Influx Insights Tag Feed: brands

brands as social connective tissue

Influx Insights — 2008-10-25T11:53:58Z

Shared Egg is an interesting project that attempts to visualize the connection points between friends. It maps the common areas that bring people together using a combination of interests and brands. It illustrates that brands can be the connective tissue between people; people share a love of brands and an have affinity for them.

Here's the big map...

Here's an isolated look at the Nike relationships within the map....

It raises some interesting questions..

1. How do brands connect to bigger themes, interests, ideas and emotions?

2. How are brands leveraging those connections?

3. How do brands enhance those connections?

4. How do brands bring communities together?

While many have questioned the role of brands in social networks and communities, Shared Egg illustrates that people can be connected and linked by brands. It still remains to be seen how brands best leverage this opportunity to activate and build out these connections and these communities.

Posted by Ed Cotton

brands under fire

Influx Insights — 2008-10-22T17:43:36Z

The private label sales data from Nielsen shows an alarming trend if you happen to be work for a consumer packaged goods brand. The steep curve and rapid gain in share points illustrates just how prepared consumers are to trade away from brands for lower priced alternatives.

The scary thing for brands is that there's so much more room for growth. Nielsen reports that categories like skin care and household detergents have a relatively low penetration for private label products (4-6%), which must be something of a worry for the likes of P&G and Unilever.

In the food space, dairy is the one area under considerable threat which spells significant problems for brands like Horizon.

Lots more detail here....

Posted by Ed Cotton

apple cult- the movie

Influx Insights — 2008-01-26T00:02:52Z

There's a new documentary all about the cult that surrounds the Apple brand.

Posted by Ed Cotton

presentation: 2007- the year in quotes

Influx Insights — 2008-01-01T15:46:55Z

I just quickly pulled together a deck that highlights some interesting quotes from experts, observers and the media in general on a variety of topics including; advertising, China, economy, environment, food, media/technology, etc.

It's a smorgasboard of smart thinking that sums up the year rather nicely and should provide some food for thought for all of us starting this new year.

It's been sourced from some of the raw material we've collected at Influx over the past 12 months.

| View | Upload your own

Posted by Ed Cotton

brands on facebook-part one

Influx Insights — 2007-11-25T11:53:34Z

In the last week or so everyone has been commenting on Facebook's Beacon and the problems and privacy pitfalls of opening up the "social graph" to brands and other third parties. Some have mentioned they don't think it's a good idea for brands to be people's friends, where others have argued that brands are important social currency, so they naturally fit into social actions and display.

I thought it made sense to explore what brands are up to on Facebook.

This is a two-part post.

Part one is a look at some basic counts and part two will examine some strategies behind the successfull brand efforts.

This is by no means exhaustive, but it's a very quick glance at who is doing what and it's pretty interesting to see the inconsistent approaches. The simple analysis here is just to look at the brands and to do a simple count for the member or fan base for their group or page. This doesn't include consumer generated efforts on behalf of brands, there are lots of those, just the ones that appear to be initated by the brand itself.

You can see clearly that some brands are leveraging the presence, while others have just put their toe in and have yet to take real action. It's surprising to see product brands that are well loved, like iPhone and Halo 3, have so little traction. It's also clear that some brands have a lot of catching up to do- United against Southwest, is just one example. You can also see how brands are using Facebook for campaigns- Reebok's "Run Easy" is a good example.

What distinguishes success from failure here appears to revolve around execution and content; you've got to offer content and offers direct to your Facebook audience and you've also have to give them a reason to belong and take actions, but more of that in Part 2.

Here are the counts:

Abercrombie and Fitch- 235 fans

Adidas- 148 fans

Altoids- 2 fans

Amazon- 18 fans

Apple Students -431,288 fans

BMW- 264 fans

Coca-Cola- 803 fans

Dell Spot- 2,485 members

The Economist- 41 fans

Halo 3- 329 fans

H&M- 25,449 members

i Phone- 476 fans

iPod Touch- 145 fans

Mountain Dew-Dew Uncapped

New York Times- 3,318 fans

Nike-14 fans

Nike- Greatest Team You Have Never Heard Of (US Women's Soccer Team)- 26,345 members

