Brand Republic Community

Who need’s Phil Collins when you can have Zingolo?

Chris Reed — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:22:00 GMT

The new Cadbury's Dairy Milk partnership with Ghanaian entertainment culture is wonderfully positive and full of life as well as a glass and half full of milk! Zingolo is the first single released from “Glass and Half Full” records, Cadbury’s own record label. This is launched to celebrate Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Fairtrade certification. Ghana is the heart of the Fairtrade chocolate made by Cadbury and this track as well as the overall Ghana connection celebrates everything Ghanaian. Cadbury’s have really gone to town with the positive Ghana associations recruiting dancers, artists, wood carvers as well as musicians. Rather than do this heart-heartedly they have even really invested in marketing the new music and putting it on iTunes to buy as well as promoting all the other Ghanaian cultural connections. It’s a risk as it’s so far removed from the award winning gorilla/Phil Collins, plane/queen big productions. It also assumes that people know that Ghanaian chocolate is the best. However the positive association with vibrancy, colours and a lust for life through the links with Ghanaian entertainers will communicate very positive product and brand values and that Cadbury’s give you a boost and makes you feel better. The only additional other angles worth persuing would be brand partnerships with high street retailers like HMV or fashion brands selling Ghanaian clothes should such exist or travel agents promoting Cadbury through all different associated angles. Overall a wonderfully vibrant brand partnership.

Mincing words

Ian Moore — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:32:00 GMT

In Scotland, mince pies are not what they might seem. In fact if you dig about in the chiller section in Tesco, you'll find them labelled superfluously (north of the border) as 'Scotch Pies'. (I can't imagine the good Celtic folk of Cornwall ask for anything but a plain old 'pasty'.) Thus hang about in a local baker's for any length of time and the same principle applies - ask for a mince pie and they'll know exactly what you mean. I was therefore amused to hear from my pal Ken that, feeling a bit peckish, he'd popped into the nearest Gregg's and requested one of the same, only to be met with the perplexing and somewhat irate retort "Is that a mince pie or a mince pie you're wanting?" (And apparently no indication by nod, wink or well-aimed glance at any differentiating pile of comestibles.) Calling the implacable assistant's bluff, he swiftly replied "I've changed my mind - I'll have a bridie", but nevertheless was sufficiently intrigued by the exchange to relay its details onward. Okay, so Christmas approaches and no doubt festive fare is now on offer, but I did wonder how a foreign visitor would have coped with the linguistic conundrum. Oh... on the way down the street, trying to eat surreptitiously, Ken also mentioned he got a poke in the eye... but that's another one for local consumption only!

Tesco’s poor man’s X-factor partnership hits the wrong note

Chris Reed — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:50:00 GMT

Tesco has tied up with talent search site 1Click2Fame to launch a series of mobile audition pods outside its stores – why? you hear yourself ask. Don’t you ever go grocery shopping and have that sudden urge to rush into a photo booth-like pod and start singing and dancing and record the video of it?!

What exciting prizes can be gained from this seemingly pointless use of energy? Videos are entered into a competition with 1Click2Fame, which will be offering a series of prizes including cash, coaching and studio time. Oh wowee! Studio time for recording that album you have always thought is in you but that no one will ever release! Are they just trying to capitalise on the enormous and somewhat disturbing popularity of X- Factor?

Then again would this have anything to do with Sainsbury’s being involved with X-Factor and reaping the benefit? If it is, it’s less than a half-hearted attempt to compete. What Tesco hope to achieve from this brand partnership I have no idea as it seems all the benefit is for 1Click2Fame and even then wouldn’t they be better off doing this with a fashion retailer or entertainment retailer or cinema or nightclub or bar?

