Marketing Unleashed Blog by Gary Bembridge

MOST POPULAR ADS OF THE NOUGHTIES: WHAT DO THEY TELL US?

2009-12-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

This week on the main terrestrial commercial TV channel in the UK (ITV 1), they had a program that counted down the twenty most loved ads from the “noughties” (the last decade)based on over 8000 TV viewers from a list put together by the station

The top 5 were in ascending order:

5) Cadbury “Gorilla”
4) Honda “COG”
3) Compare the market “Meerkat”
2) Skoda “Cake”
1) Hovis “Boy through time”

What was a little bit scary for me is that as a marketer I think pretty much of all them are terrible ads, and wondered if that is where it all goes wrong! In fact some I think are almost dumb and perplexing, and I am fairly sure would not have made it past the 1st presentation. Also I am still not sure as a consumer that they would have had much affect on me. So I started to ponder that, this and the meaning overall and here are the 4 things that I took from it all:

1. UK consumers love ads that entertain. They love the indirect sell, the clever and the quirky. And they really like humour. Though when they mde their final choice it was nostalgia that wins through. Especially in the uncertain times, it was interesting to see the very clever and thought provoking ad from Hovis bread was the number one.

2. They all are quite long, up to 2 minutes for the full Hovis ad. Does length mater after all? They are big, memorable and would seem small in short ad lengths.

2. We have no idea if they loved the ads and acted on them. For an ad that does not sell or change perception and sell is not worth it all. Personally, the one ad that did make me change was the Compare the Market ad, which is just about brand recognition and recall so when it was time for new car insurance their name popped straight into my mind. There are reports that Cadbury sold more chocolate after the Gorilla ad, and the huge PR and talking point it created. So maybe there it was more the buzz and the top of mind again that worked.

3. We have no idea what the brief was and if they met it. If the brief was “get my brand talked about” then 4 of the 5 on this list interesting did and a lot. There were written about, discussed and covered in all sort of media. But did it deliver the brief.

4. It would have been a dull show if the ads that sold lots of products only were in here, as suspect it would have been a drier and more message driven show. Nearly as dull as many of the breaks these days.................

Scary as most with marketer hat on I despaired of at the time as felt they were more production than selling

WATCH THE TOP 2 ADS

HOVIS BOY on YouTube (full long version)

SKODA CAKE: click here to watch on YouTube

THE SUN NEWSPAPER SPOOF APPLE IPHONE

2009-12-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

As readers of the blog know, I am a fan of and interested in spoof ads as I think they are not only entertaining but more importantly they show when advertising has caught a nerve (good or bad) and also have a creative idea or format that people identify with and is so clear that they can replicate it.

Sometimes of course it is consumer generated, and less often by other manufacturers or service providers.

One of the spoof/parody ads that is currently being written about on blogs, Twitter and online generally is The Sun newspaper in the UK.

The Sun newspaper has done a very clever parody/ spoof inspired by Apple iPhone and the way they communicate on features and benefits.
Watch the ad on YouTube: click here

THE BRAND GAP: AN INTERESTING PRESENTATION

2009-12-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was sent a link to a presentation about branding titled “The Brand Gap” that the Creative Director at our ad agency came across by one Mart Neumeier.

It was a great read (170 very visual slides with very visual ideas).

There were 2 things that really resonated for me, as they are things that I have written about in the blog, and these were:

1. You need to be different to STAND OUT and be noticed by your target. The point he makes, which I had not thought of before, was that we have so much information and stimulus to digest constantly that we are “programmed” to only really notice things that are different and enexpected. Anything that is very similar or the same we do not tend to notice and register. Good point!

2. If you are really trying to INNOVATE, then you need some strange ideas that feel uncomfortable and make you feel a bit nervous. If not them they are far too familiar and safe, and probably are me-too. Another good point

The full presentation can be found at:

http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/0321348109/goodies/The_Brand_Gap.pdf

Who is Marty? I have not met him but the presentation says: Marty Neumeier is president of a San Francisco-based brand consultancy, Neutron LLC. Neutron supplies the “glue” that holds brands together: brand education programs, seminars, workshops, creative audits, process planning, and more.
Visit http://www.neutronllc.com/. (though if you visit you will see they have merged with a company called LIQUID)

Big and Small: the 2 ways of the future. The Economist agrees..

2009-12-08T04:55:00.000-08:00

This is an update on my posting about how it feels to me that to succeed you increasingly have to be really big or small but tightly targeted.

