Cindy Wong's Marketing Blog

Have you read Brand Finance today? Who do you think is the most valuable brand in 2011?

.

..

…

….

…..

According to Brand Finance, these are the top ten most valuable brands:

Surprise, surprise… well, not really… but Google is King! Google’s rise in the ranks as well as half of the top ten brands’ roots in technology really reflects society’s increasing tech-savvyness and its dependence on the Internet. Google was also crowned most desirable brand of the year.

Five marketing tips we can learn from Google (IBM, 2011):

1. Be consistent, not paranoid
2. Share an understandable mission
3. Reinforce the brand suite
4. Don’t rush to rebrand acquisitions
5. Be brutal about brand simplicity

Honestly, although the Internet hasn’t been around for all that long and neither has Google (founded in 1998), it seems like it has because since I first started using it, Google has kept its brand constant and has never changed its logo. Although I find the logo is unattractive at times, Google’s consistency over time has allowed its brand to permeate across generations – people of all ages across the globe know who Google is. Every time they come out with something new, it’s always Google(this) or Google(that) in always the same font, always the same colour. But hey, it works – we all recognize it. If anything, I think most of us associate Google with easy internet search; information you want when you want it. (I can hear the marketers cheering right now – “Success!” they cry.) But now that they’re at the top, it’s time to watch out for the underdogs.

Apple is another phenomenal brand success, having moved up 12 ranks in a single year which is extraordinary for such a young company. Like Google, Apple’s brand speaks for itself and Apple has garnered immense loyalty and I can see it skyrocketing up the chart in 2012.

Children and parents in London during the anticipation of 2007 Easter celebrated the occasion in a rather unique way, courtesy of British chocolaterie Thorntons.

Free chocolate! Each of these words has a compelling effect on people – we jump at the word “free” and most people like chocolate, so you can guess what the reaction to this announcement was.

vviva.blog.com

In an attempt to recuperate from the humble numbers of the 2006 Christmas sales, Thortons unveiled the world’s first edible chocolate billboard which was stripped and eaten within 3hours of going up. This magnificent 14.5 ft by 9.5 ft billboard was made of 860 pounds of pure chocolate in the form of 10 chocolate bunnies, 72 giant chocolate eggs and 128 chocolate panels. According to Drew’s Marketing Minute, there are 5 simple rules for outdoor advertising – one of which is “leave the [bill]boards up for a minimum of 30 days to achieve frequency goals. Obviously Thortons was unable to achieve this particular rule, but I think the company achieved the substantial interest and consumer awareness that it was vying for because even if you weren’t able to share the chocolately goodness, the news and bloggers went viral about this unprecedented display of advertising.

The chocolate billboard was surely eye-catching and drool-worthy, but I’m not sure how I feel about picking at chocolate panels that who knows how many other people have touched and eaten. There was no opportunity to do a dry run of their edible display to gauge the public’s response, but Thortons had done their research. U.K. trade group Food From Britain identified the British to have the third highest per capita consumption of chocolate globally so Thortons had reason to predict that passerbys would respond positively to their marketing efforts – which is what happened.

“If you don’t have an iPhone…”

I can think of so many ways to end that sentence, and here’s what Apple chose:

“If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have any iPhone”

…but the message is the same: You’re missing out!

iPhone envy, anyone?

youthministrymedia.com

In particular, there is set of ‘iPhone envy’ ads which is a set of three commercials that promotes the iPhone. One tooted about the iPhone having the largest app store, another about having iPod + iTunes features, and the remaining, the iBookstore. Apple is very consistent in its advertising with the white background, and the way the iPhone is held and rotated during the demonstrations.

(Something I noticed offhandedly, is how Apple proclaimed itself to have the world’s largest selection of apps, the world’s #1 music store, but isn’t ranked for iBook functionality.)

