Hurrah! Que Pasa’s First Wedding

Que Pasa isn’t just a great place for cooking up innovative content, it’s also a meeting place for like-minded media types.

Mr & Mrs Butler met at Que Pasa

In the case of former content producer Jim Butler and designer Alice Hepple, they were so like-minded that they decided to tie the knot on Saturday (10 September).

The service took place in Alice’s hometown Norwich with celebrations continuing at the reception in Spixworth Hall.

‘She didn’t notice me for the first few months,’ revealed Jim in his speech.

With Stanley - Que Pasa's first baby

The couple are also parents to the first Que Pasa baby, Stanley.

Wanted: Floor Manager

No horsing around on set

Are you calm and organised on the studio floor? We’re looking for a floor manager to work on a one-day production featuring live music performances on Monday 22nd August in London. You’ll be responsible for managing a presenter and a small audience. Broadcast experience is essential.

Interested? Please contact marka@que-pasa.co.uk

We’re Hiring! A Digital Producer…

The Role:

Check out the full details here —> Digital Producer-Que Pasa

Que Pasa is looking for an exceptional Digital Producer to lead the digital content and social media strategy for three of their biggest clients, with the chance to work on new accounts in the future.

Responsibilities:

• Day-to-day point of client contact
• Maintaining Facebook, Twitter and other social / digital channels
• Digital content creation / copywriting (for social, web, mobile as appropriate)
• Community management / reputation management
• Management of third-party suppliers and developers (e.g. designers and application developers)
• Scoping and specification development for social apps and channels
• Working with other stakeholders in the business to develop consumer engagement strategies across social media and branded content
• Project leadership (delivery on time and on budget; adherence to agreed KPIs)
• Promoting best social practice and up-to-date learnings within the business
• Ensuring the utmost quality in our creative / content work

Reply to mark@que-pasa.co.uk

Please do spread the word to anyone that you think might be a good fit!

Searching For A Twitter Management Tool?

On returning to Que Pasa from maternity leave, I needed to find a Twitter tool which would allow me to keep on top of several client brand feeds at the same time. But which to use?

My first try was TweetDeck. Sanctioned by Twitter, I thought it would be the perfect match. I dutifully added all the columns for @ mentions, direct messages and allowed access to Facebook accounts. Then I incorporated my own accounts, and ended up with… a very long scroll across my Mac screen.

Yes Tweetdeck can do a million things, but the simplicity of the cute bird icon is misleading. Just trying to work out their clever icons gives you a headache. Also, the design scheme makes it difficult to differentiate between accounts, making posting from the wrong account a distinct – and appalling – consequence.

So I went back to using Twitter, logging in and out each time I wanted to switch identity, which proved very slow and annoying.

Next Alison recommended HootSuite, which is what I’m using right now. There are words next to the icons, the design is much clearer and everything seems more straightforward. And I can schedule tweets ahead of time. Hooray!

Away from my laptop, my search moved on to my iPhone. Here I found Tweetdeck much easier to use due to the lack of flashy icons.

Now I just have to keep on top of all these accounts at the same time. Have they worked out how to clone humans yet?

PS- I didn’t try Twhirl, but I know Jon in our office swears by it. What do you like using to manage your Twitter accounts?

Anna Chapman, Editor at Large

The Father Of All Sites: DaddyBeGood Takes On Mumsnet

Mumsnet now has a male rival (or partner?) with the launch of online community site DaddyBeGood yesterday.

Brands are playing a huge part in this world from the start. Cineworld (with a ‘dads go free’ cinema ticket promotion) and Aquafresh toothpaste are on board as launch partners.

The content is off to a good start, featuring some big name contributions from Big Issue founder John Bird and Loaded co-founder James Brown.

Beta, the agency behind the site, say they’re responding to research that says dads want to be more involved in parenting. However, it remains to be seen whether men will collectively unite behind DaddyBeGood in the way  that women have done with Mumsnet. Will the male instinct not to ask for directions when on the road translate over to the social media world? Aren’t men supposed to know exactly what do already? 😉

Research shows that while Facebook is more popular with women, men engage with social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn more. Perhaps they’ll jump at the chance to swot up on childrearing from a neutral place, rather than by being talked down to by the wife/mother-in-law.

One thing’s for sure, DaddyBeGood offers a range of opportunity for brands to learn about the daddy demographic and to provide them with products and services just for dad.

Driving Digital Outside

Summertime – when it isn’t raining – is the perfect time for outdoor experiential/ digital campaigns. For example, Europcar’s freeDeliver campaign puts the pedal to the pixels in order to offer consumers the greatest prize of all, time.

The idea is that freeDeliver, their new car hire service which delivers and collects vehicles, gives customers a spare hour to kill. The campaign asks consumers to use the hashtag #myextrahour and tweet about what they’d do with that time. But it’s what Europcar does with the twitter stream which is the clever bit – it feeds a live broadcast hosted on outside digital billboards.

This isn’t the first campaign that marries a social network and outside broadcasting.

German pet food brand GranataPet, has received loads of attention for their dog treat-dispensing billboard ads that use Foursquare location based check-ins as a lure for user engagement. Check in, get your pooch a snack, and a fun word-of-mouth brand experience is shared with friends and followers (both IRL and digital).

