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Dakota Fanning. Too sexy?

2012-01-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

Cosmopolitan has come under fire for having Dakota Fanning as their cover girl this month. She is only 17. The cover features heavy references to sex and her style is said to look much more grown up than her usual appearance with a sexy dress and dollops of makeup.

Cosmopolitan have stuck by their decision, describing her as a 'fun, fearless female'.

Personally I think the main issue with her cover on Cosmo is that she is in a 'sexy' outfit with more makeup than she wears at events such as Premieres. Although, any girl or woman who is going to be on a magazine would probably want to go all out. You would very rarely see an adult model with no make up on when at a shoot.

I don't see a concern with featuring sex topics on the cover, as it is not as if she is personally speaking about those topics. She will be one small part of the entire magazine.

However I never read Cosmopolitan before I was 18 and assumingly it isn't targeted to under 18's due to the nature of the content. So one, under 18's shouldn't be reading it anyway and that falls under the responsibility of their guardian. Second, if Cosmo aren't targeting under 18's then would their target audience have any interest in a child actress being on the cover. In which case, it is poor targeting on Cosmopolitan's part.

On top of this, Dakota featured in a Marc Jacobs press advert which was banned due to portraying the model in a 'sexulised manner'. As you can see from the image, she is shown with the perfume bottle between her legs and the headline 'Oh, Lola'

The use of actresses and models under the age of 17 is quite a hot topic, with questions raised around the influence it has on young women and girls to grow up too fast.

In terms of the Marc Jacobs advert, that is clearly inappropriate and is sexually provactive for a woman, nevermind a 17 year old. I am sure they aren't too surprised it has been banned.

TV advert of the year 2011

2011-12-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas. Nearly time for 2012. Just finished watching the TV advert of the year on ITV. Some expected entries, some less expected.

Personally the best advert of the year was Google Chrome. I won't bore you with the reasons why (see earlier post from this year)

I expected John Lewis to be in it, it was. But not for their xmas advert, it was their earlier advert which captures each era. Having watched it again, I can now see that this advert would connect with more people and of a wider age range than their xmas advert. Once you have seen their xmas advert once, the cuteness of the boy tends to wear off!

In third place was the recent T-Mobile advert which showed real people receiving unfair parking tickets only to find it enclosed a tenner. The advert captured their reaction. Great advert for humour factor. Undeserved position in the chart, it is of no relevance to their brand. My dad asked me at the end what it was for - my point exactly.

Second place were the Aldi adverts which compared leading brands to their own. They show that there is no difference between an overpriced brand and the cheaper version in less shiny packaging, with added humour. Such as the old lady who said she preferred gin to tea regardless of it being PG tips or Aldi own brand. Simple and effective. Not trying to be something it isn't.

First place boggles me. It was Cravendale. Cats with opposable thumps, coming back to get their milk. I am a dog lover so this advert does nothing for me. I guess the people who voted love cats....and milk.

X-Factor winner - Twitter will decide.

2011-12-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

With the much awaited X Factor final looming. Twitter has kept 'linear' TV viewing alive. For years research predicted that TV will be only watched through PVR boxes and on-demand viewing. With the popularity of Twitter, people feel impulsed to watch their favourite reality program live.

Before the final on Saturday it was already predicted Amelia would get the boot, with both Little Mix and Marcus trending on Twitter prior to the show.

With 66% of viewers rating Twitter a more trustworthy source rather than traditional media, including the judges and Twitter is 42% more influential than other key news sources for deciding who to vote for. Ultimately Amelia was already doomed before she even got on stage last night. (Carat, 2011)

I personally record X-Factor as I prefer to only watch the singing, not all the drama and build up surrounding it. But I am drawn to watch it before the next day. With 51% of viewers updating their Facebook pages during the show, I will end up finding out the result if I don't watch it as soon as it's finished.

It still begs the question though if people watch the advertising during the live shows. The Social TV Trends Report showed that 68% of viewers used the internet, a games console or listened to the radio whilst watching the TV. So yes viewers may be technically watching the adverts, but are they really 'watching' them? I doubt it.

Sources: Social TV Trends Report, 2011; Telegraph, 11 Dec 2011; The Sun, 11 Dec 2011.

adiVERSE - combining physical retail and the internet.

2011-12-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

About 2 years ago I presented internally at Initiative a presentation on 'the future of shopping'. Within it I thought QR codes would take off on a large scale which they have (were only big in Japan at the time), but I also presented a case study on virtual shopping in store.

Specifically at the time there was a small store in the states which was a Ski shop which had a virtual wall that enabled you to see items that weren't available in store, see alternatives and see reviews online. I predicted that this would become more present in major retailers over the next 5 years.

In Jan 2011, Adidas launched the adiVERSE wall in New York which is the first major success of combining physical retail and the internet. The store is still in testing, but if successful it will roll out internationally.

The wall enables consumers to see their full range of stock regardless of the size of the physical store, so eliminating the out of stock problem. The wall has built-in technology to change the range shown based on gender, and anonymously tracks their behaviour to further personalise their offering. They can view detailed product info and see what people are saying on social networks. Once selected, a sales assistant is alerted and can be purchased through a tablet and delivered straight to their front door.

This wouldn't work well for all products. For example when I worked on SC Johnson, concern was expressed about transparency of allowing consumers to see all their reviews of products from the good to bad. Some brands still think it is better to have control. Even though in reality trying to keep control rather than being proactive about negative reviews, is more hindering.

Also their product range due to being FMCG did not have high enough interest for consumers to engage with the above. However for Adidas the adiVERSE wall works perfectly with their target audience. Their consumers are keen users of social networks and e-commerce. Plus they have high interest and engagement with their product offering.

Some stores are combining digital and physical retail on a smaller scale. For example, when shopping with my mum in John Lewis she found some boots she loved but were damaged. So the store assistant found them online, ordered them for my mum and they arrived with her a few days later at home.

I hope my prediction continues to become true with more retailers blurring the line between digital and physical retail.

Source: The Drum, 25 Nov 11

John Lewis Christmas Advert. Spot on.

2011-11-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

So last year my blog post about John Lewis's christmas advert wasn't too positive. However this year's advert by John Lewis is quite the opposite. It has caused a stir for all the right reasons.

The advert has received a lot of positive feedback on social networks. I watched it for the first time myself on Facebook, through a link a friend had posted praising the advert. I have seen at least 5 other positive references to the advert on my Facebook alone in the last couple of days.

John Lewis clearly invest a lot of time, money and thought into their Christmas advertising and last year it back fired with them having to re-edit their advert. This year the power of social media is even higher and they are reaping the rewards, with nearly half a million views on YouTube alone. Time will tell if it reflects in their sales, with yet another dreary forecast for retail over Christmas.

The greatness of the advert is the element of surprise, that the entire advert builds you up dramatically to lead you down a path you would expect. Only to find quite the opposite, a thoughtful and caring child. I am sure I am not the only person to have had to hold back a tear.

The beauty of the advert as always is it's subtle references to John Lewis products throughout, and paints the picture of a 'typical' family to a tee and brings to you the excitement of Christmas. All thanks to John Lewis.

It is quite frankly 'spot on'.

St.Lucia. Virgin Atlantic vs. British Airways

2011-11-08T05:11:00.000-08:00

I did unfortnately have a guilty pleasure for watching The Bachelor on Channel 5. For the last few episodes of the programme they were filmed in St. Lucia. They showed the beautiful scenery and each date was in a different place in the island whether it be a romantic picnic on the beach or a massage and sauna in their top spa.

I tend to zap through adverts, but I did pause it when I noticed an advert for St.Lucia. Cracking idea.

Virgin Atlantic had an advert at the beginning of every ad break showing the beautiful island I had just been admiring and encouraging you to book a flight to visit. Great.

I then paused again at the end of the ad break though. A very similar advert came on but for British Airways! Excellent.

This is where the flaw lies. What a great idea to put an advert for St Lucia in a programme that advertises the island for a full hour.

The error lies in not paying for exclusivity of the advert break. As they weren't back to back, then I am sure they paid a premium to ensure no other travels adverts were directly before or after theirs.

However, there was no unique selling point in either advert to encourage a consumer to choose Virgin Atlantic over British Airways, or visa versa.

Great plan in theory, not thought through enough in reality.

Asda 0 - 1 Tesco

2011-10-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Time for a complaint. I have always been a loyal Tesco shopper, mainly due to being sold into their Clubcard points, which quite frankly are amazing. We just bought an iron with the points we collected over the last 6 months since we moved to Harpenden.

But times are tight, so we decided to go to Asda in Luton to get a comparison, and if it were to work out cheaper and worth more than having the points, we would switch our loyalties.

It always comes down to price. But does it?

The woman who served us at the checkout was shocking. Not in a good way. The level of customer service from Asda in comparison to Tesco was dire. Now, we don't really get 'customer service' at Tesco, but we don't 'not' get customer service. Fozia who served us dropped our garlic on the floor, and then asked if we still wanted it. First error. When we asked for more bags, she looked like we had asked to take her child from her and slammed them down. She then charged us for too many yogurts and seemed angry that we had more than one! And slammed those too. Another error.

These aren't huge issues. However, after waiting another 5 minutes or longer for the garlic to be replaced, we asked her kindly to remove it from the bill. To which she ignored us, we repeated the question after not being able to pay, to which she said 'well why would you not want to wait for it, there is no point taking it off'. We asked for a third time to take it off the bill so we could go, to which she argued back with us!

Final error. After I asked her if she knew what customer service was, she simply starred blankly at me and continued to argue that we might as well wait for the garlic! As opposed to apologising, and doing as we the customer had requested.

I don't like to whinge and not do anything about it. So I complained, to which they just said 'Fozia, oh yeah she is awful - we get so many complaints about her!'

The customer service department were nice enough, although didn't really provide an outcome as they just agreed with us!

So although I have always believed in price being the number one factor. I must admit there is a certain standard of customer service we all expect first and foremost. Even from a supermarket.

My loyalties remain once again with Tesco.

P.S. I will be sharing this blog post with the Asda complaints department and potentially maximising my boyfriend being a journalist.

Is Pizza Hut keeping the change without asking?

2011-10-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

Marc and I went to Pizza Hut last week on the cheap with a voucher - pizza for a fiver! I noticed a table talker on our table but didn't pay it too much attention as was busy chatting away to Marc.

At the end of the meal when we received the bill I noticed that a 15p charge had been added to our bill for a charity donation to World Hunger Relief. Having then read the table talker it turns out a automatic donation of 15p is added unless asked to either be removed or you have to ask to not include it at the beginning of your meal.

