AME Marketing's Blog

Know your limits

2007-12-27T12:41:00.000Z

At this time of year, it’s not unusual to see plenty of people full of Christmas Cheer, it’s also not unusual to see people full of alcohol either and that’s where the trouble tends to start.

We see messages all year warning us about binge drinking, but during the festive period those messages seem to be even more prominent, and with good reason. With all the parties on the lead up to Christmas and the parties in between Christmas and new year, many a drinker goes a bit over the score, either passing out in a stupor in their own beds or, if they aren’t so lucky ending up in the nearest A & E department or police station.

It’s nice then to see the adverts promoting a healthy attitude to drinking out where revellers will actually see them – on taxi doors. Although only on London cabs (I think), it would be good to see the idea roll out to other parts of the UK next year, certainly all the big cities.

Nice work from CST, London.

Ho, ho, ho - Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T16:28:00.000Z

Merry Christmas from all at AME Marketing!

We're all very excited at Santa's imminent arrival.

Hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow and the man in red and white is good to you all!

Whopper Freakout

2007-12-20T15:02:00.000Z

Found over on Angus Whines – ‘Whopper Freakout’ - the day they took the Whopper away.

And what happens when a company takes away the product that they are famous for? Well, absolute disbelief, shock, confusion, sadness, anger even. Listening to the customers, many had been eating Whoppers for years, recalling driving from other towns to find one when they didn’t have a Burger King in their own town, growing up with the burger, even measuring their arrival to manhood when they could finally finish a whole sandwich.

Quote of the Video has to be that without the Whopper, it may as well be called ‘Burger Queen’ – classic!

No doubt they managed to show how well-loved the sandwich was/is in the town where they filmed anyway and I reckon the effect would have been the same in the majority of Burger King restaurants around the world. So another well done for Burger King who’s creative ideas just seem to keep coming this year, what with the computer games they launched earlier this year also.

Just wondering where’s left for them to go next year?

Literally the world's coolest fitting room

2007-12-18T16:15:00.000Z

I actually saw this a couple of weeks ago now, but forgot all about writing a post about it, It wasn’t until I stumbled across it again today that I was reminded of its sheer brilliance. What am I talking about? - The world’s coolest fitting room in Sweden.

Selling coats for extreme weather conditions, the best place to test them out probably isn’t your normal retail store where the temperatures are usually well above normal room temperature, let alone the conditions they are actually made for. The solution then – to make the world’s coolest fitting room from 10m3 of snow and 200 kilos of dry ice to create a room at -25 degrees Celsius. I’d reckon if the coat is going to keep you warm(ish) in there, it will anywhere.

The concept was marketed through one ad in a daily newspaper, by posters outside the store, pictures were taken by a web cam and spread on the internet, then spread by word of mouth, radio and the newspapers. And the result – the store in Stockholm drew 400% more customers in (the target was 100%) and more than 100% more jackets were also sold against their goal. I’d say that made it a rip-roaring success. Well done Äkestam Holst (the agency behind it) and Playground (the brand behind it)!

Just wish they had one over here too...

Via directdaily

Just in case it does rain...

2007-12-14T11:01:00.000Z

If you are still looking for presents for Christmas, never fear, I've found the perfect product for you - especially if the intended recipient is living in Scotland!

Found through Angus, via SwissMiss, via Zinc Details - an umbrella stand with a difference.

OK, granted, at $155 there are cheaper options on offer, and probably you wouldn't manage to get it before the 25th - but if you happen to have a natural sponge lying around and some metal and a blow-torch you could knock one up for yourself.

Love it!

Never mind the Christmas Parades...

2007-12-13T12:36:00.000Z

Don't get me wrong, I'm full of the Christmas cheer and love nothing better than seeing Santa at this time of year, but coming across this parade on brand dna, I find myself hankering after this type of parade instead...

Classic

Stan's blog also alerted me to the reading level of the blog - apparently ours is Junior High level - which for us in the UK translates as a reading age of 8-12 (? - I think). Not too bad I suppose, better than the tabloids at least...

Dragon Lisa

2007-12-13T11:35:00.000Z

Last week I had the pleasure of going to Blacklands Primary in Kilwinning and acting as a ‘Dragon’ for their ‘Dragon’s Den’ pitches. Four groups of the Primary 7s had been working for a number of weeks on a project, researching, designing and marketing a desk tidy that they then pitched to us through presentations, 3D images, i-movies and fielding any questions we threw at them afterwards.

And I have to say that I was immensely impressed by all the children who took part. Not only did they learn to work together well in a team, they also put so much effort into everything they had done and really showed an enormous amount of imagination and thought.

When I was in Primary 7 I can’t imagine how I would have approached something like this, but I think it’s fantastic that schools are now giving children projects like this, preparing them for life outside the school walls. My only worry is how good they are going to be by the time they come out!

Unfortunately we didn’t have any piles of cash to hand over, just a winner to pick out of the groups and it was a hard decision as they all did so well. In the end it was the level of research one group had put into their processes over the others that just swung it, but it was close, very close.

So well done again to all the kids in Primary 7 at Blacklands and thanks for letting me be one of you your dragons!

I'm dreaming of a non-raining Christmas...

2007-12-06T16:42:00.000Z

Well, today's post has nothing to do with marketing, or maybe it does slightly now that I come to think of the movie that was attached to this...

But anyway, having put up our Christmas tree in the office yesterday and after a day of stoating rain I fancied a little Christmas cheer. And I can think of no better song than White Christmas to get anyone of any age feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Absolute Christmas gold!

Print and presentations

2007-11-30T14:01:00.000Z

Two things caught my eye today on today’s trip round the blogosphere. First up a print ad from Audi which is so simple, yet so clever. I’m amazed it’s not been used many times before, however I suspect it’s one of those ideas that people would probably think someone must surely have done before. Interested to see whether a few more will pop up after this one mind you...

The second thing to get my attention was a presentation from The New York Times. Not your usual Powerpoint effort, the style of the presentation seems very apt considering the subject matter. Instead of detracting from what is being said, the voice-over and powerful images help to add to what is already a powerful story anyway. You'll find the presentation here.

Two great examples of how to get print and presentations right.

Inspiring logo?

2007-11-28T11:12:00.000Z

So, apparently Edinburgh's "Inspiring Capital" slogan, logo and brand is set to be shelved within the coming months, less than three years after it was unveiled. Shortage of political support on the new city council, concerns about the lack of impact the image has had and problems with funding are all posing this threat its future.

Before its unveiling, around 18 months of research reportedly went into the launch of this Edinburgh brand. The finished logo was said to represent the city's "sense of energy" as well as famous images such as the Forth Bridge, the Festival fireworks and Arthur's Seat. While the aim of the brand was to persuade people to visit, live, work and study in the city.

And at a cost of £800,000, with a further £120,000 being ploughed into the project since its debut in 2005, the logo and brand should really have delivered. So, what went wrong?

Well, in my opinion at least, inspiring it is not. Looking at the logo, images of the Forth Bridge and fireworks are no more conjured up than they would be by looking at a bunch of other squiggly lines. In fact, the image makes me think more of the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow. But quite apart from all that, even more telling is the fact that this is the first time I’ve even seen the logo – when it has been out for three years now. As a Scot within travelling distance of Edinburgh for day trips, etc., surely I am actually in one of their target groups. So the question remains, why have I not seen this logo or even heard anything about ‘Inspiring Capital’?

Perhaps the fault lies with the logo itself. Perhaps hiring a London agency to create a logo for Edinburgh was a bad idea; perhaps they should have used some of the local talent, people who have a real insight into Edinburgh and all it has to offer. Perhaps the fault lies in the marketing surrounding the logo and the brand in general. Or, perhaps the fault lies in all these things and more. But with issues such as school closures, overspends in the budgets of a number of council departments, and demand for investment in the likes the Commonwealth Pool and the King's Theatre in Edinburgh, it may very well be the case that the brand is buried as quietly as it appears to have been unveiled.

The other question of course is, will anyone even notice?

How much attention are we really giving what is on our screens?

2007-11-22T16:07:00.000Z

Research conducted in the US by Burst Media has found that more than eight in ten internet users also do some offline activity while they are online. And topping the list of other activities, with three out of five internet users doing it? - Watching the television. I have to admit that this is something I do at home on a regular basis, and I know I’m not the only one.

After television, the next most popular offline activity to multi-task with was found to be job-related activities (with 33% doing this), then reading a book (31.1%), reading a magazine or newspaper (29.7%) and talking on a mobile phone (23.6%). Again, I can put my hands up to doing most of these, although I haven’t read a book at the same time since my uni days and I would usually only read something else at the same time if I was working on something, but it has been done.

What does all this mean for marketers who are using the internet as a primary channel in their campaigns though? Well, as Debra Williamson, senior analyst at e-marketer remarks, we should "Keep in mind that many of these activities are not representative of true multitasking", indeed "It's one thing to go online with the radio playing in the background, but it's all but impossible to read text on a Web page and in a newspaper at the same time. Consumers are switching focus, rather than multitasking." "Still, anytime your attention is divided, your ability to recall and comprehend ad messages is impacted."

So what can marketers do then to combat this lack of attention from those reading their messages online? The advice it seems is to tackle your target market from more than one angle, using different types of media. As Ms Williamson points out, "TV and the Internet have long been multitasking buddies," and so "It makes sense to create ad messages that resonate across media."

Although the data collected was from US online users, I would hazard a guess that the same type of data would be found here in the UK if online users were polled. And aside from these results having an impact on those using the internet as their primary channel of communication, it also has an impact on those using other channels such as newspapers, television, etc, as it also means that while they are engaged in viewing/reading those messages they are also turning their attention elsewhere at the same time.

I concede that this research isn’t actually telling us anything we don’t already know, but it’s always good to be reminded that your customers are going to have other messages vying for their attention at the same time, whether you are marketing to consumers or businesses. Because at the end of the day, ultimately you are marketing to human beings, who will have more to do with their day than sit down and digest the message you wish to send them.

So, lesson to be learned? Make your marketing as good as it can be and use more than one channel to put your message across. Otherwise it’ll get lost in the clutter of everyday life... Now, did your attention hold out this far?

Find your future you...

2007-11-20T14:44:00.000Z

I always like finding campaigns that allow you to have a little fun in your lunch break and that’s exactly what I just did on the ‘Find Your Future You’ website from Svedka vodka.

Why have a ‘future you’ website you might wonder, well, it’s based around the company’s claim / tagline that Svedka is “Voted #1 Vodka of 2033”, quite a random year to pick, but at least they have 26 years to try to live up to it. And both the ‘future you’ website and the official company website are suitably futuristic and entertaining so the company has started their campaign in the right direction.

Given that it’s only available in the US I very much doubt i’ll be buying a bottle any time soon though, but otherwise i would have been tempted to try it, if only to reward their brightening up of my lunch hour. I picked the ‘No Sunscreen You’ for my future self, not that I don’t use it, but I preferred that to being a down-and-out.

Meet My Future You - Find Your Own Future You
Have a go yourself here, and, if you’re making a trip to the US in the near future, maybe pick up a bottle on your way home. And, if you like, also feel free to drop one into the office here afterwards... It is coming up to Christmas after all.

Another idea for Christmas...

2007-11-16T16:39:00.000Z

For those of you looking for a present for the less marketing inclined, but still want to give a present that could make a difference this Christmas, Oxfam may well have the answer (Can you tell I started my Christmas shopping this week?).

Just came across their great new ad for ‘Oxfam unwrapped’ on Talent Imitates, which put a little smile on my face on a dark winter afternoon.

So, how does it work? Well, instead of giving your loved ones useless presents they neither like nor want, you can choose a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped, from a variety of price ranges, your loved one will receive a gift card and fridge magnet and Oxfam will use the donation you’ve made on their behalf to help in the fight against poverty. Not a new concept I know, but their use of humour instead of near emotional blackmail puts a whole new spin on it and really makes the campaign stand apart.

OK, so this sort of present isn’t for everyone, but it does give an idea for that someone you know who seems to have everything, especially if that everything includes a big heart.

And if you want a few more laughs, you can see the out-takes from the advert below. Have a good weekend!

The Green Marketing Manifesto

2007-11-16T15:30:00.000Z

I know that we’ll be too late by now to get one of the free books up for grabs by linking to ‘The Green Marketing Manifesto’, but I wanted to do it anyway.

The book, written by John Grant from the Greenormal blog, looks at green marketing (funnily enough) and how to organise your green marketing effectively. A good few examples are also thrown in for good measure, from a variety of companies, who are already making real headway in this area (one of which being Marks & Spencer, who you should remember have made leaps in bounds in one store in particular this year).

When it comes down to it though, it’s easy to jump on the bandwagon of green marketing or just pay lip service to it, but when it comes to actually implementing real changes and maintaining them it’s a completely different story. And the hardest step is often where to even start – then after you have, where to go next. But with a book like this which gives clear and practical advice on how to ‘go green’ properly and sustain this effort permanently, it makes the whole process that little bit easier.

At only £14.99 in many good book shops or £11.49 from Amazon, it will make the perfect stocking filler for the marketer / businessperson in your life (or just as a cheeky wee present for yourself). Very nice.

P.S. I also like the wee bit at the bottom of the cover asking buyers not to put the book in a plastic bag – nice touch. I definitely wouldn’t be putting it in a plastic bag – or an ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ bag for that matter!

Congratulations Glasgow!

2007-11-09T14:51:00.000Z

Glasgow has been chosen to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games it was announced today, winning by 47 votes to 24.

Great news for the city and its surounding areas!

So once again, well done Glasgow! Here's looking forward to 2014...

For further, immediate reactions on the announcement, click here, here, here and here (Can you tell I'm pleased?)

It’s nearly here...

2007-11-09T12:00:00.000Z

Months after it was launched in the US, the iPhone finally hits the UK tonight at 6.02 pm (just got there that it’s because it’s being sold by O2 – very clever). Eagerly anticipated, the queues are forming outside Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse shops – the only outlets where the phones are available – up and down the country as we speak. All to be one of the first in the UK to own the phone.

But what is all the fuss about? At the price of £269 for the handset and then the minimum contract of £35 per month over an 18 month period, before customers have even begun to use their phones they are pledging at least £899 to Apple for the privilege. That’s an awful lot just for a phone. Even if it is all-singing, all-dancing. And, if the US is anything to go by, although reviews of the phone have been glowing, many customers were left feeling extremely hard done to when the price was dropped substantially for the handset only a few months after its launch. I wonder if the same will happen here?

Yet as I say all this I know myself that if someone I know gets one and I have the chance to have a play around on it, I’ll want one instantly. Damn Apple and their fancy gadgets - sucked in every time!

You can find coverage of the growing queue outside the Apple store in Glasgow here. And, should you, by some fluke, have managed to miss the coverage of this new ‘superphone’, you’ll find a video here of all the wonderful things it can do – practically everything except wash your dirty dishes!

Quite sad as it is however, I’m finding it all quite exciting. It’s times like this I know I’m definitely in the right line of work...

A world of meat

2007-11-08T12:51:00.000Z

Another advert today, this time in print. As with yesterday’s ad, there is a cleverness about this campaign and on first glance it looks pretty nice. But then you take a closer look and you realise that it isn’t advertising sweets or icing or something of the like. No, it’s advertising meat.

Now, I’m not a vegetarian and I love my meat, especially the type of meat featured in the Negroni ads, but instead of enticing me to go and buy the meat, this ad makes me shiver. There’s something sweet (quite literally) about scenes made out of candy, but scenes made out of meat? As Tim Seidel on bad banana blog comments, “...who lives in those little houses? Little meat people? A crazed butcher?”

Maybe it’s the fact that many meat eaters, like myself, are actually hypocrites who don’t like to think about the fact that they are really eating an animal, I don’t know. But the scene showing a river of what looks like Parma ham particularly just makes me think of a river of blood – not an image that is going to help me forget what I am actually chomping into used to be alive. It’s enough to turn someone vegetarian.

I do feel a bit sorry for those who worked on the ad however. Clearly a lot of work has gone into it and all in all it’s well done. But whoever thought up this concept is either a hardened meat eater or is just plain crazy.

By all means make an ad that elicits real emotion in your target audience, but I would say that making them feel uneasy and sick won’t help you to sell your product to them...

Shadows

2007-11-07T11:57:00.000Z

Well Halloween is out of the way, so that means it must be time for the Christmas campaigns to start in ernest, right? And so, John Lewis began their Christmas campaign on November 5th, their largest to date, with their ad break ‘Shadows’.

Featuring a team of people arranging John Lewis products in an empty room in front of a spotlight, the objects slowly build to form the shadow of an elegant woman and her dog. I really like it when advertising is clever like this. It makes you wonder, ‘How did they work out what to use to make the shadow?’ and ‘How did they work out where to place the objects?’

What I like even more about it, especially at this time of year, is the fact that it is not overtly Christmassy; I really can’t handle too many Santas and tons of snow when I’ve not even begun to start buying gifts. This advert instead acts as a gentle reminder instead of throwing Christmas down your throat. Which for me is perfect.

And I’m not proclaiming the advert to be the best thing I’ve ever seen, but I do like it and I think you will too.

Advertising outdoors

2007-10-31T12:31:00.000Z

Apparently...

And, judging by many of the headline grabbing billboards through the years (also of course my own personal experience as a consumer) I’d say it tends to be true.

But, if you want to do something outdoors but don’t want to use a billboard, what other options have you got? Well, it seems nowadays that the possibilities are endless. And yet another addition to the list has been added by Street Advertising Services. Providing what they call ‘pavement art’, the company use high water pressure and steam to create an advert on dirty pavements and their staff even wear the aluminium framed signs used to stencil on the design as they make their way around the streets. So, it’s two for the price of one when it comes to exposure for your brand.

Even better about this new medium of advertising, it doesn’t use any chemicals to make the advert and so is kind to the environment at the same time. I hope it’s not long until we see some up our way; it’d definitely brighten up my day as the weather gets ever colder.

Oh, and Happy Halloween everyone!

Wandering eyes

2007-10-30T12:30:00.000Z

You can see it countless times each day, a man’s eyes following a beautiful woman walking down the street. Whether with their partner or on their own, they seem unable to help themselves, staring longingly as each stunner passes. Hence, whenever advertisers want to advertise to man, often a young, beautiful, voluptuous model is wheeled in to grab their attention and sell the product.

You could be forgiven for thinking therefore that the new ad from Mercator is another ad in that same vein then. Using a beautiful woman walking along a high street - wearing a short skirt of course - every man who passes stares as she goes by, regardless of the fact that they are all walking along with their partners. The ad isn’t for men though, it’s for women and the message is clear – don’t rely on men to provide you with financial stability, rely on yourself.

Being used to seeing women being objectified in order to sell to men, this ad makes a nice, fresh change. Whether it arouses annoyance or laughter in women as they begin to watch it, it is more than likely that it will grab their attention by the end, for the surprise factor of it being aimed at them, if for nothing else. And for the men watching it? I’d imagine they’ll get a bit of a surprise too when they realise the ad isn’t for them and perhaps will also feel a little bit of embarrassment that they are indeed so easily led by their desires.

I like the ad a lot, not only for its humorous execution, but also for its message. In an age where divorce is so prevalent, it would be foolish for women to ignore what it is saying. And perhaps being confronted so full-on with just how weak-willed their partners can be, they will find it hard not to act to secure their own future. What do you think?

Fashion on the Great Wall

2007-10-25T13:32:00.000Z

Want something a bit different for your fashion show? Maybe you might think of transforming your venue into something spectacular. Or, maybe if you’re Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld you choose a spectacular venue. One that can be seen from space no less. Yup, that’s where Fendi decided to stage their latest fashion show, on The Great Wall of China.

Guests watched as 88 models walked the 88 metre long runway which was lit up with spotlights, highlighting the World Heritage Site and casting the surrounding countryside in darkness.

A year in the planning and costing around £10 million, the event certainly had a lot to live up to, but Friday’s spectacle definitely looks to have fulfilled expectations. Fashionistas, celebrities and the world’s media flocked to the event (over 500 in total) and sat awestruck through the show.

As the lovely Queen Marie over at Kingdom of Style points out, “The number eight means prosperity in China and this event will go a long way to ensuring the continuing prosperity of the Fendi brand worldwide...”

More green chat

2007-10-18T11:51:00.000Z

You’d be forgiven for thinking that we’ve turned into green crusaders here at AME Marketing these past couple of weeks, and I suppose in a way we have, having been inspired by the goings on in the retail world, Blog Action Day and now the new campaign from the WWF.

In association with the wonderful Iain Tait’s agency, WWF are building a massive paper boat and aeroplane to fly / sail to the British Houses of Parliament with the purpose of putting pressure on the government to strengthen the Climate Change Bill. At this point you may be thinking – eh? Well let me explain further... The reason behind the idea is that aviation and shipping have currently been left out of the climate bill; however these are actually the fastest growing sources of emissions. The giant-sized structures will therefore be used as symbols to represent this weakness in the bill.

Nice idea and it will certainly be attention grabbing, something WWF seem to be very good at – remember the WWF campaign highlighting exhaust emissions in Beijing earlier this year? Apparently they are going to actually try to make the plane fly as well. No mean feat I would imagine. And where exactly is it going to land? Who’s going to control it? But, if they pull it off, how spectacular will that be?

This isn’t just about the spectacle of massive paper creations though. WWF want us all to help by signing an online petition to add support to their argument of including planes and boats in the Climate Change Bill. However, this is a petition with a difference, because everyone who signs up will have their name on the boat or plane that will arrive at the Houses of Parliament. Pretty cool eh? Not only do you get to do a good deed and help drive forward change, you also get your name on the largest paper plane / boat known to man (well, I’m guessing, I’ve not verified it with the Guinness Book of Records or anything).

