October 2009 - Posts - Devil's Advocate - Blogs

Advertising hot air

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.

Posted Oct 30 2009, 10:02 AM by Ian Moore with no comments

Tesco Mind Bogol

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!

Posted Oct 17 2009, 07:36 PM by Ian Moore with 2 comment(s)

Fear is the key

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.

Posted Oct 15 2009, 03:28 PM by Ian Moore with no comments

Coup de Tesco?

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.)

Posted Oct 06 2009, 09:51 PM by Ian Moore with no comments

Same equals more

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.

Posted Oct 01 2009, 08:12 PM by Ian Moore with 2 comment(s)

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