Google Xistence? Seems like an early April fools from Google to me. Apparently it sends randomly generated tweets, status updates and photos to your social media stream, so you don’t have to.

It sounds like a genuinely simple and brilliant idea. I hope it is. Pavegen are a company that have developed paving slabs that convert the kinetic energy from footfall into electricity. So it lets people ’save energy without realising it’. Unless it is unfeasibly exhaustive on the environment to produce, then it sounds like a winner. Maybe they could come up with roads that convert the movement of vehicles into electricity also? And tube tracks?

The Guardian newspaper have released a iPhone App that allows subscribers to read the news in a format that is personalised and convenient. They are not charging for the content, you can access the guardian.co.uk perfectly well on the iPhone or any other internet enabled smart phone, for free.

This app is for sale at £2.39, and in December, it’s first month, it was downloaded 68,979 times. That is £164.859 income. This will have no doubt smashed the development costs, and will be turning a very tidy revenue stream that could amount to £2m per annually. This App is available in UK and US, and has been extended to the rest of Europe now, so that figure could increase further.

It is already possible to buy news for the Kindle, the same news that is available free online, and with the upcoming Apple tablet, there could be another commercialised format available.

My point being, no one will pay for news Mr Murdoch. There is such a thing as a free news story, so deal with it! We can watch it on TV, read it on the internet, read it on the tube and listen to it on the radio, without paying a penny for it.

If I buy a Sunday newspaper, I buy it because that particular format suits me that day, to maybe sit down for an hour, with a civilised cup of coffee in a quite cafe. Or more likely in my case, in a screaming warehouse in Tesco’s car park called Clown Town (It’s a kiddie thing). My usual preferred format is on the internet for free, but if you make another format more appealing to me, I am happy to pay for it, but not the news thanks.

In the summer of 2000, Frazer Gibney, Drew Saunders and Tim Doust launched a new independently owned agency called inferno.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey, working with some fantastic clients and agency people along the way. When we started the agency, we had no clients and no prospect clients, although that changed very quickly! How things have evolved! The first ten months we were working in a flat in Wimbledon, which we knew we had out grown when Drew’s office had to be relocated to the toilet, infact his Mac was balanced between the sink and the loo! (some of his best work came from that loo!)

Our founding clients were Gunwharf Quays and Budweiser, Gunwharf Quays are still with us and we said goodbye to Bud only last year…. Not a bad innings. We moved from Wimbledon to the West End by December 2000, not just because we had run out of space but also because we couldn’t attract the best creative talent down there.

When we moved to Palladium House, opposite Libertys we were situated on just one half of the first floor with around 18 people, we sub-let the other half, but we continued to grow and win business. Prudential came on board and we were doing more and more for Budweiser and other clients like Telewest (now Virgin Media) also came on board.

Our growth continued in the following years, picking up Visa, Premier Inn, BBC, Sony Playstation and Nokia along the way. Consequently we moved onto the 5th floor and the other side of the 1st floor as well. Infact we have now outgrown that space too and I am very excited about moving this summer to a bigger premises in Soho this Summer. I am also very excited about our own brand refresh and the new web site, which is almost ready!

We are now about 65 people with a lovely blue chip account list and I think the things I am most proud of is that what we set out to achieve in 2000, was to be able to deliver right across the media and to retain our independence…..long may that continue. We have a fantastic group of people here and we will continue to have some fun on the journey.

Tim Doust
(The young looking fella on the far right in the top pic!)

On behalf of Robin, (Inferno’s Planning Director) I am posting his predictions, or at least some underlying trends, for planning, brands, and campaigns generally in 2010.  If you’re interested in a presentation, drop us a line via the comments section below, and we will get in touch.

1. Inner prosperity.

Brands promise self fulfilment and development, rather than the promise of ownership or consumption.

2. Open.

In the value economy it makes sense for companies to cut overheads in R&D by opening up to more expert and customer input.

3. Silver-lining marketing.

Brands need to find hidden benefits or indulgences. Thrifty customers can liberally maintain some of their indulgences without sacrificing the necessities.

4. Everything in Beta.

We’ve been doing a lot of WoM marketing in 2009. With increased transparency and consumer scrutiny post-recession brands must accept and act upon consumer feedback and input. Those who build this into their business model will be repaid through customer loyalty and positive WoM.

5. Real-time campaigns.

Major events in 2010 will see opportunities for brands to act as media providers through real-time, multi-platform, cross-channel campaigns. Mmmm.

6. The Mob (Rule).

RATM and China’s ‘internet mob’ are the tip of the iceberg for brands. Time to take note, if you’re organising your own online communities of interest.

7. UGC(rap).

UGC is now the majority of content online. And most of it is frankly rubbish. Brands need to step up and stand for quality content, not simply sponsor the cheap stuff.

8. Retail as Community.

This one’s about communities moving from a purely online existence to a physical manifestation on the high street. And this will have a big impact on what brands define as retail.

9. Community Patriotism.

Patriotism is becoming even more and more micro-focused. “Patriotic consumption” is the term coined for purchasing to support your community, and can be seen in the increased prevalence and support for Farmer’s Markets, locally produced goods and the high street (the Brixton Pound).

10. Zombies!

Popular culture is awash with zombies, monsters and vampires. From True Blood to Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters . Given that many agencies’ modus operandi seems to be to rip off YouTube memes or pop culture, where are all the ads then?