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AUTOCOR (Jan96) xanadu.xronos AUTOCOR (Jan96) NAME autocor -- Calculates auto correlation using a fast or slow algorithm for 1 input time series USAGE autocor file(s)+options window dtnb nbint nintfm rebin outfile plot plotdev DESCRIPTION This task calculates an auto correlation for one time series, plots and outputs the results (in a FITS file). The auto correlation is computed either by an FFT algorithm or a direct slow algorithm. The paramater "fast" can be used to select the type of algorithm (the default is set to fast). The input file format is FITS using the BINTABLE extension. Both binned data format and event format are input (FILELIST and INPUT FILE OPTIONS). Time, Phase, Intensity and Exposure windows (See WINDOW) allow for data screening. Input data can be rebinned and divided into Intervals and Frames (See GENERAL XRONOS TERMINOLOGY). The results of the auto correlation from several intervals can be averaged in a frame, and the averaged results can be rebinned. The standard plot output is the auto correlation function versus time delay (See PLOT). The error bars are calculated from the standard deviation of the average of the auto correlations in each delay bin from different intervals, if the specified number of intervals per frame is larger than the value of "errorbars" parameter (default =5); otherwise error bars are set =0. For the "slow" method only, error bars are also obtained by propagating the theoretical errors bars of the auto correlations from individual intervals in turn obtained by propagating the newbin error bars through the auto correlation formula. Different normalization can be used for the auto correlation by changing the parameter "normalization" (See normalization). normalization The "normalization" paramater has the following meanings (and values) : * =0 autocorrelations are normalised by dividing by the number of good newbins in each interval, i.e. they are autocovariances. * =1 (d/f); autocorrelations are normalised by dividing by the number of good newbins and the variance of newbins in each interval. The autocorrelation at zero time delay is =1 by definition. * =2 non-zero (zero) delay autocorrelations are normalised by dividing by the number of good newbins and the excess variance (variance) of newbins in each interval. Problems arise when, due to statistical fluctuations, the excess variance of an interval is negative. In order to avoid a meaningless negative normalization, 'autocor' automatically adopts normalization 1. * =3 non-zero (zero) delay autocorrelations are normalised by dividing by the excess variance (variance) of newbins in each frame after averaging autocovariances. Problems arise again when, due to statistical fluctuations, the excess variance of a frame is negative. In this case normalization 1 is adopted automatically. If other values than those listed above are used, they are treated as =0. GENERAL XRONOS TERMINOLOGY Within XRONOS tasks, BINS and NEWBINS control the binning used in the analysis, INTERVALS the subdivision of the time series and FRAME the grouping of the output results: BINS : these are the time bins of the time series being analysed. More than one input file can have different bin durations, e.g. two consecutive time series, one with 0.5 s bins and the other with 2 s bins. The original bin time is the value stored in the input file in the keyword TIMEDEL. If the data are stored in each row as an array with 1CTYPn = 'TIME', the original bin is set to the value stored in the keyword 1CDLTn (where n is the column number). NEWBINS : these correspond to the time resolution at which the analysis is carried out. Note that: (i) newbins cannot be shorter than the longest bin duration of the time series being analysed; (ii) in many XRONOS applications (e.g. powspec, autocor, crosscorr) the newbin duration is forced to be an integer multiple of the longest bin duration. INTERVAL : an interval is defined by the number of newbins over which the analysis is carried out. Note that in applications using FFT algorithms (e.g. powspec, autocor and crosscor set in fast mode) the number of newbins in an interval is a power of 2. FRAME : a frame consists of the average of the results of the analysis of one or more contiguous intervals. Note that in 'lcurve', 'efsearch' and 'lcstats' a frame consists always of one interval. WINDOWS If any window is required during the analysis, a window file containing the relevant windows must be created with the application XRONWIN, before running a XRONOS task. There are 4 different types of windows : * Time Windows : consist of up to 1000 time intervals * Phase Windows : consist of an Epoch, a Period and up to 10 phase intervals * Intensity Windows : consist of up to 10 intensity in bin, newbin and interval * Exposure Windows : consist of up to 1 exposure in bin, newbin and interval Intensity and Exposure Windows can be specified independently for: (i) Bins , (ii) New Bins , (iii) Intervals. When dealing with more than one time series, Intensity and Exposure Windows must be specified separately for each series. Time and Phase windows are applied to Bins. Intensity and Exposure windows are applied first to Bins, then Newbins and finally to Intervals as specified. For time and phase windows, only those bins whose center time is within the start and stop of a time window or phase window (for a specified epoch and period) are accepted. Intensity windows must be ordered with increasing intensity and if set for newbins can be used in conjunction with "Special Newbin Windows" (see below). Exposure Windows consist of a minimum and a maximum exposure level. Units are such that 1 means 100% exposure. The Newbin Exposure is obtained by propagating the bin exposures to each newbin. For example, if in a 30 s newbin the total exposure (due to the sum of the individual exposure of the bins contributing to the given newbin) is 18 s then its exposure is 60%. The Interval Exposure is the ratio of accepted to expected newbins: for example, if a 128 newbin long interval contains only 32 accepted newbins, then its exposure is 25%. Many XRONOS application use some default exposure windows, which are designed to avoid analysing data sets which are too inhomogeneous with respect to their statistical properties. The minimum default Exposure windows in an Interval is set to 0.0 in the lcurve, efold and efsearch and to 0.5 (i.e. 50% exposure ) in all the other tasks. Note that exposures can be higher than 100% (e.g. if the newbin time is not a multiple of the bin time, then "beats" are generated which might bring the exposure of a newbin to values >100%; or if two or more input files for the same time series overlap in part, some of the newbins will be more than 100% exposed). IMPORTANT NOTE WHEN TIME WINDOWS ARE SET IN THE WINDOW FILE: The time used within XRONOS tasks is Truncated Julian Days (TJD= JD-2440000.5) if either (1) the keyword MJDREF is present in the header or (2) if the TIMESYS value is one of the following strings MJD or JD or TJD. If (2), the time values are expected to be stored as JD, MJD or TJD in the header keywords and in the TIME column in which case the MJDREF keyword is not used (it should not be present). When Time windows are set using XRONWIN, they must be compatible with the values in header of the timing keywords and/or the values in the TIME column. An additional window type called "Special Newbin Window" can be set directly from the parameter file. Special Newbin Windows are used to exclude the parts of a light curve which immediately follow or precede a burst or a background event which has been rejected by intensity windows in newbins. The Special Window operates on newbins in conjunction with intensity windows (in newbins) and are specified by changing to positive values the parameters 'spwinbefore' and 'spwindowafter'. Their use is the following: if e.g. spwinbefore is set =10, all newbins, whose center time is within 10 second before the center time of a newbin rejected by intensity windows, will also be rejected; if e.g. spwindowafter is set =20, all newbins, whose center time is within 20 second after the center time of a newbin rejected by intensity windows, will also be rejected. FILELIST and INPUT FILE OPTIONS To input multiple files for each time series, a file containing the list of files is needed (Filelist). The Filelist is input in the program as '@Filelist'. The format of this file list is ascii and contains one filename+options per line. Files from different times series are separated by '///' mark. Below is an example of the Filelist containing 2 files for 3 different times series. file1_ser1 file2_ser1 /// file1_ser2 file2_ser2 /// file1_ser3 file2_ser3 The Input File Options (up to 10) can be specified for each file in the same input string. They consist of 2 characters followed by a numerical constant (up to 8 character long). There are two groups of options. The first allows data selection within a FITS extension. The available options within this group are : frN= start reading input file from row number N (first row) lrN= stop reading input file from row number N (last row) vxN= use column number N as x-axis (i.e. time axis, default name is TIME) vyN= use column number N as y-axis (default names are COUNT or RATE) vsN= use column number N as error for y-axis (default name is ERROR) veN= use column number N as exposure (default name FRACEXP). If the input file is an event list, exposure is by default calculated using the GTI extension. In this case, N=0 turns off the usage of the GTI extension for the exposure calculation, and N > 0 specifies the GTI extension to use. feN= select data (either binned or events) from channel number N (First Energy). For an event list channel selection is made using the column named 'PHA' leN= select data (either binned or events) to channel number N (Last Energy). For event list the default column channel name searched is 'PHA'. The option 'vcN' allows the choice of a channel column name different from 'PHA' (es. 'PI'). vcN= use column number N for channel selection (valid only for event lists). rtN= use extension N of the FITS file to read the data. The first extension is N=1 (the primary array is irrelevant). To specify the extension the following also can be used: filename[N] or filename+N. of = The MJDREF keyword is not used. The time is calculated using the TIME column and the TIMEZERO keyword. The second group of options performs algebraic operations on individual input files. They are applied in the same order in which are specified. For event files they are applied after the data are binned. The available options within this group are: stX = Shift all Time in input file by X days ssX = Shift all times in input file by X Seconds muX= multiply data and errors by X (MUltiply) mdX= multiply data by X (Multiply Data) meX= multiply errors by X (Multiply Errors maX= as muX but exposure is divided by X diX= divide data and errors by X (DIvide) ddX= divide data by X (Divide Data) deX= divide errors by X (Divide Errors) daX= as diX but exposure is multiplied by X aaX= add data and errors with X (Add All) adX= add data with X (Add Data) aeX= add errors with X (Add Errors) saX= subtract data and errors with X (Subtract All) sdX= subtract data with X (Subtract Data) seX= subtract errors with X (Subtract Errors) qaX= add to data the square of data muliplied by X and add to errors the product of data and error multiplied by X qdX= as above but for data only qeX= as above but for error only Below is an example of the Filelist containing 2 files for 3 different times series where the different options are applied to the input files for different time series. file1_ser1 aa4 add to data and error 4 file2_ser1 aa4 " " " " /// file1_ser2 rt2 aa2 read 2nd extension; add to data and error 2 file2_ser2 rt2 aa2 " " " " " " " /// file1_ser3 rt2 vy4 vs5 read 2nd extension; use column 4 and 5 for Y-axis and Error file2_ser3 rt2 vy4 vs5 " " " " " " " " " " PLOT The array of results from each XRONOS task can be plotted. The PLT routine (See also QDP/PLT manual) provides the interactive plotting and fitting functions. The plotting function is available for the following tasks : autocor, crosscor, efold, efsearch, lcurve, powspec and timeskew. The 'autocor' plot is the auto correlation function versus time