Now I am not against giving to charity. I donate to my preferred charities when and as much as I can, but this is where my frustration lies. That is my decision to give to charity - when, how much, to who and how often.

It is only a 15p donation so very few people will bother to ask to have it taken off their bill (including me). As Marc said "it's only 15p".

My principles aside. This will be a great partnership that will raise a lot of money for World Hunger Relief, with Pizza Hut matching donations up to £20,000. However 15p seems little now, but before you know it we will have a £10 automatic donation added to our bill.

Padstein

2011-09-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

For my birthday in August, Marc treated me to a surprise camping trip in Padstow, Cornwall. I visited Padstow a few times as a child so it holds great memories for me.

Having now been back as an adult. I immediately noticed the impact Rick Stein has on the Cornish town. He has 4 restaurants, a bistro, a cafe, a seafood delicatessen, patisserie shop, a gift shop and a cookery school all in Padstow alone. This is where he started in 1974. Long before I was even born.

I initially viewed this negatively with locals nicknaming the town 'Padstein'. Having walked passed his fish & chip shop, I noticed the price hick of £9 for fish & chips. Of course Rick Stein made them so they must be amazing! Not to me, it still comes in a cardboard box and fish and chips is fish and chips. Marc and I went to the local on the harbour which was much cheaper and in my opinion was more authentic.

My main reason for my view was I felt that his businesses would detract business from the local fish and chips shops.

However, having spoken to a local taxi driver about it he actually told me that it brought business to the town. Those who always used the local fish & chip shop, will continue to do so. But Rick Stein put Padstow on the map, attracting families and couples who haven't been to the town before. Yes going to Rick Stein restaurants, instead of the local fish and chip shop. Along with it though they bring trade for the local shops, taxis and local attractions.

A restaurant like Rick Stein's is generally speaking a one off occasion, so those staying for more than one night would likely then go on to use local restaurants for the remainder of their trip.

So in the space of 3 days, my opinion changed for the better.

Only ONE way to go in Lanzarote

2011-09-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

It's time for another holiday blog post again. In the past I have criticised the lack of advertising in holiday destinations, however this time I found an example I love.

This trip was to Lanzarote with Marc which was his birthday present. Our usual approach to our holidays is self catering for breakfast and lunch, then we would wander around the area in the evening and pick somewhere we fancy for dinner.

One evening we strolled to the harbour and there is a restaurant/bar which is right at the end of the harbour in a Lighthouse and there are no other restaurants are there, just this one. Beautiful views, but you would have no idea it is there.

That is until their brilliant idea, as you walk through the main restaurant strip of the harbour, there is a large sign with arrows pointing in all directions. Each sign tells you how far away you are from it and the direction to head in.

It included China, Fuerteventura, the North Pole and One. One is the restaurant at the end of the harbour. This is fantastic!

It isn't too in your face, most people were stopping to read the sign as most people don't know how many KM's China is from Lanzarote! It is a subtle and fun way of telling you about their restaurant and does everything it needs to. It tells you how to get there, how far it is and plants the seed of perhaps visiting (and we did!).

Animee beer. What women have been waiting for. Apparently.

2011-08-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

Molson Coors have launched a new beer, Animee, aimed at the female audience. Not to be sterotypical at all, the beer has a 'crisp rose' flavour and is 'lightly sparkling'. I probably come under what they think is their target audience as I do fall under the sterotype of a female non beer drinker. I do not drink beer because I do not consider it to be 'lady like' as it were. I consider it a drink for men. I also find beer to have too many gases which isn't a very girly trait. The most I will stretch to is drinking cider at a push.

I completely understand that a lot of women have no issue with drinking beer. I assume those drinkers do not care that it is not full of gas, as they already drink it. To get them to increase their interest in the beer category would probably be as simple as to instead of having heavily male orientated campaigns which paint women as shoe lovers. They involve them in the campaign, show regular women drinking beer and enjoying it with both male and female friends.

I don't think having a beer tailored to women is the answer. Including women is the answer.

Likeonomics. Lucozade hit the spot for me.

2011-08-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Having just read about Likeonomics it made me think about the brands that are popular with me. This is a new theory invented by Rohit Bhargava. For anyone who isn't up to speed it is defined as "A concept looking at creating an 'affinity economy', where the most 'liked' companies are those being believed and ultimately bought by consumers."

Marketing Week gave the example of Domino's which launched the Pizza Turnaround campaign that focused on honesty. It pointed out their flaws and used customer complaints about their pizza's lacking 'taste' in their marketing and made a promise to improve. To demonstrate their commitment they then ran an advert using photography of pizzas taken by consumers showing both the good and bad. They achieved an extra 5% in sales in 2009.

Personally brands I like are those that connect with me on a deeper level than the basics of the product. As an example I am a keen runner, have always been and religiously go to the gym a minimum of twice a week since I left university. So keeping in shape is a key part of my lifestyle and is a daily enjoyment and commitment. Lucozade are the brand that go the extra mile.

Lucozade are a sponsor of the London marathon, an event I am running in 2012. Having ran the Paris marathon at the same time in 2010, I knew little at the time about the level of training and nutrition needed. Lucozade have an area on the Runners World forum. Within that forum Lucozade backed runners of different abilities and were trained by a 'Lucozade' coach.

The reason I 'like' Lucozade is the forum was open for all questions and general chit chat. There was not a heavy 'push' of Lucozade. Their products were only mentioned when it was actually relevant to the topic at hand. If their products weren't suitable they would offer another. Detailed advice was offered by their coach, with training programs provided that anyone can follow. You were not made to feel they had an ulterior motive.

Lucozade have built a relationship with me, and as a result I buy their products over competitors. I 'like' Lucozade!! Clearly I am not alone as they are the No.1 Sports Drink Brand in the UK.

Source: Marketing Week, 04 August 2011

Tom won The Apprentice. Shocker.

2011-07-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Such a debated topic among many - The Apprentice. Having brought it up with a couple of people in the office, our Creative Director came up with a very good theory of this series which sounds about right to me.

Helen throughout the process was excellent at every project (give or take one or two). She is hard working, dedicated to her career, excellent organiser, professional and elegant in her approach and all round ideal canditate. If she had entered last year.

Tom doesn't really fit to any of the characteristics that appeal to Lord Sugar. He has constantly been in the bottom group and always seemed to escape being culled. He is a 'nice' guy, he doesn't come across as decisive or to be drawn towards selling or being able to manage a project and team to success on the show. So logical he should have been fired long ago. Right?

Nope. Tom has already brought a product to market in the cosmetics industry which Lord Sugar made clear he was interested in getting into, he has had his curved nail file on shelves in both the UK and the States with those key relationships built with the buyers already. He pointed out that he has 2nd and 3rd generation ideas for the nail file. That is perfect for Lord Sugar, everything is already in place, with the 12 week show providing free advertising for the product.

It never was about the chair.

IKEA are yet to learn the meaning of 'customer service'

2011-07-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't written many posts about customer service, but due to an experience where the word 'service' probably isn't even applicable I felt the need to rant on my blog!

I recently had a specific item I needed to purchase from Ikea, a sugar container. My friend was in the area so she went to have a look for me and to her shock it was not there. Before she went I checked online and they said they had 12 in stock! When she asked at their Customer Service department, they were adament there was 12 in stock. Even though my friend clearly explained having been to the shelf and cross referenced the code, they definately were not any.

I then went a week later, and called the customer service number for Milton Keynes to double check beforehand. Firstly they asked me which store I was asking about, even though there was a specific number for Milton Keynes. That was clearly pointless. They again said there was 12 in stock. I asked them to check in the store as opposed to their online database, as it had been wrong in the past. They had no luck getting through to the store, so asked me to call later.

I did so, and sat patiently in the queue of calls. After being on hold for a long time, they came back to say that the department had confirmed that it was on the shelf and plenty were in stock. Later that afternoon I took the one hour trip to the store to find none on the shelf. Having spoken with a staff member in the store, she told me it was impossible for her department to have checked for me on the phone, as they do not even have a phone in their department!

So I provided her with my details to call me when they did come back into stock. She of course, never did call me.

Now I understand that it is the type of store where you get what you pay for. However, nowadays I would expect customer service as standard, regardless of if its cheap mass produced product or top of the line one of a kind item.

Ikea need to improve their customer service by having direct contact with each store, so that they can accurately follow up with queries made on the customer service number. When I worked at TKMaxx during my studies, this was the case there. A store manager may call from another store to check the stock of an item to ensure their customer does not travel to our store unless needed. It wasn't that difficult for us to physically check for them.

Ikea I assume follow a Just In Time model for their stock, which they use to update their website with stock levels. However, this needs to be accurate for it to serve a useful purpose. Whilst it is incorrect, it provides a worse service than not having it at all in the first place.

It also shocks me, that you are not able to make any purchases online. Most Ikea stores are few and far between and I am sure they would benefit from having an online store. Yes, there would be less urge to buy random stuff you don't need like you do in the store. I do have to say, their map of the store which forces you to walk around the entire store (whilst infuriating) is a great idea, and for those with weak will power I am sure spend much more than they intended. However, an online store would be great for those customers knowing exactly what they want and are not local to a store.

Olympics 2012. Luckily I have a Visa card.

2011-06-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Every time I pass through St.Pancras station and walk past the Olympic 2012 store, I notice the big sign in the entrance saying "We are proud to accept only Visa". It seriously says that, and it is the same for the ticket payment.

I have a Visa card so was able to pay for my tickets. Lucky me.

It shocks me that they only accept Visa card, yes they are a key sponsor. However, the store in St Pancras station, along with 3 other stores in London including Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport is expected to bring in a significant amount of money to contribute towards the cost of the event.

So why on earth in their business model would the Olympics committee think it was a logical plan to limit the methods of payment. Particularly, when those stores majority of trade will be people passing by from all over the world.

Fine with the Olympic tickets, you might go out of your way to get a Visa card. For tacky memorabilia in a travel station, unlikely. Probably, not even feasible given the location.

In the UK alone 91 million Visa cards are issued compared to 40 million MasterCards. With Visa being the market leader I suppose the Olympic committee think it is okay to 'proudly only accept Visa'. Oh, and I am sure they have 'proudly accepted' a huge sum of money from Visa. Convenient that.

The customer comes first. It is great they are selling out of tickets, but as their stores are expected to also bring in millions - it would be interesting to see the stats for uncompleted purchases due to inability to pay!