Drunken girls singing “like a virgin” at 9pm on a Friday could be fun, sober housewives in tracksuit bottoms singing Leona Lewis on a Monday at 11am would just be excruciating……

Coupon blooper at the Super

Ian Moore — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:09:00 GMT

Roughly one-third of people who intend to respond to an offer actually do it. This thought came to mind as I was waiting patiently for my string of coupons to print at the Sainsbury's checkout. A much-vaunted megabucks initiative........ but why, I wondered, have they left it until I've finished my shopping before hitting me with the offers? I'm running late as it is (the woman in front got a re-scan), surely they don't expect me to go back around the store? Okay - so that's being a little ingenuous..... but from now on their investment is at the mercy of my (dis)organisation. That spells trouble. Apparently they're going to issue a billion coupons. That'll be the best part of a billion never making it back to the store. Something seems amiss here. Sure, I know there was a time when they had coupon machines in the foyer, and everyone just walked past them, but there must be a better way to influence repeat purchase without erecting so many barriers to response - especially when they've got the consumer there in the first place, ready and eager to buy. And all that coupon confetti in the age of the electron! Why not just concentrate on Reward card holders (fast-trackers, even), and physically intercept a willing portion of them on arrival? A quick scan of the plastic, and bingo - they'd capture just as many participants, no paper wasted, and potentially no admin needed. Easy.

Red sky at night, cottage delight

Ian Moore — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:53:00 GMT

I'm constantly entertained by the stuff kids come out with. Only at the start of this term, two of ours independently came home to announce that their respective form mistresses were Miss Cane and Miss Smacky (quite close, in fact: Miss Kane and Miss Mackie... an ominous-sounding pair merely lacking the Trunchbull as head). So I'm always on the alert for lateral interpretations of sounds that we've long ago lost the childlike talent to hear. Another example was a question I got recently... "Dad - what's a shallawander?" (Surely you remember? Goosey goosey gander, with a shallawander.) It's great. And so easy to overlook that vast army of listeners out there who hear something completely different to what we think we're telling them. I suppose on the plus side, they often imagine something far more vivid than we could ever portray: I recall admonishing: "Don't drop crumbs, it attracts vermin".... to receive the reply "Who's Vermin?" I can just picture him. Wonderful.

Something's in life are sacred.....

Chris Reed — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:47:00 GMT

The news that Newcastle United’s incompetent owners (the ones that got them relegated) are now auctioning off the rights to their ground, the very famous St James’ Park, should surprise no one. A name is not just a name in the world of football. Newcastle’s ground has been called St James’ Park since 1882 and means the world to the most passionate fans in the world (of which I declare I am one).

The fact that the most hated man on Tyneside, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, owns Sports Direct.com and has now decided to call the ground SportsDirect.com @ St James Park in the short term, should surprise no one who has followed his series of incomprehensible decisions. The fact that both of these decisions are to try and get some poor misguided brand to sponsor the stadium in 2010 shows how little he knows about brands and their relationship with other brands, especially sporting brands.

Any brand worth its salt would research how the fans felt about this and on seeing the anger currently pouring out of Newcastle United fans would realise that they would be making a massive mistake. The fans don’t want a brand where their beloved St James Park name is. Before it, after it or replacing it. No name. Any brand doing this would be boycotted by Newcastle fans and face unprecedented resistance and protests which would decrease not increase any positive relationship and sales they would be expecting.

Adidas, Newcastle’s club kit supplier, have already taken the advice and declared that they will not have anything to do with this ridiculous idea. Wise.

Any brand looking to do this would be entering hell. Football is not just about life and death to Newcastle fans, its much, much more important than that. This would be brand partnership marketing at its very worse. Beware any brand thinking about doing this. Heed these words. Don’t.

Advertising hot air

Ian Moore — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:02:00 GMT

When you think about it, the average bottle of spirits is half full. At least, I'm sure this mathematical rule-of-thumb must apply to stock on display in the on-trade. I've often been struck, therefore (in Scottish bars especially, where a plethora of ancient malts stand to tired attention) by the amount of air on display. Backlit bottles look great when they're full - golden, honeyed, alluring - but half empty or worse... the effect is the opposite. I was shocked, therefore, to discover a brand that I've come to rely upon for its distinctive dark packaging - always consistent, identifiable even at a slurred distance, determinedly defying far-flung bartenders' efforts to mispronounce it and sell you the local hooch - has moved into clear glass. The product in question is Drambuie - currently proudly advertising its new bottle via a neck-collar in supermarkets. The stuff inside looks as appetising as ever... but if this same packaging is heading for the on-trade... I fear for its appeal as nitrogen gradually takes precedence.