I was interested to read in the "economist" magazine of 28 November their article "a world of hits". It referred to the "long tail" book by Chris Anderson - but argued that what has happened is that big hits in films are getting bigger - and the very targeted are selling nicely... But the ones in the middle are struggling. The same is true of newspapers (big titles doing ok, and the very narrow local ones doing just fine).

The article is worth a read:
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14959982

ANOTHER TREND? NO ROOM IN THE MIDDLE ANYMORE? BIG AND BROAD VS. TIGHT AND TARGETED?

2009-12-01T06:56:00.001-08:00

As readers of my blog know, I tend to have my “theories” about trends and areas to focus. One of the recent ones was around the emergence of SIMPLICITY as a trend that is being driven not just by the economic crisis and challenges that mean suppliers of products and services are stripping back offers to the core offer to help make them more affordable, but also by the increasing uncertainty about safety of so many ingredients, products and the such like making simple offers feel better choices.

Another thing that I have increasingly been observing is that to compete and succeed there are also 2 clear way to proceed: either be big, broad and loud or highly targeted, niche and specific. Think the middle ground is doomed territory.

Here are some examples

From the world of TV
Big event shows are booming. Take a show like “X-Factor” in the Uk (or “American Idol”, “Britain’s Got Talent” etc). These are big shows that are capture the imagination of the public on a broad and big scale. They become intensive shared experience viewing, and create spin off content, comment and interactions across many media and medium (blogs, newspapers, twitter, Facebook). Many (like me) watch the show with a dialogue going on via Twitter, Facebook with friends and others. They are loud big and dominate media for a period of time.

Then on the other extreme are smaller, highly targeted and specific shows and channels that have a tight and dedicated target that watch and get engrossed in. The numbers are not huge but they are very attractive and make money because they are efficient at reaching and talking to that target and interest. The problem is all the stuff in the middle that is expensive to make and get good enough viewers but neither huge to sell broad appeal advertising to or specific enough to sell very targeted stuff. It seems that Drama series fall into this area. They are expensive to write and make and even with several million viewers they just cannot make money.

From the world of news/ newspapers
There are 2 things I consume. The Times (a general interest newspaper that gives me a broad view of the world) and the CHiswickW4 (a weekly email with news from the suburb I live in). I love both. They are not on the same scale as the TV example but interesting. ChiswickW4 runs ads for local events and services and always helpful, The Times the big new things and services.

It is also clear that people will only pay for content (especially online) if it is specialist and expert, and not big general things like day-today news.

I think it is time to think about one’s product offering. Maybe within a brand there maybe some big, broad offers and then tight efficiently targeted lines that can be very efficient and profitable as you only need to talk to a small tight target who can be reached through tight media/ medium offering.

MARKETING UNLEASHED PODCAST NOMINATED FOR EURO PODCAST AWARD

2009-12-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

My Marketing Unleashed Podcast has been nominated for a European Podcast Award. PLease vote! Thanks

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STELLA ARTOIS GETS THE SIMPLE TREND?

2009-11-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

In my last posting, I spoke about how more simple and "less is more" seems to be an growing trend - and could be THE next big trend.

It was interesting to see that Stella Artois, for years the "reassuringly expensive" beer ran complex and long almost epic style ads has gone for something more SIMPLE. Talking about how it is made from only 4 ingredients. Though, isn't all beer only made of 4 ingredients?

The secret of winning in the future? It's SIMPLE!

2009-11-11T01:29:00.000-08:00

Is simplicity the way of the future? I think it could well be. I do think it is a big trend to watch out for an embrace.

After years of excess and conspicuous consumption, the economic crisis has forced a rethink in so many areas. And one theme for me seems to be that simplicity is the thing that is emerging. It is a natural reaction to excess, complexity and concerns about what we eat, use and do to our bodies and the environment we live in.

Some of this trend is fuelled by the need for organizations to find ways to cut costs too, ironically.

Many hotels, airlines and other service industries are taking out various features and items to reduce costs. In fact some hotels are prepared to lose stars from their ratings in order to strip back some of the features. Hotel chains like Travelodge are doing well on the basis of offering nothing more than a good night's sleep. They do not have complex services and features but focus on making sure that people have a good night sleep. Nothing more and nothing less. Focusing on one core and simple thing. People may get used to, and like paying less for getting the key thing: good comfortable night sleep. This is simplicity and ensuring you focus not on all the ancillary offerings, but the simple thing people need.

