Woolies – is it worth it anymore?

Well the share price certainly isn’t – at less than 10p, its one discount they weren’t bargaining for. When I first started in advertising, it was at McCann’s, and the first account I worked on was Woolworth. Yep, it was no fun at all. Then it was going through a major refocus and needed to get in shape having lost its way.

Many years later it’s back in the same old hole. No focus, no direction, a flagging brand and one with no definition or meaning to most consumers. When I visit my local one in Crouch End I usually leave with nothing. It’s full of tat. I’m not attracted to the ‘Worth It’ values brands (though the names good) because they look too cheap and you’d have to question their ethical source.

The only thing I do rate are the digital, radios they sell – I have bought 3 from them. Woolworth may still be one of the biggest retailers in sweets – hardly ethical in these health conscious time but what else? It must have lost out big time on music sales to the internet – once its most profitable product range. It’s format, look and approach now seem out dated. I couldn’t find one ethical product in their store. No attempt to win over the new consumer, even Argos have made the effort.

You have to question what planet the management are on - were they away on a conference when Stuart Rose announced Plan A? Currently they have over 800 stores and despite most of us visiting one at least once a year, annual profits are falling with the share price falling 70%. Not surprising that there’s a take over bid hovering around.

In desperation, and maybe too late, they’ve hired a new CEO, Steve Johnson (ex Focus DIY) to try and turn the place around. He has a tough challenge. Woolworth’s may simply had its day, despite the consumer’s affection for it and a credit crunch that could help it. Whatever Johnson does it’ll need to be revolutionary not evolutionary. And maybe a bit greener too.

Could Coke be a live saver in the Third World?

There’s an amusing story that one of Coke’s great straplines, when translated into one of the Chinese languages read ‘bring your dead back to life’. Now, more seriously, brands like Coke, Pepsi and many other mass distributed products could be the new saviour of millions dying from water related illnesses.

Campaigner Simon Berry has been trying to get Coke to use their vast distribution network to help deliver life-saving medications and information in developing countries. This concept, ColaLife, could help save hundreds of thousands of people. (see www.colalife.org.)

According to WaterAid, one billion people lack access to clean water, every day, 5,000 children die as a result of drinking dirty water. In many regions of the world people have to walk miles to get water that can be dirty, polluted or infected with disease as it’s often shared with animals.

Quoting Simon Berry, “Our idea is that Coca-Cola could use their distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to distribute rehydration salts to the people that need them desperately. Maybe by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as 'the life saving' compartment?”

Gives new meaning to Coke’s famous straplines, Life tastes good and Coke adds life.

WaterAid is not a great fan of distributing rehydration salts for treating diarrhea (it’s a short term solution) preferring to educate people about hygiene and putting in proper sanitation and clean water supplies. But Simon’s campaign is gathering a mass of supporters by using the power of Web 2.0 and social networking to spread the word and create a digital community of activists (almost 4,000 have joined the open group on Facebook - see http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18947780476).

This case points out how one person can very quickly gain enough momentum to be as powerful as a major charity in applying pressure to large corporations. A new concept of David and Gloiath. Whereas, the old model was for charities to be the champions of a particular issue or cause, now any passionate driven member of the public can soon gather a force behind them and force change. There is some evidence that issue sites are gaining more followers than traditional charity sites in the States. Could common causes replace charitiable organisations as the main influencers in the future?

I know of an innovative new site launching soon that will encourage and empower creative people to use their talents to make social comment – I’ll reveal all soon. Personally, I think by tapping into a pool of often frustrated talent (most creatives in agencies are very restricted) there is a great force for good to be had. Why after all do you need a charity to endorse your poster idea about poverty? With no client (or suit) to get in the way – “we can’t do that in case we upset one of our donors” - pure creative can flourish and maybe because it’s always braver, change the world. In this day and age ‘NO LOGO’ means power to the people, less to corporations and organisations.

Another idea that’s coming out of adland is H2O, Walk for Water, Walk for Life. This is a new campaign that is planning to launch later this year. It will be encouraging Londoners (and all those in adland) to make a sponsored walk between two places, one begining with H and one with O to raise money for water projects in developing countries. So adland can get off at Holborn tube and walk to Oxford Circus (or late in the evening walk from the Harrington Arms to the Oxford Tavern). Maybe Martin Sorrell can walk from his place in Hampstead to Ogilvy (they don’t have an agency beginning with H in London yet).

http://beamends.typepad.com/simons_blog/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73509998@N00/sets/72157594299144032/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18947780476
www.colalife.org/
http://www.wateraid.org/documents/tacking_the_silent_killer_the_case_for_sanitation.pdf