Some experts in the UK are estimating that 17% of shopping was done on-line this Xmas, beating all predictions. It’s another sign of how fast things are changing for brands and I was fascinated therefore to read an article in the Times Magazine today, looking at predictions from leading commentators for the year ahead. Supercrunching grabbed [...]
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I recently came across the concept of “Brand Butlers”. It originates from the knowledge that one of the best ways of surprising and delighting customers and getting them talking, is to assist them in smart relevant ways e.g. Charmin providing free Loos in Times Square, Pampers advising mums in Supermarket car parks about how to properly attach Baby Seats to [...]
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Posted in Co Creation, Hardwiring on December 17, 2007 | No Comments »
Well X Factor is over for another year. Did you audition? I didn’t, but I was a Judge last week. Not replacing Simon Cowell… unfortunately. For the Carphone Warehouse. They gave everybody the opportunity to audition for a part in their X Factor sponsorship bumpers last week and become a Judge.
Co-creation, the discipline of leveraging customer skills and expertise [...]
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Posted in Engaging Encounters on December 15, 2007 | No Comments »
I have just returned from an award winning night for my agency in Berlin (well done team). Had a very early start and on the way to the airport yesterday noticed a huge ad in central Berlin for Suzuki’s “Night of Jumps”, offering thrills and spills and the opportunity, I assume, to lay down the deposit [...]
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Google has built a business on it, Radiohead has made money from it - is the future of marketing about giving your product away free?
In a recent survey conducted with Paul Marsden, we identified that 70% of brand advocacy can be linked directly to how much a brand surprises and delights its customers – exceeds [...]
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I’ve run a number of workshops recently with the lofty ambition of turning strong brands into iconic brands. I start by getting the assembled team to give examples of iconic brands and describe their characteristics. The usual suspects appear - Dove, Apple etc. What’s most intriguing is when we start to uncover the building blocks of these [...]
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A study by Nielsen yet again demonstrates the growing power and influence of word of mouth advocacy. Their research conducted amongst over 26,000 people in 47 markets asked consumers to what extent they trusted “advertising” (product promotion) delivered through various communication channels. Recommendations from consumers were top (78%), followed by Newspapers (68%) and consumer opinions posted [...]
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There was an interesting lesson for brand owners last week. Liverpool Football Club’s new owners were put firmly in their place by the club’s supporters. These ardent advocates responded with great passion when the man they call ‘The Rafatollah’ was threatened with the loss of his job. In less than 48 hours over 50,000 signatures [...]
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A little game to start the day - spot the most valuable customer.
Helen (43) has five kids and buys Sunshine, a well known brand of toilet paper that guarantees to bring a smile to your face - everyday! She adores Sunshine and would never buy anything else for her family.
Agnes (53) is also a loyal Sunshine customer. She has never been married and has [...]
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Have just finished David Taylor’s book Where’s the sausage? It’s a light hearted look at how branding should be based on substance not spin and is worth a read.
I met up with David recently and he asked for my thoughts on the subject as a PR exec (Spin Doctor!? ) I think we ended up agreeing? The [...]
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