Source: creditcards.com

Google Chrome - Dear Sophie. It earns a place in my Top 5

2011-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last week whilst watching TV in the background whilst using my laptop, having dinner and talking to my boyfriend Marc, an advert did its job and caught my attention. Not only did it catch my attention, it made me stop in my tracks and give it my entire focus.

There are only a few adverts of its quality. The advert I am talking about is the Google Chrome advert - Dear Sophie.

http://youtu.be/R4vkVHijdQk

This advert is fantastic for so many reasons. In 90 seconds it shows you so many features that can be used in Google Chrome, and just how easy they are to use. If you didn't watch the link, the advert is a Dad writing emails to his daughter from when she is born until an adult and captures all those key moments in between. It shows you how to insert pictures, videos, share YouTube videos and photo albums. It even goes as far to show their first house on Street View.

Now all these things sound very dull, but this is where Google nailed it. They completely hooked me emotionally. Within the advert, you see the daughters dad - Daniel write to her, pictures of her sister who then becomes ill, pictures and videos of Sophie as she grows up and a scanned image of a drawing Sophie did saying 'I love you daddy'. Along with a dramatic soundtrack if that wasn't enough.

Whilst you are hooked in the emotion, it teaches you all the possibilities you can do with Google Chrome without even realising. The tasks you can do in Google Chrome to the regular person are pretty dull. This advert makes that shoe box your dad put together for you as a child void. Step forward the modern day memory shoe box all online. Being able to get someone to use Google Chrome on this level, will result in them continuing to use it in their day-to-day mundane tasks.

With nearly 1.5 million views on YouTube, I guess I am not the only one who would put this advert in their top 5.

Knowledge is King at Herts County Show

2011-05-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend I visited the Hertfordshire County Show with my parents and our gorgeous puppy, Cooper. A couple of the stands we visited lead me to this post - partly from watching my Dad's reaction.

We visited the Nintendo 3D Cats & Dogs tent, which was presented well (see picture on right) and stood out in comparison to the other stands which were just white marquees. Their stand was shaped like a kennel and they had seating areas inside shaped like a dog or cats bed. So, all very fitting to the game they were promoting.

They encouraged high interaction, with nearly 20 consoles available to play on. They had at least 6 members of staff including one upon entrance who said hello.

Well thought out it would seem. Perhaps not. My Dad who is very much into technology was playing with the console and one of the ladies was discussing the game with him, good service. However my Dad asked how the 3D worked without the need for glasses. My Dad knows enough about technology, to know her response was a poor attempt at guessing! (even I know more about 3D than her!)

What should have happened is there should have been an expert within their team that the lady could refer my Dad too who could explain the technology. Their game is new to the market and a simple question like "how does it work?" should be easily answered.

Warbutons also had a large sampling area, (see picture on right) with sandwiches available to taste, a product feature area showing all their products - I didn't know they did wraps - something so simple as a stand with their product range on educated me. They also had a kids play area, which were loafs of bread with holes in the middle the kids could run through, and pieces of bread for them to stack and climb on. As well as an information point and samplers giving out leaflets on their products to take away.

Both sampling areas for Nintendo and Warbutons were well thought out overall and achieved high standout from a far, and definitely attracted people to each of their stands. It is the little details though that can be the most important. It is the difference between a sampling event be good or great.

Contactless payment launched by Orange and Barclaycard.

2011-05-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

Orange and Barclaycard are the first to launch contactless payment on your mobile phone. This will be through a quick tap app installed on their phone (well the 2 that are compatible). In any store with the contactless symbol, all the user has to do is tap their phone against the NFC device and enter a pin number. They can purchase items up to the value of £15 in a single transaction. Stores with NFC devices include Subway and Pret A Manger.

How it works is through a chip in the device's sim card that connects to their Barclaycard, Barclays debit or Orange credit card. Users are able to transfer £100 to their phone.

I think this has been a long time coming, with the idea circulating in the media for several years now. With the success of apps, it is only natural that this is the next advance in technology.

Orange and Barclaycard have a huge opportunity here to hook customers into their latest offering, like O2 managed to with Apple. 2 years ago I was sucked into this and desperate for an iPhone, so I left Orange who I had been with for 6 years. My contract came up for renewal in Feb and I have stayed with O2. I got hooked.

However, the iPhone is a desirable item, one which gives the image of 'success', much like a fancy car or the latest handbag. Being able to spend £15 in one transaction, in limited stores I don't think has quite the same appeal. As with any new product I think only the tech-savy would make the investment to change their bank and phone contract to have the contactless payment.

O2 and Visa are planning to launch their own version, 'mobile wallet' later in the year. Orange and Barclaycard will need to heavily promote and educate people in the 'main stream', that this is the latest trend to be seen with, before O2 jump on the bandwagon. By the time O2 and Visa comes to market, they will be able to learn from Orange and Barclaycards mistakes and fine tune any teething problems by watching their competitor first hand.

Give it three years and we may quickly forget that we used to take our debit card out of our pocket to pay with.

Source: Marketing week, 20th May

Crowdsourcing. Free ideas or opening the door to greatness?

2011-04-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Marketing Special Report this week was on the pros and cons of Crowdsourcing, and I thought it worthy of a blog post.

For young designers who are yet to make their mark in the industry, it is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate their ability and get the deserved recognition for it. Although in effect they are giving away their ideas for free, which could be viewed as cheapening the value of having a design agency. If a random person can give that knockout design for a brand, they may begin to question why they pay an agency.

Whilst I was at University in Bournemouth we had agencies from Mediacom to Mindshare and clients such as Audi provide us with real briefs. We would provide them with all aspects of a campaign from the big idea through to how many GRPs our media strategy would achieve. For example our final brief was working on the Q8 for Audi a few months before it launched. I must admit although we all viewed it as fantastic experience especially given that we were all obviously at the start of our career and the learnings from it were incredible, there was also the niggling thought of giving those ideas away, with no control over how they would use it.

For us the gain of knowledge from those companies far outweighed the worry of giving an idea for free. However for those designers with years of experience behind their belt, I am sure they may view it differently.

Personally I think even if a great design comes from Crowdsourcing, it does not leave the need for great designers redundant. That great design will always need to be able to be implemented across a range of media outlets and POS whether that be on a 96 Sheet or a wobbler. An outsider to a design agency will not know those interrogate details like a designer will.

It is all very well having a good idea. It is the implementation that makes it a fantastic idea. Crowdsourcing serves its purpose, as do designers and sometimes that purpose may overlap.

Two heads have always been better than one.

Source: Marketing, 13 Apr 2011

Superdrug to use customer reviews on shelf

2011-04-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Superdrug are planning to include reviews from customers in their stores. The reviews will be sourced from online blogs. They hope this will increase their sales by giving consumers higher levels of trust and confidence.

I think this is a great idea during the current climate with consumers being watchful of their spending. Consumers are making sure every penny counts, so being provided with endorsements and recommendations from fellow consumers will be a useful tool during their decision purchase.

Waterstones and HMV have done a similar concept in store with the use of staff reviews. I believe consumer reviews will work better. Typically those working in a specific store such as books, will have a personal interest with a high involvement level with that hobby. So although their review may be useful and well educated, it is not necessarily representative of the average consumer.

Although the same can be applied to consumers, as one person’s needs from a product can be quite different to another. However, WOM has always been one of the most effective tools for a marketer, and I think the reviews in store will add value to the consumers experience in store.

My only criticism would be that for Superdrug to truly build trust and confidence with their consumers, they should also be providing negative reviews to give a full picture. I highly doubt any brands will be on board with this idea though!

Overall a great idea by Superdrug.

Source: Marketing Week

Fuerteventura advertising. A missed opportunity.

2011-03-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

This post is better late than never. Whenever I go abroad I always try and write a post on their advertising. The latest trip was to Fuerteventura on holiday. Similarly to Tenerife, their advertising as we know it in the UK was very few and far between. On the journey from the airport to our resort we only saw one 6 sheet which was for Coca Cola. It was a branded 6 sheet with only their usual massive logo, red background and no other communication, just a reminder of their brand. I remember thinking it seemed out of context for the Island. It was overbearing for the external environment of the volcano and single lane road.

I was wrong. Marc’s immediate reaction was ‘I could kill for a can of Coke’. So I suppose the objective worked. I was wrong again. All the local restaurants were supplied by Pepsi, so Marc never did have that can of Coca Cola. It is all very well reminding the consumer of the brand, but if they can’t easily source your product then they won’t take a second thought to purchase a competitor. Most FMCG’s aren’t unique enough that you would go out of your way to find them elsewhere.

As it is a small island then it would be unsuitable to have the level of advertising that the UK has. Saying this, I believe there are still opportunities being missed for their local businesses. The bus system is set up well and used by both locals and tourists. However the bus shelters have no advertising within them. The majority of trade in the local towns is for restaurants, shops and surf centres. Any one of these could capture the market by having a simple poster or leaflet in the bus shelters with some basic information on their store, costs and most importantly directions to their store.

Asda and Tesco - who's the biggest loser?

2011-03-17T14:20:00.001-07:00

Asda and Tesco have been aggressively competing with one another, which may have back fired.

Asda have invested heavily in their 10% price guarantee, which promises that they will be 10% cheaper than other supermarkets and if they aren’t then they will give you a voucher for the difference. However when the campaign started The Grocer reported that a typical shopping basket had only been approximately 8% cheaper.

It is a lengthy process to redeem the difference if Asda aren’t cheaper. I believe the theory they went with was that by saying they have a 10% price guarantee customers would be stupid enough to just assume they are in fact 10% cheaper than their competitors. This has not been the outcome with only a 0.6% increase in full-year sales. It is reported by industry experts for it to have been effective, they should have seen a minimum of 2-3% uplift given the level of investment in advertising to promote the guarantee.

Tesco have since felt threatened by Asda and told customers that any vouchers from Asda for their price guarantee could be redeemed in their stores. Tesco went a step further and offered their customers double the difference if their shopping basket had been cheaper in Asda. However this has come under fire in online forums, with many customers claiming that they have only been able to compare half of their shopping basket with Asda. Tesco claim that over 60% of their products are comparable to Asda. If Tesco are going to make such a promise, they need to make sure 100% of their products can be compared otherwise they are just inconveniencing their customer.

Tesco have been heavily advertising that over 1,000 items have been made cheaper. The Grocer reported that before the prices were reduced, they have been hiked up. For example, Uncle Ben's Express long grain rice has been reduced from £1.99 to £1.48, but the price only went up to £1.99 from £1.54 on 7 February. Online forums have been threatening to complain to the ASA about their misleading advertising.

