Yes, we made it, amongst all of the turmoil out there with 150 year-old institutions falling prey to market conditions, I’m delighted to say that we’ve made it to our 5 year birthday! To celebrate this wonderful anniversary, we held a little party on the roof terrace of the Trafalgar Hilton Hotel in Trafalgar Square to say thank you to many of the clients, partners and friends that have supported us over the past half decade.

Photos of the evening can be viewed here.

A great evening was had by all with some fantastic food, drink and company. Thanks to everyone that attended and to all of our wonderful clients and friends for helping us get this far. Here’s to the next 5 years!

Having recently worked on a promotional campaign for Score, it got me thinking about interesting ways in which ad gurus have achieved their prime objectives: targeting an audience and grabbing their attention (amidst the viewer’s hectic and time-deficient lives). Here are some from across the world that I have dug out which are innovative solutions, bordering on genius, although, as with all fresh ideas, they are not necessarily without their flaws:

New Zealand: The national airline is looking to console the cutically challenged by offering 50 bald passengers NZ$1,000 (about £380) to be “cranial billboards” and publicise a new check-in service on their heads. The airline’s marketing manager Steve Bayliss remarks: “How better to tell our customers that Air New Zealand is going to do something about [long check-in queues]… than through messaging they can read while they’re standing in a queue themselves?” Cons: Maybe Bald Bloke is reluctant to draw attention to his shiny asset.

PERU: This ad for Papa John’s produces a clever optical illusion of a pizza delivery boy appearing at your doorstep. Created by Saatchi & Saatch, this ad won gold at the Cannes International advertising awards. Cons: Whilst there is no question of its creativity, some people might find this type of guerrilla advertising to be intrusive (especially as it is most likely accompanied by a ring of the door bell) and it is quite labour intensive to roll out.

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New Zealand: Once again, a brilliant way of delivering a message. Sanyo’s new underwater Camcorder billboard campaign (from Saatchi & Saatch again!) is submerged and gently emerges ‘peek-a-boo’ stye as the tide recedes to reveal the message to the inquisitive. Cons: I’m sure the inevitable algal ‘sheen’ coating on the featured product was not part of the plan.

USA: A unique campaign in New York featured images of coffee placed on steaming manhole covers all over the Big Apple.These pictures had holes for the steam to pass through to give the illusion of a steaming cup of coffee. No doubt, Folgers’ coffee outlets would have be conveniently situated nearby to sweep up the salivating, passing trade. Cons: I’m sure the aroma of steamy sewage would dampen the desired effect.

New Zealand: Ad agency DDB found an effective way to promote Durex’s Performa condoms. These condoms are designed to make men ‘last longer’ in between the sheets (they contain benzocaine -a mild anaesthetic). To highlight this USP, pillow cases were used as a medium upon which ‘love-you-long-time’ caricatures featured. Their relenting stare and suggestive pouts would ensure even the most short-lived experience was extended. As a result of the campaign, product sales rose by 28%. Cons: If the man decides his partner (and hence the condom) is surplus to requirements

We get asked to register domain names for clients all the time and we always take the time to work out the best possible variation of a domain so that it is a) representative of the company and b) as memorable and easy to write as possible.

The companies behind the following domains (originally posted on: http://independentsources.com/2006/07/12/worst-company-urls/) can certainly claim that they have covered off the memorable side of things but I’m not sure they were 100% focused during the process:

1. “Who Represents” is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is http://www.whorepresents.com

2. “Experts Exchange” is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at http://www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than “Pen Island” at http://www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try “Therapist Finder” at http://www.therapistfinder.com

5. There’s the “Italian Power Generator” company, http://www.powergenitalia.com

6. Don’t forget the “Mole Station Native Nursery” in New South Wales, http://www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for “IP computer software”, there’s always. http://www.ipanywhere.com

8. The “First Cumming Methodist Church” Web site is http://www.cummingfirst.com

9. And the designers at “Speed of Art” await you at their wacky Web site, http://www.speedofart.com

For the record, none of these are our clients!

