The Future of Advertising

What I love about advances in advertising is that when a new technology is discovered the rate at which that technology (if it is successful) spreads is exponential. Over the last year there have been huge advances in augmented reality and 3-dimensional technology. Ten years ago or so there was a huge outcry about subliminal advertising, during the intermission in a movie a Coke ad would air displaying massive waterfalls or huge, expansive desserts. We really didn't have chance, we were sold.

With augmented reality and 3D I think we stand very little chance in what brands we develop a bit of a fetish for (my iPod touch is well sexy). I think the biggest concern for the big brands out there is who will get involved with the technology FIRST! No matter what the advertising may show, the technology and the experience that we have when we watch is just awesome.

And when it comes to big brands, there are none better known that Coke. A company called Real Fiction has done this visual integration of augmented reality and 3D and it is just amazing. I have spoken about and shown many applications and ads before that featured augmented reality, and recently I have had my say on 3D, but this! This is just awesome! Enjoy!

Samsung 3D LED

So, a couple of weeks ago I gave you a really fun video from Samsung introducing people to the 3D technology that they are getting into (here). Well, thanks to The Book of Revelations I can give you the advert. And I am going to be honest, the only word that comes to mind when I watch it is "beautiful"! Just bloody stunning! Enjoy!

A Sip of Inspiration

For anyone needing a bit of clarity in what may be working on Lipton may be the answer. Enjoy!

Is Social Media Making us Unsocial?

That was a comment from a journal I have been reading from 2003, and personally I think it is a bit of a load. This may very much be only an opinion that I carry but I feel that as Facebook and Twitter have developed over the years users have become more sociable. Ten years ago if you were planning an event it was, when you think about it, a bit of a hack. You were forced to spend hours on the phone making arrangements, finding out costs, inviting friends you had not spoken to in "yonks" (just because it was so bloody difficult) and you would without a shadow of a doubt always forget that one poor bastard. The company you kept was very selective on what area you lived in, where you spent your days, sport you played and which watering hole you spent the most time at... Okay, maybe not SO selective but it was a limited number of people you were exposed to.

I have only been on Twitter actively for maybe five months and my social network has grown quite significantly in those five months. I may never meet some of the people who I interact with on Twitter, but we would not be interacting at all if we did not share common interests. Others I will, and some I have already met. These are people who I would not have met had it not been for Twitter.

Facebook has opened up the online community allowing us to follow and keep up with friends who we may not have seen for ten years. Friends we would otherwise have forgotten and yet we now find ourselves catching up, probably not regularly, but enough to know what they are getting up to. When you take a trip overseas you find yourself scouring your facebook connections to find out who now lives in that area.

I tend to agree that they can be somewhat unsociable at times, I mean, while you are sitting in a pub with a bunch of mates and you have Facebook running on your phone is, well, kind of pathetic. But I like to think that people have gotten over complete online communication and take an interest in communicating on a more direct level. That direct interaction I think is something we will never be able to do without.

M.I.A Viral

Because this video was seen as unfit YouTube took it down, and so I am going to say that it is NSFW based on that. Not huge on the song but it is in fact a music video and probably the most hectic one I have ever seen. Enjoy, or not, whatever, this is quite hardcore.


M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Facebook Trending

So for those on Twitter you will have seen that they show you what is trending worldwide or in a country of your choice, except South Africa because what is being talked about is obvious (Malema, Rugby and Last night). I am sure that in not so long from now we will be able to find out exactly what is trending in SA, and I can guarantee it won't be that twelve year old Justin Bieber. Irritates me for no particular reason and I find comfort in knowing that he will never have a chance at an even remotely normal life with real friends.

Moving on swiftly, I have found this very cool site that lets you find out what is trending on Facebook. Just another way of delving into the market place and finding out what people are talking about. On Twitter they have to make a point of marking an interest that they have, Facebook makes it very easy with just a "like" button. Very few companies and organizations have not created or taken part on some level on Facebook and people can very simply click "like". Those poor bastards that haven't even had a single "like" don't stand a chance in hell. Site is called, and wait for it because this is a real winner, would love to meet the man who came up with the creative on this gem, "Like Button." Pure genius!

RocknRolla - F**KING A!

For any of the fans of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake, Snatch, and really any movie that has the whole Guy Ritchie vibe going on RocknRolla is a must see. Has been out for a while but there are a surprisingly large number of people who have not even heard of it. Do yourselves a favor and get your mits on a copy and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Dekaf Next Week

Time to get involved guys! Siv will be gracing the stage at On Broadway starting next week, directed by David Newton, Dekaf will be funny as all hell! See you there.

