Thursday, July 31, 2008

e-Travel Blackboard covering Tim Hughes (i.e. me) at eyefortravel

Just back from chairing Eyefortravel Asia Pacific Sales and Marketing conference. eTravel Blackboard have a report on my presentation (ie the non-chairing part) here called "Online consumers need help to understand too much information". More on the conference and other posts as soon as I can get through work and inbox backlog.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tim,

Good work at the conference! You're very quick at thinking on your feet.

Since im not quite as quick a thinker as you are, I have needed a little time to to reflect on the topic of Google allowing bidding on trademarks in the UK, which came up during the conference.

Now that I think about it, if Google did allow this to happen is Australia I would embark on a one day eastern states nude protest, called “THE RUNNING OF THE MALLS”.

I’d start by running naked down the Queen Street mall in Brisbane in the morning. (brisbane first because the mornings are not so cold, for obvious reasons).

Then by midday I’d run nake through the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney. (I’d try fit in with the crowd by carrying a “free hugs” sign, as you do).

Then by the afternoon I’d streak through the Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne, wearing nothing but Alex Jesaulenko's Carlton headband. (Victorian’s will know what im talking about).

My goal would be to draw attention, not to my small apendige, but to the huge injustice that such a move by Google would cause to companies who have invested a lot of time and money protecting their brand names and IP.

For example we have invested over $150k in protencting our IP for the brand name oodles in Australia and around the world. We take trademarks very seriously and for example are currently stairing down OODLE Inc in the US, who have had their trademark rejected for being “Deceptively Similar to OODLES”, our trademark. So if we had to stair down Google, ah.... well...hmm...we would.(consider it)

At present the vast majority of the organic traffic to Oodles.com comes from search terms that include the world oodles.

For example the Top 5 keywords coming from Google are: oodles.com, oodles, oodles.com.au, oodles car hire and www.oodles.com.au. Also from Hitwise data the number travel search term in Australia is “wotif”.

Therefore I don’t believe I would be alone in protesting. Not that I'm suggesting that Graeme Wood also go naked with me in “THE RUNNING OF THE MALLS”.

Ciao,
Steve

Anonymous said...

slight correction: "wearing nothing but Bruce Doull's Carlton headband. (not Alex Jesaulenko)

Anonymous said...
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