Many have noticed the absence of Most Excellent Person for last week, I am afraid the sun was too distracting! But, without further ado, the winner is...

MARTYN DYER

This financial genius has astounded us all with his maths wizardry and generally paying us all on time!

Thanks Martyn!

In our designer vs developer nights out, we took a trip to Riley’s Snooker hall in Reading for a bit of doubles snooker. The teams were made up from the Technical and Design teams and our new ‘New Business’ Guru Rob Jennings

Being used to Pool, we found Snooker quite a challenge to start with being that the tables are four times the size!! After a few pints the balls were flowing on (and off) the table. Not top class by any means however. A highest break of 14 throughout the whole night but it’s a tough game to play

Attendees were

• Dax
• Simon
• Craig
• Rob de la Jennings
• Nat
• Binu
• Tun
• Tim

The mascots have been unveiled, here they are, Wenlock and Manderville. These mascots have been created out ofchildren and family focus groups, to connect young people with sport.

Lord Coe commented, “we’ve created our mascots for children,” and gee, doesn’t it seems like the kids started to designed them, colour them in and then just abandoned  them.

Of course it is important for people to be reminded of the history of the Paralympics and Olympics but, apart from their names, is it really clear that these two represent anything?

No doubt, the London Olympic Committee (Locog) has tried hard to avoid the controversy which surrounded the unveiling of the Games logo in 2007. Where there was widespread criticism of the £400,000 emblem designed by the Wolff Olins agency.

Backed up with extensive research there must be a reason why we have blobs as mascots!

The two characters are named after the village of Much Wenlock in Shropshire - which hosted a precursor to the modern Olympic Games in the 19th Century - and the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire.

Each has small details, which are meant to represent London and the games including; Wenlock’s Olympic ring bracelet, and Mandeville's head reflects aspects of the three crescent shapes of the Paralympics symbol. Then there is the supposed homage to London taxis as each mascot has a yellow light on its head.

Now, those cynical people out there, may suggest that a yellow taxi light is not representative of a Black Cab, and in fact could be any cab in the world – but who are we to judge?

The choice of the silver and gold colours is of course the two winning colours, but considering the Olympic rings are so bright, why choose such bland colours to entertain the main target audience – children!

The whole marketing strategy behind these two is aimed at children, the animated TV series –developed by author Morpurgo – and the merchandising.

For those that have children, they will know that the blandest toys are left at the bottom of the box. But that is ok, because the background story is meant to guarantee a commitment to the characters and to encourage sales of the toy?

The animated series is the one push that will make or break the campaign; the story begins when two drops of steel are taken from a factory in Bolton by a retiring worker who fashions characters out of the metal for his grandchildren.

Since their unveiling, the mascots have served up a mixture of emotions including: 

 “Very British if you ask me!” VeganVal

“This is Gumby and Cyclop’s love child” Christibubbles

“I think they are extremely odd looking but who knows - maybe they are trying to be futuristic?” Lauren Finn Designs

“I really like the idea- they are both bold and innovative designs rather than simply trying to cash in on a cute/fluffy image. Well done to the designers for showing a willingness to put so much effort into something to take us through the games!” Red-Rover

“I think the Mascots are very funky, modern and stylish.” Richard Green

Whether or not they are a hit, they have achieved their goal of getting people talking; now all they need to do is get people buying!

What do you think of these new characters?

If you missed the fabulous newsletter this week, then you missed some great designs for Worlds Graphic Day by the creative team. Yes, it was a while ago (27th April) but that is no reason for us not to show off the skills the CJ office has.

Take another look here; http://creative-jar.com/articles-May-2010#world-graphics-day

Click on the images and you will see them in there full glory!

Enjoy. 

Whether or not the sun is blazing down, it is still warm enough for a BBQ!

The whole team has been outside filling their belly's with yummy burgers and sausages.

The week has been an interesting one, there have been babies and toddlers running around as their mummies have helped us carry out user testing. And there was a small office move, ready for a new team member to come on board next week.

We also voted for the Most Excellent Person of the Week, and this week's winner is...

Sian Aldridge

For or against social networking it is here to stay.

On Facebook alone there are more than 400 million users, with over 50% logging on every day! (Facebook stats) The popular belief is that sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Xanga etc. are for the ‘yoof’ of today however, the average user is 37. (Pingdom)

In fact, according to Pingdom, 64% of Twitter’s users are aged 35 or older, 61% of Facebooks’s users are aged 35 or older and the average MySpace user is 31! The Tech-savvy span all age ranges, and it is the older generation that are using the networking phenomenon to make a difference, to get connections and network; and it is this age group who are the decision makers in organisations.

