Marketing fashion products made from recycled materials

The world's oceans contain all kinds of rubbish, particularly plastic that pollutes and never decomposes--and fishing nets that have been thrown away. Now companies are turning ocean rubbish into 'green' clothing and accessories, stylish as well as a good path to sustainability. Consumers appreciate being able to make a difference through their purchases, the companies seek to accomplish societal objectives and the planet gets a little cleaner in the process.

Some brands are working with the nonprofit Parley for the Oceans to build awareness of the threats to ocean life and reuse discarded plastic in new products. Stella McCartney created a fashion collection based on recycled ocean plastics, for example, and also uses recycled nylon and polyester in fashion items. The sunglass brand Clean Waves markets products made from recycled ocean plastics, again in partnership with Parley for the Oceans.

The fast-fashion retailer H&M is buying nylon made from recycled fishing nets (from Aquafil) and turning it into stylish clothing. This partnership increases education about the challenges of ocean pollution and also showcases H&M as a firm actively working to improve sustainability.

Watch for more such partnerships as consumers increasingly seek out brands that are transparent about ethical sourcing and active in pursuing societal objectives.

Scooters and the sharing economy

The fast-growing 'sharing economy' includes firms like Airbnb (flats and homes) and Uber (car hires). Customers book what they need, when they need it, on demand, via app or the web. Convenient, easy, affordable and low-stress.

In America, electric scooters are already part of the sharing economy. Pioneering firms like Lime and Bird have put hundreds of lightweight, rechargeable scooters on the streets of major cities and on university campuses. Consumers unlock the scooters by logging into an app and paying about £1 to start. Operating fees depend on how long the ride continues, but the entire cost is usually much less than hiring a car or hailing a cab.

Scooters don't pollute, and they don't take up much space on streets or in car parks. Riding is fun and easy after a bit of trial and error. More scooters could mean less traffic and congestion in cities and on campuses. So why aren't UK cities encouraging scooters and the sharing economy?

Currently, UK law doesn't allow motorized scooters on paved streets/public roads. And based on the US experience, which has been both positive and negative, UK municipalities may be wary of consumers weaving in and out of traffic, riding on sidewalks and/or leaving scooters on the side of the street.

Now US-based Bird is among those seeking permission to operate in the UK. Its first test is a limited pilot programme on one private path near Bird's London offices. Will UK regulators change the rules to allow scooter-sharing services to operate?

Pop-up shops for holiday marketing

'Tis the season for holiday pop-up shoppes opening around the UK. More than ever, brands and businesses see pop-ups as a good way to offer a limited-time, in-person experience controlled by the brand.

This allows the companies to try new products or new displays, learn more about customers' interests and preferences, understand response to pricing and test response to communication messages featuring the pop-up. Once the pop-up closes, marketers can analyse the results and make decisions about future products, pricing, promotion and distribution possibilities--made possible by limited spending on a limited-time retail space in a targeted geographic area.

For instance:

• Seedlip, which markets non-alcoholic drinks, is opening a Mayfair pop-up focused on its beverages as well as bar products.
• Amazon, the pioneering online retailer, is opening a London fashion shop for one week to experiment with bricks-and-mortar store marketing.
• Cards for Good Causes, a nonprofit, has a holiday pop-up inside a public library, selling greeting cards to benefit numerous charities.
• One of the more unusual pop-ups is in Manchester, where Classic Football Shirts sells, well, classic football shirts like an original #7 Beckham ManU shirt, amongst others.

Holiday marketing begins early

How early? Well, UK retailer John Lewis actually plans two years ahead, analysing trends and preparing themes for holiday windows, displays and communications content. This is the only way to coordinate products, messages and in-store merchandising on schedule.

Selfridges was the earliest of all UK retailers to reveal its 2018 holiday window displays, on 18 October. The theme is rock 'n roll. Quoting the store: 'It’s about freedom, exuberance, living for today, and having a rocking time to the accompaniment of a great soundtrack'. See the full window displays from Oxford Street, London, here!

Hamley's Regent Street windows are all about holiday time in London, including markets and festivals. This year's focus is on plush toys, plush toys, plush toys in the windows and inside (plus other must-have toys).

Fenwick Newcastle's windows feature a jolly snowman come to life, from the children's book by Raymond Briggs, delighting the small boy who built the snowman.

Aldi's holiday advert again features Kevin the Carrot, returning from 2017 and 2016. The hashtag #SaveKevin engaged viewers to trend Aldi on social media following the advert on air.

Rival Lidl is airing three holiday adverts this year, themed 'upgrade your Christmas' with funny consequences. A Lidl exec says: 'Our classic humour and imagination runs through the series, providing Lidl laughs and mouth-watering products to marvel at'.

Nearly every day now, a retailer will be revealing windows or adverts and -- of course! -- special promotions to attract shoppers.

Top UK brands ranked by value

BRAND VALUE

In the latest BrandZ listing of Top 75 UK brands, a brand's value depends on consumer perceptions of innovation, differentiation and communication. Strong brands not only innovate, they communicate their differentiation to remain top of mind amongst the target market of consumers.

According to Kantar Millward Brown, which conducts the BrandZ studies, the top five UK brands in terms of value are all well established with consumers and have a high public profile:

5. Sky (telecom)

4. BT (telecom)

3. Shell (energy)

2. HSBC (financial services)

1. Vodafone (telecom)

Kantar also notes the value growth of many relatively new brands such as Deliveroo (delivery of takeaway orders) and BrewDog (craft beer).

What do brands need to increase or maintain their value amongst consumers?

'To grow, they need to work on increasing consumer perceptions that they are different, innovative and relevant', says a Kantar UK exec. 'The disruptors entering the ranking, meanwhile, need to make their difference meaningful and salient to consumers – if they fail to do so they could have a short lifespan'.