The Marketing Year – the top 10 opinion and analysis articles
Brewers up plans to beat the competition, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Sir David Brailsford on how cycling became a £1bn brand and World Cup marketing strategies all made it into out most popular opinion and analysis articles of 2014.
By Sarah Vizard
1. Mark Ritson: Coke Life is the harbinger of death for Coca-Cola
Our columnist Mark Ritson didn’t have much faith in Coca-Cola’s launch of Coke Life, calling it out as a “dud”.
2. Six trends in advertising you need to know for 2014
Back in January, Econsultancy’s Ashley Friedlein called out the six trends marketers would need to know for 2014, from real-time bidding to native advertising and geo-targeting.
3. Five trends marketers need to know for 2015
For 2015 its the rise of post-demographic consumerism (aka attitude not age), everyday feminism and personalised pricing that will be top of marketers’ agenda.
4. What’s your World Cup marketing strategy?
The 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil was one of the most sophisticated and hi-tech yet for marketing, with brands looking to make use of second-screen innovations and outdoor technology.
5. The top storytelling brands
The way a brand tells its story is becoming more important in order to convey a sense of purpose and convince consumers that they are worth their time and money. Who is doing it well? Apple is rated as the UK’s top storytelling brand, according to research by brand storytelling agency Aesop, followed by Cadbury and McDonald’s. The poll also revealed that supermarkets are falling down the rankings while charities are climbing.
6. The Marketing Year: The top campaigns of 2014
From the Ice Bucket Challenge, to John Lewis’ Monty the Penguin and Lidl’s attempts to change public perception of the discount supermarket with Lidl Surprises, Marketing Week picked out its top 10 campaigns of 2014.
7. How to fix your failing social media strategy
Brands are wasting their effort getting fans to like them on social media. According to research by Twitter and digital agency Isobar high levels of likeability on social lead to higher levels of purchase consideration. There are far more effective ways to create sales and meet business objectives.
8. The secrets of being a happy brand
Cadbury is the ‘happiest’ brand in the UK, according to research advertising agency Isobel in association with Cog Research, followed by Andrex, Google and Fairy. The study indicates that brands which display happy characteristics – whether they are playful, happy, trustworthy, generous or optimistic – connect better with consumers.
9. How cycling became a mainstream brand
Sir Bradley Wiggins and Sir David Brailsford may have been knighted for their services to cycling, rather than marketing, but they have arguably contributed more than anyone into the sport into a brand that is worth more than £1bn.
10. Brewing up plans to beat the competition
As the UK coffee shop market continues to grow, brands are searching for ways to stand out from the competition and meet consumers’ rising expectations as research by consultancy Pragma showed nearly half (43%) of UK coffee drinkers have no particular brand loyalty.
