Sydney NYE 2006/7 - Fireworks

Just a few days late now, so - Happy New Year!

We headed over to Bradleys Head, just under Taronga Zoo to watch the fireworks on New Years Eve, and Sydney certainly didn't disappoint. We were greeted with 2 sets of stunning firework displays, the 9pm family display and the 15minute long 2007 New Years Eve Fireworks display!

It was simply stunning, and as we sat water front looking out over Sydney Harbour, the thousands and thousands of yahts, sports cruisers and party boats we asked our selves was there a better location in the world?

I took a few happy snaps with my girlfriends camera while we were there. If anoyone requests, ill upload a whole bunch of larger shots. But as you can see from these 250px images - it was fantastic! (although nothing does it justice as to being there - or at least watching it on tv!)

BCF Fishing Classic Game

Last friday we launched BCF's first flash game called BCF Fishing Classic. It's been produced specifically to give a little something back to the 60,000+ members of Club BCF. The basics of the game are; catch as many fish as possible while avoiding the junk, seagull and standing still. The faster you catch fish and the more they weigh in at, gives you longer playing time.

Once you make a big catch, it's now time to dish out the bragging rights - by clicking the Challenge your friends button you can send out the challenge (with your score) to 4 mates at a time. This really became the viral aspect of the campaign, in which our goal is to not only give back to the loyal members, but to also attract new customers.

The vision here is to have current customers or regular users of the website challenge friends who have not yet experienced BCF, by bringing them to the website through the hook of a cool little flash game which then gives BCF the opportunity to establish thier credentials, range, experience and branding. Obviously we are searching for a % of these people to become customers, and dare I say with the success of these stores we would be looking at a high conversion rate here.

Oh, almost forgot the game stats. 15,000 unique players in the first 5 days! What's your best score? I had a best catch of 55kg - so far!

I must say, this was a great project to work on, we (especially me) got right into the fishing spirit and the entire advertising agency dropped production levels by at least 20% around testing time ;)

Looking for an Interactive Job?

Hey all, I'll keep this section simple. At IdeaWorks (Yes, we are still re-designing the website!) From time to time (2007 will become more & more frequent) we may be looking for people who are a cut above the rest. People prepared to put in the hard yards, people who above all have a real passion for the web, for design, for the interactive industry. I'm talking about the people who spend their free time playing around in flash to learn the latest techniques. People who read all the latest online trends, news and technology. People who are perfectionists. So if this sounds like you, your mate, or your sisters aunty - get them to post a quick comment, a portfolio or resume link and a contact number :) This is the first place ill look (plus send contacts to) for new candidates in the areas of;

• Web Designers
• Flash Designers
• Flash Programmers
• Interactive Producers
• Search Engine Strategists & Optimisation
• Search Engine Marketers
• Interactive Account Managers

BCF: Boating Camping Fishing

Recently we launched a new website for BCF. A new company from the Australian Super Cheap Auto Group, BCF - Boating Camping Fishing is it's new powerhouse company. Launching with 2 stores in Queensland 12 months ago, BCF now has over 26 stores nation wide!
This website is pretty unique, in that it harnesses a host of features; weather forecasts & swell information for your favourite fishing spot. We even have an entire directory of Australia's fish, allowing you to view, research & learn about the fish you want to catch, we even tell you the best bait & location to catch the fish your looking for!
In the members only section you will find downloadable wallpapers with amazing photography, shot by me! Look out for a few fancy features we are looking at developing - like intergrating Google Maps to create a visual of the best fishing spots in town & maps to get there. If your wondering why this website is special it's because BCF stocks the largest range of Boating, Camping and Fishing gear in Australia - something like 15,000 luers and over 5000 fishing rods (for example!)
On another pretty exciting note for BCF, we have created an interactive online store that incorporates hundres of thousands of products into the latest version of Adobe Flex. It's completly fluid and features a whole host of drag and drop options, comparisons and a amazing product selecter!

This site was designed and developed in a fantastic partnership between us at IdeaWorks and WDG Alfresco. So if your a keen fisherman, boating enthusiast or camper - I seriously suggest you check them out.

Aden Hepburn: About Me

It's time I introduced my self. I'm the Interactive Producer at IdeaWorks, Sydney, Australia. I design, create, strategise, produce and manage major interactive campaigns for our high profile clients across Australia.

Just to give you a background on our agency, IdeaWorks is one of Australia's leading advertising agencies. We work on some of the biggest brands in the country with a focus on retail. From BigW, McDonalds, Optus and BWS right through to clients like Volkswagen, Landcom, Westfield, Woolworths and Ripcurl.

My role is to manage all interactive work that comes through the agency.
This covers things like, new websites, online strategies, flash games, interactive banner campaigns, email campaigns, animation, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing, seeding, blogging, micro sites, promo websites and implementing content management systems - just to name a few!

I also develop the online strategies, ideas and designs for our new and existing clients.
If you would like to get in contact with me, my direct line is +61 2 9909 4645 or you can leave a comment below.