THE 5 ‘SO WHATS’ WHICH IMPACTED CONSUMERS AND BRANDS THIS WEEK
1. Compete against yourself
Nike is launching Nike+ Basketball, a digital experience that tracks, records and analyses every aspect of a player’s basketball game through a sensor in a shoe. To accompany this new technology a new Basketball shoe – the Nike Hyperdunk+ – will be launched later this year.
So what?
For the discerning athlete this new self-quant tool will help many dissect & re-assess their performance in real-time or after the game. No longer do amateur sports men & women have to feel like amateurs. The increasing access to self-quant technology across category gives consumers the power & ability to play to their strengths no matter their chosen field. Feeling ahead of the curve is a basic human desire, the trick is how to implement it with your existing brand offerings as smoothly as Nike have done in the past.
2. Health without the wealth
Recent research has uncovered that 72% of consumers are looking to change their eating habits ‘for the better’ in 2012. The majority of those (46%) believe it won’t have any effect on their bill.
So what?
It’s encouraging that consumers have reached a perspective that healthy food doesn’t always equate to more expensive food with 93% expecting to consume more fruit and veg in 2012 & 66% saying they intend to consume more salad. However, this is only intention and not actual results so retailers still have some way to go to make consumers actually meet their intentions. Positioning healthy produce as accessible & affordable is key to fulfilling potential.
3.
THE 5 ‘SO WHATS’ WHICH IMPACTED CONSUMERS AND BRANDS THIS WEEK
1. Pocket Billboard
American retailers like Starbucks, Best Buy & Walgreens are enhancing their use of mobile applications in an effort to drive consumer engagement & boost sales. Starbucks has cut queuing times in its stores by allowing customers to pay using a smartphone app. Over $110m has been loaded onto these digital “cards”, and 20 million transactions completed by early December 2011.
So what?
There are over 791,000 smartphones in Ireland currently with the majority in the 25-34 age cohort. When shopping at speed is a necessity, an app that would speed up the process gives the consumer control over their shopping experience. Smartphones have become an extension of people’s lives & app’s are downloaded when they serve a purpose. For retail brands, app’s offer more than a service – they serve as a visual reminder & free advertising to consumers every time they check their smartphone.
2. I <3 U, Swarovski
Valentine’s Day has been & gone, did you make the effort this year? Swarovski offered consumers a helping hand with a mobile site called “the Sparkling Valentine’s Day Assistant which directs users to the nearest florist, spa and beauty, cosmetics, film and beverages retailers while receiving directions.
So what?
Swarovski’s campaign feeds into a trend MCCPTrendstream have been aware of called Personal Interpretation & Interaction whereby brands are tailoring their offerings to meet personal demands, tastes and habits. Swarovski have tapped into this with the campaign; albeit being a digital cupid for the consumer becoming a brand butler. Not just selling services but becoming
THE 5 ‘SO WHATS’ WHICH IMPACTED CONSUMERS AND BRANDS THIS WEEK
1. B2B make one, donate one
It’s not unusual for companies to support a charity or run a cause related marketing campaign. TOMS shoes’ business model of one for one i.e. you buy a pair of shoes & a pair is donated by the company to a child in need; has been widely successful & they’ve mastered this formula for B2C. Timbooktwo have given the concept a twist for B2B. Every time the production company produce a video for a tourism company they’ll produce one for a charitable organisation too.
So what?
Brands endeavour to do well in a host of ways & we’ve become normalised to many of their charitable efforts & somewhat sceptical. To counteract apathy, brands should leverage their assets & assess what fits with their corporate identity and the shared social values of their audience.
2. They’re all out of Shrimp!
Fishmongers in Bilbao, Spain have come up with an idea to offer customers their product 24/7 & still guarantee its freshness. They’ve installed a vending machine outside the shop that can be accessed even when they have closed up. A bakery in France adopted a similar mantra this time selling baguettes. The fish is bought daily from a local market, cleaned & packed into individual trays which state the expiration date.
So what?
This appears to be the perfect solution for consumers & corporations rather than having to spend 24/7 serving customers they still get 24 hour access. A win-win scenario for all involved.
3. Take A Tour With The Brand
British fashion brand
DUBLIN DOES FRIDAY’S BETTER THAN ANYONE IN THE WORLD.
Dublin Does Fridays is another game changing idea led by MCCP the Planning Agency & delivered by the interagency team including TBWA, Modern Green & Cybercom for the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA).
Dublin Does Fridays is a campaign to promote and support Dublin pubs. The campaign seeks to create behavioural change by reminding people that there is no place in the world like a Dublin pub on a Friday evening. It is the time & place where stories are told, deeds are done & legends are made.
The big idea is centred around that time on a Friday, about 5 bells, when everyone in Dublin seems to switch from ‘work you, to just you’. It’s about celebrating the end of the working week & anticipating the weekend ahead with friends, work colleagues, the regulars in the bar or that random you meet that could be your next girlfriend, boyfriend or new best friend.
Whether you want a few quite ones to wind down or a mad one to wind up, Dublin has a pub to meet your Friday mood & mind-set.
Dublin Does Fridays will support your hunt for that perfect, personalised Friday night with an app that allows you to invite your mates to the pub, check in at your local & check out where there is a buzz. Pubs will also be running special entertainment & promotions on Friday nights to help kick start your weekend.
Watch out for the campaign on radio, print & online. In the meantime, we’ll see you in