Patagonia- 29 fans

PBS- 827 fans

Pepsi- 58 fans

Pepsi Platinum- 20,144 members

Pizza Hut- 5 fans

Ralph Lauren- 136 fans

Reebok- Run Easy- 13,162 members

Saturn Astra- 212 fans

Sony Playstation 3- 277 fans

Southwest -46,670 members

Target- 16,869 members

Taco Bell -33 fans

Toyota Prius- 48 fans

United Airlines- 13 fans

Victoria's Secret-Pink- 351,622 members

Posted by Ed Cotton

report from the uk- the run on the rock

Influx Insights — 2007-09-19T04:31:31Z

There are some very rare occasions when brand strength doesn’t matter because the an event comes along that's so huge it threatens the stability of your business and your brand.

Such an occasion happened last week to the Northern Rock bank. Media images of people lined up to withdraw their savings harkened back to stories we had heard from our grandparents about the 1929 depression, something we’ve never seen in our lifetime or expected to see.

Only an intervention by the British government saved the bank. At the last minute, it decided to step in and guarantee all the bank’s funds. They had to make a swift change because existing legislation guaranteed only 90% of funds up to 33,000 pounds ($70k) and nothing above and beyond that.

The announcement changed everything and the lines stopped forming at the bank and its share price started rising yesterday.

While the UK Government defended their action, which some critics had described as belated, it was clear from the government’s comments that the Northern Rock situation was something almost beyond their control and entirely symptomatic of the world of global finance.

In the wilds of global finance, it was almost as if the wolves had gathered around the weakest deer and were intent on killing it.

For the Northern Rock brand, it’s going to be a long hard journey back. While they have certainly gained infamy and awareness the fundamental element of brand trust that consumers need to have will need to be won back piece by piece.

It will be need to be open and honest and explain what went wrong and what they intend to do about it.

Here’s the start of the re-building campaign; a letter that’s running as full page ads and on the front page of the bank’s website.

May I begin by offering our customers my sincere apologies for the anxiety and inconvenience that we have caused you. I know how worried many of you must have been.

Today I want to make it emphatically clear to all Northern Rock customers that we are open for business as usual.

We remain a well-managed company and continue to be a safe place for your savings, loans and mortgages.

The simple fact now is that the Chancellor has made it clear that all existing deposits in Northern Rock are fully backed by The Bank of England and are totally secure during the current instability in the financial markets.

We are all working night and day to provide you with the service that you expect from us and deserve from us. And I would like to express my appreciation to our staff for their work and commitment over the last few difficult days.

Above all I would also like to thank all our customers for their support and understanding.

I am also pleased to announce that any customer who has paid a penalty for withdrawing their investment, will have the penalty refunded if they re-invest the same amount in the same type of account by 5th October 2007.

These have been troubled times but Northern Rock will prevail. We will not let you down.

Clearly, they have a lot more work to do.

Posted by Ed Cotton

when category impressions overshadow brands

Influx Insights — 2007-09-15T21:51:58Z

There was a good piece in the New Yorker, a couple of weeks back, by James "Wisdom of the Crowds" Surowiecki on why consumers tolerate delays on airlines.

"In other words, we’re stuck with the current system, because it isn’t really in any airline’s interest to try to change it. As long as no airline makes a dedicated effort to distinguish itself from the pack, all the airlines can stay lean, even at the expense of quality. In that sense, the most honest thing about the airlines may be their advertising, which tends to emphasize the flying experience—lulling us with talk of leg room and fully reclining seats. You may end up waiting on the runway for a couple of hours, the message seems to be, but at least you’ll do it in a comfortable chair."

The challenge appears to be for those who are trying to do something genuinely different- Jet Blue, Southwest and Virgin.

How do they avoid getting lumped into the category?

How do they also motivate their staff to care and raise standards, when the competition is doing such a bad job?

How and can do they do more than promise a comfortable chair?

It's interesting to think of other categories were the image of the category is so strongly ingrained, it's very tough for brands to push against it.

Banking is an obvious one.

Posted by Ed Cotton

marketing's three options- a) entertain b) provide utility c) die

Influx Insights — 2007-09-13T00:35:02Z

We are rapidly moving into a landscape where there will only be two models of marketing communication.

1. An entertainment based model where marketers work hard to breakthrough the clutter. The goal is to raise awareness and to get people to like you.

