Water way to advertise!

Before any of my five faithful followers write to tell me how bad the pun in the title is let me show you how it ties to the rest of this blog post. I was looking into green alternatives to the normal marketing techniques and came across a company from the UK called CURB. They refer to themselves as a natural media company and use a variety of natural mediums including, you guessed it, water! Their mission statement is to impact consumers without impacting the environment, using nothing but natural materials. That and some great creative ideas.



The above advertising for SEALIFE London Aquarium was done using their Sea Tagging technique.

It's a simple idea but all the best ones are. According to head of marketing, Peter Kerwood, it cost millions to make the SEALIFE London Aquarium a world-class attraction, while London-based CURB used little more than saltwater and a stencil to market it. "Sea Tagging" as it's called, is as simple as that. Guerilla teams dress in scuba gear created an aquatic sprawl across London, spraying more than two-thousand sea animals on buildings and sidewalks, creating an experiential marketing campaign totally relevant to the Aquarium.

The beauty of this technique is that the salinity of sea water makes it more resistant to evaporation than freshwater meaning they can last for up to hours, and after that you're left with a dusting of sea salt. CURB is the same company that pioneered turf cutting and snow tagging, and the logistical beauty of zero impact campaigns like these: no permits.

The CURB site has loads of great examples of their eco-advertising. I love the simplicity of the "clean" graffiti but the crop circles are out of this World!!!

T Mobile does it again

T-Mobile is getting good at these big public advertising stunts over in London. First, they organized the spontaneous dancing in Liverpool Street Station. Then, last Thursday, they managed to get 13,000 people into Trafalgar Square for what they thought might be another dance-a-thon, but which turned out to be a collective karaoke rendition of "Hey Jude" (above). The American singer Pink showed up and joined in, too, for some reason. These flash-mob stunts, coordinated by Saatchi & Saatchi, are less notable for how they reinforce T-Mobile's brand message, which is the typically vague "Life's for sharing," than for the brand-specific way in which they're mobilized: via text message to T-Mobile customers.

Courtesy of Tim Nudd AdFreak

The Time Scale of Word of Mouth - What's the Shelf Life of Your Buzz?

This diagram and text are taken from the Buzz Canuck blog. The full post can be found here. It is interesting to see how powerful experiential marketing can be. When executed correctly it can help promote customer evangelism.

Experiential marketing - providing a transforming and immersive experience for a fan, customer or influencer, typically in the form of an event - lasting impressions of what the brand stands for and who it attracts may have ongoing attraction for participants (as only 10% believe they ever receive a positive customer experience anyway, this can come as a nice surprise), however, given experiential nature - feelings and memories do wane off over time unless repeated

Relevant occasions where used: where full scale experience can't be provided to all prospects (automobile sampling), creation of lifestyle brand/sentiment, affiliation with lifestyle property or values and where customers or fans like to congregate offline for entertainment, information, aesthetic enjoyment or escape


Customer Evangelism - the nirvana of brands seeking community strength - customer evangelism and zealotry, where oftentimes organization of this form of word of mouth is hosted by the fans themselves not the company (Ikea positive fanatics, Apple fans ) - this is truly the area where lifetime value of the customer plays a role as brand loyalty and affinity can span decades - obviously, from an orchestrated word of mouth approach - this takes year over year investment, company-wide embrace of customer/community centricity and dedicated resources to incubate sustainable enthusiasm

Relevant occasions where used: where the customer experience is so good, where a strong trust bond has been built up between brand and customer, premium and/or well-differentiated brands, brands with a strong point of view and experience that lives it, where employees are as big in the brand as most rabid customers

So as the women bar owner in the Blue Brothers movie responds to the question- "so what kind of music do you have here? Oh we have both kinds, country and western". I find word of mouth is considerably more discriminating and variety-driven.

Heineken Follow Up

In a follow up to their hugely successful walk in fridge ad that I previously posted Heineken have released this:



It is a lesson for making sure your get the brief correct...! Not as cool (pun fully intended) as the original but I still want one.

Who told you about Susan Boyle?

One of this week’s most widely reported and talked about stories has been the appearance of Susan Boyle, a 47 year-old singer from Scotland, on the show Britain’s Got Talent. If you haven't seen Susan or heard of her meteoric rise to internet fame where have you been?! Susan has taken the World by storm and in only a few days has become one of the biggest viral hits of all time. According to Visible Measures and Mashable Susan Boyle related videos had achieved 93.2 million views by 10pm ET (USA) on Sunday.

How did everyone find out about it? Word of mouth used to be a face to face recommendation however with social networks such as facebook and twitter the reach has increased exponentially while the personal recommendation remains. Obviously this is one of the advantages of social media and I am not telling you anything new. In the case of Susan Boyle it is great to see a good news story getting the treatment. As the people at Domino's know only too well it is usually the bad experiences and the detractors which get the attention.

The tendency to spread bad news is human nature and is beautifully illustrated by Mario Vellandi in response to a challenge by David Armano on the Logic & Emotion blog.



