#MarketingTitbits – how top retailers are using Pinterest, before they were famous & subliminal messaging in logos

1. A year on, how do the top 10 UK retailers use Pinterest?
Since its launch in 2010, Pinterest has become the third largest social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter with 11million visits a week. The majority of its users are female and the most popular topics on Pinterest are interior design and cookery.

Despite this, it is not only housewives that use Pinterest; it is becoming increasingly popular amongst brands as well. Companies can promote new products and increase brand awareness by pinning photos that inspire them and are likely to inspire others as well.

We think Pinterest can be as beneficial to you as it can be to the likes of Marks & Spencer and Debenhams, but if you have no idea where to start then have a look at how the top 10 UK retailers use Pinterest.

Click here

2. Ads made by film directors before they were famous

Some film directors start out on the production side of films, as lighting technicians and production assistants. However, sometimes they get in to the film industry by taking director roles for things such as television adverts and music videos – they don’t just jump into the best jobs without doing the less glamorous ones first.

This week, we saw a great article which rounds up 6 great adverts directors made before they were famous. To have a look at them, click here.

3. Subliminal messages in 15 popular logos

Subliminal messages affect the unconscious mind. They come in the form of images being flashed quickly across our field of vision so that we don’t consciously take note of them, audio messages that are masked by other sounds and images hidden inside another image or logo.

From Coca-Cola to Amazon, logos that we see every day contain subliminal messages! Have a look at this article which highlights 15 of them.

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#MarketingTitbits – ‘Line’ the next big messaging App, Google launch marketing course & 10 bizarre businesses

1. Messaging app ‘Line’ takes on WhatsApp & Viber with 200million + usersIf you want to make free phone calls and send free messages to your friends then Line could be the app for you. What makes Line different from the plethora of other communication apps out there is its ability to allow users to send free unique stickers and emoticons.

Since Line launched two years ago it now has in excess of 200million users and is the most downloaded app in over 40 countries, putting it alongside WhatsApp and Viber. Line’s success with stickers has prompted the likes of Facebook and Path to add similar functions to their services.

If you want to know more about the next big thing – Line, then click here.

2. Do a course in Google marketing for £1000

Google has announced that it will launch an internet course to help people to get into the marketing and advertising industries. The course, which is based at the Squared office on Tottenham Court Road, has already been trialled in the ‘real world’ in the form of 6 week full time courses with graduate workers from London’s marketing and advertising agencies.

As of August 22nd the course will be available online so that anyone can access it from home.

If you are interested in Google’s new course and want to learn more then click here.

3. 10 bizarre businesses that you didn’t know existed

You probably never knew any of these strange businesses existed. But all over the world people are finding weird and wonderful ways to meet the needs of their clients and make some money while they’re at it. Perhaps it’s the tough economic climate that inspired these entrepreneurs to do what they love and perhaps their weird business ideas will inspire you to do something you love – no matter how obscure it is!

Who would have thought there was a demand for cheese sculpting?

10 Bizarre Businesses.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – e-books as a marketing technique, entrepreneurs on LinkedIn and ‘Good to Great’

1. Using free books as a marketing strategy
As more and more blogs flood the internet, it is becoming even harder for bloggers to stand out from the crowd. However, a new trend is emerging in the world of blogging and this is the creation of free e-books.

It would be fair to say that some e-books are used as a tool to capture potential customers’ contact data so they can be subscribed to marketing lists, but they don’t have to be used this way. We have found an interesting article that explains the benefits of creating an e-book and exactly how to do it. If this takes your fancy then click here.

2. How these leading entrepreneurs use LinkedIn

It would be fair to say that one of the most frequently asked questions we get about LinkedIn is how to use it effectively if you are not in the recruitment industry. The benefits of LinkedIn for recruiters are plain to see by all; however, other professionals can struggle to understand how to harness this powerful social media platform to raise their profile and enhance their business.

Rather than us tell you what we would do, we thought it would be helpful to hear from the horse’s mouth how these 9 successful entrepreneurs are using the platform to increase the engagement and consumption of their content,  to aid the achievement of their professional and business goals.

How we use LinkedIn

3. ‘Good to Great’ – a must read for business owners

Jim Collins’ ‘Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t’ is one of those business books that is a must read for all entrepreneurs and business owners with intentions of building a special business.

The book identifies 8 key traits and experiences that have helped a number of well known companies make the jump from being merely good to standout performers in their industry. What makes the findings so important and credible is that they were the result of a rigorous 5 year research exercise, not the subjective opinion of one person, as is so often the case with these type of books. Whether you are a business just starting out or an established SME looking to make that leap, we guarantee you will take something away from this book, which will help transform your business.