Heineken - Men With Talent

So, you have seen, and i have shown you, the previous hysterical Heineken ads with the "Walk in Fridge," and now there is a new one. Personally I do not think that it is anywhere near as good as the original ad but it is still very entertaining. Want to start auditions for our own South African version, the Windhoek dude would be one of the judges, too funny. Enjoy!

Stromae - Alors On Dance

Sitting here on my couch on this Sunday evening I have just had my own little one man party. I really needed it after trying to watch Bruno, feel as if I have gone from an almost graduated varsity student to a complete tool in the period of five minutes. But over that, its not worth more than a sentence anyway.

This has got to be one of the hottest tunes I have heard this year. It is one of the top ten viral videos at the moment and I am digging it in a big way. The dudes name is Paul van Haver (Stromae), a Belgian-Rwandan singer, songwriter and man he has got it happening. Enjoy!



Awesome!

Will the Touching of People on their Studios End?

[Source]

Iron Man Will be Driving an R8 V10 Spyder

There has always been preference within movies to promote certain cars, have you ever seen James Bond driving anything that is not Aston Martin? I think, and I am up for correction here, the whole Iron Man, Audi R8 collaboration where-by Audi advertises the car as if a trailer for the movie but as an advert for the car is a relatively new way of going about things... If that makes any sense at all. Regardless, I think it is a very cool way of getting it done. I told you a while back (here) that the new Iron Man was on its way and i have now just come across the new Audi R8 Spyder advert, still unique in being the only Supercar that gets advertised in such a way. Enjoy!



Already know what I want for Christmas. You have got to go check out the official website (here), very very cool.

iPhone 4G "Pre-release"

When Apple are about to release a new device there are huge press conferences with build ups to an absolutely epic event, with fireworks and dancing girls (a guy can dream). We saw it a couple of months ago when they introduced the iPad, people went nuts, it had been something many of us had been looking forward to with much anticipation.

They saw fit to introduce the iPhone 4G slightly differently... Okay, a LOT different. They decided to have one of their software engineers leave it on his stool at his local pub so that the Gizmodo could conveniently sweep in and take it to pieces. The result - cause what has now, at least over the next couple of days, HUGE hype around the next iPhone. I can already hear my neighbor sawing off his other leg so he can pay for it.

In truth, this guy, Gray Powell (the software engineer in question)(and no, not Gary, it is Gray...)

"Hey bru, you seen my iPhone 4G? No?... Steve is gonna be pissed"

He went to a pub (you won't know it) and he got pissed (god forbid). I don't know that for fact but that would certainly be the argument I would go in with when Steve calls for me. "You know how it is Stevie, a couple of drinks, that lady-boy on the other side of the bar, and I just turned off. I am SO sorry!"

Bet Mr Jobs is pissed right now! One more word on this before moving on to the really juicy stuff:

"BWAHAHAHAHA.... Chop!"

Composed and moving on swiftly. So, to the main event or at least what we are hoping is the main event. 

So, this is what was apparently found at the pub our man Gray had been putting the hammer down at. The rumors are flying at the moment as to the legitimacy of the whole thing. Gizmodo got hold of it while it was disguised as an iPhone 3GS (very clever Gray, living under a bridge yet?). They then proceeded to tear it apart to see if it was the real thing and from their site they seem quite convinced. To be honest, so am I. Apart from not being sold on the way it looks the features are awesome, does not look as slick as the current iPhone. 

Surfaced on TwitPic

What do we think? Has Gray been sacked by Steve and is this what we are expecting for the next iPhone?

Read more here.

Apple was quite upset and asked for it back (here). Their software engineers won't be allowed out to play for a while. Unlucky lads.

[Thanks Mark]

Visions of Zimbabwe

I am sure many of you will have noticed the new banner that has been posted on the site and I would like to let you know a little about it. It is the work of a friend of mine, Steward Rickards, a seven foot giant who now spends his days screaming around Zimbabwe in his Hilux (one of the few Toyotas not recalled) or up in a hot air balloon. Where-ever he is, he has his camera, and lenses so hardcore the Hubble Space telescope seems a little lame.

Dinner of kings.

He has an incredible passion for what he does and he has been kind enough to take me on a couple of trips. And when we have been, we have seen Africa like no tourist will ever see it. Not from the safety of a jeep but right up at the front lines. We have tracked lions, always with an armed ranger, but trust me on this one, when the lion gets angry that gun never seems big enough. 

