Posted Wednesday 13th July by Fundamental Amp Team
New FA Services
Exciting News – here at Fundamental Amp you know that we are completely focussed on Social Media and Digital PR – in order to offer an even better service to our clients to help get their message out there and of course to monitor our progress as well. We have added website design and blog development, utilising the fantastic Wordpress and Joomla Content Management systems – which are offered under the GNU licence (essentially a free content management system!). Therefore, negating the need to develop Content management systems from the Ground Up!
There are some great opportunities for our clients to use these systems as micro sites at costs that will not break the bank but will help in the ever important crusade to get your message out there.
Send us an email and ask us more about our new approach to Micro Blogging, Micro sites and even full on Web Design and development with Joomla and Wordpress the #1 SEO friendly content management systems.
Posted Wednesday 15th June by Henry Osadzinski
Keeping Communities On-Brand
Last week saw E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, turn downtown Los Angeles into a gaming mecca with the biggest players in the digital entertainment industry migrating to California to share their latest successes and upcoming work with hungry audiences. While we were dazzled as usual by the new hardware and titles, the Fundamental Amp team were particularly interested in an emerging trend in some of the major series – product-specific Social Media.
The big players here are Activision and Electronic Arts with their respective Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises. With new games launching from each this winter, both publishers are augmenting players’ experience through custom Social Media services. The Call of Duty Elite and Battlelog networks will provide an incredibly in-depth resource for gamers, offering detailed metrics, tools to make organising clans and tournaments easier and providing a branded environment in which users can share their best games and talk about the franchises.
These highly specialised networks demonstrate the potential evolution of big brands’ current Social Media efforts. While existing platforms provide an outlet around which communities can grow, many brands are wary of relying on services where management and oversight of their audience is limited. The gaming industry is especially renowned for its often bad-mannered and highly changeable fan base and has a history filled with public outcry and backlash over ill-advised efforts.
Through their own branded networks, publishers like Activision, EA (not to mention other global brands across a wide range of industries) can explore new avenues and reach out to an actively engaged and enthusiastic audience, gather highly relevant data and tweak their products based on live feedback from advocate groups.
While community should be at the forefront of every initiative, as it is on Facebook and Twitter, the investment to create a brand owned and controlled environments may be an effective step forward for companies seeking to further engage with their audiences and gain vital insights that may previously have been lost.
Wider Social Media networks will remain the most subscribed services but, with the right balance of focus and tailored audience appeal, we may see the rise of the product-centric platform in the months to come.
Posted Thursday 2nd June by Toby
Paying With Change
We’re starting to get used to news stories about innovation in the field of electronic payment systems. The latest development is Google Wallet, a mobile app which will allow you to keep all of your important cards (not just credit cards but business cards, memberships and even discount coupons) on one portable device, doing away with your real wallet altogether. Even more exciting is the fact it will also be possible to make payments anywhere with NFC (near field communication) transaction technology, such as Mastercard's PayPass. Ilium Software has also developed something similar for the iPhone and iPad (simply named eWallet) and the trend is reflective of the part that ease-of-use played in bringing the world cheque books, credit cards and PayPal.
It’s the potential that Google Wallet and its competitors have in terms of online brand engagement that is getting us excited at Fundamental Amp. With these major companies making inroads into online purchasing solutions, it isn't hard to image a (near) future where all of your online and offline purchases will simultaneously link to your social media profiles.
If this turns out to be true, brands will be in a unique position to extend their social media outreach through Wallet-linked offers (the foundation for which has already been laid with Google Offers) and to lead tribes through loyalty programmes. As consumers spending habits and brand preferences appear in users’ online profiles, we’re likely to see the automatic creation of new brand advocates and the intensification of existing ones. Brands stand to gain a lot from this as loyalty translates into sales but they should (if they haven’t already done so) prepare adequately for the coming wave in order to reap the full benefit of it. This means responding now with an appropriate strategy to link Social customers with their transactions.