To take a look, visit ‘Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t’.

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#MarketingTitbits – Facebook campaigns by Ikea, ‘Brick by Brick’ and tips on being social media savvy from Richard Branson.

1. Six awesome examples of Facebook campaigns by Ikea
Ikea is the world’s largest furniture retailer, amassing sales last year of £186 billion, selling ready to assemble furniture in 38 countries around the world. Unsurprisingly, Ikea has managed to attain a pretty impressive social media fan base over the years with millions of Facebook fans and hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers, particularly impressive for a furniture retailer!

We found this great article, which showcases six inspirational examples of Facebook campaigns from Ikea. To have a look click here.

 

2. What can your company learn from Lego?

Founded in 1932, Lego is one of the oldest plastic toys in the world. Today, Lego is an iconic brand and one of the most successful and popular toys of all time, with 80 Lego bricks for every one man, woman and child on the plant today!

David Robertson’s new book, Brick by Brick, tells the story of the family owned company from Denmark, about how they grew steadily for years until the 1990s, when they struggled to compete with new technologies. The book follows Lego through the harder times, when in 2003 they nearly went bankrupt, with the company seeing its biggest loss in history. However, Lego managed to save itself and companies of all sizes can learn a lot from David Robertson’s account of the journey.

http://www.robertsoninnovation.com/brick-by-brick/

3. Richard Branson on being social media savvy

Sir Richard Branson is perhaps the most familiar current British entrepreneur on the world stage. He is the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group and began his very first business venture at the ripe old age of 16. However, to achieve his success he has had to keep up with the times, something that he has done incredibly successfully.

Despite being 63 years old, there are many things that we can learn about being social media savvy from Richard Branson and he regularly shares his advice and business experience with anyone and everyone who is willing to take it.

We have found this article that highlights Richard Branson’s main points around how to harness social media and we think it is really worth a read. If you would like to read more thenclick here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Worst smartphone event ever, 100 inspirational quotes and 8 reasons to love Marmite’s markting.

Worst smartphone event ever? – 20 people injured at LG G2 launch
Most of us will be familiar with LG, the South Korean multi-national conglomerate that makes electronics, chemicals & telecom products and distributes them across 80 countries worldwide. The company, the product of a merger between companies Lucky and Goldstar, is also famous for its marketing slogan ‘Life’s good’. However, a couple of weeks ago, life most definitely was not, when LG launched their new G2 smartphone in South Korea. The seemingly innocent launch event in Seoul did not go to plan.

The idea was simple – they had around 100 balloons, each with a voucher for a free LG G2 smartphone attached. They promoted the event through social media and as a result hundreds of people arrived to try and get a free smartphone. However, they did not anticpiate the extremes to which people went to grab themselves a balloon. People came armed with BB guns and bug-catching nets, one woman even took along a spear!

As a result, 20 people were injured with LG offering to pay for any medical expenses. How many smartphones were claimed? None – all of the balloons flew away! Probably best not to ask the people injured that day if ‘Life’s Good’!

Top 100 inspirational quotes

“[A] quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business.” – A.A. Milne

For that reason we thought we’d share with you the top 100 inspirational quotes from Forbes, enjoy!

Love it or Hate it

In the 19th century, the product that was to become Marmite was invented by a German scientist called Justus von Liebig. In 1902 the Marmite Food Extract Company was formed in Staffordshire. The name ‘Marmite’ came from the French word (maʁmit) for a large cooking pot – which can still be seen on the front of every marmite jar. Marmite was so popular during World War I that British troops were issued Marmite as part of their rations.

Marmite’s very first advertising campaign began in the 1930s with the slogan “The growing up spread you never grow out of.” During the 1980s Marmite was advertised with the slogan “My mate, Marmite”. By the 1990s Marmite had made as many enemies as it had fans, with consumers either loving or hating the spread and in 1996 Marmite launched the “Love it or Hate it” campaign.

In August 2013 Marmite launched a new campaign playing on the idea of Marmite jars being neglected, the slogan being “Love it. Hate it. Just don’t forget it.” We think whether you love or hate Marmite itself you should check out these 8 reasons why you should love Marmite’s marketing!

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#MarketingTitbits – Maria Sharapova changes her name to Maria Sugarpova, Why IT and marketing need to collaborate, only 31 of the top 100 brands are on Tumblr.

