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September news
29 September 2010
Society’s first formal HS2 submission
The first in a series of evidence-based papers which the Chiltern Society is presenting to the Government as part of its campaign to against HS2 crossing the Chilterns has been published.
It is a paper by Alison Doggett, an acknowledged expert on the area and co-author of the definitive book about the region, The Chilterns. She is a trustee of the Chiltern Society and Head of Geography at Berkhampstead School.
The paper, which is also being sent to all MPs and other decision makers, establishes the Chilterns as a long-standing natural region with a unique cultural heritage. It is ancient countryside with a strong sense of place, despite pressure from all sides. The special characteristics of its woodlands, farms and settlements combine together in a way that is not found anywhere else and it is important that the responsibility for preserving the cultural heritage of this beautiful area is understood.
A number of other evidence-based submissions will follow in the coming months.
The paper will be here soon…click here. -->
12 September 2010
Walkers show their opposition
Eighty protestors took part in an eight mile walk along the proposed preferred route of HS2 between Amersham and Great Missenden on Saturday 11 September.
Numbers had to be restricted in the Chiltern Society-organised walk because of health and safety reasons, but a shorter two mile walk attracted nearly 100 others.
The walk attracted extensive publicity and support – it coincided with an HS2 information day in Great Missenden – and it was such a success that future walks are being planned.
2 September 2010
Protest walk on route of HS2
A protest walk against High Speed 2 travelling through the Chilterns is being held along its proposed route through the Misbourne Valley on 11 September.
The sponsored walk, organised by the Chiltern Society, will start at Amersham Station and follow the route to Great Missenden Station – a total of nearly eight miles.
It’s been held to highlight the impact the High Speed 2 would have on the valley if it is built.
Organiser Jim Rodda said: “Only by walking the route can you truly appreciate the utter devastation HS2 would bring, and realise not only the horrendous visual impact it will have but how the noise from these enormous trains would carry over the valley.”
Most of the walk is on public rights of way, but Mr Rodda has obtained permission from private landowners where the route crosses private land.
Walkers are being asked to be sponsored to raise money for the Chiltern Society’s fighting fund against HS2. The Society is preparing an evidence-based case against HS2 across the Chilterns and is raising cash for a major publicity campaign in the autumn.
Sponsor forms are available in newsagents in the Amersham and Great Missenden area. They can be also be downloaded by following the 'Join our sponsored walk' link above left. If you wish to enter the walk please contact Mr Rodda at jrodda@ukf.net so he knows the numbers that will need to be managed. -->
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Chiltern Society | No HS2
Thursday, 23 September 2010
The illusion of consumer choice in today's media landscape pt 1
We all know that we now live in a World where the consumer has the choice of what brand messages to absorb right?
This is a basic error on the part of marketers. Consumers choose what they consume and if the brand communication that inevitably comes with that choice is unpalatable then they ignore it or switch to something else. But how bad would a brand message have to be for you to stop watching what you chose to watch? It irritates you yes but if you're really into the content will you stand it?
A question glossed over by the online media industry who pompously state that consumers will tolerate advertising messages from things such as pre-roll ads in order to watch content. Well they will if they have no choice and of course with a lot of content they don't have a choice but to watch ads so where's the empowered consumer?
Oh yes and by the way something that is really starting to grate with me is this still constant referral to the death of all media that isn't digital. Just so we're clear and I think I can speak with authority on this...
TV is not dead
Print is not Dead
Radio is not dead
They are now part of a wider mix that includes some level of
active consumer choice and some level of
passive consumer involvement. Active consumer choice is not always that active. Unless the content is itself interactive then once the choice has been made to consume then the consumer becomes passive again until its time to make a different choice.
Here’s an active consumer for you. I’m watching something on the telly, I don’t like it. I turn it off. When I was a teenager in the 80’s this meant I could do a number of
different media related things instead – listen to music on my record player, listen to the radio, read, play on my Sinclair Spectrum and err... that’s about it.
I see no difference in the media led activities teenagers do now it’s just the choice of activity that has increased, not the emotion or the desire to consume.
Of course interaction is very much alive but it works best when people are interacting with each other not with third party content. To use my teenage years as an example again.... I called my mates on the home phone (or a phone box if someone else was talking to someone at home) or went round to their house. It's the same emotion and result as texting or calling from my mobile or IM etc just not quite as convenient.
Lets not get caught up in this old media is dead debate. it is a mistake for digital media to crow over other media as if it has somehow won a battle of the mediums – it hasn’t.
What digital has done in all it’s myriad forms is enhanced and democratised media – it allows so much more choice of not just what people consume but where and how they consume it and this is the key thing to remember with regard to media choice. Situational and convenience based choice
Are people really going to stop wanting to flop in front of the TV when they get home from work?
Is anything going to replace that feeling of sitting in a comfy chair with a good book or the latest edition of a magazine?
Well no, those emotions stay the same. It is just that some of the delivery mechanisms have evolved or been invented anew and that doesn't mean the old forms of media are wrong or out of date
As Stephen Fry, champion of all things new, bright and shiny has just commented when asked if new media replaces old.... "they didn’t burn all the horses when cars came out did they?"
The technology that has swamped us over the last twenty years has been designed to enhance choice and convenience. The consumer is at the heart of that choice but you are mistaken if you think that they choose the platform for its own sake– they choose the content first and the MOST CONVENIENT form of delivery second.
Friday, 10 September 2010
How to get slaughtered in social media
Friday, 3 September 2010
Street Knowledge by King ADZ
The film is a very original stop-motion graffiti animation from Broken Fingaz, a multi faceted, multi talented, young and restless art and music crew who virtually run the street scene in Haifa single handed
Street art is an encyclopaedia of street culture for those who love Banksy or Irvine Welsh and want to know about the cutting-edge talents, past and present, who have shaped urban cool.
This eye-catching insider's guide includes old-school graffiti legends, avant-garde street artists, film-makers, DJ's, designers, writers and poets who have influenced urban culture. From the ground-breaking New York artists of the 1980s to the unique work of modern-day Iranians – this book shows how street culture has penetrated every aspect of modern life.
The book is on pre-sale at Amazon.co.uk right now but if you'd like to win a copy just answer this question on street art....
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Pringles Xtreme
Starring Keith Lemon aka Leigh Francis, this was a fantastic film to make. The man is not only very funny and clever he's also incredibly professional and accommodating. It's sometimes hard working with celebrities who have signed contracts to work with brands especially if they are expected to perform. Despite the fact that they have signed contracts and are usually making at least a fair days wage for a fair days work they often give off an air of embarrassment at having 'sold out'. This always tends to show in their work for the brand and is a constant niggle when you're trying to relate to them as a performer and produce a great film. Of course it helps if the content you're making is designed to be as entertaining as possible in the brands name, not simply a succession of brand logos, pack shots and mentions. If you can get the balance right then it adds up to some great content for the audience, a great advert for the brand and even a nice vehicle for the performer. I like to think that we struck that balance in this video. As I write this we have been seeding the video for six days and we are currently sitting on 42 sites with many many thousands of views and a 13% click through rate to the Pringles Xtreme facebook page. When you're making content you can get very jaded having prepared it, shot it and then spent far too much time watching it in the edit. I still find myself laughing after hundreds of views.
Get a basque on. What's up wi' ya! >>>
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