2. A utility based model- the brand provides something useful, good and meaningful to its consumers and perhaps the world beyond. Instead of just running regular ads, they are big idea platforms that inspire, encourage engagement and give something back.

If you don’t do either of these, you will die.

The “shouting” benefits model of marketing communication is about to become as extinct as a dodo.

So the challenge for brands that operate is to understand how they get to entertainment and/or utility.

The secret is the same as it has always been.

It’s all about having a disciplined strategic process that allows you to uncover the big idea.

Something that allows you to stand for something that’s way bigger than yourself or your category.

Once you have it, the opportunities become boundless.

It’s a place that comes from a brand truth, but expands way beyond that.

It can be like over the top entertaining emotional “Joy” of Cadbury’s chocolate or Omo’s philosophical belief that “Dirt is Good”.

Think only about small functional benefits and you will die.

It’s time to think big.

What are you about?

What do you believe in?

Posted by Ed Cotton

is a shabby starbucks, a more interesting experience?

Influx Insights — 2007-09-12T01:06:45Z

Great post by Meg Hourihan on her personal Starbucks experience.

"As I stood there in line, taking in the rug, gold gilt mirror, and plush armchairs in one corner, and the mid-range restaurant upholstered booth in the other, I realized what had made this Starbucks different: It had developed the worn familiarity of a local coffeehouse. The few armchairs were shabby, the tables were always haphazardly arranged. The counter was banged up and the doors were chipped wood in need of attention. It was great.

But now it's got that circular Starbucks lighted sign in its window. They've redone the whole counter, changed where you pick up your drink, and installed a microwave so they can sell those wretched breakfast sandwiches. It's now just another Manhattan Starbucks. Everything that gave it its own identity and authenticity is now gone, and I haven't been back.

Ever since I've been thinking about if it's even possible to have an authentic experience at a chain. In order for the chain to succeed, it needs consistency both in product and in branding. This one, until recently, offered the consistent chain product. But the branding, at least in terms of store interior, was missing. Now that it's been restored, the spirit of the place is gone. I know consistency trumps authenticity when it comes to chains. It was foolish of me to develop feelings for that Starbucks because it seemed different than the others. Different can't survive when global sameness is the goal."

Lots of food for thought here that gives rise to the notion of "un-chaining".

How can brands remove the shackles of globally ubiquity and modulate experiences to match the needs of specific local target segments?

Posted by Ed Cotton

the brand invasion of facebook begins now

Influx Insights — 2007-09-09T18:15:58Z

Posted by Ed Cotton

couldn't brands be more topical?

Influx Insights — 2007-08-26T10:07:21Z

Relevance is an important component of brand success; consumers need to know that the brand gets and understands them and their needs. What happens if relevance is changing at a faster pace than brands imagine? Most big brands keep track on trends and it’s widely understood that trends move at a relatively slow pace, so using the trends yardstick, brands usually feel they have time to respond.

What if they are looking at the wrong yardstick?

What if the new yardstick is conversation?

Interestingly, that’s where blog measurement tools come in. Again, most of the big brands are tracking these. However, the tend to be being used mainly by the PR and quality control departments, so they can respond to problems and crises, as and when they occur. It’s a glass half full approach. They are being used to fix problems.

Suppose they were used to find opportunities. Opportunities that allowed brands to positively enter the conversation and obtain that all-important relevance. Agencies tend to think about production schedules that stretch into weeks and months because their focus is on traditional media and even with the web, the turn around time for a decent website, is several months.

Agencies have become slaves to production and lengthy production schedules, partly because of the financial upside.

Surely, new opportunists are going to emerge that find help brands to seize the relevance. They will use shorter and lower cost production alternatives; highly topical low-cost films posted to You Tube and other video sharing sites and rich web media that’s placed precisely in the right context at precisely the right time.

Posted by Ed Cotton

branding's next wave-consumer created brands

Influx Insights — 2007-08-19T19:39:28Z

We’ve currently going through the first wave of consumer generation; brands have reached out to consumers and ask them to help in their marketing efforts, Heinz’s recent ketchupfest attracted an incredible 4,000 entries, with 5 winners making it onto TV. They company staging a repeat of the contest to run in the Fall.

