MG Turns 85

This is MG's 85th birthday year. When China's Nanjing bought the legendary MG business and assets, it looked like the brand would soon be back on UK roads (updating brand concept coverage in chapter 6). Then Nanjing ran into difficulties and merged with China's SAIC.

Now MG is finally on its way to dealers near you. The TF LE500 is being produced at SAIC's Longbridge facility, based on kits shipped from China. The MGTF 135 sports car has also been announced. "We are now producing standard cars for general sale, rather than limited edition – it’s a key step," says the head of SAIC's UK corp communications. And the MG6 hatchback, shown first at auto shows in Asia, is scheduled for release within a year.

However, the economic downturn that has slowed auto sales around the world is hurting SAIC and all of its competitors, in China and elsewhere. Can SAIC rev up MG sales and recapture the brand's former glory and customer response?

Mazda Courts Tomorrow's Drivers

Mazda Motor Corp. has aligned itself with athletic events and children's charities to build its brand within the market of tomorrow. (This is an update of the Mazda case example on p. 52.) For instance, athletes entered in the Mazda London Triathlon can raise money for Children's Hospices, Whizz-Kidz and other children's charities. In the US, the Mazda Foundation makes grants to nonprofit groups that help children read, keep children safe, and have similar missions. In Australia, the Mazda Foundation gives priority to grants to children's welfare groups. Mazda wants buyers of all ages to know what the brand stands for--and hopes the buyers of tomorrow will think of Mazda when they're shopping for cars.

Sweetpea Grows Up

Sweetpea, launched by two moms in Toronto, now offers a range of 10 frozen organic baby foods in stores throughout most of Canada. The key to its success was good planning--and finding a good distributor (updating coverage of channels in Chapter 8).

At first, co-founders Eryn Green and Tamar Wagman personally visited stores and grocery chains in and around Toronto and convinced 60 to carry Sweetpea products. Looking ahead, the entrepreneurs realized they couldn't visit every grocery store in every city and suburb to build the business. They needed the expert assistance of a professional natural-foods distributor, but the one they hoped to use signed with a competitor just before Sweetpea's products made their debut.

So Green and Wagman began a campaign to attract the attention of the other distributor, SunOpta. They called and e-mailed the SunOpta buyer for months, and when they finally got him on the phone, he agreed to look at their product information. It only took 10 minutes for SunOpta to say "yes" to carrying Sweetpea's products.

Thanks to smart channel decisions, Sweetpea is now sold through 350 stores all around Canada and has become a national brand name. As its distribution expands, Sweetpea will be growing up fast.

Susan Boyle's Hidden Marketing Talent

Susan Boyle, the overnight sensation from Britain's Got Talent, has a lot of hidden marketing talent. First, she's got a fantastic voice--the most important element in her "product." Second, she has an easy-to-remember two-syllable brand name. Third, she's differentiated from her competition and therefore stands out in the crowd. And that leads to her fourth and final marketing strength: The advantage of surprise, because competitors underestimated her.

Congratulations to Susan Boyle, whose YouTube videos have now made her a familiar face around the world. Can she ride this wave of recognition to make her personal dream come true? From a marketing perspective, she's already a dream come true for the programme.

Would You Lick an Ad?

Some print ads include samples of perfume or other cosmetics, but how many contain a taste sample you can lick? (Update to coverage of advertising and sales promotion in Chapter 9.) Now First Flavor--yes, a U.S. company that uses Yank spelling--has come up with a way to sample grape juices and other edible products.

The peel-and-lick ad is an intriguing idea. Diageo has used First Flavor to sample its Captain Morgan rum; Arm & Hammer has used it to sample a new toothpaste flavor through in-store displays. Will consumers lick samples from magazines, newspapers, or grocery displays?

Calling on Mobile Marketing

Kellogg and other companies are getting customers involved through mobile marketing, encouraging response in the form of text messages and photos sent via mobile phone. (Mobile marketing opens new possibilities for planning advertising and sales promotion, updates Chapter 9 of the Essential Guide to Marketing Planning.)

Kellogg (maker of Rice Krispies, shown above) is inviting consumers in Britain and Ireland to use their mobiles to participate in "The Big Bake" program. Here's how it works: Bake (using a Kellogg cereal) + Snap (photograph yourself with your baked item) = Ta Da (send the photo via mobile to Kellogg and you could be a star in the next Kellogg TV or print ad). Kellogg also posts customers' photos of baked goods online for everyone to see, the way Jones Soda displays customer-submitted label designs on its Web site.

For a look at other mobile campaigns, check the Yahoo! Mobile Marketing Awards. And for ideas about what not to do in mobile marketing, read this post on MyCustomer.com.

Will Innocent Lose Its Innocence?

The founders of Innocent Drinks, an all-natural smoothie pioneer, have a powerful new backer: Coca-Cola. The soft-drink giant recently took a minority stake in Innocent and will help the founders plan a major distribution expansion across Europe. Will Innocent change now that it's playing in the big leagues? The founders say, in fact, that they hope to influence Coca-Cola.

Innocent's founders have been successful precisely because of their refreshingly innocent approach to marketing. They've gained a loyal following for their "completely pure, fresh and unadulterated" fruit drinks by using natural ingredients and sustainable packaging. Their Web site explains: "We sure aren't perfect, but we're trying to do the right thing." How often do companies admit they aren't perfect? It's charming--and effective.

In short, Innocent seems, well, more innocent than its super-sized corporate competitors. Its Web site invites brand fans to AGM (A Grown-Up Meeting) at Fruit Towers, London, in May. If you go, you can chat up the founders and meet fellow fans. Click here to see more and watch a video of last year's AGM. What will Innocent do next?

Green Marketing Evolves

Tesco is only one of a growing number of UK, European, and US companies that are differentiating themselves on the basis of green marketing (update to case study on p. 19 of Essential Guide).

Part of Tesco's Greener Living program includes ClubCard rewards for recycling mobile phones, plastic bags, ink cartridges and more. The retail giant is also testing carbon footprint labels on selected products and inviting shoppers to leave unwanted packaging at the till (after they pay for purchases, of course).

However, consumers are also confused by the different and competing green-marketing claims made by companies. Therefore, some firms are applying for certification to display eco-labels from outside organisations such as the Carbon Trust as a uniform way of identifying green products (above illustration is from Carbon Trust site).

Yet both marketers and consumers would benefit from even more standardization in eco-labeling, such as the EU Ecolabel and the Nordic Swan. Industry self-regulation is another option. For example, the Australian Association of National Advertisers has a voluntary code for marketers who make environmental claims.

Watch for green marketing to evolve as customers demand more eco-friendly goods and services--and as companies compete more aggressively on the basis of green initiatives.