It is no secret that I love the photo-sharing website Flickr.

I have had an account on Flickr since 2007 and have uploaded more than 3,100 photographs in that time that have been viewed by more than 107,000 people.

I have made many online friends as a result of Flickr and the website has been useful in attracting customers to my own photo website Photologium. I have always believed that Flickr is the best photo-sharing website and continue to believe this. But something disturbing has been settling in the back of my mind about Flickr for quite some time.

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I have just returned from a brief stay in New South Wales, where I had the experience of staying in two Formule 1 motels.

I have to say I was rather unimpressed with the sort of accommodation that was on offer at their Newcastle and Gosford establishments and wanted to share my experiences with you all in the form of a review.

I have been aware of the budget Formule 1 chain for quite some time but I had no idea what I was in for as I’d never stayed in one before. Clearly, the price should have been an indication to me, but it wasn’t.

The first stay was at Formule 1 Newcastle, which is actually in a far-flung dull suburb called Wallsend on the west of the city. I have stayed in motel rooms in Tokyo and in all honesty, this was hardly any bigger. In fact, I suspect that many of New South Wales’ petty criminals would enjoy a similar level of amenity in the state’s low-security prisons, but without the various hanging points. Read the rest of this entry »

To my readers, friends and colleagues:

I sincerely wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas and all the best for the year ahead.

Christmas is not only a time to celebrate our Christian faith with friends and family, but a time to relax and enjoy all that the season has to offer.

Whatever Christmas means for you, may the season be filled with joy and peace. I wish you an enjoyable and rewarding year ahead.

Regards,

Surely one of the most successful marketing decisions of 2011 has been the “Share a Coke” advertising campaign?

Coca-Cola Amatil, who manufacture Coca-Cola in Australia, have pioneered a campaign where the 150 most popular Australian names have been randomly printed on bottles and cans of the beverage. This has been a stroke of marketing brilliance as people have searched for ‘their’ bottle including those who don’t even drink Coca-Cola.

Last week, whilst in company I discovered my own name printed on a bottle that was sitting at the front of a drinks cabinet at a local bakery.

Of course I was inclined to buy the bottle and I don’t even like Coca-Cola.

In all honesty I don’t know why I bought it, especially because I consider myself to be quite resistant to “marketing ploys”. Regardless, I can’t argue that the novelty value is there, even if I gave the beverage away.

The “Share a Coke” campaign was the work of Ogilvy & Mather and commenced in September 2011 with the 150 most-popular Australian names. Following the launch of the campaign it is believed that Coca-Cola have experienced a substantial increase in sales as well as invaluable social media and news exposure.

For those folk with less-conventional names or nicknames, Coca-Cola visited shopping centres where people could queue and get a custom name such as Udaya, Khuntoria, Chibi or Skyro printed on their can of Coke.

The campaign was so successful that in November Coca-Cola announced that a ballot would be held to add another 50 names to the mix in 2012. That ballot has now been completed and the names announced.

Following the success of the campaign in Australia, Share a Coke will be expanded internationally in 2012.

As regular readers of the Grapevine will be aware, I have made a few horticultural visits of late, including Gardenworld in Braeside and the National Rhododendron Garden.

The last of these visits was Cloudehill Nursery and Garden in Olinda, which is located in the picturesque Dandenong Ranges.

The last time I went to Cloudehill was in 1996, so it’s been a while. Being based in the Dandenongs, it is a pleasant drive to get to these gardens which can easily be spotted from the road by the bright green fence and prominent sign.

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