Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Brands Get Local

From USA Today, the story of a major brand getting local. It reads as a “people want to eat more healthy” story, but we see it as a reflection of (at least the perception of) consumers’ awareness and desire for transparency in the marketplace. It’s the acknowledgement that consumers can take their own decisions, and will dig to find all the facts.

Who deserves the credit for this? Social networking. Think about it…either the brand becomes more transparent proactively, or it will be forced to do so subject to the actions of consumers who influence their friends and family. Frito-Lay’s move is very smart, and is well and truly a win-win.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Hurry-Up Marketing

Really, it makes all kinds of sense…fueling a “tweet up” with pizza. But now it seems that Kraft - through its DiGiorno brand - is taking it further.

But, can social media really enhance the relevance of something like frozen pizza, which is a borderline commodity?

The article notes a little later on that the DiGiorno has been one of the more technologically advanced brands in the Kraft quivver. They intercepted “Yelp and Citysearch users looking for ‘pizza delivery’ and instead offered DiGiorno.“ This to me seems a more interesting and grippy way to propagate the brand.

Now here’s the catch…what happens if the pizza sucks? How quickly will that word spread?

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Burger King Square Butts – WTF???

Did anybody else see this Burger King Squarebutts video on You Tube?  And did anyone else wonder… WTF?  Search it yourself… I’m doing enough to promote it without making it an easy click through.

Before I go on, let me say 2 things here:  1)  I’m far from squeamish when it comes to marketing.  I’m all for pushing the envelope and grabbing attention.  2)  I love the King.  Even the totally creepy, definitely homoerotic, meat hoagie commercial was a favorite.  My kids didn’t get the subtext, I did, I laughed.  No problem.

But placing this viral video to shill a special on kids meals?  Linking Spongebob with women as objects to sell a 99 cent special?  Yeah, yeah, I know… it’s mostly teens and above who will even see this, but still… How about exercising just a little judgment, folks?  How about having some respect for your brand, if not for yourself and your own creativity. I mean, come on?  Do I really have to go off here?  Stupid is as stupid does.

So, somebody please tell me Burger King had nothing to do with this and that they and Nickelodeon will make it go away, like, say, tomorrow.  Really, truly, appalling.

And, btw, I showed it to my 13 year old son and he agrees.  “Wow, dad, that’s just stupid and not even funny.  Let’s do the Bell next time.”  ‘Nuff said.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Virgin Group Team Wins First Formula 1 Race…And Why You Care

OK, this is a little bit of backstory algebra, but follow along because I think it’s worthwhile.

Richard Branson…his reputation in the US is of being a benign sort of entrepreneur (whereas, say, Donald Trump is malignant). Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, but it can’t get arrested in the US (gimme my Nascar and a cold one!), doesn’t have any US drivers or manufacturers, and can’t even manage to hold 1 race in North America. Honda, one of the world’s largest auto manufacturers and a stalwart in Formula 1, felt compelled to very suddenly drop out leaving a team scrambling, with 700 jobs in the balance. The team leader, Ross Brawn, was able to acquire the team and operate it in time for the first race of the season. At the last minute, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group stepped in to be the team’s first main sponsor.

So what happened? Brawn’s team actually won the race with a 1-2 finish, which (believe me) is truly incredible. I care because I love Formula 1. But why should you care? Because on Richard Branson’s blog, he made a most remarkable comment: “We believe it is possible that through business skill rather than financial resources, we can achieve significant benefits for the brand at very low cost.“ (My emphasis) And he continued, “During these uncertain economic times I believe this partnership - with a winning team - demonstrates our ability to find inventive and powerful ways to help advertise, sell our products and keep the Virgin name out there.“

Let’s just pull out the important words: business skill, significant benefit, very low cost, partnership, inventive and powerful, advertise and sell.

I invite you to read all of Richard’s comments, they are rather timely and sage in this business environment: click here for Richard’s blog.

It’s a primer for all brand leaders. Because even if they hadn’t won, the principles remain the same: when the going is tough it is the inventive and and skillful who survive.

(Interesting post-script: under Honda the team roster had swelled to 700; in the wake of the victory Brawn’s team announced immediate layoffs to bring the headcount back to where it should be. And with all his experience and success, Ross Brawn ought to know…)

(Interesting post-post script: Brawn GP has now won 3 of the first 4 races of the season. On Richard Branson’s Virgin blog, he covers his feelings about the win as well as Virgin’s position as it jockeys for position as lead sponsor with remarkable clarity and calmness. He “gets” the economy, and it is refreshing.)

Monday, March 02, 2009

Where Do You Work?

In a deluge of bad business news, there are beacons of hope…at least 50 of them, according to Fortune Magazine, which has just released its list of the 50 most admired companies in the world.

Of additional interest is the map showing where each of their headquarters are, which is handily provided by… #4, Google!

Peruse the listings, and work your way through the terrible navigation and layout, because there are a lot of cross-sections to the list that shed a lot of light on business today, IMO. For instance, Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing is still up there, ranking very high for innovation…we know them today as 3M, and while hardly sexy it’s a great example of how innovation can pull any company through any economy.

Are you innovating?