The implications are also huge for charities, which, for example, could launch online campaigns to drive consumers to donate to street-level operators using PayPass systems and reward them directly online with exclusive personalised contentfrom the cause that will benefit from their money.
We’re also excited about the edge that this interconnected purchasing environment will give to our data gathering capabilities. Realtime data from purchases made using digital wallets will allow us to adapt our strategy in a real time as well, channelling energy and resources to any unforeseen black spots that appear in our campaigns based on the conversion from Social engagement to real life purchases.
Posted Monday 23rd May by Aurore Nio
Social Media for Social Action
Recently, The Demi and Ashton Foundation, launched its new interactive video campaign named “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls”.
A catchy and funny name for a campaign aiming at defending a noble cause and educate the public about sexual exploitation of minors in the United States. The campaign consists of several under-60 second video clips starring famous actors (Sean Penn, Jamie Fox, Bradley Cooper, and Ashton Kutcher amongst others) illustrating famous male stereotypes.
Social Media to encourage change?
Gently mocking proud men who call themselves “real men” for their actions, the clips aim at entertaining and getting people creating conversation around the cause.
The main interest the team at Fundamental Amp found here was the use of social media accompanying the interactive campaign. Indeed, the campaign allows people to participate and interact in several ways:
By liking the Facebook page of DNA Demi and Ashton Foundation, people can make their own video. Not to reduce the participants to the masculine gender, the user will either go for “I am a Real Man” or “I Prefer Real Men”. The Facebook page totalises 50 000 likes and each post by the Foundation creates many positive comments and reactions. People can also add their own photo and insert it into the campaign.
Ashton Kutcher is known for being a twitter additc and shows he knows how to use it and take advantage of its 6.6 million followers as well as his Twitter friendships with Justin Timberlake, Sean Penn etc, to promote the campaign and spread the conversation even further.
Social Media to serve Social action?
The question now is to whether this is going to become a trend or remain occasional? This example only reinforces our vision at fundamental Amp that to use social media correctly, the initial content must be original, interesting and engaging. What can be more engaging than defending Human rights, encourage solidarity and educate the public about important issues of the modern society? With their interactive content, their sense of humour and amazing use of Facebook, this campaign definitely deserves our attention.
Posted Thursday 19th May by Fundamental Amp Team
The Hardest Word
It’s a sad but inevitable fact that, sometimes, companies make mistakes. Whether they’re the victims of unforeseen circumstances or are caught with their hand in the cookie jar, every PR exec knows that the few moments directly after the news breaks are crucial. In the past week, the Fundamental Amp team has been following digital giant Sony’s high profile blunder and how they’ve managed the fallout.
First, came news of a catastrophic security breach that not only forced Sony to take down their PlayStation Network (to millions of gamers’ chagrin) but also put all of their users’ personal information at risk. Sony quickly had to ensure that, not only were their disgruntled users protected but that all 70million of them received a level of service that put them at ease.
Typically stoic and tight-lipped, Sony did the previously unthinkable; they put up their hands and begged forgivenexx. They promised a speedy return to the service through their branded blogs, Social Media accounts and via press releases and made sure that their staff were answering user queries around the clock. Even in the face of continuing setbacks, they have remained open, honest and approachable with constant updates and apologies.
At Fundamental Amp, it’s this level of community engagement that we encourage in every campaign. Gone are the days where companies can stay quiet as cracks are uncovered, hoping their public will assume that they know best. Audience is key and, while Sony may find it difficult to put this difficult period behind them any time soon, they have at least made a visible and determined effort to compensate with outreach, information and a generous apology package.
Sony have demonstrated the importance of responding, not just reacting – the difference of which everyone utilizing Social Media must be aware. Negative sentiment cannot be ignored or drowned out and we want to applaud the lengths to which they have gone in order to ensure every user’s voice is heard.