1. Maria Sharapova changes her name to Maria SugarpovaTennis player Maria Sharapova recently opened her new confectionary company – selling ‘candy’ in the USA. The company’s name is Sugarpova and the marketing team have already come up with a high profile campaign to promote the brand.

During this year’s US Open tennis tournament, Maria will change her surname to Sugarpova, meaning that during introductions, addresses and match announcements she will be referred to as Maria Sugarpova.  She will also have the company’s logo – bright red lips – embroidered onto her kit during the matches.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time a sports star has changed their name for marketing. In 2005 snooker player Jimmy White changed his name to James Brown – in return for a sponsorship from HP.

2. Why IT and marketing need to collaborate

Marketing and IT departments aren’t typically perceived as being intertwined, but as technology develops, fuelling the creation of new marketing channels in the process, it is becoming increasingly important for these two departments to work closely together to make the most of these new opportunities. Whilst many perceive the role of Marketing to be largely creative, the rise of digital channels and CRM systems, to name but two areas, is resulting in marketers requiring ever more sophisticated IT systems to process, analyse and manage data like never before.

IT departments are not best placed to decide what data needs to be captured, stored and processed usefully and requires Marketing’s direction to help develop the necessary systems and processes. The phenomenal and rapid rise to prominence of digital media has meant that many businesses and marketing departments are struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of information available for capture and this is where a close relationship with IT can really come into its own.

We have found this interesting article about how and why we need to bridge the gap between IT and Marketing. To read more click here.

3. Only 31 of the top 100 brands are on Tumblr

The name Tumblr comes from the word ‘tumblelogs’, which means ‘short-form blogs’. Founder of Tumblr, David Karp, introduced the tumblelogging platform in 2007 and within two weeks Tumblr had gained 75,000 users.

In early June 2012, Tumblr launched its first major brand advertising campaign in conjunction with Adidas and since then many different brands from all over the world use Tumblr. Big brands such as Land Rover, Coca-Cola, Vans, Barbie and Disney Pixar use Tumblr well, promoting their brand and new products, as well as engaging with their customers. However, only 31 of Interbrand’s top 100 global brands have accounts on Tumblr at all, when 100% of them have Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Have a look at this article we found from Mashable with illustrates all the different statistics about brands using Tumblr.

 

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What your SME can learn from ‘Guerrilla marketing’

What your SME can learn from ‘Guerrilla marketing’

blog-image4In today’s competitive business environment, winning new business and attracting potential customers is a challenge. In order to set themselves apart from the competition, many larger organisations have adopted innovative campaigns, taking inspiration from ‘Guerrilla marketing’ and social media, to help raise their brand awareness and keep up-to-date with the changing lifestyles of their consumers.

Over the next few months, we will be sharing 3 tools used by big businesses that SMEs can develop and add to their own marketing mix. The first instalment focuses on ‘Guerrilla marketing’ and how original campaigns can help move your business forward.

The concept of ‘Guerrilla marketing’ came from the idea that imagination, time and energy could be used to create great marketing, as opposed to a big budget. ‘Guerrilla marketing’ can often make a far more impact on consumers when compared against more traditional forms of marketing. Tools such as flash mobs, floor stickers, videos and 3D art have been used to help generate publicity and that vital social buzz.

Take a look at some of the best ‘Guerrilla marketing’ campaigns for inspiration

1. Doses of happiness

Coca-Cola installed ‘The Happiness Machine’ into the cafeteria of a University in America, but when students pressed the button for a bottle of Coke, they got more than they expected. Hidden cameras filmed the spontaneous reactions of students as the machine dispensed goodies including flowers, pizzas and sunglasses to unsuspecting students.

2. Unlock the 007 in you. You have 70 seconds.

During the run up to the release of last year’s James Bond film, Skyfall, Coca-Cola came up with another fun and innovative campaign. When buying a Coke Zero, the vending machine at a train station gave the customer the option of whether they would like the chance to win tickets for the Skyfall premiere. If yes, the message then appeared “You have 70 seconds to get to platform 7…” but Coca-Cola made sure it wasn’t that easy for each contender and staged a series of obstacles to distract them from their mission.

3. ‘Carlsburg don’t do litter….’

‘Guerrilla marketing’ doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. Carlsburg made a huge impact merely with stickers. Carlsburg added a sticker to £5000 worth of £10 notes and released them into circulation. The stickers said “Carlsburg don’t do litter. But if they did, it would probably be the best litter in the world.” As a result, the campaign received huge media interest. Who wouldn’t like free money?

