8 Things Productive People Do During the Workday »
There are 8 things that productive people do during the day, according to Ilya Pozin, founder of Ciplex, columnist for Inc, Forbes and LinkedIn and a ‘30 under 30’ entrepreneur.
1. Create a smaller to-do list
2. Take breaks
3. Follow the 80/20 rule - that is, 20% of what you do each day produces 80% of your results
4. Start your day by focusing on yourself
5. Take on harder tasks earlier in the day
6. Pick up the phone - don’t always send an email
7. Create a system for managing things that affect your daily productivity
8. Don’t confuse productivity with laziness
Do you think Pozin’s list is complete? Are there any tips that you would add?
The Guardian has launched a new app called GuardianWitness, which allows people to be Citizen Journalists by contributing to stories and even reporting on news that the Guardian isn’t aware of yet! Wouldn’t it be great if we had a similar app in Australia?
Vine – the next big thing in social media?
By Charlotte Ferrand, B-M Australia
“Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest…I wonder what the next big thing will be,” I found myself asking a group of top bloggers during a recent campaign.
The resounding answer from at least one of them was ‘Vine’.
Vine, according to the Vine Blog, is “a new mobile service that lets you create and share beautiful, short looping videos. With Vine, capturing life in motion is fun and easy.”
Currently only available to download from the Apple App Store and not yet on Android (although rival app Cinemagram is available), Vine has been heralded as the step-up from Instagram. Rather than taking one still image and having the ability to change the filter to reflect your mood (or to make you look like you have a tan, whichever takes your fancy), Vine allows the user to capture a series of moving images, and loops them together into a quirky 6-second video which can then be shared on Twitter, Facebook and Vine itself.
Like Twitter, you can explore Vine’s trending hashtags; like YouTube, you can embed Vine videos into websites; like Instagram and Twitter, you can create a profile for yourself.
Scrolling through the Vine ‘Popular’ feed I did often get the feeling that I had entered the mind of someone who is having a bad dream with a series of 6-second videos, some with 6 different 1-second shots that seemed to range from bordering on psychedelic, to the just plain weird (Will Sasso ‘I Will Always Love You’ - I’m talking to you here).
Further investigation, however, found amazingly creative and artistic videos – one of my favourite being Table Toast by yelldesign (with 78,225 Likes) or Pinot’s ‘Drawing a rubber egg’ (with 98,747 Likes). It’s clear that this app has the potential to be an outlet for a new type of ‘micro-creativity’ and the good videos are getting a huge amount of impressions. Robert De Niro recently weighed in on the debate, calling Vine an “interesting thing” that could “tell a whole story in six seconds”.
Vine has now been acquired by Twitter, with the two channels sharing a goal of wanting to “make it easier for people to come together to share and discover what’s happening in the world”. Will Vine be the new instant way for us to consume news as-it-happens, like Twitter has so readily become? Except now through 6 seconds of edited amateur video instead of 140 characters?
How can marketers use Vine to their advantage? It would seem the possibilities are endless, particularly for capturing the decreasing attention span of the younger generations. Imagine finding a brilliant way to showcase your newly launched gadget in just 6 seconds, profile your brand’s key values or communicate its personality in a quirky super-short film, or cross-promote an existing social media consumer promotion.
Brands have already started to prove that, when done well, Vine videos can be a valuable marketing tool. According to Adweek, employees at Peanut Butter & Co. used a Vine video instructing the best way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to promote a buy-one-get-one free coupon for National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. The video went viral with 300,000 impressions and more than 6,000 coupons downloaded.
Love it or hate it, in the six months since it launched, Vine has gone from strength to strength in the US, topping the iTunes free app chart last week, and is now starting to catch on here.
What do you think of Vine? Have you used it? How do you think it could benefit brands? Is it just another way for narcissists to over-share or get their 5-minutes (or in this case, 6 seconds) of fame?
Hopes, aspirations and concerns of 3,000 Arab youth - survey results by ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller »
Released overnight, the fifth annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey assessed the hopes, aspirations and concerns of 3,000 Arab youth in 15 countries across Middle East and North Africa.
The survey involved 3,000 face-to-face interviews with exclusively Arab national men and women aged 18-24 and is aimed at providing reliable data and insights into the attitudes and aspirations of the region’s 200 million-strong youth population, informing policy- and decision-making of both government and the private sector.