The increased awareness of the dangers of chemicals and the junk in the environment that is leading to increased incidence of things like eczema and skin issues is also leading to more simple and perceived safer products. We are seeing, for example, rapid growth of brands like “Simple” in the UK that tells a story of just a few key ingredients that are all you need to get the results you want. We are also seeing the growth of pharmacy brands promising to exclude preservatives and other chemicals to be just simple but effective.

There was a really interesting article recently in USA Today about the emergence of the simple trend and how it is having an impact and resonating across many other categories that is well worth reading called “How many ingredients in this scoop? The answer may be surprisingly simple”

What do you think? Got any other examples? Email me or leave a comment on the blog posting now!

WHAT DOES REAL DANGER AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TELL US ABOUT BLOGGING AND PR?

2009-11-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

When you start getting press releases from PR agencies to your blog does that mean that you have "arrived", or does it just mean that clients and agencies are (finally) understanding that bloggers can get a message out quite fast and quite wide at relatively low cost. Ensuring that the story or angle being pushed can get coverage and also make sure then that it gets picked up in search more?

In recent weeks, I have noticed that I am starting to get more releases and stories from PR agencies. This may also (of course) just mean that someone has created a list of blogs by topic and is selling the lists and so does not mean very much at all!

Or (as in the case of the one I am about to comment on), is a message that may get longer life and a more diverse coverage than in traditional media - especially as part of the material is a bit "rough" to digest..

One of the recent releases I got was from Shiny Red PR for their client Pfizer, which is encouraging people not to buy prescription drugs online - warning that many may be dangerous and harmful by containing things like rat poison. At the heart of the campaign is a stomach churning ad that shows a man pulling a dead rat out of his mouth. The ad has been limited to very late night TV on limited channels in the UK due to its content.

It also struck me that this is also why targeting blogs works when you have something that may have viral potential due to its graphic and controversial nature, and where mainstream media would not want to show it in peak times.

The ad itself is not pleasant, and possibly a bit obvious versus subtle but it is very well made and has convinced me that buying prescription drugs offline is to be avoided should I ever toy with the idea.

But interesting thought on how and when to use bloggers. I have also received many releases about brands doing every day things, and not yet found a hook or reason that has sparked me enough to blog about it. And so maybe another learning is that to engage bloggers, versus spam them is to have a story or some hook that gives a good reason to write about your brand. And it is not likely to be just to say how lovely it is, as paid media can do that where you control everything.

You also need to accept that bloggers may not write what you want them to...(or is bad publicity better than none?!)

What do you think? leave a comment on the blog

Watch the ad on YouTube by clicking here, or on the blog posting:

Visit the website: http://www.realdanger.co.uk/

USA ADS GETTING SCARIER. OR JUST ME GETTING MORE PARANOID?

2009-11-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Being on holiday in the USA a month or so ago, meant watching more TV than I usually do when there on business. Something really struck me about the nature of US advertising that felt to me like it has got more pronounced, and has made the difference with UK advertising more pronounced than ever.In the UK, advertising (especially on TV) tends to be optimistic, positive, light-hearted and upbeat. There is a high emphasis on entertaining to sell. Ads tend to be funny, show slices of life and even tend towards story telling.USA ads seemed to be getting much more scary that I remember them. They seemed more problem / solution orientated. The alternative brands to those being advertised being positioned as being more risky, more flawed and even more dangerous. The ad breaks felt to be more full of threats and gloom. The ads make life seem so much more fraught. It seemed to be playing on fears is the dominant ad approach.

As I wrote this posting originally in the last few breaks I had seen on the TV:
· seen jealous boyfriends kick down a terrified woman’s door who was saved because of her security alarm.
· been warned about the dust left behind by feather dusters, and how my family could suffer allergies unless I switch to some other product
· been told if I have been taking a certain drug I could suffer tendon problems and should contact some lawyers to join suing the company
· been told that as I am ageing I am risking getting a heart attack and better start taking daily aspirin doses
· been told I should chose a line of diabetes monitoring products as they are designed and made in the USA, implying other countries cannot be trusted

I was wondering if it has always been so? Has the style of commercial that convinces American consumers to make brand choices based on creating fears and uncertainty reflecting the times the country is going through - so mirroring society?

The UK is by no means going through the most positive of times, but seems being copy is trying to be more cheerful and entertaining and focusing on the positives is the ad industry weapon of choice. Is this a cultural thing? Or just me over concluding?

Topical advertising, taking advantage of the clock change to sell your product

2009-10-24T02:25:00.000-07:00

One way to stand out and connect is by being topical and taking advantage of events. One event that happens twice a year and so can be planned for is the clock change. Here are how a number of manufacturers try and use events like the clock change to sell.

