"Snogging is good for you!"

After my long absence from this blog due to the heaps of Uni work I have been facing, I come to you with some delicious news!  I have just returned from a fun afternoon in London- made even more fun with a Snog! I can all hear you shouting: "Please spare us the details!" and "That's already too much information!" but put your mind at rest I am only talking about the frozen yoghurt type of Snog! 

Before I continue writing, I want to make sure you know that is NOT some kind of paid advert, nor does it carry any personal benefits. This is simply a brand I just encountered which made me go all gooey at the knees with excitement! And of course who better to share with than with our lovely followers??

I had never tasted frozen yoghurt before- the thought never really made my mouth water- I mean let's face it, it's just natural yoghurt which looks like ice cream only it has all the bitter/sour taste of yoghurt, where's the fun?! So what made me try it this time, you may ask? Simple! Try the name Snog! When something promises to be as good as a Snog, you just have to at least taste it! 

My friend and I went into this tiny parlour, and in itself it looked great! Not just the colourful wallpaper and decor but also the arrays of toppings you could add to the yoghurt, all displayed indulgently next to each other... By now my expectations had risen to an all time high. Their Big Idea was executed impeccably, from postcards showing the three flavours of frozen yoghurts (Natural, Green Tea and Chocolate) and the ideal topping to accompany them, complete with messages on the actual yoghurt cups- never letting you forget that what you are ultimately doing is "Guilt-free Snogging". 

This, for me is a brand, which is tapping the full potential of the big idea. They also have a feedback card named "Tell us about your first snog". The brand is as fun and cheeky as the name suggests and certainly cuts through the noise! It manages to promote and provide the consumer with a full-fat experience, whilst enjoying a healthy, fat and sugar free frozen yoghurt. 

AND even, better than all of this, is the immaculate taste of Snog frozen yoghurt! So the product actually lives up to (and in my case completely exceeded) the initial expectations it sets with its Xtra Cool Factor. But there was more. I simply had to check out its online presence before I ticked all the boxes in favour of this brand. 

The website is simple yet fun, highlighting the brand values of Health, Individuality and People. It clearly explains what the product is and its benefits, promotes the latest addition to its range of toppings, and introduces the new cookbook, Healthy Treats: http://www.ifancyasnog.com/.They are also present on facebook with slightly over 6,800 likes to Snog's name: http://www.facebook.com/ifancyasnog?sk=info. Snog is also active on Twitter with over 2,300 followers and displaying quite an active approach: http://twitter.com/#!/ifancyasnog. I wonder how in the past three years they did not manage to convert more people to frozen yoghurt. However, 2011 has seen the opening of more stores in Dubai, Kuwait, Brazil and Colombia- so they must be doing it right!

This brand could really stand as an example for others aspiring to promote healthy food. Find an interesting and exciting Big Idea, stick to it and execute it to perfection- that and the "yummy" factor of the product may spell the recipe for roaring success. So I guess, Myth Busted! Whoever has been saying that exciting brands do not exist any longer, has certainly not been Snogging enough! 

Consumer engagement: creativity to stand out

As we are all well aware, us (as consumers) are bombarded with constant communications and messages from organisations. In the 1970’s people were exposed to about 500 messages per day. Now, the daily figure is about 5000! As a result, we have become subconsciously adept at filtering or screening these direct communications out. It is believe that a commuter is exposed to 350 messages within an hour journey, yet can recall only 1 brand or message unprompted!

So, brands and organisations needed to become starter. Advertorials are one way of sneaking under the radar to a certain extent, or focusing on PR activity. I’m not going to talk about those more traditional functions, but merely getting more creative and interesting mediums to get their messages across.

I’m just going to discuss a few effective ways to engage consumers, that will cut through all of the clutter and noise and leaving a lasting impression.

1: Escalators

Back to one of my favourites, ambient marketing – this time in conjunction with advertising. Similarly to my snow post, natural surroundings are vast with opportunity to draw attention to brands or retailers. Albeit less opportunistic and more controlled, hand rails or escalators offer a fantastic platform to gain attention. Being relatively new, this is a good talking point and stands out due to novelty. Furthermore, for local businesses, how great to say turn right at the bottom directly close proximity football to your store or offer!

However, I do feel this is a short term tactic, as once becomes more common on escalators, im sure people will frown more upon this, either ignoring it and drawing negative feelings towards the advertiser.

