5 things you need to know this week
From Amazon’s unexpected tie-up with Morrisons to a new controversial emoji campaign raising awareness about women’s periods, this is what went down in the world of marketing this week.
1. The supermarkets will have to step up their ecommerce game after Amazon/Morrisons deal
More details emerged this week of Amazon’s plans to sell groceries online as it announced a new partnership with Morrisons. It will mean that Amazon Prime Now and Amazon Pantry customers will get the opportunity to buy ambient, fresh and frozen products from Morrisons.
Amazon is yet to release a full list of products that will be available but items such as orange juice, soup and spaghetti are likely to be part of the range. Customers will be able to buy Morrisons products as part of a wider Amazon shop.
“The combination of our fresh food expertise with Amazon’s online and logistics capabilities is compelling,” said Morrisons’ chief executive David Potts.
The news comes after Amazon announced in September last year that it would be expanding its online grocery offering with a trial in London and Birmingham. However it previously only offered frozen and chilled products, rather than fresh.
The Amazon and Morrisons tie-up will definitely scare rivals Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s, according to Bryan Roberts, global insights director at TCC Global. He told Marketing Week: “Aldi and Lidl are more problematic in the short term for the grocers but if Amazon does pull together a credible growth programme in the UK this could be seen as a game changer.”
2. Bodyform and P&G hit out against female taboos with new emoji campaigns
Both Bodyform and Proctor & Gamble, the latter via its Always’ #LikeAGirl statement, launched new socially-conscious emoji campaigns this week.
P&G is encouraging women to share the type of emojis they’d like to see shared on social media as the latest iteration of the Like A Girl campaign questions whether stereotypical “female” emojis including princesses, women getting their nails done or dancing in bunny ears truly represent women.
Bodyform, meanwhile, has launched a new campaign aimed at breaking down taboos around periods by introducing six ‘femojis’ and asking people to sign a petition to support the cause.
The campaign was developed following insight that almost half (45%) of UK women and girls find it difficult to talk about their periods and it features emojis that spread awareness of conditions such as bloating that impact women as a result of their periods.
3. Lego talks up social responsibility as profit rise gives brand its ‘best ever year’
Everything continues to be awesome for Lego as it had “its best year ever” in 2015 with global sales growing by 19%, as the toy company’s push to reach 100 million children worldwide and up its sustainability efforts paid off.
Key to Lego’s growth has been its focus on sustainability and charitable drives, according to CEO Vig Knudstorp. The company has invested £4m in a study in partnership with Cambridge University to explore the benefits of playful learning, which Knudstorp said shows it is “taking full responsibility for the world and its development”.
Lego also says that more than 90% of waste from its production sites was recycled in 2015. The company improved its energy efficiency by 5%, having decreased its energy usage by 20% over the last five years.
Knudstorp explained: “With the massive growth the company is experiencing we can offset this by using renewable energy. We are producing more products, but using less energy.
4. McLaren launches first ever TV ad as it seeks to change brand image
Having taken a step away from the world of professional racing after recently unveiling its first range of consumer sports cars, McLaren launched its first ever standalone television ad this week.
The pan-European campaign, which launches in the UK, Germany, France and Switzerland on 7 March and targets high net worth individuals, will run on TV for four weeks using Sky AdSmart. It will be supported by a partnership with Top Gear in the UK and Germany and by a digital campaign.
Jon Pollock, MD Europe at McLaren, told Marketing Week the car marque is aiming to win customers from the likes of Audi and Porsche. “We want to highlight that journey of the car being built and then the journey [customers] can take with the car,” he explained.
“There is also a subtext to the ad, where we offer consumers a new product and choice in that segment of the market, which has been traditionally dominated by Audi and Porsche.”
5. P&G overtakes Unilever to top list of most effective global advertisers
Procter & Gamble has overtaken Unilever to take the title of the most effective global advertiser, according to the latest Warc 100 report, which is a ranking of the world’s best marketing campaigns and companies according to business impact.
“P&G’s strong performance in the current Warc 100 reflects the company’s continuing ability to develop powerful advertising that gets people talking. While Unilever remains a very effective advertiser, the latest results raise questions about the potential impact of cost cuts on the development of breakthrough marketing ideas,” says the report.
Both Ikea and Heineken had “breakthrough years”, appearing in the top 10 brands segment of the Warc 100 for the first time. Warc credited their global scale and consistent success across international markets, as well as the broad brand portfolio at Heineken, for the strong performance.
India’s Tata Group was one of the biggest risers, meanwhile, with its ranking going from 32nd in 2014 to ninth in the latest list. Its most successful campaign – Jaguar’s ‘British Villains’ from agency Spark44 – came 14th and showed that achieving outside a company’s home market is key to success.