the right content for your audience and each platform will have a different demographic. Audiences pick and choose which they prefer. So, start to target and tailor your content to get it right.
LinkedIn is also one to watch. If you’re working in B2B then you should really have a profile. Social media research has indicated that the biggest user increase in 2018 was LinkedIn, with 145% user growth.

Immersive

Getting potential customers to get really immersed in a brand will see augmented and virtual reality being in the digital marketing trends mix for 2019. We’ve certainly seen property developers using the VR headset to their full advantage with a trendy, yet practical, way to virtually visit properties at fit out stage to help push interest and potential sales through at earlier stages. VR can give additional product detail to customers.

Content is still king

We said it in our 2018 trends and we’ll say it again – keep your content fresh, relevant and engaging to not only aid Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) but importantly to attract and retain customers. Most blog content is suitable at up to 500 words, but long-from content will also become key. Why? When Search engines scour the internet, they value longer posts higher and see it is a trustworthy source. Don’t think you can write anything though. It still needs to be relevant, quality content. Think about developing a lengthier white paper or e-book for prospects to download. While this takes longer to create and will be more costly, you will then have a huge bank of information that you can then break down into smaller bitesize blogs thus repurposing content for your website.

Authenticity

And last, but no means least, be authentic so that your brand resonates with your true audience.

A London based inbound marketing agency, we’re happy to lend you a hand with your digital marketing strategy for 2019, get in touch.

Feeling festive with the John Lewis ad

The much-anticipated annual John Lewis Christmas Ad has finally aired. The release of the much-loved advert is often used as an indicator to start getting into the festive spirit, and a reminder that Christmas is just around the corner with its release about six weeks prior to the big day.

This year, John Lewis follows the story of Sir Elton John, beginning with him nostalgically playing his big hit ‘Your Song’ on his piano. It traces back in time through his concerts, 80’s dressing rooms, hippy campervans, and school performances to the Christmas in which he received his first grand piano. With the message ‘some gifts are more than just a gift’.

Some reviews such as the Guardian and The Drum have raised concerns that the company’s use of a celebrity marks a shift from creative and heart felt Ad’s and towards the simplicity of ‘star-power’.

However, at Smart Cow, we admire the use of using a national treasurer singing his emotional song as it brings people together through engaging on social media platforms. It gets everyone in the festive mood. The John Lewis advert is always going to have people rushing to Twitter and other social media platforms to share their opinions. The #EltonJohnLewis hashtag has been trending, allowing people to be a part of the conversation whether that be their love for Christmas, music or for Elton John.

At Smart Cow we loved the advert and it has put us all in a very Christmassy mood! Thanks to the John Lewis Ad it’s got us all inspired to start unpacking the tinsel and getting the halls all decked ready for Christmas!

Make up

Avon sharing

Perhaps the phrase ‘Avon calling’ is something for a certain generation here at the Smart Cow office, but with a quick google of the term then you’ll see a raft of adverts from the iconic Mad Men era of the 1950’s. The company itself is over 130 years old and now pitting itself against the big players to keep its place in the beauty market. The Drum magazine has recently interviewed the company to find out how it is rebranding itself for the Instagram generation to compete for its market share.

So, how has a brand synonymous with door to door selling entered the digital age? An app for starters. Potential customers can connect with a representative via the app.  Avon is taking on the Instagram influencers and creating its own bank through its representatives. Take a look at the full article in The Drum.

We certainly think this is a genius move and makes absolute sense. The door to door salesman is now our social media networks.

If you’re looking for some help with your digital marketing strategy and using social media, then get in touch with us to chat through your idea.