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

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.

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

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……

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

Dont men relax in the bath and dream too?

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? 

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

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!

what now for London newspaper promotions?

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?

Sun and Mail eclipsed by the Star?

Two of the most aggressive and demanding newspaper brands are battling it out for middle England’s pennies. The Sun this week are giving away a series of middle England brand promotions, all spend related, from Lush to Thorntons, Halfords to Debenhams. The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday on the other hand are giving £20 of Tesco vouchers away to every reader and offering readers the chance to take their kids to UK wide attractions for free.  Either set of promotions could sit quite nicely in the competitive title. In fact the Tesco promotion began life in the News of the World last year and was so successful that the new Mail Marketing Director, who used to work at the News of the World, has taken it with him and had similar success with it their.   
If the new ABC’s are an indication then both brands are holding their own with these type of promotional initiatives but the runaway success is the price cutting 20p Daily Star. Could it be that consumers want cheap rather than added value in a recession even if the added value actually saves them more money?

Fantasy Football is unleashed - yep, winter is here!

It’s that time of year again! Yep, just when you thought summer was here along comes the nation’s favourite winter sport, football. For newspapers this means one thing, Fantasy Football, and the chance to re-engage with young males who may have stopped buying the paper or stopped visiting the paper’s website during the long hot football-free summer.

Not only does Fantasy Football encourage young males who may otherwise pick up a free paper to buy a paper like The Telegraph or Sun on a weekly basis but it also incentivises them to visit the website to track their teams and make changes enabling the paper to commercial every visit. Many players in fact will never engage with a brand like the Telegraph unless it was through their fantasy games.

But it’s not for the fainthearted; The Times failed to relaunch their game last year in the face of fierce competition from the market leading Telegraph and Sun and have stuck with their more sophisticated Play the Game game this year. The Sun have a prize pool of £1m, The Star a measly £50k, The Telegraph £110k and the Mirror £150k and the Mail make a half hearted attempt with a platy £50k prize pool.

There are various gimmicks on board too, 2:1’s and free games versus paid for’s fuel the debate about how to make money from this loyalty driving interactive passion. May the best game win!

Dominos and Live Nation - perfect brand and commercial partners

Dominos and Live Nation’s new brand and commercial partnership is a great example of both a marketing and a commercial brand partnership.
Not only will Dominos have exclusive retail rights at Live Nation’s outdoor concerts but they have secured the marketing rights to leverage the Global Gathering brand in Domino's customer emails and social marketing.
Both brands will benefit commercially and from a brand partnership point of view it makes logical sense. From a lifestyle brand fit it makes sense to the consumer who will benefit by getting great pizza while watching their favourite artists.
There should be more quid pro quo partnerships like this, especially in the current financial environment – it’s clever marketing.
http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/921514/Dominos-Pizza-ties-Live-Nation-summer-concerts-push/