Insightful articles, opinion and commentary about mobile and web.

Alan Curson, Head of Copy at HotHouse, takes a look at how corporate speak is befouling the art of good copywriting.

It’s not swearing I object to. In fact, so long as it’s inventive, interesting or being done by someone bigger than me, I don’t mind it at all.

The bad language bringing me out in a rash, is the incessant, ‘corporate-jargo-speak’ infecting every written aspect of marketing communication.

For instance, when the bank wants to switch you to email statements, they don’t come out and say so. Instead, they tell you for your convenience as part of their ongoing commitment to enhance service offerings to valued customers, they have streamlined administration practices with a commitment to a targeted migration from paper-based communications to digitally focused information streaming, going forward. read more

By Simon van Wyk

I have a background in marketing, but my understanding of branding seems at odds with the 2010 opinions I see from social media commentators, marketing and advertising agencies.

I read LoveMarks, but I don’t love brands. I read the definition which says: “Lovemarks reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection that you just can’t live without. Ever.” I don’t actually feel this way about any brand. My life is busy and I reserve that level of investment for the important people in my life, not the stuff I buy. I assumed other people felt the same.

read more

By Simon van Wyk

Your online presence fairly bristles with opportunities to collect data about every visitor to your site. And it’s also easy to collect information about the competitive environment in which that your site operates. Measurement and analytics tools can inform your marketing with hard data about consumer behaviour that just can’t be measured in the offline environment.

read more

By Simon van Wyk

Number one on Google – that’s the Holy Grail that search engine optimisation (SEO) was meant to deliver to savvy site owners.

SEO involves tweaking your website to appear in the first page of Google search results for the keywords your customers are most likely to enter and yes, it’s Google we care most about, because Google still reigns on the Internet.

read more

HotHouse founder Simon van Wyk talks to Jeremy Tang, the newly appointed director of search at HotHouse. Until recently head of search at Telstra Business, Jeremy has also held senior marketing roles there and with Dimension Data. He also has extensive consulting experience through Oracle where he worked with clients including Merrill Lynch, Fosters Group & NRMA. Jeremy talks with Simon about SEO as an ongoing process, conversations with customers and the importance of focusing on what customers actually search for.

Listen to the podcast below.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

By Simon van Wyk

They’re unpredictable, opinionated, and, particularly in Australia, they’re doing it part-time. So why should companies care about engaging with bloggers?

Jason Preston, a US-based social media strategist, writes that more companies these days are turning from blogs to focus on social networking sites. “If you can generate good word of mouth and drive sales from efforts in sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace, why bother to court the hard-to-reach and often hard-to-impress blogerati?

read more