The Teletransporter a great invention for letting men go to the bar with their mates without having to worry about the girlfriend.

On New Year's Day in 1994 there were an estimated 623 websites. In the entire world. That was practically yesterday.

I read that stat in The Week last week, along with this quote:-

"There has not been, in the history of mankind, anything that has changed so dramatically as computer communications, in terms of the rate of change". This comes from Steve Crocker, part of the team that made one computer connect remotely with another in October 1969 at the University of California. (As an aside, Tim Berners-Lee came much later. His contribution to the internet can be likened to UCal inventing flight, and him inventing the jet engine.)

So, a passing thought. We wrestle with the New Digital World and suffer the paranoia that maybe someone else knows something we don't, or is doing something we could be. But perhaps we should remember that when we're dealing with an entity that's expanding faster than the universe, it's not about staying ahead of it but about getting behind it, using it for our needs rather than being a slave to it, and taking advantage of it as it suits us. There, feel better now...

A decent PR coup for Artemis today. At Cowes last week Artemis had their two boats in the Artemis Open 60 Challenge race. The Artemis Ocean Racing sponsorship is not a cheap exercise, but it engages potential investors and influencers at a different level to conventional advertising. (Or even the rather unconventional advertising that Libertine does for them). Certainly it can create coverage in places beyond the norm.

So last week we have rock boy Bryan Adams on one boat (keen sailor and raised decent cash for his charity), and Zara Phillips with big boyfriend Mike Tindall on the other, Artemis The Profit Hunter. This led to a five-page well branded spread in Hello! magazine. It's easy to knock sponsorship, and it can be slow burn. However coverage like this (to a readership of around 1.9 million women and 22 men) provides strong support for the Artemis brand. It's not better or worse than advertising, it adds value in a different way, and the two together contribute powerfully to the media multiplier effect.

There are so many blogs out there covering the world of marketing.

Here are a few worth a glance:

Rory Sutherland's Blog : The new president of the IPA is insightful, entertaining and of today

Dave Trott's Blog : Exactly what you would expect from Dave Trott

Bob Willott on the bottom line : for those that are interested in what is going on in the world of finance in our industry.

You can find them all at brand republic in the blogs and forums section.