Sick children, tea & Wallace & Gromit – a very British affair

Chris Reed — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:58:00 GMT

It’s been done before but you can’t help smile through a cynical face at the Wallace and Gromit Great British Tea Party. This time it’s to help sick children and coming up to Christmas with Children in Need around the corner who better to benefit at Christmas time.

Yorkshire Tea are the ideal brand partner for the Wallace and Gromit Great British Tea Party (WGGBTP) that runs between 4-11 November this year. The mechanic is the tried and tested one of have a tea party, invite people, everyone contributes and the proceeds are sent to Wallace and Gromit to spend on making sick kids live’s more comfortable.

http://www.wallaceandgromitteaparty.org.uk/pages/home.htm

Macmillan Cancer have run these annually and there have been plenty of other brands who have also benefited from tea parties. The interesting angle here is that its Wallace and Gromit who are the lead brand and they are using the fact that it’s their 20th anniversary to do this. It’s their children’s foundation that will benefit.

As two of the UK’s most popular characters (Christmas telly just isn’t the same without them) they are in an ideal situation to be able to capture attention, create awareness of their children’s foundation and use their brand trust with mum’s up and down the country to inspire them to hold tea party’s and raise money.

Yorkshire Tea are the perfect brand partner and will clearly benefit from branding, direct marketing and vouchers with money off in all the tea party packs but I am sure that they are paying a good contribution to the foundation to be part of this and hopefully some of the marketing budget too.

Easy to be sceptical about a brand’s motives but this brand partnership naturally fits both Wallace and Gromit and Yorkshire Tea’s brand values. If anything it’s a too safe a choice but if it raises money while also benefiting both brands positive values it’s hard to criticise it.

Tesco Mind Bogol

Ian Moore — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:36:00 GMT

When is a promotion not a promotion? The answer - it looks to me - is when it's a BOGOF in Tesco. Widely reported in the past 24 hours, Tesco is to replace its perishable BOGOFs with BOGOLs : buy one, get one later (apparently you get a coupon so you can 'GOF' when it suits you). The idea, it seems, is a response to criticism that BOGOFs encourage waste: people stock up on stuff they can't eat in time, and end up binning it. Fine in principle... but one small flaw. Why would a supplier pay a small fortune to a retailer to run a promotion that doesn't sell any extra stock? Isn't the idea that people DO stock up... that they DO buy more than usual... that they actually change their habits for a short while, perhaps even getting to like the product in the process? Why fund just a normal purchase (next week, next month) when it doesn't do anything for sales, penetration, loyalty... or whatever? Mind bogoling (sic). And another thing - there's one fact we all know for sure about coupon redemption... it's never 100%... much, much less, indeed. Some interesting implications there, I reckon!

Fear is the key

Ian Moore — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:28:00 GMT

Apparently 41% of homes still have the government's Swine Flu leaflet, four months after receiving it. These eye-watering statistics (brought courtesy of CCB Fast.MAP, a survey of 983 UK-profiled adults) show just what is possible when the consumer gets sufficiently motivated. It's only a shame that we have to feel something is life-threatening before we sit up and take notice. Maybe it's time for a more hard-nosed approach to copywriting - we've all heard of the success of the 'Buy IBM and keep your job' campaign (and anyone remember the "B.O." ads for Lifebuoy?) - what with all the gloom and doom around right now, the climate is perfect for the introduction of a pinch of fear into marketing communications. For instance: 'Look like a prune... or buy our anti-wrinkle cream.' '99% of victims survive train crashes.' 'Get a TV licence or we'll kill you'.... oh, no - they already do that one.

Powerade, iPods and running - a great lifestyle and brand partnership

Chris Reed — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:38:00 GMT

When a synergistic brand partnership comes along that effectively taps into the lifestyle of its consumers it should be held up like an Olympic torch and applauded! So Powerade’s brand partnership with the Great Event Series, which includes the Great North Run, is logical as it attempts to differentiate itself from other energy drinks.However Powerade giving away 50,000 iPods to incentivise consumers to start running and listen to music at the same time to ease the pain is the icing on the cake.

