Brands owners: cut the red tape for commercial success
I recently spent a few days in and around a large global brand, a business that we've started working with and are still learning about. A business with an enviable brand reputation and standing that evokes immediate feelings of quality and luxury, of innovation and progress.
Yet I've noticed that, from a marketing and brand communications perspective, there's unfortunately great news for their competitors since there are significant, self-imposed road-blocks to focussing on marketing priorities and getting things done. The problem in short is that the corporate 'brand police' have more power than the commercial sales and marketing teams.
The learnings are too important to not share since I realise that I've encountered the same issues time and again, it's really not unique. I think these issues will be recognised by those working within brands,…
Applying the Ebocube B2B Digital Marketing model for international market development
Emerging markets are countries experiencing relatively recent industrial, political and technological change resulting in rapid economic growth. Emerging markets cover more than the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), however; these countries are amongst the buoyant emerging giants.
Large populations generally characterise these markets, as is obvious with China and India. They tend to be dominated by young populations and rising middle classes.
As business revenues plateau in saturated, developed markets, expansion into emerging markets is a popular means for reaching new growth targets. Although these countries are affected by the global recession, many remain in robust growth positions. The endeavour of international business involves uncertainty and risk, however; this can be mitigated by the internet .
Bringing the Next Billion People Online
Developed countries have long defined the Internet, however, at least 500 million new users of the Internet are expected to come from emerging markets from…
Why retailers need a strategy to plan for omnichannel retail
Building an effective retail brand today needs new ways of looking at how to communicate with customers across multiple digital and traditional channels. With the growth in importance of mobile and social media touchpoints, omnichannel has displaced multichannel as the preferred term in 2013 for managing these interactions.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omni comes from the latin for all or every. Channel refers to the method in which customers interact with an organisation. Literally it is “every-channel”.
Omnichannel is the mix of all physical and digital channels to create an innovative and unified customer experience. Transacting through these channels is a hygiene factor. If all store staff do is scan products and collect payment then they are adding no value at all. As we’re seeing at the major supermarkets they can be replaced with touchscreen terminals connected to chip and pin devices. The experience…
How different types of omni-channel services can improve the customer experience
Customer service should be at the top of every marketer's agenda since satisfied customers are the key to brand loyalty and that all important sale. With the many new devices and channels now available, omni-channel helps to firmly place the customer at the centre of all marketing activity by bringing together the right channels to enhance the customer experience.
To help marketers get their heads around this latest form of marketing, RedEye has selected 5 examples of brands creating an omni-channel customer experience:
Oasis: Online Shopping Instore
M&S: Instore Experience
Waterstones: Instore eBook Service
John Lewis: Click and Collect Service
Boots: Instore Digital Kiosk
Oasis: Online Shopping Instore
The introduction of iPads across Oasis’ stores enables the customer to browse online, pay online and place orders online whilst in store. Users have the option to try an item on in store, and then order it online and have…
7 key strategy considerations for expanding into new markets using the Internet
One of the many benefits the Internet has unlocked is the ability to expand into new markets. The lack of palpable borders means customers around the world shop across countries and continents without so much as noticing where their latest purchase will be shipped from.
E-commerce giants realised several years ago that accelerating growth meant increasing the focus on their international operations. They started offering tailored experiences to customers around the world, carefully studying the so-called ‘BRIC’ markets, and developing local operations where it made sense. Today, Amazon has dedicated sites in 9 countries, including Japan, and smaller players often consider international operations from the onset.
But what is a blessing can become a curse and international expansion needs to be planned and thought through carefully. Offering products or services…
The urgent need for risk-taking and creativity in marketing
I recently attended Seth Godin's presentation around his new book, the The Icarus Deception, a 'Penguin Live' event.
I've been meaning to sit down and consider what I learned from it so that I could share it, so here are my key learnings from the man himself…
Icarus who?
If you don't know the reason for the name, The Icarus Deception, it centres around the myth of Icarus. You will know he ignored his father’s instructions not to fly too close to the sun, resulting in his home-made wings over-heating and ultimately in a fatal crash into the sea. Icarus, flew to close to the sun, he got burned, simple, that's the part everyone knows.
The less known part of the myth is that Icarus was also warned about getting too close to the sea, about flying too low.…
My goodness, how I love a good argument……..
One of my favourite Monty Python sketches in the distant past was the one about the “Argument Clinic”. It was a great idea…the outlet that allowed disputation a place to play out….for money.
“Excuse me I’ve come in here for an argument.”
An argumentative proposition I heard recently was “no one gives a toss about brands any more”.
Well, true or false?
Actually, neither … how’s that. It’s clear enough isn’t it? No it’s not. Yes it is. No it isn’t…
The fact of the matter is that more rubbish is talked about brands than anything else. Linda Barker (God bless her, calls herself a brand – Linda? You know the Interior Designer and TV Presenter). Jordan née Katie Price probably thinks she’s one too.
This is brand Barker or barking…..
…
It’s the message not the medium, stupid!
Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian Philosopher of communication strategy, famously coined the expression “the medium is the message” which, whilst being right in suggesting context is important, managed to brainwash generations into thinking that the medium mattered more than the message...
Being on telly makes all the difference. True or False?
Increasingly, I hear people talking about the media strategy or about integrated marketing rather than what the campaign needs to achieve. One big FMCG company I know placed greater emphasis on their trade marketing than on anything else. The trade had to be convinced that the campaign was big and long-lasting. This gave social media an unusually important role in putting “x’s” on a media schedule.
There are pages and pages of stuff looking like lots of hits….of what?
Barking? Not really. Trade support is a key but please don’t argue that this was a decision based on…
The John Lewis #snowmanjourney integrated campaign
So the nights are drawing in and for the past few weeks we’ve been bombarded with the usual festive TV ads and cheesy Christmas jingles blasting out of our screens.
But this year, instead of targeting our wallets, some retailers have turned to emotional triggers when crafting their festive ad campaigns. Many of the ads we’ve seen are far less factual, price and/or product-led than previous years. The creative strategy and subsequent marketing messages they portray are less about saving customers money, and more keen to engage with the spirit of Christmas – to stir consumers’ emotions and bring back the tradition of the festive period.
I read an article claiming that retailers are likely to be more successful if they market and appeal to people’s emotions at Christmas, as potential consumers are more likely to be…
Is in-house management or outsourcing the best model?
This is the third and final post from Karen Nielsen in her series on localising marketing for international marketing. In her first post she reviewed the opportunity from international marketing and in the next she recommended how to plan and deliver a successful location strategy.
This post gives guidance on the pros and cons on the different models available to manage your strategy, a reminder on what can go wrong and how to measure your localisation strategy.
Generally speaking, I find that companies give localisation very little thought until such time as growth begins to stagnate and they are forced to look at alternative revenue streams. So what happens when you have exhausted the potential in your domestic market?
Since creating innovative products and services can be an expensive, high-risk strategy; it is not surprising that the majority of companies…
