Brands

Google is amping up its game to compete with its biggest contender in the home security market: Amazon. As these behemoths battle it out, consumers can expect better functionality and more competitive pricing.

The home security market is huge. In 2018, it was estimated to be a $46 billion industry, with expected increases of more than 60% up to 2023. And this drive is pushed by the accessibility of the IoT (Internet of Things) and a desire to feel safer in their homes.

Are you safe in your home?

As long as you’re not living in a destabilised country, such as Myanmar, Afghanistan or Venezuela, you’re actually living in one of the most peaceful, safest times in history. Around the world, almost 70% of people trust their local police, and 68% of people feel safe walking alone at night in their neighbourhood. In fact, only 5% of people worldwide reported an assault or mugging. Statistics from many cities, districts and countries back this up; we are safer in our homes than ever before.

So why are so many people feeling unsafe?

In the 1970’s, Dr George Gerbner created an explanation for this called the ‘Mean world syndrome’. This is when people think the world in inherently more dangerous than it is. This is largely due to the media reporting more crimes (if it bleeds, it leads), more violent TV shows and people thinking there is more crime – even when there’s not. This over-reporting and saturation of violence can increase depression, anxiety, anger, and fear.

For many, this unsubstantiated fear can be offset by a home security system. And the big tech giant of Google entered with its DIY bolt-on system, Nest, while Amazon has a similar system called Ring. Combined with smart home systems, these pieces of tech provide peace of mind and extra functionality and ease for your life.

What is Nest?

Nest is Google’s systems of security cameras, smart displays, alarms, doorbells, and digital locks. They are all designed to seamlessly integrate with Alexa, your Google products such as WiFi, speakers, thermostats and your central control panel.

The system comes with a variety of subscriptions that give you a range of different functions, including 24/7 camera recordings stored for periods of time. For $5, $10 or $30 a month, the video recording is kept for 10, 30 or 60 days. But this subscription needed to be paid separately for each device, meaning front and back door cameras, for example, needed two subscriptions.

What changes have Nest made?

The new Nest Aware subscription model has changed. There are two plans to choose from. One costs $6 a month, giving you 30 days to access camera recordings of ‘events’, rather than continuous recordings. The $12 a month plan gives 60 days of ‘events’ and ten days of 24/7 recordings. If you pay annually, the amounts drop back to $5 and $10 per month.

However, the biggest change that will please many users, is that both subscriptions include unlimited devices, including cameras, displays and speakers.

It’s also adding audio monitoring to their speakers, so breaking glass or a smoke detector going off will update the user via the app. This app also allows users to dial 911 if they aren’t home, routing the call through the call centre nearest your home, not your current physical location. You can also set up the system to give you alerts on elderly family through their Nest Hub Max.

What does Ring from Amazon offer?

Amazon has a very similar system to Nest, but their plans were far more streamlined than Googles’. Their basic plan is $3 a month, and it offers 60 days of ‘event’ history for any single Ring device. Or, for $10 a month, the Plus plan allows users to add as many Ring devices as they wish, and access 24/7 monitoring.

As yet, it doesn’t give users the ability to access 24/7 recordings, although this appears to be underway.

What’s best for you? Amazon or Google?

With Google’s new plans and added functionality, they are trying to slowly ease Amazon out of the market. But for those wanting a more secure home with more devices and better features, Google is appealing. But a basic Amazon plan at a cheap-as-chips price of $3 is affordable for a home with a single device.

Currently, 70% of smart-speaker households have an Amazon Echo device, and only 32% have Google brands (some have both, accounting for 102%). Clearly, this is a trend that Google are trying to reverse, and consumers are the winners.

At this point, what you choose for your home really depends on how many devices you have. The more devices, the more appealing Google’s new plan is. But for a single device, Amazon is cheaper for now.

Black Friday is a great day to acquire some new tech, and Nikon camera equipment is some of the most wanted!

Black Friday is coming! On Friday 23rd November, the day following Thanksgiving in the States, retailers of all shapes and sizes will be offering heavy discounts on their product lines. When it comes to camera technology, there are some phenomenal deals to be had. If you’re looking forward to getting your hands on a new camera, or perhaps some accessories such as a higher quality lens, filter or even a new case, then Black Friday is most definitely the right time to be looking for a bargain.

Of course, if you want to spend your money wisely, then it helps to focus on the camera range of a reputable brand and Nikon is one of the best in the industry. They’re known for manufacturing ergonomic digital and film cameras which operate well in low-light and produce sharp images. Here are some models to look out for as soon as the Black Friday prices are slashed!

Nikon D300S

This compact SLR camera has a 12.3mpx CMOS sensor and is a great option for shooting film. Photographers can easily move from snapping quality stills in low light, and then switch to capturing footage with two live view modes and in-camera editing features. The camera body is encased in a magnesium alloy material which is light to hold, yet withstands any typical knocks. This Nikon model is one of the most affordable in the range.

Nikon D7500

This model is a significant overhaul of the existing D7xx range and is a solid option for anyone considering a new DSLR camera. It uses a 20.9MP CMOS sensor in conjunction with an EXPEED 5 image processor. The sensor is slightly lower than others in the series, but the reduction in resolution is beneficial when it comes to sensitivity. In terms of video output, the D7500 boasts 4K UHD shooting at 30, 25 and 24p for up to 30 minutes. However, you can also shoot in lower-res to playback in slow-motion and vibration reduction ensures that there’s no wonky footage when you’re videoing.

