Sorry I haven't written in such a long time!! I've been so busy with exams, moving out of Bristol and then I went on holiday to Spain! Finally starting at IBM next week so lots of new posts coming up regarding my placement!!
I recently saw this post by The Sun newspaper: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4964319/pregnant-boys-teen-adverts-chicago.html
I have to say, I'm not usually over interested in marketing in the non-profit world, but social marketing does provide some of the most effective and memorable campaigns in the marketing world.
I think this campaign is absolutely brilliant, and clearly the press coverage that has come with it has made the images stick in consumers' minds (hopefully the target audience).
Just a quick one as I thought it was a very interesting piece of marketing!
Steph
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Ethics
Personalised advertising online can be an excellent tool for advertisers; a. to reach their target audience directly b. not to waste money advertising to the wrong consumers and c. to measure the effectiveness of the adverts by monitoring clicks.
However, adding to my previous blog post on the use of cookies, there are much stronger ethical concerns which I have noticed recently (mainly from Yahoo and Facebook).
So when I was booking flights to Malaga recently, I was clearly searching for a good deal and using Google searches to do so. I clicked on to various 'money saving' comparison sites. Then once I had booked the flights, for the next 2 weeks I was bombarded with adverts such as "hotels in Malaga" "car rental in the Costa del Sol" etc.
Clearly this is effective advertising and the companies behind the adverts are reaching their target audience (i.e. me).
On the other hand, I was also searching to buy a juice diet book and some raspberry ketones (big slimming movement before Costa del Sol....) and was again using google, amazon etc to search for these and checking out celebrity body results from using the diet regimes.
Now everytime I click on to my facebook timeline or on the side of a website I see photos of skinny celebrities, flat stomached women and 'quick-fix' diet plans.
This is driving me mad as it's making my self-image = 0 and my motivation to get thin = 100. I am quite a receptive person but also have a level of self-control HOWEVER surely someone suffering from an eating disorder making the same kind of searches as me, or more specific weight loss searches would also be bombarded with the same types of advertising (considering their cookies settings were similar etc.) but imagine the effect this would have on them!?
Showing skinny celebrities is one ethical consideration however displaying them to an unconfident, potentially vulnerable target audience is an entirely different ethical consideration!
I think companies should consider the effect it has on their stakeholders- particularly the vunerable ones.
The media can't be blamed for everything.
However, adding to my previous blog post on the use of cookies, there are much stronger ethical concerns which I have noticed recently (mainly from Yahoo and Facebook).
So when I was booking flights to Malaga recently, I was clearly searching for a good deal and using Google searches to do so. I clicked on to various 'money saving' comparison sites. Then once I had booked the flights, for the next 2 weeks I was bombarded with adverts such as "hotels in Malaga" "car rental in the Costa del Sol" etc.
Clearly this is effective advertising and the companies behind the adverts are reaching their target audience (i.e. me).
On the other hand, I was also searching to buy a juice diet book and some raspberry ketones (big slimming movement before Costa del Sol....) and was again using google, amazon etc to search for these and checking out celebrity body results from using the diet regimes.
Now everytime I click on to my facebook timeline or on the side of a website I see photos of skinny celebrities, flat stomached women and 'quick-fix' diet plans.
This is driving me mad as it's making my self-image = 0 and my motivation to get thin = 100. I am quite a receptive person but also have a level of self-control HOWEVER surely someone suffering from an eating disorder making the same kind of searches as me, or more specific weight loss searches would also be bombarded with the same types of advertising (considering their cookies settings were similar etc.) but imagine the effect this would have on them!?
Showing skinny celebrities is one ethical consideration however displaying them to an unconfident, potentially vulnerable target audience is an entirely different ethical consideration!
I think companies should consider the effect it has on their stakeholders- particularly the vunerable ones.
The media can't be blamed for everything.
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Changing Perceptions
Coming home to Lancashire this weekend for Easter has opened my eyes to how certain perceptions of a brand/organisation can stick in a consumer's mind and can often be unchanged.
