Time is the new 'brand position'

Has anyone heard of 'In 'N' Out' - well believe it or not it's a garage, which caught my eye at Cribbs Causeway. One of the main bugbears for taking your car in for a service is that it takes sooooo long. Meanwhile you're stuck without a car in some grimy, freezing cold reception, waiting to hear how much you're going to be stung for. What a joy. So here comes 'In 'N' Out' - a new brand which turns this whole experience on its head. You check in at the gate, a smiley chap tells you how long it's going to take 30-40 minutes and if you're one of the lucky few that received a flyer through the door, you get a free valet worth £18.... the reason that sealed the deal to make me go to their garage and not another one. Get this - there's a nice coffee lounge there with magazines and the workshop is this clean, high tech, slick operation, with clean, branded, I'd go so far to say as 'pressed', boiler suited mechanics that actually say 'hello' and 'I'll be with you in a minute madam'. GREAT brand experience - nice positioning. The company name 'In 'n' out' conveys so quickly what you want from a garage and hints that it'll give you back that valuable commodity that SwiftCover also promises - Yes it's 'TIME'. And the packages you can buy, the service they provide and the brochures etc that express this, are all very well done. The only hiccup I'd say is that it actually took much longer than they promised... leaving one rather gutted marketer, rather than customer. But hey - as a 21st century marketing experience it's great! Nice work.

To search or Not to search? Votes please

So what does everyone think? Search is the best thing since sliced bread or a bit over-rated? Votes please - on the right!

The Secrets of Search Success

Is it me or is 'search' all wrapped up in smoke and mirrors? And the fall back is always 'oh google have changed it now' so you never know where you are! I talk to a lot of business owners and I felt it was a pain worth tackling so I'm putting on a seminar that is The Secrets of Search Success to explode the myths and pass on the real nuggets that we should all know about so our businesses can perform better. Find out more at: www.marketingclout.co.uk/intro !

Impressed by Swiftcover

It's not often that one is impressed by a car insurance brand. But I was sitting behind a bus yesterday and read the strapline - Swiftcover - get your quote in 60 seconds. Not necessarily mind blowing in itself but what IS interesting is that in a market that is so saturated and price driven such as car insurance, here's a new brand that only started in 2005 that's managed to carve out a new position on which to compete more effectively - Time. Time of which none of us ever have enough. So when everyone else was adding to the noise with minor points of differentiation - whether that be the level of cover, niche audiences, lower premiums or level of service, here's a brand that identified a real consumer pain (lack of time, the general pain of reinsuring your car and filling in endless pages online, sitting on the end of a phone)and positioned their brand and product accordingly (they were the first to introduce car quotes to your mobile phone). Now that's innovative. And that's the beauty of strategic planning...provided you do it well!

Marketing at the coalface - branding and positioning. Successes and failures.

Here's a presentation I ran for Bristol Uni undergrads focusing predominantly on branding and positioning. It includes a closer look at why Woolworths failed and rise and fall of Orange etc. Thought I'd share it. Feel free to take a look!

Marketing at the coalface - branding and positioning. Successes and failures.

View more presentations from lucindamould.

What your business card says about you!

You can't help but judge someone by their business card. Cheap and flimsy paper...cutting corners. Traditional style - white, logo, business address main feature...not exactly an innovator. Bright red - crazy letters...this one thinks he's a bit of a card. Tiny strip - interesting but forgettable. Heavyweight, corporate, funky, different, reputable - all judgements we can't help but make instantly! You'd think it's obvious but I've got a fistful of printer's business cards and the quality of the print on some of them is terrible... enough said!

Then there's those that try to include absolutely every service they offer and end up with a cluttered mess that's begging to be binned. It really is worth spending a bit of time on your business card and remembering the real purpose of a business card - is to make you / your business memorable above anything else...so when the relevant problem, pain, need arises that you can help with, you're the one they think of...and for the right reasons!

Conservative campaign 'vote for change' sucks

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some labour loyalist in any way shape or form and the conservatives have wiped the floor in both the elections but I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with the conservatives campaign strapline 'vote for change'. Anyone would think we were a bunch of rednecks that hadn't followed the not exactly low profile Obama campaign. And the trouble is, though I think David Cameron is a likeable and attractive proposition for a prime minister, I'm not sure it's entirely credible to claim that a conservative government would be such a huge 'change'. We can but hope...

Sod MasterCard - this one's priceless

Maybe it's because I'm from Lancashire that this one strikes such a chord. It's a chip off the Phoenix Nights block. I don't care who Ken Shuttleworth is but it's a pure gem. I'm going to buy some Yorkshire Tea right now! A good lesson in how you don't need to peddle the 'product attributes' to sell product. The general British public is over being sold to. Yawn. We need to be entertained!

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/bulletin/creativebulletin/article/907612/?DCMP=EMC-28May2008

Network Central

I'm going to Network Central in Bridgewater tomorrow. Anyone else going?

William Hill rebranding to Bill Hill?

Does a really well known high st brand need to rebrand as something a bit more 'friendly'? Surely not! And as for a more 'community oriented' brand, deary me, whatever the marketeers or HR people conjure up, it's a betting shop - give us a break. Tinkering for tinkering sake... I say.