Sitting across the highway from these efforts, are brands like Threadless, who’ve capitalized on the artistry of creative individuals, allowing them to design product and make some money.

At the fringes there are signs of a new revolution brewing, one that turns the notion of producer and consumer on its head. The idea that the consumers develop, create and control the destiny of the brands they create.

The best example of this is Myfootballclub.co.uk, where 50,000 soccer fans have signed up and paid a fee of $70. This has given the group access to considerable funds, in fact they have enough money to purchase as soccer club and are currently in negotiations to do just that.

Is there a possible future where thousands of consumers get together to form buying clubs and create products and services with no direct involvement from corporations?

Posted by Ed Cotton

the zillion-dollar brand challenge

Influx Insights — 2007-07-30T00:18:07Z

It appears there’s no shortage of brands trying to grasp the concept of Web 2.0, but do they know what they are doing?

Bruce Nussbaum in a post for Business Week, believes clients can longer trust big ad agencies, because they are pushing them “lemming like” into the 2.0 world, without first understanding consumer needs.

“I've been spending much time with ad agencies and focus groups lately and can only conclude that--with some exceptions--they are mostly clueless. Three years ago they had a traditional knowledge about consumers but didn't know much about social networking and web 2.0 technology. Today, most of them don't know about consumers and don't know much about social networking and web 2.0 technology either. Mainstream ad agencies have one refrain--one message to their corporate clients--do social networking, do social networking, do social networking.”

However, it’s not just agencies that are rushing, everyone is and agencies are being dragged along in the wake.

Here’s a sampling of some of the headlines from the last month.

Media:

The BBC files reports on YouTube for the recent elections in Turkey

Sony launches Crackle to pioneer a new studio model

Nokia purchases social networking site Twango

Brands:

Some efforts might be agency induced, but it looks like most of these were client driven.

Finish Line launches its own social networking site

HP launches a back to school campaign with ads on YouTube and 80 social networking and web sites

Jeep launches the Havefunoutthere.com social network

Although I agree with Bruce that agencies need to inform their clients about what’s going on before rushing into the fray, but this is hard to do, there’s an unstoppable force behind this “meme”.

As Bruce suggests, agencies should spend more time understanding the consumer and need to do more than focus groups to get there.

However, the challenge with all this is to gain enough insight to create content that's compelling enough to ATTRACT and KEEP people’s attention.

As always, this is a massive creative challenge that needs to be fuelled by insight, imagination and intuition and that’s why Bruce is right, compelling experiences won’t happen by simply re-creating what exist.

This is no easy task as the very nature of brands and brand communication is in a state of flux, it doesn’t matter if you are MySpace or Buick.

The acuteness of the problem is neatly expressed in this quote from an article published in the Times (London) on July 3rd.

“Social networks are spawning a generation of Internet tarts, research suggests: online consumers with little brand loyalty and no qualms about keeping several sites on the go at once.

Users of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are “chronically unfaithful”, a survey by Parks Associates, the analysts, has found. Half of users regularly use more than one site, most of which are free. One in six actively uses three or more.

This phenomenon of “network promiscuity” extends across web commerce. Analysts say that it is symptomatic of a new consumer scepticism over traditional branding.”

How does an old-school brand change it's spots and adapt to the new environment?

It appears that many brand efforts are Web 2.0 in theory, but not in practice, because it's so hard for brands to get away from the "command and control" model.

Brands seem so enamored their own self importance and insist on building social network destinations, but is that what consumers want?

We should hire some ethnographers to find out.

Posted by Ed Cotton

crocs- fast branding

Influx Insights — 2007-07-11T09:17:58Z

The ugly footwear brand Crocs has in a couple of years come from knowhere to cultural phenom. I don't recall ever having seen any form of traditional communication for the brand- no ads of any type, but a ton of people talk about them and you sure remember them when you see them around.

Clearly Crocs is trying to battle the "fad cycle" that often destroys fashion companies; they are expanding globally and diversifying the brand beyond footwear.

Anyone remember Von Dutch?

"The future for Von Dutch seems to be limitless. The unofficial princess of white-trash glam, Anna Nicole Smith, has signed a development deal with the company--just one of the many promotional plans that they've set their sights set on. Fashion fanatics can also expect to see cosmetics and haute couture lines in the upcoming months, as well as an onslaught of celebrity involvement."