Stunning cat...

... and then you kak yourself

He does this so he can get some of the most amazing wildlife pictures you have ever seen, National Geographic may as well be doing family portraits. While the rest of us chill out and do a bit of fishing and mosquito swatting he has got the camera ready for something to happen. A couple of years ago he caught pictures of hyenas fighting crocs over an impala, right up there with the Battle of Kruger. Amazing stuff, and chances of ever seeing it again are, well, squat. 

Shame, the fishing was tough for us - At one point we ran out of beer.

He has put all his pictures together in a book titled Visions of Zimbabwe. I feel bad posting up photos directly off the site as I have not had permission to do so, but you will be able to see for yourself how talented he is. If you are at all into Safari, Wildlife, Nature, or just a tree hugging vibe this will be a book you want on your shelf. The images are absolutely stunning.

The launch will only be happening later on and so I will keep you up to date.

Advertising Flies

[Source]
Eichborn, the German publishing house, used flies to get the word out on their exhibition stand at the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse). Eichborn’s logo includes a fly so it made sense to use flies to carry the logo in a “fliegenbanner” with the words, “Eichborn, der verlag mit der Fliege” (the publisher with the fly). Ultra light miniature banners were attached to 200 flies with natural wax. The flies, carrying an extra load, tended to land on people for a rest, getting the attention of people all over the display area. The Jung von Matt team behind the campaign tell us that flies were not harmed in the process. After a short time the banner dropped off by itself.

Harley Davidson Viral

Just proof that you do not need a R2m budget to create a really great campaign. What you need is a medium,a platform and a great creative that will get the message across. Harley Davidson have done a great job of creating a fairly hardcore lifestyle brand, because, lets face it, how many of us are actually going to run out and buy a Harley?... Yea, that's what I thought. Enjoy!

The iPad, Designed with Cats in Mind

As a guy you must have, at some point, had a laser pointer and found hours of entertainment in making the cats chase the dot all over the place. The poor cat probably feels horribly hard done by at the end as they realize that they have achieved, well, squat! This guy has the right idea, give the cat an iPad and let them play and even interact with it. Enjoy!

Smashing resemblance to my brute of a cat back in Zim.

What a beast!

New York, New York

Couple of great clips this week around New York. The first one is the Google Earths 3D view of the Big Apple and the second shows New York being taken over by the likes of Pac Man and Donkey Kong. Enjoy!

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Arts and animation videos.

Apple iPad Animating Alice

Yet just more great technology that the iPad will let us take advantage of. Very cool. Enjoy!

Transport Duing the World Cup

Understandably there has been much concern about having the world cup in SA. With the "bloodbath" that  everyone in the UK is expecting to arrive to they have begun sharpening their machetes. Fortunately the transport system will be significantly better than expected and they will not have to catch the cattle cart or, god forbid, walk from A to B. And SA being all about keeping it green will be car pooling to do their bit... Eight people to one bike, now that is efficient use of space. Nice!

A new record?

Before every overseas visitor cancels their flight, calm down, there has been massive amounts of money spent to ensure you can get around just fine. Check out the details here.

[Thanks Boet/Nic]

Still Touching Me on My Studio

Just like the Vernon Koekemoer phase of a couple of years ago where a couple of guys spotted someone they could have a good time with and made a website (CanLikeToHaveRamboGuy) dedicated to the Brandy-Coke drinking man-mounain, "Touch me on my studio" have gone the same way. Check out this rad site simply called donttouchmeonmystudio.co.za. Here is just one of the clips off the site, enjoy!

BWAHAHAHAHA!

And one more because this is too bloody funny to pass up.

[Thanks Esther]

Social Media Dashboard

Something that has always managed to get under my skin when it come to social media is that there has (to my knowledge) never been a really good way of having all of your accounts in just one spot. You have several different web pages open, as well as having a bunch of widgets in the background all screaming at you simultaneously. By the time you feel you have done what you want (or need) to get done you feel like as if you have lost ten years of your life.

Netvibes however looks as if they may actually be onto something. Have only just registered to try it out, and just five minutes of fiddling with it I already have hope. Check out the showcase and let me know what you think.

Samsung Enters 3D Arena

It has become quite obvious that entertainment is going 3-Dimensional. There are several fights going on over what type of 3D technology will prevail with all the big contenders in on it. Apparently one manufacturer has managed to create 3D imagery on a screen without the use of glasses that split the images. That is certainly where I would really like to see the technology go, especially since there has been much talk of putting 3D on cellphones, laptops and the likes, and personally I would be incredibly annoyed if I had to whip out a pair of glasses every time I wanted to use my cellphone.