delay (positive) given in seconds. A number of commands can be entered from the 'PLT>' prompt to allow plot customisation (e.g. Add/remove labels; Plot data with various combinations of lines, markers, and error bars; Change text fonts; Change X-axis and/or Y-axis; Change number of plotted panels; Define and Fit models to data). Useful QDP Commands are: PLT> r x xlow xhigh * Rescale X axis PLT> r y ylow yhigh * Rescale Y axis PLT> r xlow xhigh ylow yhigh * Rescale both PLT> log x * X axis is plot in logarithmic scale PLT> log y * Y axis is plot in logarithmic scale PLT> log off * Turn off the logarithmic axes (both X and Y) PLT> dev /xxx * Change the current plot device PLT> mo ? * List available model PLT> mo cons linr * Define model= constant plus linear plt> fit * Fit the defined model PLT> hardcopy filename * Hardcopy of the current plot (postscript) PLT> exit * EXit: to exit from the PLT subroutine type: The QDP/PLT software is provided and maintained by Allyn Tennant (Marshall Space Flight Center). The PLT software uses the PGPLOT Graphics Subroutine Library for plotting, written by T.J. Pearson (California Institute of Technology). OUTPUT The analysis results are output in a FITS file. Two different FITS layouts are available (see parameter outfiletype). The first stores one interval (or frame) of interval results per FITS table row, and the output file will have a single extension. The second stores one interval (or frame) per FITS extension, and the output file will have as many extensions as the number of intervals (or frames). The output file contains, besides the array of results, a number of statistical variables (and errors if appropriate) associated with each interval (or frame) for each time series. These are: 1- average count/s in frame (in a frame this is the average of the averages in intervals); 2- fractional exposure in frame (from average of fractional exposures in intervals, the latter is the ratio of good newbins to the total number of expected newbins/interval); 3-variance in frame (average of variances in intervals); 4- expected variance in frame (average of the expected variances in intervals, the latter is calculated from the error bars of the newbins); 5- 3rd moment in frame (average of 3rd moments in intervals); 6- minimum count/s in frame; 7- maximun count/s in frame; 8- excess variance in frame (average of excess variances in intervals, the latter is calculated as variance-expected variance); 9- chi-square in frame (average of chi-squares in intervals); 10-rms fractional variation in frame (average of rms fractional variation in intervals, the latter is calculated as the square root of the excess variance divided by the average. When "outfiletype"=2, the output file for the 'autocor' task contains in each extension the following columns: time delay, half width of time delay bin, autocorrelation and error. Not many applications can currently deal with the output files produced when "outfiletype"=1. The format will be described in future releases. PARAMETERS cfile1 (filename(s) first series+options) [string] Input filename(s) for the first time series + options. The valid input files are in FITS format using the BINTABLE extension. Xronos tasks read for each time series many consecutive input files (up to 50). Additional flexibility is provided by Input File Options which are used to perform algebraic operations on individual input files (either on the 'times' or on the 'count' or 'count/s' values). The Input file Options are also used to select columns and rows within a FITS file. If the first character of the input string is '@', the rest of the string is taken to be a filename containing the list of input files (Filelist). The Filelist can contain filenames for more than one series. See description of "FILELIST and INPUT FILE OPTIONS". window (name of window file) [string] Filename of the xronos window file. The window file is an ASCII file and by default a standard window file is used, where only exposure windows are set. To modify the standard file or create a new file used the script XRONWIN. dtnb (integration time) [double] The duration in seconds of the NEWBIN time. For binned input files the NEWBIN duration can not be shorter than the longest bin duration in the input file. In a number of XRONOS tasks the NEWBIN time must be an integer multiple of the minimum newbin time. The task internally calculates (and prints on the screen) a default value such that a single interval is produced with a fixed number of newbins (typically between 128 and 4096 depending on the task and on the time interval length see also "nbdf" parameter). Typing 'INDEF' forces the task to use as NEWBIN time the value calculated by the program. NOTE: By pressing return the task will use as NEWBIN time the value found in the parameter file used in a previous run. nbint (number of points per interval) [integer] The number of newbins per interval used in the analysis. The "nbint" together with the NEWBIN duration determines the length in time of an interval and therefore the total number of intervals within the start and stop time over which the analysis will be carried out. Typing 'INDEF' forces the task to use the default value (see parameter "nbdf"). NOTE: By pressing return "nbint" is set to the value found in the parameter file used in a previous run. nintfm (number of intervals per frame) [integer] The results of the analysis from individual intervals can be averaged to produce a frame. The "nintfm" is used to specify the number of intervals averaged in a frame. Typing 'INDEF' forces the task to use the default value (all intervals will be use in one frame). NOTE: By pressing return "nintfm" is set to the value found in the parameter file used in a previous run. rebin (rebin analysis results) [double] The results of the analysis of individual frames can be rebinned either with a constant rebinning factor or as a geometrical series (to produce nearly equispaced bins in a logX representation). The default value (0) is not to rebin the results. Values greater than 1 indicate a constant rebinning factor. Geometrical series rebinning is obtained by entering a value less than -1, whose modulus represents the step of the geometrical series (Values between -1.4 and -1.2 are adequate in most cases). itre (Flag for trend removal) [integer] A polynomial trend, up to 4th-order, can be removed from input time series. Setting the parameter "itre" equal to 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 remove a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th-order polynomial trend, respectively. The trend is determined separately for each interval of each series by using a least-square technique. The value 0 does not cause the removal of any trend from the input series and is the default value. NOTE The trend removal is not available for the efold and efsearch tasks. itremo (Mode for trend removal) [integer] Specify how the trend removal is applied to the data (available only id "itre" is higher than 0). The trend can be subtracted from the time series (itremo =1) , or the time series can be divided by the trend (itremo = 2), or the time series can be replaced with the trend (itremo = 3). By default the trend is subtracted (value set to 1). outfile (output filename) [string] Name of the output file. If only the root is given, the program adds an extension of 3 characters, '.fXX', where f stands for FITS and XX is a suffix which identifies the program that creates the output. The XX values are : 'ac' (autocor), 'cc' (crosscor), 'ef (efold), 'es' (efsearch), 'lc' (lcurve), 'ps' (powspec), 'ts' (timeskew). Typing '-' forces the program to generate a default value for the output filename (see outfileroot parameter). By typing blank characters at the prompt no output file will be created. outfileroot (default value) [string] This parameter used in conjunction with "outfile" generates a default output filename. If the value of "outfileroot" is 'default' and "outfile" is '-', the output filename will have the same root name of the first input file of the fits series with a '.fXX' extension (see outfile for XX values). outfiletype (Type of FITS layout) [integer] Define the FITS structure for the output file. Two types are available. The first type (outfiletype=1) has 1 interval of results per FITS table row. The output file will have only one extension. Each row of the results column contains an array of values with a size equal to the number of points per interval (or frame) and a number of rows equal to the valid number of intervals analysed. The second type (outfiletype=2) has 1 interval of results per FITS extension. The output file will have as many extension as the number of intervals (or frames) analysed. The column containing the results has a single element value in each row and the number of rows is equal to the number of points in the interval. The default value of "outfiletype" is 2 (one interval per FITS extension). plot (if plot) [boolean] Flag specifying whether or not the results of the analysis are plotted via PLT (default = yes). NOTE: After plotting the results the XRONOS task is left in the interactive plotting/fitting mode (PLT> prompt) use command `exit` to return and finish the XRONOS task. If the "plot" parameter is set = no, the other queries regarding the plotting are disabled ("plotdev", "plotfile", "plotdum"). plotdev (device) [string] Change the plot device. The most common plot devices are /xw (X window), /tek (tektronix), /vt (vt125), /ps (PostScript). Setting "plotdev" as '?', forces the program before plotting to list the available plot devices to the terminal and to prompt for this parameter again. plotfile (.pco file) [string] Name of the Plt COmmands file. For each task an appropriate default Plt COmmand file is automatically loaded by the program setting the parameter "plotfile" as '-'. The user can insert additional commands using his own '.pco' file at this level ( or within the PLT> prompt).The user commands are appended to the default command file and therefore executed last. The default '.pco' files are stored in the directory defined by the parameter 'dpath'. tchat (terminal chattiness) [integer] Set terminal chattiness: (0-4) only little information is output in running XRONOS task ; chattiness 5 is the default value; (6-7) more details on input files, windows, intervals statistics, etc.; (<8) mostly for debugging purposes. lchat (log file chattiness) [integer] Set log file and chattiness in the log file: = 0 the log file is not written; for all other values, information is written in the log file. The chattiness levels are the same as for the terminal. logname (log filename) [string] Name for the log file. The default name is xronos.log. clobber [boolean] Flag specifying whether or not a pre-existing file with the same name as that requested for an output file in the current task will be overwritten. Default value = yes. (dpath = XRDEFAULTS) [string] This string parameter gives the path to the Xronos 'defaults' directory, which contains the default '.pco' file (used for plotting) and the defaults window file 'default_win.wi'. Ordinarily, the user may leave this parameter set to the string 'XRDEFAULTS', which causes Xronos to use the environment variable XRDEFAULTS to locate these files. XRDEFAULTS is set by the mkftools script to point to the appropriate directory for the current distribution of Xronos (for FTOOLS v3.6 this is /ftools/xronos/defaults/). If the user wishes to modify these files, he or she may make and edit copies, and change the XRDEFAULTS variable appropriately using setenv, but the original files should not be changed. gapfill (running mean gap filling) [integer] Replace gaps in input series with running mean. If =0 (the default) data gaps are not filled. If =n newbin data gaps in input series are filled in with running mean values calculated over n newbins. Note that a gap newbin is filled in only if the corresponding running mean is calculated over n/4 points at least (this means that in order to bridge a gap of m newbins n must be >1.35m). This global parameter is ignored in epoch folding applications (efold and efsearch). forcestart (flag for start time) [boolean] If = yes the first interval will be forced to start at the time of the first time window otherwise (=no default) the center time of the first qualified newbin