Firstly, I grew up in Preston and started going out there when I was 16/17 and used to love it, however after I started visiting friends in Manchester/ Birmingham/ Liverpool/ Lancaster/ Wigan etc. I started to hate Preston nightlife and especially when I moved away to Bristol I never considered going out in Preston as I was put off by the previous experiences I'd had in Preston due to associating the nightlife with the places I used to go and the experiences I had when I was 16 and 17. I always thought they were a bit chavvy, cheap and not very sophisticated however this was only because they had been back then.
However, over the Easter weekend I decided to try Preston again and some new bars I hadn't been to before and was so pleasantly surprised! I had a really good night and actually felt as though I was in Manchester not the Preston I knew!
I also popped in to my nail salon where I have been going for years now, and whilst I was speaking to the beauty therapist, who happens to be the new manageress, she was telling me about the problems they had been having with staff letting them down and how this had negatively affected some of their most loyal customers and how certain customers had been put off coming due to the fear of their appointments not being secure or receiving bad service. She was explaining to me that she had to drop the prices of certain services to try and regain the reputation the salon had before the problems had occured due to a member of staff who had been layed off due to the consequences of her actions.
This made me think of how difficult it can be to grow back a good reputation or change a consumer's perception from negative to positive. These examples may sound specific to me, but it can happen so many times when consumer's purchase products and services. Once a product has been taken out of a consumer's evoked set i.e. the products they are willing to buy, they are very unlikely to ever purchase that product again.
Once a customer has made up their mind about a brand- it is almostn impossible to change it. Despite the fact a company's product may meet the consumer's needs and wants perfectly, if they are unwilling to consider purchasing it or associate the brand with negative feelings due to a bad experience with it- the product's benefits will never reach them.
People cannot form new perceptions of a brand WITHOUT A NEW EXPERIENCE
This means that it is up to the brands & marketers to provide these new experiences...
Despite the fact I have had a number of negative experiences eating at harvester, from food & service quality- when I complain they always make an effort to put it right by offering money off or free dessert, which provides me (the customer) with a positive experience as I leave Harvester happy.
This not only relates back to my customer service blog about retaining customers, but also the fact is- without turning negative experiences into positive ones, companies will lose customers and therefore business.
Successful rebranding is hard to achieve & the fact is- some brand owners only realise the negative brand perceptions far too late- once the brand relevance and customers have already left.....
Firstly, I grew up in Preston and started going out there when I was 16/17 and used to love it, however after I started visiting friends in Manchester/ Birmingham/ Liverpool/ Lancaster/ Wigan etc. I started to hate Preston nightlife and especially when I moved away to Bristol I never considered going out in Preston as I was put off by the previous experiences I'd had in Preston due to associating the nightlife with the places I used to go and the experiences I had when I was 16 and 17. I always thought they were a bit chavvy, cheap and not very sophisticated however this was only because they had been back then.
However, over the Easter weekend I decided to try Preston again and some new bars I hadn't been to before and was so pleasantly surprised! I had a really good night and actually felt as though I was in Manchester not the Preston I knew!
I also popped in to my nail salon where I have been going for years now, and whilst I was speaking to the beauty therapist, who happens to be the new manageress, she was telling me about the problems they had been having with staff letting them down and how this had negatively affected some of their most loyal customers and how certain customers had been put off coming due to the fear of their appointments not being secure or receiving bad service. She was explaining to me that she had to drop the prices of certain services to try and regain the reputation the salon had before the problems had occured due to a member of staff who had been layed off due to the consequences of her actions.
This made me think of how difficult it can be to grow back a good reputation or change a consumer's perception from negative to positive. These examples may sound specific to me, but it can happen so many times when consumer's purchase products and services. Once a product has been taken out of a consumer's evoked set i.e. the products they are willing to buy, they are very unlikely to ever purchase that product again.