So Google’s Streetview service has recently got the go-ahead to launch in the UK amid widespread controversy. The service, which allows internet users to view panoramic 360 degree views at street level was launched in the US last May and has since expanded to France, Italy and Australia. Google’s camera-equipped cars have also been spotted in most European destinations as well as Japan and New Zealand.

“Our ambition is to be a world map” says Lars Rasmussen, one of Google’s original creators of Google Maps. And at this rate, they certainly look like they are going to realise that vision.

For their ambitious venture and dogged determination Google should be applauded, but the service has upset a wide audience of individuals and civil liberty groups.

To what extent is our privacy being intruded upon? What measures are being taken by Google to protect it and what are the long term implications of Streetview?

Many of the original photographs used for the US launch were quickly removed after serious concerns for privacy were raised. They included a woman in a G-string, a bloke strolling into a porn store and a man relieving himself on the pavement. A US couple has already served Google’s first related lawsuit, because photos of their home, on a private road, appeared on Streetview. In court documents filed in Google’s defence, they claimed that “complete privacy does not exist”. An arrogant stance that has been heavily criticised. Ken Boehm, chairman of the U.S. National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) responded “Perhaps in Google’s world privacy does not exist, but in the real world individual privacy is fundamentally important and is being chipped away bit by bit every day by companies like Google”.  Ouch, a caustic but accurate reflection of the general public’s concerns!

Google has quickly implemented safeguards including the blurring of vehicle registration marks and faces and the use of image removal tools but by their own admission, this automated process is not foolproof. However, The Information Commissioner’s office, the UK’s independent authority that protects personal information is convinced by this development. They say the ‘delay’ between the images being captured by the fleet of Google cars and their release for public consumption, post production, is sufficient to alleviate any security or privacy concerns.

It would seem that this ‘delay’ is the main assurance. But what if the next development is our streets being captured in real time for all to see? The growth of a big brother state is already well documented: it is calculated that each person is caught on camera an average of 300 times daily; analysts are predicting a tenfold increase in the number of CCTV cameras in the UK in the next five years. Already we have local councils digitally spying on us to ensure that we do not drop litter, that we place our wheelie bins outside our homes on the correct day of the week and that we park our vehicles in the designated spaces.

If the ‘chipping’ effect that Ken Boehm describes continues, and with technology briskly marching forward, it is not unreasonable to consider that companies like Google could soon have the capabilities and financial incentives to install affordable cameras on every street and highway. What was a service aimed at the traveller, student and researcher would then become a very attractive, saleable product to other audiences including law enforcement agencies, government and private business.

Greg Woods is a recent arrival to Score Communications and joins as Creative Director.

A few weeks ago on E-Consultancy.com our online marketing consultant Leon Bailey Green started a debate on the role of SEOs and PR professionals in search engine optimisation campaigns (read the debate here).

Some thought PR companies should take more responsibility for achieving links to their client’s websites, and others thought it should remain with skilled SEO professionals.

But what if you’re a small business without a PR company or SEO consultant in house?

Here Leon has put together some ideas for involving everyone in your organisation and network in building up links to your website which helps with your search engine ranking.

1. Message Boards
Engage in discussions on message boards relating to your niche and include a text link to your website in posts.

Make sure your contribution to these boards is relevant to your business and will add value to the conversation.

Most message boards will allow you to post links, but some may not pass on the search engine benefit. It’s still a good idea to contribute to these as you will be building up your brand with the right community and attracting relevant click throughs.

2. Cross linking with partners
Ask your clients, partners and suppliers to link to your website. They may ask you for a link back so be prepared to reciprocate.

They are more likely to link to you if you create pages specific to them that are useful for their visitors.

You might want to write a positive testimonial about a supplier which will encourage them to link to you.

3. Create something viral
Whether it’s a controversial article or a money can’t buy competition, viral = links + links = more traffic and a higher search ranking.

At ScoreComms we offer a full consultation and advice service on all areas of search including how to create and execute a powerful links strategy. If you’d like to find out more about this, please contact us.

Leon Bailey Green is an online marketing consultant and friend of Score Communications. Read more online marketing tips on his blog (www.leonbaileygreen.com).