Shockingly, Facebook could take note this week as Zuckerberg and co. still refuse to comment on their underhanded smear campaign against rivals Google, uncovered by industry whistleblowers. A disappointingly anti-social move from the world’s biggest networking site.
Posted Thursday 28th April by Fundamental Amp Team
Wedding Fever
Here at Fundamental Amp, we’re all looking forward to the free holiday / national celebration that is the Royal Wedding. Before we raise a glass to our new future King & Queen, however, we wanted to get in the mood with some of our favourite wedding-related videos, memes and online stunts. We asked each member of the Fundamental Amp team to share their best matrimonial snippets from the web. Let us know your favourites too ☺
Harri
Having been married and endured the whole white-wedding -early -90s-meringue thing, I decline to comment…! But I wish Wills and Kate (sic) all the very best!
Henry
I’m getting married a month after Will & Kate and, for me, by far the scariest aspect isn’t saying the vows or giving a speech - it’s the first dance. While I’m still worrying about tripping over my own feet, this couple managed to pull it off with style and put on a great show at the same time. I can’t imagine HRH pulling these moves off though!
Aurore
Every time I go to a wedding I cannot help but think about the hilarious scene from 4 weddings and a funeral starring Rowan Atkinson who plays the worst vicar ever. It’s hilarious when he marries Bernard to his “awful wedded wife”. One of my favourite YouTube videos shows that this situation happens in real life and not only to fictional clergy…
Toby
In East Asia, they don’t do things by halves. If, like me, you’re feeling apprehensive about being the centre of attention for an entire day, get on over to South Korea and join in on one of the Unification Church of Korea’s marriage blessing ceremonies. Dubbed ‘mass weddings’ by the media, these gigantic ceremonies are attended by thousands of eloping couples, with over 10,000 attending the 2009 ceremony. If I could afford to fly my entire family to Korea, this is where I’d want to tie the knot!
Teague
With the average wedding costs coming in between £10,000 - £20,000 and keeping in mind the fact that the day passes by quick as Christmas, it’s important to have wedding photos that can be treasured forever.
Unfortunately, some people will do anything to get in on the action…
Some photos are ill judged…
And some people, are a horse…
I’m sure Kate & Wills will have the best photographers England can offer, but with 400,000 members of the public expected to attend, I’m hoping for a photobomb or two.
Posted Tuesday 12th April by Fundamental Amp Team
Tweeting all over the world
A recent article on Thinq reported that, while most British companies are increasing their social media budget, only a quarter are planning on running multilingual campaigns. Despite the fact that doing so could put them at the top of search engine rankings, brands are seemingly wary to expand beyond their local networks. As Christian Arno, founder and MD of translation company Lingo24 explains: "With Twitter remaining the most popular social media platform for corporations, running a foreign language Twitter campaign can be a massively profitable exercise."
The most obvious issue holding brands back is the cost of professional translation. Just as limiting are the severe limitations of current machine translators that require the copying and pasting of text, adding another laborious step to the process. Enter Ortsbo, a Swedish start-up offering real-time machine translation service integrated into various Social Media and live chat platforms. Ortsbo is currently one of the fastest growing online services with 8.6 million monthly users. It’s clear that there is a strong grassroots desire for multilingual social networking capabilities, which indicates that online conversation needs to be taking place on a truly global scale.
Ortsbo’s highly integrated machine translation software operates on principle outreach platforms including Facebook and Twitter, providing instant translations in more than fifty languages. With over 200 million Twitter users worldwide posting 140 million times a day, we’re extremely excited about the potential it has to help brands reach core audiences outside of English-language markets, including multiethnic communities here in the UK. Ortsbo also provides scope for expansion of brand and consumer insights beyond the unarrow gauge of just the English-speaking world, resulting in a much wider picture of user engagement and sentiment.