Similar to what is currently being experienced in Australia, the survey found that newspaper readership continues to plummet, from 62% in 2011, to 32% in 2012 and 24% this year. While magazines have experienced a slight gain from last year, only 8% of Arab youth say they get their news from magazines.
By comparison, social media is cited as the primary source of news of 28% of all Arab youth, up from 20% last year. Most interestingly, the percentage of Arab youth who consider social media to be their “most-trusted source of news” has nearly tripled from 2012 to 22%. (The attached slide deck details how and why Arab youth engage with Facebook, Twitter and online blogs).
While television continues to be the most-trusted news source, cited by 40% of respondents, trust has dropped from 49% in 2012 and 60% in 2011. Trust in newspapers is also declining, with only 9% citing print dailies as their most-trusted source of news.
Other key findings include:
• Majority of Arab youth (74%) agree with the statement that “our best days are ahead of us” and 55% are hopeful for an improvement in their country’s economic prospects
• 87% of Arab youth have a greater sense of national identity following the Arab Spring uprisings, reflected in their confidence that the region’s best days are ahead, and 40% increasingly embrace modern values and beliefs
• As in 2012, being paid a fair wage is of greatest importance to young Arabs (82%), while unemployment continues to be seen as one of the region’s gravest challenges
• Owning one’s own property is considered more important than living in a democracy (66% compared with 61%), but young Arabs are preparing to purchase property later in life (45%) and many fear they will never be able to own their own home (15%)
• Rising living costs continues to be the top concern among 62% Middle East youth
• Civil unrest (44%) and lack of democracy (43%) are the biggest barriers facing the region
• Looking across the Middle East and the world, the UAE is the country where most Arab youth would like to live (31%) – and still the country they would most like their own nation to emulate (30%)
• When considering foreign relations, Arab youth view France most favourably (44%), followed by Germany (39%) and China (39%); favourability towards the US is highest in Oman while the UK is viewed most favourably in Egypt
New York City has 11,412 pay phones that are almost never used. To find a more relevant purpose for the time in which we live, NYC ran a payphone re-design challenge asking the tech and design community to reinvent its public payphones to make the city more accessible, safer and better informed.
We think the winner of the Best Community Impact category delivered the most clever and efficient concept.
Burson-Marsteller's 50 tips for better tweets »
Are you a Twitter pro or still learning the ropes? Burson-Marsteller’s digital strategists from around the world have spent two months compiling a list of 50 Twitter Tips that you’ll find useful either way!
This is just about the best billboard installation ever!
In a bid to attract new students for 2013, the University of Engineering and Technology in Lima, Peru, teamed up with a communications agency to create a world-first: a water-producing billboard for a city that sits in the middle of a desert, with almost zero rainfall per year and where fresh, clean water is not guaranteed.
Not only was this campaign pure brilliance, but it found a way to give back to the community and make a real difference to the lives of those in Lima.
Our work with client AG&P nominated for CommsCon Awards 2013!
We’re proud that our work with client AG&P was nominated for the CommsCon Awards 2013. We were shortlisted in the Internal Communications / Change Management category and have included our nominated case study below. Please keep reading to see what we did.
Overview:
Burson-Marsteller worked with AG&P to successfully implement a major rebrand of the company. They wanted a creative new look and feel that reflected their position as a serious contender in the modular construction space, whilst also raising the visibility of AG&P and its value offer on the global stage.
Not only did B-M manage the complete redesign of the logo, plus all related marketing material, branding, stationary and web assets, B-M also developed an employee communication program to ensure company wide acceptance of the new brand.
OLD LOGO
NEW LOGO
Strategy:
The employee communication program we developed focused on three key areas;
- Securing employee participation in the brand relaunch
- Generating a sense of excitement and anticipation for this new chapter for AG&P
- Executing consistent physical brand rollout throughout AG&P
Tactics:
To ensure staff participation in the rebranding project B-M got AG&P to agree to the idea that their staff could decide how the company mascot Agapito should be represented in the new brand framework, including what role the mascot should have.
To generate excitement and celebrate the new brand B-M travelled to Batangas in the Philippines to organise and manage a company event celebrating the brand. This event included three executive speeches from the Chaiman, CEO and CFO, two dance routines and one catwalk show with employees modelling the new uniforms.