Samsung is doing some punting for their 3D tech and have taken a really fun angle to it - Nothing is as it seems. Really is very entertaining, enjoy!

Clash of the Titans 3D

Most exciting thing since Avatar! None of this Alice of Wonderland nonsense, give us the real thing. Let us let our six year old inner selves out!

World Cup Reality By David Newton

A couple of years ago I made a complete tit of myself when while attending a stand-up show of a guy I had  never heard of, my mate introduced me to a new character. Very nice dude, almost too nice with some jokes that were just a bit strange for someone I had just met. Twenty minutes later that same cat was up on the stage... Ah! It then made sense, and had I not been kicking myself for not knowing who he was I would have been having a good chuckle about the jokes he had just told us.

The man in question has made quite a name for himself since then, and last I heard he had moved to Vegas to try his humor on the American crowd. Very brave step. His name is David Newton and he is one of the most hysterical, down-to-earth comics you could ever hope to see. Siv Ngesi, who I spoke about last month (here) and who is doing a show next month, was somewhat mentored by David. So the guy knows his stuff. David has given his view on the World Cup and where he sees Bafana Bafana going, got to love it. Enjoy!

You can catch up with David on his website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

$73 000 Bar Tab

Campaign out of Ogilvy Brazil for Bar Aurora & Boteco Ferraz to discourage their customers from drinking and driving. Having even one pint is over the limit over there, heavy! Very cool way of getting the message across. Enjoy!

@exclusivescoza Nailing Social Media

A lot of companies are still struggling to get to grips with the idea of getting more involved with Social Media. The guys in charge of these companies still see Facebook as that bloody internet thing that their kids waste too much time on. When they wake up to the realization that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and all the rest of the social media platforms, is where they need to spend some money, it may be too late. Other companies that did get involved will have developed relationships and gained the loyalty of a new segment of the market, that segment which spend a significant time on social networks.

A couple of companies that really seem to have it waxed at the moment and are very quickly developing relationships are Woolworths, Steri Stumpie and most recently Exclusive Books. With no direct tweet to Exclusive Books they had picked up that I had said something and they had replied within an hour. The result, I now follow them, I retweet, and now several of my followers follow them, many of those followers retweeting again. The reward in developing and maintaining a good relationship with your customers online is priceless. Spreading a good word will send the message like wild fire.

If you are still struggling to come to grips with the impact it could have on your business have a look at Social Media Revolution.

Sexy, Sleak Leather

Recently I have had a lot of guys asking about my wallet. It is one of those wallets that sticks out just because the thing is so incredibly slim and sexy, and probably a third the size of any normal wallet. I can't be the only one that got sick to god damn death of having a chunk of leather with me everywhere I go. The purpose of a wallet has been distorted and messed up, and guys, I am sorry but the bloody thing is slowly turning into a purse... Bold statement but hell it is true!

The wallets are handmade by matblac. They are made from some awesome materials that will not be falling apart anytime soon. Do yourself a favor and check out the website for some other awesome mens apparel. Next on my list is a belt, shit they are cool.

Bud Lite Clothing Drive

Right up there with the 'Swear Jar'.

Malema Kicks Journalist Out

Really nothing I can say here, just shocking. Cannot wait to see what ZA News does for this one!

The Lingerie Football League

My new favorite sport, and can you blame me? It is the real deal, this is not an advertising campaign for any lingerie company. The Lingerie Football League is a full contact 7-on-7 game by a bunch of birds in some skimpy underwear. Was originally started to keep the crowd entertained during half time of the Superbowl and was called the Lingerie Bowl. I can imagine that there were those that would only tune in for half time. And these are some good looking girls, not like some of the "lady" rugby players that you may have seen before, women that even Pierre Spies would fear. Opinions?

Tiger Back in Adverts

Very deep ad from Nike. After all the scandal that has been surrounding Tiger in the last few months this new ad features Tigers dead father, Earl Wood. Very emotional ad and there is no surprise that it went viral.

TOUCH ME IN MY STUDIO!!!

Laugh, cry, weep, or just stare in utter shock and amazement about what goes down... My word! Shit really hit the fan in this studio. Heavy days!