Once a customer has made up their mind about a brand- it is almostn impossible to change it. Despite the fact a company's product may meet the consumer's needs and wants perfectly, if they are unwilling to consider purchasing it or associate the brand with negative feelings due to a bad experience with it- the product's benefits will never reach them.
People cannot form new perceptions of a brand WITHOUT A NEW EXPERIENCE
This means that it is up to the brands & marketers to provide these new experiences...
Despite the fact I have had a number of negative experiences eating at harvester, from food & service quality- when I complain they always make an effort to put it right by offering money off or free dessert, which provides me (the customer) with a positive experience as I leave Harvester happy.
This not only relates back to my customer service blog about retaining customers, but also the fact is- without turning negative experiences into positive ones, companies will lose customers and therefore business.
Successful rebranding is hard to achieve & the fact is- some brand owners only realise the negative brand perceptions far too late- once the brand relevance and customers have already left.....
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Why you may be paying way more for your coffee or your train.... (unique target pricing)
Recently, I saw a controversy on facebook regarding
thetrainline.com’s use of cookies in determining ticket prices online. This
meant they were using consumer’s browser history in order to determine train
prices and charge a premium price to customers who had used the service before
or those who were frequent users of the website. Clearly when consumers found
out there was an outrage and a number of disappointed posts on their facebook
and website pages. I feel as though their public relations department dealt
terribly with the situation- not issuing a formal apology and even DELETING
negative posts. However, I am not concerned with the public relations in this
case (see previous blog post), yet the fact that as this has just come to
light- consumers are astonished to find this kind of technology in place. Yet
it has been used SO many times before, not just online.
This sort of exploitation is called ‘unique target’ pricing strategy
also referred to as ‘first degree pricing discrimination’ and uses simple
economics. Amazon hit the spotlight for using the method a number of years ago,
when two customers were charged different prices for the same products when
based on their previous purchases. However when cookies were deleted the prices
dropped and once consumers realised this there was an outcry, which resulted in
Amazon having to change their pricing strategy and stop using the ‘unique
target’ approach.
Yet, outside of the online retailers world this careful
analysis of a unique customer who is willing to pay a higher premium on a
product is in action constantly. A good salesperson can put a higher premium on
a car or a house, simply by analysis their customer and determining the price
they are prepared to pay for it. Think of when you go to buy a coffee at starbucks
for example, a cappuccino might cost you £3 or a hot chocolate £3.20, yet a caffé
mocha for £3.40 is just mixing the two together. You can then increase the
sizes for an extra 50p, or add caramel for an extra 30p etc.
The fact is- the cost to add extra chocolate powder, caramel
sauce or a bigger cup is very minimal is terms of Starbuck’s variable costs,
maybe a few pence- yet the higher mark-up transferred to the customer is
considerably more. This reflects the fact that people who are willing to pay more
for their cup of coffee will choose these extras to bump up the cost- rather
than those who are looking for a budget drink who choose to pay for the bare
minimum product.
Another example is tickets- OAP’s and children are usually
charged less for certain tickets, not because the services provided to them
cost any less. They take up the same amount of room on a bus or at a football
match for example, yet offering different prices to members of these distinct
groups seems reasonable? This is due to the price-sensitivity of the individual
members of these groups. Adults are prepared to pay more for their tickets, as stereotypically
they have a larger disposable income.
Clearly, this strategy relies on collecting a lot of
information about potential customers and isn’t popular with customers who
realise it is being used, yet due to the increase in the development of new
technologies, it is becoming increasingly popular and provides companies with
an easy way to target a number of target audiences and obtain higher profits.
A fab book which goes in to this in a lot more detail is “The
undercover economist” by Tim Harford- a must read for any business student.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Customer service
When you think of marketing- customer service probably isn't the 1st thing that springs to mind or some people might not even realise how big of a part of marketing customer service actually is.
But although attracting customers to your brand and making them aware of your products is important; whats fundamental to the success of a brand is customer retention.