Radox viral ad about taking time to yourself. Using a Eastenders man in a suggestive ad to attract and target women. This viral video was re-posted many times by people on YouTube, Twitter and other social media sites.

Watch ad on YouTube: click here or on the blog posting:

Brand Integration: easy to say and hard to do. But key to commercial success in advertising and sponsorship

2009-10-22T00:40:00.000-07:00

I am constantly reminded that if you want to create communication that people remember is for your brand then you need to make sure that it is fully integrated into the story of the communication.

So much so that you cannot tell the story of the ad (for example) without having the product or service integral to the communication.

This is one of the easiest and most basic mistakes that we all make. As consumers we know that we have seen ads, especially on TV, that we talk about but never sure what brand and product it is actually advertising. We have all done the "did you see the ad where the x did z etc". Often they are ads that we have really LIKED, but as we cannot remember what they are for, then not very good.

I was reading recently a book by Martin Lindstrom called "buy.ology" and in it he also talks about how key this is as we look at new communication forms. Some examples that struck me where:

American Idol sponsorship.
This show is the biggest TV show in the USA and has 3 sponsors who invest a lot of money to do that.

One of them, Coke, has found that awareness that they sponsor the show is huge and has driven some brand image positively. As part of their deal, they intertwined the brand into the fabric of the show. So the space the contestants are interviewed in has the coke brand code colour and the judges have a red glass with coke brand on it and they often sip while giving feedback. Cingular also does well as to be able to vote by text message you have to be a Cingular user and so that is part of the story of the show, voting by text is for Cingular users only. Ford just runs some ads and competitions, and awareness is almost nil. By integrating the Coke brand through the show even though subtly in relative terms it became part of the story of the show.

James Bond Movies.
Other than Austin Martin cars that have been used forever, almost no-one remembers the zillions of products placed in the films as the producers got over the top and lined up products and products in the films. But as they were just slotted in gratuitously and added little to the story and the plot, again they had little impact and few recalled them.

One brand that I was thinking of that was waved into the story and key to the plot was "Central Perk" coffee shop in Friends. I know that if you asked people what the coffee shop in the series was everyone could tell you. But it does not exist as a real brand of course.

The key is you need to add to and be part of the story in communication to be remembered and for good branding. It sounds really simple but ends up being harder to do than we expect as we get carried away by the momentum of a creative idea.

Do you have examples where brands do this well? Email me at gary@bembridge.co.uk if you do, or leave a comment on the blog

IS IT JUST ME, OR ARE THERE MORE NEAR NAKED MALE FOOTBALLERS IN ADS THESE DAYS?

2009-10-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

The most read article on my blog online (rather than read by people who get email alerts with the articles in) by far is the one titled: Is it just me, or are there more naked men in ads these days?

This probably tells us a few things like:
(1) The terms “men” and “naked” are popular search terms online (and I think sex related terms are the top search topics overall consistently). Sex interests people, and so that gets traffic to the site.

(2) People are interested in naked men and like looking at them and so that probably explains while more naked and shirtless men appear in adverts, as they have stopping power.

(3) Men are now very much fair game to be treated as sex objects to sell things

But, one thing that also struck me recently is that there seems to be a growing trend that is increasingly bringing together the world of football heroes and designer underwear. In fact it is becoming so common, it almost looks like it is part of the career path of a successful footballer!

First Fredrik Ljungberg for Calvin Klein, then David Beckham with Armani, and now we hear that Ronaldo(who we often see in the tabloid press in small shorts and swim trunks) will replace David in 2010 as Beckham expands into his own briefs... By which I mean he is launching his own line.

Sports men and briefs seem to be good partners as even Bjorn Borg (the multiple Wimbledon winner) his own line.

I wonder if the main target are men wanting some of the sport champion winning power to wear off on them. Or for women to buy them hoping the more athletic and virile sport star will project onto their man.

Either way it is an interesting trend. Is success on the football field going to be measured by how fast you can get an underwear contract?

Who cares some may say, as:

(1) they certainly do stand out and get noticed. My lasting impression of the American Academy of Dermatology congress in San Francisco in 2009 was not the subtle Aveeno posters plaster on bus shelters announcing it was the natural brand dermatologists recognised, or the facial filler brand whose name I forget, but the zillions of David Beckham posters twice life size lying around display his ball tactics.

(2) they stand out from the sea of muscled and toned men now appearing not only on underwear but many other items. Having a naked/ near naked man no longer is enough as so many now seem to be doing it, you need people to remember who you are - and associating a football star very publically helps with that. Especially as it seems that almost none of the ads talk about benefits and features of the product, just the look. So it is all about brand recognition and aspiration.