Perhaps bad news travels well as it is inherently more interesting, shocking, confronting. Whatever the reason it is great to see the SBP (Susan Boyle Phenomenon) spread across a variety of networks solely on the basis of the underdog coming good. Best of luck Susan although I doubt you'll need it.

Fancy a game of Chess?

BMW makes an audacious move here in its battle against rival Audi. The latter apparently erected a billboard taunting, "Your move, BMW," for its redesigned 2009 A4, on a thoroughfare in Santa Monica. Shortly thereafter, in a bit of inspired luxury auto one-upmanship, signage for BWM's M3 sedan appeared across the street with the line, "Checkmate." It's a fun, in-your-face concept that's fast earning kudos in auto and ad media worldwide. (Juggernaut Advertising, an independent agency in Santa Monica, created the response ad for BMW of Santa Monica.) Audi should just shrug it off and respond with an ad proposing "Two out of three?"

- Tim Nudd AdFreak

Lindt Gold Bunny Eggsperiential Campaign

Lindt chocolates brought a little family magic to the Westfield London shopping centre over Easter whilst also raising much needed funds for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.



Lindt Gold Bunny World created a magical atmosphere for the whole family. The Gold Bunny oversaw the proceedings which included an engaging bunny maze created from real hedgerows. The maze took families on an exciting journey to the centre, where they found a Lindt Gold Bunny surprise. To make sure no-one got lost there were Lindt Master Chocolatier stilt walkers to help families through the maze and to find their chocolate treats!

There was also free colouring and painting activities for children and an exclusive Lindt Gold Bunny pop up shop where families could purchase their own Lindt Gold Bunny or Bunnies! With a minimum £1 donation from the sale of each delicious Gold Bunny going to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity; the aim was to raise £25,000 in order to assist with the upkeep and maintenance of patient family accommodation.

While I am unaware if they achieved their target it is a fantastic piece of work for a good cause and deserves all of the attention it can get.

If you missed out on this great event but would still like to help please go to the GOSH site for more details.

Experiential marketing versus features and benefits

Marketing has traditionally been all about features and benefits. Marketers have assumed that customers are rational decision makers who can weigh up the features and benefits of a product easily against narrowly defined competition. Advertising companies have used these assumptions as a strategy, by emphasising these features and benefits to persuade consumers to purchase. For example an advert for a car may talk about the antilock braking system, the built in roll cage and the airbags and side impact protection system (the features) to emphasise the safety (benefit) of the vehicle.

Experiential marketing builds on these assumptions. Today, customers take functional features and benefits, product quality and a positive brand image as a given. Consumers still expect all of the above attributes but in addition they expect to be entertained, to have their senses stimulated and to be able to incorporate the product into their lifestyle.

Traditional F&B marketing still has its place however it is primarily focused on influencing the behaviour of the consumer up to the point of purchase. There is no follow up for the brand as to whether the customer enjoyed the consumption experience. This can lead to trial and brand switching. Experiential marketing focuses firmly on the consumption situation as an experience. In order to get repeat purchasing a consumer has to enjoy the whole brand experience. By influencing the consumer in the post purchase period the experiential marketer can increase customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

By focusing on the consumption situation and the customer experience experiential marketing treats the consumer as a human being whose decisions are based on rational thinking as well as emotional influences. Instead of focusing on narrowly defined product categories such as shampoo or shaving cream the experiential marketer thinks “grooming in the bathroom.”

This holisitic approach allows experiential marketing to build upon traditional F&B marketing. In his book, Experiential Marketing, Bernd Schmitt highlights some great examples of companies using experiential marketing to build upon their established F&B campaigns. What is becoming clear is that while experiential marketing doesn’t replace the need for emphasising the features and benefits of a product it is becoming an essential part of the marketing mix.

More feel good street theatre

Bet this puts a smile on your face...



Told you so!

7 things you didn't know about me!

I haven't had time to keep up to the latest goings on in the marketing World this week so thought I'd throw in a random post. Not that there's much structure to this blog anyway...

1. I am slightly accident prone and tend to get injured often.

To be fair you probably did know that but having broken around 20 bones I curiously have never had any stitches. I have lost a lot of skin over the years, the worst being at a wedding in Perth where I fell as I grabbed 2 kids from running on to the road. The skin loss was obviously sore but when Jill ripped the dried baby wet one from my head I fainted for the only time in my life hitting my head off the sink on the way down. That hurt too.

2. When I was a kid I wanted to be a vet.

I even did my work experience at the local vet surgery where I got to give a dog an injection to put it to sleep. This was supposed to be a privilege but the owner wanted to come in at the last moment to be with his life-long companion and thanked me for putting him out of his misery (the dog that is). I will never forget the old man sobbing as he was escorted out by the nurse while the vet dropped the dog in to a bin bag and threw it in the shed for collection. Guess you don’t have to be an animal lover to be a vet...

3. I used to be in an orchestra.

I played the clarinet for 7 or 8 years when I was at school. I never got round to practicing though so any potential the teacher thought I had was and remains largely unfulfilled. I still have the clarinet but it hasn’t held a tune in quite some time. Maybe one wet weekend it will make a long overdue appearance.

