Prianka Dhir's Blog

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” quoting Mark Twain at the 57^th Annual Advertising Festival in Cannes, Unilever Chief MarketingOfficer (CMO), Keith Weed claimed the prestigious honour of Advertiser of the Year 2010. Currently embarking on a new venture regarding hosting the “iAd” feature onsmartphones, Weed is at the forefront of developments in the marketing industry. He truly believes that the current state of the economy suggests a need for smart and targeted marketing tactics and using the tools that

consumers are using will allow promotional practices to be more successful in obtaining the results they desire. As well, he suggests that “now is a really exciting time to get into marketing. Not just because of the digital revolution and all that’s changing around it, but actually in tough

economic times, that’s when you have to do the best marketing.” In his perspective, it is a company’s clever marketing strategies that will enable them to capture the attention of this economy’s frugal consumers and still be profitable as a business. Moreover, Weed suggests that, “Marketing is the very thing in tough times. The finance guys of the business account for where all the money’s going, the marketing guys account for where the money’s coming from.” Leaders in the marketing industry provide more than insight into the future of marketing, but rather their ability to inspire companies to achieve beyond their own expectations, is priceless. A pioneer in developing marketing into the industry it is today,

Keith Weed, at age 48 is a distinct visionary and inspirational leader. As the CMO of Unilever, Weed is responsible for an “excess of $7 billion worth of adspend and announced his ultimate goal as “doubling [their] business.”

Have you joined the “Tweeple” generation? Twitter has undoubtedly expanded into one of the fastest growing social media networking tools in the industry. Boasting a record breaking average of 65 million tweets per day, amounting to 750 tweets per second, Twitter is a newfound marketing hotspot.  It is an easily accessible and freecommunication instrument for high-profile celebrities, renowned companies, small businesses, community organizations, and average people wishing to share their thoughts, ideas, actions, or even suggestions. Within a 140 character limit, tweets have the ability to capture the attention of followers and use the platform to engage in a conversation with those they are connected to.  The potential of Twitter as a marketing tool continues to enlarge and has developed into a means of connecting with customers, communicating with those interested in your business ventures, as well as gain insight into the actions of inspirational figure-heads. Twitter defined, is a “”a short burst of inconsequential information,” as well as “a chirp from a bird” which signifies the underlying idea of Twitter. The first Twitter message was posted on March 21, 2006 and has since then swelled into an online community of millions of followers and billions of tweeted messages. Jack Dorsey, one of the initial founders of Twitter, in regards to his company’s objective believed that “the concept was huge, but the velocity was surprising.” Dorsey began contemplating the idea at age 15 based primarily off the evidence of text messaging becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Although the idea was not fully developed, Dorsey believes that “people adopted the technology and made it their own” showing three main ideas emerging as the popularity of Twitter grew, which included “immediacy, approachability, and transparency.” Utilizing Twitter effectively allows lines of communication to be opened within all industries. 

“A picture says a thousand words” may be a phrase which is cliché for some, but in the corporate world, a single picture, symbol, emblem, signature, or design reflects the entire focus and direction of a business. Logo defined, “is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition.” Whether it be the “swoosh” of Nike, the golden arches of McDonalds, or the bitten apple of Apple Inc, companies essentially become defined by the logo they are represented by. However, businesses whether large or small, require distinctive logos which will set their company apart from their competition. Additionally, although new logos are developed every day in countries around the world, logos are not a recent innovation of modern-day businesses. The origin of logos dates back to the time of the cave-man when hieroglyphic images were used as a storybook for the past. Presently, simplistic logos have the most powerful impact on the global market, as evidenced by some of the most popular and recognizable logos of all time, including Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike, and FedEx to name a few. Keeping it simple, although sometimes difficult can provide a clearer picture to consumers regarding the corporate values and overall direction of the business. To illustrate, the Mercedes Benz three point star logo immediately signifies class, precision, and exclusivity, as well as symbolizes the brand’s objective of dominating the land, sea, and air. Ultimately, billion dollar businesses are defined by images as simple as an apple! Ever thought the fruit you buy almost weekly at the local grocery store could be worth a design fortune? Think again. The Apple Inc. logo itself, is worth $13.7 billion dollars. That is one apple, that won’t be carried at a grocery store near you.