OK, enough of my cheesy double entente posting for one day.

I still ask: are there more naked men in ads than ever? There certainly are more near naked footballers!

100 Professional Footballers in underwear ad prove my point:

And if to prove the point that being an underwear model is the career of choice of footballers (or that they are good at selling underwear), the Belgian designer and reported football fan Dirk Bikkemberg had 100 professional footballers pose in underwear in a sort of art installation to launch his new range.

See the story on YouTube: click here

Or watch on the blog posting

Guest Post: Connect with your audience socially and reap the benefits

2009-10-12T03:52:00.000-07:00

I often get requests for people with a point of view on marketing or issues I have raised to provide a guest posting for this blog. I am going to experiment with having them to see how they go down if they add to the debate on issues I have raised. I do not receive any payment and don't take paid for postings by the way.

This posting was written by Christopher Angus, who descibes himself as "an award winning Internet Marketer, who owns SEOCompanyUK.com in the UK" and is on a topic dear to my heart at the moment and something am trying to work on for brands I work on.

Connect with your audience socially and reap the benefits

"Social media is the new kid on the block when it comes to internet marketing; however, it’s one of the biggest arrivals in the last decade and should not be ignored. Brands can be made and destroyed in the blink of an eye due to the effect of social media.

Social media is all about being social. It’s about connecting with a group of people, creating something interesting or useful and growing a group of fans. These fans are like fans of any other brand, but you can develop them quickly and relatively inexpensively when compared with traditional brand building. You don’t need to give things away to grow a group of fans; social media is still quite altruistic in a sense and fans will follow anything that tickles their interest.

It’s these people that will become your online PR machine, they will say nice, flowery things about you and your business so that it will grow. Be kind to your audience and don’t try to relentlessly market your products to them and they will reward you with loyalty and positivity when asked about your business or products.

Connecting with your audience and cultivating a loyal group of followers is hard work initially but very rewarding. It’s highly important that you make the right connections initially as a fault in the beginning can kill your whole social media campaign. When it’s got traction and you have momentum, you can then take a few risks and start to try to promote your product subtly.
The most popular platforms to grow your brand at the moment, include, Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In among others. It’s a form of “online networking” only with access to millions of people in a very short space of time.

Once you have built your relationships, you can use your connections to promote your business, help you with a product launch or get feedback on a new concept you're maybe considering. It’s a huge amount of power to have at the tips of your fingers, all for almost nothing, just the time to build your social connections around yourself.

People that take the time and effort to build their social networks today, will reap the benefits tomorrow, they will be literally years ahead of people that haven’t taken the time or bothered to grow their own networks."

My question for readers:
What is the best example you have of a brand doing all of this well?? Write a comment in the blog or email me using the link on the blog.

No money or not enough budget? It is more expensive if almost no-one is stopped by, notices and digests your message

2009-10-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

It is too expensive. We don’t have the money to do that....

These are two very common phrases I have used myself and am hearing more and more these days. Especially when it comes to format and spot lenthgs in creative work.

However, one thing we all need to remember is:

It is very expensive if almost no-one is stopped by, notices and digests your message. That makes whatever you do very expensive indeed.

It is a topic I have been pondering much more recently, as with budgets tight and getting tighter in the current climate (though isn’t budget always tight anyway?), many markets, marketeers and agencies are aruging that they need to run shorter TV spot lengths, run single pages instead of double pages, sequential pages or even fold-outs and the such like that have been used more in the apst to have stopping power and engage more.

I think the key needs to that when making the call on not doing these or on moving away from them that: The most expensive thing you can do is something that almost no-one will see or hear.... that is very costly as you will have thrown away everything.

As someone once told me on an advertsing course: it is better to be seen once than ignored 1000 times....

New Nandos ad with Evita Bezuidenhout: selling out to sell? Or not?

2009-09-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

Evita Bezuidenhout (played by South African satirist Pieter Dirk Uys) is a character created originally to mock society in the white ruled days in South Africa. the character allowed him to mock and taunt the government. The character has lived on as he still mocks the political world in South Africa.

I thought when someone sent me a link to a new Nandos (the chicken fast food chain) form South Africa that he was "selling out" and going for cash by getting involved in ads. However, as the ad shows, he has still managed to get a barb in at the nature of the political landscape in the country.

It is funny and pointed at the same time! Also interesting to see a client being bold enough to make a political and selling statement in one!

(In case you are not up on the political world in South Africa the main political party is the ANC)..

