Spanish ads, English straplines

Looking at a Car and Driver magazine from Spain, I noticed many ads feature English straplines (see arrows). This indicates a globalisation of promotional themes and a recognition that drivers welcome global brands and are willing to buy them locally.

• At top left, Kia's strapline is "The Power to Surprise." That's the automotive brand's worldwide strapline.
• Center top, GT's global strapline for Champiro tyres is "Experience the Performance."
• Right at top, Mercedes Benz uses the strapline, "The best or nothing." 
• Bottom left, BMW's ad includes the phrase "BMW EfficientDynamics," a reference to its earth-friendly lower emissions.
• Bottom right, Ford's ad shows the strapline "Go further." This strapline appears on its website and other promotional elements.

Marketing wearable tech

Fitness trackers are being marketed as 'fashion meets function' for individuals who want to track activity or heartbeat or other indicators. These are a big segment of the wearable-tech market. Smart watches are, well, marketed as more technology in a convenient wristwatch size, portable in a different way than smartphones. Both are trendy for style reasons and for early adopters who enjoy being among the first to have the latest gadget.

Here are a few examples of marketing wearable tech:

• Fitbit is using multiple social media networks to showcase its latest wristband fitness trackers, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest (especially key for fashionistas), Google+, LinkedIn, and Vine. The brand has recognition and a core of loyal followers who appreciate its streamlined look and ease of funtionality.
• Samsung is marketing its Gear smartwatches as 'comfortable, smart and stylish' on its UK website. Publicity about Android operating systems, bendable batteries and other elements related to the product help support its techy image. Samsung's strength in tablets and phones can only help its wearable tech products.
• Apple Watch, to be introduced in the UK next year, already has a lot of marketing momentum building because of product launches in the US and elsewhere. As expected from Apple, design is paramount to the marketing effort--as is the brand's iconic apple logo. Given Apple's premium image, this watch has a lot of buzz.
• Nike discontinued its Fuelband fitness tracker earlier in 2014 to focus on other wearable tech and, crucially, software related to wearable tech. The company recognised that fitness trackers have a life cycle--and the product category isn't yet in the maturity stage. Rather than continue with the wristband trackers that it marketed, Nike opted to look in Apple's direction. With Nike's strong brand equity, it will surely be able to compete in whatever niche it targets.

How does brand identity sound?

South Korean automaker Kia is the latest marketer to incorporate sound into its brand identity. The distinctive musical sounds are part of Kia's multi-sensory branding, as shown on the company's website.

Brand fans are encouraged to download Kia's five-note melody as a ringtone, in various rhythms and styles (Reggae, Bossa Nova, modern rock, etc.).

Sonic branding has a long history. Music or sounds that are associated with a brand have the power to bring that brand to mind when you hear that unique melody or sound. And they can influence your attitudes and perceptions of the brand.

Not all sounds associated with a brand are intentional or pleasing, as this article explains. But careful planning can result in a sound that contributes to effective rebranding. That's what SNCF, the French railway firm, found when it created a unique sonic identity for its brand. Now, after years of hearing the railway's sonic brand signatures, 92% of the listeners surveyed were able to identify the brand after hearing only 2 notes--and 71% of the listeners had a positive attitude toward the brand.

Vinyl LP sales surge

An old-fashioned music medium, the vinyl LP is making a comeback year after year. Maybe LP sales statistics don't add up to a tsunami (yet), but they do indicate strong, ongoing consumer interest in vinyl. According to the Official Charts Co, 800,000 vinyl LPs have been sold to date this year, and 2014 is on track for 1 million LP purchases in the UK by yearend. (The Official Charts FB page is here.)


Record Store Day, held every May, attracts vinyl lovers to music stores around the country with special releases and promotions. The 2014 event broke recent sales records and contributed to vinyl's momentum.

Vinyl is in the spotlight at Rough Trade, a music retailer based in London with two stores there, opened a branch store in the hip New York neighborhood of Williamsburg last year. Rough Trade will soon open a fourth store in Nottingham. The focus is on indie music--and vinyl is a key product element.

With 134,000 Twitter followers, Rough Trade actively promotes community and encourages exploration of new performers and new music. Vinyl gives customers a reason to visit the store, pick up LPs, read the album notes, and buy something new with a vintage heritage.