Have you ever noticed that the most profitable retailers are always the ones who provide impeccable customer service instore- Apple, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Boots, John Lewis are all fantastic at it. I really do believe it's forefront to success and keeping your customer.
I had a particularly pleasant experience in Boots recently- one which surprised me.
I'm usually a MAC devotee and always buy my make-up in there, however after visiting the Debenhams store in Bristol and having a really rude sales assistant more interested in chatting too her friend and what was behind the till than actually finding me the product I needed, I decided to leave the store. I had actually intended to make quite a large purchase that day but I was so disappointed in the way she had dealt with me that I decided to leave- to be honest I have visited loads of MAC counters, in London, Birmingham, Manchester and the Trafford Centre and have never experienced any treatment like I had in there. However the Bristol staff have always let me down- sometimes blatantly having had just come back from a fag break (not nice when they breathe it in your face) or just generally not been interested in me as a customer.
Anyway, so I decided to try a different counter and went to try Boots instead this time, not only to get my advantage card points (most successful loyalty scheme ever) but by this point I was sick of Debenhams! I had heard great things about the Clinique products in blogs and wanted to give it a try- but as I hadn't tried them before I was slightly apprehensive- however the sales assistant was amazing and talked me through the products- she had amazing product knowledge and I explained my apprehension at spending a lot of money on products I hadn't tried before and she put me totally at ease by taking my phone number and offering to call me a few days later and then scheduling an appointment a few weeks later where she would check I liked them and see if I had any problems and if not she said I could return the products!!
I was astonished at how well she treated me- no hard sell and she really did look after me, seriously a different treatment from the MAC counter!!! Will definitely be returning to the Clinique counter.
Good customer service not only means that customers are more likely to return- they are also likely to spend more money!
Yet- even when you get these loyal customers- good customer service is neccessary as even one bad experience can put a customer off for life. Especially with the extent of social media today- 1 bad tweet, facebook post or youtube video can be detremental to the reputation of a brand. It isn't just a bad customer service experience shared with one person- it's shared with the WHOLE WORLD.
Similar to my blog post of public relations- posts and shares about negative news regarding a brand are FAR more likely to be shared than positive ones.
Take this video:
It currently has 650,000 views- all seen how poor hollister's customer service can be- although this may have been one isolated case, it has been seen by thousands and provided a negative association not only with the brand, but with the staff and customers may think twice about buying from Hollister in the future.
This just indicates the extent to how important customer service is in the first place. And at the end of the day- good training and brand values to begin with which are set in place in all areas of the business means there is less for the PR department to have to deal with and ultimately- less to clean up afterwards
Steph x
But although attracting customers to your brand and making them aware of your products is important; whats fundamental to the success of a brand is customer retention.
Have you ever noticed that the most profitable retailers are always the ones who provide impeccable customer service instore- Apple, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Boots, John Lewis are all fantastic at it. I really do believe it's forefront to success and keeping your customer.
I had a particularly pleasant experience in Boots recently- one which surprised me.
I'm usually a MAC devotee and always buy my make-up in there, however after visiting the Debenhams store in Bristol and having a really rude sales assistant more interested in chatting too her friend and what was behind the till than actually finding me the product I needed, I decided to leave the store. I had actually intended to make quite a large purchase that day but I was so disappointed in the way she had dealt with me that I decided to leave- to be honest I have visited loads of MAC counters, in London, Birmingham, Manchester and the Trafford Centre and have never experienced any treatment like I had in there. However the Bristol staff have always let me down- sometimes blatantly having had just come back from a fag break (not nice when they breathe it in your face) or just generally not been interested in me as a customer.
Anyway, so I decided to try a different counter and went to try Boots instead this time, not only to get my advantage card points (most successful loyalty scheme ever) but by this point I was sick of Debenhams! I had heard great things about the Clinique products in blogs and wanted to give it a try- but as I hadn't tried them before I was slightly apprehensive- however the sales assistant was amazing and talked me through the products- she had amazing product knowledge and I explained my apprehension at spending a lot of money on products I hadn't tried before and she put me totally at ease by taking my phone number and offering to call me a few days later and then scheduling an appointment a few weeks later where she would check I liked them and see if I had any problems and if not she said I could return the products!!
