May 2006
Brand Strategy's Trends and News for May
Welcome to the fourth of our regular email newsletters.
Ruth Mortimer, editor (ruth.mortimer@centaur.co.uk) recommends…..
WAL-MART’S ORGANIC GROWTH
Are organics finally moving into the mainstream? This may be one step nearer after supermarket giant Wal-Mart announced it has decided to sell more organic food and reduce the premiums charged for it from 20-30% to just 10%. Is this a healthy move for the brand, its suppliers and customers?
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SEARCHING FOR MARKETING SATISFACTION
How far will Google go? The search engine launched its Trends service this month, which shows the volume of searches for particular terms over time - this could help marketers cheaply see the effects of their own and competitors’ campaigns. Now the brand’s founder is suggesting that Google could use its advertising tool to move into TV.
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AGEING GRACEFULLY
Is your brand up to date with how to treat older consumers? Deloitte’s report on the 50 years old and over market provides some valuable insights into this often-neglected consumer category:
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Morag Cuddeford Jones, contributing editor, (morag.cuddeford@centaur.co.uk) recommends….
KICKING HIMSELF
They say if the shoe fits, wear it. However, if the boot was on the other foot, Rooney may not have put his foot it and given a leg up to the competition which may well see England get the boot from the World Cup. Is Nike kicking itself as a result?
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THE BRAIN DRAIN
Should western businesses be looking east for their next generation of workers? Or is the competition from countries such as China and India being exaggerated?
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PLAYING FOR BRAND SUCCESS
The big debate in gaming has been whether the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 would attract more consumers. But one of the industry’s veterans, Nintendo, stole the show at the E3 conference this month with its new console Wii - will the battle be three-way after all?
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Kate Walsh, feature writer, (kate.walsh@centaur.co.uk) recommends...
BREAKING THE CODE
Never has one film created as much controversy as The Da Vinci Code: it’s been in court, on all of the front pages and inevitably in a number of advertising and brand campaigns. See how Eurostar and Google are tapping into the hype:
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THE GOLDEN AGE
News Corporation is continuing to embrance new media with the acquisition of two more websites, an online karaoke site and a content site, Newroo.com (not yet launched). The move follows last September’s purchase of MySpace. Sing along with Rupert Murdoch’s latest purchase:
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JUST ONE CORNETTO
Love it or loathe it, Walls’ ‘just one Cornetto’ tune has been voted the UK’s catchiest ad jingle of all time, prompting a remake of the commercial. See who else made it into the top 10 ad tunes:
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Claudine Baker, feature writer, (Claudine.baker@centaur.co.uk) recommends…
FORD MAKES “BOLD MOVES”
Ford Motor Co is hoping to stem its ebbing market share by introducing its "Bold Moves" tagline to replace "Built for the Road Ahead". The US carmaker is reportedly spending an initial $50m to re-launch its flagship FordVehicles.com to reflect the change, and it will debut an online documentary series this summer.
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JUMBO SHRIMP MARKETING
Small businesses often dream of becoming bigger. But at some point, large becomes a matter of being convenient rather than unique, a game of market share rather than customer care. By the time a small business gets big, it's time for it to act small again.
Read more at:
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THE NEW WIDE WORLD OF RADIO
Video did not kill radio, neither did the Walkman, nor will the internet. Emarketer argues that the internet brings more opportunity for radio, rather than any real threats.
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I AM A WOMAN – LET ME SHOP
New data show that more women are going online to find multimedia content, check classified ads, listen to radio and (men take note) read maps. As women become more present online, are marketers taking note of where they are doing their shopping?
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FREE CONFERENCING WITH SKYPE
Free phone calls were just the start of it for Skype. Now Ebay's internet phone subsidiary is extending its reach with "Skypecasts" -- free audio conferences for up to 100 participants.
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Also from Brand Strategy magazine this month…
MGM chief executive and chairman Harry Sloan is reviving the world-famous movie studio brand. He explains why he is keen to make the lion roar again:
More...Who will win the football sponsorship World Cup?
More...How the Toyota mentality has given the brand strength to beat off its American rivals:
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