Monday 28 November 2016

Branded salt and GivingTuesday

No, salt is not just salt. In the age of marketing, Morton Salt, a US-based brand, has the advantage of longevity and consistency. It also has a salt product for nearly every consumer and business segment.

For many decades, its packaging and adverts have featured the 'Morton Salt girl' holding an umbrella (see below, from Morton's website).

And now the salt brand is 'giving back' by backing a campaign designed to encourage charitable donations on #GivingTuesday, the last Tuesday in November.

Morton Salt partnered with an indie band, OK Go, known for its 2014 song, The One Moment, to create the video with eye-catching visual moments.

The salt company had the idea of inspiring giving through this video, to reinforce the brand's commitment to marketing purpose.

According to the director of communications and corporate brand strategy:
'We were really looking to help break through in a way that people would not necessarily expect from Morton Salt'.

Thursday 24 November 2016

Writing a marketing plan? Check newly updated links

If you're preparing a marketing plan, you may find some valuable ideas amongst the 80+ hotlinks here on my blog. The list is now updated with additional sources of marketing news and links to marketing resources around the world. 
  • For marketing plan templates and tips, be sure to check the CIM Marketing Expert page.
  • For an overview of the main components of a marketing plan, visit NI Business Info.
  • For more detail about writing a marketing plan and planning for social media, visit Business Victoria.
Just as important as your marketing choices: Plan ahead for metrics to measure results to evaluate the outcome of each marketing programme.

Friday 18 November 2016

Most Valuable Global Brands in 2016

Interbrand recently ranked the most valuable brands in the world. For 2016, the top 10 list is:

10. General Electric (US based)
9.   Mercedes (Germany)
8.   Amazon (US)
7.   Samsung (South Korea)
6.   IBM (US)
5.   Toyota (Japan)
4.   Microsoft (US)
3.   Coca-Cola (US)
2.   Google (US)
1.   Apple (US)

Notice any patterns?

First, 7 of the top 10 are US-based brands.

Second, technology fuels many of the top 10. 

And third, these are powerful brands backed by powerful marketing. Coca-Cola is well over a century old, yet it remains highly popular and valuable because marketing keeps it visible in pop culture. Amazon was incorporated only 20 years ago, but its first-mover advantage and ongoing innovations have helped the retailer stay ahead of competitors year after year.

Will Apple remain at the top of the tree in 2017? Although some analysts are concerned about Apple's ability to keep innovating, the brand has actually increased in value. I believe it won't lose its #1 status in 2017. But Samsung may fall in the rankings as a result of its exploding battery problem.

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Introducing Christmas 2016 adverts (and their hashtags)


In the coming days, you'll see more and more of this year's Christmas adverts on every screen (telly, tablet, mobile). Building anticipation is part of the fun and a smart marketing strategy too.

Here are links to just three of the recently introduced retailer adverts playing on screens across the UK.
  • Aldi's advert features #KevinTheCarrot (above) and ends with the strapline 'everyday amazing' to reinforce the retailer's low-price positioning. One million online views in one week.
  • The new John Lewis #BusterTheBoxer advert has been viewed 15 million times on YouTube in just the first four days. Not only is Buster an adorable toy, 10% of the price goes to charity.
  • Marks & Spencer features Mrs Claus in #LoveMrsClaus, its 2016 holiday advert. In four days, this advert has been viewed online 4.6 million times.
Watch for the hashtags integrating mentions of the adverts throughout social media and traditional advertising.

Monday 7 November 2016

Competing with Aldi

Aldi, the deep-discount grocery chain based in Germany, is known for low prices on brand names and on non-branded merchandise. In fact, Aldi offers a Shop Specialbuys app to alert shoppers when their favourite products are going on sale (get ready to 'swipe and shop').

A former exec who helped set up Aldi in Australia explains the retailer's strategy: '. . . the deal between the supplier and Aldi is; first Aldi will take a larger pack size, often a pack size that is exclusive to Aldi so some economy is represented here and that Aldi does not embarrass other bigger retail customers . . . of the brand with its selling price'.

Now Aldi's head in Australia notes how the company's expansion has affected retail pricing: 'Our prices are always the lowest, so we have observed the market getting a little sharper in prices … at the same time as our competitors have been lowering prices, we have as well'. Aldi's expects to continue acquiring market share in Australia, aiming for as much as 15% of that market within a few years.

One way competitors are fighting back is by not only increasing their private brands but in some cases, by blurring the line between national brands and private brands. Woolworths in Australia recently relaunched some of its store private brands without highlighting the retailer's brand ownership on the front label. Products formerly branded prominently as 'Woolworth's Gold' now bear the brand 'Gold' on the front label, for example, with the Woolworth name on the back label.

Woolworth says it has been fine-tuning its Australian private brands: 'Over the last year we sought insights from our customers as we looked to enhance our range of products. Woolworths branded and non-branded ranges reflect our commitment to quality and value'.

Meanwhile, Aldi's low-price grocery rival in Germany, Lidl, is moving further into markets where Aldi has established itself--such as the US market. 'We are in the early stages of our preparation to launch in the U.S., and our focus right now is in our operations along the East Coast and opening our first stores no later than 2018', says a Lidl exec. Lidl competes against Aldi by opening larger stores and stocking a wider assortment of merchandise compared with Aldi.

Watch for price wars when Aldi targets a market--and watch for competing stores to slash prices or risk losing shoppers who follow the bargains.

Friday 4 November 2016

New pound coin, new update for UK marketing plans

Businesses and government agencies should already have new marketing plans in place as they prepare for the new pound coin, shown above. The coin was announced more than a year in advance, with occasional information updates released to the public.

From March 2017, this distinctive 12-sided coin will be legal tender for any purchase. This is an especially important issue for operators of vending machines, ticket machines and parking meters. Any marketer that operates any of those machines has to plan now to adapt to the new coin.

The old coins will still circulate until September 2017, giving businesses and consumers time to make the change. Machines don't have to accept both coins, just one or the other (and notify consumers which will work) during March through September.

This new coin introduction has nothing to do with Brexit, yet it also introduces an element of change into the marketing environment. Not only do machines have to be adapted to the new coin, banks and retailers must use internal marketing to educate their employees to respond to customer questions, requests and confusion

Wednesday 2 November 2016

How L'Oreal uses apps for product marketing

The global cosmetics giant L’Oréal markets dozens of beauty products in the luxury product category (such as Lancôme), professional products (such as Redken), mainstream consumer products (such as Maybelline New York) and active products (such as Vichy).

Now the company is leveraging apps to deliver information and product benefits to consumers and professional customers: 
  • Hair Color Genius and Makeup Genius are apps to help consumers try and select the best hair and skin products for the looks they want. Makeup Genius, available for several years, has been downloaded more than 20 million times worldwide.
  • Targeting beauty professionals, the company's 'Style my hair' app shows the right products for each hairstyle and situation. Hair professionals select the client's face shape, virtually test cuts and colours, and demonstrate how to get that perfect look.
  • Another app for professionals is 'Matrix Academy', a virtual reality simulator that helps professionals learn the latest techniques for contemporary hair styles.
  • For consumers, L'Oreal offers a 'My UV Patch' app that works together with its La Roche-Posay sunscreen product, to monitor UV exposure and protect skin.