Some of those brands include: Coca Cola, Unilever, Starbucks, Beam Suntory, Ben & Jerry’s, Verizon, Diageo, Ford, North Face, Honda, Dockers, Levis, Patagonia and many more.

Coca Cola’s official statement includes: “There is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media. The Coca-Cola Company will pause paid advertising on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days. We will take this time to reassess our advertising policies to determine whether revisions are needed. We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners.”

What I’m Most Interested In?

Of course there are multiple angles to what’s going on, and there’s lots to read and learn about in the process. Debating online censorship and the responsibility of these powerful advertising platforms is long overdue.

However, what I’m most interested in is what impact will this have on the sales of these Brands? Digital Advertising was one of those things that arrived and everyone jumped on board. The hype around the benefits of digital advertising is massive and there are entire industries that strongly support that message.

Well, we’re about to find out what the real impact of digital advertising is? In this case, what the impact of no digital advertising is? For some of these brands, their advertising boycott is only in the US, and for others it’s Global. Assuming they all stop for at least a month, there are going to be some really interesting numbers that emerge. There are also going to be some interesting stories of how these brands re-emerge?

I’m expecting the result will be that digital advertising is key to the revenue of these brands, but this is a rare opportunity to attempt to measure exactly how key it is?

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

The post What I want to learn from the Big Social Media Advertising ‘Pause’ appeared first on Calidascope.

When we first started Calidascope our goal was to do our best to find interesting clients, doing interesting things, who wanted to shake up the status quo and get the attention of their market (not matter the size of their budget). Over the last 6 years we’ve had incredible fun on these projects.

FOR EXAMPLE – THE LEGO MOVIE AND LANSER’S ON MAIN

We designed and delivered Lego Mini-figures to Fresh, Gareth Cliff, Banong Matheba, Lee-Roy Right and Caspar Lee for the launch of the Lego Movie on DVD.

We’ve worked with Lanser’s on Main (in Bryanston). We used TripAdvisor as the bench mark when Lanser’s first opened their doors. If you’ve not been, it’s guaranteed to be an experience you’ll remember. In 18 months Lanser’s on Main has gone from 48th on TripAdvisor, all the way to Number 1. Definitely Bryanston’s favourite Bistro

KWANU – WESTVILLE’s FIRST DEDICATED CLICK AND COLLECT SUPERMARKET

And most recently, we’ve been involved in the launch of Kwanu. A dedicated click and collect online supermarket located in Westville, Durban.

Kwanu is doing some interesting things in the world of online grocery shopping:

Located in Westville, as a Click and Collect service, they’re not focussing on national. In the words of Neville Dunn (ex MD of Masscash), “We’re not trying to solve for the National Market. We’re focussing on one community at a time. We think grocery online in South Africa will be most successful when it has a local focus and integration.”

They’re not a ‘buying business’, using local retailers. Says Andrew Mardon (ex National Buyer for Masscash), “Kwanu is focussed on delivering ‘everyday best prices’. We’ve built relationships with key suppliers, ensuring we can offer our customers the best possible prices everyday.”

By offering a click and collect service along with a focussed range, they’re solving the two biggest issues with shopping online for groceries… never substituting products for out of stock and South Africa’s unique challenges with delivery.

Kwanu’s results and customer feedback speak volumes.

Fast and friendly service! The quickest grocery run I have ever done. – Kerri Wolfaardt

WOW !!! Kwanu is just the most incredible way to shop and has the most user friendly website – they have thought of everything to make shopping easier and then to top it all they definitely have the best pricing in town!! Last night I had a total life transforming moment – sitting at my computer in my PJ’S – normally you see everyone you have ever known when you shoot into the shops in your old tracksuit !!! – Abigail de Robillard

Just had my first Kwanu experience. Will Def be back. Friendly guys and so easy. Thanks. – Leigh Bolam

At Kwanu Promotional pricing is great!! But what you have to look at is the pricing of the products that are not on promotion as they still make up a significant part of your shopping basket! Here is where Kwanu wins. Would love for Kwanu to be put up against Checkers, Spar, PnP, on a basket of products across the range. My guess is that Kwanu is significantly cheaper! – Grant Surmon

More than just Grocery Shopping

Kwanu is onto something. Grocery shopping is largely made up of the same basket of items, week in and week out. There isn’t any reason to have to walk the aisles of a store to do 90% of your shopping. Repeat purchases should be fast, easy and convenient. That’s what Kwanu is doing, and they’re doing it really well. We’re proud to be part of the adventure.

LOOKING TO DISRUPT YOUR MARKET?

If your business is looking to disrupt your market, Calidascope has an experienced team to help you execute your idea into the world. Contact Catri Dixon to set up some time to talk.

The post Westville’s First Dedicated Click and Collect Supermarket appeared first on Calidascope.

Last night (SA time) was the mostly annual Facebook F8. It’s intended for developers and entrepreneurs who build products and services around Facebook’s many products. It’s not, however, only for developers and entrepreneurs who build things off of one or many of their platforms. In my opinion, it’s also for every Business owner as well. For you, because it gives you a tiny glimpse of the near future.

Facebook alone has around 2.4 billion monthly active users. Drop another 2.5 billion for Messenger and Whatsapp, and you have a large chunk of the world being influenced by every move Facebook makes. Last night Mark Zuckerberg made lots of announcements about the direction Facebook is headed, and the changes that can be expected.