4. My biggest fear is not being successful.

Well, not making a difference anyway. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a millionaire. This isn’t based on any notion of what I could do with the money or even what it means but just because it was difficult to achieve and somewhat exclusive. I guess the value of 1 million pounds in 1985 is quite different to 1 million dollars in 2009. I am not sure what it really means anymore but I would still like to feel like I was making a difference and contributing something meaningful.

5. I was a member of the National Ferret Welfare Society.

I had a pet ferret called Gnipper when I was a teenager. He used to live in a hutch in our porch and was very playful if a little head strong. They make great pets although they can smell a bit if you don’t clean the cage out often enough. My brother was not a fan.

6. I love being a dad.

Despite Eilidh only being 9 months old I can’t imagine (or remember) life without her. She is fascinating to watch and great fun to play with. She does something different everyday and is always laughing which is contagious. I guess I am biased but I think she is gorgeous. Having discovered how much fun it is being a dad I would like to have 2 more as soon as possible. Jill is still to come round to the idea. Twins would be fun...!

7. I have an irrational dislike of random people.

I sometimes develop a dislike for someone famous based on no logical or even reasonable cause. Mick Hucknall from Simply Red is at the top of the list. Martine McCutcheon from Eastenders is a close second. Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman take out the couple crown. They all irritate me greatly for no known reason although I must emphasise that ginger hair has nothing to do with it.

Not all burger experiences are the same

Having just been on a stag weekend in Gosford the topic of fast food and burger joints has been at the front of my mind. Fast food is a bit of a misconception when referring to Hungry Jacks in Gosford. Due in a large part to the incompetence of one particular staff member it took my friend Ronnie 40 minutes to get his breakfast wrap. Surely this is some sort of record? It apparently wasn't worth waiting for although I could have told him that having been served 10 whole minutes earlier. To be fair mine was ready about 10 mins before that but it was beyond the staff member to give me it despite there being no other customers (who had been served). Even the guy who had gone to the drive through window had to get out of his car to see why his breakfast was taking 30 mins.

Maybe working there gets to you after a while...


Gratuitous Burger Ad to restore Ronnie's faith...

Qubik's 4 E's of experiential marketing

ENGAGE

Engage the consumer. Consumers are far more savvy, perceptive and aware of traditional marketing goals than ever before. To truly engage with them a brand has to be presented to them at the appropriate time and in the right environment.

EDUCATE

Educate them about the brand. A good experiential campaign will not only be informative but also create an emotional attachment using creativity to break through the clutter.

EVOLVE

Evolve their perception. Experiential marketing connects the advertising message and brand values in an interactive manner, reaching the consumer at a time when they are most receptive to the message. This 2 way communication aids in changing the perception of the brand in the mind of the consumer.

EFFECT

Effect their behaviour. Once consumers have tried the product, they are more likely to purchase as well as spread the word to their peers, utilising the golden word of mouth strategy. The end result is an emotional alignment which stimulates consumer consideration and adoption.

Are you looking after your brand ambassadors?

Firstly a definition: "A brand ambassador is an appointed representative of your brand that animates or brings to life your brand to your potential audience."

Brand ambassadors aren't merely promotional staff being paid a few dollars an hour to hand out samples. They are staff selected to represent the brand at the primary point of contact between your brand and the consumer. Whether this is at a tradestand, sampling in a train station or the check out person of your nearest supermarket they have a large influence on the perception of a brand.



Celebrities are often referred to as brand ambassadors however their main concern is not the profile of the brand. Celebrities accept endorsements either for the money or to increase their own profile or both. Whilst some celebrity endorsements can be very successful they have also been known to screw up on occassion, potentially damaging the brand.

Given that brand ambassadors can be so influential they should be shown respect and treated accordingly. By providing relevant training and explaining the brand objectives they will be better prepared to represent the brand. When given the correct tools they can have a very powerful and successful influence over the perception of the brand. If they don't meet the brand standards however they should be replaced immediately as you would with any other part of the marketing mix.

Supermarkets spend millions of dollars each year encouraging consumers to visit their stores. They publish weekly specials, discount vouchers and a raft of other initiatives to get consumers to buy from them yet the entire experience can be derailed by an unfriendly (perhaps untrained) check out person. Seriously, how hard is it to teach them to pack a bag? It is a frustration that could easily be eliminated and turned in to a positive experience.

Disabled dancer going with the flow for Visa

Saatchi & Saatchi London created this fun new spot as part of its European "Life flows better with Visa" campaign. It stars Bill Shannon, a freestyle dance artist who was born with a degenerative hip condition and has come up with a fascinating way of dancing on crutches.



It's a great feelgood spot in these troubled times. Maybe they've been reading my blog ...if you're happy and you know it

Source - Adfreak

Tough times...

It seems that times are tough for everyone.

Do you know who Craig is?

These great posters have started appearing in Melbourne. I hope Craig keeps it up and he manages to keep his identity a mystery. Once a secret identity is revealed it always ends badly...

How do people have the time?!

As soon as I start to work I run out of time to update my blog. How does everyone do it? Not to mention updating twitter and checking facebook, linked in et al. Guess they must be more organised. Memo to self - get more structure.