Watch the ad on YouTube: click here
or on the blog posting:

TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE SECOND LIFE OF YOUR PACKAGING...

2009-09-15T03:57:00.000-07:00

I was very taken today by a concept about how to re-think your approach to packaging during a visit with Fabrice Peltier of P'Reference design in Paris.

This engaging, passionate man who has a packaging gallery/ shop on the ground floor of his studios called Design Pack Gallery with exhibitions that change monthly (often accompanied by books he writes on the topic of the exhibition) is very inspiring - and thoughtful.

His simple premise is: think about the 2nd life of your packaging.

He challenges as lazy the thinking, and even sees it as an opt-out, the notion of recycling and recyclability of materials! What he argues is that you should think about how your packaging itself can and should have a second life.

So examples could be:
- turning it into other products (using bottles to make candle sticks etc) - this is of course interesting but more limited
- making the packaging the product. So he had examples of lamps that were actually the pack itself sold on shelf.
- the outer pack (often thrown away) becoming the primary or playing a role after open (such as a washing powder box that looks like a small washing machine so you can refill and see how much product is left through the window of the "machine")
- the pack becomes something meaningful. Such as a box holding alcohol that included a bulb and plug so it became a lamp

I found the concept of thinking about the 2nd life of packaging thought provoking and big. Do you?

If in Paris his exhibitions and small bookshop are worth visiting.

Links:
http://www.designpackgallery.fr/

http://www.p-reference.fr/

There is wisdom in what Paris Hilton says...scary

2009-09-11T02:05:00.000-07:00

I never expected to hear a phrase from Paris Hilton that I thought would be very meaningful. But recently she said "life is too short to blend in". She was talking about dressing to stand out and be noticed.

How right she is! As a brand and marketers, you need to remember just that. You need to stand out and not blend in. You need to challenge the norms.

So even in a store, maybe all your competition are in bold bright colours, or all black. To stand out maybe you should be pastel and light. Think about how you dress up your brand packaging, point of sale and ads: life is too short to blend in. If you do you may both metaphorically and literally disappear....

useyourlocal.com : a simple idea to help with one frustration of online shoppping

2009-08-07T07:30:00.001-07:00

useyourlocal.com, originally uploaded by garybembridge.

Every now and then you hear an idea that makes you thinks "wow, that is clever". I heard one yesterday. Not sure of it will work, but seemed a clever idea and one that is very simple.

It deals with one of the biggest hassles and drawbacks of online and home shopping: getting your purchases (especially if a signature is needed).

It resonated as having just experienced a farce of my partner having ordered a new Tom Tom that was being delivered to the house repeatedly and unsuccessfully as no-one is home in the day. The courier firm tried 4 times before he eventually went and fetched it one morning. So inefficient, frustrating and even environmentally unsound with all the repeat visits.

This is a potential flaw in shopping online.

Listening to Wake Up To Money (a great weekday morning podcast from the BBC 530am show available to download before you morning commute), they interviewed a chap from a new business called useyourlocal.com. The idea is you sign up and your local neighbourhood pub in the UK receives your parcel and so you can pop along anytime they are open to get it. So that means evenings until late and weekends. Brilliant, as for most people the local is a short stroll from the house and very handy.

Seems like a great idea. Simple and deals with one of the hassles of online shopping which is getting things delivered when it is convenient for you. Hope it works.

HAVING AN ENEMY WHEN MARKETING IS IMPORTANT. EVERYONE NEEDS ONE.

2009-07-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

One of the best things that you can do in marketing and advertising is to have an enemy. It helps to focus the mind, your unique offer and the agency (and people in the team/ company) to be creative and innovative.

Having an enemy, especially one that is not likely to react, is a great way to drive creativity and competitiveness especially in copy and communication. This is a technique and approach used a lot by many of the big multi-national companies like P&G and Unilever.

There are a number of different ways of tackling this and approaches:

Having a category as an enemy.
The advantage is that a whole category is not likely to respond, but often stands for something clear in the mind of the consumer and so easy to get your point of difference across.

There are a few good examples:

Anti-Soap
This is a huge category and one that people understand. Years ago when working on baby products we used comparison with the perceived (and real) drying effects of regular soap to convince people to use liquid bath foam.

Soap was also the enemy for the hugely successful Dove Quarter Moisturiser soap bar. The famous TV ad showed litmus paper showing the PH of various types of soap and that Dove was neutral. It implied gentleness and mildness. Though may not have actually been significant in skin caring..

