Finally, a Ford Mustang for Global Markets

This is the Mustang's 50th anniversary year, and finally Ford is prepping its first truly global version--complete with right-hand drive. The iconic pony car's 'sixth generation' model will soon be driving into 25 international markets (including the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa) where cars are driven on the left.

Despite Ford's long history of international marketing, this will be the first time the car company creates a right-hand drive version of its Detroit-made Mustang. The all-American 'muscle car' styling (including a convertible version, above) plus the functionality of right-hand drive is expected to boost demand for the Mustang.

Now UK buyers won't have to pay to convert the steering wheel to the right when they buy a new Mustang. Not surprisingly, 500 Mustangs were reportedly reserved in the first 30 seconds after the new version was offered to European buyers.

Another interesting feature was recently reported: The new Euro Mustang will be equipped with a special button (really an app) that lets drivers 'do a burnout', in the spirit of muscle cars.

What's New at Pret a Manger and Itsu - Marketing

Pret a Manger is nearing its 30th anniversary, with expansion on its marketing menu to drive future profits. Rather than grow through franchising, Pret opens new company-owned stores in selected locations to maintain control of the fresh-food quality and the positive customer experience. Soon to open are new Pret stores in Shanghai, as well as in France, the US and of course, the UK.

Knowing that many consumers use their mobiles to search out convenient places for take-away, Pret (like many marketers) has a special site that looks good on the smaller screen for effective mobile marketing. In addition, it offers an app for customer convenience in finding the nearest location or checking the day's soup specials.

Founder Julian Metcalfe is also expanding Itsu, an Asian restaurant chain with dozens of locations (see its London news on Facebook here). Itsu doesn't offer breakfast but gets busy for lunch and dinner. It also has an online grocery division and some Itsu-branded foods are available in Boots, Tesco and other retail outlets. Good for the brand recognition and for expansion beyond company-owned locations.

Pret a Manger is established in US markets; will Itsu open across the pond, as well?

Four views of the top five UK brands in 2014

Superbrands UK says the top UK consumer brands in 2014 are:

1. British Airways
2. Rolex
3. Coca-Cola
4. BBC
5. Heinz

Brand-Finance says the top global brands of UK origin in 2014 are:

1. Vodafone
2. Shell
3. HSBC
4. Orange
5. Tesco

LinkedIn says the top five most influential UK brands among its members in 2014 are:

1. Financial Times
2. Ernst & Young
3. BP
4. Unilever
5. Hays

The Grocer says the top five grocery brands in 2014 are:

1. Coca-Cola
2. Warburtons
3. Walkers
4. Birds Eye
5. Cadbury Dairy Milk

Did you notice? The top five brands on these lists don't overlap at all, with the exception of Coca-Cola, which appears on both the Superbrands list and The Grocer list.

Packaging: the fifth P

Product, price, place and promotion--those are the classic 4 Ps of marketing. Many experts say that packaging is the fifth P because it reflects and integrates the other four elements. With engaging packaging, brands can convey their emotional sides without sacrificing storage functions. 

Browse the case studies on Packaging News and you'll see how packaging has been designed to 'sell from the shelf', add value through specific benefits that target specific audiences, convey brand values and more.

For example, Yorkshire-based bakery brand Grandma Wild's commissioned unique packaging for its biscuit and fudge products, with the idea that the nostalgic camper-van packages would not only attract attention in stores, they could be toys after the baked goods are gone. Packaging has been a vital element in Grandma's marketing tool kit for decades as it addresses the needs of particular target markets.

Take a look at packaging created by award-winning designers, as featured on the Design Intellect site. These packages show creativity in helping to sell products from the shelf, reinforcing brand logos, highlighting product benefits and accomplishing other marketing objectives in addition to protecting products and keeping them safe and convenient.

When you're in London, you can visit the Museum of Brands and see more packaging from the past 100+ years, along with advertising. Visit its Facebook page for the latest info.

How are UK consumers paying for purchases?

Cash or credit or debit or contactless or mobile payment?

Only 50 years ago, consumers used mainly cash to pay for purchases at the point of sale, although some paid with cheques. Credit cards were first introduced into the UK market in the 1960s--a major change that still reverberates today.

How consumers pay for UK purchases has changed over the years. Cash is no longer the overwhelming favourite for payments, a trend that is unlikely to reverse in the future. In 2010, fewer cheques were being written than in years past; less cash was being dispensed at ATMs; and more cards (debit mainly but also credit) were being used at the point of sale.

Just two months ago, the Payments Council released a report saying that cash still accounted for 52% of all UK payments in 2013. So coins and bills are not going away anytime soon.

Although credit cards are in widespread use--an estimated 64% of the UK adult population carries a credit card--there has been tremendous growth in the use of debit cards during the 21st century.

Another trend is the rise of contactless payments--via plastic or a key fob or another device held near the till--increasingly accepted for transportation and other purchases. In fact, competing mobile wallets (also known as digital wallets) are on offer, allowing consumers to use the mobile itself or a mobile phone number to pay. Tesco wants you to use its mobile wallet, as does PayPal, among others.

Individual marketers are also providing apps to facilitate speedy, convenient mobile payment. Starbucks has payment apps for iPhones and Android mobiles.

Watch for more changes in consumer behaviour as the usage of mobile shopping and mobile payments increase in the coming years.

Hello smart phone, goodbye camera, music player, sat nav . . .

The smart phone has become the go-to gadget for so many functions that it is pushing some established products into the decline stage of the product life cycle.

An article in today's Guardian lists a number of products and technologies that are in decline, thanks to the smart phone, including:

• Mobiles. Plain vanilla mobiles are increasingly uncommon. Within six months, 80% of the UK market will be using a smart phone, rather than an ordinary mobile. A fraction of UK consumers will resist smart phones and retain their mobiles, but this type of phone is clearly in decline.
• Landlines and pay phones. Who needs them? Landlines are more common than pay phones, of course. But even landlines are in decline as text takes over. As for the absence of pay phones, let's just say the Tardis will stand out in modern-day cities.
• Cameras. Sales of inexpensive, stand-alone cameras are really in decline as consumers point and shoot with their smart phones. However, upmarket, feature-rich cameras (such as the new smart cameras and specialty 3D cameras) may attract photo enthusiasts, even those with a smart phone.
• Music players. The Walkman is long gone, and sales of iPods are down, down, down. Apple's most recent results definitely show fewer iPod units being purchased, although a price cut for the iPod Touch has helped recent sales of that product. (Cutting price to prolong the product life cycle is a classic technique.) Smart phones are music players, so why carry an extra gadget?
• Portable tape recorders. Remember when reporters used small cassette recorders to capture what interviewees said? There's not much market for a separate recorder when your smart phone can record voice or any other sound.
• Netbooks. Small, portable, inexpensive. But now almost extinct.
• Sat nav devices. With free sat nav apps available for smart phone users, individual sat nav devices are losing market share. No wonder the biggest sat nav brands have their own apps.