is used as the start time. errorbars (Error bar Evaluation) [integer] This parameter defines the way in which the error bars of the analysis results are calculated. If the number of the intervals per frame ("nintfm") is higher than "errorbars" value (default=5), the error bars are evaluated by using the standard deviation of the average (based on the measured scatter). Otherwise the error bars are evaluated by propagating the theoretical error bars through an averaging process. Note that for several XRONOS applications (e.g. `autocor`, `crosscor`) only the former way of evaluating error bars is available. For example, if "errorbars" is 5 in the application `powspec`: (a) if a frame contains the average of 5 or fewer power spectra, then the error bars in the average power spectrum will be calculated by propagating through the average the theoretical error bars associated with each power spectrum (in turn obtained from the relevant chi-square distribution); (b) if a frame contains the average of 6 or more power spectra, then the error bars in the average power spectrum will be calculated by evaluating the standard deviation of the average power for each frequency. By adjusting the value of "errorbars" it is possible, e.g. to evaluate error bars as in (a), also in the case in which a large number of intervals per frame has been specified. Values < 5 are not recommended (at least 5-6 measures are necessary to reliably evaluate the standard deviation of the average from the scatter around it). NOTE: not applicable for 'lcurve', 'lcstats' and 'efsearch'. exposure (flag for analysis of exposure profile) [boolean] If =yes the exposure profile(s) (i.e. newbin values are set =1, gaps and rejected newbins are set =0) is/are analysed (instead of the input series). Default value is = no. normalization (type of normalization) [integer] Flag to specify the type of normalization to apply to the results. This parameter is only relevant for the following tasks: powspec, autocor, efold, crosscor, timeskew). The standard normalization corresponds to a value of 1 (the default) in all XRONOS applications. Other normalization value flags are described for each application (See normalization). NOTE: not applicable for 'lcurve' and 'efsearch'. simultaneous (flag for simultaneity) [boolean] If =yes a strict simultaneity is forced between the input series in applications which use more then one series (i.e. if the n-th newbin of a series is a gap or is rejected, then the n-th newbin of all other series will be also rejected). This flag is ignored in the efold applications. Default value is = no. spwinbefore (special window start) [double] Special newbin window : number of seconds before. If a value > 0 is used , e.g. 10.0, then all the newbins within 10.0 seconds before a newbin rejected by an intensity window will also be rejected. The default (=0) is not to apply this type of special newbin window. spwinafter (special window stop) [double] Special newbin window : number of seconds after. If a value >0 is used , e.g. 10.0, then all the newbins within 10.0 seconds after a newbin rejected by an intensity window will also be rejected. The default (=0) is not to apply this type of special newbin window. rescale (rescaling for results) [double] Rescaling factor applied to result variables and errors. The rescaling is applied just before writing the output file (this to avoid affecting the statistical variables for the frame). Default value for "rescale" is set to 1. offset (additive constant for results) [double] Additive constant summed to result variables. Result error bars are left unchanged. The additive constant is added just before writing the output file (this is to avoid affecting the statistical variables for the frame). Note that if a rescaling factor is also specified (different from 1), then the results are first multiplied by the rescaling factor. Default value for "rescale" is set to 0. fast (Flag for fast algorithm) [boolean] This parameter sets the type of algorithm used for the Fourier transform. IMPORTANT NOTE: This parameter can be set by the user only in the `powspec`, `autocor` and `crosscor` tasks (it is a query parameter in these tasks). In all the other tasks "fast" is a non-query parameter, and should not be changed from the default setting. nser (Number of time series) [integer] Number of input time series simultaneously processed. IMPORTANT NOTE: This parameter, the values of which range between 1 and 4, can be set by the user only in the "lcurve" and "efold" tasks (it is a query parameter in these two cases). In the other tasks "nser" is a non query parameter, and should not be changed from the default setting. ipow2 (Flag if power of 2) [integer] Internal Flag used to decide if the current task must used with a power of 2 of number of points (ipow2=1) per interval or not (ipow2=0). IMPORTANT NOTE: This parameter should not be changed by the user. iavgreb (Flag if average interval) [integer] Internal Flag used to decide if the current task allows the averaging of intervals in frame and/or the rebinning of the analysis results. If "iavgreb" is set to -1 the results in an interval can not be either averaged or rebinned, if set to -2, the results in an interval can be averaged but not rebinned. IMPORTANT NOTE: This parameter should not be changed by the user. nbdf (Default No. Bins) [integer] Set an internal default value for the number of newbins per Interval. This value is used to calculate the default newbin integration time to have one interval with nbdf points. Different "ndbf" values have been set for different XRONOS task. IMPORTANT NOTE: With caution this parameter can be changed by the user. EXAMPLES 1. From a time series of length 10000 seconds with a binning of 6.25e-2 seconds, calculate the auto correlation function of 8192 points (equivalent to an interval in time of 512 seconds) and average every 5 intervals in one frame (4 frames in total). Apply no rebinning to the results, make a plot and output the results in a file. > autocor cfile1="mydata.lc" window="-" dtnb=6.25e-2 nbint=8192 nintfm=5 rebin=0 plot=yes plotdev="/xw" outfile="-" 2. Same as above but all the intervals are averaged in one frame > autocor cfile1="mydata.lc" window="-" dtnb=6.25e-2 nbint=8192 nintfm=INDEF rebin=0 plot=yes plotdev="/xw" outfile="-" SEE ALSO efold, efsearch, crosscor, powspec, lcurve, lcstats, listdata, timeskew xronwin, fits2qdp, ascii2lc. BUGS Report problems to firstname.lastname@example.com and email@example.com. Provide a detailed description of the problem (with a log file if possible).
Please send reports of errors to : email@example.com
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Kobe Bryant would have liked to celebrate more, maybe gloat about his highlight-reel dunk, but there were bigger concerns.
Dwight Howard couldn't start and Pau Gasol couldn't finish. And in this difficult season for the Los Angeles Lakers, even the victories seem to come with losses.
"It feels good to pull out a win like this, but now reality kind of sets in," Bryant said after the Lakers' 92-83 win at Brooklyn on Tuesday. "If Pau can't go and Dwight can't go, we have to figure some things out."
Bryant had 21 points and eight rebounds, and the Lakers overcame the absences of Howard and Metta World Peace, and the loss of Gasol. Antawn Jamison, starting for the suspended World Peace, made the go-ahead basket during a closing 14-3 run for the Lakers, who have won six of their last seven games.
Howard missed his third consecutive game with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and Gasol, his replacement, said he felt a pop in his right foot when he went down with a little more than 4 minutes remaining. He was examined by Nets doctors and diagnosed with a strained plantar fascia, and will undergo an MRI exam Wednesday in Boston.
Brook Lopez had 30 points and 11 rebounds, but he was the Nets' only offense down the stretch in their fourth loss in six games.
The NBA suspended World Peace for grabbing the Pistons' Brandon Knight around the neck and striking him in the jaw with the knuckles of his mostly open hand Sunday in the first half of the Lakers' win.
Pacers 114, Hawks 103: Paul George scored 29 points to lead Indiana to its 15th straight home win.

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Firestone pond liners are the industry standard for 45 mil EPDM liners (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer). PondGard Rubber liners are unmatched in their ease of installation, lasting durability, and flexability. Specially formulated for water gardens, these pond liners contain none of the algaecides & fire retardants found in roofing EPDM. They are safe for both fish and plant life.
Panels are available in a variety of sizes and lengths, PondGard Rubber Liners are easily installed using Firestone's dependable QuickSeam Tape system; requiring no special tools or utilities for installation.
Easily shaped to fit the size and contours of any water feature, the flexability of PondGard liners gives you the creative freedom to accomplish even the most challenging designs.
PondGard Rubber Liners are perfect for:
- Decorative Ponds
- Fountains
- Hardscapes
- Koi Ponds
- Natural Looking Ponds
- Pondless Water Features
- Reflection Ponds
- Streams
- Water Gardens
- Waterfalls
Unit Ship Weight: 24 lbs


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Student Life
The student life area captures the essence of students' lives at Thomas More College through creating a learning environment and experiences for students. The area of Student Life supports programs and events that encourage a sense of community and the concept of total student development through student involvement.
The staff in the department of Student Life encourage students to learn and develop by offering a full range of programs, support services, and experiential opportunities. We challenge students to be engaged citizens, creating a campus environment respectful of differences by valuing the voices of others. In collaboration with students, faculty and staff, we foster the holistic development of students to prepare them for a lifetime of contribution to society.
There are two areas that encompass The Department of Student Life:
Student Development
Student Development is committed to helping students enhance their leadership skills and to assist in exploring the co-curricular opportunities available. Student Development works to create sense of community by providing opportunities for social interaction, leadership development and student participation in community life and governance. Being involved in campus activities, clubs and organizations is an important aspect of your student's success. The greater a student's extracurricular involvement in college, the greater amount of student learning and personal development. Participation in activities also improves retention rates. The offices in this area are:
The Dean of Students Office is the principal resource for the interpretation and regulation of policies and procedures as these apply to the non-academic aspects of student life. http://www.thomasmore.edu/studentlife/dean.cfm
Student Support Services
Student Support Services offers many services that can assist students to meet their social, personal and academic goals. The services include career planning, cooperative education, tutoring, disability services, health services and counseling services. We also provide educational workshops such as; alcohol and drug awareness, wellness, healthy eating and lifestyle, stress and time management, yoga, resume writing and interviewing skills. The offices in this area are:
- Counseling
- Health Center
- Career Planning and Cooperative Education
- Academic Support (Disability Services and Tutoring Center)
The Director of Student Support Services provides leadership to all the offices of the Student Support Services Department in order to create a cohesive department that promotes student success.
Student Conduct
The student conduct system is educational in nature and is designed to provide a process to determine a student's responsibility and, when appropriate, assign sanctions for violations of College policy. The Student Code of Conduct is the product of the combined efforts of the administration, faculty, and students and is approved by the Board of Trustees.