So, go on, you know you want to, if not for the environment, at least for your 1cm (or however big your name might appear) of fame. You can sign up and find more information here. I’m away to sign up right now...

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T14:55:00.000Z

I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like I don’t do enough for the environment. I do the easy things and sometimes make an effort to do the things that require a little more effort too, but not quite often enough. What stops me apart from laziness however is a lack of information and a lack of resources a lot of the time. And, even with the best of intentions, it’s often easy to get the wool pulled over your eyes and slip up when you think you are being ultra green. And I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

But, hey, no-one gets it right all of the time and the most important thing is to make an effort. And, if you can manage to be green without too much extra effort as well, all the better.

So today, on Blog Action Day, I thought I’d share a few sites with you that may just help you make being green that little bit easier.

First up, it’s the wonderful site The G Living Network. Practically a one-stop-shop for all things green, as well as all things stylish, as they themselves say, it’s “The darker, cooler side of green, featuring smarter design, style, nature, technology, food, music and knowledge. It’s about having fun as we re-think the way we live now and how we will shape the future.” With sections on style, design, Hollywood, music, , fitness, the home and garden, nature, tech/science, vehicles, fun and food, it also has a whole host of videos to look at and green news from all over the world for your perusal, as well as an ‘insider community’. If you want everything in one site, you really don’t need to go much further (unless you’re looking for something a bit less American...).

If you do want to look further however, a great blog to follow is greenormal. As well as giving commentary on many up-to-date issues in the ‘green’ world, it also has a link to nice little site called Do the Green Thing which gives you a nice, easy action to do each month and a community to share with whenever you’ve done it. Other favourites of mine also include FAIR* Ethical Creative Consultancy which although not updated as often as greenormal, provides a lot of food for thought. Makehope, TreeHugger and New Consumer are also great sites to visit.

Given my earlier statement, you may be forgiven for thinking that I’ve just posted a load of links for Blog Action Day because I’m being lazy and can’t be bothered thinking of an in-depth post to tackle the issue myself. But, the reason I’ve really done it is because, apart from the fact that I’m not an expert in this area, I think the best way to tackle it is to share information and resources. Because I know I don’t have all the answers, but slowly, I’m learning more about what I can do, small and large, to make a real difference. But maybe your interests are different to mine, budget smaller/larger, resolve stronger/weaker. Better then to give you the tools yourself to go forward rather than sit here preaching to you.

So, I hope these sites will be of some help to you, and as well as educating you a little more, will also bring you some enjoyment. They have for me.

Happy Blog Action Day everyone!

A Diet Cherry Vanilla Pepsi Max Coke, anyone?

2007-10-12T14:01:00.000Z

This month has seen the UK launch of 'Diet Coke Plus'. We get two healthy variants of the ridiculously popular diet drink, one with added vitamins and the other with added antioxidants. Both come in smaller than usual doses and both are quite nice in a "my tooth enamel might be eroding, but at least I won't catch colds so often" kind of way.

And who knew vitamins were so tasty? I am certain they have tinkered with the formula for the "plus vitamins" variant as the drink seems a little sweeter. [Vitamins taste of nothing, of course, although I won't be surprised if I find out they've changed the flavour so people believe there really are vitamins in it.]

The green tea flavoured "with antioxidant" version tastes a lot different to the original, with a much more bitter after-taste. It's quite nice, actually. It *tastes* healthier, therefore it must be, right?

Anyway, to celebrate the launch I thought I would do some investigating into the soft drinks markets around the world and the endless brand extensions that seem to be popping up all over the place. I also take a look at a few of the "classics" from yesteryear that, uhm... never really took off.

Crystal Pepsi (USA) - The disastrous American launch of this "healthy" clear Pepsi was back in 1992. Blindfolded taste testers couldn't tell the difference, but those with their eyes open succumbed to placebo effects and thought it tasted like old socks. It still has a cult following, though, with antique cans and bottles now fetching a fortune on eBay.

Pepsi Blue (USA) - If the "no colour" approach doesn't work then it stands to reason that a Pepsi stuffed to the brim with E numbers will be a huge hit, right? Wrong. A decade after Crystal Pepsi, it was time to launch this blue coloured, super sour raspberry flavoured "Berry Cola Fusion". The problem was it tasted like liquidised fizz-bombs. Buckets of cash were thrown at the marketing campaign to promote the launch but it still tanked big time, unfortunately.

Strawberry Pepsi / Tropical Pepsi (UK) - These cute limited editions were sold some time in the early 1990s. They came in half-size cans and tasted just as awful as you would imagine them to. They lasted one summer then disappeared forever.

Pepsi Holiday Spice (USA) - launched for Christmas 2004, this was a cinnamon flavoured, deep red coloured Pepsi. The "anti-eggnog" ad campaign had a neat jingle which went something like, "eggnog by the gallon, eggnog by the cup, tastes the same while going down, as it does coming up!"

Diet Pepsi Jazz Strawberries and Cream / Caramel Cream / Black Cherry French Vanilla (USA) - Wow, three creamy Diet Pepsi variants got simultaneously released earlier this year in America. Lately, everything seems to have gone "cherry vanilla" crazy over there. These are still in production, but for how long is anyone's guess.

Pepsi Ice Cucumber (Japan) - Believe it or not, this limited edition, light green coloured, cucumber flavoured Pepsi was launched exclusively in Japan this summer. Not kidding.

Diet Pepsi Max (USA) - Not to be confused with the UK's "Max Taste, No Sugar" Pepsi variant, this has just launched in the States as a quasi-energy drink (and Pepsi's answer to 'Diet Coke Plus') with added guarana and extra caffeine.

Pepsi Fire / Pepsi Ice (USA / Thailand / Singapore) - No, not an homage to the Torvill and Dean "ice spectacular", thankfully. 'Pepsi Fire' had an extra hot cinnamon taste, whilst 'Pepsi Ice' was a blue-coloured minty menthol flavour. Unsurprisingly, both bombed in the States. Well, you can't blame them for trying, at least.

Also look for:
Pepsi Red [Japan. Red coloured Pepsi.]
Pepsi Summer Mix [USA. Limited edition Tropical flavour for summer 2007.]
Pepsi Summer Chill [Poland. Apple and mint flavoured Pepsi variant.]
Pepsi Natural [New formulation, on its way, made with only natural ingredients.]

Diet Cherry Coke (USA) - note the position of the word Cherry. This is a diet version of 'Cherry Coke', which is much different to our cherry version of 'Diet Coke'. It's been around for over twenty years in the States.

Coca-Cola Cherry Zero (USA) - A 'Coke Zero' version of 'Cherry Coke' no less, launched exclusively in America earlier this year. Consumers - me included - are already lobbying to have it released in several other countries. So if any Coke people are reading this, I demand that you release this in the UK immediately!

Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla (USA) - This is what replaced 'Vanilla Coke' in America. Rather nice, if a little too sweet. Not content with three suffixes, the diet version added a prefix and became 'Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla'. Which makes me think people *must* have abbreviated it when asking for it at the grocery store. "Eh, I'll have a bottle of DCBCV, please."

Coca-Cola Vanilla (USA) - It's 'Vanilla Coke' reborn! A couple of years after its demise in the States, it's back with a new moniker and new packaging! They've even released 'Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero' to accompany it. Utter genius.

Coca-Cola Blāk (France) - Coke flavoured with what tastes like a hundred shots of espresso. Yuck.

Coca-Cola C2 (Japan / USA) - Half the carbs, half the sugar, half the calories of regular Coke, this was a (not very successful) experiment in the midst of the Atkins' diet craze. Now defunct and, frankly, redundant in the wake of 'Coke Zero'. Nice packaging though.

Coca-Cola with Raspberry (New Zealand) - Limited edition sold exclusively in New Zealand. There was also a diet version. Quite nice, although a small fortune when forced to import it.

Also look for:
Coca-Cola Citra [Mexico. Lemon and Lime flavoured Coke. Also introduced and discontinued twice in New Zealand.]
Coca-Cola Light Sango [France. Blood orange flavoured Diet Coke.]

dnL (USA) - Also known as "7up Upside Down" [the dnL is quite literally 7up turned on its arse] this was a freaky, green-coloured, caffeinated, clear-bottled version of the normally clear, not-caffeinated, green-bottled original. Groovy.

Fanta (Worldwide) - Remember the days when Fanta was Orange and that was it? Pah! There are now countless worldwide variants [The Japanese market alone has enjoyed over fifty flavours over the years]. The list includes Berry, Elderflower, Tangerine, Cream Soda, Strawberry, Orange Mint, Lactic White Grape, Honeydew Melon, Sour Cherry, Root Beer, Club Soda, Pear, Peach, Cider and Banana. A version in the far east also glowed in the dark.

Dr Pepper (Worldwide) - Dr Pepper has also had its fare share of variants over the years. The first was 'Dr Pepper Red Fusion' [red coloured, greater cherry flavour], followed by 'Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper' and its diet prefix-heavy counterpart 'Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper'. Most recently there's been 'Dr Pepper Berries and Cream' and yes, you guessed it, 'Diet Dr Pepper Berries and Cream'.

Sprite (Worldwide) - Look out for 'Sprite Remix' in three varieties - Tropical, Berryclear and Aruba Jam (USA). Fiery ginger and Icy mint versions have also been spotted around the world.

100th Post

2007-10-11T14:10:00.000Z

So, it’s our 100th post today. To be honest I completely forgot until I came to post it, so it’s not an all-singing, all-dancing breakthrough insight into marketing. Hopefully though, it will give you a little to think about though.

I saw this quote today on The Hidden Persuader, via Room 116 and thinking about adverts such as Sony Bravia and the recent Cadbury spot I found it quite interesting and quite apt in current times. It also made me question once again how much of advertising is about selling the product and how much is just sheer art. I would argue however that a healthy dose of self obsession is often required in art, and I’m sure is probably often prevalent in those working in the advertising industry also (but let’s not generalise here – in ANY industry).

Another reason it made me think was because, on a personal level, I always enjoyed art at school but decided not to pursue it because I didn’t fancy the life of a starving artist. Plus, truth be told I didn’t feel I was that fantastic at it that I could actually make a career out of it. However, I still wanted to do something creative and ended up choosing marketing as I felt it would give me the opportunity to use my creativity in a variety of ways. I wonder how many in advertising and marketing as a whole made that very same decision? Hmmm...

To everyone that’s been reading so far – thanks - I hope you enjoy the next 100!

Retail goes green

2007-10-09T15:39:00.000Z

Today’s shaping up to be all about green. First this morning I received an e-mail reminder about Blog Action Day on October 15th, then I read about the Howies store on Northern Planner and then read about the new Marks & Spencer ‘green’ store in Bournemouth. So, although Blog Action Day isn’t until Monday, I have to squeeze a green post in before then to speak about the two stores, but don’t worry, I’ll think of something else for the 15th!

First off then, the Howies store:

Nice company, good quality, nice products and now a nice, shiny new store. Keeping in line with their ethos, the new store uses sustainable, low-impact materials wherever possible, from their ‘T-trees’, T shaped modular shelving made from ‘sustainably sourced oak from a council run project in Pembrokeshire’; to replacing plasterboard with wool-board and wood chippings with recycled glass. Energy saving has also been big on the agenda which could have posed a slight problem given its Carnaby Street location as the street has a rule that all shops must keep their lights on at night. However, Howies managed to get round this in a novel way, placing a light switch outside which customers can press if they want to see the store lit up. Ergo, no energy is wasted during the night – genius! Taking into consideration the commitment to quality and sustainability the company have put into their clothing, it’s really nice to see the same commitment when it comes to their store. Even nicer, they have dedicated a ‘power of 10’ wall to products they love, one of which happens to be a reusable drinking bottle at the moment, which can be refilled at the tap in-store. Unfortunately I doubt I’ll be in the store any time soon since I don’t live in London, but still, even just reading about it and seeing the pictures has made me smile. Well done Howies. I hope the store is as successful as its online counterpart and concessions.

Next, from small to large, and the new Marks and Spencer store in Bournemouth. Well, I say new, it’s not actually new per say, it’s just been made-over, green stylee. How you may ask? Well... the many modifications include: Daylight sensors in the windows which are designed to switch off spotlights when the sun is shining; two sets of doors to help save heat; infra-red sensors in the changing rooms which mean that the lights are only on when there is someone in them; store lights which automatically switch off when the burglar alarm is set for the night; air conditioning which is not only supplied by a green energy company but also only chills the air at head level; freezer cabinets with small LED strips instead of fluorescent bulbs, with their doors shut to conserve energy; escalators which run at reduced energy when no-one is on them; shelving units made from a light, easy to transport, scratch-resistant material called Enviro-wall; toilets with a dual-flush system which allows you to use less water per flush if you wish; a roof full of green plants that need little watering; staff with fleeces made from recycled plastic bottles (granted, I know little about textiles or recycling processes, but I’m pretty amazed at this); AND, even more green products on the shelf. Phew, that’s a long list! All this speaks for itself really, but in case you’re wondering, it should mean that the store should use 25% less energy than before and 90% of its carbon output will be eliminated. Even the waste from the refurbishment didn’t go to waste, with 80% being recycled, the flooring for example being turned into traffic cones. Pretty good going, especially considering that, if successful this concept will be rolled out across more of its stores and warehouses – which total more than 550 altogether. Hopefully then this is just a sign of things to come for the high-street retailer.

Big pats on the back for Howies and M & S then. It’s a bit of a suck-up post for the both of them, but I think it’s well-deserved. And although I’m much more convinced that the motives behind Howies actions are pure, the fact remains that both have made a commitment to being green and that’s the most important thing. Time more retailers took a leaf out of their book (pardon the pun – they seem to be coming thick and fast this weather).

N.B. Photos nabbed from New Consumer and Northern Planner

Play-doh

2007-10-05T14:47:00.000Z

I feel a bit of déjà-vu in this post as this time last year I had just spoken about the Sony Bravia ad after I had spoken about the Dove ad the post before. And here I am at it again.

The new Sony Bravia ‘Colour Like No Other’ advert finally launches tonight on Channel 4 during Ugly Betty. Having been hyped for months now and teasers being released along the way, does it live up to the hype? Erm...

I never expected it to be as good as the first, I don’t think anyone did. And I’d say it’s at least on a par with the last spot (although that one scored extra points in my book for being filmed in Glasgow). I’m probably with quite a few other bloggers who are most fascinated by the actual making of the ad – 100, 000 still images were used to make the ad – rather than the actual ad itself.

I do like the ad though, to a point. The bunnies are great, the music is great, the people in the background are great, but what’s with the wave and then the cubes? It’s a bit like two concepts pushed into the same ad. Why?

See what you think.

Dove does it again

2007-10-03T15:25:00.000Z

Last year it was the ‘Evolution’ ad. Starting with a make-up free model, the woman is then made up by make-up artists, has her hair done perfectly, gets some flattering lighting, and then after all that has her picture manipulated digitally to make it thinner and blemish-free. The message from the ad is clear – the images that you see in magazines and on billboards aren’t real. So this perfect ‘beauty’ that women strive to achieve is unachievable, because even models don’t look like this without help. This is, in part, the whole ethos of Dove’s ‘Campaign for real beauty’. It’s all about letting women, young and old, know that they are beautiful. Whatever their weight, height, race, etc, they should never feel pressure to conform to the ‘ideal’ presented to them on a daily basis through the media, fashion and beauty industries.

I’m always in two minds about these adverts and the campaign in general. Overall, the company conveys a positive image and behind the adverts the company also run a ‘self-esteem fund’ which develops and distributes resources to “enable and empower women and girls to embrace a broad definition of beauty” and also provides resources to organisations that foster a broader definition of beauty. In addition, they also give talks in classrooms across the UK on the topic, again encouraging girls to build up a positive body-image however they may look. And it is not only in the UK and the US this campaign runs, but across the globe. All of which is excellent and I think / hope it does / will make a real difference to some women’s / girls’ self esteem. But then you look at who their parent company is – Unilever – and it all starts to unravel a bit. Aren’t those the same ‘perfect’ models they are using to promote their other products that they just criticised the beauty industry for using over at Dove? Hmm...

Aside from this however, Dove has brought out a new advert to follow on from their Evolution spot from last year. ‘Onslaught’ shows a barrage of the type of images that young girls are subject to every day. And putting myself in their shoes, I reckon it must be fairly hard when you’re young and impressionable not to be affected by them. Even as grown women many of us are affected, so what chance have young girls got?

The message from the ad is to speak to you daughter before the beauty industry does. Although I’m not completely in love the ad itself, the message behind it is very powerful and is conveyed well. Will it win the awards that Evolution did? Who knows? More importantly, will it encourage women to speak to their children about this issue and help instil a positive self-image in their minds? Would they not be doing this anyway?
Still, it does remind us self-esteem begins building, or conversely, being destroyed early on and if the media/fashion/beauty industries seem intent on showing children an unachievable ‘perfection’ it’s our responsibility to let them know that they should strive to achieve it at all, but simply be comfortable in their own skin. Hopefully it will sink in.

How very true...

2007-09-28T00:35:00.000Z

"The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom."

Jon Stewart

“No Anorexia”

2007-09-26T13:04:00.000Z

I am slightly divided when it comes to the size zero debate. It’s not that I support models starving themselves to be as skinny as they can be, not for one minute. But what annoys me about the issue is firstly that outside of America, size 0 doesn’t even exist, so while everyone is banging on about size 0, in the UK it’s actually size 4 and in the rest of Europe it’s a 32 (perhaps, every conversion table I ever look at is different), still ‘the size 32 debate’ doesn’t sound quite so shocking does it? What also annoys me about the debate is that the media who write about how terrible this issue is are the very people who perpetuate the idea that ‘thin is beautiful’, but one minute stars are too fat (i.e. normal) and the next minute they are too skinny. What sort of message does that send out to young girls?

Aside from these points, there are many other issues within the debate which also cause me great annoyance, but this isn’t the purpose of this post. At the same time, there are many reasons I also think that the debate should be had and should continue to be discussed. Number one of which is the disease Anorexia Nervosa, the actual reason for this post.

As Milan fashion week begins this year (where last year they followed Madrid’s lead banning any models with a BMI under 18 and asked that models carry medical certificates), size 0 and anorexia is still an issue very much on people’s minds. As a result, the fashion brand Nolita has released an ad showing a naked anorexic woman to highlight the effects of the disease. The posters have been erected all over the city of Milan during it's fashion week.

The ‘model’ used in the ad is a French woman named Isabelle Caro, who has suffered from the disease for 15 years. Weighing only 31kg (just over 4st 12lbs) and also suffering from the skin disease psoriasis, Isabelle spoke to the magazine Vanity Fair about her decision to take part in the ad campaign: “I’ve hidden myself and covered myself for too long. Now I want to show myself fearlessly, even though I know my body arouses repugnance. I want to recover because I love life and the riches of the universe. I want to show young people how dangerous this illness is.”

The ad has been shot by the same controversial photographer, Oliviero Toscani, who photographed a man dying of aids in 1992 for a campaign for Benetton. Of the campaign for Nolita the photographer said that his aim was “to use the naked body to show everyone the reality of this illness, caused in most cases by the stereotypes imposed by the world of fashion”.

It certainly does show everyone the reality of what the illness does to sufferers bodies, but what about what the illness does to their minds?

So far the response to the ad has been quite mixed. While the Ministry of Health feels it can help promote responsibility with regards to the disease, the President of Italy’s Association for the Study of Anorexia is not quite so keen. Fabio De Clercq feels instead that the woman used should be in hospital and the image is “too crude”. He also expressed concern that instead of helping those with anorexia, many may feel envious of the woman pictured and become determined to get even thinner than her.

Unfortunately, it’s a very tricky subject to approach and obviously one ad campaign isn’t going to make a world of a difference, even with an accompanying website which explains the motivation behind the campaign a little more. The aim is to shock people and it certainly does, at least it shocks those who do not suffer from the disease, but whether it shocks those who have an eating disorder themselves, I don’t know.

It may very well end up that some will look to the ‘model’ as something to aspire to be, but even without this campaign, those with the disease have many ‘role models’ already in the media to look to for ‘inspiration’. I wonder also whether the ad is aimed slightly more towards those who do not have the disease to highlight just how hellish the actual reality of the disease is. Because ultimately, those suffering from anorexia already have a distorted image of their own bodies and their problem is in the mind, a poster cannot make them change the opinions that they have so firmly ingrained. If Nolita really wanted to target those with disease, their campaign would go much further than a billboard poster. But then they are a fashion company, not a charity, and so is it actually their responsibility to tackle the disease itself or is it enough for them just to make a statement? Again, I don’t know.

The campaign has left me in two minds. The pictuers are shocking and hard to look at, but the ad has made me think and has made the issue of anorexia and the media and fashion industries' glorification of 'thin' more prominent in my mind once again. So I guess in a lot of ways it’s worked, on me. The actual test will be when it comes to those within the fashion industry however...

No-one loves their car this much

2007-09-25T12:05:00.000Z

Sometimes an ad comes along which just leaves you scratching your head wondering why.

For many recently that was the Cadbury's Dairy Milk ad. With the gorilla. It was random, completely unrelated to the company or the chocolate bar and totally unexpected. But whilst quite a few hated it, I have to admit I really liked it. Not that I'm saying I think all advertising should be like this. But this time, what's made it stand out is that it's so out of the ordinary. Should every ad go in this direction we’d never actually know what was being advertised and just learn to tune out. But once in a while, this type of ad is good. It shakes up the industry a little and shows that you can venture outside the box and still have something that works.

Anyway, Cadbury's gorilla aside, I saw an American advert for Volkswagen Jetta online today. A guy, about to set off and meet his date, notices that a bird has been using his new VW Jetta as target practice. He loves the car so much that he resorts to licking the offending droppings off the bonnet, before promptly planting a smacker on the lips of his girlfriend.