Nikon D500

This camera is perfect for those who need to shoot the action, at a rapid pace. The D500 is the brand’s flagship APS-C camera and shoots at 10fps with a 200-image buffer. Although the sensor is small, again it’s combined with the preferred EXPEED 5 processor for optimum processing. This model also shoots video at 4K UHD, and uses a nifty feature called Snapbridge providing a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone – perfect for storing your images and sharing them.

Black Friday is a great opportunity to grab one of these models or others from Nikon’s impressive range at incredible prices. However, there’s no doubt that quality camera tech can put a bit of a dent in your wallet, even when the deals are red-hot. One way to raise some cash is to sell used Nikon camera models and put the acquired funds towards an upgrade. Such a trade-in is easy to arrange – you simply obtain a quote, send in your camera equipment to be checked and you’ll receive the payment immediately. Get in there quickly so you’re ready to capture some magical memories this Christmas!

Logos are one of the most important features of a company. When you design a shop one of the first things you would do when you hire a retail interior designer is show them your logo and talk them through your brand identity. Inspiration for logos tends to come from all over the place. Sometimes the stories behind logos are as simple as having an idea and going through with it. The inspiration for logos tends to come from all over the place. If you want to create a logo yourself, it can be done easily and cheaply, or even for free online. However, some logos go through a whole journey to become what they are today.

HMV

This is a story that gets a bit confusing. Technically, the inspiration behind the logo for HMV was a photograph, but it was a photograph of a painting. There once was a dog called ‘Nipper’ who belonged to Mark Barraud. When Mark died Nipper moved in with Mark’s brother Francis Barraud, who was a painter. Francis discovered some peculiar behaviour in Nipper when he used a phonograph to play recordings of Mark’s voice. Nipper would approach the contraption and stare at it curiously, seemingly wondering where his master’s voice was coming from. Three years after Nipper’s death, Francis committed the image of Nipper to canvas, and thus the painting ‘dog looking at and listening to a Phonograph’ was brought into existence. Of course, that’s not the title we recognise but it wouldn’t be until Francis tried to exhibit the painting that he decided to rename it. He didn’t have much luck getting rid of it to begin with and after many failed attempts to sell and exhibit it he was given advice to repaint the horn of the phonograph from black to gold to make the painting more appealing. In search of a reference to fix his painting, he paid a visit to a newly formed gramophone company with a photograph of his painting with the intent to ask them if he could borrow a brass horn to paint from. The owner of this particularly company, Barry Owen, saw the photograph and asked to purchase the painting as well as commission Francis to feature their latest model of gramophone in the painting. A year later the new painting made its debut in the company’s latest advert. Seven years after that, the company would be officially renamed ‘His Master’s Voice’ and developed into ‘HMV’.

Michael Jordan’s Jumpman

The Jumpman logo has had a bit of drama attached to it in recent years. The story starts with a photo that was taken of Michael Jordan for LIFE Magazine that shows him leaping with his legs apart to dunk the ball into the net. The designers of the logo then recreated the pose, photographing Michael Jordan jumping, and the used the photograph to trace Michael’s silhouette and create the logo. Interestingly enough, in the photograph Michael Jordan isn’t dunking but actually performing a ballet move called a ‘grand jete’.

The interesting development that relates to this origin story is that the initial photograph in LIFE was given no credit when the logo came out. No one knew that this photograph existed and the original photographer was not at all happy. Last year Jacobus Rentmeester, the original photographer, accused Nike of violating the copyright on his photograph. Apparently, Nike paid him $150 to temporarily use to transparencies of the photo but the copyright still belonged to him. When the first Jumpman billboard finally came out Rentmeester was horrified to see that an almost exact duplicate of his photograph was being used and he had not been notified. When he threatened litigation they paid him for a limited licence lasting two years, but when it expired Nike continued to use the image and Rentmeester received no monetary credit.

Incredible digital experiences are surrounding us in our everyday lives. Masterful marketing, branding and design.

Of course, it is quite fair to say that we are drowning in plenty of digital experiences or the least, experiences that are still in the 90s.

You can imagine how much that pains me, given the fact that I am a Digital Marketing Evangelist.

I try my very best to bring my undying and deep passion for digital awesomeness and creativity to the companies, when I work with them. One example of that is the stories I provide by contrasting and comparing the digital existence of the client with the other people.

I want to try and do something quite similar in this blog post by sharing some of my very best experiences with clients. Their total number is seven.

Every example is really amazing and for each one I will share my thoughts on why.

So, what can you expect from this blog post?

Examples of how to really live the values of your brand online via experience that leaves your clients satisfied and wanting to pay more just to have your products, higher conversions through transparency, ecommerce reimagined, copy that urges people to purchase while respecting their intelligence, a copy of website delicious enough to eat, delightful checkout and cart experiences, cool calls to action and inspiring landing pages.

Here are the stories and companies reviewed in this post:

• Songa-Smartphone homepages that deliver and anticipate delight
• John Lewis: Thoughtful checkout and cart experiences for nonline outcomes
• Innocent: Heart-warming visual design and passionate copy
• AAA Life Insurance: “Convince me to buy” experience
• Shopbop: Branding and ecommerce done right
• Security Choice: The power of conversion via transparency
• Method: Love evoking, immersive, amazing brand experiences

Kodak have made a decision to shut down its digital camera business in order to remain afloat, stopping sales and production of digital picture frames, pocket video cameras and digital cameras during the first half of 2012. This decision will enable Kodak to switch their focus to commercializing its current brand program along with  desktop inkjet printers and retail-based and online photo printing.