Thinktank and mobile research - live!

We love using new technology for research - but it has to be right for the project, not just 'bells and whistles' that has no real purpose. One of our benchmark projects using technology was for Nokia, where mobile phones were at the centre of our quest to get to the heart of what creates "brand love" - consumers' emotional response to brands.

Our consumers used mobiles to document their interactions with brands and uploaded these notes, pictures and videos to a moblog. We then invited them along to face-to-face group discussions, allowing us to probe further around what they had submitted. The technology played an important part, but so did the more "traditional" element of meeting and speaking to people!

It's a project that has generated lots of interest - and we've been asked to talk about it further! So pop along to the Mobile Research Conference in London and meet Sabine Stork, Senior Partner at Thinktank - she'll be speaking about it there on the 9th of March.

A lesson in what not to do

The mobile phone industry is just about to finish off its annual jamboree, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), in Barcelona. This is, of course, an industry event, but that's still no excuse for quite such painful corporate slogans, brought to us courtesy of Mobile Entertainment magazine.

Mobile operator club the GSM Association, which runs MWC, is actively courting the entertainment industry these days. One can only imagine what Hollywood types make of this...

Things like these always make me think of that most classic of instances of cringe-worthiness - the KPMG corporate anthem (not as widespread on the web these days) And...hmm...they're in telecoms, too. Is there a pattern here?

Google Bus

We're also in China this week- and have seen quite a few buses carrying these simple, yet bold Google ads which seem to stand out well against the clutter of Beijing's top shopping streets.

Asian Fitness

Bangkok is getting ever more slick and air conditioned these days so was charmed to come across this rather quaint open-air gym in Lumpini park.

Having said that 'proper' gyms and 'having a good physique' are becoming trendy in Asia and Delhi - where young guys in particular seem to become very body/muscle conscious - still seems a bit under-serviced. Perhaps we could invest in a 'Bodytank' sideline there?