Still, Arno is careful to point out that Ortsbo has its limitations: "Every language has nuances and subtleties that are simply beyond the best technology available." While Ortsbo could be indispensible for back-and-forth chat between brands and followers (where people are likely to be more forgiving of errors in grammar and meaning as they talk in real time), scheduled tweets and status updates that incorporate the brand voice would still require the dexterity and understanding of a human translator. After all, an ambiguously translated business-critical communication could leave customers feeling alienated and jeopardise a brand’s reputation.
Overall, real-time machine translation services like Ortsbo could provide brands with an important tool for global campaigns, unleashing the potential to provide more targeted, innovative and ultimately successful strategies. But until translation technology becomes truly human (a sobering prospect), the best-practice model we can imagine for services like Ortsbo is ‘high-quantity, non-critical’.
Posted Tuesday 5th April by Fundamental Amp Team
The impact of optimised search on Social SEO
Last night Twitter unveiled their new and improved search functionality. After years of using the basic, hit-and-miss system or relying on third-party solutions, users can now view a list of recommended accounts related to their search terms. For example, querying “social media” will bring up feeds from news sources, platform developers and key commentators even if they don’t include the relevant terms in their bios. Twitter, it seems, is looking at how we post as much as what we include in our profiles.
Through this, users are now able to discover previously low-visibility accounts that can add value to their regular feed browsing. It also suggests a step away from traditional, keyword-based search.
For the team here at Fundamental Amp, this is an exciting development in Social search, providing a more accurate model for finding and sharing relevant material. Rather than supporting those trying to game the system, frequently reposting material or cramming as many popular keywords into their updates.
By examining the range of material covered by a stream and the discussion surrounding it, the onus is on content providers to ensure that their Social Media outlets are on-topic as well as true to their branding. In order to succeed it isn’t enough to simply establish a Social presence and rely on traffic from the platform’s search engine. In order to stand out, content must be original, engaging and inspire sharing & discussion. For agencies that rely on organic campaign spread and grassroots followings, such as ourselves, it’s a real boon and a trend we hope to see picked up and supported by other digital outlets and search services.
Posted Wednesday 30th March by Fundamental Amp Team
Socialising & Social Media
Last week we ventured out of the Fundamental Amp offices in order to attend Bristwestival, a local Twestival event aimed at bringing together conscientious Social Media users to raise money for good causes. As well as giving people a chance to meet the faces behind the Twitter avatars, Bristwestival supports the Rainbow Centre for Children; a charity set-up to help support bereaved families in Bristol and helped raise over $1,000 in donations.
The point of the event was not just to meet-and-greet but to meet-and-tweet thanks to the gigantic Twitter wall that was streaming messages from attendees (and absent friends) using the #Bristwestival hashtag. As the acts moved on and off the stage, we couldn’t take our eyes off of the messages streaming across the board. Some felt inclined to rant about the acts while others cheered them on. During the night we witnessed attendees vying for more and more space on the screen, chatting and plugging their own products & services. Henry managed to get a rousing game of online I-Spy going and there were even a few flirty exchanges broadcast for all to see.
More than a mere gimmick, the Twitter wall provided an exciting insight into the vast interactive possibilities of Social Media within a physical space. By providing an additional medium through which performers and audience members could interact we were left with a record of our conversations that was then broadcast to a wider audience, connected by a common thread.
This novel platform effectively bridged the crowd’s interactions in real life and Social Media , demonstrating how visible Digital integration, even on a superficial level, can have a positive effect on brand sentiment and the overall user experience. Twitter and Facebook have given us all a public voice through which we can share, comment and discuss freely. Bringing that into public spaces allows us to augment and track our normal interactions and, as in the case of Briswestival, can be used to great effect, adding an extra dimension to suitable events.
We are constantly exposed to campaigns seeking to subtly integrate Social Media into our lives but sometimes it’s good to remember that the most effective method is often also the simplest way to cut through the noise.
Posted Friday 25th March by Fundamental Amp Team
Get Social. Get Amp'd
Here at Fundamental Amp we know that it's important to share. That’s why we've set up Get Amp'd, a feature on our site that showcases the best in Social technology. With our team of gamers, film buffs, gadget lovers and Social Media experts, we aim to find the latest platforms, products and services that make up the best of the web.