The purpose of this Code is to delineate non-academic standards of conduct appropriate to the College in consonance with the educational goals of the College. All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code and their individual responsibility within it. Students are expected to conduct themselves as responsible members of the College community. Those students whose conduct demonstrates a disrespect for law, the rights of others, or the health, welfare and safety of members of the College community will be subject to disciplinary action by the College. For more information, please view the Student Handbook.
How Can Parents Help With Student Conduct Issues?
We hope that our partnership begins long before the campus disciplinary process comes into play. We encourage you to discuss issues before your student heads to Thomas More and to ask questions relating to these issues during breaks and other opportune times. It is our intention to create a web of support and to address issues before they become problems. By working together, we have a chance to guide your student through the sometimes difficult adjustment to the newfound freedom that accompanies the start of college. It is our intention to work in close partnership with families (in most cases parents) regarding student conduct situations in a way that is consistent with our philosophy of working directly with students as adults. Should your student become involved in an incident that violates our policies, we hope our partnership will focus on helping your student learn from the campus disciplinary process. We encourage you to contact us if you have questions or need additional resources to assist you.
We contact parents only in cases in which we feel a student is a danger to him/herself or someone else. Federal law allows us to share the results of student conduct proceedings if they involve alcohol or drugs, regardless of financial dependency or the College's receipt of a signed release giving the College permission to share protected information.
For cases that do not involve alcohol, drugs, or harm to self/others, the College can only share information if a student has signed a release giving the College permission to share protected information. If a student has not signed a release giving the College permission to share protected information, the College is not able to notify the family regarding disciplinary situations. However, in all student conduct cases, we encourage students to discuss the situation with their families.


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OMedia necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 155 diseños de 35 diseñadores freelance.
What is Oradan?
Oradan is a web start up, spawned out of our belief that life's hassles happen due to a lack of adequate information.
We aim to provide a directory with a rating and review system, paired with editorial content in the form of expert guides.
In essence, we want the website to encourage conversation between users and vendors – a platform where users post their comments and vendors respond and/or provide expert advice.
What does Oradan mean?
Ora (Talking) is taken from the Greek prefix of words like oral, oracle, orator. Ora also means coast in Latin, and its double meaning serves as both setting and attitude for the user experience.
Dan (Directory) is Chinese for list and Japanese for discussion (and also in martial arts to denote ranking).
Taken apart, Oradan is:
• Ora = Prefix in oral, oracle, orator
• Ora = Coast in Latin
• Dan = List in Chinese
• Dan = Discussion or Talk in Japanese
• Dan = Ranking system in Budo (Japanese martial arts)
Broken down into two groups consisting of:
1. Consumers
• Come to the site looking for expert advice and reliable reviews
• Providers of review and ratings
• Well-acquainted with web technology
2. Vendors
• Oradan's clients
• Looking for professional representation (ads & directory listings)
• Interact with their customers on the site
• Typography logo, with the letter 'O' being the main 'symbol'
• 'O' needs to be able to stand alone, yet not disjointed when used with the full word ie people must not read Radan
• Feel free to play around with fonts and clever typography
• Either the 'O' or the entire logo should be able to act as a watermark
• Must work in solid black and white (no greys)
• Solid colours (preferably not more than 2) No gradients.
• Not boxed up
• Logo should be able to appear with tagline 'The Talking Directory' or by itself
• We're partial to the colour combination of turquoise and brown (colours of the coast), but we welcome all suggestions
• If you're submitting in colour, please also provide a black and white version
• Submissions in .ai (CMYK) .jpg and layered .psd (RGB)
For reference (not necessary to include in logo design), the Chinese and Japanese characters for Dan are:
单 - chinese for list
談 - japanese/ chinese for talk (same character)
段 - japanese for rank (read as duan4 in chinese)
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Ah! Into the O'Neill Wilderness
A first kiss, a first drink, a first fight, a Fourth of July weekend: On the precipice of the new century, 17-year-old Richard Miller struggles with his desire to experience the world. In the course of a day, the shy, romantic young man journeys from boyhood innocence to adult understanding, and awakens to the pleasures and perils of his new world.
Set on the coast of New England in the summer of 1906 and written in just five weeks, American playwright Eugene O'Neill's witty drama, Ah, Wilderness!, deals, like his better known tragedies, with family.
Considered his only true comedy, this is the first of O'Neill's later plays with autobiographical elements. Exposed to theater early in his life by his father, James O'Neill, who was a famous actor, the younger O'Neill flourished as a writer in his later years after being confined to a sanatorium for tuberculosis, where he began his playwriting career.
Inspired by Strindburg and Ibsen, O'Neill became one of the great American dramatists, winning four Pulitzer Prizes and the Nobel Prize for literature. "O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness!, is a reflective 'dramedy' with themes that still resonate in modern America," says Ronda Hewitt, general manager for Live Arts.
The play's artistic director, William Rough, agrees: "I love this glimpse of the pure American ideals of freedom, tolerance, democracy, and the free exchange of fresh ideas, as celebrated on the Fourth of July. And I treasure those parts of that American identity that survive with us today."
O'Neill himself describes his play, which premiered in 1933 and is often thought of as a light-hearted complement to the much darker autobiographical Long Day's Journey Into Night, as "a sort of wishing out loud. It is the way I would like my childhood to have been." A nostalgic slice of Americana, Ah, Wilderness! may be just the sort of entertainment to fit the New Year's bill.
Ah, Wilderness! opens officially Friday, January 17, followed by a champagne reception. Other performance dates are Saturday, January 18, January 22-26, January 29-February 2, and February 4-8. All Wednesday performances are "pay what you can" nights and start at 8pm. The only Tuesday show is on February 4, and all regular Thursday shows are "early bird" performances and begin at 7:30pm. Friday and Saturday performances start at 8pm, and the two Sunday matinees begin at 2pm. Live Arts Main Stage, 609 E. Market St. $11-14. 977-4177, ext. 108 or livearts.org.


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Friday, October 28, 2011
Time to Start a Streak
It is hard to know exactly what to expect heading into the game. The Cowboys have been very good on defense this season. But they have been inconsistent on offense. The Eagles have been bad defensively and inconsistent offensively. But Andy Reid is 12-0 with his team coming off of a bye.
I don't think I am going out on a limb thinking this is going to be another close game. The recent history of the Cowboys tells us that we should expect to see a close finish. The Cowboys have been horribly inconsistent in close games this season. The Eagles have been terrible in close games. But it is hard to believe that the Eagles aren't going to get their season going in the right direction at some point.
I think the Cowboys are going to win this game. And I'm not just going on a gut feeling. The Cowboys are good at everything that has given the Eagles trouble this season. The Cowboys do a great job confusing the opposing quarterbacks with the multiple defensive looks. Michael Vick struggles to decipher the opposing defensive scheme. That is a big advantage for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have turned a corner with their running game. In both games that the Cowboys played with Tony Fiammetta at fullback they have been very good running the ball. He is playing this week. The Eagles have had a very difficult time stopping the run. With DeMarco Murray providing a more physical running style I think the Cowboys will be able to control the time of possession and get first downs consistently.
The Eagles have the number one running offense in the NFL. The Cowboys have the #1 running defense in the NFL. Something has to give here. Remember that the primary reason that the Eagles are rated so high with their running game is due to their quarterback. I think we are going to see Michael Vick get knocked out of this game with another concussion. He has been hit so much this year that there is real concern that Vick isn't going to finish the season. I don't think he'll be out for the season after this game but I'll be surprised if he finishes the game.
The Eagles' kicker has been wildly inconsistent kicking field goals. The Cowboys kicker has made 16 consecutive field goals. Again, advantage Cowboys.
Even if this game somehow turns into a shootout I think the Cowboys have plenty of offensive fire power to keep up with the potentially explosive Eagles offense. But do the Eagles have the type of team that can win a physical, hard-hitting battle? I don't think so. The Cowboys can win the game in many more ways than the Eagles can.
I'm picking the Cowboys to win in a close game. The difference will be the defense of the Cowboys and the reliability of Dan Bailey. In a close game you have to be able to come away with points every time you get an opportunity. Dallas will get their points. The Eagles will not get points from their kicker every time. And the biggest moment in the game will come when Vick gets knocked out of the game. I'm picking the Cowboys to win 27-21. I might be fooling myself but it feels like the Cowboys are at the beginning of a big winning streak.
4 comments:
- AnonymousOctober 30, 2011 at 10:46 PM
Oh my God. I don't even know what to say. I think it's time to start predicting that the Cowboys will lose games from now on. Maybe that will help. As of now, you've picked them to win every single game that they've played. And they're 3-4. And are honestly lucky to be 3-4. Tonight was terrible. The defense gave up 500 yards. 500. The offense did nothing. And the Eagles were 2-4 and had lost to many teams that were weaker on paper than they Cowboys. This was an all out dismantling. I turned the game off in disgust in the 4th quarter which is the first time in a long time that I've stopped watching a Cowboys game before it ended.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 31, 2011 at 4:16 PM
i guess you were fooling yourself!!!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
Yep...streak is about to be started alright. A losing streak. As a lifelong Cowboys fan, it pains me to say it, but I have seen this happen before.ReplyDelete
I've said it once and i'll say it again. this team will never, NEVER be successful as long as JJ remains GM and as long as Garrett is head coach. Heck, I even doubt Romo's talent, and I have 3 of his jerseys!
- AnonymousNovember 1, 2011 at 11:26 AM
How can you doubt Romos talent? He has zero trust in his offensive line and that blame goes directly on Jerrys shoulders. Way too many changes on the line this year....ReplyDelete


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Side loading is the most-common damage observed on master-cylinder field returns and can lead to premature product failure. In an effort to improve master-cylinder performance, several samples of existing and new designs were tested.
Under ideal conditions, particularly linear loading, it was shown that existing master-cylinder design is sufficient. However, subsequent testing under side loading showed that the current design is susceptible to damage. We found that the major cause of damage from side loading is the steel rod wearing against the aluminum cylinder bore. The wear patterns created in testing are quite similar to those observed on field returns. The design and testing of a nylon cap on the rod end showed that side-loading damage can be virtually eliminated. Implementing this solution will result in a product with a longer life.
