I write this week to acknowledge the insane bravery of Phones4U. In this age of social media domination, it takes an enormous amount of professional and personal gusto to spend a large chunk of any marketing budget on an old fashioned TV campaign. But to go on and use that campaign to scare the bejesus […]
The rise of “big data” and the diversity of new communications channels raise tough challenges for today’s chief marketing officers (Data Strategy, 13 October). With 82% of chief marketers planning to deploy new technologies to understand data from social media and less than 50% tracking blogs and reviews, according to IBM’s 2011 Global CMO Study, […]
The latest IPA Bellwether report (Budgets show upturn despite falling economic confidence, MW last week) isn’t all music to marketers’ ears but does suggest opportunity for greater creative invention with the promise of more marketing budget. Even the simple return on investment ratio suggests money spent on marketing does generate a return. More brands should […]
We are so often told that selling to existing customers is far easier than gaining new ones, so, when seen as a cross-selling exercise, maybe Facebook marketing is more worthwhile than Mark Ritson (MW 13 October) gives credit for. I would suggest that a Facebook brand page could have a highly positive impact on existing […]
The future doesn’t have to be one of doom and gloom when it comes to TV advertising data (MW 13 October). BARB is not a blunt instrument. Its data allows advertisers to see if people are viewing programmes on their own or with families, which can help with targeting for products. For example, people viewing […]
The news that Starbucks is considering launching its My Rewards scheme in the UK (MW last week) begs the question: is the future of loyalty programmes a universal card that can be used on a variety of brands to earn incentives? Consumers are now taking the power back from brands and are increasingly selective about […]
Email has long been established as the killer outbound channel for providing customers with relevant and personalised content but it should not be used in isolation (MW 6 October). To keep customers engaged at all points of the buying cycle, marketers need to ensure they monitor customers’ interaction across the digital spectrum. Only with permission […]
It is great to see how consumers’ perceptions of email marketing have improved during the last year (MW 6 October), but brands now need to take the next steps to enhance the discipline’s reputation further. While the research may show consumers only have limited time to check their emails at home and at work, research […]
BA’s new-old strapline is a clever idea, but passengers would prefer it if it stopped talking about great service and just started doing it. I note that British Airways is reviving its traditional strapline ’To fly. To serve’. Presumably that means its staff are going to stop being grumpy and start being smiley. That will […]
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has unveiled a global repositioning of its Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts to differentiate the brand from its competitors.
The NFL is looking to triple its UK fanbase in the next five years by partnering with more “quintessentially British” brands, expanding its merchandise range and forming a London-based team.
The IAB has urged advertisers to be more creative in their approach to mobile advertising and shed the “one size fits all” approach for more integrated strategies.
The data marketing industry celebrated Marketing Week’s Data Strategy Awards last week, recognising the best work of the past year in this burgeoning field. Among the brands most deserving of praise were Thomson, New Look, Costa and Argos. Travel agent Thomson was the night’s biggest winner, leaving with three awards, including the grand prix, for […]
Sainsbury’s has teamed up with Warner Bros in the run-up to Halloween in a bid to take a larger slice of the £315m in retail sales the event is expected to rake in.
Baxters will make its first strides into social media next year as part of its £5m marketing campaign to increase its share of the soup market.