All this aggressive competitiveness between supermarkets should be a benefit to the customer, whereas I believe the reality is customers rapidly losing trust in supermarkets. The amount of customers who have caught the supermarkets out and done their research behind the supermarkets sweeping statements is likely to be very small, however with the speed WOM can quickly travel now with blogs, online forums, Twitter and Facebook then those few angered customers will rapidly become hundreds and thousands.

Tesco have always been well accredited for the success of their Clubcard scheme. I believe they could have built on this success. Yes price is a key factor for customers, if not the only factor in the current climate. Rather than customers having to constantly compare prices and be selective over their product choice to save a penny here and there. By offering double or even triple Clubcard points across the store this would guarantee return business for Tesco. For the customer this would give them the freedom to purchase their usual shopping basket and easily having money back in their pocket to save off their next shop.

Source: The Grocer, Marketing week.

O2 are to preload apps onto smartphones, with eBay first to roll out. Match made in heaven?

2011-02-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

O2 have announced plans to allow brands to partner with them to provide pre-loaded apps onto their smartphones, with eBay being one of the first companies to sign up. O2 will take a percentage of sales achieved through the app. This opportunity will allow eBay to market themselves to O2's 22 million customers.

I believe this is a fantastic opportunity and great pairing between eBay and O2. There are thousands upon thousands of apps available and this will give eBay an instant advantage, as well as providing added value to their customers with instant access to eBay with minimal effort.

eBay is already an established company used around the world by millions with high engagement levels for their customers, therefore it is likely their investment will be a benefit to the majority of O2's consumer base. What will be interesting to review once implemented is the level of wastage. I would of thought at least 5 million of those O2 customers don't use eBay. The app will only add value to current users of eBay.

The very nature of eBay with bidding wars coming down to the very last second, means this app will allow their customers to have instant access on their mobiles to engage much quicker. Now they can quickly bid in the queue of Starbucks, at the gym, or even cheekily in a meeting. More sales for eBay!

Whilst I think this is a win win for eBay and O2. For this to remain useful for O2's customer base there will need to be a level of exclusivity for brands to prevent bombarding the customer with too many apps. Also no brand will want their competitor to have the same advantage. Otherwise the added value is lost, along with O2's power to dictate a percentage of sales from the app.

O2 need to ensure the companies they allow to preload apps are going to be useful on a frequent basis for their customers. One of the biggest problems with apps is they are downloaded in high levels, but within a month the level of interaction rapidly declines usually to zero interaction. So just because an app is preloaded isn't necessarily going to equal more sales for the brand.

If O2 can keep both their customers and brands sweet, then they may have just got themselves a very large money making machine. That is until Orange, T-Mobile et al offer the identical service but for a lower charge.

Source: marketingweek.co.uk

Change4Life - What will you swap?

2011-02-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

During January the government's Change4Life strategy ran a new stage of their campaign. Through investing £250m in a voucher scheme to help lower-income families eat more healthily and get active under its 'Great Swapathon' initiative. It encourages them to swap an unhealthy habit with a healthier one, whilst saving money. The initiative was run in News of the World and Asda, with vouchers ranging from low-fat mayonnaise to money off dining room furniture and sports kit.

The campaign received mixed feedback in the press. I, similarly, have a mixed opinion of the scheme. Much of the criticism has been about the brands that were selected, as well as the fact it was only ran in Asda stores. In my opinion as this is the first time they have run the scheme then it would have made little sense to run the initiative in all stores, multiple publications and on multiple brands. Firstly, they will need to monitor carefully if this was a success through econometric modelling. Many factors could impact the level of obesity whether it be a TV series backed by favourite chefs educating key facts on obesity, a series of deaths relating to obesity, or it could be this scheme that lowers obesity. If it transpires to be a marketing gimmick then it should remain a one-off. However, if indeed the scheme lowers the level of obesity then it would make sense to make it a wider initiative.

Secondly, as always the case 'targeting everyone would reach no one'. If they had an endless budget then running this across multiple platforms would be perfect, however I am sure this was a restricted investment. Before the scheme ran they allowed stores, publications and brands to put forward how they could benefit the scheme. Asda came out on top providing free editorial coverage, contribution to vouchers and wider promotion through their own channels. Asda and News of the World hit the campaigns key target audience and why increase wastage levels just to be 'politically correct' by running in all stores. Waitrose shoppers are hardly lower-income families.

I have to praise the government's efforts to establish a longer term change, with the offering of items such as dining room furniture to encourage families to eat together. Although the campaign is short term and only offers money off for a short period of time on food and drink, it may just be long enough to change some peoples eating habits. Many consumers have the perception of low fat versions tasting poorer, however I am not sure how justified that view is and hopefully this scheme through encouraging trial of these items will lead to continued purchases after the initiative finishes. I recently tried skimmed milk and would now happily have that as opposed to full fat milk.

I think there are other routes which could have a longer term success. For example, the 'green' points ran by Tesco has hugely helped to reduce the level of plastic bags used, so there could be a points scheme linked to the clubcard with consumers earning 'health' points for each healthy purchase, with those points then providing them with money off healthy items in the future. (this idea would need to be tailored to each store, e.g. nectar card etc)

However, it is a great first step by the government with huge potential, and great to see so many brands backing it. This initiative can only be a good thing.

Source: The Grocer, 8 Jan 2011.

Scan items from your phone straight into your online basket at Tesco. What will you scan first?

2011-01-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

I saw an advert on TV earlier for the Tesco grocery app which now allows you to scan the barcodes of items yourself on your phone and it will add it to your basket online. You can also select your delivery slot through the app and the items you scan will sync with your online shopping basket if you were to then later log in online.

I am currently in the process of downloading the app to see how well this latest technology works. In the advert it of course works amazingly with the actors quickly and easily scanning random items as they suddenly realise they have ran out of that item. If the trend of QR codes is anything to go by, then the usability might not be quite as user friendly as the advert portrays. I shall be testing it at a later stage to see for myself.

That aside, I think this should be a great app. It will be interesting to know when they developed this who their target audience was. Those consumers who buy from Tesco online can already 'save' their favourite items and weekly shop into their 'online basket' for it to be there next time they log in. Research has shown that consumers rarely deviate from their usual purchases and when they do, it is due to special offers they get drawn into in the aisle. Online their items are already pre-saved, so this hardly encourages the shopper to 'shop' around for a better deal, especially as they shop online due to the benefit of its convenience.

Therefore for those shoppers, I think this app would be used for one off items that wouldn't be a weekly purchase but might be a monthly item or 'treat' they decide to purchase that week. So instead of scribbling it down on a bit of paper, they can just scan it into their phone. However, for those one off items which aren't regular purchases (so therefore not saved into their favourites requiring them to scan the item), the chances of them already having it in the cupboard and not having thrown out the empty packaging available to then scan the item I think is unlikely. Now the advert shows them scanning items whilst out and about, such as in a restaurant so that could be the way round this - perhaps this is a little cynical of me but I doubt people would actually do that.

Another potential route would be those consumers who do shop at Tesco in store but haven't switched over to online shopping yet, but are tech savvy enough that they would embrace this new way of shopping. It may be that the app can convert those shoppers to making their purchases online or could order their shopping entirely through their mobile. The app allows you to scroll through all the items by 'aisle' as you would do in store. By converting additional shoppers online I would of thought this would increase store loyalty. Having all your items stored on your phone and simultaneously online is hugely convenient for the ever increasingly time pressed consumer. It is unlikely they are then going to create the same shopping basket for another supermarket.

I am sure it is only a matter of time before the other supermarkets offer the same app, but Tesco appear to have got in their first and its certainly a clever way to add value for their consumers which makes a nice change from just competing on price.

Will Mark Zuckerberg get too greedy?

2011-01-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Facebook has recently been valued at £32m as a result of investment from Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies. Facebook are clearly doing very well – being the most searched for site in the US (8.9%), even above Google (7.2%). Facebook already has 500 million users worldwide, and they're spending more time on the site. And there's more people joining everyday. So, there is a huge opportunity (clearly already partially capitalized on) by Facebook to make a considerable amount of money from their business model.

Similar sites have come and gone, being the latest trend. But most have followed the same old story of getting their user numbers up and then over-killing their business model to bring in revenue from advertisers. Although it’s a key revenue stream, many of these sites lost focus of what their site was offering their users and focused on accommodating their advertisers needs instead, as they are the ones with the pay cheques. This seems like an obvious point, yet so many of these sites have not recognized that their users are in fact the key to their pay cheques.

Facebook have so far achieved the right balance, continually making updates to the site to improve the usability for their consumers. Whether, it's being able to upload pictures quicker and or being able to ‘like’ other peoples comments on a post. They haven’t become stagnated like other sites. Yet they have managed to still satisfy the need of advertisers with the use of fan pages, targeted advertising and giving brands the opportunity to fully communicate with their consumers. And it's all come in an environment that the user voluntarily wants to engage in. There are not many competitors to Facebook or mediums that can offer such invaluable information for brands.

Surely though it is only a matter of time before Marky Mark gets a little bit too greedy…

Would you leave your dog outside? John Lewis do.

2010-11-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

It was only back in May that I was singing praise for John Lewis with their latest advert. They have since begun their Christmas campaign with, in my opinion, another fantastic ad. It really draws you in with their emotive content and they always elegantly capture their strong brand values and heritage. Perfectly displaying so many products subtly in 30 seconds without the viewer feeling bombarded with selling messages.

However in the very last 5 seconds they appear to have made a huge mistake. A picture perfect Christmas Eve scene. Snow falling in the peak of winter. With a dog outside in it's kennel. The ASA have received 145 complaints with my Mum being one of them, and there is a Facebook group campaigning against the advert with over 1,500 'likes', many of which have complained to animal charities. Forums such as Mumsnet have also been debating if it is appropriate to show a dog outside in the cold.

As a result of the complaints John Lewis have now edited their 30 second advert, however they have continued to run the clip within the 60 second advert.

I am slightly on the fence with this advert. I strongly advocate John Lewis and their adverts remind me why I choose this career. The dog shown within the advert is a Deerhound, this breed has a coat long enough to keep them warm in the coldest weather and many of them live in kennels all year round. So looking at it rationally, John Lewis are committing no error or neglect towards the dog shown or endorsing improper care for an animal as this breed of dog is capable of living in these conditions.

