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Archive for the ‘UK’ Category« Previous EntriesB2B International Announce Opening of London OfficeWednesday, August 18th, 2010  Hot on the heels of a new office in Shanghai, B2B International is to open an office in London – Regent’s Place in NW1 on Euston Road. This will open in September and be focused on sales and project delivery in the South East of the UK and mainland Europe. Director Matthew Harrison explained, “Our Manchester Head Office has been hugely successful over the past 12 years in meeting the needs of our UK and European clients, and will remain at the heart of our business. However, we recognise the benefits a London office will have in terms of our responsiveness to client demands, particularly in the financial sector, which is a key growth sector for us. We have managed to double our annual revenue over the past 4 years, and key to this success has been our geographical expansion from our roots in Manchester into New York and Beijing. Our new ventures in Shanghai and London show how determined we are to ensure this success continues.” B2B International’s consistent growth continued in 2009 despite the difficult economic environment. The company’s turnover increased by 10% and is now approaching the £3.5 million mark. B2B International has experienced year-on-year growth in every year since its formation in 1998. Words ApartFriday, February 5th, 2010 
In this week’s Thursday Night Insight, Julia Cupman explores the importance of language in marketing communications, highlighting that market research is a small price to pay to avoid costly linguistic blunders. I moved to America a couple of years ago and my legal title here is a “resident alien”. No I don’t look like ET, but I have descended from a little island 3,000 miles away where we eat Branston Pickle, Yorkshire puddings and cream teas – otherwise known as Great Britain. As a foreigner in this huge country, my ears have been attuned to the American vernacular. Indeed when one of my friends called me and asked, “How’s it hanging, sister?”, I wondered (a) whether we had metamorphosed into siblings over night, and (b) what exactly she was alluding to as “hanging”? Despite my confusion, I did think, what a friendly country I’m living in! At one point, I was, however, grateful at being considered just a “sister” given that I heard the same friend call another woman her “girlfriend”, only to then discover that ALL my female friends had “girlfriends”. Good grief, I thought, this place is full of love! (If any American readers are confused here, the term “girlfriend” in the UK tends to be more than just a platonic relationship…) Although language can create that sense of community, it has also created a linguistic barrier for me on a number of occasions. For example, I was disgusted and outraged at being offered a “fanny pack” in a store selling outdoor gear. I asked myself whether this was some kind of incontinence bag – until the sales person showed me what us Brits would otherwise call a “bum bag”. (Dude, I know what you’re thinking – this term is no better!) In this country, you want to pay for your meal but you ask for the “check”; you park your car on your “driveway” but drive to work on a “parkway”; you frequent “bathrooms” in which there’s not always a bath; and you “ship” packages across land even though there’s no water transportation involved. But in spite of these absurdities, I’ve conditioned myself to speak the local lingo under the firm belief that when in Rome, you do as the Romans do. These are just a few examples of the linguistic challenges and confusions I have encountered in my time here as an “alien”. In fact, of around the 200,000 English words in common use in Britain, it is estimated that 4,000 have a different meaning or are used differently in the US. So in summary, we speak the same language, but with a myriad of exceptions, foreignisms and alienisms. We are two nations divided by a common language, as Winston Churchill once said, as well as George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, apparently. So what have language discrepancies got to do with marketing? My point is this: for marketers to meet the needs of the market profitably, they have to be able to speak the language of their customers. This might sound simple, but consider the following illustration of how a supplier has clearly failed to talk the talk of its customers. After reading the sign in the photograph below, have a guess at the type of establishment in which this sign is placed, before you read any further.
Believe it or not, the sign is by the swimming pool in the most exclusive hotel here in Westchester, New York. This hotel costs several hundred a night and caters for mainly businessmen and government officials. In displaying a sign forbidding activity from all human orifices, is the hotel not therefore suggesting that these well-to-do people would actually urinate, defecate or release any other bodily substance in the swimming pool had this sign not existed?! What’s more, apart from providing a totally inappropriate message with unsuitable language for its guests, the hotel embarrasses itself further with the non-existent term “expectorting”, which should actually read “expectorating” – otherwise known as coughing or spitting. It cannot be presumed that the language suppliers speak is the language that buyers understand or relate to, especially where international branding or marketing communications are concerned. Indeed Honda only realized the importance of cultural, linguistic nuances after having introduced its new car “Fitta” into Nordic countries in 2001. Had the major car manufacturer invested in cross-cultural market research, it would have discovered that “fitta” was a vulgar, old fashioned word used to refer to a woman’s genitals in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. This, by the way, through a rather circuitous and very expensive route, led to the birth of the Honda “Jazz”. Ikea made a similar mistake in launching a children’s desk called “FARTFULL”. Although this apparently means “speedy” in Swedish, it was an embarrassing blunder given its connotation in English–speaking geographies. Once again, why was research not carried out to test the language and its meaning?