The message is very clear and direct, giving a demo of each of the features and the pitch is always ended with “If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have any iPhone.” Which really drives home the message that they think you’re missing out if you don’t have an iPhone because the featured features are attributes that competitors (such as Android smartphones) are lacking. They might have similar functions, but they lack the brand equity of Apple’s products. From these ads, I think the consumers’ brand awareness went up and for sure, there are going to be some people tempted to visit the Apple store to try out the new iPhone even if not to buy it which probably makes marketers happy either way.

What comes to mind when you hear the word “life saver”? Police? Firefighters? Surgeons? How about Skype?

Hey, Skype users – what do you use Skype for anyways? To chat with family/friends who’re overseas? To vid-call your teammates about the upcoming assignment? Run for an executive position via conference call because you’re stuck in traffic? (I personally know someone who did that – and they won VP of Production).

Skype takes the cake as one of the more unusual distributors of … a particular service. Skype has it uses but I never thought of using it during a wedding ceremony for exchanging vow as I read in a copy of The Vancouver Sun released March 7th, 2011.

This is distribution exemplified: Getting the right product to the right place at the right time. Groom unable to make it to the altar (because you’re stuck in a hospital bed) but not wanting to disappoint? These wedding planners came up with the creative solution of Skyp-ing. Unconventional, yes, but it enabled the wedding to proceed as planned. This point of contact certainly adds value to the service – or else the wedding wouldn’t even have happened! Skype did save one couple’s married life from going down the drain before it even started. It’s not costly, but I don’t think this method of bonding with your significant other is the way to go for most couples. Kudos to the bride for standing, with composure, at the altar by herself.

So, we learned a few days ago, that “Brand = Trust.” How true does that ring for you?

Companies pursue (or claim they pursue) certain ventures or innovate using specific avenues to create an image for themselves and build their brand. But ultimately, isn’t it up to the individual to decide what to believe and what not to believe?

People, people in general, are horrible gossipers I find. We love to share stories: stories about ourselves, stories about others (people, firms, brands), and sometimes, we like to make-up stories to tell. And sooner than you’d think, the story spreads and you find that half of your friends and their networks know about it.

One would hope that only stories that are true will be retold, but I highly doubt it. So… where’s the story-telling police to test the truthfulness of these stories (which are contributing to the brand of a company)? I think we’d all agree that there’s always an element of judgment necessary when listening to stories and what they communicate about the brand of the company.

A key aspect of brand-building is time. With enough time, hopefully the lies will be filtered out and consumers can get a real picture of the brand and ideally, that will be something we can put our faith in.

A recent visit to Elaine Williamson’s blog has reinforced my perception of M&Ms. I personally think M&Ms are a classic. They’re simple, and quirky and they sell! which is why they’ve been around for so long. Another brand that’s also been around for a while, but are not by any means my favourite is Kraft.

Kraft’s has a lot of products, mostly on the lower-end of the quality spectrum and here they’ve launched a new gum product to attract different demographics and build their brand with the everyday consumer.

Drum roll please…. da da da duunnnn~

What did you have for lunch today? Did you follow a recipe from Kraft?

Kraft is all about delivering healthy eating at inexpensive prices. So, to reach out to younger people who are always on the go and may need an energy boost, Kraft has developed a vitamin-fortified gum.

But is this really compatible to the North American lifestyle? So many products (including yogurt, cereal, and Red Bull) being sold are enriched with “_____” or fortified with “_____”. How much extra of the “good stuff” can the average American consume before it becomes too much?

Trident Vitality seems to be a hit with consumers who are concerned with wellbeing, but how many of them actually know if they really need the extra nutrients offered? More isn’t always better. I think this is a great route for Kraft to go, but launching such a product in less developed countries may better benefit those consumers because those are probably the people that need the vitamin fortification.

As Si Chen Liu mentioned in her blog, people love excuses to go out and buy things (sometimes at outrageous prices) that they might not need or use a second time and Valentine’s Day is no different. And to some extent, I do agree that Valentine’s is all about marketing.