Furthermore the winners of the iPods can download the bespoke training guide Powerade Pulse to ensure that they maintain motivation. ‘Powerade Pulse’ is a bespoke ‘Powerade’ software programme that scans a customer’s digital music tracks and creates a play list at a designated Beats Per Minute (BPM) to match that person’s running ability. This appears to be similar to Nike’s iPod accessory Nike+iPod but it takes it onto the next level and creates a bespoke playlist rather than use an existing one.

Winning iPods will of course attract more consumer attention than Powerade’s partnership with the Great Event Series and probably cost them less. However if that provides the spark for a consumer to then take up running and enter a half marathon and inspires them to get fit then that’s a great community benefit Powerade are providing. They should be applauded for this and gain some great positive association. Of course they’re not doing this for the community but to sell more Powerade but by inspiring people to run then the end result is the same.

A very cool brand partnership would be even better if they were also giving away places in the event series for races like the Great North Run but I am sure that will be coming, even if it would sell fewer bottles than winning iPods!

Free crap versus loyalty in the newspaper world

Chris Reed — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:59:00 GMT

Newspapers have really stepped up their promotional schedule in the last few weeks. But is anything that they have given away worth having?
Last week the Mail on Sunday gave away DVD of a new unreleased film that probably would have done no business at the cinema. Therefore the distributors probably gambled that they would make more money from what the Mail paid them and the marketing they put behind it. Ultimately a crap film is still a crap film even when it is free! Did anyone watch it and if they did did they finish it?
The Times this week were giving away a real first, free REM iTunes tracks to help promote their new live album. The only problem with this is that half the tracks are some of their best music and any self respecting music fan would already have them. Who wants a live album anyway, they’re rarely as good as the original versions and REM have had better days. Nice idea but where’s the value apart from for REM’s record company’s marketing department?
The Mail on Sunday have given away a best of Robbie Williams CD this week, again to support the release of his new album. But again if you wanted his best music wouldn’t you already have it by now? So the Mail are happily being the main platform of the record company’s marketing campaign and 95% of the CD’s will never get played. How does the consumer benefit?
For all the instant sales that these promotions may gain the promiscuous readers that take these up will jump paper for the next freebie next week so where’s the marketing value?
The way forward for newspaper promotions and partnerships surely has to be The Times’ new loyalty scheme Times+. This imaginative scheme rewards loyal readers on a long term basis with exclusive content, offers, prizes and money can’t buy events like meeting The Times’ journalists. This is surely the way that all newspapers should be approaching promotions in the future, no free crap, no free marketing for fallen pop stars or terrible films but actually thinking about what a loyal reader wants and rewarding them.

Coup de Tesco?

Ian Moore — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:51:00 GMT

Hoots Mon - so Tesco say they'll only accept coupons if you buy the product? (Should I misdoot? Or will the day will soon arrive when I won't be expected to know the difference between misredemption and malredemption?) A pat on the back to the high heidyins at the ISP if this comes true. Imagine all the brilliant leaflets we can start to create again... and the responses we can measure with confidence in the success (or otherwise) of our persuasive skills. Great news, especially if the rest of the trade falls into line. The only downside?... I expect total coupon redemption to fall. (Think about it.)

Kit Kat’s free music downloads partnership encapsulates the perfect break perfectly

Chris Reed — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:16:00 GMT

Kit Kat’s free music download with every pack promises much and overall it delivers. Nestle have formed an alliance with Universal to offer every customer a free download from 500,000 music tracks. Although because there is no brand on the packs, no Play.com or itunes to reinforce a trust factor, customers might be cynical about which music tracks that they will actually receive. There does appear to be a great choice of old and new from major artists.

As the partnership is with only with one of the major music labels many people will be disappointed with the choice but overall they’re getting free music just from buying a Kit Kat to listen to in their perfect tea break so what have they go to lose! Music and Kit Kat’s are a fine partnership.

National Trust and Monopoly - a perfect brand partnership

Chris Reed — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:14:00 GMT

The National Trust has pulled off a coup by being the first charity to create a brand partnership with Monopoly. Up until now any tom, dick or harry brand have created partnerships with Monopoly with regional themes, football clubs, cartoon characters you name it having their own Monopoly branded board.