First it made be baulk and then second, wonder why they would do this. It’s not that I don’t understand the premise – he loves his car THAT much that he doesn’t want it being soiled in any way and obviously he’s about to go on a date and so he can’t use his clothes to wipe off the bird faeces. But licking it? Licking it? And then giving the girl a kiss? That's just gross and not needed. Do Volkswagen want to make us buy their car or make us puke up a little in our mouths? I can see the funny side, but the disgusting factor far outweighs it.

And there’s only one more thing I have to say on the matter – Yuk!

Into the autumn and back into Little Chef?

2007-09-21T14:20:00.000Z

Well, the summer of love is over.

We tried to stretch it out a little longer, but the torrential rain and cold we encountered yesterday left us in no doubt that it had come to an end. And although it is not yet autumn officially, it's safe to say that the weather has other ideas. But enough of moaning about the weather, the new season brings new fashions, new colours, new ideas and new focus. And, autumn is definitely my favourite season, watching the leaves turn from green to red to brown. Living near the countryside makes it even better as you can appreciate the season fully.

But I digress, back to the land of marketing and today, the land of Little Chef. After a well-documented struggle over the last few years and the chain being saved by private equity company RCapital in January this year when bankruptcy had been looming, it seems the company could be heading into a new chapter once again. Jamie Oliver, who first brought his simple, no-nonsense style of cooking to our screens, then brought the restaurant fifteen which took unemployed teenagers and taught them to be chefs, and more recently tried to revolutionise school dinners in the UK, is now considering making a bid of £20 million for the company.

Why you may ask? Well, funnily enough he is considering filming another reality show, this time based around revamping the menu of the “struggling but iconic chain” as Brand Republic puts it. And given this iconic status, I presume, Oliver does not plan to change the name or logo, only the cafe interiors and menu. And, if you haven’t already guessed, the idea is to introduce healthier food and fresher ingredients to the menu.

Jamie may be up against competition however, as only last month Gordon Ramsay offered to rescue the chain on his TV series ‘Kitchen Nightmares’. The Benetton family were also keen to purchase the chain, however their plans to rename the chain under their Autogrill master brand meant that RCapital refused the offer. Apparently the name and logo have to stay, this is non-negotiable.

So what will be the fate of the chain? It seems clear that many people still have a great affection for the brand, but they fail to vote with their feet and actually visit the cafes. I would have to admit also that I’m one of those people. My brother and I also have a long-running joke when we are talking about someone attractive that we’d “take him/her to Little Chef” – long story, but we read in a magazine many years ago that a guy they were interviewing for some ‘eligible bachelor’ type of feature would take a girl to the restaurant to give her the perfect date. As the years have gone on however, the Little Chefs close to me have all but vanished and I tend only to happen upon them when I’m taking a road trip somewhere, so it would have to be quite a long date.

But, before I go off on yet another tangent, I’m sceptical about Jamie Oliver ‘saving’ Little Chef. After school dinners he began to be a figure people either loved or hated, and much of the hate came from the young children who wanted to eat junk food and their parents who wanted to let them. And, many of these same people are the ones who have been choosing McDonalds or Burger King over Little Chef when they stop off at a service station already. So will Oliver’s takeover of the company really make that big a difference? Also, if he takes the chain so far away from the original concept and ethos of the brand, he may as well change the name because the rest won’t ring true.

But perhaps I’m being a little hard on him. Let’s see what happens first, whether he will actually bid for the brand, and if so, what he can do. Undoubtedly though, it’s sure to make for some interesting television.

We are 1!

2007-09-19T10:51:00.000Z

Today is our first blog birthday. One year ago today it all started. How time flies when you’re having fun!

Also, it’s talk like a pirate day, ha-harrr! So enjoy it me mateys!

Mission statements

2007-09-14T13:55:00.000Z

Mission statements can be a good thing, a very good thing if you actually believe in them and follow them. Unfortunately though, all too often organisations come up with one that uses a lot of words to say very little which doesn’t actually mean anything to the company or its customers anyway.

If you want a mission statement that really does communicate what your company is all about, take the time to look at your objectives and goals and make it as simple as possible. If you just want something that sounds fancy however, why don’t you use this handy Mission statement generator.

Ours came out as “We are dedicated to helping the highest quality stakeholder value with expansion through added value second to none” – perfect!

Gadz

2007-09-13T15:35:00.000Z

Normally, I like Tom Ford. Actually, that’s wrong - I love him. His reign at Gucci was nothing short of genius and his dabbling since, although not always to my taste, has retained that same ethos and feeling. But then came the adverts for his new fragrance for men...

I saw this first ad a few weeks ago on Brand DNA and at the time had been rendered quite speechless, not just because of the content of the advert, but also because of who was behind it. True, Tom Ford has always used sex to sell and it’s not always been subtle, but until now it hasn’t been downright crass. I don’t have any problem with sex being used to sell, and let’s face it, in fragrance and deodorant ads it’s almost a given that there will be some link made to romance or sex, that’s fair enough. But this?

But perhaps it was just a blip. I put it out of my memory never to be thought of again so as not to blemish my love of the great man. Phew, worshiping still intact. But then, just when I’d forgotten all about it, I stumbled upon another execution today.

I have absolutely no moral objection to the ad. It’s not that I find it offensively objectifying to women, either. Okay, it certainly does objectify a woman, but it’s not the first advert in this vein. It’s not even the fact that it looks as though it’s come straight out of the 80s, although this factor does disturb me quite a bit. It’s the sheer crassness of the adverts which completely put me off. As Adrants put it so well “Ford removes all pretense in his latest fragrance campaign and celebrates what every man wants: to f*@*.”

And I guess that’s why many people, not just men may I add, do buy perfumes and aftershaves, to attract the opposite sex and eventually lure them into bed. But while Lynx does this with humour and other brands do it with romance or at least with a little subtlety, this campaign just rams it down your throat, and not in a nice way.

A Tom Ford Beauty Spokesman said of the campaign “...we decided that a sharper, more graphic approach clearly communicated the bold and provocative mood of the fragrance." Hmm, bold – check; provocative, double check. But what about stylish and sophisticated? Poor show Mr Ford, poor show.

And why should this correlate in any way to you loving marketing? Reason number 20: Sometimes it can actually put you off buying a product and in the process can save you a little money. That’s more a positive for the consumers I guess and a warning to the advertisers.

Beer, the healthy way

2007-09-11T15:20:00.000Z

I have to say I’m not a huge fan of beer, however, while on holiday there I found myself drinking it quite a bit (along with some lovely vino tinto and tinto de verano). Back in sunny Scotland though, it’s something I wouldn’t really think if drinking. If I’m looking for a longer drink I would be more likely to go for a cider, and since Magners introduced the notion of enjoying a cool cider over ice, I’m certainly not the only one in the UK. But enough about me and my susceptibility to marketing messages.

There are a number of women in the UK who do drink beer. In fact, the percentage of women drinking the beverage is roughly equal to the number of men here drinking it – 40%. The same can also be found in Spain (where I was on holiday funnily enough). But it’s certainly not the case in all of Europe however, particularly in Germany, where women find drinking beer to be unhealthy, fattening and unsophisticated. I would imagine that for those women in the UK, and perhaps also in Spain who also refrain from drinking it, the same complaints may be made. But then, all three complaints could also be leveraged at alcopops for example, but they still seem to have a great number of women drinking them (I’m not one of them). Yet the reason for drinking in the UK is often not to be sociable, but simply to get drunk and in that case the health properties of what is being drunk is of little importance. But that’s another topic for another day.

Still, for many drinking alcohol is not confined to binge-drinking sessions, but is instead something to be enjoyed on a regular basis, i.e. a drink with dinner, a few drink before bed, etc. And over recent years as concerns over healthy living have grown, they have also extended to alcohol with numerous studies looking into the health benefits of different alcoholic beverages when taken in moderation. Where women are concerned there has been much talk of the health benefits of wine, but not so for beer. Therefore, for those women who may be looking for an alcoholic beverage that will compliment their healthy lifestyle, wine has looked to be the best option. Until now. At least that’ what Karlsberg (the German brewer, not the Danish ‘Carlsberg’) would have us believe.

With their new beer for women, Karla, the firm are trying to change perceptions of beer and market it not as a regular alcoholic drink, but instead as a health drink. The stress is on the fact that beer is a natural product, and the beverage is low in alcohol (only 1%), containing a mix of beer and fruit juices. Even the names of the products reflect the healthy image the company are trying to project – Karla Balance, Karla Well-Be and Karla Acti-Fit.

But it’s more than simply their names that align the drink to the health market. Karla Balance mixes hops with lemon balm, known for its sedative properties – hence the claim that it provides ‘peace and balance’. Well-Be, which funnily enough is being pitched as a drink to aid harmony through physical and mental well-being, contains such ingredients as soy-derived lecithin, which may affect cholesterol levels positively, and folic acid, recommended for women considering pregnancy. And Acti-Fit is said to help strengthen the body’s defences through its ingredients including Echinacea, Green tea and Vitamin C. In addition, they all contain a number of other vitamins to aid health.

What’s more, instead of selling the beverage in off licenses, Karla took the unusual decision to distribute the drink through pharmacists. This not only enhances its credibility as a healthy drink, but also brings the beer to a completely different audience than its traditional counterpart.

At the moment the drink is only available in Germany and to-date the distribution has not been nationwide. However, the German pharmaceutical manufacturer Amapharm has now teamed up with Karlsberg to distribute the beer to pharmacists across Germany and international expansion is ‘in the works’ for the future.

I found the product and the ethos behind it very intriguing. I’m unsure how much of a hit it will be, especially across the whole of Germany given opinion there, but the branding seems to be far removed from other types of beer and so focused on the health aspect that it may be almost forgotten that it is beer. And the choice of pharmacists as a distributor seems on one hand ludicrous, but on the other hand ingenious.

I’m not altogether familiar with the nitty-gritty of the legislation in the UK regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages and wonder if it would be possible in this country without a license being obtained, but the low percentage contained in each drink may mean this is not so much of an issue. I’ll be interested to see whether the product does make it to the UK and if so, how exactly it will be marketed here and what distribution channels might be utilised. It has the potential to be a big hit with health-conscious women and also women who already drink beer for its taste and refreshment I would think. However, I feel that, especially in the UK, limiting the distribution to only pharmacists would be a mistake and undoubtedly health stores should also be included in the mix as well as more specialised food markets at least, perhaps larger supermarkets in addition. But time will tell.

It’s not really been a ‘why to love marketing’ post, but if you’re looking for a reason within all that – finding out why women did not want to drink beer allowed Karlsberg to go back and produce a new product which is in a category of its own. For the health conscious, Karla allows the drinker to enjoy an alcoholic beverage without any pangs of guilt. It may not be a reason for everyone, but that’s what niche marketing is all about and as we all know, you can’t please everybody!

Apologies, but could only find the links in German!

Research, online and on-road

2007-09-07T14:34:00.000Z

Reason to love marketing number 18 (I think): It constantly finds new ways to tackle problems. One such strand which certainly falls into that category has to be research. Love it or hate it (and we at AME Marketing definitely fall into the love category), it is one of the most important elements of marketing. You’ve heard us harp on before, but without proper planning, any marketing you do will be simply a stab in the dark and its effectiveness will purely be down to luck. But lecture aside, as I said, the great thing about research is, as well as being the foundation to any good marketing, it is also a discipline which is constantly evolving and coming up with new ideas about how to capture and analyse data.

One such recent evolution that has been in the blogosphere recently is the use of social networking sites to gather information. Facebook seems to be leading the way in this respect, with its polling application providing researchers with a quick way to find answers to simple questions. Users have simply to log in, type their question, specify a geographical area, sample size and boom, their survey is born. 100 interviews cost as little as $51 (around £25). Now, of course it is not going to replace traditional research completely, and it may be hard to ensure that a representative sample is gained, but it looks to have many advantages. For instance, it may just allow for better planning before larger scale studies are carried out and eliminate much of the cost associated with research when there are only a few questions to be answered. And, as time goes on, it is sure that the application will evolve and become more functional and more complex. My only concern would be how those on the site will respond to the application as time goes on. Personally I have ignored any surveys I have seen so far – but then, as a marketer I shouldn’t be taking part anyway...

On a slightly different tangent, another interesting method of collecting information has also been thrown up by the research company Hall & Partners. I read in last month’s Research magazine that the company had bought themselves their very own taxi to conduct research in. OK... Apparently most days it will operate as any other cab, however, at least once a month it will become the venue for mini interviews with the ‘regular’ people on the street. In exchange for offering their honest opinions on brands, advertising and the latest hot topics, those who ride in the black cab will be given a free ride to their destination. CEO of Hall & Partners Europe said of the venture “We are delighted at with the launch of our company taxi. We’re always looking for innovative techniques to help deliver real insights to our clients. What better way to get at the word-on-the-street than through asking everyday consumers’ honest opinions in the back of a black cab?” Sure, it won’t be representative, but I think it’ll certainly give a flavour of the general thinking on a variety of topics and brands. And the venture presents yet another reason to love marketing I reckon, and in particular market research – for at least one day per month it gives passengers the chance to talk and air their views instead of the taxi driver!

And what will be next in the world of research? It’s anyone’s guess.

Cheeky...

2007-09-05T14:42:00.000Z

A bit of a cheeky reason to love marketing today – pardon the pun – courtesy of Sloggi and their campaign to find the perfect male and female bottom. And the reason why this should make you love marketing of course is that on occasion, not always granted, marketing allows you to ogle at some lovely half-naked bodies. Well, sex sells, right?

Being an underwear company, it is inevitable that the human form is going to be used to sell the product, but usually the model is over six foot tall and perfect in every way. But here, Sloggi is going a little outside the box and asking us ‘ordinary’ people to send in photos of ourselves in our best undies (preferably Sloggis of course) and the photos will then be rated by the public to find the best. Finalists will receive a range of prizes while the winning two bottoms will have the prestigious title of ‘best bottom in the world’ as well as 10, 000 Euros and a modelling contract with the company. Certainly not a ‘bum’ deal (OK, last pun of the day, promise!).

But not everyone is quite in love with the campaign. Media in Sweden have blasted the campaign as a “pornographic”, “cynical and sexist” and some have even gone so far as to say it is a “porn trap”for young girls. There is also talk that the Trade Ethical Council Against Sexism in Advertising (ERK) could look into the campaign. A spokesman for the organisation asserted however, “We do have the possibility of taking up the case on our own initiative but this hasn’t actually been up for consideration yet.” He added though that he would be “...surprised if we weren’t to receive any complaints, since this has been so widely discussed in the media.”

So, not such a great reaction in Sweden then. But, as one Swedish phrase quite nicely puts it “Taste is a bit like buttocks – divided.”

And with the campaign running in another 38 countries besides Sweden, and with no other such negative reactions elsewhere, overall it doesn’t look to be harming the campaign too much. In fact, with around 72, 000 photos of rear end from all over the globe having being sent in; I’d say the campaign is doing rather well.

And, as for complaints that the pictures may be of those under 18, Sloggi has assured us that all pictures are carefully screened before being uploaded to the website - “They have to be over 18. If we are in any doubt we ask to see official identification. And we don’t upload every picture.” Said spokesperson Sofie Lindahl-Jessen.

Of course, it’s clear that a campaign such as this is going to have to tread a thin line between amusing and pornographic and is constantly going to be under scrutiny with regards to its propriety and ethics. But at the end of the day, it’s only a few bottoms, it’s a little fun. Surely we all like to look at a nice bum now and again?

So, if you’re a fan of bums and fancy a look at what all the fuss is about before the competition has ended and the top bottoms have been chosen, you can visit the Sloggi site here. You can even sit and rate the posteriors which have been submitted already in a ‘Hot or Not’ style. What better way to spend a lunch break?

West side!

2007-08-31T10:53:00.000Z

Marketing doesn’t always have to make you laugh, but it’s always nice when it does. My Gran usually says that the adverts are the best thing on the television, and there are definitely times that I’d be inclined to agree with her (and of course times, such as when some terrible debt advert, for example, comes on that I wouldn’t).

Two adverts that would certainly make me agree with her though, alas however, are not for the UK market, are Smirnoff’s Ice tea and Green tea spots. Thank goodness then for the wonder of the internet and Youtube. A take-off on the rap culture in America and the East Coast / West Coast rivalry that exists, the adverts turns the rivalry on its head and instead uses the rich kids from each coast to sing about their life on the not so mean streets.

Absolute classics.

And, the relevance to why it should make you love marketing? Well, there isn’t really one. Wanted a little bit of Friday fun and this provided it – that can be the reason for today! – Enjoy!

Blog Action Day

2007-08-29T00:03:00.000Z

Hola todos, estoy espalda. A little browner than before, but just a little (I was spending half my time in a classroom after all – and it was also Feria time in Malaga...).

But now it’s back to business. And back specifically to the business of exactly why you should love marketing. Even more specifically today, why you should love this side of marketing - blogging. The reason? Well apart from the obvious, such as allowing you to keep up with the trends and news in your industry, giving you and/or your company a voice worldwide and being a great source for inspiration; it also allows for people to unite for a good cause – in this case, Blog Action Day.

And what exactly is Blog Action Day you may ask. Well... “On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.”

Simple, easy to do, and hopefully it will be fairly effective. I think it’s an issue that everyone is interested and concerned about, and even if not, like to make rumblings as if they are so as to look PC. Regardless, with an initiative like this, it again brings the issue into the public eye – this time minus the carbon footprint of the celebrities using their private jets to fly from venue to venue.

I know of course that in the grand scheme of things one day is nothing; it takes a concerted effort all the time. However, it’s yet another platform to discuss the issue through. Also, it’s a chance for us to share any knowledge or opinions that we have through a medium where it can be viewed at any time and long after October 15th. The more we know about the issue and the more we learn about what we can do to combat it, the better – this is a perfect way to do it. Saying that, I’m not sure yet what I’ll be blogging about and whether I’ll be adding anything new, but that’s not the point, the point is to join in and draw attention.

I found out about the initiative through Nicola Davies, who in turn found out from Mashable. The website can be found here and signing up can be done here. I’m going to go and do it now. I hope all you other bloggers join me!

Training your way to better marketing

2007-08-17T12:16:00.000Z

A really great reason to love marketing is that it's not akin to brain surgery.

Sure, there's enough to know about to keep University lecturers in jobs. We're talking paradigms and models and theories which are overturned seemingly every fortnight with the newer, the more relevant and more innovative. Although in the grand scheme of things, the marketing which should matter to you, i.e. that which will make a big positive difference to the success of your business is very much something you can learn.

And we can teach you.

Not that I'd dare forget the brilliant creative people out there. Sure, great marketing also takes great talent, enthusiasm and commitment. The creative work we've showcased right here on this blog (and dare I say in AME Marketing's portfolio) is testament to our wonderful, vibrant, effervescent industry. But saying, "Oh I have no talent or creativity! Marketing is not for me!" is not a very good excuse. At AME Marketing we don't believe that such qualities are innate. Your latent abilities can be brought out, nurtured and developed.

This year, AME Marketing will be delivering a series of marketing training workshops to teach you about marketing, in the areas we believe you'll receive most benefit. We're talking about building marketing strategies, researching your customers and obtaining valuable insights about them, promoting your web presence, communicating benefits to customers creatively and promoting your business in ways that don't require you to spend a huge advertising budget.

All the workshops are free to attend and will be taking place right here at AME Towers, aka our offices in Prestwick. You'll get to come along for a morning, see a marketing agency "in action", learn something useful for your business and leave with enough information to put what you've learned into practice.

Want to know some more about the workshops? Well, have a gander.

Workshop 1: ‘Copywriting Masterclass’ – Tuesday 4th September 2007
Want to multiply the selling power of your marketing communications? This enjoyable and interactive workshop will show you how to market your business the ‘write’ way!

Workshop 2: ‘A guide to Search Engine Optimisation’ – Tuesday 9th October 2007
Got a web site? Want to increase its ranking on search engines? We tell you everything you need to know. Receive a comprehensive report on your site, covering search engine and web site functionality!

Workshop 3: ‘Market research, do or die!?’ – Tuesday 20th November 2007
Want to know why research is essential for your business? We show you how to properly research your market with any budget, and what might happen if you don’t!

Workshop 4: ‘Strictly Come Marketing’ – Tuesday 5th February 2008
Discover how marketing is like any good dance routine! You can learn and master it in just ten steps!

Workshop 5: ‘Promotion, beyond advertising!’ – Tuesday 11th March 2008
Save your marketing budget by introducing yourself to the wider world of promotion! We show you the methods that will save you money and, ultimately, increase your chances of success!

Workshop 6: ‘All the signs tells us you need a marketing plan!’ – Tuesday 29th April 2008
Why is marketing planning so important? We show you how, with smart objectives and a clear set of marketing activities in place, your business can meet and even exceed its targets!

Attendance at the workshops is open to any shape or size of business, but places are limited. If you'd like to attend any of the events, all you have to do is call us on 01292 678920 to book your place.

So, just to remind you, reason 14 to fall in love with marketing is this one. Marketing has much to teach you and you can develop your skills and talents in the area with just a little time, effort and training. And the icing on the cake is that you'll use the skills and talents you've learned to make a real difference to the fortunes of your business.

This Next

2007-08-10T10:10:00.000Z

You ever feel like everyone else always finds really cool stuff and you never do? Or maybe you manage to find cool stuff through blogs, shops, wherever and want to share it with people but are not sure where? Well, thanks to Chroma who recommended the site, the answer lies in This Next, a site which shows product recommendations from consumers all over the world. They even have a map of the world where product recommendations pop up every few seconds.