Carlsberg Ten Pound Note

4. ‘Chalk’ Homer

During the run up to the release of The Simpsons Movie in the UK, one of the UK’s most famous landmarks, the fertility God carved into a chalk hillside in Dover, got a new neighbour. Overnight, a 180ft Homer Simpson appeared next to the fertility god. People couldn’t decide whether it was an act of vandalism or pure genius! Either way, it served as a huge promotion for the film, without an expensive price tag.

Chalk Homer

5. ‘Weighing for the bus’

Fitness First in the UK wanted to increase their gym membership, so instead of targeting people with the usual flyers and promotions, Fitness First went a step further. The fitness brand decided to target people who were waiting at the bus stop by fitting a scale into the bench. When the unsuspecting victim sat down on the bench their weight would be projected onto the screen next to them. A cruel or effective way of telling people they need to lose weight?

Weighing for the bus

Obviously, we don’t condone illegal activity, but the above are great examples of businesses thinking outside the box when it comes to marketing. ‘Guerrilla marketing’ is often ideal for small businesses that need to reach a large audience without breaking the bank. In order for your business to use the concept of ‘Guerrilla marketing’ effectively, it is important to plan and research your idea, whilst weighting up any factors that could back-fire once the campaign is implemented. As always, with all forms of marketing, having a clearly defined target audience that you understand intimately is critical to delivering an effective campaign. Just because you like it or think it is funny, doesn’t necessarily mean it will be appreciated by your target audience. Put yourself in their shoes!

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#MarketingTitbits – Top 10 Nike adverts, Pot Noddle advert banned and obsolete words that should have never gone out of style!

1. Top 10 Nike ‘Just do it’ advertsFounded in 1964, the American multinational corporation, Nike, is now one of the world’s largest suppliers of sports clothing and accessories. Nike aired its very first television advert in 1982 and since then has been the only company to win Cannes Advertising Festival’s Advertiser of the Year award twice, in 1994 and 2003. Nike has also won the Emmy Award for Best Commercial twice since the award was first created in the 1990s.

This year Nike is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its iconic strapline “Just Do It” and we’ve found a great article in Marketing Week, showcasing the top 10 adverts from Nike.

2. Pot Noodle advert banned for being ‘Crass and degrading’

Last week, we came across this article about an advert from Pot Noodle that has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for being ‘crass and degrading’. Now Pot Noddle is not known for the highbrow humour in its advertising, so we were intrigued to see what they had done to cross the line. The advert in question shows a picture of a bikini-clad model being compared to a spicy flavour of Pot Noodle with the question “which one gets you hotter?” The ASA decided that the ‘blatant’ comparison between a girl posing in a ‘provocative’ way and a Pot Noodle was likely to cause ‘serious offence’ to some viewers.

Several complaints about two other Facebook adverts from Pot Noodle were rejected, one of them with the strapline “peel a top off a hottie”. To take a look click here.

3. 18 obsolete words that should not have gone out of style

Have you ever noticed someone groaking at you? Do you know anyone that’s a bit beef-witted? Is your wife with squirrel? Have you got any idea what we’re going on about?

The English language has been evolving since 450AD when what we now call Old English came into use. Since then, Middle English, Early Modern English and Late Modern English have been spoken. With each new faze, new words have come into being, whilst old words become forgotten about.

Some of the words we use today are thousands of years old, for example, historians expect that words such as “I” and “we” have been used since the Stone Age. This week we found an interesting article from Business Insider about obsolete words that they think shouldn’t have gone out of style, to have a look click here.

 

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Free ‘Effective Marketing for SMEs’ seminar

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We are hosting our annual free marketing event at The University of Southampton Science Park on Thursday 21st Nov from 12pm – 2pm.

Working lunch

Join us for a working lunch, as we help SME businesses identify how to make the most of their marketing and generate the biggest bang for their buck.

Marketing for SMEs in 2014

The interactive session will give you insights into how marketing is changing for SMEs and outline what you need to know to enable you to get the results you need in 2014.

We will address a variety of topics, including:

  • Top marketing tips all SMEs should know
  • Is digital marketing rendering traditional methods redundant?
  • Search engine optimisation – the rules have changed
  • Why isn’t our marketing working?
  • How marketing for SMEs is changing and how to move with the times

Places are limited, so reserve yours today to avoid disappointment.

To book your place and for more details, click here.

If you have any questions, please contact Connie on 01962 600 147 or email connie@tlc-business.co.uk.

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