I was astonished at how well she treated me- no hard sell and she really did look after me, seriously a different treatment from the MAC counter!!! Will definitely be returning to the Clinique counter.
Good customer service not only means that customers are more likely to return- they are also likely to spend more money!
Yet- even when you get these loyal customers- good customer service is neccessary as even one bad experience can put a customer off for life. Especially with the extent of social media today- 1 bad tweet, facebook post or youtube video can be detremental to the reputation of a brand. It isn't just a bad customer service experience shared with one person- it's shared with the WHOLE WORLD.
Similar to my blog post of public relations- posts and shares about negative news regarding a brand are FAR more likely to be shared than positive ones.
Take this video:
It currently has 650,000 views- all seen how poor hollister's customer service can be- although this may have been one isolated case, it has been seen by thousands and provided a negative association not only with the brand, but with the staff and customers may think twice about buying from Hollister in the future.
This just indicates the extent to how important customer service is in the first place. And at the end of the day- good training and brand values to begin with which are set in place in all areas of the business means there is less for the PR department to have to deal with and ultimately- less to clean up afterwards
Steph x
Monday, 11 March 2013
Inspiration and stamina
Hellooo! Well I finally completed all of my coursework for 2nd year! This means no more assignments until 2015! Can't believe how long away that is, although no doubt it will come around fast!
Now, I'm the kind of person who gets fascinated with certian people and then stalk their every movements on twitter and have to research everything about them!!
Well at the moment I'm a massive fan of Matthew Hussey- his speeches are amazing and although this video is long it is sooooo worth watching for anyone interested in business, not just entrepreneurship.
Now, I'm the kind of person who gets fascinated with certian people and then stalk their every movements on twitter and have to research everything about them!!
Well at the moment I'm a massive fan of Matthew Hussey- his speeches are amazing and although this video is long it is sooooo worth watching for anyone interested in business, not just entrepreneurship.
Everything he said inspires me and his drive and determination is something I try to mirror. No matter how many times people in your life tell you to give up, if you believe you can do something never give up. If I had have listened to people telling me to give up, I never would have passed my driving test, got in to university, moved to Bristol, worked in America, got a job at IBM... all things I am proud of achieving. And I think despite people using the reccession as an excuse for why they don't have a job or why they aren't looking for one, there are jobs out there for people who are willing to go the extra mile, put themselves out there and not give up.
Another thing which gives me motivation to work hard and prove people wrong is the fact I am female- when people consider 'success' or a 'successful person' I feel like they always think of a business man. I want to exceed the norm and make my own success as a female.
In the video, Matt talks about 3 key attributes of success in business;
- Selling yourself
I think I'm lucky as I am a naturally confident person who never stops talking, but for others who struggle with confidence they may have a problem in doing this. It's never cocky or embarrasing to talk about YOUR achievements and the things YOU are proud of, I think in order to impress others you have to go about this in the right way, but at the end of the day- opportunities are never going to come knocking on your doorstep you have to go and look for them
- Don't be afraid to take risks
I've learnt not to be scared of rejection recently, rejection in everything, not just in terms of a career.
My Mum tells me off sometimes because I just can't get my head around people who want to do the same thing day in day out and never want to make changes in their lives, she tells me "some people are just happy living their lives" well I know for a fact I NEVER want to be that person. I want to be stunned, surprised and thrilled every day of my life! I know this means I will be constantly working to do so, but I get bored easily and love change! I'm not afraid of trying new things, moving half way across the country, travelling to America and I think this mindset really pays off. Being comfortable is BORING.
- Say YES to everything
People always always tell me to stop doing this, that I take too many things on at once, but I feel like if I hadn't said yes to everything at the beginning of this year I wouldn't be in the place that I am now. At first I thought maybe I was trying to please everyone and just couldn't learn to say no, now I realise that by doing so I have put myself in a better position.
