Do Good Branding | News

Hello Sunshine

Let’s face it, we are all influenced by that big yellow fellow in the sky. Affecting how we feel, where we go and what we buy, Señor Sol can send us mad for a Magnum and silly for strawberries. Here are three brands whose sales grow with the glow of summer.

1. Magners
It is safe to say that Brits love cider. The UK has the highest per capita consumption of cider in the world. 2007 saw Magners rejuvenate the market with it’s “over ice” serving proposition and national ad campaign featuring blossoming orchards backed by the dreamy summer sound of the Zombies track “Time of the Season”. The sun shone and sales soared. Four years later the consumer boom in cider sales has slowed but our spring heatwave meant bumper trading. Let’s hope the recent ad featuring Eamon and his beard of bees can get this poor summer buzzing again.

2. Cornetto
“Just one Cornetto, Give it to me…” You know the words, and so do a sizeable number of British consumers who are more familiar with the advert’s alternative lyrics than the original Italian song “O Sole Mio”. That’s what happens when you run an ad for 10 years. The much-loved cornetto was a pretty posh ice-cream before the likes of Magnum and Häagen-Dazs stole the limelight with their thick chocolate and golden wrappers. The latest Cornetto Enigma ad campaign features a guy who shows his girlfriend his ‘soft side’ by transforming into a teddy bear. More cuddly than classic.

3. Lastminute.com
One of the few survivors from the first wave of dotcom companies, these guys win either way. If the weather is good we holiday at home filling up cottages in Cornwall and B&Bs by the sea. Equally, a bout of bad weather and there’s a surge of bookings for drier destinations. But not content with being just a travel retailer they launched a campaign which introduces the strapline ‘Stories start here’, as part of a bid to establish itself as an all-round leisure brand. The ad features vignettes that encourage the viewer to guess the story behind it. So how does the ‘pig in the lift’ story start I wonder…I’m pretty sure it doesn’t end with a happy holidaymaker.

Good Offer
"A successful brand is all about detail. Every facet of a brand must be apparent in an organisation’s communications, behaviour, products and environment."
Brian Boylan, Wolf Ollins

Is your brand represented consistently across all of your brand touchpoints? We can ensure that the answer to that question is yes. We can carry out a free brand audit so you know in which areas you need to improve.

Book your free audit here…

Exhibition

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year

These “Oscars of the design world” showcase the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world, spanning architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, interactive, product and transport.

Until 7 August
Design Museum

More info…

Film

We Need To Talk About Kevin

In an adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s best-selling book, Tilda Swinton stars as American wife whose husband is absent in the wake of their son committing a high-school massacre.

More info…

Book

A pop-up book of opposites. A concept book of simple illustrations and pop-ups that master paper-engineering David A Carter has created help to define opposites.

Published by Tango Books
ISBN:

9781857078503

More info…

Sweet old Rosemary or muscleman Mike? if your company’s brand is a person, how can you describe him or her? What is his/her name? Is he/she young or old? A good friend or a bit of a bore?

We’ve taken three of Britain’s best known brands and given them the personification treatment. Introducing Mr BBC, Mrs M&S and old man Cadbury’s…

1. BBC

The ‘smart-casual’ of broadcasting. Jonathan stands to attention when he hears the national anthem but after a couple of glasses of pinot he’ll let what is left of his salt and pepper hair down. Mid 40s – the regular squash games keep him in good shape. He is opinionated and decisive and an incredibly reliable chap. Still looking youthful enough to charm the ladies this social chameleon can blend in anywhere from the Dog & Duck to drinks at the Dorchester.

1. M&S

The posh aunt of the high street, Hilary is always done up to the nines just in case a neighbour pops around for afternoon tea. She knows just enough to keep abreast of popular culture though never really immerses herself in the current trends. Awfully neat and tidy, she drives an entry level Mercedes. Posh, but not loaded darling!

1. Cadbury’s

The granddad of confectionary, Henry is getting on a bit. Very much stuck in his ways he occasionally has modern life imposed upon to him by his dear wife and grandchildren. He’s not the most adventurous of chaps and prefers the home comforts to venturing out of his native Surrey. His pristine Vauxhall only sees daylight on a Sunday when he polishes it until it (and he) gleams proudly.