For more fantastic examples visit Escalator Advertising

2: 3D Holograms

I have seen this carried out in numerous ways, usually to draw footfall into the location of show. Passers by are intrigued and drawn to the shop, only to find out its not real. It creates excitement and great viral and PR potential. Not to mention is transportable or highly flexible (as opposed to constantly employing or transporting real people!) 

Don’t feel this limits its potential though... Imagine brands or users visible in prime locations and tourist destinations doing stunts or exciting activities, only to magically disappear or reveal a brand name. Someone stripping on the London Eye only to reveal branding, celebrities hanging out with your clothing on, or drinking your drink, even a montage of clips... You get the idea. Better still, imagine retailers replacing traditional manikin shop window displays with moving, interacting hologram models or a catwalk.

3: Product Placement

Whilst on the rise, especially due to new legislation in the UK, product placement offers great potential for brands. It draws stronger and usually more discreet brand associations and perceptions.

 Im not going to talk much about this as it speaks for itself, but merely leave you with provocative thought on it to hopefully stimulate some thinking... Will product placement replace TV advertising? Take the recent Britney spears latest song ‘Hold It Against Me’ (no, im not a fan!) but it is rumoured to have made $500,000 due to various product placements including Plenty of Fish and Sony. My point being, music video’s arguably have longer lifespans than ads, they connect with more specific target audiences and detailed segments than TV commercials, is more subconscious, more emotional and grows stronger preference and associations than TV ads. So, why shouldn’t certain brands focus on placement within suitable pop stars videos, as opposed to TV?

4: Good old fashioned publicity stunt (and now virally applicable)

I could list one of many, but i’ll stick to one old, one new: Gail Porter on the Houses of Parliament / Big Ben for FHM, F*** OFF with the lighting on Harrods. Before the days of social media, the FHM stunt was covered in almost all national tabloid and press, not to mention television and radio media discussion and reporting. It portrayed a cheeky playful image and risque personality - perfectly matched to the brand.
The Christmas lights were rumoured to be engineered by a disgruntled employee to show his feelings - it wasn't in fact real, but some smart image editting. It become and twitter and google trend, gained physical media coverage and sparked  great interest in Harrod's over the festive period. Although not inline with brand image and repuation, the effect of free national exposure and publicity and stimulated word of mouth activity provided a timely boost to business. It is not even clear if Harrods was at all involved with the stunt, or someone who thought it would be funny! Once it was released that the story behind it was not actually true, no long term malice or repuational impact was felt by Harrods.

The point here is to be creative, original and contain elements of surprise or shock in order to grab attention. (Note: Swearing or nudity isn’t vital)! Oh, and once again, notice the use of the surrounding environment and location to engage more!  

These are a few ideas how to be the 1/350 that consumers do remember! Next time your out all day, try and remember what messages you actually saw and notice which ones had a lasting effect. It will probably only be a select few, and from brands you adore or were considering to purchase at the time of seeing the communication anyway. As marketeers, we have to realise these challenges, and manage to engage and cut through everything else!

Are you sure you're showing your love to the right people?

It's that time of the year again when RED takes over our world: Red roses, Red cards, Red hearts, Red lingerie, Red wrapping paper, Red cupcakes... you name it and it's Red! Before I continue I do want to add a tiny disclaimer to make sure you do not, at any point, think of me as a bitter singleton who is simply jealous of all the lovers out there. In fact, this is my first valentine's day in which I am a very happy, claimed for woman. 

Unlike many, I am in a relationship which refuses to celebrate V-Day. No, it is certainly not because it saves me the money or the torture of finding a gift. It is also not attributed to lack of romance, passion or love. Actually, it is quite the opposite. Let me tell you how Lexie sees it: So Valentine's Day comes but once a year, just like Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Anniversaries and all the other mini-traditions we have come to respect through time. Now, as much as most of these feasts celebrate and mark a special event commemorated on a specific day, Valentine's Day is tied to love- an emotion which can be expressed in many ways upon each and every one of those 525,600 minutes. 

So what is it that makes many go all gooey at the sight of a bunch of red roses and a box of chocolates on this day? Well, besides the fact that many rely on V-Day to actually show the appreciation to that special someone, it is the social perception and idolisation of this day. What we have come to experience is pure commercialisation of love. I am so sorry if this is taking you back to day your parents revealed Santa Claus is not real, but maybe if we sweep away the rose petals, hoover the glitter and switch the light back on for a minute, you will see what I mean.

