Thursday 16 January 2014

Zapp!

So I was scrolling through my Twitter news feed considering that since PR Week changed their magazine to being monthly, it feels like ages since I have really read anything that is industry relevant (with the exception of the many dissertation references I've read). So I head to Brand Republic Twitter page and find a story that not only is quite relevant to my dissertation but for some reason really catches my attention, so I thought I'd blog about it!...

Zapp is a new mobile payment service, looking to invest millions into a campaign to take on competitors PayPal and Weve. It has already founded partnerships with HSBC, First Direct, Nationwide, Santander and Metro Bank, which will use Zapp technology for their current account holders who use their banking apps on their smartphones or tablets. The technology brings the latest in integration where consumers can pay via Zapp in stores and online, rendering the need for cards and cash unnecessary.

The three main objectives for Zapp's campaign are:

- To make people aware of the brand
- Educate them on mobile payments
- Drive usage

The technology is also very competitively priced compared to PayPal and overall the launch is promising!

Whilst the strategy appears to be all thought through and put into place, I'm excited to see the campaign materials and communications but we shall have to wait until the Autumn of this year to find out. Zapp is said to mark the revolution in moneys' digital switch-over so watch this space!

Sources for further info:
Brand Republic Story
Telegraph Story

Monday 13 January 2014

Future Pathways

So good news is I'm on a 1st streak with all of my first four assignments of this year! Hopefully this can be maintained! I've got three assignments in (including my dissertation lit review and methodology) due in all before 4th February! But thankfully I made myself do a fair bit of work over my Christmas Break and feel I'm on top of most of it! Back to university tomorrow after three weeks, although it's been good, it feels like Christmas has just been and gone and now it's long gone with all the work that I've been doing. I'm hoping Christmas this year makes up for this one just gone and being a bit of a blur! I also turned 21- getting old now!

And with that I've also got to start thinking about my future options and what I want to do after university. Honestly I don't know... Well I do, but I'm scared! Scared that committing to one thing means I can never do anything else I might have wanted to try out- but, I know, obviously that's ridiculous! I think it's just a lot to take in and being worried that I won't find a job for a while, meaning I won't have any form of income or anything to do with myself! Whilst a few months extra summer holiday would be lovely, I really wouldn't mind just jumping straight into work as I treated last summer as my last ever summer holiday so I wouldn't feel like I've missed out on anything. I still plan to do the usual summer events though- go on holiday, although that will probably be later on in the year and consist of a late deal and maybe go to a music festival one weekend or two and definitely spend plenty of time with my friends and family, enjoying the hopefully nice-ish British weather!

My internship is going well and I'm enjoying it so much. I just love being in the environment of working and feeling like what I'm doing is going to make some kind of difference to a business or client. I still get a little buzz when I see something I have written posted on the client's blog or webpage! I have my internship until April and then I have lots of time for my exam revision. Then... well who knows really what will happen. Life has a funny way of working out but not how you expected it to initially. I'm a firm believer of everything happens for a reason and so far that little motto hasn't failed me.

It's just so strange to think this year everything is going to be changing drastically. It' already started really. I finished my part-time job at the Garden Centre Cafe that I've worked at for nearly two years. It's sad to go as I've never enjoyed a part time job so much! I like it so much that I'm buying my own coffee machine with a milk frother so I can still make drinks :) But I simply can't commit to my internship and a part time job whilst having all my uni work to do also. So there we go... the days of part-time work are over (technically speaking, unless I get something else over the summer as a bit of stepping stone between uni and working) but essentially my weekends are now mine again to do what I want with! I've started learning to ski so probably either doing that or uni work are the likely options!