While I get my to do list in some sort of order here's a link to the only cool pop up I have seen. Merc

Twitter Update

Having just finished writing the follow up to my previous post on Twitter Do you Tweet my computer crashed. It was insightful and funny too. I don't have time to do it again so here are some of the highlights:

- John was right - I am willing to accept that Twitter is quite engaging / addictive
- As long as companies are honest and provide human responses then it can be a successful strategy
- Automated responses such as BigPonds original foray will create a major backlash
- Following celebrities makes you feel like you are having a conversation with them (along with 200,000 others)
- Some people take it too seriously
- You're only as good as your last tweet
- To get lots of followers you should be funny, famous or informative (ideally, all 3)
- Everyone follows Stephen Fry, Lance Armstrong or Britney

Taking the experience to the extreme

The lead singer of Nine Inch Nails, Josh Freese is taking experiential to a new level. He has developed a tiered system for the sale of the Since 1972 albumn. For $7 you get a digital download of the albumn including 3 videos. For $75,000 (yes, seventy five grand!!!) you get amongst other things:
- Go on tour with Josh for a few days

- Have Josh write, record and release a 5-song EP about you and your life story

- Take home any of his drum sets (only one, but you can choose which one)

- Take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from Tool's Lamborghini OR play quarters and then hop on the Ouija board for a while

- Josh will join your band for a month … play shows, record, party with groupies, etc.

- If you don't have a band he'll be your personal assistant for a month (4-day work weeks, 10 am to 4 pm)

The full list of the extraordinary deal can be seen
here. It remains to be seen whether anyone takes him up on the offer. If they do it will certainly be an experience that they won't forget!

Powerpoint

If powerpoint is dead - what else are you meant to use? It's probably not ideal to turn up to a credentials presentation with just a business card and a couple of good stories. I know that you shouldn't read from the screen but a few suitable pictures can surely enhance the storytelling. Maybe I should just twitter everyone attending. Doubt I can cut my whole presentation down to 140 characters but I guess it's worth a shot.

Qubik = experiential agency with experience in event mgt, sampling, branded environments and products. Strategic + experienced - use us. tks

Do the spaces count? Think that's 140. I think this might just work.

Insignificance

A great video by Karl Fisch explaining our increasing insignificance in the World. Think you're one in a million then keep watching!

Simply the best

Tina Turner was on to something when she sang "Simply the best, better than all the rest". My dad always said "Whatever you decide to do you should do it to the best of your ability." Whether this is making the best coffee in the suburb or writing the best blog on nuclear physics the prinicple is the same. Seth Godin is widely recognised as having the best marketing blog. When recently asked why he didn't use Twitter he responded that it would distract him from having the best blog. He knows what he is good at and where to concentrate his efforts.

Warren Buffett is the World's best investor. He is so successful that he is commonly referred to as the Oracle of Omaha. Tiger Woods is the World's best golfer. The common link of all three is a drive and determination to do their best. They also concentrate all their efforts on what they are good at.

They are single minded in their objectives however they use their influential status and sometimes wealth to help others who are not so fortunate. Woods even took some time out to give the other golfers a chance...

Welcome back Tiger


Whatever it is you do do it to the best of your ability and know what your strengths are. Being number 1 is simply the best.

Do you Tweet?

It seems that the World is all a twitter. Everywhere I turn these days Twitter is being proclaimed as the new 'Facebook' of Social Media. Twitter describe themselves as "a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time." All this in 140 character bite sized chunks.

Maybe I am missing something but why would you want to know what your friends are up to 24/7? What would you talk about when you do catch up (in real life)? I am sure there are some interesting people to follow on twitter but who has the time to update it continuously?

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Twitter. It certainly has had plenty of money invested without having produced any revenue whatsoever. According to Wikipedia Twitter cetainly has plenty of advocates. 6 million people surely can't be wrong? They obviously just have more time than me.

I will persevere with it and let you know if I become hooked but i've not got my wings yet.

Brand Personality

Any marketing activity should complement the personality of your brand. Catering.com do it well here with their tag line "An Industry with character..."

If you haven't seen them they are also great for some friday afternoon entertainment courtesy of Rebel Virals

Little Gordon Part 1


Little Gordon Part 2


Little Gordon Part 3

What's in a name?

When I was starting Qubik I had a thought about what my title should be on my business cards. It seems a simple thing but it took a while. I could have went with CEO but that seemed a bit grand for a start up. General Manager was an option but I wasn't managing anyone at the beginning. Did it really matter?!

I was going to put Owner on the card but I thought that might seem a bit aloof. Finally I settled on Principal as I figured that conveyed that it was my company but that I also did some of the work. Having endured several teacher jokes I am comfortable with it for now.

It got me thinking about all of the ridiculous job titles out there. It used to be that vice president or director meant something but now they don't really tell you anything. I guess the next time you hire someone you might want to check with a colleague of theirs as to what they actually do.

Looking through my rollodex and chatting to friends provides some great examples of titles gone mad.

