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#MarketingTitbits – Snapchat, Christmas, trends

snapchat-xmas-trends-smaller1. The brands that are rocking Snapchat
Over the last few years we have seen an increase in the number of video and photo sharing apps and social networking sites. You are probably already familiar with the likes of Instagram and Pinterest but apps such as Vine and Snapchat are being widely used by people all over the world and if you’re not already using them, you should consider it. We found a great article from Mashable to give you some inspiration that showcases 8 brands that are doing Snapchat really well. To have a look, click here.

2. Christmas Marketing: the best of 2013

Each year, for many people, the beginning of the run up to Christmas is marked by the first time they see the Coca-Cola ‘Holidays are coming’ advert on the television. More recently, the release of the John Lewis Christmas Advert seems to have become an integral part of the festive traditions. Whether you love it or hate it, Christmas inspires some creative and inspirational marketing campaigns. Have a look at some of the best Christmas marketing of 2013.

3. The biggest trends of 2013 – as announced by Facebook

Every year Facebook reveal the biggest trends of that year by gathering data, which is measured by the number of posts that mention a topic, including related hashtags. The worldwide top 10 for this year is as follows:

10. Nelson Mandela

9. Tour de France

8. Boston Marathon

7. Miley Cyrus

6. Flood

5. Harlem Shake

4. Typhoon

3. Royal Baby

2. Election

1. Pope Francis

This looks very different to the top trends of 2013 for the UK. In the number one spot came Andy Murray, with the computer game Grand Theft Auto 5 coming in at number 10.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google, Innocent and valuable brands

Google-Innocent-Interbrand-smaller1. Help celebrate Google’s 15th birthday
September 27th 2013 marked Google’s 15th birthday and they celebrated in classic Google style with an interactive doodle that allowed users to play the Mexican party game piñata. Google also had a retro celebration by publishing a website which replicates the way the search engine looked in 1988. Mashable, the American online magazine have also been celebrating Google’s birthday with a poll on what your favourite Google product is, if you haven’t already voted then click here!

2. Innocent marketing

Right from the very start Innocent’s marketing strategy was unique. In 1999 the three founders created their first smoothies and set up a stall selling them at a music festival. In front of the stall they had two bins, one saying “YES” and one saying “NO”. They asked their customers to put their empty bottle in the “YES” bin if they thought they should quit their jobs to sell smoothies. By the end of the festival the “YES” bin was full and the “NO” bin had only 3 empty bottles in it.

Since then Innocent have gone on to sell over two million smoothies every single week. Last year they sponsored the 2012 Olympics and have proved to be masters of social media and experimental marketing. To read more about how effective they are at marketing click here.

3. The 20 most valuable brands in the world

Last week, Interbrand released their list of the world’s top 100 most valuable brands. For the last 13 years Coca-Cola have been at the very top of the list but this year they have been knocked off the top spot by none other than Apple. To have a look at how Interbrand created this list and to see the top 20 most valuable brands, click here.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – Stella Artois gifting app, some humorous Twitter accounts and 35 books that everyone should read..

  1. Stella Artois launches social media gifting app

Stella Artois, the Belgium larger company who have been brewing larger since 1926, have been notorious for their advertising for years.  Their distinctive European cinematic style shows that their marketing is well thought out and inspiring, they have even used notable directors for their television campaigns, such as Jonathan Glazer.

This year Stella Artois released a new app which lets users send gifts to their friends. Users can buy a voucher code and send it to their friend who can then use it at participating bars and pubs to buy one pint of Stella Artois.

To read the full article from Marketing Week then click here.

2. 10 branded Twitter accounts that raise a laugh

Twitter is now the second most popular social networking site in the world with 500million users and nearly all of the top brands have a Twitter account. However, some brands that are on Twitter still haven’t mastered the art of engaging with customers in conversation on Twitter! If you’re in need of some inspiration on how to create conversations with your customers on Twitter, then have a look at this article we found from Econsultancy, they’ve highlighted some of the brands on Twitter that have a sense of humour and like a laugh.