The National Trust will educate people about twenty six National Trust places from across the UK including beaches, a light house, a mill from the Industrial Revolution and Sir Winston Churchill’s family home and raise money from the sale proceeds. Where there are houses and hotels in the original game, National Trust Monopoly has players building visitor centres and holiday cottages, a neat twist.

You may think that the ultimate capitalist game has little to do with an historical charity but they are all themed around property. A castle instead of Bond Street, a light house instead of MayFair. Ultimately a more interesting game that could lead to people becoming more enthused and inspired about the National Trust while still competing madly to win a classic board game.

Same equals more

Ian Moore — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:12:00 GMT

I buy cress several times a week, and must personally have accounted for a good few acres of West Sussex, UK over the past few years. But despite these brassicophile tendencies, I couldn't have told you how much it costs. Grab it. Zap it. Bag it. (Fast-track, you see.) Until - that is - this week, when my attention was caught by a shelf barker: "Price check. Sainsbury's salad cress 24p. Tesco price 24p." Interesting... so it's only 24p... maybe I should eat more of the stuff? I moved on to the avocados, mechanically squeezing one after the next to find the store's only ripe fruit... my thoughts returned to the cress. Why are they telling me it's the same price as in Tesco? Is that good? Surely LESS would be good? This feels a bit like organic: they highlight organic (equals good), then you wonder if that means most of the rest of the stuff (ergo chemically enhanced) is not so good. From cress at the same price as Tesco can I induce that tomatoes, cucumber, celery, radish, peppers, onions, leaves and the like (all grabbed, zapped and bagged) cost MORE? Surely they'd be shouting about it if it were less? Then, am I bovvered? Well, no actually - Sainsbury's is a better offering for me - but I do wonder if lots of people might be. If price is your thing, would you find this particular communication strategy ('parity') reassuring or disconcerting? If it were applied to staples, then maybe the former... but cress? I'm not so sure.

Cardinal sin

Ian Moore — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:53:00 GMT

How much would you accept in lieu of the chance to spin a coin to win a million? Ten pounds? One hundred? A grand... ten... a hundred (grand)? I might just be getting warm. What I do know is that I wouldn't have to raise you to the statistical outcome, which is half a million. Most folk would probably take a much smaller guaranteed sum, rather than risk getting nothing. This is the Cardinal Utility Principle, and is a very handy piece of knowledge if you're in the business of incentivising people. Thus I thought it was strange when I read that a part-time shop-assistant had mistakenly sold a batch of valuable medals (priced at £1850) for the princely sum of £18.50! Okay - nothing exactly strange about that - just a genuine mistake - but what did puzzle me was that the shopkeeper, on arriving back from his lunch to discover his loss, promptly advertised a £250 reward for the purchasers to return the goods! Call me cynical, but I just get the feeling that this particular incentive isn't going to work.

What does Grease and apples have in common? Nope, me neither!

Chris Reed — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:34:00 GMT

Pink Lady apples have partnered with the theatrical production of Grease to raise awareness of their brand. Pink Lady is giving away tickets, West End breaks (as the show is only on in London) and the chance to meet the cast (some guy who didn’t win x-factor….) which they are promoting through the press.

Just because there is a nasty gang of teasing girls called the Pink Ladies does mean that this is a good reason to create a promotional partnership with them? Am I missing the part in the film where the cast suddenly stopped smoking and said “I fancy an apple instead”? From Pink Lady's point of view this is a bit too literal.

I can see why Grease would do it, any additional exposure is welcome but why Pink Lady? Pink Lady are also receiving nothing at the west end venue hosting Grease in terms of sampling, branding, advertising, direct marketing or sales promotions. It all seems very one sided.

Grease said yes as it will cost them nothing and Pink Lady appear desperate to get some kind of point of difference. But Grease? 70’s music and slick back hair, leather jackets and tight trousers, illicit teenage sex and dancing…..where’s the brand values that Pink Lady wants to be reflect and be positively associated with? If you just focused on the Pink Ladies gang itself the brand values get worse as there was nothing healthy or tasty about this bunch of promiscuous bullies! Maybe they are trying to position apples as rebellious?