Give us a call on 020 7250 0292 to see how we can enhance your brand’s personality.

Who are you?

Ask your customers, clients or suppliers who they think your brand would be if it were a person. This might sound like a scary prospect but only by knowing how your brand is truly perceived can you remedy the negative and enhance the positive.

You could even pose the question through Twitter or Facebook to get an even broader response whilst raising your brand’s profile in the process.

125 Years of Coca-Cola: Designing a Brand

To celebrate its 125th anniversary, Coca-Cola has just opened a new display on the history of its visual identity at the Design Museum in London.

Until 3 July

Design Museum

More info…

Senna

‘Senna’ tells an amazing story in an innovative way, using an engrossing cinematic approach and astounding race footage, much of which has never been seen before.

In cinemas now

More info…

Logology 2

The importance of a “logo” as a mnemonic device cannot be emphasized enough, especially in a new arena of heightened competition for consumer loyalty and retention.

Published by GINGKO

ISBN: 9788492643882

More info…

The Importance
of Being Social

So what’s all the twitter and buzz about? Social Media is the new face of cost-effective marketing
in these times of austerity. Here is our guide to Social Media for your brand.

What exactly is Social Media?

Simply put, it is ‘user-generated content’. What makes it special is how it connects and spreads to reach a wider network. This can be through internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, micro-blogging, podcasts, photos, video, rating, social bookmarking …hence the need for a rather more concise heading.

The Fantastic Four:

1. Facebook
The daddy of Social Media. Started by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, 65% of companies now use Facebook as part of their marketing strategy. Giving your business it’s own Facebook profile and generating activity that will attract ‘fans’ extends the exposure of your brand to all your fans’ friends. Adding ‘like’ buttons to your website, blog entry or specific product means you pop-up on the mini-feeds of any user thus generating activity beyond your followers.

2. Twitter

With over 200 million registered users posting over 110 million messages a day this ‘micro-blogging’ platform has the potential to broadcast your 140 character ‘tweets’ to a huge audience of followers. Twitter is all about making conversations. Talk to your target audience and existing customers with a more personal voice. Engage users by sharing relevant content and as in any good conversation, listen. See what consumers are saying about you and your brand. Feedback can help you improve your product, your services and maintain customers satisfaction.

3. LinkedIn
There is a good reason why 90 million members, including executives from all the Fortune 500 companies, are signed up to this business version of Facebook. Beyond what is essentially hosting your online CV LinkedIn allows you to find, be introduced to, and collaborate with professional contacts. It is also a good way to reestablish relationships with past work colleagues, make and get recommendations and gain industry insight through groups and discussions. The more you actively engage and provide valuable contributions, the more you’ll be appreciated in the community.

4. Foursquare
This location based mobile web application encourages business owners to develop real-life relationships with their customers. Operating on a GPS ‘check-in’ system, users tell Foursquare (and other users that are following them) where they are. Users can view recommendations and exclusive offers for establishments nearby making Foursquare a useful tool for businesses that rely on passing trade. Fast becoming a must-have for any brand in the leisure and hospitality sectors Debenhams flagship store on Oxford Street was recently one of the first National chain stores to use Foursquare as a customer-retention tool by offering free coffee to anyone checking in to the store on a Friday. Definitely one to watch.

Getting started with Social Media
Twitter is the quickest and easiest way to get stuck in. You can choose to represent yourself, your brand, or both. Once your twitter account is up and running, search for people and organisations you would like to follow, then get tweeting…

Give us a call on 020 7250 0291, or email us to discuss how you can employ Social Media in your business.

Top 5 Tweeting Tips:

1. Keep it positive
Nobody likes a moaning Myrtle.

2. Respect your brand values
Enrich your social media character with personal opinion as well as industry-related tweets but be sure they don’t conflict with your brand personality.

3. Big-up your peers
Retweet other peoples interesting messages or exciting announcements.

4. Get connected
Connect all of your other online activity to a twitter account for maximum reach.

5. The full picture
You can also tweet images using services such as Twitpic, TweetPhoto and yfrog.