However. let's assume not all dog owners are educated as to which breed is suitable to be homed outside. It could, therefore, be suggested that John Lewis - who were recently voted brand of the year - are not taking on board that they are a trusted and well respected brand. As such, for the uneducated consumer they may naively take the advert as gospel for appropriate care for their pet. This of course is not the case. As an owner of a young Cocker Spaniel myself, I am fully aware that a kennel would not be appropriate care. But I have been raised with pets all my life and a new pet owner may not be as well informed. Or similarly a pet owner of a breed only suitable for the home, may not know that Deerhounds are suitable to be outside and have complained without realising this.

Either way I don't think consumers are quite that stupid. Owners who don't care properly for their dogs more than likely already did so before seeing this advert, and those who keep their dog in the home are unlikely to completely shift their behaviour to the extent of going to buy a kennel for their dog, solely because they saw a dog in a kennel at the end of a John Lewis advert!

On the other hand, John Lewis didn't need to risk causing any controversy to simply show a child giving the dog a stocking - this could of easily been achieved in the house with a backdrop of snow seen through the window. A brand as trusted as John Lewis, knowing that consumers are angry about their advert should really have better crisis management in place, and should be removing the clip of the dog from all lengths of the commercial regardless of it being right or wrong - many consumers think it is wrong, and the consumer is always right!!

All this being said. I have still bought all my Christmas presents from John Lewis this year.

I think the same as every other person watching The Apprentice......I could have done it better!

2010-11-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

Having had a few months away from posting on my blog, watching last night's The Apprentice was fuel enough for a post. This particular episode was the advertising focused task with each team having to develop their own brand and advertising for a kitchen cleaner. Having spent 2 years in my previous job working in the international media team for SCJ who produce Mr Muscle (along with Toilet Duck and Glade) then this increased the level of frustration at the so called 'marketing experts' in each team.

Gigantic errors were made on both teams. Firstly, common sense should prevail and they shouldn't have a child endorising a product which is dangerous to children. And they certainly shouldn't have the child using the product in the advert! There is a whole lot of legal information which fair enough they may not know, but surely a level of initiative has to set in somewhere. There are very tight regulations for these types of products due to the chemicals used. For example the type of duck shown on Toilet Duck is limited creatively as it cannot be seen to appeal to a child.

Second major error on the other team was the assumption 'sex sells', which in a whole lot of cases unfortunately it does, it's a fickle world. However, there is a big difference for example between using a fit and attractive model in the Sketcher 'Shape-Up' advert in which clearly the model does a lot more work to stay in shape, than only using shoes with 'toning' improvements for when you walk. I am pretty sure you would need to walk hundreds of miles in those to get legs like the model, but it sells! Having a young model who isn't even the target age of multi-purpose cleaners basically conforming to the 1960 perception of a woman cleaning the house (luckily with the help of Octicleen!) whilst the man relaxes from his so called more stressful day at work than a woman, followed by the wife fulfilling his sexual desires on demand. In any product context, this advert would not be allowed on air and has no USP other than cringe factor!

The basic concepts were there for both teams, with one team for Germ-i-nator focusing on the brand colours that will stand out on shelf (red and black), which is essential to get right as the majority of consumers make their purchasing decision in the aisle, so eye-catching packaging is important. However, it must be within the appropriate context of the product. Harpic Power Plus and Domestos Grot Buster both have black packaging which are both toilet cleaners and this hits the nail on the head for those consumers searching for a product giving the perception of toughness to kill germs in the toilet. For a kitchen cleaner as mentioned on the programme, subtle colours such as yellows and greens give the right message of cleanliness whilst being safe for the home.

Implying 8 hands is better than 2 hands does capture the struggle mothers may have with caring for the home, children and in most cases managing a full time career. This could have been communicated better through simply demonstrating the multiple tasks their kitchen cleaner achieves in one go, whether that be killing germs, reduced smearing on surfaces, targets hard stains etc. No client is going to want to spend millions of pounds on a campaign that doesn't highlight the products key benefits.

The majority of these errors could have been avoided through market research not only of potential consumers, but the current offering in the market place so they can understand what their product is against and if there is a gap in the market that can be targeted, whether that be product benefit (unlikely in this day and age), packaging design or missed target audience.

I think the same as every other person watching The Apprentice......I could have done it better!

The models from Sweaty Betty float my boat.

2010-08-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

After using a voucher for Sweaty Betty in-store I am not consequently on their mailing list. They have just sent me their autumn/winter catalogue which I was more than happy to proceed with considering it junk mail and throwing it in the bin, but I couldn't help a quick browse.

I was pleasantly surprised as I have always viewed Swetty Betty as an expensive sport clothing store which most of the time design clothes too far down the fashion angle, as opposed to being practical for the sport activity in hand. As a runner I paid particular attention to their running section and some shorts caught my eye on the model, but I did question the practicality of the purchase. I then noticed by each of the models they give a brief bio of the models sporting history, so in the case of in the running section the model completed a half marathon in 1hr40 (5 mins faster than me!) and is training for the New York marathon.

This simple extra detail that so many brands neglect, immediately increased my opinion of their credibility and reassured me that buying those shorts would serve their purpose perfectly - whilst looking pretty at the same time! As easy a concept as it is, seeing that Sweaty Betty only use models that participate in sport (and at a high level) instantly makes a consumer think - well if they can wear it, then I can too! even though the reality might be that behind closed doors those models actually wear Nike which is far more practical and a sensible purchase. I feel though it would be unfair to be so quite so cynical to a brand who has found their unique selling point and learnt how to market it effectively.

World Cup 2010 - maybe, just maybe Coca-Cola win the cup for best sponsor.

2010-06-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

A week into the world cup and the excitement is building for everyone, with the hope that maybe, just maybe we have a chance to bring the cup home. The majority of sponsors have decided to go down 'the ray of hope' approach, with some making the link better than others between the sentiment of the potential for England winning the world cup and how their brands (apparently)contributes to that experience and achievement!

My personal favourite has to be Coca-Cola which begins with the famous dance by Roger Milla from the 1990 world cup followed by many more great examples of players celebrating post scoring. This advert is one of the best of the world cup sponsors because Coca-Cola have a long heritage of being associated with sport. This long term investment in sport has hugely benefited them for their sponsorship of the World Cup with 22% of people when asked 'what grocery brands do you associate with the World Cup' responded with Coca-cola. This may appear a low statistic, however the next mentioned brands were Carling, Walkers and Budweiser with only 4%.

Coca-Cola also came top of the polls when asked 'which partners and sponsors do you associate with the World Cup?' with 14%. There is the continual concern of competing brands being mistaken for sponsors due to sportsmen featuring in their commercials, such as Frank Lampard in the Pepsi advert. However Pepsi was only mentioned 4% in the same poll.

Tesco have not been as successful as they are the official sponsor of the World Cup, yet when consumers were asked 'Which supermarkets run the best value-for-money promotions?' Asda came up highest with 16% with Tesco following behind with 14%. In this context, Tesco have suffered as consumers have been shifting their shopping behaviour with a 34% increase in the intent to buy beer, which is a huge contributor to Asda topping this poll as they currently offer the best deals. All is not a loss for Tesco, as they have been focusing on sales of their non-grocery items for the World Cup with their footballs doubling their expectations with over 1 million sold already.

John Lewis - always part of the family.

2010-05-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

The new John Lewis advert stopped me in my tracks. I always multi-task whilst watching tv and usually am doing stuff online or using my phone. I was in the middle of writing an email and this advert came on and I stopped everything I was doing to watch the advert. That connection with an advert has probably not happened more than 10 times in my life. Initially it was the song that caught my attention. It is an incredible song, very moving and timeless.

Then it was the concept of the advert that kept my attention. It is incredible that this 60 second advert captures everything that John Lewis represents and does it perfectly. It would be so easy for John Lewis to have faded into the background and become like Woolworths. Woolworths are a childhood memory for most people but they never saved themselves. John Lewis have identified exactly what they are good at - offering good quality products for everything you could possibly need in a home. John lewis is the place you go when you don't want to sacrifice good quality and good service. The fact they are traditional works in their favour through this advert. Whenever I need something, my mum always says well we will get it from John Lewis, and I am sure I will do the same with my children. I think it is the same for most people, they are the place you go to get your first set of furniture, to do your wedding gift list, first pram, that specific outfit you have been searching out for, gifts for the family, they have everything you need from being a child to a grandparent which is demonstrated so perfectly in this advert.

I have discussed this previously, Dixons recent campaign benefited from John Lewis's weaknesses. Let's face it, there are many items in John Lewis you could get anywhere else for a much cheaper price, however John Lewis have challenged this with their new strapline of 'never being unknowingly undersold'. They have tackled this pricing war culture we are now subject to head on, yet without losing the brand values and attributes that will make John Lewis successful today and for many days to come.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnLewisRetail?v=zMtyOCoqHTk&feature=pyv&ad=5025761340&kw=john%20lewis

Pain is a small french loaf

2010-04-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well I have not written a post in nearly 4 months. My reasoning being a lack of spare time as the result of training for my first ever marathon in Paris. I completed this on Sunday April 11th in 4 hours 13 minutes. I was aiming for 4 hours so the competitive side in me is not happy, but I am proud of the achievement and enjoyed the 'community' feeling of runners running together. I made some really great friends whilst I was in Paris. I have always loved running, and I am signed up for my second marathon in October! Then Paris again next year to do it in under 4 hours.

Now back to advertising. This was my first experience on a different tube system, and the geek that I am, I noticed instantly the lack of outdoor advertising in the metro system. They have the usual standard posters on the walls along the tunnels and in the stations/platforms. However, on the tubes themselves there is very little advertising and where there is, it is not of a high standard with most being for cheap phone calls abroad and they are of a very small size.

I began to wonder why. In London there is very little to do other than reading on the tube so it is the perfect opportunity to grab one's attention. However, in Paris much to my delight there is phone signal in their metro system which would be another distraction. Also, most of their tubes seem to run outside, so whereas in London there is nothing to actually look at except advertising, in Paris there is the beautiful city to admire.

Although, I still think an opportunity is being missed here. Most people have the same monotonous journey back and forth each day, therefore the views of Paris soon wear off and I think plenty of research has supported the effects and benefits of outdoor advertising in London, and I am sure it has the same potential in Paris. If it didn't, then they wouldn't have adverts along their station corridors or on the platforms.

Seeing this one small differences in the advertising opportunities in France compared to UK made me think about my role within an international department. I think now having seen the coin from another side, I think I would seek the opinion of our local country teams a great deal more now before recommending a regional media strategy. From my trip I now have the opinion that outdoor advertising would not be as cost effective for our clients as it would be in the UK.

