Guest posts

To: Margaret Huber

This ‘guest post’ has been written by London based artist Riitta Ikonen. We first met Riitta in 2008 when she installed a giant worm at our studio. We love her work and are very happy to be sharing her ‘postcards’ with you. The cards are now on display in YCN’s window at 72 Rivington St, London.

Around a hundred and fifty A6 sized cards have since been sent (and received) from all over the world. Hair, fish, a sachet of white powder, a piece of broken record, mossy bark… all dutifully delivered by postal workers. Only five cards have never reached their destination, (a few of those due to very poor crocheting). Margaret still receives mail at irregular intervals.

A selection of the cards have been published in the book ‘POSTCARD’ by Laurence King Publishing in 2008.

Sent as is from Exmouth in England.

Carved on a lovely afternoon at Fragrance Lake near Bellingham in Washington State in the US.

Christmas present red leather gloves.

I was very surprised to see this made it. The whole lump from Exmouth beach.

Chinatown, New York. The salesperson was very worried I’d eat these seeds unboiled.

See all of Riitta’s cards on her website: http://riittaikonen.com/projects/mail-art

Riitta started the postal project when she took part in a student exchange programme with Nagoya University during her second year at the University of Brighton. At the time, I was her second year illustration tutor and before she left for Japan we discussed ways to keep her own work going while studying in a very different educational environment. A postcard project that I had previously set as a summer project formed the basis of the idea as Riitta felt she could develop it further as a way to document her experiences abroad.

As the postcards began to arrive in Brighton I soon realised that Riitta was not only recording her experiences, but also using the postcards to test the dedication, patience and humour of the postal system. Somehow circumventing official rules and regulations, the safe arrival of a clear plastic bag full of suspicious-looking white powder, or a neatly sewn cloth postcard with my address on a slip of paper carefully tucked into it’s pocket, was evidence of postal workers who were willing to participate in the game.

Being asked to choose a favourite from Riitta’s collection is difficult. In the years since the project began I have received postcards from all over the world.  Each is a new and surprising treasure in it’s own right, but is made even stronger and more valuable when seen as part of a series.  Whether constructed from bits of hair from a recent haircut or a piece of tree bark found on the northwest coast of America, all are true reflections of Riitta’s creative ingenuity and her unique view of the world.

Riitta’s postcards are a reminder that sometimes, small ideas can lead to an amazing body of creative work. I feel privileged to be the official recipient of Riitta’s extraordinary ongoing postal adventures. The project is an inspiration to everyone who sees it.

The social media ‘cherry’

The web is full of social media experts all with varying degrees of capability. If you take time to read any blog posts, tweets, etc around the subject of social media, it soon becomes apparent that the same content is regurgitated again and again….and again. Having read, sat through presentations and had many discussions concerning the social web, one thing is very clear; there are in fact very few people who have a real in-depth understanding, especially when it comes to quality and effective consumer interaction.

Understanding the intimate workings of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Foursquare, etc. is all well and good, but how does this help enhance consumer engagement? The answer is: it doesn’t. The social web is a fantastic medium; it offers immediacy and accessibility to anyone (as individuals or in groups) who choose to use it. However, as great as it is, it is only under exceptional circumstances where it has real value on its own. It’s essential for it to be fully integrated and complimentary of all other communication channels, online and offline.

99% of the time (and 65% of statistics are made up on the spot) effective interaction and engagement requires many communications channels working in harmony. These channels include offline mediums such as print, events, TV and radio. But, before you can decide which channels to use and create the magic mix for maximum engagement, there are three things which must be considered.

1. People:
• Exactly who are you trying to engage with?
• Where are they?
• How do they behave?
• What are their expectations?

2. Objectives:
• What are you trying to achieve?
• Is it creating awareness and interest?
• Is it based on sales and conversions?
• Is it about encouraging advocacy amongst existing loyal customers?

3. Content:
• Does your content have value?
• Will people talk about it?
• Will they align their own credibility to it and share it?

Without understanding the above in detail; agreeing the key performance measures and indicators, it is impossible to select the correct mix of communication channels. Although many organisations do it; setting up a Twitter channel and using it to pump out marketing messages believing they are “sorted”. The most probable outcome of this knee jerk tactic is a tarnishing of the associated brand.

Today, people multi-task and they are lazy. Not the best compliment, but it’s true. Sitting in front of the TV with a laptop or smartphone in close proximity, and maybe a big bag of Doritos too. If measured correctly, it is clear such things as TV advertising or any mentions on TV research programmes (i.e. Watchdog, Panorama, Loose Women etc) are driving more online activity. The same can be said for radio, especially digital radio. This activity may not result in increased visitors to an organisation’s website directly…people don’t behave this way anymore. People will talk to friends online and therefore this triggers activity on Facebook and Twitter; increased search activity, which then may result in additional website traffic. The more accessible, visible and responsive an organisation is across all these areas the stronger the likelihood of achieving your objectives. But remember the initial “trigger” comes from compelling content from other media.

So what is this post saying? If you have already, or are thinking about embarking on a “social media campaign”, consider what it is you wish to achieve from it and who it is you wish to engage with. I guarantee you won’t achieve your objectives by using social web alone. Also a “campaign” is not suited to social media. If you decide to incorporate a social web presence as part of your overall communications approach; you need to realise that you’re in it for the longer term. It’s a strategic medium offering an on-going dialogue, requiring continual management. It isn’t tactical and not an isolated channel…it’s part of a much bigger mix. You need the cake, before you can put the cherry on the top.

Karl Havard has been involved in the online world for 12 years plus. He has a deep understanding of all aspects of the social web, and the key role it can play across all areas of a business and consumer brand interaction. He is the Founder of pownum and of Somatica Digital, a small but beautifully formed consumer brand trust consultancy. We’re please to welcome Karl as the first of our guest authors on the Applied Works blog – we’ll be featuring further guests here in future.