When you say yes to everything you can then make your own decisions on what you want to do, opening up your options can never be a bad thing.
Luckily, I have been blessed with confidence and I think having the confidence to be sure of yourself, your aspirations, goals and having the confidence to talk to new people, realise not everything will work out, something which Matt talks about a lot, are traits not everyone has, yet I think without these, the potential to succeed in business is less prominent.
Anyway a personal blog- not my usual type of post! You might not agree, all comments welcome.
Stephanie
Luckily, I have been blessed with confidence and I think having the confidence to be sure of yourself, your aspirations, goals and having the confidence to talk to new people, realise not everything will work out, something which Matt talks about a lot, are traits not everyone has, yet I think without these, the potential to succeed in business is less prominent.
Anyway a personal blog- not my usual type of post! You might not agree, all comments welcome.
Stephanie
Monday, 25 February 2013
Justin Bieber and why Manchester gets it right.
Ok so anyone who knows me will know that Manchester is my absolute favourite night out in the world I LOVE going out there!
Well I was shocked to see that on Thursday night, Justin Bieber of all people was in my favourite club, Sakura on Deansgate Locks. They get a lot of famous people in there and I've seen endless footballers, hollyoaks, coronation street, tv show stars etc. in there, but clearly Justin brings alot of press attention, not that sakura need it as they do an excellent job of marketing themselves as a high end club. Even on a Thursday night they can afford to charge £20 for entry and still have a huge queue outside and £2000 tables sold out.
However, on Friday night after his 2nd show in Manchester at the MEN, Justin headed for my worst nightmare club, Sankeys. If you don't know what Sankeys is they play grungy drum and bass etc.
Anyway he was REJECTED by the bouncers, despite his worldwide following and fanbase. Which of course hit headlines around the world. A very cunning move for Sankeys as they recieved much more publicity for NOT letting him in and kept their brand image prominent.
Then Sankeys posted this tweet:
By creating a hype based on humour and almost teasing and embarrassing, they managed to get a great deal of promotion for the club and by sticking to their own values have increased the reputation of the club as the way Sankeys want to be seen.
You can read the story here: http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/23/justin-bieber-turned-away-from-manchester-night-club-because-he-shuffles-on-stage-3510693/
Very clever management!!
Well I was shocked to see that on Thursday night, Justin Bieber of all people was in my favourite club, Sakura on Deansgate Locks. They get a lot of famous people in there and I've seen endless footballers, hollyoaks, coronation street, tv show stars etc. in there, but clearly Justin brings alot of press attention, not that sakura need it as they do an excellent job of marketing themselves as a high end club. Even on a Thursday night they can afford to charge £20 for entry and still have a huge queue outside and £2000 tables sold out.
However, on Friday night after his 2nd show in Manchester at the MEN, Justin headed for my worst nightmare club, Sankeys. If you don't know what Sankeys is they play grungy drum and bass etc.
Anyway he was REJECTED by the bouncers, despite his worldwide following and fanbase. Which of course hit headlines around the world. A very cunning move for Sankeys as they recieved much more publicity for NOT letting him in and kept their brand image prominent.
Then Sankeys posted this tweet:
Yes the rumours are true...we turned Justin Bieber away last night. He shuffles on stage and we can't be having that in Sankeys now can we!!The tweet got thousands of retweets and got everyone not only talking about sankeys- but their tough reputation and risque brand personality. They then used the story to further promote their club nights by offering guestlist to anyone who tweeted "I got in and Bieber didn't".
— sankeys (@sankeysclub) February 22, 2013
By creating a hype based on humour and almost teasing and embarrassing, they managed to get a great deal of promotion for the club and by sticking to their own values have increased the reputation of the club as the way Sankeys want to be seen.
You can read the story here: http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/23/justin-bieber-turned-away-from-manchester-night-club-because-he-shuffles-on-stage-3510693/
Very clever management!!
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