I hope to travel more not only for my own life experiences, but to give me a global perspective on advertising....and not just one based on statistics and books! but my opinion based on my own eyes - as a consumer!

I am back on Facebook after 9 months boycotting!

2009-12-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed nine months of not being on Facebook and have now decided to rejoin. My first blog post explains why I left but I will now use this post to explain why I have come back.

Allow literally every person I know has a phone, they seem en-cable of using it and only communicate via facebook. I actually have a friend who says he will only invite me to his parties if I am on facebook. It is just as easy to email or text as it is to invite someone on Facebook! but then is it. Facebook enables you to organise massive events with very little thought just by ticking the names of those you wish to invite to the event. It is in fact a tad more effort to send individual invites as perhaps you would do on a text or email - although they do allow for multiple 'to'. But that aside, that is one reason, it was a lot harder to know what events were going on with friends and I usually would hear about it last minute or in passing.

Secondly, I previously had thousands of photos and in the last year I have very few. Facebook does enable you to have hundreds of photos which you didn't even take yourself. It is a lot easier to get photos this way than having to ask someone to email you their photos.

But mainly, as the majority of my friends don't live in london then unless I text/phone them then I don't really know what has been happening in their life. The beauty of facebook is being able to easily see what everyone is up to.

The things I hate about facebook are still true. I still hate there being pictures of me that I would never personally add to the land of the internet, I hate the intrusion of privacy with everyone being able to read your posts and annoying advertising, although this has improved, and I just hate the whole concept of people only being able to function by having Facebook!......however, I must admit it has been nice to be back in touch with people I haven't spoken to for nine months and to feel 'cool' again!

hard work vs. blagging it

2009-12-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Having just watched the latest series of 'the restaurant' I am extremely disappointed in the result. The final comprised of two couples competing to win a partnership with Raymond Blanc to open a restaurant. One couple had worked hard throughout the program and Raymond said he was the best chef and the second couple had sweet talked their way to the final, the judges themselves even acknowledged that they never know if they were giving an honest answer as they were constantly sucking up to them and giving it the talk! Also the chef in the couple did not cook in the first 6 weeks and got the hired team to do so. During the final the hard working couple delivered all their dishes to the high expectations asked for, whilst the other couple messed up their rissotto and did not even deliver their souffle for dessert. Instead they produced a cocktail.

As I am sure you have probably guessed, the 'talkers' won. The basis of this decision was that they could think on their feet and had initiative. I have to completely degree with their decision, yes in a crisis it is fabulous if you can handle the pressure and provide an alternative instead of crumpling. However surely it is a far better quality to be able to deliver the desired goods that were requested, therefore not, requiring yourself to get into a crisis in the first place. I believe hard work should be recognised, however in this day and age most hard workers don't tend to shout about the hard work they have put in, they just get on with it. But 'blaggers' have a habit of putting in very little work, but being extremely articulate and have the ability to say the right thing to make it appear that they are dedicated and can give the right solution even if they are flying by the edge of their pants.

Unfortunately these 'blaggers' are the ones that will get the promotions and the hard workers usually will be the ones that go by unnoticed........as in this case the 'blaggers' were the ones to win the competition even though they were worse at the task in hand. They knew how to talk the talk.

Something we all know is essential in advertising a product successfully. It makes no difference if you have the best product in the market, if you don't know how to tell your target audience the right story to make them love your brand, and your competitor does then it will be you losing out. The hard working couple in the restaurant competition lost, because they didn't know how to sell their story.

What is your favourite 2009 xmas advert? yes they are on now!

2009-11-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

Having watched the 2009 christmas adverts for Marks and Spencers, Sainsburys and Waitrose. The Marks and Spencer ad wins my votes this christmas. See the advert here: http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/bulletin/creativebulletin/article/965561/?DCMP=EMC-12November2009

They always have cracking christmas adverts, but I feel this year it really pulls on the small details that everyone loves about christmas, whilst cleverly promoting their own products from different departments of their store. All the little details that make christmas perfect from the turkey to a jumper can all be achieved at Marks and Spencers! The ad gets you excited about christmas which this early on in the year is surprising.

Although the joys of christmas are different to different people, because they use several examples at least one of them is bound to relate to the viewer. For a company to be strongly associated with christmas joy, is inevitable going to achieve good sales! Marks and Spencers have always been successful with their food department at christmas, with people being willing to pay that bit extra at christmas to have the quality of food Marks and Spencers always delivers on. I think this advert will help to get the purchasers of Marks and Spencer christmas food to think about their other product offerings such as clothing as part of the process completing the perfect christmas experience.

Cadbury - dogs hanging out of windows = chocolate bar sales?

2009-11-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

http://creativity-online.com/work/cadbury-dogs-in-cars/17803

I yesterday watched the new Cadbury spot (see link above). I have to admit I did enjoy this advert and it brought a smile to my face which I guess in Cadbury's eyes was the aim - to bring me 'a glass and a half full of joy.' I have always enjoyed the Cadbury adverts, however I think their adverts have a very high wearout factor, as the second time I watched this failed to bring a smile to my face! obviously, as I now know what happens in the advert.

Their adverts have clearly improved the attitude consumers have towards the brand, and they have established brand attributes of fun, joyful and provide enjoyment through their adverts. Their advertising over the last year from the famous Gorillas to their most recent have been successful in re-aligning their brand positioning and eradicating previous negative conceptions as a result of products being removed instores due to concern over damaging ingredients included in their bars. Job well done.

However, I don't know if this is the cynic within, but their advertising has absoultely nothing to do with chocolate and is such a low involvement product, that in no way does watching a dog hang out of a window entice me to go to a store and purchase Cadbury's. My opinion of the chocolate itself remains the same, I am not a loyalist to Cadbury, I am to Galaxy which I think is partly due to their advertising over the years which has sub-counciously made me look to Galazy as a luxury treat option for when I need a pick me up and want a cosy night in with a DVD. Cadbury on the other hand lack any kind of meaning to me or nostalgia, obviously their advertising is not the only reason for this. I think for many, a chocolate bar associated as a fun and 'chilled' brand isn't going to be reason another to purchase, common factors like price and quality (perceived and actual) of the product are more likely to influence choice in the aisle.

Although, looking at the glass half full - the new Cadbury advert did provide me with a glass and a half full of joy.

Conversation is King. Sales are the aftermath.

2009-11-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Having sat through a social media presentation I wanted to follow up on my previous blog post regarding the subject. The main issue I identified was that people wanted to transfer the same objectives to social media that they had set for traditional media, so translating the investment in advertising to sales. However, social media is never going to be a communications channel that links directly to sales, at least not within a short time span. There is obviously the case of Dell who attributed 3m additional sales as a direct result of their tailored offers through twitter. This is an extreme example, which is unlikely to be achieved for most clients.

The struggle of getting brands on board with social media is the lack of understanding upon needing to build a relationship with their target audience and this is something that takes time and investment. By adding value to the consumers experience through a medium they engage with, is actually more likely to achieve the end result of sales, then spending millions of dollars on delivering as many TRPS as can be humanly pushed onto a consumer. The trouble is putting social media into an econometrics model is unlikely to give the equation of a return on investment.

Achieving ROI from social media is the first hurdle. Secondly, the majority of brands provide products of low interest, and to justify why a regular consumer would actually want to listen to what they say is very difficult. All the great case studies produced on social media or on any new media platform, are always brands of excitement and interest. Nike +, the Pepsi president campaign and Starbucks to name a few. How do you get a consumer to want to talk about your brand if you are a FMCG low involvement everyday purchase, which requires very little thought process when choosing a purchase and usually will be decided on by price. I unfortunately do not know the answer; otherwise I would be very wealthy!

A possibility is to link a brand, basically ‘hijack’ onto a subject that is of interest to the consumer and gain their loyalty and engagement through piggy backing onto a brand they can spare more than 10 seconds for. For example, Pepsi is a drinks manufacturer that technically should have nothing to do with a presidential election but through their campaign they gave young people a voice and provided a sense of community and belonging, yet they are a low involvement product, but it is a superb campaign.

I guess my point is you need to be in it to win it. Social media is an opportunity that can in reality link to sales, just perhaps not in a model or on paper. If it couldn’t link to sales then there wouldn’t be success stories, but there are many. As Will.I.Am says ‘We Can’.

Should brands leap or duck from social media?

2009-10-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Having read an excellent white paper today by a colleague regarding social media. It made me think about the possibilities social media offers our clients, but also the huge risks which ultimately prevent our clients from benefiting from the huge possibilities and opportunities.

I have always supported social media and brands which developing a dialogue with their consumers, giving something back and interacting with the online community. However, I find it difficult to justify in my mind how traditional clients with a history of using push media, constantly using traditional channels to demonstrate their products/services and ultimate sell their company as best they can in the small window of concentration from their target audience, can ever possibly succeed in being present in the online community. Firstly, attempting to convince a client that social media is the next step forward is a huge mountain to climb, social media is so recent there is a lack of strong evidence to support its case over the years and whilst there are huge success stories there are also huge failures.

We see it every day brands on twitter, facebook etc thinking they are having a conversation with the consumer, when in effect they are just continuing to push their one-way communication onto them in a more intrusive manner - this is the arena where consumers want honesty, feedback and interaction, not one liner solutions to their problems which of course happens to be that you should purchase their product!

Social media is certainly proving successful for many brands, in particular I believe it works well for brands who previously took risks on new media, back in the day when brands were deciding to develop a website or not or whether to use the latest ambient media. However, for brands whorped in the TV arena it may be too soon to take the risk of social media. The figures of interacting in the online world (success stories aside) do not reflect the achievement of traditional media.......however many brands are neglecting to identify that their impact on these smaller numbers of consumers is hugely significant in comparison, the dialogue on a deeper level carries far higher return on investment in the long term then the frequency or reach achieved through a traditional campaign.

Whilst brands continue to neglect to see that, then the risk will remain too high.

Can cheaper prices really substitute good service? It would appear so for Dixons.

2009-10-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

The recent campaign from Dixons is quite frankly amazing. The outdoor campaign which describes the perfect experience you receive from say the Selfridges HiFi section, which it explains in enough detail that you know which stores they are referring to without actually referencing them. After the description of the ideal service and experience, it advises you to go to Dixons to get it a lot cheaper.

Dixons say cleverly what everybody thinks, everybody wants to be treated well in-store and be shown the best features of their desired product and to be spoken to by assistants like they take a joy in speaking to you, rather than like this is their part time job and couldn't give a monkeys about you unless you are guaranteed to give them commission within the next 5 minutes. It uses their negatives and turn these into something a consumer is willing to accept. We all know price is the most important factor in most purchase decisions, especially in times like these.

