Nokia Announced N9: the Fastest Cameraphone Ever

Nokia’s new flagship Nokia N9 is positioned as a gadget for people who appreciate a stunning blend of design and the latest smartphone technology.

The ads campaign features a number of very short 9-seconds video spots to demonstrate the quickness of the Nokia N9, as it’s proved to be the fastest image-capturing phone ever, even faster than iPhone.

New N9 design features a seamless body design made of polycarbonate, which enables superior antenna performance and scratch-resistant curved glass.

In the model the home key is replaced by a simple gesture: a swipe. Whenever you’re in an application, swiping from the edge of the display takes you home. The three home views of the user interface are designed to give fast access to apps and social networks.

The Nokia N9 is also equipped with the latest 8-megapixel camera, navigation and audio technology for a great all-round experience. It will be available in three colors—black, cyan, and magenta with storage options to accommodate plenty of content: 16GB and 64GB. N9, announced on July 21, will appear in stores later this year, with availability and local pricing to be unveiled closer to the sales start.

Adidas unviel 2011 adipower predator boots ahead of new football season

As the 2011-2012 campaign approaches, adidas have released their new adipower Predator boots which will be worn by some of the world’s top players this coming season.

The likes of Xavi, Kaka, Nani, Steven Gerrard and Robin van Persie all took part in the testing in the development of the boots as they are now rolled out for general sale.

The latest version of the iconic Predator series aims to cope with the demands of modern football, incorporating unique technologies that combine elements to enhance control, speed and power.

The adipower Predator achieves this through its trio of key features: “The Predator element”, the “Sprint Frame” and the “Powerspine” of the boots.

The Predator element, which features on the medial side of the boot, has been re-engineered to maximise ball control abilities. The injected silicon rubber increases spin when striking the ball to ensure perfect ball control in all weather conditions.

Lara Stone Gets "Naked" for Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein's latest lingerie campaign declares that the skivvies seen on Lara Stone are "designed to make a woman look even sexier than when naked." And the suggestive slogan doesn't surprise us: The brand has never shied away from using sex to sell.

"You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing," revealed a 15-year-old Brooke Shields in the famous rife-with-innuendo 1981 TV spot. Though the ads caused the designer's revenues to jump by 300 percent in 90 days, according to Newsweek, it invited protest from feminists like Gloria Steinem (Klein later instructed Steinem to "F--ck off" in a Playboy interview).

And Calvin's penchant for sex appeal has continued throughout recent years. In 2008, an oiled-up Eva Mendes appeared topless in a campaign for the fragrance "Secret Obsession" that was nixed by network execs. And in 2009, the brand stopped traffic with its erotic tableau shot by Steven Meisel, which WWD reports was banned even by late-night TV.

Of course, Klein isn't the only designer to court controversy. When critics accused Dolce & Gabbana of glamorizing gang rape in a 2007 campaign, the designers were forced to pull the offending ad. Their response? "We were looking to re-create a game of seduction in the campaign and highlight the beauty of our collections," Reuters reported at the time. (Source: www.stylelist.com)

adidas Launches the Biggest Marketing Campaign in the Brand’s History

adidas unveils the ‘all adidas’ global campaign, the largest one in the brand’s history. The massive marketing push showcases the brand’s distinctive presence across different cultures and lifestyles fusing the world of sports, music and fashion and is the first time the company features adidas Sport Performance, adidas Originals and adidas Sport Style sub-brands in a single ad project.

The new campaign, launching March 16, captures the passion athletes, musicians and artists put into their ‘game’ and takes a gritty, authentic look into the visceral nature of raw passion. Directed by Romain Gavras and featuring the song ‘Civilization’ by French electronic band Justice, the campaign features NBA star Derrick Rose, soccer stars David Beckham and Lionel Messi, pop icon Katy Perry, hip hop artist B.o.B. and others.

According to Patrik Nilsson, president of adidas America: “They live across the cultural spectrum and that’s where adidas has its edge. The adidas brand extends beyond sports and ‘all adidas’ celebrates this breadth of passion from athletes, musicians, artists and beyond. The new campaign allows us to create stronger, truer connections with the consumer by encouraging and celebrating a mix of interests and passions central to their lives.”

The campaign is built around a 30- and 60-second TV commercial and a two-minute extended online version. Fans can continue the conversation online through social platforms including facebook.com/adidas and youtube.com/adidas, where adidas will serve up in-depth content to consumers.

At the heart of the ‘all adidas’ campaign is the celebration of the game face—the look of glory or defeat we reveal at the most pivotal moment in the game.

IBM Helps Build a Smarter Planet by Funding Organizations Worldwide

Yesterday, IBM awarded almost $1 million in Smarter Planet grants to 11 organizations around the world. The IBM Centennial Grants fund innovative projects in areas such as healthcare, energy and food safety. Grants are both monetary and in-kind awards up to US$100,000 each.