If you have something you think we'd like, feel free to get in touch and Get Amp'd
Everyone's searching for the next big thing – let us help bring it to the audiences who care.
Posted Tuesday 22nd March by Harri
Newbies
This week we’re delighted to welcome Toby & Aurore, two new starters in the Fundamental Amp offices. Adding to our existing team, this is the next step in our expansion and we’re looking forward to the boost their Digital and Social expertise will provide. With a wide range of languages between them, they’ll be helping us widen our horizons even further and continue on to eventual global domination. Just so you know, between us, we are fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Welsh... Truly global!
To keep up to date with all of our developments, be sure to follow @fundamentalamp and don’t be afraid to get in touch and Get Amp'd.
Posted Tuesday 15th March by Fundamental Amp Team
Forget about the kill switch
We may be in a walled garden but we can still enjoy the view
This week’s Social controversy surrounds the realisation that many platforms we generally took to be open are, in fact, still pretty tightly locked down. While Apple’s iron grip on its iOS platform is well known, many users are still uneasy about control of their digital content coming straight down from Cupertino.
Worry recently spread to the Android community after Google was forced to step in and throw their failsafe kill switch, disabling dozens of malicious apps that had made it onto their famously open Marketplace. Many users were quick to decry this action as an invasive and unnecessary display of power even though it was intended to protect them from harm.
The principle of the walled garden, a controlled environment to ensure optimal user experience, is not new. AOL’s early service provided users with a carefully managed stream of content and even Facebook hides its material behind a login screen to protect the privacy of its users. This practice may upset supporters of open source platforms but many still acknowledge it as a necessary evil, safeguarding users who may not be as aware of the wider digital landscape.
Issues inevitably arise whenever the public is made acutely aware of the limits of their online world. No one likes to be reminded that they are not entirely free but it’s important to remember that the goal is not to subjugate but to protect. The developers at Google and Apple aren’t trying to keep us in, they’re fighting to keep out those who would harm us.
Twitter has also experienced the backlash that enforced boundaries can bring. As the microblogging service moves forwards with its proprietary mobile and desktop apps, it’s been forced to lay down the law for third-party developers and exercise its not inconsiderable clout, suspending some popular clients such as UberTwitter & Twidroyd. Commentators and supporters did, however, hurry to remind communities that this is not a deliberately malicious act – it’s simply business. With millions of active users and high level of online visibility, it’s easy to forget that, no matter how noble and friendly a company is, monetisation is always a major concern. If that’s threatened, as Twitter were by Ubermedia’s products, action will be swift.
While we must acknowledge that content providers are often forced to restrict or control the fringes of our experience, it is largely for our own protection and for the sake of providing the best possible experience. For those of us able to play, share and meet behind the safety of their walls, it’s a small price to pay.
Posted Friday 4th March by Henry
The Curious Case of @CharlieSheen
How one man's crisis led to a very lucrative opportunity
In the wake of his (very) public meltdown, Charlie Sheen has accomplished a staggering amount in a short time using Social Media. While some of his actions can’t be condoned, he presents a fascinating case study for anyone interested in the leverage one can gain by simply making yourself more accessible online.
Earlier this week, following a series of controversial new reports, Sheen amassed over one million followers in just twenty-four hours, earning him the first ever Twitter-based record to be awarded by Guinness. His rise to internet fame may be a fluke but it raises one question to which influencers and marketers all want the answer – how did he do it?
Sadly, the obvious response is simply because he’s famous. Sheen has been indulging and disgracing himself in the public eye for decades now and appears to have comfortably accepted the role that the internet can now play in his publicised debauchery. Once he gained a decent following, it was a simple matter of leveraging his newfound popularity and spurring on users to make his numbers swell. Say what you will about his lifestyle, the former Hot Shots & Two and a Half Men star was able to motivate and entertain his audience, keeping them loyal to his cause with the type of rewards that Social Media users crave. Once his account was officially verified, this required very little effort and cost Sheen absolutely nothing – all it takes is a candid shot of him thanking his audience to produce a new rush of mentions and meme-inspiring hashtags such as #WINNING and #tigerblood.