For anyone who loves to shop or loves to keep up-to-date with the latest products, this site is fantastic. Whatever your interests, there are already a plethora of recommendations and inspiration for you. You can then build up your own page of recommendations which others of the same interests can view – and, even better – you can tell all of your friends to go and have a look when your birthday or Christmas is coming up. Bit late for my birthday this year as it’s only a few days away, but I’m sure I can fill it up nicely by Christmas time...

The only downside of course is that you may find something you love which is only available on the other side of the world. But, chances are someone else will have found something similar a bit closer to home.

Reason number 13 then (unlucky for some), and hardly a revelation – marketing can introduce you to new, fantastic products which you never knew you wanted but once seen, and subsequently bought, you find you cannot live without. And the fact that on this site the marketers are consumers instead of the marketing industry makes it even better – no marketer can deny the power of Word of Mouth. I wonder however, whether marketers will soon be jumping on the bandwagon and sponsoring people to talk about their products here as they have done in other spheres. And further, how much would it matter to those using the site?

Well, that’s me off on my holidays for two weeks and so I am leaving the blog in the capable hands of Graham. I’m away to Spain to do a language course for a couple of weeks in Malaga. No me falte demasiado!

Hasta Pronto!

Judging a book by its cover

2007-08-07T14:45:00.000Z

Reason to love marketing number 12: It can make the world a more beautiful place (or in this case, your coffee table or bookshelf at least).

Over at We Made This today I came across these beautiful new book covers from Gollancz, the science-fiction and fantasy division of Orion Books

, which the lovely people at WMT had found while in Foyles.

The new covers, produced in-house by Emma Wallace, were developed from the brief ‘do what you want, but bring them to a new audience.’ I think she’s certainly going to do that. It appears from the online forums that WMT had browsed that traditional fans of the books were not exactly over-enamoured at the new look. However, I would guess that these customers will still be buying the books, no matter what they look like. With the aim of attracting a new type of audience, these books should not only entice new audiences for the stories inside, but also for the book covers themselves. I don’t think I’m the only person who judges some books by their covers and who likes to have good-looking books in their collection (incidentally though, not to sound like too much of an airhead, I do buy most books for their content).

Regardless, compared to what had gone before (see below) the new covers are a complete departure and a fresh, exciting change.

All eight covers are devoid of any mention of the title, author or publisher on the front and each has a different feel due not only to the different graphics used, but also the difference in the finishes of each one. The remaining five of the series can be found below, although I doubt these pictures do the covers justice. All are available for purchase on Amazon and I would imagine, all good book shops.

They really are a truly beautiful series and visually, quite stunning. I wonder if this will be the way forward for book cover design?

Hostel in flat-pack

2007-08-02T14:54:00.000Z

There are certain things you expect to find when you expect to find when you go to IKEA. Flat pack furniture is certainly one of them. Stuff for the kitchen, lighting, bedding, Swedish meatballs in their cafe, are all other elements you would also expect. A hostel when you haven’t been able to finish your shopping that night... Wait a minute.

Yup, that’s right, I found out through Jaime Diskin’s blog this week that IKEA Oslo had opened a hostel in their branch. A trial for one week, the store in Norway set up the “alternative hostel” in one of their two warehouses between the 23rd and 27th of July. The ‘IKEA Hostel’ had the traditional set-up of dormitory-style beds as well as family rooms, a luxury suite where customers could enjoy breakfast in bed and the pièce de résistance – the bridal suite, complete with a round bed and a hanging chandelier. Best of all for the customers, it was all free and they also received dinner and breakfast free of charge in the usual IKEA canteen.

Unsurprisingly, the company received over 1,200 applications for this trial from people wanting to stay in the hostel. Apparently in Norway, shoppers see the IKEA shopping experience as the ultimate tourist attraction, with 900, 000 visit IKEA during the summer holidays in Norway. “It’s more than one of the biggest attractions in Norway, the Holmenskollen ski jump gets in one year” claims company spokesman Frode Ullebust. Impressive indeed.

But back to the hostel itself. Visitors were able to check in at 10pm and check-out was 11am, one hour after the shop itself opened, therefore guests could expect to be woken up by the shoppers should they have slept in. And when they were leaving, they were able to take their bedsheets home, bathrobes with the IKEA Hostel logo on and slippers “so they won’t get cold at night.”

On the surface the experiment seems to have been a great success, with shoppers from all over the world staying in the hostel over the week it was open. Many did not get much sleep however, electing instead to watch the night workers stack the shelves or do a bit of midnight shopping.

IKEA want to implement the idea in all of its stores to varying degrees and this experiment in July was the first test run. Kinks they wish to iron out before rolling the concept out to every store include the lighting in the showroom which never turns off completely and also the problem that much of the stocking of the store takes place around 4am. However, it seems that this last ‘problem’ was an attraction in itself for some visitors’ stays.

I for one would love a stay in one.

And the whole idea, according to spokesman Christen Roehnedak, came from the customers themselves.

And why is all this a reason to love marketing you ask? Well, build up a strong enough brand, it will in turn produce strong customer loyalty. Your customers will then stay true to your brand and be keen to try whatever new products or services you offer, no matter how left field they may seem. Especially if they, as in this case, have suggested the product themselves. So I guess I could also fit in one additional reason into this post, which will bring the total up to 11 so far - Client feedback can provide you with new ideas and opportunities you may never have thought of yourself. The publicity enjoyed by this venture wouldn’t be too bad either...

Protest and Survive

2007-07-31T16:12:00.000Z

If, like me, you were unlucky enough to go to school in the 1980s, you'll probably also be familiar with 'Protect and Survive'. I was introduced to it during Modern Studies class in high school and I'm pretty certain that the only reason they showed it to us was to give us nightmares and remind us that our lives as we knew them, in 80s Cold War Britain, could end at any given moment in a fiery inferno.

'Protect and Survive' was a series of twenty different Public Information Films which the government produced to show us what to do in the event of a nuclear war. Unfortunately, all of the advice is worse than useless and the only thing that soon becomes clear is that there are no good ways to completely protect yourself and that your odds of survival are miniscule at best. Thankfully, they never did show the films on TV, probably for fear that it'd cause civil unrest, tinned food famine and mass suicides.

Anyway, whilst doing a little internet research into the subject this week, I came across this:

At first view it's somewhat hilarious! The often disturbing cartoony animation of the Protect and Survive films sits askew with the upbeat soundtrack of Fred Astaire giving us a jolly rendition of "Putting on the Ritz". The fact that the images seem to dance in time with the music makes the whole thing all the more comic and fun!

But as the film progresses, the comedy gets blacker and you soon realise it's communicating an altogether serious message. The happy-go-lucky music begins to fade out and eventually the only soundtrack which remains is the wind of a nuclear winter. After all that jollity, it seems they're protesting about the government's plans to replace the country's trident nuclear missiles.

Of course, what you've just witnessed is a very clever piece of viral marketing. It seems the approach is, "make them laugh then make them think." And, in my opinion, it works incredibly well.

I know today's post is all a bit grim but there's a reason to love marketing hidden in there nevertheless. With the help of some inspired marketing communication, you can start to strike a chord with people who ordinarily would have no interest in what it is you're advocating. In fact, what happens is you begin to resonate with people in ways *they* never thought possible, changing their attitudes and their ideals in the process.

Now YOU can share the love!

2007-07-27T15:19:00.000Z

Hopefully, we've already given you some good reasons to love marketing that you hadn't thought of before. We've got plenty more to share with you over the next few weeks but, in the meantime, we want you to get your thinking caps on and tell us why YOU love marketing.

To take part, all you have to do is visit our web site. You can reach the "share the love" submission form by clicking here. We'll take the best submissions and use them to compile a free booklet which we'll publish later in the year. Don't forget to tell us your name, since we'll be publishing it alongside your submission!

Love from everyone at AME Marketing xx

Guerilla Warfare

2007-07-26T12:49:00.000Z

As the world of TV and print advertising become over more saturated the use of guerrilla marketing appears to be on the increase. Unusual and attention-grabbing, the campaigns are often run with a much smaller budget than traditional campaigns; however often manage to achieve much greater coverage ironically.

Allstate Insurance in America carried out one such stunt recently, where a car was dangled over the edge of a tower block in Chicago and underneath was the company’s ad asking “Are you in good hands?” Apparently the company also backed this up with an advert where they filmed a car actually falling out of the tower block into the sea. The ad was then shown on TV, online and stills of the stunt also ran in the press. The only problem is perhaps that those on the ground could not appreciate it fully as they would have been unable to see the company’s logo on the board, however, effective nonetheless given the coverage received. Devised by Leo Burnett, Chicago, it seems the objective was indeed achieved – attention grabbed (Picture from Ad Goodness).

Another campaign that I particularly liked which was executed on this side of the pond a few months ago by Carlsberg, where they dropped “litter” around the streets of London, to the tune of £5000. £10 and £20 notes were placed around the streets with a removable sticker with the latest execution of “would probably be the best [insert whatever] in the world.” I have to agree with this one, definitely the best litter.

So, the next reason to love marketing that I’ve extrapolated from today’s examples? Marketing can be carried out almost anywhere and is constantly evolving. It’s not just about selling, it’s often also about entertaining and as more and more guerrilla campaigns surface who knows what will be thrown up next. And, it might just make you a little bit richer...

Mary, Queen of Marketing

2007-07-23T12:41:00.000Z

Thanks to the wonderful invention that is the PVR, over the past two weekends I've been indulging in a little retail marketing therapy. Mary Queen of Shops is the BBC2 series during which celebrated retail clever-clogs Mary Portas takes four down-in-the-dumps boutiques, gives them a proper shake by their shabby lapels and transforms them into bustling fashion emporiums.

"I'm Mary," narrates the show's star consultant at the beginning of each episode. "What I don't know about shops isn't worth knowing." With this in mind, I must admit I wasn't too sure how I'd get on with Mary. I know that some business owners don't take too kindly to consultants who are too quick to profess their superior intellect and my first instinct was that I'd dislike her know-it-all attitude.

The big surprise then was that I instantly fell in love with her no-nonsense but caring approach. Sure, she's met with the typical brick walls - no belief in the marketing function, zero budgets, marketing myopia, etc. - but she excels at overcoming them by communicating her unwavering belief in what she knows is right. What she might be saying is, "it's my way or the highway," but she also manages to convince her clients that she only has their best interests at heart. It's a powerful motivator.

Whilst I wouldn't dare belittle her achievements in the fashion retail industry (after all, her reputation in the sector speaks for itself), I'd argue that what Mary really knows about is marketing. In the two episodes I've seen so far, what's common is that the retailers are missing a proper understanding of their customer needs. Indeed, without a clear and resolute focus on customers and their unique tastes and habits, these businesses have dangerously lost their way in the jungle that is the fashion market. As Mary teaches them, all they need to do to turn their businesses around is obtain some insider information about what makes their customers tick, then aggressively deliver exactly that.

And it works. With some clever market segmentation - customers are described as "Disciples of Beckham" and "The Forever 40s", for example - some real insights into what makes these segments unique and some inspired marketing communication, these boutiques see sudden and often dramatic turnarounds in their fortunes.

The truth is that what Mary is teaching them isn't rocket science. But she's brilliantly showing us all how marketing can take a tired old business and transform it into a powerful, dynamic and ultimately more profitable one. Need a reason to love marketing? Personally, I can't think of a better one.

Stick 'em up!

2007-07-20T16:00:00.000Z

So, today I’m going a little off topic. I’m still sticking [just realised the clever pun here for what's about to come] with reasons to love marketing, but it’s not so much the campaigns themselves, but more the media that I’m loving today and one type of media in particular – Moo products, especially their new stickers.

And, strictly speaking, the stickers are not a commercial advertising medium, although they often get used for that purpose, but they are also for the general public, to market any photos they have to anyone they wish. And that’s exactly why I love them.

I love to send my friends cards or presents that are a little out of the ordinary and it’s great to see the look on people’s faces when they receive something they truly know you’ve put a lot of thought into. And Moo stickers (or their minicards, or notecards) can all help you do that.

And there you have reason to love marketing number six: Marketing isn’t just for businesses, it’s for people too – to share their favourite moments with friends and bring a little joy into theirs’, and other’s lives.

However, if you are a business, Moo’s products have a multitude of uses for your company as well. Their minicards can be used as unusual business cards, their notecards can be used for direct mail and their stickers can be used for… hell, who knows, it’s Friday afternoon and I’m out of ideas for the week, but I’m sure you could come up with something.

The main reason I love them, and it seems to be a common theme in why I love marketing, again, it gives me a sense of nostalgia, taking me back to when I had sticker albums to fill up as a kid. But now, those stickers will be my own personal pictures and instead of getting my digital photos as prints, I can make them into stickers to stick straight into my photo sticker album – how cool is that! OK, so I’m getting a little over-excited now, but you get the idea.

Shipping during July is free for the stickers, so get in now and order a load from your photos (which can be uploaded from a number of sites, see website for details). They even come in their own stickerbook!

Peace man!

2007-07-17T16:07:00.000Z

Seems we’re not the only one’s who want to have a summer of love this year. But while we’re focusing our love on marketing, Lucky Brand in America is reviving the 60’s and focusing their love instead on flower power (with their brand taking centre stage of course).

Sending a 1949 Flxble bus cross country across the USA, they have their own blog, a ‘Daily Denim Diary’ reporting on the journey. The party hasn’t stopped since the bus set off with the band ‘The Hysterics’ playing live sets in many of the locations as it goes along. Press from all around the US have picked up on the campaign as well as much of the online community, giving Lucky Brand the type of exposure they would have been hoping for.

Fair enough, the campaign was born to shamelessly plug some jeans, but at the same time, it’s a nice idea and what better time of year to send a party bus round the country than in the summer. And, from the coverage it’s received it seems that it is spreading some love and happiness as well as brand awareness.

Those old enough to remember the 60s are given a trip down memory lane and those who weren’t there the first time get a little taste of the decade (through rose-tinted glasses of course).

I’ve already said that a good reason to love marketing is that it lets you spread a little love, and this is another case in point, so what other reason can I wrangle out of today’s example? Well, I think today’s reason (which will be no. 5 for those of you counting) is that sometimes, just sometimes, marketing can brighten up your day when stuck in a traffic jam. In fact, it also happened to me a few weeks ago when a van for a club called Boho in Glasgow’s West End passed us in the car (see the back end of it’s hedge-covered van below).

N.B. Next reason won’t be as obscure – promise!

A red, red rose

2007-07-12T10:54:00.000Z

Taking the idea from Neil Perkins, who took the idea from Creative Think - you “Take your favourite words, your favourite blogs, and give ‘em some some link love.” So, given it was the summer of love and taking inspiration from the words Neil used, I though I would use one of my favourite poems, from the wonderful Robert Burns (that’s where some of you who went to school in Scotland may begin to switch off after those years of Burns recitals, but, I love this poem and won a prize for reciting it [that’s where those of you who know me personally will keel over with shock – me winning a prize for singing]).

So, here’s some of the poem, and some of my favourite blogs, in no particular order:

"O my love is like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
My love like the melody
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonny lass,
So deep in love am I;
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry."

And so on to the fourth reason to love marketing – blogs allow you to spread a little love to the others in your industry as well as your customers.

Entering cartoon world

2007-07-10T16:05:00.000Z

Reason to love marketing number 2: It lets you enter into another world, even if just for a couple of minutes. How do I work that one out – well, case in point, the promotion for the new Simpsons movie.

There can’t be many people who don’t like the Simpsons, even if you are not a huge fan, you will have likely watched the odd episode. And, no doubt you will have laughed at and/or identified with one of the characters at one point or another. The very fact it has been going the number of years it has is testament to its popularity.

And, apart from the fact that I am eagerly anticipating the film, I am loving the prmotion for it, it really is marketing at its best. My two favourite elements – making your own Simpsons avatar and turning 7-Elevens into Kwik E Marts. The 7-Eleven website is even getting on the act too.

Unfortunately, there are no 7-Elevens in Scotland (at least I haven’t come across one), but I probably spent a good portion of my time in Hong Kong in them, I know it’s sad, but I love them. And, turning them into Kwik E Marts is a work of genius. I’m only disappointed that I can’t experience it myself. But I can, however, make myself into a Simpsons character – so, here you go - Bressy:

Granted, I’m not five years old and don’t have hair as full and fabulous as that, but I am a short-ass and my neighbour thinks I’m a secret goth, so I thought I'd add a little skull and crossbones – I do however like colour too much, and a variety of music, to be a real goth.

Graham’s got in on the act too – here’s his avatar:

So, if you want some Simpsons fun too, visit the movie website here. Which leads me onto the third reason to love marketing – it provides you with a fun way to waste a little time when you’re bored!

Buttercup Test

2007-07-05T14:11:00.000Z

The Summer of Love has started, so Graham tells me, but looking out the window this afternoon, I’m not so sure. Still, inside the fluorescent light is shining, there are some lovely, freshly painted blue walls and of course – a lot of love – for Marketing!

To continue with these themes of summer and love then, I came across the new advert for Anchor butter on Brand Republic and it really brought a smile to my face.

Anchor is repositioning itself as a free-range product and as such is backing this with a £3 million TV campaign. The TV ad features the old classic buttercup test, where a buttercup is placed under your chin to see whether you like butter or not. The ad starts with a young girl picking up a buttercup to do the test, as it progresses the buttercup is passed from one person to another until it is given to the object of one man’s affections on a bus. You can watch the execution below. It’s an idea that seems so obvious I’m surprised no one has done it before.

The buttercup test is one of those things you forget all about (especially if you don’t have any young children in your life) and the advert manages to take you right back to when you were little. Which, of course, is exactly what it is trying to do, play on your emotions, while highlighting their new position. But, I like it. It tugs on the old heartstrings giving a sense of nostalgia, but it’s done in a simple, gentle way.

So, here’s your first reason to love marketing – it resurrects long forgotten memories that can bring a smile to your face.

And this smiley face is off to find a buttercup to test myself out with.

Welcome to the summer of love

2007-07-04T16:42:00.000Z

AME Marketing has just launched its summer campaign for 2007.

We want you to fall in love with marketing this summer. Why? Well the truth is marketing isn't very popular. Yet, when done right, it brings you wonderful customer insights, helps you gain a competitive edge, dramatically boosts your sales, nurtures long lasting customer relationships and gives you the power to resonate with people in ways you never thought possible. When you put it that way, what's not to love?

Look out for us over the coming weeks. You'll spot us on our web site, in the local press, in your mailbox and right here on our blog. We'll be giving you plenty of reasons why, whatever you do this summer, it should be your summer of love!

Love yourself. Love your customers. Love marketing!

Glasgow 2014

2007-07-03T01:51:00.000Z

The final phase of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid web site went live this month. The previous site was intended to offer information about the bid, but its prime objective was to foster support from people around Scotland for the bid. Having now reached around 1¾ million supporters, that objective has certainly been met. The new site's main objective is now to communicate more information about the bid itself and provides more technical information about venues and logistics. But you can still add your support to the bid, of course.

I really hope that Glasgow manages to get the Games in 2014, and obviously I'm not alone. The decision will be made in Sri Lanka on 9th November 2007 and there will be lots of people throughout Scotland crossing their fingers on that day.

For those of you who have never been to Glasgow, it's a wonderful city, full of culture and things to do, whatever your preferences. For those of you who have possibly been and did not like it, give it another try – the sun does shine sometimes and the more you look, the more you'll find to do while you're there. And for those of you who have been and love it as much as we do, please go and show your support for the bid, if you haven't done so already.

My only worry would be that with London having been awarded the Olympic Games for 2012 it may lessen our chances of securing the Commonwealth Games a little, but I hope it doesn't. Scotland has its own, unique identity, quite separate from England and London itself, as does Glasgow. The new 'Glasgow: Scotland with style' reflects the city's cosmopolitan feel nowadays, but the old strapline still holds true as well, 'Glasgow’s miles better.' It's a friendly and welcoming city and takes influence not only from its own people but from other countries and cultures also.

Have a look at the new website here, and lend your support to the bid. Apart from the positive impact it will have during the games, the creation of the athletes’ village will regenerate Dalmarnock in the East End of Glasgow, with the houses being made available for sale or socially rented housing afterwards. Having staged over sixty international events in the city over the last ten years, Glasgow has shown it has the capability for holding large events. The inhabitants just need to show that we have passion too – which we have done already, but the more support the better.

And, you'll find the branding isn't just aimed at children, but adults as well, so you will be in no danger of having an epileptic fit when you go to show your support.

Green

2007-06-29T16:03:00.000Z

Green issues have been on my mind quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. I’ve touched on the environment in a few posts in the past and it is an issue that I am constantly aware of and have been making a real effort to pay more attention to over the last few years. And yes, I could say that I am not doing enough (is anyone?), but I am doing something and that’s what counts.

A few things in this vein caught my attention this week, one an advert in China, one a piece of research Neil Perkin spoke about on his blog Only Dead Fish, and one a piece of commentary at the FAIR* blog on the Anya Hindmarch ‘I’m not a Plastic Bag’ that I blogged about back in April. Each threw up different issues that have made me think a lot this week.

The advert in China was an outdoor campaign with a difference that I found on Houtlust. The campaign won bronze at the Cannes Lions in the outdoor category this year, very well deserved in my opinion. The picture below is the final part of the execution, you’ll find the rest here. From the agency Ogilvy and Mather Beijing for WWF, the campaign was designed to highlight the huge growth in the number of cars and exhaust emissions in China, the copy on the balloon read ‘Drive one day less and look how much carbon monoxide you’ll keep out of the air we breathe.’ Although aimed at the Chinese, it received coverage not only in the media there but also in Germany and the Middle East. I would imagine not least because it’s a poignant message not just for those in China but all over the world. I wonder if it would have attracted quite so much attention had it been staged somewhere in the Western world however. I suspect not, and when I read the post on Only Dead Fish, it backed up exactly why I think this.