From a 2003- web news story

How Crocs engineered it's rapid expansion is fascinating; it brought in an expert from outside the category, Ron Snyder from Flextronics, an electronics manaufacturer that makes X-Boxes for Microsoft among other things.

According to Fast Company, Snyder's contribution is all about making Crocs more responsive to the changing color tastes of consumer.

"And he brought on some of his pals from Flextronics to set up more-sophisticated operations that would bring to footwear the speed and flexibility of electronics manufacturing. For one, they set up systems allowing Crocs to respond quickly to demand: If the lime-green Athens shoe is hot in mid-June, the company can make more in two to four weeks."

They might be getting this right for their core business, but their diversification strategies have met with criticism.

"But now my ardor of last year has cooled. I am underwhelmed by the company’s choices so far. It seems like Crox moved in this direction before thinking it through. Sure, ball caps are a must, but the backpacks are just backpacks. White socks with prints on them? Who cares? The spin-off products so far sadly lack the funky style that made Crox shoes so in your face and I dare you to make fun of me. Why isn’t Crox teaming with Swatch to make big, bold watches a comeback? Why don’t the arm and wristbands do something teens and fashion-firsts would value, like hold an iPod? In fact, why aren't they anklebands just to be different? Why aren’t there Crox gummy bears or funny-colored sunscreen that blends into the skin? Crox needs a product designer with a funkier vision and a tighter grip on what it is about Crox that got it to this level. The new products on offer now look like the company borrowed an aging product manager from the Mattel’s Barbie doll division."

Seeking Alpha

Crocs have defied convention, built a powerful brand that people have strong emotions towards, survived the intiital fad phase and have taken on the mutitude of copy-cats. Bringing outside expertese from the fast-paced world of electronics has clearly helped, but it now appears they also need to bring in critical design skills if they want to innovate behind their core product and survive.

Posted by Ed Cotton

can "next fatigue" help brands?

Influx Insights — 2007-07-09T09:39:33Z

It appears the relentless innovation of Web 2.0 is already sapping the mental strength and willpower of some of its most ardent supporters.

“I just got a Pownce invite yesterday and was excited to try it out, but I must admit a sense of horror came over me as I realized that I had to find everyone all over again.

I mean, I have spent a lot of time adding friends on Facebook - I have used it to reconnect with people from eras throughout my entire life and I have poured days of time into the effort. I have done it to a certain extent on Twitter, where I have a pretty solid snapshot of my industry colleagues. I have done it with my MSN friends list, but it is becoming less important these days as I forget who most of the people I have added are - there is very little context with traditional chat applications as you have to rely on remembering silly screen names.

Then I thought, what about everything else, like Xbox Live, Finetune, LastFM, AIM, MySpace, and so many many more.

This has turned into a nightmare.”

Teknision

No one has time to read blogs any more; “the weberati” are spending so much time downloading, trying out new web applications and plugging their friends in.

This is a huge issue for social networks as they evolve and fragment and as brands try to create their own, but does it all become too much?

Maybe it’s just one example of the constant quest for the “next” now characterizes contemporary consumption. Brand loyalty is fast disappearing and has been replaced a constant search for the “next” thing.

It explains marketing’s latest fetish for innovation; brands constantly need to have something new and “next” to talk about, if they want to engage.

However, in an “attention starved” world, how much work do people really want to do? When does the trade off between the cache of discovering something new and the effort required to discover it become too much?

Will people get “next fatigue”?

Brands have to hope this is the case.

It’s what they are supposed to do, simplify.

Or

Has the quest and display of the shiny and new now become more powerful than the cache of brand, because the consumer no longer trusts brands to stay ahead and look after all of their interests?

Posted by Ed Cotton

ice cream tales - brand storytelling and poker

Influx Insights — 2007-06-07T11:32:53Z

These days, every brand expert is talking about the power of storytelling. There are many reasons for it, not least, the desire to inject more humanity into brands. The problem is that storytelling is like a game of poker, because a better story can always come along to trump yours.

Let’s look at ice cream as an example.

There used to be a time when Haagen Dazs had the premium ice cream market to itself. It made up a name and sold its “specialness”. Along came Ben and Jerry’s, the name was real and there was a good reason to believe the ice cream was special, it came from Vermont.