Master cylinders are a common hydraulic component used in brake and clutch systems to generate hydraulic pressure from a nonhydraulic pressure source. The master cylinders tested in this experiment are generally used in a fail-safe brake system on forklift trucks. In such a system, brakes are spring applied and released by depressing the brake pedal.
A master cylinder for this application typically is comprised of a cast-aluminum body with a machined cylindrical bore and various ports, Figure 1. A piston assembly is inserted into the body and is actuated by applying compressive force to a steel push rod. Push-rod diameter, cylinder bore, and surface finish are critical for the piston to generate pressure without leaking. The master cylinder push rod is attached to the body via a washer and snap ring. The push rod is designed to allow deflection of ±5° from the main axis of the part. This allows for linkages and mounting configurations that are not colinear with the cylinder. When the push rod is not colinear with the cylinder bore, side loading, Figure 2, is generated.
The problem of side loading
Although most master cylinders are designed to permit some side loading, any side loading is detrimental to the life of the master cylinder. We frequently see evidence of side loading on returns from the field. These include wear on one side of the push rod, wear on one side of the cylinder bore, aluminum grit in the cylinder, excessive wear on the push rod washer, and seal failure. In fact, we observe side loading as a symptom in more than half of field returns. If you include seal failure and contamination — both symptomatic of side loading — then more than 80% of returned master cylinders are accounted for. Ultimately, the combined effects of side loading prevent the master cylinder from generating pressure or otherwise stop functioning.
Figure 3 typifies side-load damage found on returned master cylinders. The cylinder has been cut open to better see the damage, which includes severe scratching on the bore wall. The damage is localized on one side of the cylinder bore, indicating a side load. This ruins the machined finish on the inside bore of the master cylinder, which is necessary for the piston seal to work properly. Moreover, the wear leads to the release of small particles of aluminum into the system, further damaging the piston seal or other hydraulic components.
Experimental design
To find out how side loading affects the master cylinder, we designed a test apparatus, Figure 4, to simulate the life cycle of a master cylinder under linear and side loading. The experiment tested not only the current design of the master-cylinder components, but also several new designs intended to increase life.
Air pressure drives the pneumatic cylinder forward, stroking the test piece. The test piece is primed with DOT #5 brake fluid, which pressurizes the expansion cylinder on each stroke. The expansion cylinder's purpose is to simulate the resistance that the system would normally see, and also to provide return pressure.
When the pneumatic cylinder (and test piece) is fully stroked, a relay cuts off pressure to the cylinder, allowing the pressure in the expansion cylinder and spring in the test piece to drive the actuator arm back. A counting instrument increases by one each time the actuator arm extends, thus recording the total number of strokes. The height of the test piece is controlled to induce colinear or side loading. When side loaded, the test pieces were subjected to an offset load of 5.7° to 0.7° beyond the upper specification limit for offset loading.
Seven samples were tested. The piston, push rod, and loading configuration varied for each sample, with details shown in Table 1. Before each sample test, the configuration of the apparatus was inspected to ensure it functioned properly.
Test results
The samples were stroked varying amounts, depending on whether or when they failed, as well as time constraints. Samples 1, 2, and 3 were tested under ideal conditions (no side loading). None of these samples exhibited any seal, push rod, or bore wear, nor did they have any leaks after 20,000 strokes. No configuration was determined to be better than another. However, sample 2 lost about 40% of its black-oxide coating.
Samples 4 and 5 were subjected to side loading and did not have any design modifications to reduce side-loading damage. Consequently, both exhibited severe side-loading damage similar to that found on field returns. Figure 5 shows the bore damage to sample 4.
The significant bore wear is due to the push rod rubbing on the same area as a result of a repetitive side load. This damage causes aluminum grit from the bore wall to enter the system. Dimensional deformation causes the seal to not seal properly, resulting in brake fluid bypassing and leaking. Sample 5 exhibited similar damage.
Both samples showed that the action of the push rod wearing on the bore wall created the side-load damage. The steel push rod, significantly harder than the aluminum, made it the largest contributing factor to the wear observed.
Samples 6 and 7 had modified designs to eliminate the damage to the bore wall from the push rod. Sample 6 was tested using a push rod with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) cap on its end, applied by using PTFE heat-shrink tubing to the end of the push rod. The resulting cap was 0.015-in. thick. This sample was inspected after 10,000 strokes, at which point the PTFE cap had split into two pieces, and fine aluminum grit was present in the system.
The cylinder bore showed evidence of side-loading wear, although it appeared that the PTFE cap delayed the onset of bore wear. Sample 8 was tested with a machined nylon 6/6 cap on the push rod end. Because the nylon cap is significantly thicker than the PTFE cap, the push rod was turned down so that no dimensional interferences occurred with all the other components current design.
This sample was run for 30,311 strokes and then inspected. Minimal wear occurred to the nylon cap, there was no aluminum grit present in the system, and the cylinder bore showed little to no wear. The nylon cap proved very effective in eliminating side-loading damage and preventing aluminum particles from contaminating the system.
Side loading is the most common damage observed on master-cylinder field returns and can lead to premature product failure. In an effort to improve the master-cylinder product, several samples of existing and new designs were tested.
Under ideal conditions — particularly linear loading — the existing master-cylinder design is sufficient. However, subsequent testing under side loading revealed that the current design is susceptible to damage. We found that the major cause of side-loading damage is from the steel push rod wearing on the aluminum cylinder bore.
The wear patterns created in testing are quite similar to those observed on field returns. The design and testing of a nylon cap on the rod end showed that side-loading damage essentially can be eliminated. Implementing this solution will result in a superior product with a longer life.
Bill O'Rourke is General Manager and Co-owner of Jet Products LLC, Lexington, KY. For more information, call him at (630) 605-5944, email [email protected], or visit www.jetproductsllc.com.
Jet Products LLC manufactures custom engineered small hydraulic cylinders, master cylinders, hydraulic hose reels and brake products — all made in the USA. In early 2013, the company completed a substantial expansion of its production capacity and moved its headquarters and product development to Lexington, KY earlier this year.


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The Sochi 2014 Marketing Olympics, Part 2: Brand Activation Highlights
|Having written yesterday about the LBGT controversy and the latest developments in IOC sponsorship, today I'm turning to the key brand activation strategies and stories around the Sochi Games.
Play Russian
Unlike a summer Olympics or a FIFA World Cup, the Winter Olympics doesn't bring with it a big, global Nike campaign. Sochi 2014 is lower-priority and lower-spend than the World Cup for Nike, because in terms of worldwide interest, the winter Olympics is nowhere near as big as a World Cup, as illustrated by this Twitter heatmap.
|Nike's Sochi playbook has strong echoes of Vancouver 2010: focus on the host market; fusion of Nike attitude with national identity; hockey at its core (Nike sponsors the Russian, US and Canadian hockey teams). 'Play Russian' features Nike's key Russian endorsees across a range of sports, led by Russian hockey icon and Games poster boy Alex Ovechkin, as well as a very cool website.
|Of the other sportswear brands, the Jamaican bobsled team qualifying for Sochi was good news for Jamaican NOC sponsors Puma, but even better for adidas, when adidas-branded pictures of the Cool Runnings movie instantly flooded the web; and Under Armour has had a Games to forget, first owing to the withdrawal of Lindsey Vonn, and then by making a ton of the wrong kind of headlines about the performance of its speed skating suits.
No Logo?
The IOC famously prides itself on making the Olympics as advertising-free as possible, but the snowboarders' gear in Sochi has been branded like no Olympics before, with the brands involved pushing the IOC's regulations to the limit. This drew this observation at the start of the Games from our head of consulting Carsten Thode:
|Subsequently brandchannel followed up on the same subject with this very good piece: expect to see this particular loophole narrowed, if not closed, by the time we get to Pyeongchang 2018.
There was also the curious case of Alexey Sobolev, aka the Pussy Riot board artwork that wasn't, and the cellphone number that was. Or something like that.
And while we're on the subject, check out this very cool interactive guide to the gear of the Games by the NYT.
The Return of the Brand Police
Games officials doing daft things as 'brand police' - supposedly to protect the Games' sponsors, but actually doing the absolute reverse by creating negative stories - is a thing again in Sochi.
In London in was LOCOG's mishandling of local butchers and bakers, and Seb Coe's infamous 'Pepsi t-shirts' Today programme interview. In Sochi it's officials covering up journalists' laptop logos.
|Sochi USA
What happens in the USA - the biggest and most valuable Olympic TV market - around every Games is always worth watching.
This time around of course, Sochi followed hot on the heels of the Super Bowl, and Bloomberg took this fascinating look at the two events as TV properties and the numbers behind NBC's deal with the IOC, estimating that NBC will make a profit of around $100m from Sochi on revenue of $1billion, from the sale of 11,000 - yes, you read that right, eleven thousand - ads.
No surprise then that NBC put a lot of effort into marketing the Games upfront to the US consumer as well as to Madison Avenue (note the prominence of Lindsey Vonn by the way).
|The sales pitch to IOC and USOC partners worked. As SportsBusiness Journal reports, fifteen Olympic sponsors are running ads on NBC during the Games, almost all of them featuring new, specially-developed creative.
But the jury is out on NBC's ratings, even though the overall numbers are pretty impressive.
|Breaking New Ground
A few sponsors' campaigns - or elements of them - that have caught my eye in the last few weeks.
Albeit I may be biased (Synergy works for BMW in the UK) but for me the BMW campaign has really stood out from the other USOC sponsors for its depth, ambition and integration, as well as for telling and leveraging the bobsled story very skilfully.
P&G has evolved its successful 'Thank You Mom' campaign, which debuted at Vancouver 2010, into Sochi, and in the week before the Games I enjoyed how P&G fused branded programming on NBC (a show called 'How To Raise An Olympian') with social content - check out my Storify. But - albeit it's still generating very high engagement - how long can P&G keep 'Thank You Mom' going? One more Games? Two?
