HSBC's marketing for growth

HSBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HSBCUK/

UK-based HSBC bank has a new CEO and a new growth strategy, supported by new marketing.

John Flint, the new CEO, aims to expand HSBC within the UK market and market mortgages more aggressively.

Technology investment is key to the bank's future growth strategy. Meanwhile, recently appointed group head of marketing Leanne Cutts is looking at HSBC's traditional roots for connections to the bank's marketing future.

As shown in the illustration from the bank's UK Facebook page, HSBC's traditional red-and-white logo is being reimagined for the digital age. 'Most of our transactions with customers are digital, so having something easily recognisable is incredibly powerful. It helps the customer to cut through the clutter', Cutts explains.

The same logo is shown on HSBC's YouTube channel at this time, as well as on its Twitter account. The bank uploads not only adverts to YouTube but also videos about how to use its mobile banking app and other topics of interest to bank customers.  The bank has thousands of followers on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. HSBC is now reviewing agencies for its social media activities, which means changes as the bank positions its marketing to support future growth.

Unilever improves transparency in influencer marketing

Unilever, which markets such famous brands as Magnum, Omo, Luxe and Lifebuoy, wants more transparency in the world of influencer marketing (marketing mentions by celebrities and social-media stars who have many followers and who serve as opinion leaders).

When a major marketing power like Unilever takes a stand, the advertising and social media ecosystems take notice.

Unilever's chief marketing officer says the company's brands will neither buy followers nor have a marketing relationship with influencers who buy followers. The company is also prioritising relationships with digital platforms that promote transparency.

The background: Unilever respects and appreciates the close, organic connection between influencers and their followers. After all, that's why these influencers have an influence on consumers. So Unilever wants brand fans to know it will not be associated with those who buy followers to boost their numbers on social media.

This is the next step in Unilever's initiative to increase trust and integrity in influencer marketing whilst also reducing 'toxic content' online. Read more about Unilever's pledge to improve transparency here.

Burberry leverages the power of social media

https://www.instagram.com/burberry/

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter play a central marketing role for the UK fashion brand Burberry. Its marketing strategy actually relies on four distinct pillars: product, communication, distribution and digital. About communication, the company explains: 'We are evolving our communications to be led by product and made for social media'.

One study found that Burberry topped the list of 20 most valuable UK brands using social media in 2017. Fashion industry publication WWD says Burberry had the best-performing social media strategy during February's 2018 London Fashion Week. This is actually nothing new for the brand, which has long put special emphasis on social media and ecommerce: CampaignLive hailed Burberry's savvy social media strategy during London Fashion Week in 2014.

By cultivating tech-savvy consumers, Burberry has amassed an Instagram following of more than 11 million people. Its Twitter account is followed by 8.7 million people. More than 17 million people have clicked to like its Facebook page. In short, Burberry is leveraging the power of social media to reach and engage style-conscious brand fans who buy in stores or online or both.

This post updates the Burberry example in Chapter 8 of my Essential Guide to Marketing Planning.

Latest marketing strategy for Merlin

https://twitter.com/LEGOLAND_CA

Families with small children are the target demographic for Merlin Entertainments and its Legoland theme parks. The company recently opened a Castle Hotel next to its Legoland in California, a hotel that looks built from Lego bricks and features theme decor. 'It’s like painting the story and making you feel like you’re living inside a medieval castle', says a Merlin executive.

Some rooms are decorated for knights, others for wizards...a fun, magical theme-park feeling for families that stay overnight. The hotel is differentiated and memorable, definitely not a bland, ordinary place to stay. This supports the brand image, as well.

Of course, Walt Disney is the market leader among theme park marketers. Given the intense competition within this industry, Merlin is pouring on the marketing magic to attract families during the all-important summer holiday period. In fact, Merlin drew a record 66m visitors globally in 2017.

Now Merlin is focusing on building hotels next to Legoland theme parks to capture more revenue and increase profits. It will not invest as heavily in its Madame Tussauds attractions. Nonetheless, in London and New York, Madame Tussauds recently installed wax figures of the new Duchess of Sussex, a good way to stay in the public eye after the royal wedding.

Tesco fine-tunes retailing strategy

UK retailing giant Tesco continues to fine-tune its retailing strategy, both on the store side and online.

As shown above, it recently announced the closing of Tesco Direct, the company's profitless e-commerce initiative for non-food products. (Tesco.com is the company's grocery website.) Fulfilment is costly, maintaining an online shopping platform is costly and the company saw no way to profit from this venture. Most likely, competition was also a factor, with Amazon and others offering so many of the same brand-name products that were sold on Tesco Direct's site.

Yet Tesco continues to invest in physical stores. It opened a new supermarket in Dublin that features eco-friendly features such as energy conservation systems and recycling facilities.

The Tesco Clubcard is a major competitive strength, enabling the retailer to communicate with loyal customers and personalise offers. And Tesco will need this strength as it faces the soon-to-merge Sainsbury/Asda combination.

Bringing together well-known food and beverage brands

www.facebook.com/pretamanger/

Thirty-two years ago, Pret a Manger opened its doors in London. Ten years ago, the fast-growing chain of coffee/food shoppes was sold to a private equity firm. And now, Pret a Manger has another new owner.

The new owner, JAB Holdings has acquired a number of well-known coffee and food brands. These include Krispy Kreme, Douwe Egberts, Tassimo, Panera Bread, Dr Pepper Snapple and Keurig Green Mountain.

With 530 shoppes in the UK, US, China, Hong Kong and France, Pret a Manger has a loyal customer following, in person and on social media. Will JAB, the new owner, co-brand shoppes or products, given the high profile of its pantry of products? Will the new owner use the shoppes (Panera Bread and Pret a Manger, for instance) as a distribution channel for other brands in the company's portfolio? Lots of possibilities for strategic synergy!