What do social media and a spicy Caesar cocktail have in common? Quite simply, social media, “it’s like the largest cocktail party in the world. It’s a room filled with people driven by one desire to communicate, share, digest and relate, while carrying on many independent conversations. Some of these conversations can be about you, your competitors or your industry. Some of these conversations could be people looking for a product like yours. They will talk about all these topics regardless of whether you are listening or not. However, you wouldn’t know any of this if you weren’t listening.” This savvy analogy of social media is quoted by Mashable, the leading social and digital media online news forum in the world, whose monthly page views exceed the 25 million mark. Recently celebrating 5 years of exceptional growth, development, and success Mashable dishes out thousands of brilliant articles on a new age generation of technology with a fresh perspective of the online world. Always updated and always relevant to the social media world, Mashable has gained incredible momentum in the last five years and shows no signs of slowing down in the near future. With a limitless potential for expansion, Mashable has incorporated their brand to include news on business, entertainment, tech, web video as well as development and design, all under the Mashable umbrella.

It’s quite simply, a “smashing” success!

Celebrity power has been a primary driving force for consumer behaviour in the market for a number of years and has taken numerous companies from their lowest lows to unimaginable highs within the last decade. Jasna Kamenjas narrows in on whether “celebrity endorsements [are] really worth the hefty price tag” through a thorough look into corporate success as a result of celebrity backed products and services. Whether it is Jennifer Lopez or Tiger Woods, fashion or personal care products celebrities have changed the face of the shopping industry by becoming the representatives for global brands through endorsements, public announcements, and advertising campaigns. For instance, when you think of Nike basketball shoes, you automatically associate the brand with Michael Jordan and his legendary running gear. However, Kamejas illustrates an interesting point through her discussion on celebrity endorsements as she recognizes that celebrity power is losing its shine, as more consumers are gearing the purchasing decisions upon the basis of being able to relate to those promoting the products, connections with the brand, and the ability of the brand to be truly representative of the lifestyle of the consumer themselves. Additionally, social media has opened the door for companies to truly connect with their consumers on a personal level and allow for “value co-creation” as the consumer now has a voice in products that are made, developed, and put in the market. For instance, with people globally spending “over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook” (Danny Brown) that leaves a much larger window of opportunity for companies to make an impact at barely no cost, in comparison to a two minute commercial advertisement featuring a celebrity amounting to millions of dollars in cost. Ultimately, giving the consumer a voice of their own has overtaken celebrity influence in every respect.

Starbucks, from cup to corporate giant it has far exceeded expectations and borders as it is now one of the world’s most recognizable brands. Samantha Wong’s blog post entitled “Starbucks 2011: A Year for Change” focused on Starbucks rebranding concept and proposed strategy which the coffee house plans to implement in the coming year. By eliminating the ring around the siren in which “Starbucks Coffee” was written, Starbucks hopes to widen its horizons and utilize the opportunity to “expand into new markets” such as bagels, cream cheese, coffee makers, as well as many other Starbucks products and promotional material. Starbucks’ marketing department believes that the company’s brand outreach is strong enough to survive a change in brand direction and this shift will allow Starbucks to better showcase the company’s change in values. For instance, Wong indicated that with the use of the purely green logo, Starbucks plans to move towards a “green focused store” making it appear to be a more environmentally conscious business. Becoming more “green” is not only a trend in today’s world, it is slowly becoming a lifestyle. Starbucks is effectively changing with the times and is positioning its brand to be ready for the major change in lifestyle for its consumers. For Starbucks’ customers it might be just a “venti extra hot skinny caramel macchiato” over the counter. However, for Starbucks’ itself, its a step in changing the way we approach everyday activities and the world around us.

Quite simply, there are two types of people in the world; those who use BlackBerries and those who use iPhones. Both are committed to their phone of choice, with over 50 million BlackBerries and 43 million iPhones sold to date. The BlackBerry and iPhone comparisons are endless, ranging from touch screen versus keyboard buttons, to texting versus BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). Both company’s individuality and unique products give them a sustainable competitive advantage in their industry and ultimately the differences between them set them apart from their competition. However, a unique and thriving form of marketing has been able to capture the attention of both individualistic groups, mobile marketing. The Mobile Marketing Association defines mobile marketing as “a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.”

Individuals spend more time on their phones than reading the newspaper, spending time outside, or even watching television in today’s world. As well, shopping via mobiles has grown tremendously over the last decade. It has been estimated that “shoppers from around the world will spend about $119 billion on goods and services bought via their mobile phones” as reported through a study conducted by ABI Research. As a result, companies globally are looking at methods to make their brands and services “scalable” for mobile technology, by creating apps, utilizing geographical social networks such as Foursquare and Twitter Places, as well as creating online coupons accessible through mobile devices in order to stay up-to-date with the flood of attention being given to the mobile marketing industry. As handheld cellular devices are essentially the center of life for consumers globally, they are also becoming a valuable opportunity for companies to expand their businesses.