I've also really enjoyed a lot of Visa's work. 'Everywhere' feels very natural in an Olympic context, some of the creative has been absolutely sensational, and the use of Vine has been original and fun. Here's another Storify of some of the work.
I wrote a few weeks back how much I liked MegaFon's MegaFaces, the success of which is evident from how many consumer pictures of the activation are now out there.
But my favourite on-site activation at Sochi is definitely Molson's passport-activated beer fridge.


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11:30 am
Sid The Science Kid "A Brush with Teeth" Sid wonders if you really do have to brush your teeth every single day? At school, Sid discovers that our mouths are filled with different kinds of teeth that do lots of different jobs like chewing our food! So it's really important to keep our teeth healthy by brushing them every day!. D
12:00 pm
Super Why! "Bedtime for Bear" Baby Joy is afraid of the dark! To show her there's nothing to fear, Super Why and his literacy friends fly into Bedtime for Bear and meet Charlie - a bear who is scared of just about everything! The super readers shed a little light on the problem (literally) while Charlie discovers a bit more about the world outside his cozy cave. Educational Objectives: To experience a familiar bedtime routine. Preschoolers will practice the alphabet, rhyme with AR words, learn what the word "fireflies" means, and use the power to read to change the story. D
12:30 pm
Caillou "Caillou Cares" Caillou's Cricket: Caillou inadvertently brings a cricket in the house and decides it'll be fun to keep it as a pet. When the cricket gets loose and Caillou goes on a wild-cricket hunt, he's suddenly able to see things from the cricket's perspective.and decides to put the cricket back outside where it belongs. D
1:00 pm
Thomas & Friends "Kindness with Friends" Percy's New Friends - Percy wants to make friends with the wild animals on Sodor. When he approaches a squirrel, it runs away. He tries to make friends with a bird but it flies away. D
1:30 pm
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "Duckling Goes Home/Daniel Feels Left Out" Duckling Goes Home: Today at school, the children find out that Ducky has grown too big to be their classroom pet and it's time to take him back to the farm. This news is very upsetting, especially to Daniel and Miss Elaina. The children cope with their sadness in different ways and soon they feel a little bit better. D
2:00 pm
Curious George "Night of the Weiner Dog/Animal Trackers" Hundley has strict demands when he stays in George's room. George takes pictures of wild animals.G
2:30 pm
Martha Speaks "Truman's Mad/Dog for a Day" Truman's Mad When Truman sends away for a science kit, he dreams about all the new inventions he will create. But can reality really live up to his big dreams? Vocabulary: (E) explore, theory, analyz(e)(ing), outcome, effect (I) note(s), lab, kit, finding(s), magnet(ism)(s). Dog for a Day - TD thinks dogs have it easy - no school, no homework, no schedule - but Martha begs to differ. D
3:00 pm
Peg + Cat "The Pirate Problem/The Sleepover Problem" The Pirate Problem - Pirate Island. Peg and Cat show a group of very hungry Pirates how to share tropical fruit fairly. Primary Content: Fair sharing; Secondary Content: Adding within 4. D
3:30 pm
WordGirl "Scary with a Side of Butter/Talent Show Tobey" SCARY WITH A SIDE OF BUTTER - After telling the tale of the giant evil artichoke, Bampy Botsford sparks a panic throughout the city. Mr. Big uses this opportunity to do, what else, become even richer and more powerful! Will the giant artichoke really show up or will Mr. Big finally find a way to control the minds of citizens? Vocabulary Words: Fable, Artichoke. TALENT SHOW TOBEY - Becky volunteers to be Scoops' assistant for his magic act in the talent show. D
4:00 pm
Wild Kratts "Tazzy Chris" When Martin and Chris assist the Tasmanian Wildlife Service in tagging endangered Tasmanian Devils, they discover that Zach Varmitech has been kidnapping them to create a ferocious new Zachbot. Science Concepts: A healthy ecosystem has both predators and scavengers. Scavengers are animals that eat mostly other dead animals. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "Lost My Marbles" (topic: Navigation) - A day at the library turns into a cyberventure when Jackie, Matt, and Inez learn that Hacker has kidnapped Dr. Marbles, the only person who can save Motherboard from an evil virus! The team learns to use a map as a mathematical tool as they navigate across a cyber island in search of Marbles.then try to escape before a huge earthquake turns the island inside out! The Big Idea: A map is a mathematical tool you can use to find your way from one place to another, anywhere on earth. D
5:00 pm
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman "Feeling Sheepish Ruff?" Ruff sends two FETCHers to learn to herd sheep, and two more to Utah where they learn about bighorn sheep and their habitat. D
5:30 pm
Nightly Business Report Tonight on Nightly Business Report, how much faith do retail investors have in the market, five years after stocks hit bottom? And, will the spring thaw heat up the U.S. economy? Find out what the experts are forecasting. D
5:54 pm
NewsHour Promo NULL
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour NULL
7:00 pm
Oscar Hammerstein II - Out of My Dreams Hosted by Matthew Morrison ("Glee"), this special is a celebration of the acclaimed lyricist and librettist. His works include Show Boat (1927), Oklahoma! (1943), South Pacific (1949), and The Sound of Music (1959). The film features movie clips from his musicals and interviews with Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, Shirley Jones, Mitzi Gaynor, Hammerstein family members and more.G
8:30 pm
Joe Bonamassa: Tour De Force - Live In London This special is drawn from four different concerts on four different nights in four different venues. Together they chronicle the guitarist's rise from the intimate club environment of the 200-seat capacity Borderline to the Royal Albert Hall. Each evening is marked by a unique theme with different set lists, arrangements and ensembles. The journey begins in The Borderline with a three-piece band.G
10:00 pm
John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind (My Music) The lead singer of The Lovin' Spoonful presents singers and songwriters of the 1950s and 1960s with a combination of historical footage and new performances. See the original Kingston Trio, New Christy Minstrels, Limelighters, Serendipity Singers, Highwaymen and Rooftop Singers. Relive Pete Seeger's and Judy Collins' duet of "If I Had a Hammer." New performances include the original and reunited Chad Mitchell Trio, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Barry McGuire, and Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods.G


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Allsvenskan Game Night: 11-14-12
HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden)
Vasteras 1 vs. Malmo 4
Brendan Mikkelson, Vasteras, 0-0-0, E, 2 SOG, 0 PIM
Season totals: 4 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 4 PIM
Vasteras lost for the first time with Brendan Mikkelson in the lineup, the productive duo of locked-out NHLers Patrik Berglund and Mikael Backlund were held scoreless and Lars Johansson could only stop 12 of 15 shots on a night the old joke about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory seems particularly poignant. At the end of the first, Vasteras held a 14 to 1 advantage in shots, had been on the power play three times and had yet to go down a man. Vasteras continued to dictate play in the second, putting up another 13 shots and taking three more cracks at the man advantage, but wound up heading into the third trailing by two. Vasteras finally solved Malmo's netminder Pontus Sjogren just after the start of the third period when Tim Heed buried a feed from Matt Fornataro, formerly of the Lightning farm system and the player who was sent to Chicago in exchange for Brandon Segal last season, Vasteras would not get the score any closer despite yet another three power play chances in the final frame. Mattias Persson scored twice for Malmo. Vasteras (12-7-2-0, 40 PTS) now regroups to continue the current home stand against fellow league powerhouse Karlskoga (15-6-0-0, 45 PTS) on Saturday.
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American Cocker Spaniel Books, Gifts & More
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Transport and Mega-events – How to get the most bang for the buck?
Mega-events such as the Olympics and the World Cup can be catalysts not only for huge investments in infrastructure, but also policy changes that may induce positive behavioral changes. Transport operations and mobility are particularly important for mega-events as they involve much planning and long-lasting infrastructure. The question, however, is how to keep the long-term development vision and legacy in mind while meeting the shorter-term mobility needs of a mega-event (typica


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Rick Ross Behind The Scenes With The Dream On 106 & Park! + Rick Ross In Bronx New York
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The Effectiveness Awards, sponsored by Thinkbox and supported by Campaign, reward campaigns that demonstrate marketing payback and will be held on 29 October.
The UK accounted for 26 of the shortlisted entries with nine from Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Shanghai, Singapore, Spain and Taipei.
Marie Oldham, the convenor of judges and chief strategy officer at MPG Media Contacts, said: "The presence of so many blue chip brands on this year's list is a credit to those who pursue genuine insight, put their trust in brave ideas, invest in rigorous measurement and maintain faith in marketing (particularly in a recession)."
The 35 entries shortlisted from the 65 received are:
- Aldi by McCann Manchester
- Art Fund by 101
- Audi by Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Boots by Mother London
- British Gas by CHI & Partners
- BT by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
- Cadbury Dairy Milk by Ogilvy and Mather India
- Danone Activia by RKCR/Y&R
- Department For Transport by Leo Burnett
- Digital UK by DLKW Lowe, Digital UK, BBC Switchover Help Scheme and MediaCom
- Dove by Ogilvy and Mather Shanghai
- Dove Hair by Ogilvy and Mather
- Gordon's by Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Gü by DDB UK
- Health Promotion Board by Ogilvy and Mather Singapore
- IBM by Ogilvy and Mather Advertising NY
- John Lewis by Adam and Eve and Manning Gottlieb OMD
- LV= by Designate Communications and 24-7 ideas.com
- Magnum Gold?! By Lowe and Partners and Lola Madrid
- McDonald's by Leo Burnett
- Metropolitan Police by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
- Nikon by Jung von Matt AG
- Nissan by Lew'Lara\TBWA
- Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts by Ogilvy and Mather Hong Kong
- Snickers by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
- Ta Chong Bank by Ogilvy and Mather Taipei
- The National Lottery by MPG Media Contacts
- Velvet by Fallon
- Virgin Atlantic by RKCR/Y&R, Gyro, OMD International and Hall & Partners
- Virgin Trains by Elvis and Manning Gottlieb OMD
- VO5 Extreme Style by Euro RSCG London
- Waitrose by Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Walkers by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
- Which? by Mike Colling and Co
- Yorkshire Tea by Beattie McGuinness Bungay
Further detail on each entry follows:
Aldi by McCann Manchester – 'The like brands campaign'
Recession had not helped Aldi sales. Consumers were returning to brands they trusted which Aldi did not sell. The objective was to get back into double figure growth. This paper explains how Aldi applied a martial arts technique - harnessing and redirecting an oncoming force to its marketing communications. The 'like brands' campaign was unusual in a number of respects. It targeted Aldi's least loyal customers and positively endorsed brands that Aldi did not sell, which grew market share by 43% and delivered a ROMI of 14.5:1.