Even more bizarre is a part of the activity will see the show’s Pink Ladies characters posing and singing in various locations alongside a Pink Lady branded “Mini Clubman” car which is currently driving around the UK giving away samples of the apples. Now this strikes me as the least efficient way to give away sample apples. How many apples can one mini hold? Surely a better to connect with the film and have a series of Greased Lightning cars giving away apples…….not very sexy though it is!

As mentioned on the tin

Ian Moore — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:48:00 GMT

Having been downed by some hostile variant of swine flu over the past few days I've been methodically working my way through the healthcare fixtures of my local stores. Trouble is, it's me that's been doing the 'working' and not the various patent remedies. Okay - perhaps that's harsh. Take cough mixture (literally, metaphorically)... and what happens? It works. You cough. And cough. And cough. Who am I to complain when it does what it says on the tin? But seriously, you probably get the gist. Yet I sit (propped up) and scratch my head. How do they get away with selling all these things that don't actually do what they claim? When I write ads that are the tiniest bit risque, hyper-cautious marketers and lawyers come seething out of the woodwork to eliminate the idea... yet where were they when I needed them to delist these useless products? When you think about it, it's an extraordinary indictment upon marketing when a handful of brands are able to promote themselves on the grounds that they actually work. We still live in the age of snake oil. Look around your home and see just how many examples you can find: whitening toothpaste, anti-wrinkle cream, carpet spot-remover, child politener.... then all the packaging that either doesn't open without resorting to power tools, or that tears nowhere near the tear-strips and gives you paper-cuts into the bargain. Thankfully, there are some things that do work, and - to cut a long story short - I feel my cough returning so I'm just off into the garage for that trusty tin of WD40.

Dont men relax in the bath and dream too?

Chris Reed — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:27:00 GMT

Radox have launched a very imaginative promotion giving away 10,000 splash proof Kathy Lette books or downloads for those in the 21st century. The book is all about life and lust, marriage and divorce. It is also about a women’s busy lifestyles and how they should be more selfish with their time for their sake and the sake of everyone around them. http://www.be-selfish.co.uk/#/how-to-be-selfish/

I love the thought of a splash free book...maybe they could do splash free newspapers or iphone......sorry I digress. Radox are also giving away the ubiquitous spa break as well as giving time tips to busy mums but it is the partnership with the publisher that is truly capturing the spirit of what a relaxing bath should be all about.....you! What is missing is a brand partnership with a book retailer to order more of her books and more books in general for you to relax and enjoy in the bath with or without splahes.
The only drawback of this entire marketing and promotional strategy is that it is aimed exclusively at women! And women with kids at that. Does this mean single young women and men don’t have luxuriating baths to think about life and relax? To have their own time to get away from the kids or the wife or work or life for a few minutes? Where’s the man’s version of this splash free book? Maybe I could suggest a splash free Nick Hornby or Bear Grylls, Andy McNab or Jeremy Clarkson?

Christmas Terror Campaign

Ian Moore — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:51:00 GMT

I heard on the radio that shopkeepers in one part of the country have received mysterious threats to the effect that, should they promote Christmas goods too early, then the worst will happen. As far as I know, 'the worst' wasn't specified. It did strike a chord, though, as earlier that day among the junk on the doormat I'd noticed my first Christmas offer of 2009: Good Housekeeping (not mine, you understand) suggesting you should 'Get Christmas All Wrapped Up' by sending some unsuspecting acquaintance a year's subscription. Groan. I hope the awkward squad don't get one. I can sympathise - both from a personal and professional perspective - if only we could just have Christmas in December life would be so much simpler and I'm sure we'd sell more. As someone who's never needed more than Christmas Eve to do the shopping, I am bemused by these people who tell you they've got it sorted as soon as they're out of the traffic jams on the August Bank Holiday (maybe the traffic jams are caused by everyone going to Bluewater to get their presents?). As anyone in SP will testify, sales promotions work best as short-term activities, and a key part of their appeal is their novelty. Novelty, by definition, is short-term - and for proof of its benefits, ask yourself why Cadbury only sells Creme Eggs between January and Easter. Christmas, too, is about novelty and - as arguably the world's biggest sales promotion - should be protected as such. While no one could condone the type of campaign alluded to in the opening, you can't help wondering if it's the ghost of Guy Fawkes having had enough of being upstaged.