It’s the first thing you check when you wake up in the morning, what you turn to when you’re bored, and what you use to organize everything from birthdays and events, to charity fundraisers to gain the attention of thousands of followers. It’s Facebook. It’s your everyday, all the time, go-to information bank. Facebook is the true definition of change and innovation, as it has redefined the way we as individuals operate on a daily basis. It’s simple beginnings of being a college website to connect with friends across campuses has been the foundation of the website’s now over 500 million people following.

Facebook does not only utilize marketing through sharing content via company groups and pages. Facebook is marketing. Content posted by people worldwide has become an invaluable source of information from which companies are able to develop their marketing tactics and ultimately gain a perspective on their consumers’ interests and values. Understanding what the consumer appreciates or enjoys about a product or service, as well as their dislikes and criticisms, enables companies to make important and vital modifications to their products and services, which can ultimately boost profits tremendously.

Additionally, Facebook’s easily approachable and recognizable brand has enabled it to far surpass its competition in the social media world. A format and system which is not easily imitated or duplicated, Facebook has a clearly defined sustainable competitive advantage which will allow it to both grow and remain a powerful force in the marketing and communication world.

What does Facebook mean to you? To me, Facebook has become a way we build relationships. In the value-based era defining a relationship between customer and consumer is the only way to truly build a bond with the consumer. Facebook continues to grow and so does that relationship.

“I’m not really a waitress.” Although just a witty phrase to some, this phrase signifies a brand of luxury nail care products as “I’m not really a waitress” rates as one of the top selling nail lacquers of all time. Raking in an unbelievable $300 million in sales annually, OPI Products Inc. is one of the most globally recognizable beauty care products and is ultimately a “world leader in professional nail care.” OPI has set itself apart from its competitors by distinguishing itself as a “chip resistant” product, with trendy up-to-date colors and creative names to match. Additionally, by holding a large percentage of the market share in their niche, OPI has consistently overtaken the market by storm leaving other emerging brands little hope for breaking through OPI’s walls of strong brand identity and unfaltering corporate values. As quoted by OPI headquarters, “neither OPI Nail Lacquers nor any other OPI product or service are subject to animal testing.” Hence, a strong dedication to professionalism and global responsibility in every sense of the word enables the company to reach consumers shifting towards a more globally conscious lifestyle. Additionally, other trends that OPI is able to maximize on are that of
targeting various ethnic groups and minorities. To illustrate, through collections such as “India” or “Mexico” OPI is able to broaden the horizon of customers it attracts to its products by demonstrating its knowledge and understanding of a variety of cultures through colors, symbols, ad campaigns, and promotional material. Recently in the works of a $900 million to $1 billion dollar acquisition by Coty Inc., a luxury and world renowned fragrance distributor, OPI has far surpassed its modest goals as a family owned company. Simply put, OPI has NAILED it!

BLOGS are essentially social networks of their own. Harbouring growth, insight, inspiration, and ideas, blogs have become a center point for communication. Whether it be young children or seniors, stay at home moms or multi-millionaire corporate CEO’s, everyone has a place in the “blogosphere.” Also, with branches connecting people globally, blogs have the ability to not only generate conversation but to capture and maintain consumer interest in products and services from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. To illustrate, Technorati data shows statistics of

approximately 15.5 million active blogs currently present on the web! Therefore, consider blogs as a primary connection tool for any corporation. Their ability to “tell a story” through contributions made by bloggers and a wide array of comments, significantly influence viewers to read on time and time again.  As well, the power of blogs
to secure a strong reader base shows evidence of companies and individuals taking part in the “value-based/ relationship era” where a long term focus is a primary concern to organizations. This suggests creating “lifetime value” through loyal viewers and contributors of the blog by relationship building. Tactics of moving first time customers to advocates of a product can be greatly enhanced through open communication and capturing company progression over time through a corporate blog. Additionally, blogs focus on B2C (business-to-consumer) and C2C marketing (consumer-to-consumer) strategies creating unlimited potential for connections to be developed between both the organization and the individual. Ultimately, sharing stories of development, progress, milestones, and future prospects through blogging shows the value of “people power” being brought to everyday lives all around the world! Happy blogging!