Watch the ad on YouTube by clicking here, or on the blog posting:

Gold Standard Action Standards
One of my favourite examples, and one I wish I had thought of (or our agency had) was the recent Olay Regenerist ads that compare themselves to expensive department store brands. This is a really great example, as consumers know that department store anti-age products are expensive (and are also aspirational) and believed to be very effective as they are so expensive. As they do not name a specific brand and in early ads compare to "a $350 dollar cream" it meant that they only had to do clinical or studies versus one cream. But they managed to get the impression they were better than all.

Watch the ad on YouTube by clicking here, or on the blog posting.

The ads says: We were flattered when we learned Regenerist beat the $100 dollar cream. Floored when we whipped the $350 dollar cream. And flabbergasted when we creamed the $700 dollar cream! For under $30 dollars Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, according to a European Study, hydrates better and longer than 32 of the world's most expensive creams. Fantastic, Phenomenal, Regenerist

The Market Leader
The most used and most expected. In the USA almost all headache pills seem to refer to Tylenol. I often though wonder if this approach is less good as you end up reminding people who the leader is, and that they are good.

Any others? drop me an email: click here

ARE YOUR CONSUMERS LEANING BACK OR LEANING FORWARDS? Why you need to change your approach now!

2009-07-22T04:25:00.001-07:00

One of my favourite podcasts over the last few years has been the Marketing Online Live podcast. The 2 presenters are thought provoking, challenging and have strong views that creates debate and reaction. They are very focused on the importance of monetising content and of ways of using technology and new forms, like podcasts, YouTube and blogs to repurpose content and monetise it. They are feisty and also amusing.

They often have interesting concepts and one that they have spoken about a lot, and I find very interesting and exciting is that with all the new tools and greater interactivity online (and also actually with devices like x-box, and now digital TV) marketing people need to stop thinking just about "LEAN BACK" and think more and "LEAN FORWARD" marketing approaches. And this gets exciting as you have greater capability to not only monetize and generate leads and sales, but also can engage your target much more.

In the past a lot of broadcast media, and even online, was a "lean back" approach. Your target/ viewer would lean back and let the content and material wash over them as they sat back and let you talk to them. Now you can actually get people to sit up, lean forward and engage with you. That may be as simple as them watching an ad or video about your product or service and lean forward and click to buy, click to learn more, or click to respond. This is a huge mindset change. Most TV ads today, as a simple example, do not even have a real call to action!

I think this, like many simple ideas, is HUGE. What are you doing through all your consumer touch points and communication doing to get them to lean forward and act? I know for me and my brand not enough. Thanks to Marketing Online live for sparking this thought!

TWITTER: the hot new thing.. but for who? is it right for your brand too?

2009-07-21T05:56:00.001-07:00

gary bembridge twitter home pgae, originally uploaded by garybembridge.

As a bit of an online junkie (some may even say whore), I love new tools and love new social networks like last.fm and facebook. I finally started to use Twitter a few months back, though I am still not really sure what it is all about and why it has become so hot.

To me it feels like a jumble of stuff and the more people you follow the more jumbled it gets. I thought it would be a good place to keep on top of news but find google news is better.

But one of the most interesting things that really made me ponder this whole topic last week, was a short interview and discussion on one of my most favourite podcasts (Media Guardian Podcast). On it they interviewed a 17 year old work intern they had who very bluntly said that Twitter is for celebrities who want to go on about "I am", and old people (by which she meant over 30) saying "look how young I am by using this".

It really made me think. The place to look for the next big thing is what teens and what this very online savvy generation is doing. By the time many of them get more mainstream, and your work mates start using them, it is time to think either:

(1) This tool is now past it's peak and past it's cutting edge. Our use of it may date us, may make us seem too establishment and behind the curve. OR

(2) This tool is now mainstream and time to embrace it!

Which option is right depends on your brand. So if you are a trendy young and cutting edge brand you probably need to be on what is scorching hot and new. More mainstream brands should look to the 2nd.

Either way you need to embrace these new tools and at least be trying...

visit my twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge

CAN BIG COMPANIES EVER CREATE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION AND MOULD BREAKING ADS?

2009-07-09T04:59:00.001-07:00

I think one of the biggest problems major companies face is that it is very difficult, maybe impossible, to create copy and communication that breaks the rules or does anything different in the category. The more I observe communication coming from "the big guys" and the "blue chips", the more I am convinced about this.

It seems to me that if you were a truly creative agency, unless you deal with the head of any major organisation determined to change things, you may never get to break any rules. Or, unless that person demands their people really challenge the status quo and gets involved in facilitating and enabling some challenging work, it just will not happen.

