We just launched a new website aiming to be the ‘definitive guide’ to HD for Australians for our client Foxtel.

It’s all about the pixels and their life now that HD is coming and they will have to share the same space with over 4 times as many pixels!!! Check it out.

How do you like your coffee? What will agencies look like in 10 years time? Then have a look at the new site we just launched JoinIn.com.au

Michael is Lowe Rivet’s IT guru and has some answers for you…

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
The Silverjet (All business) airline ads in the UK

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Solutions are only solutions if they work for the client

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Redeveloping my site (digitalsalad.com.au) and having a go at blogging.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Killer Applications - more mobile tools for smart phones, PDA’s. Gone are the days of pulling out a street directory. Just pull out your blackberry and go to google maps

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
Change the world 9-5. 50 ways to change the world at work

With only a few posts to go, today we hear what Judi Lewis has to say in response to the advent calendar questions.

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
Probably stating the obvious – but it’s hard to go past NY Tap. I wish I could say I was involved. Such a simple insight coupled with a big idea and executed brilliantly.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
The majority of agencies fail to do what they advise Clients – create a clear single-minded proposition that is substantiated and which differentiates from the competition.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Based on question no.2, top on the agenda for next year is creating greater distinction as an agency. Not just for the sake of it, but to give greater value to our Clients and more opportunity for our people.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
What I hope the trend will be; more marketers committing resources to deliver greater personalisation and customisation. Given all the technology available, there is absolutely no excuse for irrelevant marketing communications. The marketers who have applied this strategy are rightly enjoying the rewards. Look no further than the Apple IPOD and Nike collaboration (Nike+).

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
Chris Hunter beat me to the punch, my pick is also ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy. It really is superb. Don’t be put off by the dark plot – it is an outstanding read.

In his follow up book to ‘Life After the 30 Second Spot’, Jaffe gives us a ‘how to’ manual on ‘conversational marketing’ or the successful shift from marketing-funded ‘communications’ to ‘conversations’.

We recently sent out 50 pre-release copies of the Joseph Jaffe book ‘Join the Conversation’ to influential contacts and associates. Our motivation? Marketing success no longer has a static rulebook – it’s dynamic – much like a Wikipedia entry. And we were very keen to be a part of this sort of conversation within the industry.

Part manifesto, part opinion piece, Jaffe’s book is a comprehensive explanation of the steps to (and reasons for) a landscape where the consumer has an active role to play. If you want to know about corporate blogging, consumer-generated content, or the role of Second Life in your brand campaigns – this is your book. It’s not a new story but Jaffe is dogged in his do-or-die belief that consumer participation in brand dialogue is the key differentiator between brand success and branded failure.

Jaffe is raw and honest in his writing but on a few occasions I think he misses the point or perhaps too enthusiastically criticises past brand failures. But the industry is often critical of flag bearers and I think that while I don’t agree with everything Jaffe says, it really stimulated my own opinions. For example, I am still sceptical as to whether Dell really has overcome the impact of Jeff Jarvis and Dell Hell. And I believe that too often conversational marketing examples are born of desperation rather than optimistic belief. (Credit to Dell nevertheless for contributing to an excellent case study on corporate blogging - a refreshingly honest account from a multinational free to speak about its own marketing efforts).

The strongest point made in the book (and in my opinion it’s most important one) is that a commitment to experimentation is the only real way to ensure to future marketing success. And there is no better way to experiment than through dialogue direct with consumers.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have their thinking challenged or keen to sharpen their interest in this emerging media. It’s not always an easy read but there are some excellent case studies and plenty of practical tips that should ensure that you’re across the emerging frontier.

I’d be very keen to know what you think if you have read the book. So leave a comment here, email me or go to joinin.com.au and have your say.

Jeremy Brook is Senior Account Director at Rivet

Tony is our Head of Strategic Planning and today’s advent calendar man.

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
The wind initiative: Nordpol in Hamburg. This is not really a campaign but still is such a compelling communication that takes the area of environmental energy and talks about it in a totally new, fresh way, that breaks from the usual more worthy comm’s on this topic. It stops you in your tracks and makes you think differently.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Often the things you worry most about never amount to anything of any real consequence. But the things that become a problem could not have been forseen. So I have learnt to worry less and to be more accepting of unexpected surprises when they arrive.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008? 
Focus on delivering solutions that are about taking brands to where they need to be in 2 years time rather than 2 months time.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Application: The exponential use of social networking platforms (EG: FACEBOOK) in mobile devices
Trend: The rise and rise of brands that give technology a human face.

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: Deepak Chopra

Unilever has consolidated its $100m (£48.8m) global advertising account for the Signal toothpaste brand into Lowe Worldwide, without a pitch, relieving Bartle Bogle Hegarty of the European account.