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you! But I bet I could sweeten you up even more with a box of Godiva’s decadent Valentine’s chocolates priced at $100.

godiva.com

Godiva’s gourmet chocolate indulgences are more than premium chocolates. For most, they’re an expression of love… and for others, they’re also a measure of love. Just how much is your sweetheart worth? Love is all about small little things in everyday life, but sometimes it’s OK to splurge and spoil that special someone, right? Godiva’s a genius at appealing psychologically to gift-givers and potential recipients by positioning their product as more than a mouth-watering sweet. This chocolate is a treat, but is also a status symbol and a way to make people feel special, hence the extravagant prices.

Why look like this:

…when you can feel like this with Godiva?

perfectescapes.com

Mass-produced chocolate and Godiva are both chocolate, but Godiva is about quality, luxury, and making an artisan enjoyment out of chocolate, not just satisfying that sweet-tooth we all have. Not everyone can afford, or would consider spending upwards of $50 for a box of sweets. But when you walk by the elegant establishment that is a Godiva store, many will feel the magnetic pull that is Godiva’s advertising saying that you should treasure and treat that special someone just that little bit more and invest in an expensive affectionate gesture on at least that one special day of the year.

crunchgear.com

On their website, NetFlix advertises: “For only $7.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies & TV episodes streamed to their TVs and computers.”

Sounds like a sweet deal, until usage-based billing crashed the party. An hour of Netflix works out to be a GB of bandwidth. “Unlimited movies & TV” isn’t so unlimited when your Internet service provider tells you that for every GB you go over your limit, it’ll cost you about CAN $2.

chrisd.ca

Yes, I can see it, goodbye loonies and toonies, and large bills too – that is unless I curb my Internet consumption.

Woah, Netflix, what are you going to do? Your target market – the tech savvy, internet-embracing consumer – will be watching their internet activity because the perceived benefit of your good just took a major undermining.

The officials say the reason for UBB is to conserve capacity, but Netflix’s (potential) loss is certainly Bell’s gain. Not only will Bell have a greater profit margin on its Internet service, but Canadians will be discouraged from watching TV and videos online. Bell also wins if the viewer ratings  on CTV (which it now owns) increases. Will this be the revival of the couch potato that sits in front of the TV and not the computer screen? Advertisers may reconsider purchasing more TV air time to play their commercials.

YouTube is a popular media channel for internet users and marketers know it.

I’ve noticed a steady increase in the amount of  clips that are preceded by of 15-second ads that you must view before you can actually watch what you want. With the rapid development of technology and social media, marketers can tap into a broad consumer base that may or may not be part of their target market. People argue that overlay ads are technically more valuable when people opt-in to watch them. But, with pre-rolls (and no ‘Skip ad’ button), marketers have effectively identified a efficient way to get maximal internet exposure for their ads by choosing to showing their ad before popular videos (clips with the most number of views). I think this is clever because there’s a trend of moving towards watching shows online opposed to on TV because of numerous commercials and convenience. Now, marketers have reconnected to the viewer base.

Here’s the full commerical 2010 Toyota Prius “Harmony” ad that I saw as a pre-roll:

2010 Toyota Prius \”Harmony\” TV Commercial

This commercial appeals to the affective and cognitive components of our attitude while incorporating some green marketing. It has a happy feeling through the bright and attractive background and overall green theme and presents the Prius as an desirable vehicle to own (affective). Viewers are also told that this vehicle is kinder on the environment (cognitive); this is also shown (the greenery is happy when the car drives by). I think this is a pre-rolls that appeal strongly to all aspects of attitude are a strong way of advertising because they may help convince individuals in influencing or deciding roles to persuade the buyer to purchase that particular product.

Hi everyone!

This is my first personal marketing blog for COMM 296.

I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts and opinions about marketing. Feedback is always welcome 😀

And thank you for dropping by!