This campaign reminds me of the findings from my dissertation which looked at why consumers choose one airline over another and whether loyalty was possible. Most respondents described their perfect experience on a trip and usually said they prefer flying BA or Virgin, but then when asked who they actually fly with the majority would always say they would sacrifice the experience if it means they can save some money, so Ryanair basically.

Although, for long haul flights many would prefer and be willing to pay for a more expensive airline to receive the higher standard of service, as it was a longer journey so didn't feel the sacrifice was worth the money saved with a cheap airline. I think this would be true in other incidents, Dixon's campaign works perfectly for them, but for items more pricy I think this campaign wouldn't be as successful. For example, car research shows that the after service received is a big factor in choosing a car, so I think most people would pay more for a car to be treated well when they need it after, rather than get a cheaper price.

Deciding to not conform to the normal 'ideal woman'.

2009-10-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Today I have gone from being blonde as I have been for my life so far, I decided to go a deep red. When I consulted people close to me of their opinion before deciding to have it done, it made me think about the perception our society gives us. Although I still chose to go red, several men made the comment of red hair not being natural etc etc. So then I tried to find people with red hair to see if it worked well with their complexion - I realised that TV, film and adverts we engulf ourselves with everyday tend to only feature the typically slim blonde or brunette figures. I have never believed that advertising can make somebody do something, I believe it's an informative communication to enable consumers to make their own decisions. However, there is clearly a perception in media which we sub-consciously accept as the norm and anything outside of that is 'making a statement'. Well now is the time to not fit the perception of 'the ideal woman' and be a striking red!! You never know, we may see a girl with deep red hair on an advert soon without it being an advert for hair colourant.

Average londoner wakes 6.04am - why do 'The Times' care?

2009-10-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Being a daily viewer of tube adverts, I particularly enjoyed a current outdoor advert by 'The Times'. This advert informs the reader that "the average londoner wakes up at 6.04am, 54 mins before the average for the UK, which is why it is so great that the times guarantee delivery before 7am." Now I don't read the times or any paper in the morning as I don't have time, but I took the time to read the entire advert because it caught my interest by telling me something I didn't know and although it was grouping me with fellow londoners, it still felt like a personal message to me. It made me think about the time I get up in the morning and once that thought had passed and the interest of knowing that the average londoner gets up 26 minutes before me, it was linked into a brand message which was of specific relevance to the message of interest. I thought well, if I did get a morning newspaper it is good to know I would be able to get The Times before I leave.

I hadn't intended to blog about this advert as I thought perhaps I was being slightly sad! but when I got off the tube one day walking along the platform, I saw a woman begin to read it as she walked by, but then she actually stopped to finish reading the advert before continuing on exiting the station. We see thousands of adverts a day, so being able to make a person pause in their routine and take attention to what that brand has to say is magnificent. Regardless of the reach or frequency, this advert shared something of use and interest to that consumer whilst delivering their own branding message. If only more adverts could combine their objective with giving something back to the consumer then we could be on to a winner.

how to achieve your ultimate fantasy.........car.

2009-08-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Audi and Fiat are both looking to consumers for inspiration for their future models. With Audi using facebook to source 'young' consumers to tell them how they see their car keeping them digitally connected with the world in 2030 to develop a youth oriented car in 2030.

Fiat back in 2006 asked their Brazilian market to tell them how they saw Fiat's cars over the next 30 years, and due to its success, they have now set up a specific website www.fiatmio.cc asking the public to submit designs for their next Fiat vehicle.

These are both superb ideas because for the majority of car owners it is not just an A to B function, it is a symbol of their personality, a reflection of their lifestyle and most importantly the image they wish others to perceive of them. Cars are a perfect example of materialistic purchases of this world. Due to this fact many people have strong opinions on the best features of their current or dream car. A car is not a spontaneous purchase, it is an investment with detailed research conducted before purchase, each aspect of a car's spec is analysed and compared from car to car.

Therefore, consumers are perfect for offering their input in how a car should be designed, they know exactly what they want. Each person submitting their ideas to Audi or Fiat is going to feel as though these brands care about their years of 'knowledge' in researching cars and even if their design isn't chosen, subconsciously the level of involvement of submitting their thoughts and personal communication with the brand, will lead to positive association with the brand and should be front of mind when they make their next purchase. Not only that, the brilliance of this campaign is that the word of mouth created will be incredible. These campaigns are an excellent example of how to engage consumers with their brands and going the extra mile for the consumer to be truly number one!

Augmented Reality - not just for geeks.

2009-08-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Augmented Reality is becoming increasing popular with brands, and for good reason. Revolution gives their top ten examples(http://www.revolutionmagazine.com/news/913358/Augmented-reality-top-ten-campaigns-so-far/) including the BMW Z4 example at number 1.

Currently I believe augmented reality works best for brands either offering high involvement products/service such as cars as we saw in the BMW example, mobile phones, household products such as a sofa and computers. Alternatively, brands with products/campaigns which offer an amusement/fun experience for the consumer, such as the Oasis AR example featuring the Ducks from their TV campaign.

Augmented Reality works well for both these type of brands because they are of highest interest to the consumer compared to standard FMCG for example. AR requires currently a level of involvement and time to download the software/app etc by the consumer so unless they require further information or enjoy engaging with a brand in more detail, then they are unlikely to be intrigued enough to participate in AR. AR is a pull media, which when done effectively can add increased value for the consumer experience and brand recall. The enjoyment of using AR by the consumer could be enough to sway them to switch their brand loyalties and re-adjust their attitude towards a brand. AR is clearly going to further expand in the coming years and move away from being a niche effective with early adopters and expanding mass market, perhaps even with the older generations.

I-phone applications - another short-lived distraction?

2009-07-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

Revolution recently wrote an article regarding I-phone's 1 year anniversary of the App store being developed and their 5 key facts. One of these was: "In May 2009 Pinch Media analysed 30 million iPhone app downloads and discovered that only 5 per cent of users will open either a free or paid app 30 days after the initial download."
(http://www.revolutionmagazine.com/news/919661/Apple-App-Store-top-five-facts/)

More and more brands are developing applications which can be downloaded on the I-phone but yet surely if only 5% use it after 30 days, then surely the benefits the brand thinks it's achieving is wasted. Applications offer a high novelty factor atm for consumers, and there are still many to be developed which have a unique feature. On the one hand, brands are providing applications that meet a desire and enjoyment for I-phone users, however this is short lived. Any long term brand message, interaction or engagement appears to be limited for a brand regardless of how fascinating their application is. With there being millions available to download, there is no reason for consumers to continue to use a select few, when there are so many more to be enjoyed!

I think for brands to ensure they are within at least the 5% of consumers who do continue to use them, then there application needs to satisfy a functional need and not just be a temporary novelty and excitement. For example, Pizza Hut recently developed an application which allowed you to order a pizza, this serves as a use for the consumer. People downloading this application are likely to have high consumption levels of the brand and this simply allows them to enjoy their product through a faster and easier option than having to go or call the store. Another example is the Spotify application soon to be available on the I-phone, this is great for a different reason. What they are offering is no different to what they do online now, but it gives consumers another media outlet which they can use the service from, and with the usage time on the I-phone being high then this application is likely to be utilised.

My advice for brands to maintain consumer usage of their application, is yes to be a novelty and fun but also provide a function and purpose that is needed on a frequent basis for the consumer. Brands cannot push their message onto consumers, they need to add value to their experience.

Cancer Research ad - Is holding the tears back enough to give to charity?

2009-07-27T04:51:00.001-07:00

I was mid conversation with my best friend when I saw this advert, and half way through it both of us stopped talking and watched the advert. I found it extremely hard not to cry during watching this advert. This Cancer Research Advert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUQo3m3tGB0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceblog%2Ecancerresearchuk%2Eorg%2F2009%2F07%2F10%2Fwhat%2Ddo%2Dyou%2Dthink%2Dof%2Dour%2Dnew%2Dad%2Dcampaign%2F&feature=player_embedded) is incredible, I think for anybody watching it the advert pulls on all your heartstrings and with 1 in 3 people knowing someone with Cancer I think everyone watching will relate to their own tragic realities of dealing with cancer, I know I certainly did.

Yet even though this advert hit a cord with me and I did think strongly about donating, I still didn't make the time to actually donate. There is always an excuse of being 'too busy'! which is dreadful and embarrassing, but I think this may be the case for many people. I believe once mobile and internet advertising is used more frequently by charities, this will give viewers an instant call to action, and I think there will be much higher donations. The problem currently is, it's all to easy to be shocked in the moment, but then remembering that desire to donate long enough to make a call or log onto the site online to part with money has too big a time window, which leads to the thought being forgotten.

I do not agree with any charity advert being banned, I think the more realistic the better. But...... food for thought - previously I have written about the Women's Aid advert which was banned for being too violent to watch, but why is it that no charity adverts are banned for being too emotionally upsetting? Cancer Research discusses death, having to tell family members you are ill, and uses emotionally upset cancer sufferers to get their message across which is allowed by the ASA. However, Keira Knightly showing the reality of being beating up by your loved one with no-one around being slightly aware of your home problems, is banned by the ASA. Neither should be banned, but whether its violence, implying possible death or upset sufferers these all evoke emotion and distress for the viewer and one rule should not be applied to one emotion over another.

Can Bing prove their worth against Google?

2009-07-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

With Google dominating 90% of search last month it isn't looking too hopeful for competitors entering the market. However, I am particularly impressed with Bing and their alternative revenue model to Google. Whilst on the first page of search Google display 5 to 6 adverts, Bing are only displaying 3 adverts. This offers a much less cluttered environment for advertisers which research has shown Bing to have a higher Click Through Rate compared to Google and it has also been found that consumers have found Bing's adverts more relevant than through Google, which at times display adverts for companies meeting the broad context of the search term rather than accurate recommendations.

Bing's current dilemma is that although they have these advantages over Google, they don't have anywhere near as many visitors using their search engine, with many articles suggesting that there is not enough of a difference/advantage for users to change their current behaviour and to ultimately switch search engines. With reviewers remarking that Bing in many areas offers a better service than Google, the $100 million Bing have invested might cut through the clutter enough for their USP to be understood by consumers, shifting a high enough percentage of users to make their revenue model profitable.

I disagree with monopolies being allowed online, and many competitors to Google have come and gone. I hope Bing can prove their worth to users.