The difference social networking can make is outstanding. Take Jon Morter for example, a 35 year old logistics expert from Chelmsford, he decided to use Facebook to change the face of the music history. His story began in 2008 when he attempted to get Rick Astley to the top of the Christmas charts. Although Alexandra Burke won, there was a clear Rick Astley resurgence which gave him the chance to tour again in the summer. At Christmas Jon Morter tried again, pitting Rage against the Machine against Joe McElderry of X-factor fame. Thanks to celebratory backing the plight snowballed and the single sold 50,000 more than Joe’s.This win was seen as a bit of fun, but it really does show what the public can do if they have a voice.

This phenomenon can be used negatively too. When Jon Venables was recalled to court, early this year, a vigilante group setup a Facebook account naming David Clavert as the Bulger Killer. Over 2,000 people joined, all seeking revenge for the crime – without taking into account that Jon Venables would have been in a prison and not wandering the streets of Blackpool. The account was shut down before any statistics about age could be garnered but it would be logical to suggest it wasn’t a group of under 18’s.

The rise of the internet and social networking has given everyone an opportunity to share their opinion. When more than 100 people agree then the process of change can start. Although these activists are voicing their opinion and Digg-ing or Reddit-ing it, they are not physically making the change. Rage against the Machine won through download sales and David Calvert was never physically hurt by the 2,000 strong mob.

The 2010 election is another example of how social networkers are all talk but no trousers. During the TV debates, Twitter and Facebook was alight with ‘Cleggmania’. Various Libdem hash tags assured that the party was in the top 5 Twitter trends for the weeks running up to Election Day.

The exit polls and even Nick Clegg himself suggested a two-horse race between Liberal Democrats and the Tories. By reading Twitter many were inclined to agree. Then Election Day came and the Liberal Democrats have only won 57 seats, (they had 62 in the last general election 2005) and actually lost a number of seats to the Conservative and Labour parties.

The TV debates gave the country the opportunity to vote for who their favourite party was, and in every one Nick Clegg came equal or surpassed David Cameron. So what happened to these people? If the average age is 37, are these not the majority voters? Why are they not getting on their feet and reiterating their strong opinions? If the country could vote online for the general election, would we see a huge difference in proportional seats?

This age group are also the ones that buy the larger products, the new cars, the kitchens and the expensive holidays and as this last example shows; to use social networking to your advantage you need to make consumers really want what you are selling.

Focus your audience on one area of your product, i.e. sales, and then get people talking. Use friends, family and customers to review the product and get them tweeting about it, becoming a fan of it etc. soon it will be clear how big a difference, social networking can make.

There is more to life than a computer, but why not take advantage of it?

The bank holiday, although disappointing weather-wise, put everyone in good spirits.

When the Most Excellent Person was announced, it was no surprise that Ben MacGowan was the winner.

Last week he had two pieces of work published in two separate magazines, but his passion for the job meant that he never slowed down on his Creative Jar responsibilities.

The Tech-savvy span all age ranges, and the socialnetworking phenomenon is trying to make a difference and a change. However,with most people having their own Twitter, Facebook, MySpace account many wouldrather express themselves through typing then go out and make a changephysically.

The 2010 election is example of how social networkers areall talk but no trousers.  During the TVdebates, Twitter and Facebook was alight with ‘Cleggmania’. Various Libdem hashtags assured that the party was in the top 5 Twitter trends for the weeksrunning up to Election Day.

The exit polls and even Nick Clegg himself suggested atwo-horse race between Liberal Democrats and the Tories. By reading Twittermany were inclined to agree. Then Election Day came; so far Liberal Democratshave only won 52 seats, (they had 62 in the last general election 2005) andactually lost a number of seats to the Conservative and Labour parties. 

The TV debates gave the country the opportunity to vote forwho their favourite party was, and in every one Nick Clegg came equal orsurpassed David Cameron. So what happened to these people? If the average ageis 37, are these not the majority voters? Why are they not getting on theirfeet and reiterating their strong opinions?

If the country could vote online for the general election,would we see a huge difference in proportional seats?

The tech-savvy generation may well be too tech-savvy for itsown good. Greece and France have revolted for their country but the UK seems tobe sitting at their computer complaining on one of their blogs.

Social networking should not be thrown to one side as it canmake a difference, but it is important to remember there is more to life than acomputer.

Calling all yummy mummies, fancy getting some goodies?

Creative Jar, in cooperation with a popular baby brand, is looking for mums or mums-to-be, to take part in user testing on the 12^th May.

Come and spend half a day, from 1 – 6pm, testing the site and offering your thoughts into how it should be run.

We are only looking for 4-5 people; get in touch now so you don’t miss out.

Contact Sian Aldridge Sian@creative-jar.com for more information.