Now that @CharlieSheen has a mass of followers, his next challenge is to figure out what to do with them all. Having reached such lofty heights, his main challenge is maintaining momentum as the initial hype dies down. With a healthy bandwagon of engaged, supportive (or at least curious) users, he now has a significant amount of power in his hands. Not surprisingly, he’s chosen to monetise his online efforts through Ad.ly; a service for introducing celebs to brands in order to provide paid endorsements through their tweets.
Sheen is poised to make over $1million a year through carefully timed promo tweet but the service has come under fire for its lack of transparency and potential for abuse from money-hungry tweeters. Still, provided he doesn’t go overboard and continues to engage his audience and promote his defiant (if somewhat unconventional) attitude towards Hollywood, it could prove to be an effective source of income should the industry turn its back on him.
For us, this demonstrates just how difficult it still is to find an effective way to benefit from Twitter in any way financially – a concern Twitter themselves surely share as they struggle to reap any benefit from their multi-million dollar valuations. Yes, there is money to be made, as Ad.ly demonstrates, but is it worth the cost?
Posted Thursday 24th February by Henry
A simple solution - How social media may be about to affect our lives on a much deeper level
Looking back, 2010 can be regarded as the year of social media experimentation. Technorati darlings Foursquare and Gowalla continued to grow and innovate, Facebook marched on with its mass dominance of the web and the tribal social network emerged, linking users in more specific, esoteric ways. For serial early adopters, it was a dream come true. Tech blogs were jumping on new trends every week and it seemed that broadcasting and sharing our entire lives had never been easier.
However, for anyone trying to keep up with all of these trends, the sensation was more akin to drowning. There was barely time to get to grips with Path when Instagram made it even easier to show the world how you were having New Age Fun with a Vintage Feel. No sooner had everyone given in and accepted Formspring when Quora appeared, crying for attention and approval. Phones struggled under a daily deluge of new apps and the public found itself frozen, unable to decide whether to tweet, check-in, snap, shout or digg the latest minutiae of their day.
With so many options available, users are becoming a lot more cautious of new platforms. We are less likely to try a service out for fear that it will be eclipsed by a later development or absorbed by an existing network. Managing the numerous logins alone can be too much sometimes.
While Facebook continues to dominate with its all-encompassing strategy, leveraged by its immense spending power, the rise of “dumb” tech solutions may usher in a new way to interact with friends, family, agencies and retailers. Clothing brand WeSC recently released a concept video for its socially-minded KarmaTech range, allowing users to engage via social media using only their shoes. With the advent of Near Field Communication, a more personal application of existing RFID technology, we may be on the verge of a transition from UI-centric experiences to letting our devices do the talking for us.
Posted Thursday 10th February by Henry
Get Social all over the world with Social Media Week
This week, we are proudly sponsoring Social Media Week London, the UK satellite of a global event taking place between the 7th and 11th of February. This biannual conference creates a global conversation and provides a platform for Social Media experts, developers, businesses and individuals keen to learn and share in emerging trends and better understand how to integrate Social Media into our lives.
We’ll be tweeting and posting our favourite highlights (including our own sponsored event TV Ad Campaigns – Keeping It Social) from the week on Facebook. Be sure to keep up with all the news by following us and looking out for the #smwldn hashtag.
We’ll also be at the closing festivities on Thursday so check in and track us down for a chat or to find out more about getting Amp’d.
See you there!
Posted Thursday 20th January by Teague
Welcome
Hi there. Welcome our new site and blog. Be sure to visit us for regular updates covering what we’re up to, where we’re going and what we think of the web today. Feel free to stick around, have a look at the rest of the site and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.