When it comes to environmental issues in this country, there’s no doubt that many have begun to pay a lot more attention to it, many have made an effort to change their environmentally unfriendly habits and many companies have also begun to implement changes to their practices that will have a more positive impact on the planet. But, many people still don’t care. They don’t think that it’s their responsibility to do anything. Many are ignorant of the impact their actions have, ok, but many use the excuse that larger countries such as China and the USA are polluting the environment to such a huge extent there is no point doing the little things as an individual. The 'Green Matters' research conducted by Neil Perkins and co found that although 95% of people thought that the environment was ‘everyone’s responsibility’, only 40% thought it was ‘mine.’ So, how to change this mindset? What can companies do? The three things the research threw up for brands to do to make the issues important and real to people at a personal level were to: make it real, relevant to their own lives; make it easy to be green; and make it inclusive, let them know they are not the only ones doing their bit for the environment. Sounds simple enough, but how many companies do actually make a real issue out of the environment and how easy is it really for the individual to be green? Which leads on nicely to the third thing that caught my attention this week…

When the Anya Hindmarch ‘I’m Not a Plastic Bag’ was launched, it was positioned as a stylish alternative to plastic bags. For those lucky enough to get their hands on the extremely limited number, I’m sure there were at least a few among them who were buying the bag as much for the environmental kudos as the fashion kudos. But (and at the point I wrote the last post on this subject, I was not aware of the fact), the bag itself is not actually made of recycled materials. Therefore it only actually becomes environmentally friendly if it is re-used (which is the intention of the bag we are told). Taking into account the amount of people who bought the bag only to resell it on e-bay though, the carbon footprint caused by the resale contradicts much of the ‘good’ the sellers were trying to do. And now the same is set to happen in the U.S. Why am I dredging up this old issue? Well, if those behind the release of the bag had actually wanted to make it easy for consumers to be ethical and re-use one ‘fashionable’ bag instead of taking plastic bag after plastic bag for their shopping, they would have made the bag widely available. Thus, they would have made it easy for consumers to do this. Instead, an opportunity was wasted and a greater impact was made in the fashion world than the environmental one. A shame really.

I feel this post has been a bit of a raggle-taggle today of things that have been catching my attention, so I’ll apologise for it’s lack of cohesion. With the recent flash floods occurring throughout the country over the last few weeks though, these posts only served to reinforce the urgency, in my mind, of making real changes to our lifestyles to slow down the effects on global warming. I wouldn’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do care and I do try. That’s a start.

Sheila’s Heels

2007-06-26T14:44:00.000Z

I saw an interesting new product in my TRENDCANDY newsletter from TRENDHUNTER this week - convertible stiletto heels which go flat at the push of a button from Sheila’s Wheels.

I can’t say I’m a big fan of Sheila’s Wheels, quite apart from their adverts, I find the whole notion of women-only insurance companies sexist and don’t really know how they get away with it. You can hear the outcry if there was a men-only insurance company. It’s prejudice pure and simple and from what I’ve heard from friends who’ve used similar companies, the only thing that really sets them apart is that they give you a pointless phonecall after you crash, the purpose of which only seems to be to have a wee chat with you and make sure you’re ok and not too shaken up after it. But, I digress…

I actually think this is a good idea and when you look at the statistics the company present here, it seems an even better idea. But, glaring omissions from the press release that Sheila’s Wheels have put out are where the shoes will be available and how much they will cost. How will they make a success of the product if no-one can find it?

Plus, I’m quite surprised it’s taken a company this long to bring such a product to the mass market. I remember remote control convertible stilettos in Ally McBeal years ago and I’m sure a new designer had designed a similar type of shoe years ago too.

I’m curious to see how well the shoes actually take off, but that will likely be dependent on a number of factors, one of which being whether you can actually find out where to buy them from! How practical a big pink heel will be either is debatable, but perhaps in time more colours and plainer versions will come out. And while these particular shoes are aimed at women drivers, they would also come in very handy after a night out on the town.

I can’t help thinking mind you that if women want to drive in flat shoes they will already just keep a flat pair in their car all the time, but nice idea all the same…

‘The Motorcycle Blog Diaries Project’

2007-06-22T15:22:00.000Z

Deborah Bonello, a freelance journalist, specialising in digital media and advertising, is setting off with another journalist, Tom Parker to South America for a digital experiment. Initially travelling through Mexico and Guatemala, the pair are launching a social media experiment and plan to cover stories on their trip through using blogging, del.icio.us, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook.

The idea is to use words, pictures and video to “bear witness” in their journey through Latin America and to update as they go along. Bonello said she would focus on “the experiences of both the human narrative and real-life stories from Latin America”, stories that the mainstream media normally miss. In a nod to the book and film ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ which documents the young Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s trip through South America with his companion Alberto Granada, they have dubbed the trip ‘The Motorcycle Blog Diaries Project.’ No Motorcycle is being used for transportation however – Aww! Well, I guess Ponderosa II did not make it too far in the original anyway.

Another journalist, Mike Butcher, will be working with the pair back in the UK and will be helping to find a sponsor for the trip. They are currently looking for a commercial partner, either a brand or an online service. It is expected that the project and its sponsor(s) will gain widespread press attention as they highlight the potential of social media technology in today’s ever-more technology driven world.

I’m quite excited to see what the experiment will uncover. Aside from simply providing readers with an output, the two will also be involved in dialogue with their audience and through reader ‘requests’ will investigate particular stories in the region they are in, in collaboration with their online audience.

Will this be the future of newscasting? I doubt it will replace mainstream news altogether, but I certainly think, should this experiment, and the similar experiment to be undertaken by a BBC journalist covering the general election in Turkey this July, be successful, we will see a lot more of this type of journalism.

Interesting too that they have chosen Facebook over Myspace for their social site, as more and more people seem to be moving from the latter to the former, especially within the older age groups.

I’m really looking forward to the start of their journey and following their progress, from both a professional and personal point of view.

Vive le digital revolution! Che Guevara would be proud (at least with regards to the revolution part).

You’ll find the blog at Letters from Latin America, which has already been set up, but as yet does not contain any content. I’m unsure at the moment when the experiment is due to start, but will keep you updated when I find out. Gordon’s Republic also provided contact details for both Deborah Bonello (dbonello@gmail.com) and Mike Butcher should you wish more details.

[Update: Letters from Latin America does not seem to be in place anmore, Deborah's blog can be found instead at New Correspondent]

[Further update: The site has now changed name to Mexico Reporter and can be found here]

Quote of the day

2007-06-20T14:37:00.000Z

"I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes..."

Philip Dusenberry

Big Brother

2007-06-18T14:30:00.000Z

I don't watch Big Brother. It's not because I think it's cooler not to watch it or anything, it's just that I find it quite boring. Each year the housemates they put in are even more outrageous than the year before, even more annoying and quite simply caricatures of different factions of British Society.

Don't get me wrong, I love to people watch. I could quite happily sit at a café window for hours watching people go by. I like research and finding out the motivations behind human behaviour (hence I studied psychology for a number of years). And, in general, I like the concept behind the show. That's why I watched the first few series. Normal people in an unnatural situation, watching the bonds they make, the arguments they have and the activities they carry out while 'trapped' within the confines of a not-so-big house and garden. But for me, it lost its charm over the years and began to just get ridiculous and ever more manipulative as they tried to stop the programme from being boring.

But, my biggest problem with the format recently has been the actual contestants they put in. I don't need to say anything more than Jade Goody, and she was just the start of it. I have no interest in watching a bunch of 18-24 year olds (with the odd older contestant thrown in) talking about a load of rubbish with hardly an ounce of intelligence among them. Not that I'm saying that no-one with a lower IQ should be put in the house, but let's not make a whole houseful of them.

So, it was with surprise that I read on Brand Republic that Jonathan Durden, the founding partner at media agency PDH, entered the house along with three other contestants on Friday. Having made millions selling the company he founded, having been in the media industry for 30 years and also having sidelines in music management and restaurant industry as well as having written a novel, he's certainly a break from the usual Big Brother contestants.

I have to wonder if it's a purely personal crusade or whether there is, at least in part, a business reason behind it. In reality, it's probably a mixture of both, as it is for most contestants. Only difference is, Durden is not some wannabe trying to be famous, he's already made it.

I doubt I'll become a convert to the program, but I might actually tune in to the program the odd time now. I'm interested to see what he'll make of it, how long he'll last and what use he'll make of the experience afterwards. Rather him than me, but nevertheless, an intriguing move from Durden. I'll watch this space.

Travelling light

2007-06-15T13:44:00.000Z

Although we are a marketing blog I wanted to go a little off tangent today to talk about a great new site that launched a few months ago, found through hostler.com.

I’m going to Malaga for my holidays this year to go on a Spanish language course for two weeks and during my weekends I want to do a little bit of travelling around and visit some friends who live nearby(ish). But, enough about me. The point is that I ordered a travel guide this week so that I can find out what the attractions are in the area and can decide what I want to do in my spare time while I’m there (I’m one of these people who likes to cram a million things into my holiday). So, I ordered a book on the whole of Spain as I reckon I’ll be visiting various areas over the coming years, but I’m sure there will be plenty of the guide that I never even cast my eyes over, such is the enormity of information these things provide.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, when I was blog surfing yesterday I came across a new site with a new approach to travel guides, from DK Eyewitness Travel Guides. According to research, although 75% of travellers buy travel guides, they only actually read around 20% of the publication. So, 80% of the weight and space taken up by their guide could potentially be used for other things. In come DK, whose website offers users the chance to browse their destination online, organise information in their own personal guide and then download the guide for a small charge. And hey presto – customers have their own customized guide; minus all the boring bits you weren’t going to read anyway.

At the moment it’s only in the first phase and has a limited number of destinations to choose from, but there are a good number covered already and this will surely be added to and evolve as time goes on. Another exciting feature is the DK Travel Community where users rate and comment on the destinations they have visited, as the site grows in popularity this will undoubtedly become a great resource for travellers.

So, perhaps not strictly a post on marketing today, especially since I only heard of the site through another blog (I think a more concerted effort is needed by the team at DK Eyewitness Travel Guides to raise awareness of their great site), but I wanted to share the site with you. I’m sure I’ll be using it in the coming years and look forward to seeing how it develops over that time. Go check it out yourself.

Selling out?

2007-06-13T16:02:00.000Z

One of my favourite (an indeed one of the nation’s favourite) drinks manufacturers have come under fire the last few weeks for making a deal with the devil (well, not the actual devil, just the corporate empire many believe to be in league with Beelzebub). Innocent drinks have agreed to sell their smoothies in McDonald’s Happy Meals for children, and the Innocent drinkers are not happy. “It’s all about money and you won’t be getting any more of mine”, one angry blogger wrote on the Innocent blog. A slight overreaction in my opinion.

Yes, McDonalds may not be (OK are definitely not) the most ethical of companies. However, to give them a little credit, over recent years they have made a real effort to overcome the negative perceptions of consumers and actually be more ethical, working with the likes of Greenpeace and the Rainforest Alliance. And Innocent are only supplying them with some of their drinks, they aren’t selling the company to McDonalds, which is what you might think viewing the hostile reactions of some consumers.

Innocent understandably defended their position on the wake of the backlash. At the end of the first day of the barrage, Richard Ree, one of the three founders, put out a statement on the company’s blog saying that ‘surely it’s better for children to get the chance to drink healthy fruit smoothies than the kind of stuff that is more usually available from McDonald’s.’ Unfortunately this just fuelled the fire for some.

Jamie Mitchell, the managing director of Innocent in the UK did admit that Innocent had been quite naïve in not realising just how negative the reaction would be. However, he does point out that they had consulted with both Greenpeace and the Rainforest Alliance beforehand and made the final decision based on ethics and health. “Our objective is to get kids to have more fruit. We couldn’t just stand outside being angry about it. We want our drinks to reach kids wherever they are – that means schools and family restaurants. So we’re aiming at both of those.”

In addition to various statements, the company bosses also surprised around 30 of the harshest critics on their blog by phoning them up for a conversation. “We might not have convinced them, but at least we’ve reached a point where we know we respect each other’s position.” Not only great damage limitation I reckon, but also an excellent customer feedback strategy.

Obviously I can see the point of view from those with a deadly opposition to Innocent having any association with the likes of McDonald’s. They see it as a small(ish), caring company selling out simply to make big bucks. But those consumers who grew to care so much for the Innocent brand should surely have a little more faith in the brand and look beyond the money aspect of the deal.

I am an Innocent lover. I subscribe to their newsletter, I read their blog sometimes and I consume the smoothies on an almost daily basis. Every time I buy a carton I turn to the bottom to see what little witty saying they have put on and look around the rest of the carton to see if there are any new stories or funny bits that have been added to that particular flavour. Along the way I’ve grown to have a great affection for the company, not just because of their quirky brand personality but also because of their honest, heartfelt ethical stance. And clearly I’m not the only one. Shoot me if you like, but that hasn’t been eroded one bit by their decision to work for McDonald’s. If anything, I possibly have more respect for them, because instead of standing back and shaking their heads at the big, evil corporate empire, when McDonald’s came to ask if they could sell their drinks, they said yes. Why? Because they know that a lot of kids eat there and it’s yet another way to introduce them to healthy food in an otherwise unhealthy environment. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t mean that Innocent agree with everything McDonald’s stands for and doesn’t mean that they won’t make money out of the deal either, it simply means that they weren’t too scared to do something they knew may be unpopular. Because they thought it was the right thing to do.

At the moment this is only a regional pilot scheme and I suppose time will tell how successful it will be for both companies. Innocent certainly have more to lose than McDonald’s in the scenario. I don’t think it will deal a deadly blow in the long run however. It is debateable whether McDonald’s are supplying the drinks for the ‘right’ reasons. It may be the case that they are merely making a/another token gesture to appear to care more about the health of their customers while riding on the coattails of Innocents success and great reputation. But maybe, just maybe, they do care. Either way, I’ve got no doubt that Innocent has done the deal for the right reasons. Perhaps I’ve been blinded by my brand loyalty, but to me that can only mean that Innocent is doing their job right.

Just Try It Out # 6: Auditing Marketing Efficiency

2007-06-07T13:54:00.000Z

We haven’t had a Just Try It Out for a wee while now, so I thought I’d throw one back in again. With the start of summer upon us (hopefully), you may be thinking about reviewing the marketing you have already conducted this year, or, alternatively, you may be thinking about starting some marketing in the following season. Either way, the following steps should give you some tips as how to start tackling this review of your business and marketing.

Step 1: Analyse this
Take a virtual snapshot of your business and analyse it (objectively) from various angles. Assess your strengths, weaknesses and any likely opportunities or threats (SWOT analysis). Next think about any environmental forces that may affect your business both internal (micro) and external (macro), the latter of which will include Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) forces.

Step 2: Review
Review your business objectives and decide which marketing activities have delivered the best results (if you have already conducted marketing). Even if you haven’t conducted any formal marketing, consider referrals and Word of Mouth as these are also forms of marketing. Take note however, a few activities might take some time to have any noticeable effects. Even if you feel that some are not yielding the desired results straight away, try to maintain the momentum on those activities and fine tune them where suitable to ensure maximum results.

Step 3: Generate new ideas
Brainstorm to think of new ideas for potential marketing activity, but make sure they are appropriate to your business objectives. Use the analysis you conducted in step 1 also to help devise activities that will maximise your strengths, minimise weaknesses, manage external threats and exploit external opportunities.

Step 4: Plan Ahead (If you haven’t already)
Your planning and auditing schedule should follow a cyclical pattern and if an annual marketing plan has been agreed you will already (or at least should) have noted when your audit(s) will take place. If there is no plan, your audit should uncover the need for one, which can be formalised at the next appropriate juncture. You can then fit each activity and campaign into a suitable time-slot and begin the new season with some new marketing.

So, Auditing Marketing Efficiency - Why not try it out?

That logo

2007-06-05T15:51:00.000Z

You’ve probably seen it already, heard the complaints and possibly already made your mind up about it, so what do you really think of the London 2012 Olympic logo? Designed by brand consultants Wolff Ollins at cost of £400, 000, the organisers seem to love it while many of the public have vomited at the sight of it.

The idea behind it was to be”…dynamic, modern and flexible”, symbolising “the dynamic Olympic spirit and its inspirational ability to reach out to people all over the world.” International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge obviously feels it has managed to achieve this, saying that “This is a truly innovative brand logo that captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games - namely to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values… the brand launched today by London, is, I believe, an early indication of the dynamism, modernity and inclusiveness with which London 2012 will leave its Olympic mark.” Well, at least they seem to be happy with it. And public opinion?

There has been a furore in some quarters, with a petition having been started already to change the logo or use the Candidate City emblem. 17, 000 had signed already at around 12pm today and 2, 000 more were reported to be adding their signatures hourly. To be completely honest though, I don’t hate it. But then, I don’t love it either.

My first reaction was, what are those shapes supposed to be? Then I thought, ‘Duh! They’re the numbers 2 0 1 2.’ All the same, on first glance, it isn’t really evident and I’m not the only person I know who didn’t realise they were numbers straight away. Then, there’s the font they’ve used for London, or “london” as they have it in lower case (which I have to say I don’t particularly like, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a “disgrace” as some have, but I feel it takes away a little of the city’s importance). Granted the font is not the dreaded Comic Sans, but it’s heading that way. A big no-no. If ever you want some reasons why you shouldn’t use Comic Sans, please feel free to drop by the office or give my colleague Graham a phone, you might be talking to him all day mind you as he rants on about it. But back to the logo. Yes they want to appeal to young people, but that doesn’t mean they have to use almost cartoon-like writing. There is also criticism that the logo is imbalanced as both London and the Olympic logo appear at the top. This may be true, but it would have been difficult to place either elsewhere on the logo. And I don’t think it’s really that much of an issue.

With regards to the colours, red, white and blue would have been obvious choices, but at the same point, they reflect the heritage of the country staging it. What does shocking pink, blue and orange really mean. Vibrant? Yes. Modern? I suppose it depends how you look at it. He colours remind me of the 80s I have to admit, especially in the film here about the brand. Which, while we're on the subject, I do hate. If the logo hints at the 80s, the film screams it, I feel like I’m back watching kids TV again, I keep expecting the ‘Grange Hill’ or ‘Why don’t you?’ tunes to come on, or, as my colleagues started singing when they watched it – Queen’s Kind of Magic. I feel a bit like it’s so ‘modern’ though it’s almost out of date already. And flexible? That’s a hard one to answer.

But, I did say I don’t hate it and have just spent the last couple of paragraphs pulling it apart. What do I like about it? It’s definitely different, and, memorable. It will, I believe have a certain appeal to kids and is reminiscent of street art which seems to be more and more prevalent in advertising at least at the moment. So perhaps it scores some ‘cool’ points there, (conversely, perhaps people will just feel they are trying too hard), but regardless, they are trying something new and by doing so are letting the world know that they will be taking the same approach to staging the games. Some traditionalists may not like it, but London is saying that it’s time to take the event into the 21st Century and really make it something to remember.

For me, the jury is still out. I like what they are trying to do at least, whether I actually like the execution, I’ll have to think more about it. Many of the general public might hate it, but I don’t see it being changed. And lets face it, do they really want another £400, 000 spent coming up with an alternative? I doubt it.

So, love it or loathe it, time to start getting used to the logo I think. It might look “like a car crash in Mr Men world” as CMM News (who is a fan of the logo incidentally) so nicely puts it, but we have 5 years to let it grow on us. What’s more important is the brand as a whole rather than just the logo by itself, that’s what the organisers will ultimately be judged on.

Update: The 'logo in action' film has now been withdrawn after it sparked epileptic fits in at least ten people. For those of you who did not have the misfortune to see the film, be very glad. However, what they have replaced it with is no more inspired.

Some favourite International blunders

2007-06-01T00:05:00.000Z

Many of you will already be aware of some of the blunders large companies have made when entering new markets abroad. But, for those of you who are not I thought I’d share a few of my favourites.

Firstly, product names:

- Clairol had a curling iron named the "Mist Stick." They introduced the product in Germany, to later find out that "mist" was German slang for manure.

- Over in Italy, Schweppes Tonic Water’s campaign found that the name translated into Schweppes Toilet Water. Maybe not the most desirable of soft drinks.

- And in China, the most famous product name blunder of them all – Coca-Cola. When it was first introduced there in the 1920s they wanted to have the English pronunciation of “Coca-Cola”. A translator used a group of Chinese characters that when pronounced sounded like the product name. They were promptly put on the cola bottles and marketed. But they never sold well. Why? The company later discovered that when the characters were translated they meant, “a wax flattened mare” or “bite the wax tadpole.” Yea, I wonder why it never sold well? Needless to say, Coca-Cola changed the characters and the new characters translate to “happiness in the mouth.” A bit better than a tadpole in it.

Next, packaging:

- Apart from the connotations of colours in different countries, for example, white symbolising death in Japan, green representing danger or disease in Malaysia, sometimes the actual pictures on packaging can cause problems. One such example of this was when a baby food manufacturer tried to sell jars of baby food in an African country using a label showing a happy baby. Seems fine? The problem was that most of the prospective customers were illiterate and could only determine the contents by looking at the label. The picture gave them the impression they would actually be purchasing bottled babies. Probably not what most were planning on buying.

Lastly, and my favourite, slogans:

- Coors beer slogan "Turn it loose" didn’t quite translate so well in Spanish, it meant, “Suffer from diarrhea" – nice!

- The Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux also used a catchy slogan in an American campaign: - "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux." I don’t if this was a complete blunder however, as there’s certain irony to it. I doubt they were trying to be ironic though.

- Salem cigarettes tag line "Feeling Free" was roughly translated in Japanese to mean "feeling so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty." Was it just tobacco they contained?

- An American T-shirt manufacturer printed shirts for the Latin market commemorating the Pope's visit to Miami. Instead of reading, "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read, "I saw the potato" (la papa). No difference there.

- Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated in Chinese to "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave." No mean feat.

- Perdue Chicken's had a slogan "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" when read by Spanish audiences it translated as "It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate." Hmmmm.

- Finally, Spanish-speaking audiences in Southern California were asked, "Got milk?" To them it meant, "Are you lactating?"

And now I’ve provided you with a little amusement to make your Friday pass a little quicker, I’m off for a wax tadpole…

Women Rule OK (Well, on the internet at least)

2007-05-31T10:45:00.000Z

“The Internet is no longer dominated by young male adults. Times have changed considerably…. Companies who understand this composition when providing services or content through the web or simply advertising online will maximize their chances of success in the Internet of the future.”

Nielsen/NetRatings European Internet Analyst Alex Burmaster

So if young male adults no longer rule the online population in the UK, who does? According to Nielsen / NetRatings women aged 18-34 are now the most dominant group online in the UK. They make up 18% of the online population and account for one-fifth of all UK Internet time.

Even more surprising, one in four Britons online are at least 50 years old; “moreover, there are 1.7 times more 50+ year-olds than children under 18 who are active on the Internet.” It seems actually that those under 18 only account for 4% of all UK Internet time and spend only around 16 hours a month on the net. The most prevalent group, 18-34 year olds, conversely account for 32% of the UK Internet time and spend approximately 60 hours per month online. I find this quite surprising given the rise of social sites and the amount of young people using these. However, possibly those under 18 are all too busy texting and phoning their friends instead and / or playing computer games to bother with surfing the net.

It looks then to be good news for products targeted towards women aged 18-34 online in the UK but perhaps not as good news for those trying to target younger teenagers or children online, or ‘young male adults’.

I hope then that we don’t have a deluge of ‘Sheila’s Wheels’ banner ads or any other such products thrown at us every time we go online. I doubt it though, I well imagine this time next year we’ll find that another group have become the dominant users. For those who do want to target women online though, it would make sense to make hay while the sun shines.

The dominant UK online group is dead – long live the dominant UK online group! (Nothing to do with the fact that I’m a part of that group…)

You’ll find the full set of statistics here.

As if by magic...

2007-05-24T11:04:00.000Z

After reading about Polaroid in Brazil replacing public toilet mirrors with their instant cameras, I found another company this week who have been utilising the media of public toilet mirrors (who would have thought that toilet mirrors were media space?).

The company, called Magic Display, based in China, have developed a toilet mirror which displays advertising messages until someone steps close to it. At this point the screen then turns into a reflective surface ready for you to check your make-up in. Step away and it reverts back to the advertising screen once more. Ingenius.

To view the product in action, watch the video below. I think it has the potential to be huge. Toilets wouldn’t always be the first place you might think of advertising a product unless it’s sanitary products, condoms, etc. but I tend to think that at least while the product is still novel, quite a few advertisers will give it a try. I wonder how long it will be until it will be coming to a toilet near you?

If you wish to find out more about the product, you will find Magic Display’s website here.

My opinion, brought to you by....(Insert brand name here)

2007-05-22T14:54:00.000Z

Word of Mouth marketing is nothing new; marketers have been speaking about the benefits of positive word of mouth for years. However, in America and soon to be in the UK also, in a bid to find new ways to reach consumers, companies are starting to sponsor word of mouth.

Not as underhand as it first sounds, companies are not paying consumers to simply say good things about their products in a scripted fashion, rather, they are allowing consumers to try their products for free and asking them to give others their opinion. And, the opinion they give does not have to be a positive one, but they are asked to tell those they are speaking to that they are involved in a marketing campaign.

If statistics are to be believed, on average we are already bombarded with 3, 000 marketing messages a day ( I’ve never quite believed it’s as high as this however), and according to Marketing Week only 14% of regular campaigns have any effect. So, what’s a brand to do? With 80% of consumers trusting it, go back to good old Word of Mouth obviously. Only this time, try to gain at least a little control over what previously they had no control over whatsoever. As Dave Balter, CEO of BzzAgent and co-founder of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (Womma) puts it, “Advertisers have always been fascinated with word of mouth… It has just been a case of how to harness it.”

And so, harness they will (or at least try to). Those companies taking part in this type of marketing are eager to point out that it is not viral marketing, nor is it stealth or buzz marketing. Consumers must tell those they are talking to about the product that they are agents for the brand. They are not paid for their endorsements, neither do they have to say something nice about the product, but they do get to keep the product they have been sent, are asked to report back on it, and they have the thrill of being the first to try out new products. All sounds honest enough, and indeed a little risky for brands as they are allowing consumers to say whatever they like about the product, good or bad.

It’s already been a massive hit with companies in the US. 47% of the companies in the fortune 500, according to Womma, are adopting WOM programmes this year while consumers in the US are also keen to become involved, signing up to BzzAgent at the rate of 5, 000 a week.

Now set to launch in the UK, BzzAgent and the UK advertising company GroupM are joining forces to create what is apparently the first WOM company based in the UK. Already 160 consumers have been in touch about joining.

And I think, why not. I don’t see any problem with consumers giving their opinion on products to friends; it’s what most would do anyway. However, personally, as I wouldn’t be getting paid for spreading the word, I would only tell my friends about it, I wouldn’t be going out of my way to tell strangers. Which, if Rani Schlenoff, a BzzAgent Ambassado in the US’s experience is anything to go by, is exactly what is expected of you: “My family and friends love hearing about what I'm trying. As for strangers, after the initial shock of me injecting myself into their lives, they are usually very happy to hear what I have to say."

It may not be scripted, but you really have to wonder how much influence companies actually have over what their brand agents are saying. At the moment the industry is self-regulating, as the Advertising Standards Agency has no rules of guidelines relating to WOM. It will be interesting then to see then how successful it continues to be and whether it will become corrupt somewhere along the line.

Also, should it continue to grow in popularity and agents remain impartial to a certain degree, I would think that brands will have to beware. Their products will need to be bang on the money if they want people to rave about it. Especially since a dissatisfied consumer will tell at least twice as many people as a satisfied consumer.

Still, I’m intrigued and as a consumer might even be interested in signing up myself. I may not get anything as exciting as a new piece of technology, but if I’m going to get stuff for free, why not? As other agents have also noted about themselves, I like to talk and tend to tell my friends about the products I use anyway. But perhaps I might feel a little grubby if I have to also tell them that I am now a WOM agent for the product I’m talking about. Hmmm… Should I decide to try it, I’ll keep you posted.

To read the full article on Word of Mouth Marketing on the BBC News website click here.

Clever campaigns

2007-05-18T13:10:00.000Z

I thought I would share a few of my favourite creative campaigns that have been executed quite recently today.

The first was by Santa Clara for Polaroid in Brazil. The company replaced mirrors in shopping malls and business centres in Sao Paulo with their instant cameras. The intention was to reinforce their brand concept of instant images. I’m not quite sure how easy it would have been to ensure the effective running of the campaign (changing film, ensuring that none were stolen, etc.), nevertheless, I think it’s a cute idea and would definitely have captured people’s attention. Yes, in this age of the digital camera and cameraphones we can get instant pictures anyway, but there’s still something nice about having prints and I have to say that Polaroid prints still hold a special place in my heart.

The second campaign I particularly liked was by JWT for Lipton tea’s ‘Garden Variety’ in Cairo. The campaign featured topiary teacups with Lipton tea bag tags hanging out of them. Relevant to their product, check, attention grabbing, check, creative, check, and allround a campaign to put a smile on your face.

The third, which I actually only stumbled upon while looking for information on the last campaign I will mention, is for Head and Shoulders, using chalk board erasers to advertise their product. Already conveniently shaped like their bottles, the idea is quite clever, wiping the white from the board, just as it promises to do with the dandruff on your scalp. I’m not sure where this was rolled out or who came up with the concept, but leave it up to marketers to find media space on objects you would never have before considered.

Last, and probably my favourite of all was a guerrilla campaign run by the Portuguese Taxi Association (Antral). Carried out in Lisbon, yellow prisms replicating taxi tops were placed on cars parked near major nightspots in the city. On the front of the prisms was the word taxi, while at the back it urged readers that if they had been drinking, not to risk driving, providing them then with a phone number for the taxi service. Following the campaign Antral recorded a 50% increase in calls between 12 and 4am, undoubtedly a great result. The campaign is now set to spread to other cities within Portugal. Quite a simple idea really, but at the same time, inventive and thought provoking. I hope it rolls out to other countries also, yet the only downside is that the novelty of the idea perhaps gives half the impact, therefore repeating the campaign each week it may eventually lose it’s effect. This could possibly be overcome however by repeating the stunt at random intervals or seasonally. Anyway, well done DraftFCB Lisbon for a truly great campaign.

I wonder what the rest of this year will bring…

Getting inside customer’s brains

2007-05-17T11:28:00.000Z

A company called Lucid Systems has developed a new technique that uses neurological and physiological disciplines to test emotional reaction to marketing messages. The technique, called Prism, measures pupil dilation, eye movement, galvanic skin response, brainwaves and micro-muscle movement. Is the word of respondents no longer enough to find out what they are thinking then?

There has been a rise in agencies using neuroscience to solve marketing problems over recent years. It appears that for many, measuring non-verbal reactions towards their brand, products and services has become a lot more important.

CEO of Lucid, Steve Genco perhaps goes some way to explaining why: “People tell you what they think you want to hear, which is very prevalent in focus groups and online research.” Prism can however detect whether what they say is actually what they feel.

Gives a whole new meaning to giving your thoughts to researchers. But is it a step too far? It seems to me a little too intrusive. Moreover, as with much qualitative research, just because one person thinks something does not mean everyone will. And, to quantify findings you will have to revert back to traditional methods which would surely defeat the purpose, as you would have to rely on respondents’ word once again. It do find it an intriguing technique though, it will be interesting to see if it becomes more widely used as time goes on and, more widely available.

However, maybe even using a placebo and just making respondents think that you were measuring their reactions would lead to more honest answers?

Ad complaints

2007-05-11T13:00:00.001Z

CMM News’ blog had a link today to the most complained about advertising of 2006 on BBC News. I couldn’t think of any particularly offensive adverts last year, but was interested to see what the public found to be unacceptable. So, what do you think the ads contained? - Gratuitous sex scenes? Violent crime? Racism? Well, not exactly…

The number one most complained about ad, with 553 complaints last year was from the Gay Police Association which claimed a link between homophobic attacks and religious motivation. Fair enough, I can see that this may be offensive to a wide range of people and unsurprisingly; in the main it was Christian groups who complained. The complaints were also upheld when the statistical claims were never proved to the ASA. But then you look at the most complained about advert of 2005 and indeed the rest of the top ten from 2006.

The advert which received the most complaints in 2005 – KFC’s advert in which people were talking in a call centre with their mouths full. It received three times as many complaints as the Gay Police Associations’ advert. Obviously it must be a whole lot worse to talk with your mouth full than to accuse religious people of inciting hate crimes.

And, the rest of this years list – tax-dodging self-employed people; suggestions of knife crime in a stylised fashion form; being “racist” towards America; riding a dog home to get cereal; and most shockingly – a same sex kiss! Call me crazy, but in a country where we can now have same sex partnerships, what is shocking or offensive about two people of the same sex showing their love for one another? It’s not as if they are having sex, it’s a brief kiss. Complaints detailed that it was unsuitable for children to see, why? In case they ‘turn gay’ after watching two men kiss? Ridiculous.

If you ask me, people shouldn’t waste their time complaining about advertising which is only mildly offensive to the hyper-sensitive, they should be complaining about adverts that are rubbish, which are actually an assault on our retinas and eardrums – like the Frosties adverts for example. No longer content with using good old Tony the Tiger alone, the last outing saw the most annoying young boy in history singing that “they’re gonna taste great!” This time round they may have gotten rid of the boy, but that’s only enabled us to realise it wasn’t just him that was annoying, it’s the song too. A definite contender for one of the worst adverts of recent years. Closely followed however by those horrible adverts where they are securing a loan of £25,000 over the phone without having to give any details of their current finances, only confirming that they have a house that can be repossessed, all the while chatting away to various members of their family and being overly-familiar with the person on the other side of the phone. And, then, they have to ask their partner, while they are on the phone, whether £25K is actually the amount they need – did you not discuss it before you got on the phone?!

Ok, ok, I digress. I know that the ASA cannot get rid of adverts solely on the premise that they annoy the life out of people. But wouldn’t it be great if they could? The point though is that, as Fish’n’Chimps points out “maybe we are too quick to detect double-meanings and imagined insults” nowadays. Consumers might actually have something to complain about if we brought back the “sex depravity, pornography and general sleaziness” which prevailed in advertising and offended in the 1970s. There’s no doubt that advertising has moved on from then, but I think perhaps that as we have tried to be less offensive and always, always politically correct, our skins have become a little thinner.

I’m not saying we should go about insulting people, but people should put advertising in the context it was meant and stop picking up the phone, or whatever medium they choose, to complain every time something doesn’t quite fit neatly into the box of what society has deemed ‘acceptable’. People, on the whole, are not stupid, they can see the concept behind the message and its link to what is being advertised, we’re not going to go out and try to slash people’s faces with our phones or ride our dogs home from work, even if I was still a child I wouldn’t try it (well, maybe the latter of the two, but not all the way home).

Come on!

You’ll find the whole list on the BBC News website here. Have a look and see how many you think are offensive. Methinks some people have far too much time on their hands.

Thought for the day

2007-05-09T10:40:00.000Z

I read this in Research today and thought it was a very interesting statistic. A case of extreme double standards, but then, I have to admit I’ve been guilty of the same:

“87% of Brits and 89% of Americans believe firms should behave in a responsible manner, but only 4% and 5% would refuse to buy a product because of poor company ethics, according to a study from Millward Brown.”

Research, May 07

Good old Powerpoint

2007-05-08T00:45:00.000Z

Powerpoint seems to get a hard time of it and some of my fellow bloggers of late have been sticking up for the medium. I thought I’d also throw in my tuppence worth.

Don’t get me wrong, I have watched many a poor Powerpoint presentation and in my earlier days produced a few bad presentations myself. Too much information per slide, text too small to read properly, complete lack of any excitement in the slides, a template that takes away from what is actually being said. I’m sure many of you have committed the same crimes.

But, as I produced more presentations and actually started to research what makes a good presentation and put some planning in beforehand, my presentations improved. Surprise, surprise. I wholeheartedly agree with my more experienced bloggers – blame the presenter, not the medium. I mean, do we blame cinema as a whole for a rubbish film? Powerpoint is only what you make of it. And while I have admitted to seeing some very poor presentations, I have also witnessed many excellent presentations.

Dan Taylor writes a great article in defence of Powerpoint which offers 8 golden rules for your presentations. Some may seem quite simple or obvious, but it’s often the most obvious things that we ignore or forget. And for me at least, the most difficult thing is trying to be ruthless. As Stan points out though, the use of the notes section in Powerpoint can help surmount this problem.

Funnily enough, as with almost any marketing activity you conduct, by planning and considering who your audience are, you can produce something very effective. I know I’m just reiterating what others have already said, but it still amazes me how often these two important points are overlooked. Then, instead of blaming ourselves or the creator, we blame the media. Granted, Powerpoint has provided us with the tools to produce monstrosities, but it has also provided us with the tools to produce something spectacular. The finished product is down to us. Damn.

Second bite at the cherry

2007-05-03T13:09:00.001Z

Remember Dansai? Coca-cola’s attempt at entering the bottled water market a few years ago was hardly the most successful. Scandal erupted when it was found that the bottles, containing purified tap water, were found to be contaminated with bromate traces. Unsurprisingly, the water was subsequently withdrawn from the market never to be heard of again.

Coca-cola obviously feel enough time has passed since this fiasco however, as they are planning to launch a new water into the European market this year. Named Chaudfontaine, the water, which comes from a local Belgian brand owned by the company, will be rolled out across the rest of Europe by the end of the year. Currently it is only sold in Belgium with some distribution in France and the Netherlands also.

So why try to get back into the market after such a big disaster first time round?

Well, globally, bottled water is the second largest soft drinks sector behind carbonates. In fact, the market was the fastest growing soft drinks sector between 2000 and 2005, a trend that Euromonitor International forecasted would continue between 2005 and 2010. And according to the Britvic Soft Drinks Category Report, take-home sales in the UK water market alone grew by 11% to £643m last year. While in the UK the bottled water category only accounts for 20% of the soft drinks volume, in other European countries the volume is over 50%. It’s no wonder Coca-cola want to get back in on the act.

But will the new launch be successful? Will consumers forgive and forget Dansai? Coca-cola have been purchasing a number of water brands throughout Europe, however, I would imagine that many consumers are unaware that the brands are now owned by the soft drinks giant. If the launch of Chaudfontaine proves to be a success it will be interesting to see if some of these other brands begin to be rolled out to the rest of Europe. And, indeed, it will be very interesting to see how successful Chaudfontaine itself is.

I have to say that I’m not altogether won over by the name ‘Heat Fountain’ – I prefer my water cold thanks. But I’ll probably buy a bottle when it makes its way up to Scotland. Just to see what I think…

Dead goat anyone?

2007-05-01T13:08:00.001Z

I feel I’ve been quite ranty of late in the blog, but I read something else today which really just beggars belief.

In promoting their new game “God of War II” for the PlayStation 2, Sony have sparked a huge row over animal cruelty and the ethics of the computer industry once again. Using the decapitated corpse of a freshly slaughtered goat as the centrepiece of the launch party for the game, guests were invited to eat warm offal from the goat’s stomach. OK, so I’m not a vegetarian so I can’t really get on my high horse, but eating warm offal from a dead goat’s stomach is a stunt too far. It’s gruesome and disgusting.

At the event guests competed to see who could eat the most offal. The goat was purchased from a local Greek butcher and had not been slaughtered especially for the event and the offal was obtained elsewhere, only meant to resemble goat’s intestines. However, the end result was obviously very real. Other activities the guests could take part in included throwing knives at targets, pulling live snakes from a pit with their bare hands, being fed grapes by topless girls and being handed garlands by a male model portraying the game’s hero Kratos. Hmmm, I wonder why people seem to have had a problem with this?

A number of critics have slammed the entertainment company calling the “sacrifice” grotesque and condemning their “blood lust”. It has also highlighted the concerns over the ethics of the computer industry with regards to game content and the industry’s exploitation of young gamers.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare in particular found it "outrageous" that an animal’s death had been used "to sell a few computer games". Their spokesman stated, "We are always opposed to any senseless killing of an animal and this sounds like a gruesome death. We condemn Sony’s actions. It is stupid and completely unjustified."

I think it would be fair enough if you were catching an animal to cook yourself. You would have to kill it and take out its insides. And as a meat eater I am probably being a little bit of a hypocrite. But Sony were not out in the wilds catching and cooking their own food, they used a dead animal to promote a game. That’s just sick.

The party was set to feature across two pages of the next edition of the PlayStation magazine, which should have hit the shelves today, but had already been sent to subscribers. There, the above picture was shown in its full glory (or should that be gory?) alongside text such as "How about eating still warm intestines uncoiled from the carcass of a freshly slaughtered goat? At the party to celebrate God Of War II’s European release, members of the Press were invited to do just that..." After the Mail on Sunday contacted the company however, an apology was made for the stunt and the entire print run of the magazine was recalled. What of those magazines already sent out however, will Sony ask for them back? Will they appear on e-bay for a large sum?

I’m not going to start arguing about the content of video games. As with violent films, although there is some evidence to support the detrimental effect they have on their viewers, many people still manage to play the games and watch the films without turning into murderers. However, pulling off a stunt such as Sony’s to promote these games is, in my opinion, disgusting and completely devoid of any thought by the company of its possible consequences.

Will customers boycott their other products? That remains to be seen. Sony have stated that they "are conducting an internal inquiry into aspects of the event in order to learn from the occurrence and put into place measures to ensure that this does not happen again." Like a terrible idea detector? How this idea ever got so far as a full-scale, high profile event seems incredible to me. Dead animal with some fresh warm offal inside, half-naked women, live snakes, knife throwing - anything wrong with this picture? Maybe next time they could also throw an orgy and some shark diving in for good measure.

Full marks to Sony on relevance, and as I’ve said before, if a publicity stunt is relative to what it is trying to sell, it can be extremely effective. But come on, did they ever think they would get away with it?

To view the article on the launch party and its repercussions in the Daily Mail click here.

Friday fun

2007-04-27T15:44:00.000Z

A few posts ago I wrote about beautiful Scotland and promised to think up a few slogans for VisitScotland to use in future campaigns. After forgetting all about my promise, then realising that VisitScotland are actually doing a good enough job themselves, I thought I would just have a little fun instead. It is a Friday afternoon after all.

So, here’s a few slogans that they might want to use in future campaigns with the following pictures:

Come to Scotland, there’s Moooooooooo-re to see

John O’ Groats - mainland Britain’s most northerly toilet

The sun always shines in Scotland!

Ok, so I doubt these images and accompanying slogans will draw in the hordes. But hopefully they put a little smile on your face!

But the keyboard won't fit in my pocket!

2007-04-25T16:34:00.000Z

Apparently a large number of high school students in Japan graduate without learning how to use a PC. Shocked? I certainly was. Japan, the home of technological innovation. I would have thought that the population would have been banging away on computers since they were toddlers.

So, what’s the trouble? Why in a country such as Japan are they facing this problem? It appears that Internet usage on mobile phones is so common that many younger people in Japan are not using computers anymore.

I can understand it is probably a lot more convenient for them to use their phones to search the web, but what I don’t understand is why they are not using computers during school and for their schoolwork. I did when I was at school and I live in a country which is far behind Japan in technological terms, plus, that was a few years ago now.