Director of first impressions - i.e. Receptionist
Head Honcho - General Manager (also self indulgent wanker)
Chief know-it-all - Steve Jobs Apple (no I don't have his card and for once this one seems fairly accurate)
Catalyst for Magic - Social Media Manager (John - you need to get me one of those business cards!)
Malicious Logic Specialist - Hacker
Official vice editor of artistry and illustrations - cartoonist (with an ego)

Titles are obviously important to some people. What is yours?

Get your own idea!

Same idea, same execution. Not sure who came up with it first but surely it can't be a coincidence?

Nikon


Panasonic

Are you generous?

Being generous doesn't have to cost you money. It is a state of mind or approach to life rather than a one off event.

Marketing guru Seth Godin gives his time and knowledge to help others advance in the Worlds or marketing and business. He runs SAMBA or Seth's Alternative MBA for a small group of individuals who he encourages to take a similar approach. For anyone looking to start a new business in 2009 they have published a list of 999 business ideas that are free for anyone to take.

American billionaire Mark Cuban has also taken time to present an amazing opportunity to potential entrepreneurs. Present him with a business plan and subject to certain criteria he will fund it. No maximum, no minimum. There are plenty of sceptics on the site however he is taking the time to answer them all and hopefully help someone realise their dreams.

Thye Australian Community have shown a great deal of generosity to the Vistorian Bushfire Appeal giving both time and money. If you would like to donate go to the Red Cross site. May as well start your plans to be generous now.

Can you experience it?

When I mention experiential marketing to my friends they have lots of questions:

"How does it work?"
"Can it work for any company?"
"Have you got any examples?"
"Can I get some free stuff?"

For those that haven't been paying attention here is a recap.

How does it work?
Experiential marketing connects audiences with the authentic nature of a brand through participation in personally relevant, credible and memorable encounters. Interactive communication rather than passive persuasion has proven to be a valuable element in building and maintaining brand relationships among customers that drive the brand’s image and value. It ignites the five senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and sound to leave a lasting brand recall.

Can it work for any company?
Experiential marketing can work for any company with a story to be told. It is part of the marketing mix and when combined within the overall advertising strategy it is proven to increase brand recall and understanding.

Have you got any examples?
Below are some great examples of experiential marketing demonstrating not only the variety of circumstances where it can be applied but also the impact a little bit of lateral thinking can provide.
• Charmin – Potty Palooza
Experiential Campaign for toilet roll in luxurious surroundings
• Daimler-Chrysler - Camp Jeep
Opportunity for Jeep owners to test their cars and themselves.
• Innocent – Fruitstock
A traditional-style summer fête based around the brand.
• Zurich Insurance
Friday 13th campaign for Insurance


Can I get some free stuff?
No. You can't. Stop asking.

Out of character

It is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd. Consumers are harder to reach than ever before. They are media savvy and have the tools such as Foxtel IQ which allows them to skip the ads. To reach them brands have to think smarter. When a brave brand does something out of character from the rest of the industry they stand out. Here are a few examples that are certainly memorable.

Not your typical shampoo ad


Not your typical tax return ad


Not your typical awareness ad





I find this last ad difficult to watch but I guess it will certainly generate awareness of the issue.

Experiential marketing with swimsuit models

Sports Illustrated is launching its annual swimsuit edition with a raft of experiential marketing initiatives. SI have teamed up with Southwest Airlines, PepsiCo's SoBe drink brand and Nissan Motors to create a buzz around the launch of the magazine. This article in The Wall Street journal discusses the move towards non-traditional media.

This year, about 40% of revenue generated by the issue -- which accounts for about a tenth of the magazine's total annual revenue -- will come from digital and event-marketing efforts. Four years ago, just 4% of the issue's revenue came from sources other than print advertising, executives say. "It's really about taking this content we've created in the magazine and leveraging it through new channels," says Mark Ford, the magazine's president.

As part of the initiative a Southwest Airlines jet emblazoned with an image of swimsuit model Bar Refaeli will whisk VIPs to a launch party in Las Vegas this week. "Brands these days have really got to be creative about how they're getting their messaging out in the marketplace," says Linda Rutherford, vice president for communications and strategic outreach at Southwest Airlines.

It may be creative but it is also a smart move for these companies with the readership of the edition expected to be approximately 66 million.

Also getting in on the experiential act is Carnival cruises who recently broke the Guinness World Record for the largest beach ball to tie in with their “Welcome to Funville” branding. Having recently broken the record for the World’s largest Pinata they seem determined to notch up a few records while having fun and increasing their brand awareness at the same time. If you want to know more about their efforts log on to Carnival Cruises

Can anyone be "Creative"?

As children we have imaginary friends, we colour outside of the lines and we can play for hours with a card board box. Crayons are the tools of our trade and they work equally well on paper, doors and walls. There are no constraints as to what we can do. No-one tells us that a tree can't be blue or a person can't have more than 2 legs. Sometimes we are told that we can't eat the tools but creativity is otherwise encouraged.

Fast forward to our school years and these expressions of individuality are forced out of us. We are encouraged to conform and to fit in with the crowd. We choose a career path and are constantly told to grow up(maybe that was just me). In our professional life we have no time to be truly creative. Even the designers work within the constraints of the client brief to ensure that the work is commercial.