3. 35 books everyone should read at least once in their lifetime

Oscar Wilde once said “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” For that reason we thought we’d share with you a list of 35 books that everyone should read in their lifetime – at least once.

From a heart wrenching lecture from a dying American professor to the classic To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we think this article is well worth a read, not to mention the books on the list. To have a look click here.

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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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#MarketingTitbits – Top 100 Global Brands, Microsoft vs. Google and Mobile Payment Apps

1. The top 100 most valuable global brands of 2013
The annual BrandZ most valuable global brands list has been released and Apple keeps hold of the top spot for another year.

According to Millward Brown Optimor, the BrandZ list compilers, the Apple brand is worth an eye-watering $185bn.

Peter Walshe, Brandz global director explains the value of a ‘brand’:

“What we see with the most popular or powerful brands is that brand lasts a lot longer, is more robust and doesn’t tend to slip as much, whereas the finances go up and down,”

The Apple brand is ahead of its nearest competitor, Google, by $70bn dollars, demonstrating that despite its recent share price decline, Apple’s brand loyalty still stands it in good stead.

The top 10 looks like this:

Ranking Brand Brand value 2013 ($M)
1 Apple 185,071
2 Google 113,669
3 IBM 112,536
4 McDonald’s 90,256
5 Coca-Cola 78,415
6 AT&T 75,507
7 Microsoft 69,814
8 Marlboro 69,383
9 Visa 56,060
10 China Mobile 55,368

To see the full list click here.

 

2. Don’t get ‘Scroogled’!

When two corporate giants like Microsoft and Google decide to battle it out, the odds are it is going to get nasty. This time it is Microsoft’s turn, in the form of a cutting parody of Chrome’s ‘Now. Everywhere.’ Ad.

The video is the latest iteration of Microsoft’s ‘Scroogled’ campaign, designed to highlight the commercialisation of our data by Google, for its own profits.

It is speculated that the video was only ever designed to be seen internally at Microsoft. You can decide for yourself.

Microsoft’s Chrome Ad Video Parody

Whichever way you decide to view it, it all feels a little bit like sour grapes from Microsoft. For so long the industry bully, Microsoft has not been having it all its own way of late, whilst Google continues to go from strength to strength. Perhaps instead of spending time coming up with videos attacking other companies, Microsoft should focus its resources on creating an operating system people actually want to use!

 

3.  Mobile payments apps to improve customer service

If you are a small business and would like to take credit / debit card payments but don’t want the hassle of setting up card machines and dedicated lines etc. then these handy little apps are for you.

Not over from the US yet, Square is one of the market leaders. It is an app designed for iOS and Android mobile devices, which allows users with the simple addition of a free card reader, to take card payments via their phone or tablet.

Its rival, Intuit, has crossed the pond and offers a very similar experience, except provides a streamlined card reader, with a chip and pin keypad, for users to take card payments.

Whichever app you go for, adding the facility to take card payments to your organisation is a great way of improving your customer experience, making it easier for customers to pay for your services and products.

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Our Top 3 Global Brands

We have previously mentioned that each year Interbrand conducts a survey to help identify the top global brands. The Top Global Brands survey offers insight into how these global organisations create and manage brand value. 2010’s top 30 is made up of some big household names including Toyota, BMW and Louis Vitton.
The top 30 featured many familiar faces but also threw up the odd surprise, however, an old favourite sat at the top of the pile, with Coca Cola shrugging off competition from powerhouse IT and technology brands to take top spot.

1. Coca Cola

Coca Cola’s accessible brand promise of fun, freedom, spirit and refreshment has allowed them to effectively take over the world. From the US to developing countries; you will always see the familiar face of the Coca Cola glass bottle.

Over the last few years Coca Cola has gained over 11 million fans on Facebook as well as 96,385 followers on Twitter. Coca Cola hasn’t always been in such a good position. On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola, amid much publicity, attempted to change the formula of the drink with the idea of the “New Coke”. The company tried to move away from its existing unique selling point with negative results, the backlash led to the old formula being retained and the brand restored to its former glory.