How much does it cost you to say "I love you" on an average day? Excluding long-distance phone calls or texts, the actual price is usually £0.00. But what happens on the 14th of February of every year? FACT: British people spend around £1.6bn on Valentine's Day with an average £70 spend per person. Shocked much? So what exactly is the difference between an "I love you" on the, say, 13th of Feb compared to one day later? Are you ready for the answer? Brace yourselves...! You're simply saying 'I love you' to us marketeers other than your loved ones. 

I mean we love you, we do, but it is incredibly overwhelming for us to see you make such an effort to create this new tradition were we can boost our sales and dance around as if another Christmas just landed on our company's balance sheet! TA!

Take our beloved ice-cream brand Wall's. Their whole re-branding strategy was set around this made up holiday! Starting from their heart-shaped logo, their launch of new flavours and their campaigns. Wall's have made history just by strategically opting to associate themselves with a day where everybody, apparently, feels the love.  

Allow me, however, to take my claim of price-tagged love (or lack of it in this case) to the next level. So us marketeers realised that more people are staying single for longer whilst others have grown to hate  V-Day due to heart-breaking experiences. Never fear, we slowly but surely introduced a new range of, how should I say this... appropriate products: Voodoo Dolls, Anti-Valentine t-shirts, mugs, chocolate boxes, stuffed animals, underwear, aprons, magnets and what not. Don't believe me? Check it out yourselves: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/anti+valentines+gifts

Before you start accusing marketeers for tricking you into this fantasy world, run to your closest mirror and take a long look at the person staring back at you. Unfortunately, yes, you have brought this upon yourselves. You see, us marketeers are not the evil people everyone makes us out to be. We propose new things, but it is you consumers who give us the feedback and response to whether you like them or not. We simply anticipate and fulfil your demands. It's as if we're your fairy godmothers or godfathers, you say the word and we make it happen. 

Therefore, if you do not feel like equating your love to money, please do not feel obliged. We will get the message and move on, like we always have. But if you think that the 14th of February has to be the day you equate your love to special, expensive treats, then that would give us more of a reason to hate it as people but LOVE it as marketeers-who-love-their-bonuses-at-the-end-of-the-year.

So, here's to all of you who spend so much money on Valentine's Day; A Big Thank You from us Marketeers out there. Thank you for making it our special day, for showing us your love and appreciation and for giving us the strength and hope to go on. For this occasion, we have also created something for you:

This comes in all shapes and sizes, both for females and males at the special price of £31.75 from zazzle.co.uk. I mean, you have to give us some credit... we do think of everything!

 Happy Valentine's Day to you all from us all! 

Watch out!

Hublot have launched a controversial advertising campaign featuring Bernie Ecclestone, the boss of F1. Ecclestone was victim of a mugging in London during November 2010 in which, his Hublot watch was one of the items stolen. He consented to his battered and bruised face being used in their latest advertising campaign, seeing it as a "protestation against violence that we are all afraid of today".

While many say it is insensitive towards victims of crime that do not share Bernie's mentality, I like the fact it makes light to the incident. Whether Hublot believe this to be a moral stand is not important. In making light of an event traumatic to most, Hublot evolves the brand generating more personality, in almost a quirky playful nature. It offers a questioning ironic tone - moving away from its straight, rigid communications of the past. Importantly, it still communicates emphasising the desirability and quality of its products.  While not the most creative of campaigns, it certainly engages and attracts attention.... needless to say, it has created much more interest and publicity than past adverts. So, next time you are faced with adversity, think how you could spin the situation, create an opportunity and make everyone watch out for you!

What type of blogger are we!?

I came accross this, thought it maybe interesting. It made me think exactly what type of blog we are... 

Empty The Mug is the sharing of thoughts, projects and insights from our collective; be it academic, competition based, professionally or just informal ideas. It's partly a log of thoughts and hopefully will become a useful resource for inspiration, ideas, knowledge and advice.

 

 Evolution of the blogger is provided by Flowtown, one of the leading social and digital marketing tools.

No marketing, like snow marketing...