Some of the best ideas come from those who are unafraid to look silly or go against the crowd. After all how many times have you read the results of a survey where you disagreed with the majority? Collective wisdom may be collective but it's not always that wise...

I am not saying that I advocate corporate creativity al la Enron or even the recent accounting for ABC Learning in Australia but it does show that even the accountants can be creative! Most people are afraid to shout out a suggestion or opinion for the fear of embarrassment or standing out from the crowd. If your idea is creative it will challenge perception and you should therefore ignore the crowd. They will say it is risky or wrong or a waste of time.

Being creative is hugely rewarding and the World is your oyster. Stop thinking about it and start doing it. Start questioning conventional wisdom. Ask questions like a kid. Why? Why? Why? Write a book, paint a picture, start a business. Don't hide behind excuses. Don't let anything constrain you. Except perhaps the law. Most of all, have fun. You never know where your imagination could take you.

We're up and runnning...!

The website is now up and running. If you haven't seen it yet you can find it here. Any thoughts / comments are welcomed.

Regards

Iain

Viral Marketing

Getting the right balance between creating something that people will spread and something that carries a payload for your company is a very difficult. Get it right though and it's worth the effort.

This is a great one just in time for Valentine's Day. Gents, don't say you haven't been warned...

The dog house

The Evolution of Brands

Throughout history brands have been created through the divergence of an existing category. Television has diverged to form the analog and digital categories. Digital television has further diverged to form regular and high definition and so on. Despite this obvious natural force at work* many business leaders believe that convergence of products is the way of the future.

It is really the fault of the clock radio. Ever since this annoying product was introduced the idea of converging 2 or more existing technologies has grown stronger. The problem with this is that the resulting product is not better than the existing products and operates in a no mans land where it is unwanted. How many people do you know that can access the internet on their fridge? Why would you want to?!

Some products work through convenience. The sofa bed is neither a good bed nor a particularly comfortable sofa but when space or money is limited it’s a good compromise. Given the money and the space I would think that most people would go for the option of separate bed and sofa.

Why then do so many businesses spend so much time and effort trying to combine products instead of putting the resources into research and development for new items? Looking back at history only reinforces this approach. Flying car anyone? What about combining a boat and a car? The 1961 Amphicar was reported to “drive like a boat and float like a car.”

While companies like Nokia (N-gage phone and game console), Microsoft (Pen and computer in tablet form) and LG Electronics (Internet refrigerator) continue to spend vast sums on failed convergence ventures it provides opportunity for their competitors to get ahead.
Some products will evolve or combine to provide an exception to the rule such as the mobile phone with digital camera but again this is more of a convenience example. I’m certainly not going to replace my Nikon with a Nokia.

While these bad ideas capture the public’s imagination (I mean who wouldn’t want a flying car?) great (divergence) ideas lead to continuous improvement and evolution of products. If only they could develop simple to use clock radios for hotels that don’t wake you up at 4am because the last person had an early flight.

* It is a founding principle identified by Charles Darwin in his seminal work “The Origin of Species”
Reference: The Origin of Brands – Al & Laura Ries

Battle of the brands

Coke versus Pepsi. Is there a more famous battle for dominance of a category? Probably but both companies have released some new ads. They take vastly different approaches. It always comes back to the same old question though - Which do you prefer?

Coke (watch in high quality)


Pepsi Max


Incidentally, I once did the Pepsi Challenge and it turns out that (like the majority of people they tested) I prefer the taste of Pepsi. I still buy Coke though. Guess their branding works...

Expensive isn't always best

Just because your competition has a bigger budget and can operate on a larger scale doesn't mean that you can't compete. You just have to think smarter. Prior to Sunday's Superbowl Miller High Life decided that paying $3m US for a 30 second ad wasn't the best use of their money. Instead they aired a 1-second spot during the Big Game.


They generated hype for the ad by running a 30 second teaser for a couple of weeks prior to the game. The teaser as well as the ad and a number of alternative 1 second ads can now be viewed online at www.1SecondAd.com

"The overwhelmingly positive response we've received leading up to tonight's commercial debut shows that consumers are embracing our message of a quality beer at a tasty price," said High Life Senior Brand Manager Kevin Oglesby. "We didn't need to spend millions of dollars for half-a-minute when our common sense philosophy can be conveyed in just one second."

Makes plenty of sense to me.

Determined to be different

I always thought that the man who lived down the street was different. Old Bill liked to wear dresses and gum boots (at the same time) and existed on the edge of the community. He was called a number of things (kids can be cruel) but he was certainly one of a kind.

What's so great then about being different? For one thing it makes you stand out from the crowd. As Bill clearly demonstrated this isn't in itself always a good thing. If your brand strategy is to be different it has to be relevant. Are you different because you are better? The leaders in any market are those that push the boundaries, often by doing things differently.

Most of us would like to do things differently but are constrained by imaginary barriers. "The client won't go for it," or "We can't afford rock the boat." The companies and leaders that stand out are those with a strength of purpose and a belief in what they are doing. For an agency thinking differently and challenging convention can be risky in the short term but can pay off in the long run. There will be sacrifices and hard calls but clients will appreciate the integrity and conviction.

