| Why I bought 8,000 Instagram followers for £9 | | 20 December 2013, 1:18PM |  I love Instagram. It’s by far and away my favourite social network. I was personally a big Facebook user, and although I’m on it 24/7 for work, I’ve seen in the past 18 months it become a lot more saturated with naff content, lame memes and uninspiring marketing messages. Only a few weeks ago I witnessed my first auto-play video advert in my timeline from British Airways, it was a nice video but having it automatically play was jilting. This morning, I was on the hunt for a freelancer to help out with a project and was told about People Per Hour via one of our SEO team. After trawling the site I was shown a trending, highly-reviewed advert for adding 8,000 Instagram followers for the princely sum of £9. Less than a six-piece bargain bucket at KFC. I’ll admit that I was immediately curious. We all know that Facebook punishes brand pages for fake Likes. But what about Instagram? It’s part of the Facebook Group, but doesn’t feel like it adheres to the same rules. They recently launched Direct Messages to compete with Snapchat, brands have immediately capitalised on this feature, notably Gap, with the first campaign. As we get even more hyped up about this network, and the ones to follow we have an underlying crisis bubbling away. It’s all to easy, just to fake it. My point in all of this? Reminding us all that this isn’t a race for likes, anyone with a credit card can buy numbers, but getting people to like, share and comment is the real measure of your social footprint.
| | | | How we thwarted a Twitter faker | | 20 December 2013, 1:09PM |  Just recently our digital agency was asked to review an incredibly 'creative' attempt at a social media campaign by a London based firm. We laughed, we cried, we hung our heads. You know when something just isn't your cup of tea? Well this was pretty much a shot of Raki to us, i.e. just not the way we roll (in the office anyway…)
| | | | William Hill have got the power with new online video campaign | | 20 December 2013, 11:15AM |  Bookmakers William Hill are trying to boost their presence on social media by running a series of big sporting interviews by former footballer Robbie Savage.
Savage was a controversial figure in his days at Leceister City , Blackburn Rovers, and Derby Country, but has settled into a new role in broadcasting since hanging up his boots. In the first interview Savage speaks to the most successful sportsman of all time…16 time world darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.
| | | | Metadata takes a starring role in social entertainment | | 20 December 2013, 10:15AM |  The entertainment industry continues to experiment with social engagement. Television networks, for instance, have made it easier for viewers to connect with their friends and interact with TV content in real time. Some brands have asked audiences to vote live for their preferred ending, like Mercedes did in its 2012 ad campaign. Some have also toyed with the idea of soliciting online feedback to crowdsource the creation of new shows.
| | | | Personalised products and content-led conversation will win in 2014 | | 19 December 2013, 12:28PM |  The global e-commerce industry is expected to generate $1.2 trillion in sales by the end of this year, driven largely by the changing shopping habits of consumers, as they increasingly browse and buy across mobile, tablet and even social networks[i]. Despite this predicted growth, 2014 will not be a year for retailers to rest on their laurels.
Retailers will have access to more information about their customers' preferences and shopping habits than ever before and retailers must take steps to better understand the purchase journey. This insight will give retailers the understanding they need to develop relevant content and personalised deals, and ultimately help to generate more sales. Shoppers are looking for a richer, more personal shopping experience and retailers must reassess both how they sell and what they sell if they are to thrive.
| | | | | | | 2014, the year of e-commerce | | 19 December 2013, 10:15AM |  This year was the year of eCommerce, with UK consumers becoming the world's number one e-spenders - spending a record of £5 billion online. With 2014 just around the corner, eCommerce is only set to grow, with retailers adapting new strategies to entice consumers.
| | | | Christmas ads: the best and worst | | 19 December 2013, 10:00AM |  Being Scottish, and a renowned scrooge, I used three very simple measures to judge this year's Christmas ads - did they feel good value for money, entertain me and make me smile even if I didn't need to buy anything?
| | | | Five key brand forecasts for 2014 | | 18 December 2013, 12:17PM |  The marketing industry is replete with rear mirror-looking assessments of brand strength and also exercises in forecasting. Forecasting typically takes place at the end of a year. We defied these conventions somewhat in 2013 and have been thinking about the future of brand strength all year.
| | | | Get a good tone of action to underpin success in 2014 | | 18 December 2013, 11:45AM |  Mobile, content, video, social - the media is flooded with predictions on how these aspects of marketing will evolve over the next 12 months.
But in my opinion, the critical success factor of great marketing in 2014 will be finding ways to break bad brand habits that can hinder communication.
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In recent weeks we have seen something of a watershed moment in online advertising. Some of the hottest properties of the web, namely 
