Andy Hadfield

ZDNet’s ITFact blog recently reported that Americans conducted over 6 billion searches – in June 2006 alone! Now, we knew Americans were online. Broadband penetration of 70% etc. etc. Still, that’s whopping big number.

Try this on for size. Google has a new service about to graduate from Google Labs – Google Trends. Although they “disclaim” that the results are an approximation, they certainly tell an interesting story about Africans, particularly South Africans on the path to catching up. What you’re about to see are proportional results of the number of searches performed by country on particular keywords…


As you can see in the pic, proportionally, South Africans search for BMW more than any other country bar Germany (thanks to Scott Gray, Online Marketing Manager at BMW JHB for this tip)! And then, for some of our building industry clients – how startling are these results? Almost double the proportional amount of searches for “building glass” than our nearest rival – New Zealand. 5…

I should be a Virgin Money client. I’m not. Having had the pleasure of witnessing the effective Bling Bling Billboard campaign, I hit their website like a faithful sheep in search of an extended credit limit. My quick “I’m interested – hit me back” email received a warm-hearted, but blatantly incorrect automated response. Persevering, I tried again – and amusingly got the same automated response.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andy Hadfield
> Sent: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 17:58:21 +0200
> To:
> Subject: interested...
>
> would be interested...
> 083xxxxxxx

> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> To: "Andy Hadfield"
> Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 5:59 PM
> Subject: interested... [EC: 3CA9E7DD]
>
>> We hear what you say and we will take your feedback to heart to make sure
>> you get the service and products you deserve!
>>
>> Thanks a bunch!
>>
>> The Virgin Money Team

As Marketers, we’ve got to remember that techn…

An expert in the design of web strategies and online communities, Andy Hadfield is internationally recognised as a pioneer on the South African Internet.




Andy’s groundbreaking work has led to numerous accolades, including being identified as a future South African leader by Common Purpose International and Brightest Young Minds. He also represented South Africa as a Web Ambassador in SABC’s TV series, S’Camto Groundbreakers.

His IT career began early when he successfully co-launched getAlife, the largest national student portal at the time while still studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT) for a degree in Communications. The site revolutionised the way corporate South Africa interacted with youth brands and helped companies understand and unlock the potential of the internet as a viable and measurable media channel. In fact, some might say it was the first social network to hit South Africa.

He then spent 4 years as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for The Virtual Works, where…