The Marketing Week – 28/6/2013
Welcome to The Marketing Week, your guide to the good, the bad and the ugly in the marketing industry over the last seven days.
CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
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Brewing giants including Molson Coors, AB-InBev, Carlsberg and Heineken have joined forces with beer and pub trade associations to launch a bold attempt at arresting the decline in beer sales.
The “Let There Be Beer” activity is an attempt to get those that think beer is just for flat cap wearing old men to reappraise it by focussing on the array of world beers, ales, pilsners and stouts on offer. In a bid to tap into the growth of gastro pubs, it also pushes beer as an accompaniment to food. UK Beer sales have been in decline for years as drinkers switch to cider and wine. Sales fell 2.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest BBPA data. Sales from pubs, closing at a rate of 26 a week according to Camra, were down 5.5 per cent.
The campaign has set itself a bold task of “instilling a passion for beer in the nation’s hearts”. It will not turn the tide but the three-year campaign could help manage the decline.
GOOD WEEK FOR
Mobile marketing
Can anyone remember when commentators did not predict the year of mobile (and mobile marketing)? Well, it seems to be upon us. Mobile ad spend is forecast to surge 90 per cent to hit £1bn this year, according to a report by eMarketer.
The report also says increased investment in mobile search and display ad formats will drive the total value of the sector from £526m in 2012, to £999m this year.
The uplift is driven by brands’ eagerness to keep abreast of smartphone adoption, as well as engage with the rapidly growing numbers of people ‘dual-screening’ on tablet devices while watching TV, according to the study.
BAD WEEK FOR
The slew of allegations about tax avoidance appear to have taken their toll on the search giant. According to a report by M&C Saatchi Group agency Clear, Google has suffered a 38 per cent drop in ‘brand desirability’ year on year, plunging from 5th in its list last year to 117th this year.
Elsewhere, Google was slammed by the Information Commissioner’s Office last week over withholding data captured by Street View.
Not a great week, or indeed year for the company. Whether the negative headlines will dent its still healthy earnings – revenue increased 31 per cent year on year to $14bn in the first quarter – is still debatable.
INTERNATIONAL
Penguin China has launched a campaign designed to get people to re-evaluate reading and shift the common view that reading books is boring. The ads by Y&R Beijing depict how a book can dramatically change how someone’s life can turn out.
Brewer Molson Canadian is running an experiential activity across Europe targeting Canadian travellers. It is placing fridges full of beer in European cities that can only be opened by scanning a Canadian passport. The activity is designed to restore Canadian national pride.
ONE TO WATCH
Grabyo
Unilever is the first brand in the UK to take up Grabyo, a clip-shaping app that allows users to share clips of TV in real time as they’re watching. Unilever’s haircare brand Tresemme is using it to extend the reach of its TV sponsorship of Britain’s Next Top Model and drive online conversations around the show.
Topshop built a similar app within its live catwalk show earlier this year and it’s definitely something that will become more prevalent as more advertisers and broadcasters embrace consumers’ desire to share content immediately.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
At certain points this week, Marketing Week Live was trending above Glastonbury and Wimbledon, that’s no mean feat, so here’s just a few things that people were saying:
Neil Paul @neil_datrix “Great day visiting @mwlive2013 that’s left me brimming with ideas and inspiration for the year ahead. Exciting stuff #MWLive2013”
Jim Green @Specsman_Jim “Any retailer on the high street needs to have a reason to exist Chris Aubrey, Samsung #MWLive2013”FACT!”
Kyle Glenn @_kylemglenn_ “Tv remains the brighter screen in the room but it has to fight for attention. #MWLive2013”
Elliot Baum @elliotbaum “Brands that own their own content platform puts them in control and performs better than ad placements #contentpublishing #mwlive2013”
Zara K @Zara_K: “Good advice – “don’t solely have references from your industry learn from other disciplines” Justin Cooke CMO Topshop #MWLive2013”
Simona Skeryte @SimonaSke “Stories are good but it’s the geeky stuff that makes us money.” @Steffanaquarone @Econsultancy #Video #SEO #MWLive2013”
Paul J Roberts @Pjdroberts “For customer centricity – stand for something, be consistent in comms & execution and believe in your people (let them breath) #MWLive2013”
