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Archive for the ‘Brand Strategy’ Category« Previous EntriesIn The Drive-In SeatThursday, May 12th, 2011  A unique ‘new’ concept to hit the UK inspires Caroline Harrison this week to think about branding opportunities. Having watched the movie Grease a gazillion times, I’m more than familiar with John Travolta belting out “Stranded at the drive-in”, having just tried to woo Olivia Newton-John and having had his over-enthusiastic advances rebuffed in a rather painful way. Sadly, I myself have never had the chance to go to a drive-in movie. There doesn’t seem to be much of a market for it in the UK. Maybe that has something to do with our dismal weather. Or maybe it’s simply because I didn’t grow up in the 1950s… Either way, for me, there’s something eternally ‘romantic’, ‘cool’, ‘American’ or just plain ‘novel’ about the idea of a drive-in movie. All of which is leading up to my telling you about something that recently caught my imagination. Apparently, a new drive-in movie concept has hit Britain’s capital. The Starlite Urban Drive-In, in East London, lets cinema-goers watch films while seated comfortably in one of a range of shiny new Volvos.  In a city where many people rely on public transport to get around, the good news is that the 25 Volvos are all permanently pre-parked, so (a) you don’t need to drive to the venue and (b) you don’t even need a drivers’ license. A maximum of two people are allowed in each car (how romantic!) and, for £25 per ticket, you get a drink and some popcorn as well as a seat. Meanwhile, the film’s soundtrack is broadcast through the car’s radio and waitresses on roller skates wheel around taking and delivering food and drink orders (how cool!). The only downside is that tickets seem to be the hottest thing in town – two initial screenings of Grease and Dirty Dancing sold out online in 30 seconds – so my chances of going any time soon are fairly slim. As the sole provider of the vehicles, Volvo sees the partnership as a good fit for the brand. It also provides a unique and novel opportunity to reach a younger audience that may not have been exposed to the Volvo brand before. So successful has this new concept been that several major film studios have apparently approached Starlite asking them to show their movie premieres, and a number of other companies are keen to get involved with future sponsorship. When it comes to any kind of promotional, sponsorship or branding opportunity, companies do have to consider their options carefully. Obviously price and anticipated return-on-investment play a large part in the decision, but the arrangement must be relevant to the business, the brand or the company ethos. What’s more, it is also vital that the opportunity puts them in contact with, or firmly places them in the mindset of, their potential target market. But, beyond that, it’s also a great idea to associate your brand with something that’s unique, will have impact and is likely to create a real buzz. As far as I am concerned, that’s just what Volvo has done here. And, who knows, next time I’m on the lookout for a new car, the fun and funky brand that Volvo would appear to be might just now enter my consideration set. Indeed, it might even prove to be “the one that I want.” (Sorry!) Rising BrandsWednesday, October 13th, 2010  And that’s what Toyota looks to have done. After a shaky few months, the car giant looks to have steadied the ship somewhat. Or that’s certainly what the latest BrandIndex report of the Top 20 Most Improved Brands by YouGov indicates. While the brand is still struggling with an overall negative perception, it was the most improved brand in the second quarter of 2010. The Top 10 biggest improvers are shown below:
Brands Increase Their ValueWednesday, June 2nd, 2010  In spite of the global recession, the value of the world’s top 100 brands grew by 4% to now exceed $2 trillion – and has increased by a massive 40% in the last five years. According to the results of the 2010 BrandZ survey, Google retained its position as the world’s biggest brand – a 14% rise in its value taking its total worth to more than $114 billion. IBM, Apple, Microsoft and Coca-Cola fill the other spots in the top 5. Indeed, it is technology brands that have – perhaps not surprisingly – experienced the sharpest growth in value during the past five years, since the first survey was conducted in 2006. Samsung and Chinese search engine giant Baidu were this year’s fastest- and second-fastest-growing individual brands respectively. With the appearance of ICICI, India’s largest bank by market capitalization, for the first time since its inception, the BrandZ Top 100 includes brands from all four of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). In fact, in 2010 there are a total of 13 brands from emerging markets, as opposed to just one of the top 100 back in 2006 (China Mobile – now number 8 in the list and one of seven Chinese brands to appear in this year’s top 100). China Mobile is the top brand from Asia, Telcel the top brand from Latin America, Vodafone the UK’s number 1 brand, SAP continental Europe’s top performer, and Google, of course, representing North America’s finest. The ABCs of market researchFriday, July 24th, 2009
The death of Michael Jackson last month came as a shock to most people. What shocked me more, however, was the flippant claim that came after his death, that the whole thing was a publicity stunt. It is undeniable that his record sales have gone up considerably since his death, but I can’t help think how disturbing and disgraceful it would be to fake your own death in order to sell your name and product. Another story suggesting a publicity stunt has also caught my attention in the past week, which seems to be a more plausible claim. Jamie Neale, the backpacker who went missing in the Australian bush, was found alive after 12 days lost in the Blue Mountains. A miracle? No, say the press and the public – it is a blatant hoax to gain publicity and money. Indeed, it has been predicted that Jamie Neale could sell his story for up to £500,000. We may never know if this story is a hoax or not, but these suspicions emerging in the press certainly got me thinking about the need and desire for publicity, and how far people will actually go to gain press coverage and money. It is not just individuals that will push the boundaries to gain publicity and sales; many companies do it too. There are hundreds of examples of bad marketing with mistakes ranging from ignoring your target audience, to misleading the public, to outright lying. An amusing example that I came across recently comes from a leading energy provider who promised a price guarantee to fix prices until 2011…on the same day as it announced a 35% increase in price! What is it that forces people and companies to submit to such shameful and open displays of dishonesty and deception? Is it really worth risking a brand’s reputation just to sell a few more products? If we think about the long term, it is certainly not worthwhile damaging reputation or excluding potential customers from your brand. It does, however, make sense that if a company is not doing well, it will do everything it can to obtain sales. This is where market research can make all the difference. If market research is carried out sufficiently, it will provide a company with the means to avoid such blatant and shameless subjections to bad marketing and publicity. Market research can show a company exactly who its target audience is and how best to appeal to them without having to risk its dignity or reputation. So, if you have a worthy and quality product that is not selling to its full potential, don’t give in to shocking marketing campaigns and dishonorable publicity stunts to boost sales instantly. Just take some time to do your market research and ultimately your brand will reap the benefits – it’s easy as 123. What’s In A (Changed) Name?Monday, June 1st, 2009
There are many reasons why a company may wish to rebrand. The corporate history books are, however, littered with examples of large-scale renaming gone wrong. At B2B International, we are strong advocates for testing perceptions to re-branding exercises with all key stakeholders within an organisation – Be they customers, shareholders, staff or any other party. Very often, the most effective means for this is through a thorough appraisal of one’s corporate positioning within the market. The following article from last week’s Financial Times, highlights some of the success stories and failures in the world of branding and should make for interesting reading for anyone involved in the subject.
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