According to Stanley S. Litow, vice president of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs at IBM, “Non profit and education organizations are the lifeblood of local communities, and we want to help them by offering support to build a smarter planet.

In conjunction with our employees making their skills available through massive volunteer efforts, IBM’s Centennial grants will help non profits and educational organizations meet their key goals.”

IBM has just completed a Celebration of Service Day, a milestone in its year long commitment to skills based volunteering and a large event. More than 300,000 IBM employees donated 2.7 million hours of service time at 5,000 large scale activities, serving over 10 million people on one day. The organizations of the IBM Centennial grant recipients joined forces with a large numbers of IBM volunteers during the event.

During 2011, IBM is awarding a total of $12 million in grants worldwide to support employees’ volunteer activities to build a smarter planet. IBMers around the world continue volunteering their time and talent in unprecedented amounts throughout 2011 in support of smarter planet initiatives. These efforts make up a global ‘Celebration of Service’ platform.

Being one of the most sustainable world’s brands, in June IBM published the Smarter Buildings Survey. (Source: Popsop)

Brand: The Sum of All Its Parts

Despite what many believe, brand isn’t about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. Instead, a strong brand integrates multiple components, all of them necessary, including customer interactions, employee communications, corporate philosophy and advertising/marketing efforts.

Your brand extends to your employees, customers, the media and even the general public as the above story illustrates. If these components don’t consistently reinforce your brand, customers will become dissatisfied.

The negative impact of their perception, should they voice their opinions to other potential customers or even the media, could have a ripple effect on your business. This can erode your brand equity and create misperceptions about your company in the market that in turn could lead prospective customers, employees and investors to pass on your organization.

On the other hand, brand consistency throughout all levels of the organization helps drive an organization to grow and prosper. Strong brands can drive an increase in sales. The company is better suited to attract and retain the best employees. Vendors can see value in your brand and look to establish partnerships with your business, while investors will see the business and your brand equity as a valuable commodity.

... And More Winners Emege in Saving Xtra Season 3

Diamond Bank, one of the new genration banks, has announced the emergence of more winners in its SavingsXtra Season 3 promotion which has been trilling its consumers since its commencement.

At the draws conducted recently, Suleiman Kobi Mahmoud from Bauchi, Abdulkadir Ahmed Road emerged as the "Salary 4Life" winner, while Andrew Kelechi Mbachu, of Kubwa Abuja, Nasco Road and Ayo Shola Oladejo from Akure, Oyemekun Street branch won N5 million and N2.5 million respectively.

However, 30 other customers have also went home with N500,000 cash each in the draw.

The promotion was one of the several ways the bank rewards its customers and also strategised as an avenue to encourage savings culture in the country.

New and existing customers can simply save N5,000 in a Diamond Saving Xtra account every week to qualify. Every additional N5,000 gives customers the chance to win again. The promo runs till August, 2011.

Airtel Nigeria Unveils Football Talent Search with Celebrities

Airtel Nigeria Limited, a telecommunication outfit has launched a football talent search that will focus on identifying and nurturing budding talents from the grassroots level up to the national stage.

The unveiling was graced in style by Nigerian football and music Icons, Kanu Nwankwo and 2Face Idibia at the Nigeria Institute of Sport, National Stadium in Lagos. The project tagged “Airtel Rising Stars, Where Stars are born”, will provide a platform for upcoming soccer talents under the ages of 17 to showcase their skills to leading scouts and coaches to enable them to further their skills in the game.

According to Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava, the telecomm brand decision to stretch its CSR role to football was due to the huge interest in the sport. "Our association with football was an easy decision. Without a doubt, Football in Nigeria elicits passion, fun and unity. Airtel wants to be an integral part of our communities and their association with football has a strong element of creating positive change and engagement." he said.

Artel is working closely across its 15 markets in Africa with relevant ministries and institutions who oversee the sport in these countries, as well as the local football associations to integrate the program with local under 17 initiatives for both girls and boys.

The initiate is designed to provide a structured platform for scouts, coaches, football authorities, other partners and supporters to tap into a vast pool of upcoming talent, courtesy of the program and build stronger soccer talent feeder systems for our leagues and national teams. Registration for the program is expected to commence soon.

The Power of Colour in Brand Design

Today it’s more critical than ever for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors and make memorable connections with their audience by creating unique, recognisable brands.

Colour in Brand Design
Every touch point of a brand plays a vital role in brand recall, but the brand mark is the heart and soul of a brand’s image. Whilst it’s the interplay between colour, typeface, and symbol that creates a brand mark, colour is registered by the brain before either images or typography. A University of Loyola, Maryland study recently found the correct use of colour could increase brand recognition by up to 80%.