The Future has already Happened

One of my favourite quotes is from William Gibson:

The Future has already happened. It’s just unequally distributed

When something as large as Facebook takes a view of what people want and will want, and then begins to design for it, the spill over effect to the rest of us is enormous. Any business owner should consider what impact these changes may have on their customers, as well as how your business can take advantage of the new additions and direction?

F8 is a pronouncement of the future. All we’re waiting for now is the distribution.

At Calidascope the next few weeks will be made of of conversations around these changes and the possible impact on each of our clients. Not all industries will be impacted in the same way, but we’re certain all industries will be impacted in some way.

Watch Facebook F8

I’d recommend you watch the 40 minute address by Zuckerberg, for full impact and context (see video below). Or you can take the fast way and read a summary, like this one from BuzzFeed – Here Are All The New Facebook, Instagram, And WhatsApp Features Announced At F8.

These are BuzzFeed’s highlights.

• Instagram has a new Create Mode.
• Instagram is hiding like counts from followers in a test to see if you’ll feel less horrible.
• Facebook is making it easier for you to date your friends too.
• Facebook wants to help you meet new friends.
• WhatsApp will let businesses display entire product catalogs directly on their profiles.
• Some influencers can now add shopping tags to posts.
• Instagram’s new “donation stickers” allow people to raise money for charity through stories.
• Groups will be a more prominent part of Facebook.
• No more blue. Facebook’s new design rolls out today in the US.
• Facebook Messenger is getting a desktop app for Windows and Mac.
• And you will be able to watch a video with multiple people, in real time, over Messenger now.
• “The future is private.”

The post The Future Just Happened | Facebook F8 Update appeared first on Calidascope.

You may have picked up a touch of cynicism in my title? Not because I think the concept of Grit deserves it, only because I often smile when the people performance consulting world finds a new current next big thing. We’ve had excellence, diversity, innovation, talent, etc, etc. Grit, I’m sure, falls into the granular breakdown of talent.

What this all means is that everyone (huge exaggeration) is currently talking about, reading about, studying about and furiously identifying grit, because it’s today’s current new next big thing.

Grit achieved it’s current notoriety through the research of Angela Lee Duckworth, a former teacher who found it odd that the expected models of success in the classroom didn’t behave the way she expected. The kids with the high IQ’s sometimes didn’t excel academically and the kids with lower IQ’s sometimes did. She left teaching to study psychology, and her research centered around trying to understand why accepted wisdom wasn’t working like it should?

If you’ve missed the Grit bus do not fear. you’ve not been left behind. I’ve done a little listening and reading, and here are some ways to articulate the concept:

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. It’s stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out. Not for a day, not for a month, but for years. Working really hard to make that future a reality.

Grit isn’t social skill, or talent, or luck, or physical health, or intelligence.

Grit is living life like it’s a marathon and not a sprint

If you’ve got a few minutes here’s Angela Lee Duckworth speaking at TED about Grit. It is worth your time

• If you’re interested in the Grit assessment she speaks of, you can find it here
• And the book Mindsets can be found here

Before you go…. there are a few things you should be aware of, and spend some time looking into, especially if you’re interested in the concept of Grit. There are some critiques of Grit that I think are worthy of consideration in your research…..

• The Limits of ‘Grit’ – The New Yorker
• Is Grit Overrated? – The Atlantic
• Don’t Believe the Hype About Grit, Pleads the Scientist Behind the Concept – Science of Us

Personally I think the hype gets in the way of some useful thoughts about focus, commitment and determination (Grit). However, my prediction is that the hype will win over common sense and once again, somewhere down the road, when Grit has influenced ‘accepted wisdom’ someone will discover that it doesn’t behave as it should, and we’ll be off on another trail chasing after today’s current new next big thing in people performance.

The post Grit. Today’s Current New Next Big Thing in People Performance appeared first on Calidascope.

Of course we know what’s happened so far. The internet got loud and vast and busy. And the little guy was crowded out sufficiently for him to give up any attempt at starting (or continuing) that business. Of course I’m simplifying the situation, and there’s more complexity, but for the purpose of this post, I’m ok with the simplification.

One of the large problems with peer to peer online shopping is trust. You’re not sure who you’re buying from, and you don’t know if they’re going to rip you off? (There are a bucket load of horror stories floating around online)  This is enough to put most people off even trying to attempt to buy something from the guy in the next suburb.

Which is why it’s so very clever that in parts of the US there are Online Exchange Zones popping up. Atlas Obscura carries the specifics of what’s going on, but in a nutshell:

In the North Carolina town of Apex, which set aside a parking spot outside its police station as a point of exchange, these safe spaces are generally established in highly visible spots that are monitored by cameras so that no funny business can go unrecorded. In the case of the Denton safe area, it is located across the street from a farmer’s market pavilion, and marked off by a sign post.

It’s an old school (analogue) solution for a modern day (digital) problem. So simple, so obvious, so brilliant.

It’s been sad for me that as I’ve shared this story locally, people’s first response has been, “We couldn’t put them outside our Police Stations”. Their second response has been that it’s a cool idea.

And so the dream of peer to peer commerce is still alive. It’s not anywhere close to where the dream would have it be, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and Online Exchange Safe Zones are a great step in the right direction. I look forward to the first one to be set up in South Africa.

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