Art Fund by 101 – 'Never without art'
The Art Fund is a small British charity that funds the acquisition of art for the enjoyment of future generations. By relaunching its member benefits in the guise of the National Art Pass, communications drove a 16% surge in memberships, its fastest growth in 20 years, and recruited a new generation of members which were on average 21 years younger than its existing members. Payback has indicated that the campaign will generate £3.5m of incremental revenue for the charity against a media investment of £745,000.
Audi by Bartle Bogle Hegarty – 'The Audi A1 - A big idea, condensed'
This paper details the next chapter in the story of Audi and Vorsprung durch Technik. In 2010 Audi made a leap that no other prestige car brand had done; it launched a small car, the Audi A1. The opportunity was great, but the risk of sacrificing the prestige of VdT was greater. By understanding that Audi is as much a technology brand as car marque its small size was turned from a weakness into a benefit. Communications were spread across the biggest media formats available, representing 'small' as a hallmark of superiority and modernity. The campaign attracted new customers and helped the A1 exceed its sales targets, returning £4.40 for every £1 spent.
Boots by Mother London – 'Keep the girls coming in'
In 2007, Boots' UK market share was under pressure from new competitors in the health and beauty market. To address this problem Boots embarked on a journey to identify and understand its most valuable customers: 25-44-year-old women, and developed a strategy to secure their loyalty. The resulting campaign, 'Here come the girls' really resonated with these women, arresting the share decline and maintaining Boots' position as market leader.
British Gas by CHI & Partners – 'Taking British Gas back to the future'
Following privatisation, British Gas was pronounced Britain's most popular brand. Twenty years later it was just another energy company, losing 40,000 accounts every month. This is the story of how a communications idea drew on a once-great brand's past and future, to give it purpose and pride, and most importantly, return it to growth. The idea was 'Looking after your world', an animated multi-platform campaign rendering consumers' homes on individual planets, displaying the new ways British Gas could look after Britain's homes. It generated £82.7m profit from £45.5m investment, giving a profit payback of £1.82 for every marketing £1 invested. It also galvanised necessary organisational change, leaving the business ready to face the future with confidence.
BT by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO – 'How understanding the ordinary can achieve extraordinary results'
This paper outlines how BT constructed a soap-opera style campaign to sell their broadband service to ordinary people living ordinary lives. Whilst other brands in the category designed campaigns to appeal to technologically hungry 'early adopters', BT realised the opportunity to explain to a more mass-market, technologically sceptical group of consumers how broadband could help keep their everyday lives on an even keel. The paper outlines how adoption theory was used to help construct the campaign to produce £874m in incremental revenue to BT, a gross profit payback of £3.36 per £1 spent on advertising.
Cadbury Dairy Milk by Ogilvy and Mather India –'A meetha journey'
Despite a strong sweet (meetha) market in India, chocolate was seen as a foreign treat that lacked the same popularity. Research revealed that while meetha were enjoyed as part of collective celebrations, such as at festivals and parties, chocolate was seen as a pleasure that was generally enjoyed alone. The solution was to therefore repurpose Cadbury Dairy Milk as meetha, and to communicate this message via television, radio, outdoor, digital and point of sale advertising. The campaign resulted in an increase in revenue and profits, and grew the business from 3% to 23% in seven years.
Danone Activia by RKCR/Y&R – 'How a little bit of T.L.C. made a market leader'
In 2009 Activia was the major challenger within the chilled yoghurt and dessert market; but its positioning, a solution to the problem of bloating, had finite relevance preventing it from taking the top spot. To rectify this RKCR/Y&R developed a powerful new brand platform moving Activia from the problem of bloating to the positively framed space of maintaining happy tummies; the rational message of improving digestive transit to the emotional space of feeling better inside and out. The resulting creative idea, give yourself some tummy loving care, or T.L.C, made Activia the market leader, delivered £58.6m incremental sales, £3.6m incremental net profit and a payback of £1:£1.23.
Department For Transport by Leo Burnett – 'How thirty years of drink drive communications saved almost 2,000 lives'
This paper reveals how communications changed drink driving behaviour over the course of thirty years from 1979 to 2009 by tackling drink driving attitudes, acceptability, denial and decisions. This relentless pursuit of potential drink drivers saved almost 2,000 lives, prevented over 10,000 serious injuries, and created a value to society of £3bn. For the second, third and fourth periods of the campaign every £1 spent on communications saved society £154, £12 and £38 respectively.
Digital UK by DLKW Lowe, Digital UK, BBC Switchover Help Scheme and MediaCom – 'Leaving no-one behind'
The scale and complexity of digital switchover presented a huge implementation challenge. The fear of blank screens, which could cause the programme to be derailed, was very real. The UK had to be 100% ready, but success depended on providing information, help and reassurance to the last 10% of analogue viewers who were often fearful of change. Working together, Digital UK and the BBC Switchover Help Scheme overcame that challenge by focusing on those people most marketers leave behind - older, disabled and minority audiences. The end result, beyond the large net benefits realised, was to transform a potentially negative situation into a quiet success story. It is estimated the campaign returned a minimum payback of £4.60 for every £1 spent.
Dove by Ogilvy and Mather Shanghai – 'Dove winning in China'
This case shows how Dove transformed from a small, declining player in a large market into a leading shower gel brand. Dove got under the skin of Chinese women to produce a campaign that went against the grain of communications norms. Through the proposition that Dove's new shower gel nourished skin better than bathing in milk, it repositioned the brand for women who wanted 'healthy, wholesome protection' for their beauty. The campaign propelled market share from 2.1% to 8.8% in 16 months, delivering incremental sales of £25.5m and a ROMI of 1:1.5.
Dove Hair by Ogilvy and Mather– 'Favourite things'
Dove had established fame and success with its 'Real beauty' campaign but this success wasn't being reflected in the haircare category. This paper demonstrates how Dove went from decline to growth in the Latin American market where mistreating hair was the norm. The 'Favourite things' campaign showed how women mistreat their hair in the course of living and having fun, and the ways that Dove could put things right. It led to incremental value at €125.6m with net profit of €30,057,550m and a profit ROMI of €1.67:1.
Gordons by Bartle Bogle Hegarty – 'Shall we G&T down to business?'
In 2010, gin was a category in decline. It was losing out to wine as people's opening drink and wasn't seen as contemporary. Rather than pick a fight over quality and battle for the Christmas drinking market, Gordon's restated the role of gin as the best way to start any evening and established Gordon's as the definitive brand in the category. The campaign was built around two well-known actors, Philip Glenister and Emilia Fox, cast as themselves, to personify the 'kick' and 'bubbly' character of a G&T. The campaign delivered sales of £8.42m with a payback of £3.95.
Gü by DDB UK – 'Give in to the power of TV. Give in to Gü'
For the first few years Gü's desirable image had drawn women in, unable to resist its luxurious and distinctive chocolate taste, however, due to increased competition entering the category and the perception that it was aloof, Gü sales began to stall. The challenge was to take Gü off its pedestal and allow women to feel like it was an innocent pudding for any occasion, whilst keeping its premium price. Through a TV ad that changed women's perceptions of it, which was supported on Facebook and outdoor posters, sales increased by 24% in one year, generating £6.5m in sales.
Health Promotion Board Singapore by Ogilvy and Mather Singapore – 'I quit - from anti-smoking to pro-quitting'
Smoking was on the rise in Singapore with tough measures such as fear campaigns, taxation and legislation proving ineffective and resulting in smokers feeling marginalised and smoking more, not less. Instead of an anti-smoking campaign that would marginalise them further, a pro-quitting campaign was created to help contemplators quit. The campaign spanned various touchpoints creating an environment conducive to quitting, inspiring quitting, and creating support through tools, resources and quit clubs. The results showed that every second smoker moved one step closer to quitting; the quitting success rate was three-times the international average; and it achieved a paybackof 15.7.
IBM by Ogilvy and Mather NY – 'Watson'
IBM had developed a computer capable of understanding human language, but the technology was hard to explain to the average human. The answer to this challenge and the key to a successful launch was the ultimate head-to-head competitive product demonstration: combat between human champions and the computer on the US TV quiz show Jeopardy! A fully integrated campaign was employed to drive awareness to 70% of Americans, showing them why they should root for the machine, not against it. The campaign generated $250m in immediate revenue.
John Lewis by Adam and Eve and Manning Gottlieb OMD – 'Making the nation cry… and buy'
In mid-2009 John Lewis was struggling in a very challenging financial climate. Recent advertising investment had been ineffective and a new approach was required. A bold decision to use highly emotional advertising, particularly on TV, generated a huge amount of interest in the brand which resulted in more visitors, coming more frequently who spent more money. The campaign generated £1074m of incremental sales and £261m of incremental profit in just over two years. Thousands of partners also benefited as the profitability of John Lewis communications enhanced the annual bonus that they share.
LV= by Designate Communications and 24-7 ideas.com – 'The power of love'
In 2006 Liverpool Victoria was a business in trouble that was rapidly losing customers. The insurance business was in terminal decline and due to FSA solvency requirements it was predicted that if this continued they would have had to cease trading personal insurance by 2011. In 2007 the company was rebranded to LV= and the advertising was transformed into a contemporary, modern appealing brand. The impact and results of the LV relaunch in 2007 enabled LV= to reach number three in the market by 2010, from 9th in 2006, and grew annual sales by 696% in five years.