Standing out from the crowd
As awareness of branding grows and more businesses invest in their brand’s identity, colour is becoming more important for companies looking to differentiate themselves visually. Consider the success of Heinz Green ketchup. In the first seven months following its introduction more than 10 million bottles were sold. The result was the highest sales increase in the brand’s history, all because of a simple color change. Apple introduced colourful iMacs into a marketplace where colour had not been seen before. The Apple brand was the first to say, “It doesn’t have to be beige”. The iMacs reinvigorated a brand that had suffered $1.8 billion of losses in two years.

A World of Colour
Colour also provides communication cues for brand attributes such as traditional or cutting edge, calm or excited, as well as cultural cues, cues about environmental credibility, cues about political affiliations and a plethora of other meanings. In the world of brand design, choice and use of colour provides the potential for a wealth of carefully crafted and powerfully communicated messages about your brand.

Recognisable Brands Test
Most of the most recognisable brands in the world rely on colour as a key factor in their instant recognition. Below are snapshots of twenty of the world’s most recognisable brand marks cropped to show a clear representation of their brand colours, but only a fraction of their logotype of symbol. Test yourself to see how many of the brands you can identify with colour being the primary visual driver.

Dajcom's Samsung Brand Shops Offers 15% Discount

In ensuring the satisfaction of their customers in Nigeria, Samsung, in collaboration with Dajcom marketing company, distributor and manufacturer for global giant, offers 15% discount on all Samsung's products purchased at its Brand Shops across different cities in Nigeria.

Samsung Brand Shops recently included the ones at 41 Creek Road, Apapa in Lagos, AB Plaza, new Bodija in Ibadan, 54, Urubi Road in Benin, 17; Muritala Mohammed way, Abuja and 7, Bompai Raod, Kano States and re-affirmed its commitment to continually meet the market needs of the public and create more employment opportunities.

The promotion which commenced from June 15, 2011 will end July 15, 2011. It gives consumers the opportunity to purchase more of the electronic brand. All Samsung products purchased at these shops come with a 12 month warranty and most items are capable of being serviced by our teams at full-fledged service centres located around the country

Dajcom Limited was appointed as an official distributor and manufacturer for Samsung, noting that Dajcom's expanding rate is immense as it has grown to become a major player in the home electronics and electrical goods sectors not merely in Nigeria but across the West African sub-region.

The partnership between Samsung Electronics Co. Limited, a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunications, digital media and digital convergences technologies and Dajcom is a continuous effort to please our customers and to ensure that they are satisfied at all times, even long after their purchase.

Access Bank Commence Environmental Initiative, Trade Financing Product

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to improve the environment by helping to moderate the climate, promote the health of our communities and protect the environment we all share, one of the new generation bank in Nigeria, Access Bank has reiterate its commitment through its Going Green; Beyond Words campaign.

The second phase of the tree planting campaign was recently launched in Niger state and will also be inaugurated in Sokoto state on Thursday, July 7, 2011 with ‘Green Starter’ toolkits distributed to participating schools/students to promote enlightenment about the wide variety of trees that support environmental sustainability.

Access Bank which is renowned for its cross-continental economic intermediation activities, particularly through trade services joined forces with the Nigerian public school system and Idea Builders Initiative on the erasure of its carbon footprint to commence the second phase of the campaign with the aim to broaden their horizons to cover Niger and Sokoto States.

In 2009, Access bank entered into a strategic partnership with Idea Builder Initiative to execute the pilot phase of the campaign which resulted in the planting of over 2, 500 trees in Lagos, Abuja and Abia states between 2009 and 2010.

Access Bank recently also introduced Access Trade, a highly innovative product designed to facilitate seamless trade transaction between the bank’s customers and their trade partners in any part of the world. It is yet another response by the Bank to the growing needs of the international trade market in Nigeria.

Access Trade, which is another pioneering initiative by Access Bank, affirms the Bank’s leadership position in the Nigerian banking sector as well as validates the numerous recognitions accorded the Bank for its innovation and expertise in trade finance locally and internationally.

Telkoms Sells Multilinks to Helios Tower

Telkoms has sold its Nigerian subsidiary to Helios Tower, the leasing company that had earlier dragged it to court for alleged breach of contract and wrongful sale of the ailing company to Visafone another CDMA service provider.

A Senior Executive of Telkom said, “We just want to wash our hands off that disappointing deal and concentrate on more serious challenges on the home front. Multilinks has caused us multiple problems and there is no need hanging on to it, even with the imbroglio caused by the recent Lagos court ruling, our shareholders want an end to the ugly situation and so also the new management.”

The marriage of convenience between Multiinks and Helios Tower is expected to be consummated and give birth to a new company in August.

The deal which is a buyout will see Telkoms receive $10 million from Helios and the leasing company will in turn cancel all the previous debts of the former.

Helios had last year filed a law suit against Multilinks at a Lagos High Court when the ailing company breached a 10 year leasing agreement worth 252 million dollars.

A member of Helios while reacting to latest development described the deal as a good way out the crisis that the sole reason for suing Multilink was only to recoup their investment.