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/news/bulletin/weeklyupdatebulletin/article/904031/?DCMP=EMC-Dailynewsalert

More Compare the Meerkat magic

The magic continues. You've got to love it! Good recognition of the fact that they've got stiff competition now from other comparison operators and that at this stage in the cycle, brand wins out... enjoy

http://www.comparethemeerkat.com/my-movies?SRC=CNOP"

Earth Hour - pretty but takes its time...

Hmm - it's pretty...a little intriguing at the start. You get a sense of community and pulling together but it's just a bit drawn out and I can't help feeling this is a classic case of the art director (he/she who makes it look pretty) winning out over the planning team (those responsible for finding the most motivating message). If I weren't an eco enthusiast, I'm not sure I'd even realise they wanted me to turn out my lights and recognise my personal footprint on the earth...!
http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/bulletin/creativebulletin/article/894459/?DCMP=EMC-27March2008

Stand and fight!

Is it me or has the whole world decided to retreat into its shell, lick its wounds and wait for an early death? I can’t help but notice that I haven’t received a mailshot in weeks, the phone doesn’t ring with any sales calls (pleased about that) and other than Amazon & Boden even email seems a bit quiet. For goodness sake, ok it’s depressing, yes – business is difficult, but come on, let’s rise to the challenge fellow business folk! If marketing’s the first thing to go, then you can join the death march now. If you’re ready to fight for your business, here’s a few ideas to try out.

1/ Buddy up
It’s hard enough out there on your own. There’s so many complimentary services, make the most of partnering up. If you’re a repairs garage, partner with a tyres company, offer incentives to each other’s customer base and set up kick backs between you. Likewise, a cleaning company with plant hire, stationery supplier with telecom services, carpets with curtain shops, theatre with comedy store... you get the idea.

2/ Think positive, humorous, refreshing
Take a leaf out of ‘Compare the Meerkat’s’ book. They could have easily talked about getting the best deal to save money in ‘this economic climate’.. yawn. But they didn’t and the result is something a little left field and thank god something humorous. When it’s doom and gloom all round, we all breathe a sigh of relief to see something a little light hearted and can’t help but engage with it. So when you’re designing your flyer, online listing, new web page, email campaign – try something different and think upbeat.

And if you’re ready to go a step further, think ‘guerilla’, how can I take something different to the streets at lunchtime when footfall is busiest?

3/ Up the social media ante
It’s free, it’s easy and it’s really effective. If you haven’t already joined Twitter and Linked In and set a blog, now’s a good time to do so. It works wonders to improve your Google rankings and enables you to put your message in front of literally thousands of people. Look for the groups that match your target audience and offer something of value not just a sales pitch. Keep participating and add lots of links to your site with complimentary info / material. With Twitter, use a Twitter feed. Econsultancy is currently running an experiment to feature all Tweeters that mention its name on its home page. They’ll be releasing a feed soon. Add it to your website.

4/ Avoid the discount downward spiral
We’ve seen the shops go from 10% off to 25, 50 and now 75% discount, but still the stock isn’t shifting. Discounts are old news. There’s no incentive to buy NOW, because the discount will be there tomorrow. My advice is to look at alternative ways to really ADD VALUE. Think differentiation – I need the customer to buy from me not my competitor. What can I offer that will make them do that. I got a spare but basic mobile phone free with a pay as you go SIM on top of the smart phone I got when I took my mobile phone contract out – handy if I lose/break mine, useful for a small business who may need an extra phone quickly. Good and different selling point that wouldn’t cost the reseller much (old stock for example).

5/ Get personal
Knowing exactly what your customers are thinking is absolutely vital. So make sure you don’t miss a trick. Be your customer’s best friend (phone, lunch, event etc). Find out what’s going on, how they feel and how that’s impacting their buying decisions. That way you’ll stay one step ahead of the competition.

Be prepared to adapt your product/package/service. Don't keep flogging a dead horse. If it's not selling, change it, repackage it, reposition it. Listen to your customers / prospects and test it out on them. Look for general patterns and trends among your customers.

Don't give in even if it looks dire. If your client takes its service in-house, develop something to suit that model... what can you offer to support an in-house strategy – training, on call support, a quarterly audit, support materials?

I could go on for years here, but it’s already long! Over and out for now.

Barrack post Jack.... CTU come in...

My question is; did the popularity of a show such as 24, featuring a black presidential candidate of similiar nature and stature give the Obama presidential campaign a leg up. Could it have helped the nation feel more comfortable with such a 'radical' step..I ask you.?

Barrack 'H' Obama - the beauty of a name

Did anyone else miss the rather cleverly 'repositioned' name of Barrack Hussein Obama to Barrack H Obama? The latter not only hiding an amusingly dictator associated name, that one's nation is still at war with, but also elevating it to make it sound much more statemanly! Nice move. Although let's face it, if he hadn't been the man he is I'm sure the papers would have had a field day on it. A subtle but effective bit of marketing polish...

Meerkat Marvel

Compare the Meerkat - inspired angle. Love it. They could have so easily gone down the boring route of the 'credit crunch' and thank god they didn't. Meerkats rock. Reminds me of John Cleese.. also good. One to make you smile. And even better, check out the supporting site:
http://www.comparethemeerkat.com/searching.html Nice touch.

See the ad:
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Campaign/Creative/59818/comparethemarketcom-aleksandr-vccp?DCMP=EMC-Creative-Bulletin