Being different also means constantly having to evolve. As your tactics become successful others will quickly follow. Backed by research and strategic thought and implemented effectively a different approach that challenges convention can have a huge impact. Some of the most successful companies of our time have 'thought outside the box' and capitalised on the platform doing things a bit differently created.

Being different requires continuous effort and a thick skin for when the detractors put their 2 cents in. It can however make your product/ company/ brand stand out from the crowd. Perhaps Old Bill never got it quite right but he was certainly a pioneer and he'd be happy to know that others were following his lead.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.

If it seems quiet it is probably because not many people are clapping these days. For those 'lucky' individuals who still have jobs the increased work load due to colleague redundancies and in some cases voluntary pay cuts have somewhat reduced job satisfaction levels. The uncertainty of the economic situation is adding to the stress but at least the weather is nice...

A number of companies have recently introduced campaigns which have a feel good factor. Some of these include Bank West's "Happy Banking" campaign, the Cadbury Gorilla and the Heineken Fridge (well, it made me feel good). As we know in difficult times it takes a brave brand to step away from their tried and trusted methods but those that get it right will be rewarded. Let's hope that the happy trend continues in 2009 and we get to see more original ideas and great ads.

I would love to have been in the meeting when the Gorilla idea was pitched... Just in case you missed it here it is. Bet it makes you smile.

Are there rules for corporate blogs?

I subscribe to a number of blogs for various reasons. Some of these reasons include:

• to keep up to date with the latest marketing news
• to challenge my thinking with various points of view
• to be entertained
• to learn

I could add several more reasons to the list but at no point would I add:

• to receive continual updates on the various capabilities of a company

Having recently subscribed to ***** blog I have read 3 postings this year telling me how good they are and what they can do for me, the client. These postings are interspersed with some great articles but they have lost me as a follower. Is it wrong to promote your services on a blog or are there no rules? Does anything go? It is quite apparent that more than 1 person in the organisation contributes to the blog. There is the easy writing style and considered opinion of the article writer and then the structured boring corporate updates.

Is this another example of a company trying to use new media but in a traditional way? Will the company accountant ever be happy paying someone to write down their thoughts with no obvious return?

Social media start up, The Population has 3 blogs on their home page each of which are the thoughts and opinions of their authors and not necessarily those of the company. They are varied, informative, entertaining and have minimal self promotion. As a result they are more believable and taken as a whole show the company favourably. Is this the way forward?

What then makes a great blog? Are there unwritten rules? Should one person be solely responsible or can several people contribute to a single blog? I guess there is a blog out there that can tell me...

Great copy!

Timing, a brave client and a great copywriter...This is an advert for Veet hair removal cream on the day of Barack Obama's inauguration.

The dangers of social media

It seems that 2009 will be the year for social media. Well, at least according to many of the lists of predictions I have seen. Companies are turning to social media experts to help them make the most of the opportunities afforded by My Space, Facebook, Bebo, YouTube et al. The issue as I see it however is that by definition they are social and not corporate properties. People (consumers) use them for their own purpose and fulfilment. To enter in to this space a company has to be very careful not to impose on the individuals space and enjoyment. Those companies which crack this domain however will have a huge advantage over their competitors.

Not done properly though social media can damage a brand as consumers become irritated and lose trust in the brand message. Recently Hamilton Island discovered the perils by posting a fake application video for their "Best Job in the World" campaign. Their fake application was passed off as a genuine application and it was this that irritated the public. They have however issued a full and unreserved apology stating "WE MESSED UP AND WE'RE SORRY" on their site.

They do have the advantage of offering $150,000 AUD for 6 months work on a tropical island which would make most 'slip ups' forgivable. In this case the extra free publicity probably worked to their advantage.

A second example is the now infamous 'man in the jacket' campaign. This was the story of a girl looking for love by trying to find the man who left his jacket when they "met" in a Sydney cafe. From the first media reports sceptics believed it was a hoax. When the video clip was accompanied by a website the murmurs grew. It was developed by Naked Communications as a viral for the launch of a new menswear line of a large Australian retail company, which has previously sold only womenswear. In this case the girl in the ad repeatedly denied that it was a hoax when questioned and it was this that led to so many negative comments against Naked and the retailer. At present the retailer as far as I am aware hasn't been named but I think they may well keep their head down and distance themselves from an ill conceived campaign.

The T Mobile Dance

Saatchi & Saatchi's latest ad for T-Mobile. Filmed at London's Liverpool Street station, where 350 dancers performed routines as commuters passed through the concourse. Thoughts?

Bushisms and Cheap Furniture

Love him or hate him George W was always good for a quote. In the last days of his presidency lists of these so-called bushisms are everywhere such as here and here. Obama starts his term in the midst of a recession, the continuing threat of the GFC and following the bar set by George Junior. It shouldn't take much to look good...

With the inauguration looming IKEA have launched an experiential campaign by putting up an Oval Office replica in the main hall of Union Station. The display will go up on January 12, and a mock motorcade carrying furniture strapped to the roof on the 15th and 16th will make its way through the D.C. area.

