Eugene Yiga
Opinion
29 March 2011
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Don’t you just love those pithy sound bites that make for highly quotable quotes? Here’s one from Tony Effik of Publicis Modem New York: “Privacy, in its traditional form, is dead.” He and several other experts share their thoughts on personalised targeting in the current edition of Admap .
Opinion
25 March 2011
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Are some ads too fast for their own good?
Opinion
22 March 2011
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Eli Pariser warns us to beware of online 'filter bubbles'.
Opinion
18 March 2011
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Which car ad makes you want to shut up and drive?
Opinion
15 March 2011
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Wadah Khanfar, head of Al Jazeera, shares his view of the historic moment in the Arab world
Opinion
11 March 2011
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Which water ad floats your boat?
Opinion
27 April 2010
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“Right now, conspicuous consumption is out of fashion. The logo-driven excess of the past decade is being looked upon – at least in the Western world – with distaste. And so luxury is showing us a gentler, more discreet face. Quality has become a watchword again. Authenticity is all the rage. A rehabilitation process has begun.” These words, written by Mark Tungate in his Market Leader article, echo yet another sentiment du jour. Times are a-changing, but are we really changing too?
Opinion
20 April 2010
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“We live in fractured and distrustful times and if institutions are failing us, company leaders need not do the same. Control over the products, services and behaviour of companies is in the hands of individuals and it is possible and profitable to do the right thing.” These words, written by Judie Lannon in the editorial of this quarter’s Market Leader, echo a growing sentiment.
Opinion
13 April 2010
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We spend so much time interacting with brands on a regular basis that it’s no wonder we can equate them to people in our lives. We meet, we fall in love, and we settle down for life. Or something goes wrong. What then?
Opinion
06 April 2010
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I love a beautiful sunrise as much as the next guy. But you’ve got to draw the line when that sunrise comes with a price. In my case, that price involved waking up on a Saturday morning earlier than I do during the week so I could go through the inevitably painful process of getting my driver’s license renewed. This particular trip seemed adamant on throwing in every imaginable bureaucratic cliché. There were over 100 people waiting in line for the place to open. It did so twenty minutes late. There were only three available booths. Seven were closed. And I had to get stuck behind the guy who kept failing the eye test despite being granted multiple attempts.
Opinion
30 March 2010
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“2010 Ticket Prices Slashed”. That was the headline that caught my eye while waiting in line at the grocery store. And so, while the old lady up ahead decided to strike up a conversation with an evidently uncomfortable cashier, I read that front page story to find out what was going on. In it, I discovered a major opportunity FIFA missed.
Opinion
23 March 2010
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It seems like only yesterday. There I was, on Saturday 15 May 2004, stuck in my university dorm and frantically cramming for an afternoon exam. A roar erupted from the common room across the quad and champagne bottles began to pop. South Africa had just been chosen as host country for the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Eighty days from now, that dream will come to life. When everyone began talking of tickets over a year ago, I was pretty nonchalant. The tournament felt too far away. Besides, I’ve never been particularly huge on sport so it didn’t matter much. So, how did I end up here, with double tickets to four games and desperate to get my hands on more? The answer, my friends, comes down to three traps I’ve fallen into, which Robert Cialdini discusses brilliantly in Influence :
Opinion
16 March 2010
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Life is frantic, the economy sucks, and attention spans are at an all-time low. It’s no wonder companies are increasingly competitive when it comes to staying afloat. In order to do so, many have turned to branding. They realise it’s the only way to steal a spot in our hearts and minds (not to mention charging premiums for products sporting logos their unbranded brethren do not). But even with billions spent on marketing, not everyone is a success. Consumers queue for days on end to buy an iPhone but shun other “breakthroughs” like the Segway or New Coke. Birds in London are heard chirping the Nokia tune while 97% of Japan’s new products fail within the first three months. And Top Gun creates a 500% rise in Navy recruitment while the incessant brand cameos in Transformers do nothing but annoy us to bits. Something’s not quite right.
Opinion
09 March 2010
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Many are using the rise and fall of Tiger Woods are evidence that celebrity sponsorship is a dangerous game to play. But rather than cover the implications for brands, I’d like to consider things from the consumer perspective. Is it really so hard for us to untangle someone’s personal life from a brand they represent? Should celebrities be held to higher standards? And why do we even care?
Opinion
02 March 2010
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I just read Mobile Mania from Y&R. Unfortunately, as is the case with most of their publications, this one presented very interesting findings on a very relevant topic in a very gimmicky way. There were more exaggerations (“Consciousness is overrated”). And all the short sentences. Mostly fragments. That start. Then stop. Suddenly. Like a jogger. Trying to talk. While gasping for air. Made me hy. Perventilate. Just reading.
Opinion
23 February 2010
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Alas, poor grammar! Gone are the days you adorned many a beautiful letter and graced many a loving tête-à-tête. Technology and her creative destruction have made life about communicating in bits and bytes with the every possible distraction along for the ride.
Opinion
16 February 2010
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The Economist recently ran a special report on social media. One question still on my mind is what happens now. As a whole, the industry looks set to grow as mobile technology brings internet access to the developing world and older demographics in other countries jump on board. Still, expecting individual sites to be around forever seems naïve. With life so busy and attention spans at an all-time low, it’s easier than ever to throw the untouchables aside when something new comes along.
Opinion
09 February 2010
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" Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect. " - Mark Twain.