The UK food manufacturer Sharwoods suffered equally costly embarrassment. The company spent £6 We seldom stop to consider the language we use and how countless words and expressions in our branding and communications campaigns can be misinterpreted. This can lead to discrepancies in understanding, sometimes embarrassment such as in the examples above, and a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the message being conveyed. Given the considerable financial resource required for new product development, branding or marketing campaigns, the relatively low cost of market research is a small price to pay to eliminate risk and maximize marketing potential. Impact of Recession Loosens its Grip on London EntrepreneursWednesday, January 6th, 2010  Following Monday’s blog entry we can report that recent market research by B2B International shows that London’s entrepreneurs are more optimistic for 2010 London’s small businesses report that the recession is now having less of an impact on their business and levels of optimism and resilience remain high after the final quarter of the year, according to Business Link in London’s latest Business Confidence Index carried out by B2B International. Although 69% of entrepreneurs tell us they are still affected by the recession, the impact is less significant – only 13% reporting they are extremely affected. This is a significant drop from 21% in July 2009. The quarterly business confidence Index measures business sentiment of over 3,300 small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This unique survey takes into account variations such as industry sector, sub-regional location, business types and business ownership (gender, Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME), Deaf and disabled). Commenting on the Index, Patrick Elliott, Chief Executive of Business Link in London said: “Small businesses have always been resilient during times of economic upheaval due to their ability to adapt quickly. This flexibility, combined with their survival strategies and optimism, are likely to have shielded some businesses from the full force of the recession.” Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: “For the second week running another survey shows London’s small businesses can see light at the end of the tunnel. We have been working hard on their behalf and it is rewarding to see this sustained growth in confidence and to hear that, as we start turning the corner, our businesses are optimistic for the future.” Mr Elliott continued: “However, entrepreneurs are not yet immune to the continuing tough economic climate. A note of caution is necessary to manage the months ahead.” Reduced customer spending and sales generation are still key problems faced by established businesses. However, their impact on businesses has dropped significantly with only 20% concerned with customer spend in October, compared to 36% in July. The food and drink sector is fairing better than it was in July due to increased customer spend. However, we are seeing a gloomier picture for the retail sector as customers cut back on purchases. Declining profits and sales and cashflow constraints top the list of business activities hardest hit by the recession. More home businesses are optimistic than ever before. They are telling us that they are marginally less affected by the recession than other business types (42% vs. 44%) and that they’re inclined to be slightly more optimistic about their overall future (17% vs. 14%). Growth and optimism remain high on the agenda for the majority of those surveyed. The number of businesses looking to grow has increased from over half (59%) in February, to 63% in October. Levels of optimism remain unchanged since July (73% vs. 75%) with almost three quarters of those surveyed continuing to be optimistic about their overall business success. “This cautious optimism is exactly what we advocate. The Index shows that entrepreneurs are refusing to get bogged down in the doom and gloom. Their strategies to tackle the worst impact of the recession are paying dividends,” continued Mr Elliott. Online sales and trading have emerged as popular choices for growth over the next twelve months, making their way into the top 5 strategies considered. Despite this, increased marketing remains the top tactic favoured by businesses. The manufacturing and property sectors are least likely to grow which suggests that they are simply concentrating on survival. Two in five respondents are not planning on making further changes to their business to deal with the recession, an increase of 16% since July (40% vs. 24%). This is further evidence that businesses feel closer to recovery. If you are a London based business and interested in taking part in the next quarterly Business Confidence Index then please e-mail: dbci@b2binternational.com Strong Growth for UK and International Market ResearchWednesday, June 24th, 2009
Not every industry can boast strong growth this year. And within each industry sector, not every geography will have experienced a great 12 months. Yet we are pleased to report that the UK market research industry has this year grown by an impressive 6.2%. According to the Market Research Society’s (MRS) annual survey, the UK market research industry – the second largest in the world – is now worth an estimated £2.16 billion (2008 figures), up from £1.8 billion in 2007. Meanwhile revenue generated from international research grew by a remarkable 12.5%. The 6.2% increase over the past year compares extremely favourably with revenue growth of 2.3%, 2.4% and 2.5% in 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively. Of course, there can be no guarantees about the sector’s growth for 2009. Yet market research – which is arguably even more vital to ensuring the survival and growth of companies, across all industries, when times are hard – has, unsurprisingly, proved itself to be “relatively resilient compared with other disciplines in the marketing services sector,” during previous downturns, according to The MRS Director General. The news that international research is experiencing such an upsurge is pleasing for us at B2B International, yet presents no real surprises. Having conducted b-to-b research across the world for many years now, we have experienced first-hand the increasing desire of many clients to compete on a global scale. With a growing presence in Asia and the Americas over the past few years, B2B International is now even better placed to serve UK clients looking to research international markets. To find out a bit more about our international market research services, click here. Less Is Definitely Not MoreWednesday, June 17th, 2009
In the latest Marketing magazine e-newsletter, bringing us up to date with the top marketing stories from the U.K. and around the world, two stories caught the eye. They focused on two very different industries – food & drink and airlines respectively – but shared a common theme. In the first article, we were told that Mars and Snickers have reduced the size of their chocolate bars, while retaining the same prices. Both have shrunk 7.2% (from 62.5g to 58g), but a Mars bar will still retail for 37p and a Snickers remains at 41p. Nobody is denying that many major corporations are under pressure at the moment. In fact, Ryanair last week reported its first loss for 20 years. But this low-cost airline could easily have decided to increase the price of all its tickets by just a couple of pounds without most customers noticing; instead it has chosen a controversial move which has caused uproar, will deter some customers from even considering flying with the airline in future, and does not position the company particularly favourably. Similarly, the Mars/Snickers strategy is being put in place to help these brands absorb the rising commodity costs they are facing, but their competitors are facing the same challenges and, as yet, have not resorted to such seemingly drastic measures. Never forget how important your customers are. However tough the environment might be for you, things will be just as bad – if not worse – for your customers. Certainly nobody wants to feel they are getting less for more – or even less for the same price – especially at the present time. The most successful companies when this recession ends will be those who have continued to research, understand and satisfy the needs of their customers. This may not mean offering your product at a cut price, but it almost certainly will mean offering value for money. « Previous Entries |
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