When you think of Coca Cola, the word ‘health’ doesn’t really come to mind; however, Coca Cola want to change this. The global giant may face problems in the future from a growing health conscious society; however, Coca Cola are already formulating campaigns aggressively targeting new, fast developing markets, whilst promoting programs, such as ‘Healthy Active Living’, to reposition perception of their products. Like them or love them, you cannot fail but be impressed by the manner in which the marketers at Coca Cola continue to allow a fizzy drink manufacturer to dominate the global corporate landscape and translate their brand across numerous cultural, religious and economic boundaries.

At TLC Business, we believe that sometimes it’s best to stick with what your good at rather than change a great product. Yes Coca Cola isn’t the healthiest choice, but it seems to be the number one drink around world. Coca Cola has recognised that the growing health concerns of many consumers could be a huge barrier for the brand in the future, therefore, they are acting now to strengthen Coca Cola’s values for the impending shift in consumer behaviour. SMEs can learn from Coca Cola’s example. It is important to stay in touch with your client and target audience’s changing perceptions and opinions. By undertaking regular client surveys and research of your target market you will be ideally placed to stay relevant and competitive, pre-empting and responding to shifts in attitude amongst your target market.

11. Toyota

Toyota was a surprise entry in this year’s Top 30 global brands. 2008 saw Toyota scoop number one car manufacture of the year. However, since then, the reputation of Toyota has taken a beating over their much publicised product recalls in January 2010.

Toyota had previously established itself as a leader in reliability, safety and efficiency. The key values which helped them head off the competition in 2008, came back to haunt then in 2010.  The negative backlash associated with the massive safety recalls of its vehicles meant that credibility and sales naturally suffered.

But Toyota must have done something right to make it into the world’s top 30 brands, right?

In the wake of the product recalls, Toyota decided that the brand needed to get back on track and rebuild confidence amongst the general public. So how does a brand repair its image…Twitter?

Toyota adopted a branded channel on Tweetmeme, named ‘Toyota Conversations’, bringing together the top stories, news articles, press releases and videos from Toyota to engage with the public. This social media channel bypassed the media and allowed the brand to communicate directly with its consumers. This positive engagement overshadowed the media negativity and allowed Toyota to start rebuilding confidence in their damaged brand.

It is enlightening to see such a high profile company using twitter to repair its image after such negative media backlash. Toyota’s faith in utilising a relatively untested communication channel, social media, to rebuild its shattered reputation, illustrates the potential of new marketing methods, accessible to SMEs and corporates alike.

21. H&M

Technology brands continue to dominate within the top global brands.  Yes, Apple has had another great year after breaking yet more sales records; however, we thought we’d focus on the company that featured at 21st position, global retailer H&M, for our final comment. When thinking of the world’s top 30 brands, H&M doesn’t instantly come to mind; however, 2010 has been a great year for this Swedish retailer.

H&M mixes high fashion with low price points, delivering its consumers, celebrity and designer collaborations across its 2,000 stores in 37 different markets.

According to Interbrand: ‘H&M takes responsibility for the integrity of its operation chain, from employees to materials. Corporate citizenship investment includes a five-year collaboration with UNICEF, which protects children’s rights in a heavy cotton-producing area in India.’

In order to keep up with its fashion and image conscious consumer base, the retailer also engages with its different markets via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in order to drive traffic to its new e-commerce site and target consumers outside of its 2,000 global stores.

H&M provides the fashion conscious with fast, affordable fashion but also takes care of the people who start the whole process off, without them there would be no statement dress or must have accessory. This is a key value for H&M and a great statement to make within the much-criticised fashion industry.

These brands may make up the Top 30 Global Brands but that doesn’t mean your business can’t adopt some of their methods to achieve results within your target market.  Whether it’s the use of Twitter to gain positive coverage or a great USP, make sure you undertake the necessary research and planning prior to undertaking a campaign to ensure you get maximum results.

To download the full Top Global Brands report click here.

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