The replica, complete with “Secret Service protection” will be open to commuters, who can try out the presidential chair, which along with all the other furniture will be from IKEA, of course.
Posters for the coming event are prominently displayed in D.C. transit areas, and buses trains, and billboards also carry the message. Consumers can enter a sweepstakes where three lucky winners will take $1,500 in IKEA gift cards.

There is also a website where consumers can design their own oval office. Embrace Change 09

According to IKEA, President-elect Obama’s commitment to change and fiscal responsibility is very close to IKEA’s philosophy of practical and affordable furniture for all.

It might be a while before we know how successul Obama is as President but IKEA are certainly pushing their case to help him on the road to financial recovery.

Source: About.com

What is Success?

When I was at school getting an 'A' in Maths was seen as a success. My parents were delighted as this meant that I had got at least 75% of the questions correct. Moving on to University achieveing 50.1% was a success. Friends and family congratulated me on getting my degree despite there being a chance that I only understood half of the course. Upon starting work in an accountants office it was not entirely a surprise to learn that getting a set of accounts 80% correct was not considered a success...a few years ago that would have got me and A+ instead of unpaid overtime.

Success therefore would seem to be a matter of perspective. What an agency considers to be a successful campaign may be a failure in the eyes of a client. It may win awards and generate column inches in the trade press but did it increase sales? Did it achieve the objectives of the brand? A response rate of 1 in 100 may be a failure in the eyes of one client and beyond the wildest dreams of another. It all depends on how you look at it.

The next time you pick up a brief from a client it may be worth spending a bit more time establishing what they would consider to be a success rather than trying to crack the 'big idea'. A sampling campaign may not be original or exceptionally creative but when the client wants their product in the hands of potential customers it might be just the ticket.

Best Global Brands - 2008 Rankings

Interbrand have released their 2008 Global Brand Rankings. The top 10 are relatively unchanged other than Google coming in at 10 from 20 last year. After a turbulent 2008 it will be interesting to see which brands strengthen in 2009 and which ones are the big losers. Other notable companies in the top 100 are Apple 24 (33), Merrill Lynch ! 34 (22), Ford 49 (41) and H&M new entry this year at 22.

What is experiential marketing?

Wikipedia defines experiential marketing as a marketing methodology that attempts to connect consumers with brands in personally relevant and memorable ways. Studies have shown that this approach is more memorable and builds better brand knowledge than any other form of marketing.

The brand experience is not defined by one particular marketing channel and in fact virtually any medium can be utilised as part of an experiential campaign. The key to a successful experiential campaign is that all touch points contribute to a positive user experience of the brand.

In order to be successful an experiential campaign has to be memorable and engaging and convey the brand message. To ensure this is the case an experiential campaign should be considered early in the brand planning process to ensure that the campaign not only complements other activity but is presented in a relevant environment. This may be a proprietary environment such as the V Festival to a sampling campaign to the relevant audience.

With the advent of social media and an increasingly media savvy public it is increasingly important for the health of a brand that all interaction provides a favourable opinion. Handing free product out at train stations isn't necessarily the soltuion.

New Heineken Ad - I want one!!!

Sub Prime Mess

This video is a great explanation for the sub prime mess and how it all started. Brilliant!

"Credit Crunch"

Have there been 2 words more over used since the millennium bug? Everyone from my taxi driver to my barber has suddenly become a financial expert. "Business is tough...it's the credit crunch you know" These words were spoken by a man who charges me $10 for a 2 minute hair cut. I guess he genuinely believes it too having read all of the hype in the newspapers. Perhaps people's hair stops growing with the worry of their Super falling faster than a bride's nightie...

It does make you wonder though how much of the current economic problems (or should that be recovery?) are/will be due to people changing their behaviour in reaction to what the press say they should be doing rather than living their own life as they previously managed.

Firstly, it was "sub-prime" and now "credit crunch" is the favourite. The list of companies going under in 2008 looks like continuing in to 2009 with many high street favourites in the UK teetering on the brink. For some it is unfortunate circumstances and an inability to renew their loan positions with the banks. Undoubtedly for others it has been an excuse to clear out some dead wood or cover up bad management. Woolworth's in the UK went under after a proud 100 year trading history blaming the credit crunch. I have a suspicion that their long term growth plan of charging more for an ounce of pic and mix than gold may have had something to do with it...

From a marketing point of view it will be interesting to see which brands step up and embrace the new market conditions as an opportunity and which will cut their advertising budgets as the first of a range of savings measures. These savings are no doubt introduced by the beancounters as a short term solution with no thought for what it will do to the brand in the long run.

There was a great quote in BRW recently from Gregory Will, private companies partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers which says it all - "One lesson from the survivors of the downturn of the early 1990s is not to slash marketing and advertising or research and development. Customers will always look for confident companies. If regular advertising or marketing stops suddenly, companies lose sales by not being front of mind and they undermine confidence. Advertising signals to the market that all is going well and there will be no issues."

It remains to be seen whether Australia can talk itself in or indeed out of a recession and which companies will grow stronger as a result but in the meantime I am going for a hair cut. I might get some advice on my margin loan position while I am there...