The European business, which is estimated to be worth around $40m in terms of billings, will move out of BBH as part of a global realignment of the brand. BBH has handled the European account since 2004.
Lowe already handles creative duties for the Signal brand in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The move has been credited to a four-strong team from Lowe, including Tony Wright, worldwide chairman for Lowe, and Jean-Louis Roche, chief executive of Lola in Madrid, Lowe’s Spanish ad agency.
The team was completed by Fernado Vega Olmos, global creative director at Lowe, and Richard Kelly, global planning director.
Sebastian Lazell, Unilever’s senior vice-president for oral care, said: “Our global brands are being run in an ever more coordinated way and a single agency realignment will obviously help.
“We greatly value the relationship with BBH on Signal in the recent past but for the future we want to consolidate the business into one global communications partner and given Lowe’s extensive geographical coverage and experience of our Signal business globally, Lowe were the obvious choice.”
Signal is also the umbrella brand for a number of other brands including Pepsodent, Aim, Zhonghia and Pf.

Dave is busy… really busy. He’s also our ECD. What’s he got to say about our advent questions??

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
Nike Run London ‘North V South’

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Learnt the virtues of surrounding yourself with great people, but also one’s you like.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
To create 2 or 3 smash hits on the world stage.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
The blurring of Brand and content

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
That would have to be the one we ARE giving out to all colleagues - Whatever you think, think the opposite, by Paul Arden

Richard de Nys is our Executive Producer - Interactive. He’s had a stellar year pulling together some major site builds. Richard’s advent calendar answers are below.

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
The GetUp campaigns! What a job they have done using different media to provoke and inspire people into political discussion and involvement — even raising enough money in donations in 3 days to air their Climate Change ad at the AFL Grand Final.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Action is the enemy of thought. Actually I learnt that a while ago, but I re-learn it all the time.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
“Calendar - Microsoft Outlook” (same as 2007)

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Increased creativity, imagination and innovation applied across digital media spaces.

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
Dr. Strangelove’s Game, A Brief History of Economic Genius. A riveting and entertaining read believe it or not — it’s fascinating to understand some of the assumptions and history behind day-to-day economics, that most of us take for granted.

Tom Markaham is our Interactive CD, a dead certain beaver lookalike and a damn fine bloke. He dishes up his Advent answers below.

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
I enjoyed Droga5’s Win Nick’s Life.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
In Wii tennis, a little downward flick of the wrist is superior to a wild heave.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Instigating the four-day working week.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Frenzic 

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine: Made Easy for Piano (Paperback)

Just before we departed for our Christmas party we snapped this shot - the ghost on the right is all part of our office. She’s really nice…

L-R - Monique Unwin, Dave Johnson, Judi Lewis, Tony O’Halloran, Lyndon Brill, Han Lee, Mark Cole, Aleks Pawelek, Masami Iida, lauren Portelli, Mark Ashley-Wilson, Kris Rees, Richard de Nys, Jeremy Brook, Elain Liu, Simone Brandse, Tom Markham, Dave Graville, Ben Neill, Saul Betmead, Lionel Hunt, Sarah Hadfield, Joan Lind, Naser, Adam Leddin, Ella Horsfall, Darren Bailey, Guy Lovell.

Sitting - Stephen Pearson, Charna Henry, Rose-Anne Nasr, Hanna Kilada, Vi Ngyuen, Lisa Cordukes, Milanka Novakovic, Karen Smailes

Our awesome Agency Super Organiser Monique Unwin has just hit the magic ten years working for Lowe Rivet. She was also recognised by Job Centre Australia who gave her a lovely award last night (below). How sweet it is Mon that we all get to work with you every day! Here’s to the next ten!! Congratulations.

Lauren is an Account Manager who also happens to be tops! Her answers are listed below:

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
Probably not the most outstanding of the year but I do love the Queensland Art Galleries promotion of Andy Warhol at the moment.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Overcommunication is overkill. Keep it plain and simple.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Thought provoking communications encouraging customer involvement.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
I think that advertisers are more likely to react to the opportunities arisen from digital media and social networking sites such as Facebook. Huge opportunities lie ahead!

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
David Malouf, The Complete Stories - all bookshelves should be graced with the presence of good Australian writing.

We venture across to the Account Service team to see what our Head of Client Servive, Joan Lind has to say…

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
I guess it should be a political one, but sadly it wasn’t.  Being a car buff, the campaign that impressed me most was the new Range Rover Discovery - great great product design through to memorable involving print ads which felt like they were for Australians rather than another TA in another market.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
The toughness of this industry and yet it still attracts so many great people.  Thank you Lowe for making my arrival here fun and “full” of life.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
To ensure best in class thinking and communication solutions for all our clients via richer understanding and appreciation of their business.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Digital, digital, digital, and hopefully greater understanding of the importance and innovation required in the Online shopping space in Australia.

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
“Observations of a very short man” by Nigel Marsh.  Written by an ad man, who truly understands the meaning of insight and human behaviour, and the importance of humour in all steps of life.

Today we venture to the top end and have our Group CEO’s answers to the calendar… check them out below.

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
I loved the campaign for Melbourne with the two giant balls of wool unravelling around the city. So spectacularly on brand showing Melbourne as an interesting place, alive with culture and surprises. Beautifully crafted work, warm and inviting. It made you want to go there soon.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Wait to hire the very best people; make sure you like them heaps as well

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
To show our clients new ways to be more successful

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Continued escalation of digital in all its guises onto centre stage

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
‘Lunar Park’ by Brett Easton Ellis. He’s a brilliant writer and extraordinary story creator, and he pushes all the boundaries with this great fiction