To reinforce the need for company-wide acceptance of the new brand and associated materials the AG&P CEO sent all staff a personalised letter emphasising the need for everyone to embrace the new brand. In addition they all received mouse pads and pens with new branding.
Results:
- 1500 people attended the celebratory launch event in the Philippines
- The new brand has been embraced and adopted across the company with positive feedback received from around the company
The new brand means innovation and modernization of AG&P that further lead to creation of more jobs and opportunities. – Dionaldo D. Lampa, QA/QC Engineer, Goro Nickel Project, AG&P Nouvelle-Caledonie
I am expecting every employee (local/overseas) to be more active, cooperative to contribute to each discipline they belong in achieving the goal of our company. - Ronaldo Pagdanganan, Material Controller, IGD Habshan-5 Project, United Arab Emirates
- In addition, 360 employees responded to the Agapito survey and it was agreed Agapito’s role would now be focused on safety messaging
Burson-Marsteller launches $1.6 million CSR program to mark diamond anniversary
We’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of our founding in New York by pledging $1.6 million in consultancy time through a new global initiative called the Burson-Marsteller Giving-Back Service (GBS) Project.
The B-M GBS Project is a worldwide community service commitment involving the company’s 2,300 employees in 110 countries. B-M Australia (B-M) is participating in the program and employees will have the flexibility to choose where to direct their efforts, either through pro bono communications services or the provision of ground support to the Australian charities and non-government organisations of their choosing.
“It’s great that we are marking this important milestone by giving back rather than just patting ourselves on the back,” says CEO and market leader, Christine Jones.
“As a company, we have always embraced CSR programs as we believe they are a critical component of corporate best practice. We’ve helped charities such as RedKite; raised money for those affected by natural disasters; and participated in team events such as the City to Surf and Movember. We look forward to seeing how the GBS Project unfolds around the world throughout the year,” said Jones.
Burson-Marsteller opened an office in Australia in 1980, becoming one of the first international firms to establish a presence in this market. Since then, B-M has supported some of Australia’s most high profile events and communications campaigns including:
1988 World Expo in Brisbane
1992 Arnotts takeover by the Campbell Soup Company
1995 Launch of Microsoft Windows 95
1996 Privatisation of the Commonwealth Bank
1997 Privatisation of Telstra with Share Offer (T1)
1998 The Victorian Gas Crisis
1999 Privatisation of Telstra with Share Offer (T2)
2002 Launch of Botox in Australia
2005 Launch of the A-League for Football Federation of Australia
2012 Launch of HP’s world class Next Generation Data Centre in Sydney
2012 Launch of Greenough River Solar Farm, Australia’s first large-scale solar farm
Today B-M works with a number of leading clean energy, professional services, enterprise technology, government, financial services, tourism and FMCG clients through its corporate and public affairs, technology and brand marketing practices.
“Burson-Marsteller Australia has always had a reputation for providing high-level insight and strategy as well as delivering outstanding business results for our clients. We’re very proud of our 60-year heritage and will continue to build on our rock solid foundations,” said Jones.
Note:
To launch celebrations for Burson-Marsteller’s 60th Anniversary, on Tuesday, March 5 in New York, the firm’s Founding Chairman Harold Burson, Worldwide Chair and Chief Executive Officer Donald A. Baer rang the opening bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite located in New York City’s Times Square. NASDAQ is the exchange on which the shares of Burson-Marsteller’s corporate parent WPP are traded. http://www.nasdaq.com/article/burson-marsteller-to-ring-the-nasdaq-stock-market-opening-bell-20130304-00783#.UTUzXTCmiAg
Bringing the beach to the city, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Intel will transform Customs House Square into your ultimate inner city work space. HP and Intel Beach Club will allow you to escape from the confines of your desk and enjoy the sunshine in the fully functional outdoor beach workspace.
From 27 November to 30 November, HP and Intel Beach Club will be set up as an outdoor productivity area with group zones for meetings. HP staff will also be on site to help with any technology needs.
During the week guests will also be able to simply sit back, relax and enjoy the sunshine. Comfy beach chairs, coconuts and sun umbrellas set the scene, transforming Customs House Square into the ultimate summer location.
