Darika Ahrens
Opinion
13 October 2015
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If you look online for the term 'MailKimp', you'll be let in on one of the web's current in-jokes. The word is a mispronunciation of the email marketing company MailChimp. It cropped up in one of the ads in the smash hit podcast Serial last year.
Opinion
08 September 2015
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Heading into the summer holiday season, people were telling me of their plans to go away, leave their laptop at home, switch off their devices and 'get back to basics'. It occurred to me that digital marketers should use the 'back to basics' ethos back in the office.
Opinion
21 July 2015
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In the picture, there's a woman on a yellow background. She's young. She's blonde. She's in a bikini. And she asks, in large bold type, "Are you beach body ready?" At the bottom of the poster someone has scrawled "**** off. I'm describing one of the now-infamous defaced Protein World ads. A couple of months ago, in London, the ads were graffittied, parodied, and finally removed after people protested about them online. Detractors called the ads sexist, inappropriate, and body shaming.
Opinion
09 June 2015
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The other day, I had the rare joy of teaching some friends how to use Twitter. I used to be able to fill an entire day's training session – and entire room – with my thoughts on how to use Twitter for brands. Don't laugh. In a pre-Facebook world there was a lot to discuss.
Opinion
07 May 2015
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There's a myth about luxury and digital. That luxury doesn't 'do digital'. Because the web is for bargain hunters. And luxury items must sell at top whack in a bricks-and-mortar store. Preferably while quaffing champagne as pixies sprinkle gold dust on the floor.
Opinion
06 April 2015
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"I know they're not a 'big fan' of my blogs. That article they tell me they enjoyed? They probably never even read it." I'm speaking with friend, and blogger, Gemma Cartwright. Cartwright has been blogging both personally and professionally since 2002. She's currently the editor at Popsugar UK, but she's completely fed up with poor approaches from SEO agencies. "It's formulaic and dishonest. Don't fool yourselves – we recognise a template email. Lay out from day one what you're looking for. And know that I'm under no obligation to help you."
Opinion
04 March 2015
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Two guys in New York have created a programme they say will end ad fraud for good. And it's a real shame. Ad fraud was forcing the industry to re-examine how it measures online advertising. But if this tool works, it may not have to. The software's called Submit Guard and it can tell the difference between humans and internet bots with over 99% accuracy. Internet bots are responsible for fake clicks and views expected to cost the industry $6.3 billion this year.
Opinion
09 February 2015
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The Twitter account @middleclassprob is having a moment. The account retweets Twitter users overreacting to what we now call #FirstWorldProblems. Problems such as when Waitrose runs out of lemongrass. Or your artisanal coffee shop makes your latte wrong.
Opinion
09 January 2015
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Recently, I attended the Future Foundation's Trending2015 Conference. One of the marketing trends they've identified for 2015 is 'Surprise Marketing'. They played a video from the North Face's 'Climb or Die' campaign in Korea to demonstrate. (The name says it all.)
Opinion
16 December 2014
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For five years, every digital and marketing conference you went to had the same slide circulating. You know the one. The one with the crown image. And the text 'Content is King'. Well it's the slide that will not die. It's had a reboot. Now, everywhere I go it reads 'Context is King'.