Look-alike shoes: Converse sues

Converse, now owned by Nike, markets a very distinctive sports shoe called the Chuck Taylor. The rubber-toed design is an all-American classic, popular year in and year out since it was introduced for basketball players nearly 100 years ago. It takes its name from a basketball star, Chuck Taylor, who joined Converse in the 1920s.

Now Converse is suing 31 companies, saying their shoes have too much of the Chuck Taylor look--and therefore violate intellectual property laws.

Among the firms being sued are Walmart, Kmart, Skechers and Ralph Lauren.
This isn't Converse's first attempt to assert its trademark rights. The company has served nearly 200 cease-and-desist notices in the past few years, telling marketers to stop making lookalike shoes that mimic Chuck Taylor's design. Now it's looking to the court system to enforce its trademark rights.

The marketing point? Success invites imitation. Marketers have to watch for imitators and be sure their brands and trademarks are protected. Otherwise, they may wind up marketing something that devolves into a generic product or category description. Zipper was once a brand. No longer. Converse wants to be sure that Chucks don't lose their brand protection. Just as important, it wants consumers to be reassured that when they buy a pair of shoes looking like the Chuck Taylor classic, it is a Chuck Taylor by Converse.

Shopper marketing: selling from the shelf

When shopping, why do we reach for one package instead of another? The answer, say the experts at UK design consultancy Elmwood, is the influence of biomotive triggers. 

Shoppers may pause for only a few seconds before moving on to the next item in a store--so packaging must work its magic quickly, attracting our attention, identifying the brand and a key benefit and then encouraging us to pick that product.

Clearly, in-store elements of shopper marketing can make all the difference in a product's sales. In particular, cusps and curves are two biomotive triggers that can affect consumer behaviour.

Elmwood's Simon Preece explains the influence of cusp and curve in a recent Packaging News interview:

• Cusps are sharp pointy shapes and they get our attention, signaling fear danger and caution. 
• Curves suggest safety, softness and comfort; they make us feel secure and encourage interaction.

As Preece notes, Walt Disney's marketing for the recent movie Maleficent used cusps to convey the sense of danger and foreboding viewers would experience. Of course, being a Disney movie, the danger was resolved by the end. But this subtle use of cusps intrigued viewers and attracted attention in a cluttered environment. Curves are the main focus of Coca-Cola's packaging, Preece says, suggesting comfort--yet the logo has some cusps to capture attention and contrast with the curves.

Elmwood is responsible for the redesigned Andrex packaging shown at top (read its commentary on the packaging here). Toilet tissue should be soft, and the curves convey that important benefit. The puppy's eyes are looking right at the shopper, asking to be taken home--biomotive triggers that sell from the shelf.

Why Retailers Run into Trouble

As the Centre for Retail Research chronicles, retail stores continue to go into administration. Because stores are part of our daily lives, retailer problems receive media attention all the time--including lists of retailers in trouble (like this one from BBC News) and analyses of high-street retail vacancies (like this one in the Guardian).

From Comet to Blockbuster, Phones4U and beyond, some UK retailers have run into trouble from a variety of challenges related to changes in the marketing environment, including:

• Economic conditions
• New consumer tastes
• New shopper behavior
• Population shifts 
• Industry consolidation
• Management issues
• Financial woes 
• Technology 

Increasingly, retailers are looking to multichannel marketing as a key to attracting new customers and retaining existing customers who enjoy shopping via tablet or mobile, not just in a high-street store.

Updating the Lost Legends Luxury Chocolatier marketing plan

Lost Legends Luxury Chocolatier is a fictional startup created to illustrate a sample marketing plan in my Essential Guide to Marketing Planning text. To update this marketing plan, consider:

• Products and marketing by competitors such as the Grown Up Chocolate Company, Hotel Chocolat, Thorntons and Paul A Young. See what they're offering, the prices they charge, the markets they serve and the flavours they're introducing.
• The cocoa supply situation, supplier concerns and potential problems that might disrupt delivery of chocolate and other ingredients.
• UK chocolate consumption trends and implications for future demand.
• Social-cultural issues that affect consumption and brand loyalty, such as consumer preference for authenticity.
• Legal issues such as new food labelling requirements to indicate allergens.
• Technological issues such as 3D choco printing.
• Pricing trends and consumer reaction.