Without this hands on leadership, large organizations will get communication that consistently delivers solid results. Nothing more.

Ironically, as a marketer to really step change the business (rather than safely in corporate world grow the few percentage a year) you need to do something that is different to others. But the system of large corporate world encourages and rewards being more incremental than revolutionary, different or dramatic (unless there is a crisis!)

It does seems that the really big break through work in large organisations came when the very senior leaders were the client or actively made it happen.

Two examples
From the past: The Margaret Thatcher "labours not working" which not only took her to power but make the Saatchi's into a powerhouse.

From the modern:
The slightly bizarre but very effective in terms of sales Cadbury "Gorilla" that was designed to create an ad people spoke about.

Both broke the mould and the norms. Both were dramatic, unexpected and spoken about. Like them or hate them, they were seen, remembered and spoken about.

Unless the most senior decision maker leads either directly or facilitates, it is always going to be safest for people in the chain o follow existing rules and norms in large organisations. Although communication should be developed for the consumer, there is always going to be a big element of “what will the boss think of this/ how will I sell this to my boss”. If you are the boss you nly sell to yourself in the end.

The key being, as one of my idols David Ogilvy made, is that when you really understand the rules of what works and then consciously break them this often works better. This is because you know why you are breaking them. You need a lot of experience and the ability and confidence to fail to do that. When you are the boss you can. When you are in the ladder hoping for the bonus and the next promotion, you need to deliver what your boss likes. Usually the boss likes no surprises, reliable and incremental. This is the stuff that bonuses and promotions are made of.

Mary: Queen of Charity Shops TV show: what can we learn?

2009-06-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

While needing to remember that many business shows on TV (like “The Apprentice” and “Dragon’s Den”) are really more reality show and entertainment shows than actually telling or teaching us about business or marketing, I cannot help love many of them.

Though I do wonder how much I and other viewers are actually learning about business and marketing.

My 2 favourite shows in this genre are "Hotel Inspector" (helping failing hotels turnaround) and "Mary Portas: Queen of Shops" (turning round failing shops).

A recent short 3 part series had Mary Portas trying to breathe life into the worst performing Save The Children charity shop in the UK ina show called “Mary: Queen of Charity Shops”. While very entertaining, I did find it taught or made me wonder about a few key things:

You need to be very strong minded and very determined to take on entrenched old dears
But on a more serious note, she battles to get a team of volunteers aged from 60 to well into their 80s who have been volunteering for up to 20 years to make change happen. The learning is that, no matter how good your visions, your ideas, your plans are, you need to get the team on board. Or get a new team who will sometimes! Without that you are doomed. Getting people to accept change and do things differently, without them seeing what is in it for them is a big issue.

You need to get better than damp pants, dirty bras and used junk
The problem she faced was people donate junk that is largely unsalable, and the 30 per cent or so of donations that are tend to very low value. The "supply chain" and "suppliers" are shoddy, erratic and appalling. People going into the charity shops know that. The learning is that it is all about getting better product from better suppliers more reliable on quality. You need to have a great and reliable supply chain and great products to succeed.

You can't sell for over five pounds
The volunteers argued no shopper will ever spend over five pounds in the channel. Mary argued you could train shoppers through better products to reinvent the way they think about your offer. But only through dramatic change in service, products and the “packaging/ look” of the store so they rethink you and your offer. I am not so sure you can train consumers away from price expectations and habits, but if you have any hope you need to look and offer something very different from what they have “learnt” about you. You need a new product and shopper experience.

Did you see the show? Any thoughts?

watch a video of Mary Portas speaking on ITV "This Morning" about the show: click here to watch on YouTube or on the blog posting

IS YOUR BRAND MISSING IN ACTION? What happens when you go on air and people search for you?

2009-06-11T01:13:00.001-07:00

Following up from a recent posting I did about how we tend to forget what we do and act as consumers the minute we walk through the door of our office, something struck me this week about how easy it is to miss things - even when they are blindingly obvious.

I was shown some data about how online searches for specific products, especially new ones, dramatically increases as soon as a new TV ad appears. This seems very obvious and rational behaviour. It is something we (as consumers) are all likely do when we see an ad for a new product on TV that interests us. We would go and find out more (and as many people actually are online when they are in front of the TV it is even easier to do.

So, type in your product or product variant you are TV advertising now or have been or about to. What would an interested consumer see and find?

Is your online content and search buying up to scratch when you go on air?

Find out by searching your product or variant right now...there is a google search box on the left hand side of the blog.. try it