Everything is going online, apparently: grocery shopping, newspapers, music, booking holidays. We use Facebook or MSN to talk to friends rather than telephoning, and I’m not sure when I last bought an envelope…

But the largely unstoppable momentum of e-banking, e-shopping, e-everything seems increasingly driven by companies trying to drive down cost without passing these benefits back to their customers.  I haven’t had a paper electricity bill for nearly 3 years, since they suggested I did everything online, in return for which I would get a £15 annual saving on my bill. Not much, you might say, but definitely more than nothing.

Those generous days seem to be long gone. I’ve banked with First Direct for nearly 15 years, and handled most of my transactions online for the last couple. But every time I log on, they smack me in the face with this…

No hint of  ‘what’s in it for me’, nor a word about the savings FD will make from not having to process, print and despatch 12 monthly statements. Hmmmm.

And only last week, my mobile phone provider (from whom I also get broadband) wrote to inform me

More and more customers have asked us to provide full details in their bills, so we’re replacing the summary bill with itemised one for everyone. You’ll now be able to see exactly how you’ve used your phone - down to the time, length and cost of each call.

As it costs more to provide you with these itemised paper bills, these will cost you £1.47 per month.

I seem to remember a few years ago, when I was first a customer, I had itemised bills as standard. It was a great help for deciphering business vs personal calls. But now I have to pay for the privilege. I was going to shame them with a clue, but nothing rhymes with their name. Hmmmm.

Not everything is better online. The Argos and Ikea catalogues are staple items in households across the country. Glossy magazines and weekend newspapers help us create small windows of tranquility. Paper bills delivered through our letterbox can be important reminders to review what we’re spending, a useful event each month that makes us feel secure, or at least enables us to take action.

Online accounts put the onus on the customer to do the work, so I logged onto my electricity account for the first time in ages yesterday and discovered my account is in credit by over £100. They evidently thought I didn’t really care that I’ve effectively been overpaying and they’ve been sitting on my cash for months. So I’ve taken action on that.

Online relationships with brands can be more convenient and easier for all parties, but they should still be a dialogue, they need work, and they should not be taken for granted.

…is The Rong Answer.

Sean, Shelley, Simon, Monica, Cheryl, Pete, Janey & Chris left the charms of Georgian Bath yesterday afternoon and drove up to London, knowing we would face the combined might of the rest of the Creston Group. There were 29 teams in all, with 6 just from TMW. DLKW even had one from their creative department.

But when it came to winning teams, there could be only one, and that team was from The Real Adventure…

We gracefully and humbly accepted our trophy, and only fleetingly paused to acknowledge the LOSERS in the other teams, before battling through monsoon-like downpours all the way down the M4, arriving back in Bath tired but jubilant, ready to share our glory with the rest of the agency.

You won't find this award in any other agency

And in case you fancy your chances against us, try this for size:
Which city hosted the Equestrian Events for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games (hint: there were quarantine issues, it wasn’t Melbourne)…

The current social media phenomenon is Twitter, before that it was Facebook, MySpace and Friends Reunited. And while your brand wants exposure in the most popular digital environments you shouldn’t forget there are some communities that are probably here to stay.

What am I talking about? Well it can only be Facebook can’t it?

In the UK only Google gets more traffic than Facebook and in terms of social networking websites Facebook is a country mile ahead of the field.

I’m certainly not saying forget everything else but given that Facebook traffic is more than everything else in the top 10 added together you’d be crazy not to even consider it. Add to the fact that it has 200 million active users and more than 4 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day then the reasons not to become harder to justify.

So, what options are available?

For brands the obvious place to start is by creating a fan page. They are quick to set-up, easily tailored to your needs and can become extremely viral if done properly. The key benefit though is that it gives your brand the opportunity to listen and talk to your consumers in an environment they are already very comfortable in.

Redbull on Facebook

Adding fancy gadgets and links to your corporate site is fine but the chances of your page being successful will be pretty slim. At the launch of Creston’s strategic approach to social media Kieron Matthews of the IAB stressed the importance of “respecting your environment”. If you are going to enter into your consumer’s community then make sure you follow their rules. If you don’t then you could quite easily end up following Habitat’s recent Twitter debacle.

A few fan page must do’s are:

• Conversation is key. If your fans ask a question, give you feedback or make a complaint then don’t ignore it: respond. Being open and honest will create trust.
• Keep your fans engaged with regular updates but don’t over do it so it becomes spam.
• Plan ahead and create a content plan. That way you always have something to say.
• Make your fans feel special. Treat them to Facebook only discounts or leak them news before it’s officially released.
• Remember it’s a two way conversation. Treat your fan’s as individuals and try to add a human face to your brand.

Facebook fan pages aren’t right for every brand but if you do venture down this route then make sure you invest the time in listening and responding to your customers.

And one final thought: more than 6 million users are becoming fans of Pages each day.

While we’re always keen to explore new ways of connecting brands with their audiences, it’s doesn’t always have to be complicated. Evoking an emotional response with a simple idea will always resonate strongly. Traditional media carry ideas just as well, often better.

Occasionally I read about a campaign or idea that prickles the hairs on my neck, makes me wish I’d been involved. Or in recent weeks, two campaigns. Their aims of these campaigns are noble, and the executions are genuinely exciting and moving.

The first is an Australian campaign for the UN from 2008 using interactive posters to alert people to the stories of minorities and other marginalised groups. It adheres (almost) to the age-old rule of posters of ‘5 words and a pack shot’, a simple, arresting headline “Listen to me” and striking full-face image, commanding the viewer’s attention. While waiting for your bus, simply snap a picture on your m0bile of the poster, which ‘rewards’ your engagement with a phonecall, putting a voice and a story to the face. It’s a clever use of traditional media with interactive technology (the cynic within wonders whether there wasn’t enough money for TV!). But if there wasn’t, good. This is way better than any preachy, very-worthy-but-most-likely-very-dull TV campaign could have been.

The other campaign is an even simpler, more striking use of posters, where the medium for once really is the message. The Zimbabwean ran billboards of worthless Zimbabwean bank notes to raise awareness and promote readership of the newspaper, and recently won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix award for outdoor advertising.

The ads outline how the regime of Robert Mugabe had introduced a 55 per cent import ‘luxury’ duty on The Zimbabwean, making it unaffordable for the average Zimbabwean. The campaign went further, distributing trillions of dollars worth of Zimbabwean money stamped with provocative messages and a call for support for The Zimbabwean.

There are further images on The Zimbabwean’s Flickr photostream.