Class of 2009 - where can the graduate talent thrive?

2009-07-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Having been a graduate only a year ago and I have quickly noticed the lack of uptake in graduates this year taken by most in the industry (with a few exceptions). I completely understand why companies are unable to employ graduates at this difficult time. An acquaintance once told me it is a minimum of two years before an organisation makes any return from a graduate due to continual training and support needed through that time, so on paper I identify that graduates don't appear to be the best prospect. Although I am biased, I have to disagree. I believe the talented graduates given the opportunity are the ones that can give the perspective that may not have been considered before, or the spark to an idea which was lacking that something 'extra'.

It worries me that the apparent freeze on graduate uptake in many cases will mean the lose of fantastic talent that given the right leadership and guidance, could be the minds and brains behind the future strategies and campaigns, that people live in ore of. Yes, for those who truly want it will wait, but unfortunately due to the need for a living many will end up in alternative industries.

I have come from a degree where 90% of students end up in the industry, because doing Advertising and Marketing Communications at Bournemouth is only completed by students who already know in their mind many years before, that working in this industry is the only possible career choice for them. Otherwise they wouldn't undergo the intensity and competitiveness of this course.

For those at Cambridge or Oxford, who 'fall' into Advertising I hold no sympathy for. It is my fellow students who I taught as part of being a Peer Assisted Leader that I know dream and will be the superb Account Directors/Creative Directors/Marketing Managers of the future who have to postpone their life goals due to a lack of support from the industry in investing in Graduates. I wish those studying AMC the best of luck, and trust me if you work hard enough the break you dream of will come to you. Don't ever give up on your dream, prove why you are worth investing in.

'Listening Post' - will the real consumer please stand up?

2009-06-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Having visited the 'Listening Post' cleverly developed by Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin, which the Science Museum explain as "a ‘dynamic portrait’ of online communication, displaying uncensored fragments of text, sampled in real-time, from public internet chatrooms and bulletin boards"

A similar idea to this was demonstrated at the TED a couple of years ago which developed detailed graphs and breakdowns of the emotions expressed through online blogs. There are hundreds of emotions both of these projects visually show.

Brands are fixated with knowing the demographic and quantifiable data, which can allow them to target consumers in a group, as if they were an individual because they are a similar demographic and have similar lifestyles. Therefore, assumptions are made to target them the same way. Hundreds of surveys are carried out yearly to capture not only quantitative data but also qualitative data which is meant to show the 'true' consumer.

But the real consumer masks their true & real identity behind the perception society has forced them to display to the world, but through their blogs and 'hidden' identity online their true opinions, concerns and feelings are shown. Both the projects above could provide targeting of consumers through the real-time emotions they demonstrate online. Obviously, for effective results a brand in question would need to perfectly pair with that emotion for it to not be an intrusion.

I recognise the logistical problems with this concept, but just think.......by reaching the consumer whilst they share online real-time emotion and opinions true to them (without the probe of a researcher!) would be a step further to completely 'connecting' with the consumer.

Britain's Got Talent - Sponsorship

2009-05-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Having read criticism over last nights 'Britain's Got Talent' regarding it putting too much pressure on children, following Holly's crying outburst on live TV, clearly due to uncontrollable nerves. This got me thinking about the effect of this on their sponsorship. It raises the question of how sponsors should react when the content of their programme is being criticised by the media and public.

Now in this case, I don't feel it would have a knock on effect on Domino's (current sponsor). However, had this been a more prestigious brand who prides itself on its values, good ethics etc maybe it should be thought twice about sponsoring a program featuring live TV.

The beauty of pre-recorded programming is the sponsor can ensure they feel the content of their programme would be approved/accepted by their demographic and ties in correctly with their brand values and culture.

'Britain's Got Talent' brings into question the reliability of sponsoring a live programme where the content is harder to be censored before hand by the Sponsor. Big Brother is an excellent example with the racism scandal which raised huge concerns for their sponsor.

Feeding kids meat is child abuse.....apparently.

2009-05-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Peta re-launched an outdoor campaign in response to the recent news story regarding Leanne Salt, weighing in at 30 stone who has been feeding her children chicken nuggets and burgers since they were six months old. The advert states 'Feeding kids meat is child abuse' and 'fight the fat... go veg.'

I have to credit Peta for its quick response to a current issue in the media, and I am sure due to the criticism which Leanne Salt received this campaign had significantly increased impact compared to if it had been shown six months prior.

However, stating 'feeding kids meat is child abuse' is undoubtedly not statistically proven and 'fight the fat.... go veg' is a broad sweeping statement. I agree that lowered consumption of meat and a well balanced diet for children will decrease their risk of obesity, but suggesting the only way to not have an obese child is to completely withdraw them from consuming meat is completely fabricated.

Therefore, I believe this campaign although will achieve awareness for their organisation, long term the lifestyle change Peta aim to achieve is unrealistic and this campaign will have a low percentage of parents shifting from meat consumers to full pledge vegetarians in the hope their kids won't be obese. In this case, the shock appeal is unlikely to have the desired outcome.

2009-05-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Johnson & Johnson One Touch (blood glucose monitor) teamed up with the Diabetes charity for the 'Word in your hand' campaign. They received over 1,700 submissions of sufferers who wrote on their hand one word describing how diabetes had effected them. This campaign is inspirational, offering emotion, true feeling & meaning to a disease affecting millions across the globe. It offers an understanding to those who do not suffer from Diabetes to understand what their friends and family are going through who are Diabetic.

This digital campaign engaged with consumers in a selfless manner bringing hundreds of sufferers together as a community. J&J One Touch should be proud of clearly demonstrating the seriousness of Diabetes and the daily effect it has on its sufferers.

For more information: http://www.creamglobal.com/casestudy.cfm?i=13

Women's Aid Advert - Keira Knightly

2009-04-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Keira Knightly has recently appeared in an impactful Advert for Women Aid. See Link below to watch the advert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctoZbeD-GlY

This advert pulls on all the right heart strings. Similar adverts such as the recent Barnados advert have the shock and fear appeal, but the difference with this advert is that it puts into perspective the reality of how frequently domestic violence occurs in the home and doesnt just affect those in poverty, but can be 'powerful' women who to the outside world don't show any signs of the troubles going on in their personal life.

The timing of this advert with the recent revelation of suggested domestic violence towards Rihanna increases the relevance and significance of the message demonstrated in the Women Aid's advert excellently by Keira Knightly.

Google Street View - Has 'Big Brother' gone too far.

2009-04-07T13:46:00.001-07:00

Google Street View ..... good or bad concept. For me the negatives outweigh the positives. The idea doesn't seem to follow any sensible logic. So many images have shown unfair representations of an area. For example, I only rent and don't live in a great area but in the image of my home there are a bunch of kids... well being kids outside, which some may consider a 'youth gang', well if I wished to sell my home if I owned it I don't think it gives a great or true representation of the area 99% of the time if they were to google street view the post code.

Obviously some may argue that this benefits people wishing to buy a home as they can get a feel for what the area is like.... I know a few others who could benefit from these images.... burglars. I don't think I need to be a genius to cotton on to this. Close up images of houses and the surrounding street which a burglar can study in detail in the comfort of their own home. No need for snooping around the street before hand, all can be achieved online!

Also, several stories have been released showing people perhaps not in their best light! Such as people being drunk at midday, or a chap having an affair with his wife's best friend! Now I know Google says you can have your face blurred/image removed but to have that done you need to know exactly which images you are in, and street view is done across london (and other major cities) so that would take a lot of browsing to check if you are in any of the images. The activities that people get up to on their own time is entirely up to them and I don't think it is googles 'place' to reveal those activities.

I think the concept of 'big brother' in this case has been taken too far, and I may be proven wrong but so far evidence shows it will only hinder us.

RIP Facebook

2009-03-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is the first blog which I have developed independently (previously participated heavily in www.cemp.ac.uk) I have wanted to develop my own blog for a few years and I can, now that I have more free time due to the fact that I have just deleted my facebook account! Shock, Horror - I am still a fully functioning human being. So I have decided to move my addiction from Facebook, to my very own blog!

I have considered removing my facebook before and have had my password changed to see how I would cope - previously not very well! Due to the event requests, photos, daily gossip etc - I have always felt the need to go back and get my daily hit! Or to be precise several daily hits.

So what pushed me over the edge to finally kill the addiction? Well, being in advertising I am all to aware of the behavioural targeting used on Facebook for their advertising. I have always managed to counteract this by having as little personal information available on my profile as possible. However, since the recent new design there is now a larger space allocated on my profile & home page for advertisers which I personally find intrusive, I take great passion in advertising but reading daily - 'single in London.....click here', I don't need reminding thanks very much!

However the main reason for me deciding to leave Facebook is, that it no longer serves a purpose. Having moved over to a real-time feed has resulted in me reading about friends on my homepage who I haven't spoken to in 2 years but randomly added when Facebook was cool for finding friends from the past. I happen to now have to read about them because they changed their status 2 minutes ago. Due to the fact that the frequency of Facebook status changing more than any other functionality of Facebook, means my homepage is just filled with meaningless self-involved 'status' of people I would refer to as acquaintances rather than friends.

Also maybe this is just me, but Facebook has become a grown-up bullying playground! As an independent person who has close friends rather than a gigantic social group, Facebook just allows me to see on a daily basis that my old 'uni' friends are all very close still, except for me. Yes I do see them every few weeks but I am what one would refer to as the 'tag' along friend to make up the numbers, which I accept as I like my own space and time so I brought this on myself and not being included in the banter is fine, I just would rather not know the fact that I am not included in it. This way, I might stand a chance of giving my 'unlimited texts' a run for it's money, rather than it laughing in my face.

Another thing, it's funny how no one knew when my birthday was until two years ago! - The beauty of Facebook. This of course has benefited me too, and I now will have to try and remember the dates of birthdays rather than depend on Facebook. But this way, at least a friend will know I actually remembered.

I have read several articles about Facebook retaining details for 3 years and once I deleted the account they informed me that I can come back at any time and all my information will be there, all I had to do was put in my email address and password - surely this is just signing in!! So to ensure that I was fully deleted, I spent an entire day deleting every single wall post, email, video, group joined and photo from the last 3 years! - 1300 photos take a long time to un-tag!

I am sure I won't be starting a 'let's all leave Facebook' trend but I realised that I was still using Facebook and checking daily out of habit rather than enjoyment. I intend to use this blog to continue my passion for advertising and I hope that those who read it enjoy my rants or raves....but don't search me on Facebook because I can proudly say i will no longer be there.........