This is the deal:
AWB General Secretary, Andre Visagie, looses temper and threatens when interrupted by Political Analyst Lebohang Pheko, during the Wednesday 7 April 2010 recording of the program, Africa 360, hosted by Chris Maroleng. The recording's topic was on "The killing of famers and farmworkers on South Africa farms". This was a result of the recent killing of the former AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche, on Saturday 3 April 2010. Mr Visagie left the eNews building with his bodyguard after 30 minutes of the commencement of the 1-hour program [Source].

So, what would be the decent thing to do? Sit back in shock, then pull yourself together and crack on with some advertising and so enter.... Virgin Active, Nice!

Original Souce

Early Morning Meat

It is only ten past eight and I have strange craving for some good biltong going on. Could quite happily go sit in traffic and chow a couple of pieces of the magic meat. Think I may have a problem... Nothing a trip to the Biltong Box won't fix.

Bugger the bacon and eggs

Achmed is Coming to SA!

Sweeeeet! You must know about Achmed the Dead Terrorist.... No! What rock have you been hiding under?

Achmed is the creation of comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. His show is horribly entertaining and the fact that he is coming to SA towards the end of September should have you skipping straight from here to Computicket to book your spot... If you have already clicked through you will probably be weeping as I did when I found that tickets have not gone on sale. Bleak!

Apparently the teacher at suicide training school that wanted to do practicals was the flaw in the plan.

Will let you know how it progresses and when tickets go on sale. In the mean time I have left you with the Ahmed YouTube video which, just by-the-by, has been seen 103 million times... Intense, Enjoy!

The Johnny Cash Project

How often do you read an article that says that they give you a guarantee that you could have your part in a music video?... Pause for you to think about this one... That is right, never!

I have found you that very opportunity. Granted it will not be your mug that will appear in the music video,  unless you are incredible at the dodgy tools that they have provided, but it is fun all the same. Sorry, getting ahead of myself here.

So, this is the vibe. The Johnny Cash Project lets you participate in a music video for "Ain't No Grave." You choose a frame, break out some creativity (can't be any less creative than mine), register (and you won't be sent a mass of spam, checked that out for you) and BOOM! Once your frame has been approved you could have your part in the music video. I think it is very cool and if you play what has already been done of the music video it has a funky effect to it. Nice, something different!

JC carrying a duck... Creative juices flowing big time.

The song in question. Enjoy!

Johnny Cash - Ain't No Grave by spul

Ken Block Burnt Rubber

Okay, I know, this viral did the rounds quite some time ago (in terms of a viral lifespan) but it is still quite something. I was never a DC shoes kind of guy but after seeing this... Yea, okay, I'll go with it and get some lumo sneakers so bright my mates in Johannesburg could spot me. Enjoy!

Bavaria Takes on Heineken

I hope that for your own sake this is not the first time you have seen the Heineken 'Walk in Fridge' ad. Because if it is you have wasted the last six months of your existence without the entertainment factor that they provide. Very typical guy-girl perception, it is great. Enjoy!





And now Bavaria decides to take a stab. Fantastic!

Will the iPad Blend?

What better way to sell a blender than actually blending things? Tom Dickinson is the man who goes through some, let's be honest, pretty expensive and desirable hardware. Check out their site after you have seen what he does here. the second time today I have wanted to cry uncontrollably.

Still Keeping it Real

One of the reasons I love studying marketing is because I get to research awesome content like this. Back in Feb I gave you the Windhoek "Always Keep It Real" ads (here) and today I found another, which for some reason I  cannot embed. Very irritating because it is also great and you can find it here. While doing all this digging I found a few more spoof ads and a great one from Zapiro with our dear friend Julius. Awesome!

The Next Big Apple Announcement

The iPad has finally been launched and all the critics are going mental. Apparently there are some issues with its wireless range. I watched some Apple reviewer on YouTube earlier absolutely demolish their brand new iPad, I had a couple of tears build as I watched the destruction. There will undoubtably be problems with the first generation, just look at the first iPhone. Speaking of which the new iPhone operating system is coming soon and we will get a sneak peek on Thursday... Exciting stuff! Would have been amazing if they were releasing a  brand new iPhone but I will happily settle for new software to play with.

Nissan Going Viral

Like every kid I had an obsession with remote control cars... Boats, planes.... Anything really. So this new ad from Nissan I think is quite cool anyway. The fact that it has now gone viral has me completely sold...

A Note on Justin Bieber

Any of the Twitterati will have seen that over the last couple of weeks there was a very annoying trend for 'Justin Bieber'... Why him? I actually wish I could give you the answer but all can come up with are a bunch of reasons... Like - 16 year old girls have too much time on their hands, or, Usher (Biebers mentor) has his mass of extremely excited 16 year old followers drooling all over the idea of another teen superstar.