While sitting at home snowed in, I cant help feeling that many companies are missing a trick. Our usual urban, bleak landscape is covered with this magical, fluffy, white material - we call snow. In snowy times, potentially even more people take to the streets replacing their comfy cars with rubber soled boots and scarfs; be it through walking part of the journey to work, taking their kids to school, or just visiting a supermarket to stock up the cupboards (Yes - panic buying!) Lets face it, we all still look at the snow with wonder, as if we were a child. (Even if if the wonder if how unprepared our country is to deal with it!)
Anyway, the long and the short is that companies could be using this gift of a tool far more effectively to reach customers in a quirky, fun, memorable way - that is almost free!
Some companies have embraced the snow in ambient marketing, but only a handful.

This snow tagging campaign was run by Curb, a natural media company for the Extreme Sports Channel. It perfectly fits the alternative, exciting and sometimes snow based events on Extreme. 

JWT created this for Polo Mints. Again, a smart tie in with the freshness and cool feel of a Polo.

 

Lynx launched this mating game advertising print campaign in winter 2009. Could they not have physically mocked up the siuations in real life to gain increased exposure?!

Finally, not sure who this is for, or why... but it shows off how simply, yet eye catching doing something different in the snow can be.

Obviously big companies can use the snow, but i'd like to see it on a street level more; The self-employed, local shop owner, or a small fanchise owner. How effective would an Avon logo and maybe contact info at a local school gate, a Slimming World emblem outside a gym, or your local butcher writing fresh meat with arrows pointing to his shop outside a supermarket! While the snow won't last too long in the UK, the impression it can make on ones mind has the ability to everlast. So, while you're cozy indoors, looking outside at the white landscape, think of the opportunities it presents, and fill up your mug!

When Bra Sizes and Musical Notes Cross Paths...

Whoever thought that one could learn all about bra types and sizes by associating them to musical notes? Well, LaSenza's latest initiative certainly proves that it's possible! 

Let me introduce myself first: My name is Alexia Francesca Grech, but unless you happen to be my mother  upon finding out something bad I did or rather something I omitted to do, please, feel free to call me Lexie. I come from the splendid, sunny island of Malta, strategically situated just below Italy and above Libya. 400,000 people inhabit this land, and unless you count our sea territory (which would take you all the way to Greece), then you can literally cross the island from north to south in approximately 45 minutes by car.

So there you have it, I'm the only Malteser amongst a vast flock of nationalities making up the business student community at University of Bedfordshire. 

I am positive you'll get to know more about me than you'd ever imagined, or wanted to as it may be, as this blog space grows, therefore enough with the self-centred stuff and on with lingerie talk. So, amidst all the final ongoing preparation to hand-in our assignments before the festive break, I had an interesting chat with a fellow friend of mine, who stumbled upon LaSenza's newly launched Christmas creation. They chose 7 gorgeous women of different shapes, representing bra cup sizes from A to G (which is what their product range usually offers) and got them to sing the musical note their bra represents. 

LaSenza created a stand alone website for this, to which I'll share the link at the end, or else I'm sure you'll get stuck on it and fail to read my lovely blog till the end (What a cheek!). What it does, is mainly promote a video introducing the women and their first song "Deck the halls" which is interpreted using solely the notes and expressed in a, how to put it diplomatically, let's say, climaxing way. This kind of initiative appeals to both women, who can view a variety of lingerie styles available in store, and men, who besides admiring the beautiful women, can get a better understanding of lingerie in general and above all, cup sizes. 

But! There is more! After you listen to the actual initial song (which you can skip through after the first viewing), you can use your keyboard to make up your own tune and record it! I actually spent about 15 minutes upon discovery, playing "Doe a Deer"(yes, my musical knowledge is limited). With every note pressed, the name of the collection the girl is wearing appears and with it comes the option to purchase. 

Time to Empty the Mug, however, as LaSenza have not been the pioneers to implement such an idea. In fact, this fun application already existed on another web address (link at the end) with sunburnt women saying 'AY' every time they're clicked on, forming a tune (not sure of the purpose though!).

Even after such a discovery, nonetheless, I believe LaSenza's execution of this is fantastic and even though they lose points on the originality bit, I do think they deserve a mug-full of very hot chocolate this Christmas!

Dead curious? If you have managed to wait and resist the temptation to Google it, you get extra brownie points! So go ahead and play along at http://cupsizechoir.com/ and if you still want to check out sunburnt ladies in bikinis here's the link: http://www.oooooouch.com/

Hope this has warmed up your day! 

Lexie