But what makes the Europcar idea particularly good, is that the billboard ad has constantly evolving content provided by the consumer, making the campaign hugely engaging.

Undoubtedly others will follow suit. Hmm… A Heineken Hipstamatic photo feed live on the big screen of a billboard near you?

Don’t Be A Schmidt About Social Networking

A warning to all of you who are ‘too busy’ for social networking…

This week Google CEO Eric Schmidt admitted that for five years he’d been aware of the encroachment of social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn on Google’s turf, but didn’t do anything because he was ‘too busy’.

“I clearly knew I had to do something and I failed to do it,” Schmidt said. “CEOs need to take responsibility. I screwed up.” Gulp!

Last week Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg claimed that ‘baking’ in social design is crucial to companies. Moral: don’t leave the oven unattended or your buns might get burned.

How To Survive When Phones Outnumber People

It was only a matter of time before there would be more phones on earth than people. The statistic becomes more interesting when combined with another piece of research published last week – less than half of our national newspapers and lifestyle magazines have mobile-optimised sites.

Publishing companies shouldn’t be scared of exploring new territory. Working in new media is exciting, as we learn how to communicate in new and more instantaneous ways, by using social networks, for example.

In 2004 Que Pasa launched Virgin BITES, a magazine-style portal for Virgin Mobile users. Back then we were ahead of the game. Soon there will be more mobile phones than people (the current stats are 5.6 billion mobiles v 6.915 billion earthlings, with mobile ownership growing faster than population). Isn’t it time that publishing companies caught up with us?

What Does Your iPhone Case Say About You?

Orla Kiely is the latest designer to makeover the iPhone. Later this month, you’ll be able to wrap your iPhone in three of her classic designs including ‘car park’ and ‘multi-stem’ (the leafy one above).

Which one would you pick? Or would you rather keep your phone naked as Apple originally intended?

These days your digital identity is as revealing as what shoes you wear. We thought we’d take a quick look at what your iPhone case may be telling the world about you.

Orla Kiely car park. Whoah there, you are so connected that you’ve got a case that isn’t in the shops yet. Either you are Orla Kiely or you’ve snaffled a sample. Most people want to be you right now.

Apple iPod sock. Yes, this cute little sockie stretches into a home for your iPhone too. You don’t knit, but you aspire to living The Good Life in the country and blow your wages on posh cheese at farmers’ markets.

Paul Smith Union Jack print case. An old punk done good. This leather number has a tasty price tag but is more Mick Jones than Princess Michael.

The Michael Kors leather wallet. You can keep your credit cards and ID in this baby, so it’s perfect for impressing at the bar. Available in python print or black patent it’s one for ladies or ladies’ men. Unfortunately the wrist strap knocks your phone onto silent so you don’t look so popular anymore. Shucks!

Juicy Couture New Crest case. You come from Essex.

No case. Ah! A nature-loving soul. Or someone too lazy, tight or reckless to own a case. Don’t worry; you’re in good company. Most people don’t bother with accessories, or lose them.

Working Up An Appetite With Some Digital Starters

Nothing works up an appetite like a bit of gaming, and many are thinking outside the errr ‘pot’ to spice up the dining out experience.

Here are a few tasty starters that use digital technologies and some gaming strategy (challenges, incentives, collaboration) to serve up new dining experiences. We think there is endless potential here to create great branded content that spreads across the digital and experiential (particularly important for a food-related brand!).

1. Urban Quest from Ottawa, Canada

Urban Quest provides a treasure-hunt experience for users who want to explore a city and have a meal at a new restaurant.

They purchase and download a quest, which then releases a series of clues/quizzes that takes the party on an adventure around the city, culminating at a restaurant where a reservation has been made for them already by Urban Quest.

With a revenue stream coming from both users and the restaurants for promotions, this provides an entertaining and likely profitable way to use location-based technologies and social gaming.

2. Eat Street from Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver digital agency Invoke launched the Eat Street mobile app this April 2011, as a tie-in with North American street food television programme Eat Street.

The app allows users to search for food carts in their area, filter the carts by food type, distance and popularity, view individual cart profiles and see menus, Twitter activity and operating hours, and add carts as a user or vender.

And as a tool for cross-promotion, it also feeds the user teasers from the tv programme, and visa versa. Late night post-pub street food cravings sorted.

3. Street Dinner in Ferrara, Italy

Street Dinner adventurers first buy a package with ‘tickets’ for aperitifs, a table and chairs, menu choices, and a map of the city.

Then, on the designated evening, an SMS reveals first the location where aperitifs are to be served. Next, an hour before dinner, a second text message tells participants where to pick up their table, then chairs and then chosen meals.

Although this initiative is a little less digital or cross-platform, there is potential for a brand to act as host and create an exclusive experience like Street Dinner for select ‘taste-makers’ as a part of a larger transmedia campaign.

So, we hope this has provided a bit of food for thought. Have you come across any interesting campaigns, apps or sights that blend dining with digital technologies and branded content? (quite the mouthful eh?) Let us know with a comment below…