Having it trending for so long  it managed to get under my skin, it is a bit like when someone has 'that' face, the one that means you will not like them. They could be humanitarian aid workers, but with 'that' face they stand no chance.

But now, it has stopped trending... For now. It went on for two weeks, people noticed, what are they doing now... Talking about it, and Biebers music videos are now going viral with one of them having had almost 60 million views... Hectic! I would have put one up but I can't stand his music, teen pop rubbish.... Suicidal stuff.

Now we will have to deal with Bieber all over the web for a long time to come. Can't we get someone like Jack Parrow trending. He is at least entertaining. In fact... Enjoy!

Old Spice Spice

No doubt you have seen, or at the very least heard your mates cackling about the new Old spice ad that did the viral rounds. I never actually got round to putting it up but have now found that they have released three more equally entertaining ads. The agency behind them is Wieden + Kennedy, Portland. Awesome ads and so entertaining.

The original 'The man your man could smell like'. Enjoy!

And now the new ones featuring Terry Crews, a retired football player and actor... A very large actor...




What a great brand personality.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter with the muppets going viral. Enjoy!


media Marketing powered by Wooshii.com

How Mobiles Are Changing Social Media

(Click to Enlarge or click here)

Some Economic Reasoning

For anyone that has even the most remotest sense of humor you will agree that a good t-shirt is really hard to come by. A lot of them are really just repeating what has been done a hundred times over... I think if I see another "mind the gap" t-shirt I may just throw myself off a bridge and welcome the oncoming traffic. The creativity has gone out the window... Or has it?

Let me (re)introduce you to Beer Monkey and their blog which looks as if the writers have had a couple of brewskies before finding the energy to sit and write an article (I should know... I am one of them). They have a new tee coming out in the next couple of weeks and... I need one! I feel I will no longer be able to carry on any remotely normal sense of existence unless I have this t-shirt... Or it is just me?

Awesome? I think so.

If you need more incentive work on the economic reasoning that some Beer Monkey came up with:

Economics 101.
You buy shirt.
We take money and buy beer.
People who make beer buy another yacht and hire more strippers.
Strippers send money back to the Ukraine.
And the world economy benefits.
So don’t be a communist. Buy some shirts.

Sound like solid reasoning to me.

Silicon Cape

On Wednesday night I attended my first Silicon Cape event, an initiative started by some Cape Town locals who see Cape Town as the Silicon Valley of Africa. There had been much hype about who would be speaking mostly around a bird who came from Google headquarters. She was actually horribly disappointing, apparently the Google Geek crew don't handle their booze so well and after "a glass of wine" there was much swaying and gripping of the mic to keep herself stable. She threw out a few t-shirts and promptly buggered off...

Thank god for Rob Van Vuuren who was the MC. Kept the crowd entertained from start to finish and was just fantastic. The humor was more than welcome after having queued, for what felt like ages, to get a couple of beers. Will not dwell on that as they were very good at apologizing and getting 2 Oceans Vibe involved and having masses of Butlers pizza delivered.  The Rotherham really is very good.

Pretty much anyone and everyone that had some online influence was there. You had absolutely no idea who they were as they very rarely would leave the comfort of their PC/Mac screen. Fortunately they are surprisingly friendly and so having made an appearance and not known too many others there were some great conversations.... Apart from one very strange chap who continuously asked if I was "free," eventually feeling under some pressure the best response I could come up with was "yes, no, well, maybe this evening, it really depends... you?" He then said "free laptop" and I realized he had probably been electrocuted quite badly after taking his computer apart for the tenth time that day. Poor guy.

Most enjoyable part of the evening involved Van Vuuren getting a bunch of entrepreneurs up onto the stage and then given a minute to punt their money making schemes. There were some great ideas and they all did a really good job of explaining their concepts. Very exciting to see what is happening in the Western Cape.

All in all a great evening regardless of the blal'lad Google chick and massive booze queues. Mistakes are made and I am sure that they have learnt from it and it will be much better next time. If you want to get involved with Silicon Cape events you can register and once approved you can go to events, many of which are for free, and are great places to do some solid networking.

Google Translator for Animals

[Thanks Boet]

A Cheerleader from Dr Pepper

It all goes horribly wrong half-way through but I have a particular affection towards cheerleaders so it can stay. Fantastic!