Magnum Gold?! by Lowe and Partners and Lola Madrid – 'How one golden integrated idea sold 130 million ice-creams'
To launch Magnum Gold?! as a global product, this fully integrated campaign engaged consumers in a product launch that leveraged celebrities in a fresh new way, from a spoof trailer of an action Hollywood blockbuster to ground breaking face-texturing techniques allowing consumers to star in their own Hollywood heist videos. The campaign blurred the lines between cinematic content, advertising, experiential marketing and digital, and delivered record brand growth. In total it sold 130m Magnums globally, which was 55m ahead of target, delivering incremental revenue of €37.9m and payback of €1.41 for every €1 invested.
McDonald's by Leo Burnett – 'Getting Britain lovin' it once again: how brand advertising helped take McDonald's from recovery to resurgence'
This paper shows how advertising helped McDonald's achieve five successive record-breaking sales years since its turnaround. In 2007 McDonald's was back in growth after four years of stagnation, but it had yet to regain the trust and love of its customers. Two complementary brand advertising campaigns, 'Trust' and 'Favourites', rolled out over a number of platforms, including TV, press, in store, outdoor and digital, worked in harmony to get people to trust and love the brand again through celebrating its role in modern British life. They delivered £349m in short-term sales in addition to the £460m delivered by promotional advertising and a near fourfold increase in payback of £9.79.
Metropolitan Police by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO – 'The case in defence of Deon'
'Who Killed Deon?' was designed to help tackle youth violence by educating disenfranchised teenagers about a legal principle known as joint enterprise. The idea was an interactive murder mystery hosted on Facebook, a 'whodunnit' about a boy called Deon. It embraced a teenage audience by enlisting them as co-creators and collaborators. The campaign was 4.5 times more efficient than budgeted, but its intention was also to prevent young people entering a life of crime in the future. It is predicted the campaign will generate a payback of £8.50 for every £1 spent.
Nikon by Jung von Matt AG – 'I AM Nikon'
Nikon has a long history as a premium camera manufacturer and is strongly associated with professional photography. However, being perceived as 'pro' was alienating broader target groups, rather than being an attraction. To address this, the campaign needed to raise awareness of Nikon, making it a more approachable and relevant player in the compact segment. Within two years of the campaign launch Nikon had created an emotional brand and communications platform, which increased sales dramatically and elevated Nikon from an insignificant market position to market leader in January 2012. For every one Euro spent, the campaign yielded a 5.76 Euro profit.
Nissan by Lew'Lara\TBWA – 'What is the most efficient path between two points?'
In early 2010 Nissan initiated an aggressive plan for Brazil: to be the first Japanese automaker in the sector with 5% market share. To help achieve this Lew'Lara\TBWA established Nissan as a challenger brand. The campaign involved making direct comparisons between the Nissan and its competitors, highlighting its positives over theirs; investing their media spend in television for peak reach in a short space of time; and creating fun and humorous content for execution via 30-second spots on television, with extended versions on YouTube. In two years the campaign has already generated 4% of market, despite investing three times less money than its competitors, and has yielded a projected marketing payback of over $41m.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts by Ogilvy and Mather Hong Kong – 'It's in our nature'
Shangri-La, like other luxury hotels, suffered in the 2008-2009 recession. Rather than cutting prices, it used creativity to restore growth. The objective was to return to 2008 sales levels by acquiring 10 extra stays per night per hotel, without price discounting. Against the category trend of rational claims, the campaign delivered by touching both the traveller audience via a TV campaign and the internal staff audience via internal launch events at every hotel reminding them of their importance to the brand. Sales increased above target and faster than competitors, delivering an estimated sales payback of 14:1, a profit payback of 6:1, and a shareholder value of payback of 35:1.
Snickers by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO – 'You're not you when you're hungry'
Snickers was losing market share to other global chocolate brands. This paper shows how Snickers' big global idea 'You're not you when you're hungry' delivered creative work that got people talking about the brand. Using celebrities and big media placements, a variety of television ads displayed iconic females embodying certain hunger traits set in male-focused settings. The campaign resulted in Snickers' most successful period of growth, increasing sales by 15.9% in one year, capturing market share in all but two of the 58 markets in which it ran, and growing global market share by US$376.3m.
Ta Chong Bank by Ogilvy and Mather Taipei – 'Dream rangers'
Following the 2008–2009 financial crisis the banking community had a poor reputation. The challenge for Ta Chong Bank was three-fold; to stimulate interest in the bank, to attract new customers and to boost the morale of its staff. The 'Dream ranger' campaign launched with the longest commercial ever shown on TV in Taiwan, 180-seconds, showing a group of aged men together for one last bike ride, an experience easily relatable for the Taiwanese people. The campaign generated 24m complete online views from around the world, tripling the growth of the bank and paying back approximately 134 times for every dollar spent.
The National Lottery by MPG Media Contacts – 'How doing 'one hundred things one per cent better' helped Camelot achieve record sales
All lotteries generate vast excitement when they launch but go into steep sales decline as optimism inevitably fades. To address this, over the last seven years MPG Media Contacts has devised a successful rollover marketing formula, under-pinned by econometrics, to tame the inherent unpredictability of the lottery business. The strategy has involved minimising late-buying in TV, a focused spot-length strategy, and strategic message and channel deployment to maximise the payback potential of any jackpot scenario. This has provided the platform for managed long-term growth via brand diversification and new game development, and helped Camelot to achieve record sales of £5.8bn in 2011 - bucking the global trend of declining lottery sales worldwide.
Velvet by Fallon – 'Sustainability sells - Velvet three trees'
Velvet struggled as the number two brand in the toilet paper market. To address this it set out to make caring for the environment an important purchase decision criterion, changing the rules of the category from 'soft, strong and long' to 'soft, strong, long and sustainable'. By putting its environmental credentials at the heart of advertising, Velvet's three trees advertising more than doubled the short-term effectiveness of its communications to achieve a payback of £1.84.
Virgin Atlantic by RKCR/Y&R, Gyro, OMD International and Hall & Partners – 'Taking on the world with a dash of je ne sais quoi'
Mass consolidation in the industry left Virgin Atlantic facing a new breed of global competitor. With a historical reliance on the UK to drive growth, it was crucial that other markets of Virgin Atlantic's route network were working equally hard to deliver incremental revenue. 'Your airline's either got it or it hasn't', the first global campaign for a Virgin brand, used TV, press, poster, and digital support across Upper Class and Economy cabins to capture the unique values of Virgin, showing the glamour, fun and comfort of the flying experience. It has outperformed previous VA campaigns in the UK, and delivered significant growth across the rest of the world. The estimated global ROMI is £15.66 per £1 spent.
Virgin Trains by Elvis and Manning Gottlieb OMD – 'Don't go zombie, go Virgin Trains'
In 2009-2010 16 million fewer journeys were taken via train and in 2010 cars accounted for 64% of all trips. To address this, the campaign for Virgin Trains encouraged people to re-evaluate their mode of transport choice by highlighting the stressful and often miserable reality of car and plane travel. This was dramatised by the creative idea that travelling by car or plane was a poor, zombie-like decision, particularly when there was the option of taking a Virgin Train instead. This message was communicated via television advertising to champion Virgin Trains, by outdoor and radio to reflect and interrupt consumers' behaviour, and by Streetview, a Facebook game, eCRM, and digital display to build campaign longevity.
VO5 Extreme Style by Euro RSCG London – 'Building cred-stock for VO5 Extreme Style 2004-2011'
Since the birth of the teenager in the 1950s, males have rebelliously used their hair to create their identity, stir the envy of peers, parental scorn and to get the girl. This paper tells how communications have helped VO5, an established ladies' hair care brand, to win over 16-24-year-old lads, build 'cred-stock' for VO5 Extreme Style, and become the number one hair styling range for men in the UK. Since 2004 the 'Break the mould' campaign has remained consistent with its message, whilst reinventing itself with new settings, music tracks and funky hairstyles. It has generated a payback of £1.75 for every £1 spent on advertising.
Waitrose by Bartle Bogle Hegarty – 'The best ever Christmas'
Waitrose was facing challenging market conditions, fiercer competition and no significant new news. To address this it made the tough decision to invest more in the brand, despite everything pointing to promoting price, and transformed their existing assets into a showcase to make the brand more magical and inclusive. The campaign attracted less frequent, lighter customers to Waitrose and created the best Christmas Waitrose ever had, delivering the highest growth in like-for-like sales in the grocery sector of more than 3.8%, and a net profit payback of £1.89 in just over eight weeks.
Walkers by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO – 'Going from good to great'
While the years preceding 2008 had provided strong return on marketing investment for Walkers, produced from well loved, famous advertising, Walkers were dissatisfied with just being good; they wanted to be great. A model for communications was developed that sought to achieve higher levels of consumer engagement, that would spark greater buzz and excitement around the brand and that in turn would lead to improved marketing return on investment. Through the six campaigns that followed this model's development, the return on investment for Walkers communication increased by 62% in four years.
Which? by Mike Colling and Co – 'Which? subscriber recruitment'
In the ten years prior to 2005 Which? had seen declining subscriber numbers. Over a six-year period, Mike Colling and Co led a three-stage iterative process, from initial direct response subscriber recruitment, to a brand uplift model, to the current fully integrated activity. Their insights drove a better understanding of the audience, a more motivating and engaging proposition, a more effective and responsive media schedule, and a more efficient journey from response to paid subscription. The campaign grew the magazine and online circulation by 52% over the six-year period, increased subscription numbers from 831,000 to more than 1.33m in June 2011, and drove more than £64m in incremental profit.
Yorkshire Tea by Beattie McGuinness Bungay – 'Taking Yorkshire Tea to the world – the story of little urn'
Yorkshire Tea had a goal to become the number two brand in the tea market. To achieve this, their creative solution involved 'little urn', a van painted in the style of their iconic packaging. Led by Facebook fans, the van travelled from Britain to America, taking a 'proper brew' to the people who need it most. Communications charted this Facebook-guided mission, which was then broadcast on television advertisements. In one year value sales increased in Yorkshire from £8.58m to £9.373m, a rise of 9.5%. In the rest of the country, sales rose by 11.6% - from 46.1m to £51.45m. Nationally, Yorkshire Tea market share rose from 12.06% to 13.79%.