Josh Friedland at The Food Section informs us that there’s a new player in the ice cream storytelling stakes, GROM a mini-ice cream chain (12 stores worldwide) who has just opened a store in New York.

Here are the components of the GROM story.

-    It’s from Turin, Italy – one of the centers of good ice cream
-    The founders are young entrepreneurs
-    The ice cream’s ingredients are sanctioned by the Slow Food movement and include; Sfusato lemons from Amalfi and pistachios from Bronte in Sicilly
-    The ice cream is mixed in Italy and whipped when they arrive in NYC
-    The sorbets are made of 50% fruit and 50% San Bernado mineral water
-    The company will soon be growing its own some of its own fruit
-    The chocolate they use comes from Ecuador and Venezula

GROM’s story is multi-dimensional; it has a lot of interesting layers and elements; stretching from the founders, to the process and the ingredients. This is important for a couple of reasons.

1.    Word of Mouth Power: It gives the “Mavens” who want to spread the story, good content for the viruses.

2.    Proof: Months back Influx wrote a post on the critical drivers of C21st Branding- Proof was one of the core components. In a world where Internet search dominates, rational elements help to prove your case. However, if these elements can have an added emotional layer, the more powerful they become. GROM has the romance and purity of Italy and the Slow Food movement. The more layers, the more chance you have to differentiate and the more reasons you are giving consumers to check you out.

Weaving together stories has always been a part of the brand communication process. Advertising agencies were often hired to make up and exaggerate these stories.

Today, it’s important that your brand possesses not only an authentic story, but it also needs multiple layers. Brand development and refreshment is simply about adding more layers to the story making it more robust and therefore harder to competitors to trump.

diageo- get consumers to be interested in you

Influx Insights — 2007-04-30T14:31:20Z

Yesterday, beverage giant Diageo, held an annual investors conference, where it into considerable detail about all aspects of its global business.

Marketing got a seat at the top table and considerable time and attention to explaining the company’s thinking about the new environment and how it’s responding to the challenges.

4 things emerged from the presentation.

1. The company clearly understands the new challenges of the marketplace.

2. It has a new marketing model.

3. It knows the implications.

4. It’s acting on it.

Diageo is be forging ahead of its competition with marketing innovations in viral, digital and experience based platforms. The work for Smirnoff Iced Tea received special recognition; according to Diageo’s data, the viral “Tea Party” film generated 3 million+ internet views and 48 million PR media impressions.

the world's fastest growing brands

Influx Insights — 2007-06-06T19:46:45Z

Millward Brown has just published its 2007 ranking of the world’s largest brands from the BrandZ study.

Influx thought it would be good to look at the ranking of the fastest growing brands from the study.

BrandZ Millward Brown Top 10 Fastest Growing Brands

1. Marks and Spencer +192% (68)
2. Best Buy +113% (86)
3. Target +88% (52)
4. Google +77% (1)
5. ABN Amro +72 (95)
6. Apple +55% (16)
7. Gucci +49% (89)
8. Starbucks +45% (35)
9. Hermes +44% (85)
10. Cingular Wireless +39%(70)

()= Brand value ranking

Interesting to see three retailers leading the ranking, the leader, Marks and Spencer a UK retailer experienced one of the most incredible turnarounds, thanks to some great advertising.

brand as educators-howies

Influx Insights — 2007-06-14T14:09:23Z

David Hieatt used to work at Weiden and Kennedy, became a consultant for non-profits and then established his own clothing company, Howies.

David sees Howies as an extension of his thinking and a tool by which to educate people about responsible consumerism and environmental causes.

Howies applied many of Patagonia’s core principles and made them relevant for a different marketplace, the UK.

However, Howies is not merely an imitator, it continues to defy the concept of the corporation.

Its latest idea is a lecture series, Little Big Voice, designed to for people who help causes, understand how to use media “sell” their ideas.

It’s a smart way for the brand to give back, instead out handing out checks, it’s doing something better, it’s giving away learning.

These lectures take place in Cardigan Bay, Wales, this weekend with the following speakers.

Howies initiative gets Influx thinking.

What kind of lectures would your brand host?

Who would speak?

Who would you invite?

Who would attend?