We all know that the growth in  web 2.0 has helped to shift power away from brands towards consumers but nothing demonstrates this more clearly than when you see customers using this platform to vent their anger and frustrations.  Whereas in the good ol’ days we’d have to brave the elements and take to the streets in order to be heard, nowadays we can protest from the comfort of our desks whilst sipping a cup of Horlicks. Far more civilised!

Here are a few amusing examples I’ve found but feel free to add to the list if you know any better ones.

Thrifty – a disgruntled customer galvinises support on Twitter.

South West Trains – a classic case of e-squatting where an aggrieved passenger for South West Trains registers the company name on Twitter and starts tweeting outlandish excuses as to why they provide such a shoddy service.  Makes for some amusing reading.

United Airlines – You’ve probably seen this one and bought the single already.  If not, this is what happened.

• Musician gets guitar smashed in transit.
• United Airlines ignore his complaints.
• He writes song about it.
• Result. 6 million views on YouTube.
• Moral of the story – ignore angry musicians at your peril.

Easyjet – no frills airline easyjet is renown for two things. Cheap flights and crap service.

KFC – nearly half a million KFC fans campaigning to get finger lickin’ food delivered to your door. They’ve just got one more fan!

Motrin – a spoof video in response to their controversial ad targeting Mums

Gordon Brown – I had high hopes for this amusing idea but with only 1 follower I think this may be the least of Gordon Brown’s worries.  It’s somewhat ironic though that his pseudo character on Twitter has a distinct lack of followers too!

I came across this handy web analytics tool recently which looks particularly helpful in identifying website insights without spending a small fortune in website usability research. Clicktale is essentially an online tracking tool which is able to record and play back all the visitor actions including mouse movements, keystrokes and interactions with controls such as drop down lists, check boxes  etc.  Clicktale aggregates this data to provide link analytics, conversion reports and heat map analysis.  You can watch a simple demonstration on their website here.

This can be a cost-effective way to help you determine why your website is generating high bounce rates or why you’re not quite getting the click throughs you anticipated.  But the application which has really caught my eye is their Form Analytics tool.  Ok, I admit, it’s not the most sexy area of insight generation but in terms of identifying behavioural insights which can have a demonstrable impact on conversion rates, it’s not something to be scoffed at!

The Conversion Report they produce can identify how many visitors:

• Landed on the online form page
• Left without even touching the form
• Started filling out the form
• Left midway through completing the form
• Attempted to submit form
• Left after failing to submit form
• Successful completions

Russel Davies gave a fascinating talk recently about our innate desire to be playful; or more specifically the human tendancy to pretend or amuse ourselves in role play in our daily lives. It’s that childhood instinct to be someone else whether that’s a soldier, a CIA agent, a fighter pilot, a catwalk model or even a princess.

He gives an array of examples where companies or brands have tried to tap into this insight from designing combat trousers, barbie dolls and luxury performance watches to more immersive examples like those meticulously designed large-scale model railways or the all-consuming computer games we see on the market today.

All these designs combine basic functionality with the act of pretending. So a watch may tell the time but the added value it really provides is the fact that when you wear it you feel more like a pilot!

Applying this logic to the world of advertising you can see many ad campaigns  appealing to this sense of pretending.

Gillette gives you licence to believe you’re an alpha male with the chizelled jawlines of famous sportsmen, whilst Armani somehow convinces you you’re going to look like David Beckham as soon as you strip down to your cacks…yeah right!

Likewise, The Lynx Effect appeals to man’s desire to transform himself into a sex god!

This insight is hardly revelationary as it’s been a technique exploited by many brands ever since advertising began.

However, I don’t think that’s the only point Russell Davies is really trying to make.  He later expands on this idea of pretending and suggests that we’re seeing the emergence of what he calls ‘Barely Games’.  These are essentially applications or utilities which tap into our subconsciousness in a less overt way than perhaps the full blown computer games, whilst still appealing to that childhood instinct of being playful and the act of pretending.

He quotes Foursquare as an example as it complements your daily life by rewarding you with rewards when you frequent particular retail outlets or restaurants, earning badges along the way.  If you become Mayor of a certain establishment you’ve achieved the ultimate reward status.

These sorts of games don’t require 100% attention but simply complement our lives whilst still appealing to that basic human desire to be playful.  He concludes by showcasing a protype of his own Barely Game which I think is absolutely brilliant and so ahead of its time.  I wonder how long before we see gaming manufacturers, app developers or brands cotton on to this insight and design games, apps or utilities which fit into our every day lives whilst satisfying this curious childlike behaviour.

Was all excited this week when I got my invitation to try out Google Wave.  And no I didn’t pay $99 on ebay!  Only slight snag though -  I don’t know anyone else on it! In fact, I’m in danger of  looking like Billy No Mates with no-one to play with!

So if there’s anyone out there who wants to give me a little wave from afar, my email address is rpentin@googlewave.com.  But hurry, the novelty of sending emails to myself is starting to wear a bit thin.

I’ve heard of branded sheep before but branded flies must go down as one of the craziest, most inventive ambient stunts I’ve heard in a while. But this is exactly what a German book company called Eichborn did at the recent 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair – they attached little banners to a number of flies and then released them onto the unsuspecting public.

Flies are a nuisance at the best of times so strapping branded advertising messages to them could arguably be perceived as the most irritating form of advertising ever conceived.  However, as a one-off stunt it’s a superb idea and seems an inspired way to get noticed in such a competitive environment where every exhibitor is vying for consumer attention. Pure genius.

via mashable