James Tuckerman
James Tuckerman is one of Australia's most accomplished digital publishers. He's an entrepreneur, angel investor, consultant, coach and public speaker.
He is best known for launching Anthill Magazine, in 2003, from the spare bedroom of his parents' home. He was then 26 years of age. In 2004 and 2005, he was named Best Small Publisher in Australia by the ABA (now Publishers Australia).
In early 2009, he reinvented the Anthill business model, abandoning its print origins in favour of a 100% digital product. Within six-months, AnthillOnline.com was listed by Nielsen Online Ratings among the Top 50 Business & Finance websites in Australia (http://anthillonline.wpengine.com/about-us/).
Since then, he has launched numerous digital ventures and helped other companies, large and small, make the transition online or helped them significantly improve their online commercial outcomes.
To contact James, go to LinkedIn.
Is theatre the future of retail?
For beer consumers, I imagine this innovation might be an enormous boon (personally, I'm a quantity over quality type of guy). However, I suspect that the real commercial advantage drawn from the Beer Vault might not be its capacity to expand beer drinkers' palates and prevent wastage.
Paragliding donkey the stupidest marketing stunt ever? We have six more.
Based on dim-memory, subjective reasoning and a (slightly self-conscious) desire to create a traffic accumulating list of massive link bait longevity (like this one), we've created what we've (rather ambitiously) called, "The seven stupidest marketing stunts of all time." (The stunts are presented in no particular order.)
How to create compelling offers for the web: Make them retweetable!
For the first article in this series, I asked 'Why are you bothering with online marketing?' My purpose, of course, was to emphasise the importance of creating measurable goals. But, be warned, even the most splashy, expensive, creative, courageous marketing initiative will fail if it is not built on a suitable foundation. To generate any interest in the online space, you must first develop a compelling reason for your target market to actually want to engage with you.
Old Spice adopts new approach to FMCG marketing
If you haven't already watched the commercial below, you're about to see what is already being described as one of the best brand re-launches of all time. It deservedly won the Film grand prix at the Cannes Lions and is now being praised, far and wide, for the way its creators Wieden + Kennedy have extended the reach of the campaign to embrace social media.
Why are you bothering with online marketing in the first place?
Once upon a time, a week wouldn't pass without at least one phone call or email from an aspiring print magazine publisher. These days, if there is one subject I'm asked my opinion on more than any other it's the strangely daunting topic of online marketing. For that reason, this article aspires to be the first in a series: The Anthill Guide to Online Marketing for Small Business Owners and Startups.
Past winners talk about winning Enterprize (How would you spend $100,000?)
It's been an enjoyable ride watching the evolution of the University of Queensland Business School's Enterprize competition. The winners are always an inspiring lot. But so have been the various promotional videos that the University has created in recent years to promote the awards.
Dell’s Richard Binhammer: Twitter for big business [VIDEO]
Yesterday, in Sydney, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Dell's Richard Binhammer. According to the company bio, he's "a core member of Dell’s Social Media Advisory Council and responsible for designing and implementing digital media and blog outreach, with a special emphasis on communities and corporate reputation." What does this mean? He's the guy largely responsible for Dell's pioneering moves in social media over the past four years.
Australian innovation lets the people of PNG pay for electricity using mobile phone credits...
The rapid adoption of this service highlights the suitability of mobile payment technology in developing countries, which often do not have access to the same payment methods and services available in developed markets. It also highlights a trend that Australian software and application developers best not ignore.
Preview released for Mark Zuckerberg movie
It was only a matter of time. Columbia Pictures has adapted the story of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, to create The Social Network, due for US release in October. However, it's likely to face stiff competition, with the Middle Men due for release in August. Yup, it's another tale of internet fame and fortune 'based on a real story' -- the 'invention' of ecommerce.
Startup School scrapes attendee tweets to create eBook
What I personally found so interesting about this item of digital media is that it was created by the crowd and assembled by attendees (or one particularly passionate attendee in particular). And, despite having not attended the event, I suspect that it is more helpful than most of the glossy 'take homes' I find shoved in most 'goodie-bags' post most conferences.
Video parodies go viral in support of new Communications Minister
Today, the Twittersphere is alive with speculation over whether the controversial internet filtering policy will be ditched and what the future holds for Senator Conroy. The general consensus seems to be one involving a Cabinet shuffle, letting Conroy keep responsibility for the NBN and passing the Communications portfolio to fellow Labor Senator Kate Lundy. Many pundits would be pleased with this development. And so, it could also be argued, might the good Senator himself.
Anthill’s Five Most Influential Posts
They were chosen for the way they influenced us (yes, Anthill) and, therefore, the way we report to you. Sure, it's a slightly narcissistic email but, in a strange way, our chosen five also seem to say a great deal about the changing nature of business in Australia. The five are presented in no particular order.
A short apology. (Damn gremlins!)
You may have noticed that on Tuesday we dispatched a promotional message from ANZ, featuring the merry greeting, "Happy Friday!" Our official policy is...
BP spills coffee. Obama bursts into song. Beer O’clock has obviously come early.
What's the difference between tragedy and comedy? According to Mel Brooks: "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." For the rest of us, the difference is usually just a matter of timing. Is it too soon to start making fun of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (also referred to as the BP Oil Spill)? Well that, according to the folk at UCBComedy, depends entirely on who you are making fun of.
Want VC from Google? Here’s the guy who decides whether to invest in your...
Amin Zoufonoun is a senior member of Google’s Corporate Development team, which is responsible for evaluating, negotiating and executing Google's mergers, acquisitions and investments. In an email interview, we asked him to share his views about future opportunities for Australian startups and what he looks for when evaluating investments.
Does brokepacker.com deserve to be our website-of-the-week?
According to the brokepacker.com founder Kevin Lippy, backpackers are only interested in three things: "Beer, sex and cheap deals." And he should know. Last month, we quoted another of Kevin's 'off-the-cuff' remarks as a Tequila Shot when he described his recent achievement moving into a youth hostel as a form of career advancement. (Of course, his goal was to gain a better understanding of his audience.)
Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin’s $500 startup in 7 days… 133 days later [VIDEO]
Frequent Anthill readers may recall Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin's blog series, How to build a startup in seven days and under $500. I caught up with Sebastien in Sydney last month and had a great time sampling fine coffee and sharing war-stories. Of course, I also had to ask that important question: What has happened to his 7-day startup in the past 133 days?
Flipping websites a con?
A post last week from Flippa.com marketing manager Luke Moulton prompted a fierce response from some of our readers. To look at the post, titled 7 things you must do before attempting to sell your website, with its six comments, you wouldn't initially think this to be the case. This is largely because the most passionate responses bypassed our formal comments section.
Australian business investment returning back to 2008 levels [PODCAST]
RMIT economist Steve Kates talks about business investment, which is headed back to 2008 levels. He also looks at construction activity which appears to be flat with reduced investment in residential housing. This will exacerbate the housing shortage. He predicts high debt levels will drive inflation around the world as governments are forced to print more money to stay afloat.
Why Innovation (with a capital ‘I’) is not essential to long term success
Rear vision is a wonderful thing, but if you look at the history of disruptive pioneers you will find the path littered with the corpses of those who dared to be first with disruptions but failed, as is so often the case. The problem is that these pioneers are seldom heard from.