The big problem obviously is that students are going into the working world and in many cases that means using computers on a daily basis. And typing with only your thumbs would be fairly difficult I imagine. Fine for a phone, but not for a keyboard.

As I commented on Stan’s blog (where I found this surprising piece of information), perhaps school children in Japan should be given extra computing classes if this is proving to be such a problem. That’s assuming however that they already receive computing lessons. As I am unfamiliar with the Japanese curriculum I do not know whether computing is a part of their core learning. If it is not however, it should be.

Yes, technology is moving at an incredible rate, but computers have been around for many years and don’t look set to be completely replaced any time in the near future. I think it’s time for the kids of Japan to go ‘Old skool’ and embrace the PC once again.

To: Me (1, 10, 20 years on?)

2007-04-20T16:48:00.000Z

I was catching up with a few of my favourite blogs earlier when I saw an interesting link on Scamp’s blog. It’s for a site called Futureme.org where you can send an e-mail to your future self.

What would I like to say to me in a year’s (or even if I wanted, almost 50 year's) time? Will any of my hopes and goals have been met? Will I forget all about it and get freaked out when I receive a mail from myself that I sent a year ago? I think it’s a definite yes to the last question. But I think I’ll have a little think and send myself and maybe some of my friends something.

Apparently over 393, 000 people have already sent themselves a message through the site and some of the best have been collated for a book which will come out “in the fall”, so Autumn to those of us not in America. The voyeur in me would like to see what other people have written and having read a few of those online I think I will be very touched and amused by what appears in the book. It would also be nice if they let us know whether any of their hopes and dreams have been realised. But since they are anonymous I doubt we'll find out, which is a shame.

But now to decide what to write to myself…

“I’m not a plastic bag”

2007-04-18T16:43:00.000Z

Following on from my last post I am staying on the theme of being environmentally friendly. I was pleasantly surprised a few months ago when I read in Vogue that Anya Hindmarch was bringing out a cotton and recycled plastic bag with the slogan “I’m not a plastic bag” for only £5. To be sold in Sainsbury’s stores from 25th April, as a ‘dedicated follower of fashion’ and someone with an inclination to at least try to be environmentally friendly I was very excited when I read the news. Sad, maybe, but true.

The bag came about when ‘We are what we do’; a movement who “like to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world” approached the designer to help them create a product as an alternative to plastic bags. One of their ‘actions’ which they encourage others to follow, in fact their ‘action 01’, is to decline plastic bags wherever possible.

Apparently, every person in the UK uses an average of 167 plastic bags per year. That’s around 10 billion bags altogether. Lying in landfills around the country, each bag can take up to 500 years to degrade, during which time tonnes of methane gas are produced. This methane gas of course contributes to the largest problem of our and future generations’ – global warming.

But of course, as they readily admit, we need something to carry our shopping in, that’s where this idea came from. And teaming up with one of the country’s leading designers was a sure way to get the press and public at large interested and coveting the bag.

All sounding great so far, and I do think it is a great idea. But here comes the sting. After months of publicity in fashion magazines, over the Internet, etc., pre-orders for the bag have already sold out on Anya Hindmmarch’s site and ‘We are what we do’. So, should we all rush down to Sainsbury’s on the 25th then? Well, we could, but a large number of us are going to be very disappointed, as each store will only have 30 bags. And, once they are sold out, they are sold out - “no more bags are being made for the UK market.”

When I read this on the Sainbury’s website today I was actually quite angry. I feel as if instead of actually wanting to make a difference to the use of plastic bags and offering the fashion conscious a stylish alternative, all this is really about is a publicity stunt. One of the golden rules in marketing is not to create a demand which you cannot then service. But, we’ve seen it time and time again, especially in fashion in recent years, with high street designers teaming up with designers and celebrities to create ranges which cause near-stampedes when they hit the shops and many a disappointed customer. With a measly 30 bags per store I cannot see how this will even nearly satisfy demand. Whether there will be fistfights between fashionistas desperate to purchase the product remains to be seen.

In addition, releasing them for sale at 8am on a Wednesday morning will most likely exclude many a working person from having any hope of getting a bag. Certainly those who do not work near a Sainsbury’s store.

Sainsbury’s are limiting each customer to only one bag. This is presumably to ensure a little fairness and perhaps to try to curb the amount that will appear on e-bay half an hour later priced at an exorbitant amount. But, as a consumer I can’t help but feel very cheated. ‘We are what we do’ promise that “if you still miss out, we have a further consignment of bags arriving this summer in even more limited edition colours.” I don’t think it’s as much a case of ‘if you miss out’ as ‘when you miss out’.

Of course this is not the only alternative to plastic bags available. Each supermarket have alternatives as do many eco-websites and shops. And perhaps the whole point of making these bags a limited edition, as with any limited edition, is to heighten interest in the product (and in this case the issue as a whole) and cause customers to rush out and buy the product NOW. Those who manage to buy one will be able to feel a sense of exclusivity as well as smugness at helping to save the planet just a little.

But what about the rest of us who want one and won’t be able to get one?

Perhaps I sound a little bit like a petulant child now. But if the parties involved are truly committed to the idea of providing a stylish alternative to plastic bags why not offer the product on a permanent basis? I know I’ve gone on a bit of a rant about this, but I don’t believe that by releasing only a limited number of bags they will make the big difference that they claim they want to make. Perhaps they should pay more attention to their ethos - “We are what we do.”

Stick it to them

2007-04-13T15:17:00.000Z

While reading The Marketing Blog today I found an article on eco-friendly, wooden USB sticks from a company called Eco Incentives. The company sell these memory sticks as eco-friendly business gifts and as such, they can be personalised with your corporate logo.

I’ve heard of USB sticks being offered as corporate gifts before, in fact, I have received one myself. I can imagine also that in the current climate many companies are trying their best to appear eco-friendly. But ‘wooden memory sticks that have been “manufactured from the windfall branches that have fallen to the forest floor” before having a USB added to them’ is a new one on me. Nice idea though.

As well as these memory sticks, the company also offer mouse mats, organic clothing, jute bags, recycled glassware, biodegradable pens and even bamboo computers. Yes - bamboo computers. Well, not the whole computer, just the monitor, but still pretty impressive.

Switching now from marketer to consumer, I doubt I am the only one who feels a sense of satisfaction and warm glow of ‘doing the right thing’ when I purchase something fair-trade or eco-friendly. I feel as if I am helping, just a little bit, to support and save the planet, I feel as if that little bit extra money I may have spent on the item was justified and is going to a good cause, and most of all, I feel I’m a good person. Being the giver of eco-friendly business gifts, I’m sure I would feel the same. And, as a receiver, it would perhaps lead me to view the giver more favourably, perhaps…

I care about the environment, but I know that I don’t do enough. For example, I use energy-saving lighbulbs, I recycle my old papers and magazines, I re-use plastic bags, I switch things off when I’m not using them (most of the time) and I try to buy ethical products. But, I still take plastic bags when I don’t always need them, I charge my electrical appliances longer than necessary at times, I sometimes buy from companies with less than squeaky-clean images… I could go on. And as a business too, AME Marketing cares about the environment, but again, we don’t do enough.

Sometimes it’s hard to always do the right thing by the environment. Sometimes it’s too expensive. Sometimes we’re just too lazy. But when we can be ethical so easily, we should.

I love the idea of these quirky objects, not only do they come guilt-free, they also stand out. Corporate gifts are often an effective way to keep in the minds of your customers. As with any of your marketing activities though, its important that its relevant to your company / product. If you operate in a B2B environment then this type of gift may work very well. Your customers are likely to use such gifts and each time they do, your name can catch their eye. And, they will know that you are a company who cares. Perfect.

(Note to self: Next week plug our products, not someone else’s…)

Bonny Scotland

2007-04-11T14:32:00.000Z

I’ve been off on holiday for a little while there. First I had a few days of doing not very much which was nice, then back for a few days, then last week I was off on a road trip up the north of Scotland, which was more than nice, then it was Easter, and now, back to the grind.

Although it’s not very marketing related, I wanted to share a few pictures from my trip. VisitScotland always show the rolling green hills of the highlands in their literature and print advertising, but until last week I did not realise how varied the landscape of my own country was. As I have mentioned before (I think), embarrassingly I have seen a lot more of other countries than I have of my own. I went a little way to put that right last week and plan to see more over the next few years. But, unsurprisingly it took some friends who were not from Scotland to entice me to go explore it.

But, I digress. There was of course plenty of green, but there was also plenty of brown, some beautiful beaches with near-white sand and at many points we could not turn a corner without being confronted with spectacular views and gasping. I’ve yet to get the best pictures off my friend, so you will have to make do with my pictures.

But, I’ll do a bit of plugging for Scotland now; I’d highly recommend a trip around Scotland. The central belt has a lot to offer, but it’s nowhere near as spectacular as the north when it comes to scenery (I’ll plug Glasgow another day).

People often say that Scotland would be paradise if it were in a sunnier climate. We were lucky enough to get sunshine (but not the warmth) on our travels, but we also got a little rain. If you ask me, it wouldn’t have been the same without a bit of rain. That’s all part of our charm. Along with our lovely inhabitants of course!

On the first night we couldn’t find anywhere to stay, we hadn’t planned too far in advance, and one B&B owner we phoned was so helpful that he gave us some other numbers to try and his name to drop when we did so, and, asked us to phone back if we had no luck and he would find other places for us to try. Sometimes I love my country.

So, come on, visit Scotland! If I haven’t convinced you, maybe some more of my photos will.

What you probably expect to see

What you might not

The beautiful Dunrobin Castle

The coast near Wick

Orkney

Sunny skies

The view out Ardvreck Castle

The Sunderland landscape

Or maybe i'll try to think up a few different angles for future campaigns in case this lot hasn't yet enticed you. Stayed tuned!

Spring

2007-03-27T15:31:00.000Z

So the clocks went forward once again at the weekend. I am always grateful that this happens on a Sunday, yet at the same time it doesn’t stop you from feeling cheated out of that hour (even if you do get it back later in the year). But then, on Monday I saw something which made me thankful that the clocks had gone forward and spring has now come – a Cherry Blossom tree.

In Japan 'The short period when the delicate pink flowers bloom is keenly awaited and the flowers are said to signify that life is short and should be enjoyed, so many towns and firms plan festivals and parties to mark the season.' I found this information on my brother’s Bebo page (sorry for the blatant stealing Paul!). I’m not sure where he found it from, but I thought that it was such a lovely expression of the joy that spring and nature brings into people’s lives. Somehow when the flowers have bloomed and the sun is shining it makes everyone so much happier, contented and positive.

In our old house we grew up in we had a huge cherry blossom tree at the font of the house. Every year it would bloom and then its petals would fall over the garden and our street. It was such a beautiful sight and the image will forever stick in my memory. If there is one thing that I miss from that house it’s our old tree.

After spotting the tree yesterday I had a discussion with my friend who grew up four doors along about the tree and memories of the old street, I was surprised and heartened to go on my brothers page and find that he too had been reminded of the old tree in some way and had decided to write about it.

And that’s exactly why I love the social sites and blogs which over the past couple of years have become a part of everyday life for so many people, including myself. It’s nice to be reminded of things, to be inspired or to learn something new and find pleasure in it on your own. But I think it’s even nicer when you’ve been thinking about something or just discovered something new and then you find that someone else has recently had the same thought / revelation. Being able to share your experiences and thoughts is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

I also particularly like quotes. And the reason why, apart from their inspirational value, is that (and I’m sure I also read this in a quote) it is nice to see someone have the same thoughts as yourself but see it expressed much more eloquently. This is something I also find with other people’s blogs.

So long live blogs and long live nature. Which survives longer is up for debate I suppose.

Thoughts on promotion

2007-03-20T16:01:00.000Z

“Being noticed is not the same as being remarkable. Running down the street naked will get you noticed, but it won’t accomplish much. It’s easy to pull off a stunt, but not useful.”

The Guardian, January 2007

Do I agree? Well, yes and no. Is it important to get noticed – of course and I would say it is also useful to get noticed. If your potential customers have never heard of you, they are never going to buy your products. But, yes, I would agree that running down the street naked is not going to do that job for you.

I would argue though that stunts and indeed any promotional activity, if appropriate to your products / services can be effective in raising your profile and getting press coverage. But the key is making sure that it is relevant. And as with any marketing activity, planning will help to ensure success. Consider what your target audience is interested in, where you are likely to find them and make sure that any communication you send your audience supports what you have sent before. By all means try a (relevant) stunt every now and then if you wish, but don’t rely on them.

I’ll leave you with the thoughts of the Chartered Institute of Marketing:

“Promotion must gain attention, be appealing, tell a consistent message and above all else give the customer a reason to choose your product rather than someone else’s.”

Some more on inspiration

2007-03-16T14:41:00.000Z

After my post on inspiration yesterday, I was reminded of one truly inspirational figure that I found a couple of weeks ago, again through Seb’s blog. This person has no relation to marketing whatsoever, but certainly makes me smile. The figure in question is Olive Riley, a 107 year-old from Australia who has begun her own blog, The Life of Riley. It’s typed by a friend of hers, Mike.

In the blog Olive talks about her life, both past and present and even takes up the plight of one of her fellow Australians who is fighting against the courts to keep his lettuce crop. At 107 I can only imagine the truly amazing things she has seen throughout her lifetime. And judging by her spirit and energy, the amazing experiences she is still to have.

Unquestionably she is an inspiration. Going by the response on her blog, I’m certainly not the only one to think so either. Here’s to you and your Shandies Olive!

Inspiration

2007-03-15T11:55:00.001Z

I read two interesting posts yesterday on the subject of culture jamming. The first can be found at wowee, wow, a lovely blog from a copywriter in Germany, written in English and the second from she sees red, a blog from an instillation artist from Australia that I only discovered yesterday through Seb’s blog. Check them both out.

Although the posts were not exactly on the subject of inspiration, it got me thinking about how people are inspired, especially in marketing. Although much of our work here may be strategic, we do get to work on creative projects as well, and especially in my case, I look to many different sources each week to find subjects to write about in our blog.

According to Wikipedia, the word inspiration literally means ‘breathed upon’ and has its origins in Hellenism and Hebraism. It is a sudden burst of creativity which is irrational and unconscious.

So, where do I look when I want such a revelation?

Well, unsurprisingly, often my first stop is the Internet and the posts of my fellow bloggers. I always like to see what has caught people’s attention this week and what their take on it has been. Other sources of inspiration, and what led me from the above posts to my current train of though, is art. Art in its traditional sense, street art, art in advertising, architecture, performance art, cartoons (yes, I’m counting this in the same category), photography, fashion… Some people get excited about words. I get excited by images. That’s not to say though that I don’t gain inspiration from the words I read, many an ad headline has spurned me on, books that I may have read, news stories, either in the marketing world or just in general. And music. How many compositions and songs have inspired generations of other creatives?

What else? Places I have visited, people I have met, the people I have yet to meet. And, through the wonders of the Internet, people who I am never likely to meet but have struck up correspondence with through blogs and social sites. Things that have happened to me through the week that have made me smile or made me fume, and everything in between. Nature and all its glories… I could go on and on.

There are of course countless other things that inspire people, but I thought I would just share a few that inspire me on a frequent basis.

I started an inspiration pinboard a while ago beside my desk. I’ve been neglecting it a bit of late – other things get in the way and you don’t make time to nurture your creativity. I think I will get back to filling it up once again.

But, linking back to the posts which started off this train of thinking (slightly), where art and marketing / media is concerned, who inspires who? How much does art inspire marketing, in particular I suppose, advertising, and how much in turn does marketing and the media inspire art? And with user-generated content increasing so rapidly, how much in the future will creatives outside the marketing industry shape the industry?

I think the next stage of evolution in marketing will be very interesting to watch.

Relationship Marketing?

2007-03-08T16:49:00.000Z

My apologies for the lack of posts in recent weeks. I was unfortunately struck down with the dreaded lurgy last week and as a result have been a busy bee since I’ve been back. But back I am. So, what’s been on my mind this week? Something I found in an old textbook from University while searching through for some nice quotes on marketing:

“[T]he computer and modern data processing provide the refinement – the means to treat individuals as individuals rather than parts of a large aggregate… [T]he treatment of individuals as individuals will not be an unmixed blessing. Problems concerning the protection of privacy will be large” (Shubick, 1967)

As the book points out, and I will now do the same, the date above is not a misprint; it was in 1967 that this prediction was made. And since that time, ‘relationship marketing’ has increasingly become data driven. Being able to track individual customers and their buying behaviour, calculating lifetime value and producing personalised marketing communications is now very much a reality for companies, allowing for much more targeted and as a result, effective marketing.

So, everything is great for those conducting this “relationship” marketing, but what about the customer? Later on the same page another quote caught my attention, which I feel sums up where a many of the problems of privacy stem from – the lack of permission in this type of marketing:

“[Relationship marketing… requires a two-way flow of information. This does not mean that the customer has to give you this information willingly, or even knowingly. You can use scanners to capture information, you can gather telephone numbers, conduct surveys, supply warranty cards, and use data overlay from outside databases to combine factors, about lifestyle, demographics, geographics and customer purchases.” (Schultz, Tannenaum and Lauterborn, 1993)

And 14 years on not much has changed.

I’m of course not telling you anything new here. And, I’m clearly focussing on the negative, projecting an image of relationship marketing as a fallacy. This is obviously not the case… well at least not all the time.

I’m not suggesting either that every time you want to use technology to inform and drive your marketing you attain the permission of everyone you are going to target with your message. With the very nature of a great deal of marketing, it would be near impossible to gain permission from everyone you are marketing to. However, if you truly want to conduct proper relationship marketing that is exactly what you should be doing - gaining permission from those you want to market to and building a relationship with them.

Because relationships do need two people actively participating to work. Not a revelation I know, but all the same, I think it's worth pointing out.

From paper to plastic to mobile phones?

2007-02-16T16:42:00.000Z

Diablogue has a link to an overview in the Economist today on the Future of Money. The issue of money itself would not normally interest me, but this article looks at the change in the way that consumers are paying for goods and the move towards using mobile phones as a method of payment. I’m discussing some of the points below, but give the article itself a look, it makes for very interesting reading.

I have been surprised that pre-paid ‘smart’ cards like the Hong Kong’s Octopus and London’s Oyster cards for public transport have never filtered throughout the country. Having been around for a number of years, they have already proved extremely popular and in London, apparently account for 3 out of 4 journeys on the underground and buses. Instead of fumbling around for money to pay the conductor, passengers can simply hold their cards over a reader which deducts the price of the journey from their card. Surely by now this technology should have at least spread to the other cities in Britain?

While we are still waiting for this technology to reach us non-Londoners however, in London, New York and Tokyo money is beginning to move yet again, from plastic to mobile phones. It is being done using the same type of technology as that found on these other “contactless” payment systems. Basically, a device reacts with a reader, and due to the fact that the device itself only costs a few cents, they could be inserted into every new mobile phone. And, because the device is within a phone, it can be a lot smarter than ‘smart’ cards because they can be deactivated remotely; they have a screen that can show information, they have a keypad to input information and most importantly perhaps, they are able to communicate.

The appeal of this e-cash, apart from the speeding-up of transactions is that no change is required, counting errors are eliminated, fraud and theft are reduced, and, for the retailer, it reduces the cost of handling money.

Sounds great.

There will presumably be resistance to the idea however and plenty of teething problems, but in a world where we want to do maximise every second of the day, I think that this mobile payment system will become popular relatively quickly. But then, it may very well be dependent on the support from banks and credit-card firms as well as retailers themselves. That is not to say however that the system will not receive such support if it proves itself to be effective. Alas, like the smart cards, I fear it may be a very long time until the system makes its way out of the larger cities and into the population as a whole.

I find the whole thing quite fascinating though and it is interesting to read how the system is developing already in the cities and countries embracing the technology. Maybe the world shown in ‘Minority Report’ is not too far away after all…

Guilt free sweets anyone?

2007-02-13T14:48:00.000Z

On my return from Australia in 2005 I was shocked to see so many obese people on my first trip back into Glasgow in many months. When seeing it every day we seem to become accustomed to the amount of dangerously overweight people in this country. Having been away for a while, I had become unaccustomed. In Australia I can honestly say that I did not notice many obese individuals and sadly, when I did, they were usually British.

But what are Australians doing right that we are not in the UK? Granted, they have the weather that lends itself to outdoor pursuits and have a tradition for many sports. But, there were sweets, crisps and fatty foods on sale the same as there is back in this country. Perhaps they are just more disciplined than us?

When exactly did it all start going so wrong in this country, especially with children? It hasn’t been a million years since I was young, running around my old street, getting myself into scrapes, and there were not even half as many obese children back then. But that’s what is different – I ran around, I wasn’t sitting in all day eating rubbish. Now, of course there are reasons why children are not out so much these days and maybe the marketing of junk food is a lot more aggressive than when I was at that age. Maybe there is even more junk food around.

What is the answer though? That’s where the government and all the health bodies seem to fall down. They are trying to promote healthier eating, they have banned junk food advertising to children, taking the issue very seriously and making some positive steps. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t think it’s enough by any means. Do I have the golden answer? No. But I’m not running the country.

I was once again thinking of this issue today due to reading that Cadbury have decided to introduce ‘The Natural Confectionery Company’ products in the UK by the end of the year. An Australian company that Cadbury bought over in 2003, their range of jelly sweets contain no artificial colours or flavourings and are 99% fat free. The company has 18 products in total and has a share of 9% in Australia where its wine gum brand is the sector leader (according to Cadbury). I can actually recall seeing the brand in many a vending machine over there on my travels. Having been launched in Ireland in 2005, the brand has become the second largest bagged-sweet brand in the country. So, now it’s on to the UK.