Chocolate and handbags now if we just had shoes that would be everything a girl could wish for!

Chris Reed — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:53:00 GMT

I really like the new promotion that Kinder’s Bueno chocolate is running to win one of 100 designer handbags. Clearly aimed at women’s desire for designer handbags to place their Bueno chocolate in, they have created a reason that a woman would switch brands. Women will do anything for handbags and shoes...and chocolate!

Now the downside...the Bueno “win a designer handbag" website has either not been created or updated or launched. If it has it can’t be found on Google. So the main site is still running its existing “a little bit of what you fancy” promo. Surely it’s not too much to co-ordinate this? Especially as when you search for win designer handbags there are a million and one brands who are doing the same as Bueno (although at least no of them make chocolate).

Of course what would make me really love this promotion and for this to be a true brand partnership would be if Bueno had partnered with a designer handbag brand like Marc Jacobs or Matthew Williamson. However they haven’t. Now if they could form an alliance with Jimmy Choo or Christian Louboutin for their next promotion they could be onto a real winner!

Broadband threat to Bovril

Ian Moore — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:10:00 GMT

According to The Guardian 81% of people working in the West Midlands would up and leave if their job permitted - the idea being that universal broadband might one day make such a Brummie exodus possible - with the East Midlands faring almost as badly in the reported popularity stakes amongst its discontented denizens. Apparently it's the lure of the coast that does it, with Devon and Cornwall being the main attraction - although the report indicates there's 3 million who want to come to Scotland. Hoots Mon! Products, such as the above-mentioned meaty staple could suffer catastrophic declines in sales, with the likes of Melton Mowbray pork pies swapped for Cornish pasties, and Banks' Bitter given a good tanking by Caley's Deuchars IPA. The survey - commissioned by Orange - just goes to show how ridiculous market research can be, and highlights the difference between useless statistics and good common-sense and intuition that any marketer worth their salt possesses. As a regular visitor to the Midlands, I have to say, I can't think of a more contented bunch of Brits anywhere in the land, and the idea that they'd up sticks and scarper is - like their favourite meal of chicken vindaloo - best taken with a good pinch of salt.

what now for London newspaper promotions?

Chris Reed — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Now that the London Paper has blinked first can the London Lite be far behind in closing its doors? If it goes the same way promotional opportunities in London will significantly decline. They will revert back to The London Evening Standard (where most promotions are only attainable through the Standard card, previously the EROS card) and the Metro only. London Paper and London Lite have been cornering a mass market end of London promotions, especially those to do with going out and doing things in our great capital city. They have been driving redemptions ranging from minimal to very significant for theatres, cafes, restaurants, clubs, exhibitions and anywhere a Londoner might want to escape for the night that otherwise had nowhere to go but Time Out. Now where will they go?

Hoots Mon

Ian Moore — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:32:00 GMT

I've often heard a Scot use the expression 'Och Aye' (although never the apocryphal 'Och Aye the Noo', despite much encouragement on my part), but it was its near-relative in the headline above that leapt to mind as I was perusing the porridge pack this morning. (Well, it beats the news.) I'm always on the look out for vaguely white-coloured Caledonian connections, as potential partners for the annual VisitScotland Winter White campaign (pause to blow trumpet - the most-acclaimed promotion of 2009 with 4 Awards at this year's ISP), and a bowl of oats with fresh Scottish milk seems a pretty good fit. Damn fine oats, too - Sainsbury's organic - and I was just thinking we must get in touch, when I read the blurb. Here it is: "For generations Scots have been successfully bracing themselves against the cold and damp with a delicious porridge to keep the furnaces burning. We source our oats from Scotland because the rainy climate is ideal for plumping up the oats. And plump oats put a better tasting porridge in your bowl." Does the copywriter secretly work for VisitEngland! Don't they know Edinburgh has the same rainfall as Rome? (And you save on the factor 50.) Hoots Mon!