Providing a lower fat, lower sugar alternative to some of the other sweets on the market will hopefully prove to be as popular here as it has been across the pond. It obviously won’t provide a solution to the problem, but it’ll help chip away at it a little more. It’s unrealistic to expect that vending machines and newsagents will begin filling up on fruit and such, so this would at least provide a better option than what is currently sitting on the sweet shelves.

Have a look out for them when they arrive.

“What’s it going to take?”

2007-02-09T15:45:00.001Z

Women’s Aid, a national domestic violence charity have begun a new national campaign this month "What's it going to take?" using a range of famous faces. The campaign, from Grey London, consists of a series of images taken by the photographer Rankin, in which celebrities’ faces have been made up to look like they have been the victims of domestic violence. Both Rankin and Grey donated their services for free for this campaign and the charity’s media partners also donated free media space.

The celebrities taking part include Jemma Kidd, make-up artist; Anna Friel, Actress; Fern Britton, presenter; Fay Ripley, actress; Anne-Marie Duff, actress; Miquita Oliver, presenter; Fiona Bruce, journalist; Honour Blackman, actress; and Kate Thornton, presenter.

By focusing on the celebrity culture, the campaign endeavours to emphasise the fact that if a public figure were suffering from such abuse everyone would be aware of the issue. The campaign asks everyone to “act until women and children are safe” – so – to admit domestic abuse is a problem, call it by its name and talk to someone about it. Nicola Harwin, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said “We want this powerful campaign to raise awareness of domestic violence, to get people talking about it, to make those experiencing it to realise that they’re not alone, and to get everyone to do something to help.”

With one in four women being affected by domestic violence at some point in their lifetime and two women every week in England and Wales being killed by their partner or ex-partner, this hard-hitting campaign appears long overdue. When it does not affect you or someone you know directly it is easy I suppose not to pay much attention to the issue. In this culture where celebrities’ lives are constantly splashed all over the media, leading the general public to feel as if we ‘know’ them, it is a clever ploy from Women’s Aid to use this to their advantage. And, why should they not? By using these famous faces they have been able to make people think about how they would feel if it was someone that they knew living this life. And hopefully this will encourage people to look for the signs of abuse in the people that they know.

I like this campaign and I hope that it does achieve the desired effect. Given the statistics, I could very well know someone that this affects/will affect, or indeed have it affect my life in the future. A scary prospect. As I say, I hope the campaign is successful.

Should you wish any further information on the charity or the campaign itself, visit http://www.womensaid.org.uk/default.asp

Free and low cost methods of promotion

2007-02-06T15:55:00.000Z

Everyone likes to get something for nothing, so we thought we’d use this post to give you some ideas of how you can carry out some free promotion for your company.

Be your own publicity and sales promotions writer
Submit press releases and editorials to publications read by your target audience. Include a good photograph and always, always follow it up with a phone call.

Make your efforts work twice or even three times as hard
When any of your press releases or editorials are published, add them to your information pack and send to clients, colleagues and prospects in your target market. If you have a blog or a news section on your website you can also add them here. When reprinting the articles, include a note saying ‘Recently seen in…’

Be a guest speaker at a local business or community group meeting, or even on radio or TV talk shows
Contact organisers or producers and emphasise how your product/service would be of interest or benefit to the audience. Should you get the opportunity to speak, you may even be lucky enough to secure a regular appearance or a fee for your efforts.

Put flyers on all free notice boards and outlets read and visited by your target audience(s)
Even handing out flyers or brochures to passers by and business attendees can prove effective.

Register your business on as many appropriate web directories as you can find
If possible, also provide a link to your own website to allow prospects to find you easily.

Check all outgoing communication to make sure you’re using it’s promotional capabilities to full advantage
Set up a footer on your computer’s letter template for new letters, faxes, bill payments and receipts. Use the footer to promote your product/service offering. Make sure that your e-mail also has a signature providing all your contact information and a promotional tagline.

Run a competition
This is not strictly free, as it will cost you the price of a prize. However, running a competition allows you to collect the contact details of entrants which can then be used in future mailings. When the winner is announced it will also allow you to gain further publicity.

Use reciprocal marketing
Again, not entirely free, yet running promotions with complimentary businesses or sharing costs such as advertising, databases or research will allow you to get half of your marketing for free, or, allow you to ‘run one, have one run free’

These are only a few examples of what is possible. So let loose your imagination and start thinking how you can improve your marketing for absolutely nothing!

Online Marketing on a small budget

2007-02-02T14:25:00.001Z

Our last post focused on our new campaign for Plan Your Course and the online campaign we are conducting for it. With this in mind, we thought we would take a look at how to get the most out of your online marketing, even on a small budget.

Your website is a very important stop for many prospective customers looking to find out more about your company and possibly even purchase your products. It may be the case that you feel you do not have the budget to get the most out of your online marketing, yet there are a number of low cost activities you can carry out which can have a big impact. Making the most of your website and all your electronic communications doesn’t have to be wildly expensive.

Using a promotional signature in all e-mails you send out may seem like a simple, insignificant addition. However, it can prove to be extremely effective. Information such as your name, contact details, e-mail address, postal address, company logo, and a short sentence to describe your business or tagline can all be included. Most e-mail software allows you to automatically add a signature to e-mails and it is completely free. Just think of all the e-mails you send, and indeed, receive in a day. It makes sense to utilise this form of communication to enhance your marketing message.

Getting to the top of search engine listings, or at least onto the first page of listings is extremely important. A good ranking under relevant search terms on the main search engines is an excellent and cost effective way to drive targeted traffic to your website. If your budget extends to it, pay a specialist agency to conduct your search engine optimisation. If not, you may want to take the time to learn this valuable skill yourself. There are numerous books on the subject and Scottish Enterprise also run a wide variety of e-business workshops, some of which are focused specifically on this subject. For a full list of the courses available, visit http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/events.htm

Get the right websites to link to yours. The quality of your links is much more important than the quantity. Quality links will provide quality traffic, prospects who are actually interested in what you have to offer. Quality links will also help to improve your sites ranking on search engines as the quality of the sites linking to yours is taken into account when calculating your ranking. To find which links will be the most appropriate to link with, analyse your competitors’ links, search for other sites that you wish to link to, make sure that your content will be attractive and relevant to potential links, publish appropriate outbound links on your site and ask these sites if they will reciprocate the link. One your links are in place, monitor your results and build on them.

Taking part in the right online community can also bring rewards, particularly for those of you in niche markets. In order to find suitable communities search online, through search engines and related websites/blogs, read trade magazines and ask around. Before you take part, get to know the site and the quality of its contributors. When you do take part, make sure that your contribution is genuinely useful. Your sales pitch can be made elsewhere, don’t be overly commercial on these sites, otherwise, taking part will do your reputation more harm than good.

See the signs, get a marketing plan!

2007-01-30T16:28:00.001Z

If you've found our blog via our web site, chances are you've already heard the good news that the À La Carte Marketing Programme - the European funded programme delivered by AME Marketing - has been extended until June 2007.

If you are serious about making the most of your marketing in 2007, it is imperative that you make the time to put a plan in place. Marketing on an ad hoc basis will never yield the same results as well thought-out, well-planned, regular activities. During the 'Plan Your Course' marketing training programme, we can take you step-by-step through the process of building a marketing plan. And because the five workshops and five days of one-to-one consultancy are spread out over several months, it allows you the chance to put aside the time needed to carry out this important activity.

Essentially, the course aims to empower Ayrshire businesses like yours with valuable marketing skills and knowledge. It teaches those who are really serious about growing their business how to plan ahead, adapt to market changes and as a result compete more effectively and profitably in the marketplace.

With this in mind, AME Marketing has launched its latest campaign to promote the programme. With the strapline, "All the signs tell us you need a marketing plan!", the campaign aims to direct businesses towards valuable support that will help them grow, compete and become more profitable.

There are three images in the campaign - "Plan Your Course", "No Direction" and "Rock and a Hard Place", so look out for them! We've given you a sneek peek at the artwork for the campaign here, as it will appear on our website, so we'd love to hear your feedback.

In the meantime, if you want more information on the 'Plan Your Course' Marketing Training programme, give us a call on 01292 678920 or click here.

'Plan Your Course'

'No Direction'

'Rock and a Hard Place'

Brand takeover

2007-01-25T11:17:00.000Z

Diesel’s website was ‘taken over’ a few of days ago by two women called Heidi who have kidnapped a young man and are holding him hostage until their demands are met. They are looking for “15 megabytes of fame” as well as a host of other demands, including changing the brand logo to 'Heidies'. Of course, all of this is being done with both parties wearing Diesel’s new range of underwear. Staged?

So far, the girls have made videos of their demands to Diesel, as well as videos subjecting their hostage to whatever their audience has voted on. Activities so far have included waxing Jaun (the hostage’s) legs, giving him a bath in jelly and sending him to work as their maid. User-generated content at its best/worst? What do you think?

The response on the website and on YouTube, where the videos have also been posted, seems to be mixed. Some like the direction the brand is taking while others hate the whole concept. Some just want to see the girls or guy take their clothes off.

Time will tell how well the campaign has worked for Diesel or whether it might damage the brand, at least in some of their customers eyes. I’m undecided. On the one hand I think it is quite clever and brave for the company to try something a bit different to promote their underwear. Famous mostly for their jeans, this campaign is highlighting another product that the company offers. It helps of course that the hijackers are all good looking with great physiques. Two unappealing girls and a not-so hunky male would not exactly draw the same amount of traffic.

However, using YouTube as a vehicle is no longer groundbreaking, at least not for a company of Diesel’s size. Many of the YouTube faithful do not like the fact that marketing is muscling in on the social site either. But without the videos’ presence here the whole campaign would have likely gone unnoticed.

I wonder also how long Diesel is planning to run the campaign for? Too short and they are unlikely to gain the attention that they are seeking, but too long and people will start to get bored. And, for some the campaign might go too far down the road towards porn, but for many it probably does not go far enough. But sex sells, right?

To decide for yourself, visit http://www.diesel.com/lockin/ You may love it, you may hate it. Does it really matter though? The big question is, will it make you go and buy their pants?

Want to do a bit of marketing for free? (Well, almost)

2007-01-23T12:42:00.000Z

Some marketing activities can prove to be extremely costly and as a result, many companies are put off from conducting marketing, believing that they cannot afford to. There are however many activities that can be conducted for little or no money. All they cost is your time.

A Press Release is one such activity. This type of communication is less sales specific than other promotional methods as the focus is on a subject of public or business interest. Unlike traditional promotional methods, press releases are seen to come from an impartial source and therefore appear more credible.

Articles will usually be published at no cost, however stories must be of genuine interest to readers and be in no way obvious sales pieces. And, the likelihood of stories being published can depend very much on the relationship that exists with the editor of your targeted media.

Nevertheless, the pointers provided below offer some tips on how to go about writing and structuring articles to improve their chances of being featured:

Before you even start writing, research suitable press. This will give you an idea of the style of writing which would be suitable for the publication and whether the media is targeting those you wish to reach

While you are researching, also find the contact details of the appropriate editor. This might be found within the publication itself or from web sites and directories. Always mark your release for his or her attention

Start writing. Be creative, inventive, and most importantly - honest. And, remember that your story must be newsworthy and of genuine human, local or trade interest

Keep your article short and sweet. One side of A4 or around 200-300 words is about right
Think of a short, catchy headline to get your news story noticed by the editor

Tell your story in the first paragraph. Make it short and then elaborate through the rest of the article

Include personal quotes, add your contact details (you might want to give your home number in addition as reporters often work to deadlines outside normal office hours) and include some eye-catching photographs to accompany the story

Finally, remember to give details of when you want the story to go public

Your story may not get printed the first time, but don’t get too downhearted. Ask for advice as to where your release fell short and how you can improve in the future. Keep trying.

The more frequently you are in contact with publications, the better a relationship you’ll build and the better the chance of your story being published. So, get writing!

Those crazy tourists...

2007-01-19T14:17:00.000Z

Since it’s a dull Friday afternoon in January, I thought I’d put up a post to give everyone a little chuckle. I found a number of articles from earlier this month about the silly questions the staff at VisitScotland have been asked by foreign tourists. I thought I would share some to brighten up your afternoon:

"What time of night does the Loch Ness monster surface and who feeds it?" A plausible enough question I suppose for someone who didn’t know much about the legend. And, let’s face it; Scotland has made a great deal of money for many years out of this fabled character. Now, what mythical product could AME Marketing think up….

"Is Edinburgh in Glasgow?" I have to admit that I am slightly surprised by this as I have come across people on my own travels who have never heard of Glasgow, only Edinburgh.

"Which bus do I get from the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands?" I would have thought that the clue would have been in the second part of each name.

Pointing to the isle of Iona on a map, one tourist said: "How do I get to one zero NA?" How the staff member kept a straight face at this is beyond me.

One visitor also wanted to know if there were any golf courses in the country. Clearly this visitor had not watched the Open Championship in the last few years or heard about our long, great golfing history.

A few more gems include “Can you tell me where the mountain is in Scotland?"; "Are there any curves in the roads here, or are they all straight?"; “Are there any Sheena Easton museums in Glasgow?" and "What time does the midnight train leave?" This last one I feel slightly bad at laughing at - a young boy visiting Dundee asked to meet Crocodile Dundee, the Australian film character - Aw bless!

Willie Macleod, director of VisitScotland, was quoted as saying: "Our multilingual, expert staff deal with seven million inquisitive tourists a year. Visitors' queries range from the very routine to the absolutely ridiculous and everything in between. But no matter how odd the question, we're always glad to help out." “The absolutely ridiculous” – he’s not wrong.

But, don’t get me wrong; I am not mocking our foreign visitors, they bring in a substantial amount of money to our economy. Besides, I can quite imagine that us Scots abroad ask as many idiotic questions when abroad. And, I could bet that there are as many Scots who wouldn’t be able to find many of our towns and cities on a map. Embarrassingly, I am one of them. So, I’m off tonight to dig out my atlas and start swotting up and next time I’m travelling abroad I’ll make sure I’ve swotted up on the area before I go, otherwise one of my queries might wind up in a tourist site or blog in Timbuktu or the like.

(P.S. Timbuktu is in the West African nation of Mali, and is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, north of the Niger River – just in case you are looking for some basic information before you go!)

Just Try It Out #5: Questionnaire Design

2007-01-18T12:10:00.001Z

A couple of weeks ago we talked about beginning your marketing this year with a spot of market research. We then brought you a Just Try It Out focusing on Focus groups.

A comprehensive research study also often involves using questionnaires; therefore in this issue of Just try it out we provide you with a few dos and don’ts of questionnaire design to get you started.

DO…

Make sure your questions provide information that relate to your objectives and is useful to know, not just ‘nice to know’
Ensure the first question filters out inappropriate respondents. For example, if you want to know about the views of smokers, ‘Do you smoke?’ would be an appropriate first question
Make sure that your questions follow a logical order
Put the easy questions first
Have more interesting questions towards the end to maintain interest
Keep language used simple, especially if the questionnaire is self-completion
Be precise
Phrase personal or sensitive questions carefully and leave them towards the end
Test out the questionnaire and refine it before unleashing it on the masses

DON’T…

Make assumptions
Ask questions respondents can’t answer
Ask questions that overtax the respondent’s memory
Ask questions that might make the respondent look stupid or involve a loss of status. For example, don’t ask specifically how much respondents earn. If you need to ask a sensitive question such as this, group answers together in bands
Ask leading questions. If you sway their response, your results won’t be an accurate reflection of opinion
Ask two questions at once, e.g. “Would you buy this if it was cheaper and better?”
Refer to answers other respondents gave

Ultimately, good design comes with experience. Having expert advice and guidance is a good idea, however, it is worth trying to master questionnaire design yourself.

Monitor your results each time you complete a questionnaire and keep trying - practice makes perfect!

Just what we need in Scotland

2007-01-16T13:40:00.000Z

A new product caught my eye this week while I was reading the Marketing blog – The Sun Shower from Sentavi. We’re all familiar with the ordinary shower, but this one lets you tan while you shower. Just what we need living in a country like Scotland I think!

Apparently, “With this product, Sentavi brings all the goodness of the sun into your bathroom. This exclusive system allows you to tan while taking a shower. Your bath time ritual becomes a delightful experience of water and light, giving you the feeling of freshness and warmth. Sunshower brings beauty, relaxation and harmony of body and mind. Looking great with a minimum of effort! The Sunshower offers a sensible way of tanning, so that a healthy tan can become part of your daily beauty routine and it will stimulate the production of vitamin D.”

I do wonder however how even your tan will be when you are lathering soap over yourself, and indeed, what products would be safe to use in this shower. Will you need to wear those black goggles every time you go in the shower? How much electricity will this thing use? Is it actually safe to tan every day?

It seems that almost every new product that comes out nowadays is trying to combine more than one function. Your mobile phone is expected to do more than just make and receive calls, it has to take pictures, play music, and even let you watch the TV. Your games console doesn’t just play games; it also plays CDs and DVDs. So now, someone somewhere has decided that those of us who want a healthy glow shouldn’t have to slather on fake tan after a shower or take time to go to the sunbeds. God forbid we have to conduct one activity at a time. There just simply isn’t time in all our manic lives.

I’m unsure if this is one such time saving device that will take off. But, time will tell. Given that our fair country is normally devoid of sunshine for around 11 and ½ months of the year, this could be the answer that all us pasty-faced Scots are looking for. Yet, given the amount of rain in this country and the threat of global warming, perhaps we won’t have to buy such a product, the earth will provide it in a matter of years.

Just Try It Out #4: Focus Groups

2007-01-12T14:32:00.000Z

Following on from our discussion on Tuesday about market research, this Just Try It Out will look at how to actually conduct one method of qualitative research, focus groups.

Focus groups are basically in-depth interviews with a group of between six and ten respondents. When descriptive and detailed information about opinions is needed, focus groups can be extremely useful. The only downside is that this activity can be difficult to manage. As with everything however, you’ll find it easier with practice and our tips below should also help you along the way.

Plan and prepare
As with any marketing activity, you should firstly think about what you want to achieve and formulate a set of objectives. This will then allow you to write a topic guide for the activity. This will form the structure of the focus group, so take time to get the guide right and do it well in advance. Next, set a time and place for the focus group that is conducive and comfortable. The activity should last for approximately sixty to ninety minutes, so ensure that you can progress through all of the proposed agenda in this time. Make sure that you have access to recording equipment; you cannot take notes and moderate effectively at the same time. And, test the equipment beforehand.

Recruit and Confirm
Postal, telephone and face-to-face invitation methods would all be advised when recruiting participants for the group. An incentive of some sort, perhaps financial, may also encourage participants to take part. A word of warning however, be choosy when recruiting. Remember that the group’s characteristics should represent those of your target market. Yet it is a good idea to keep a few potentials at hand in case of last minute cancellations. Confirming attendance a few days beforehand should avoid any problems.

Facilitate and Participate
Before the activity commences, introduce yourself and your role as moderator. Once you have begun, it is your job to make sure that you progress through your topic guide and stick to the issues at hand. You will also have the responsibility of ensuring that all members of the group have an equal opportunity to contribute and express their opinion. Therefore, be prepared to interrupt those who are hogging the floor and encourage the quieter members of the group to state their viewpoints.

Review and Conclude
As you go along, review what the group has discussed to make sure there have been no misunderstandings. Simply repeat what has been said at the end of each issue and ask for clarification if needed. Alternatively, you may wish to wait until the end to summarise in order to ensure the smooth flow of discussion from one issue to the next. After this, all that’s left to do is conclude the meeting with a thank you to everyone who took part.

Analyse the data
Now it’s back to the office to transcribe the session. Once this has been done, the most important issues raised in the group can be picked out and perhaps used to inform further primary research.

So, why not try it out. You can gain a lot of valuable information and you never know, you might even have some fun in the process!

Research, Research, Research

2007-01-09T12:24:00.000Z

New Year, New Marketing? How is it all going so far?

If you are still unsure what activities to carry out this year or indeed who your customers are / what they want, then market research is the most useful activity you could carry out this year. If you don’t know what your target market’s needs and wants are, how can you market to them? Research should be the foundation of whatever you do in marketing terms. In fact, it is one of the most important aspects of marketing.

Below you will find a simple, step-by-step guide to conducting a basic research project. Try giving it a go.

1. Identify your objectives
What do you want to know about the market and why?

2. Source secondary data
You may be able to find all the information that you need through existing sources or studies, yet it is unlikely what you find will be specific enough. The data may also be dated or biased. Secondary data will however, form the basis for any primary research that you do and is an essential step.

3. Identify an appropriate sample
Think about who to talk to in order to get a representative sample of the target market. Aim to contact a cross section of your target market as well as opinion leaders and specialists.

4. Focus groups
Focus groups provide in-depth, qualitative information. You may decide that you want to carry out this activity to highlight the issues in the market and to help in designing a questionnaire. Look out over the coming weeks for a look at this topic in more depth.

5. Designing questionnaires
Topics in the questionnaire should all relate to the objectives of your research. Avoid asking ‘nice to know’ questions and keep the questionnaire short. Otherwise those completing the questionnaire might give up half way through or not complete the survey at all. We will also look at questionnaires more closely over the next few weeks should you wish to carry out one of your own.

6. Conducting the research
Make sure that it is as easy as possible for respondents to participate, and free. You may want to offer some kind of incentive to participants to encourage their involvement. Choose an optimal location, time and manner of approach. And, if appropriate, ensure confidentiality of their response.

7. Collate and analyse the information gathered
The analysis should be focused on the information needs set out by the objectives at the start of the research. Make sure that the findings are firmly based on the facts and are completely impartial.

8. Prepare the report
Your research report should follow the same basic outline every time – Objectives, Methodology, Limitations, Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations.

You wouldn’t think of making an important investment or purchase in your personal life without doing some research first. Why should it be any different when it comes to making an investment in the marketing of your business?