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
THE 5 ‘SO WHATS’ WHICH IMPACTED CONSUMERS AND BRANDS THIS WEEK
1. New Trust Takes More Richard Branson’s Virgin Money recently acquired Northern Rock in the UK. Upon the news of the takeover Branson promised to challenge the big five by offering easy-to-understand financial products and quality customer service all through the filter of the Virgin brand. So what?
Virgin has a history of entering a new area of business & instantly applying their own ethos to the product & service. Is this approach needed in Ireland where more and more people are moving their money to Credit Unions’. Trust is integral in this category & consumers are moving their money where they feel it is safest. Banking needs to change its format & appeal to regain the trust it has lost but will simply removing the tie & adding some colour wash away our opinions of the sector?
2. Recession creates two-tier food brands Our current economic situation has resulted in the development of a two-tier food system. With commodity cost volatility at one end & lower consumer demand at the other this two-tier system results in major manufacturers getting bigger while small & medium producers are left with little room for expansion.
So what?
If your brand falls in between the two models mentioned then the question remains which way will you fall? Domino’s Pizza witnessed the development of a two-tier take away market long before anyone else and released the gourmet range of pizza’s aimed at those who found themselves getting take-away pizza rather than going out for a meal weekly. By creating two
THE 5 ‘SO WHATS’ WHICH IMPACTED CONSUMERS AND BRANDS THIS WEEK
1. Subscribe to past editions
The birth of the tablet was seen by many in the publishing world as a dark knight. However, after initial backlash from consumers over subscription charges they’ve hit upon a solution. Rather than just offering access to new releases give access to the back catalogue of magazine editions as an additional part of the subscription process. Hearst Publishing reported that 30% of their digital sales are for old editions & has helped boost their sales on the tablet platform.
So what?
Your brands previous wares still have use if marketed properly. Utilising the inherent value of the previous editions as part of the subscription package enabled consumers to feel as if they were being treated to the opening of the magazine vault & transported into better times gone by. Essential futuristic technology companies are the adage strategy of nostalgia, a trend that MCCP Trendstream™ has identified as having a lot of potential in consumers turbulent lives today. The past can be looked to for more than just direction, it also has nuggets of gold that are applicable in today’s market place.
2. Pin it & potentially become a tastemaker
Pinterest is a new social media site that allows people to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring. Once uploaded or shared on Pinterest, these images become known as Pins, which the user can place on customized, themed Boards.
So what?
Although only in its infancy & by invite only many are proclaiming that pinterest will deliver us into
THE 5 ‘SO WHATS’ WHICH IMPACTED CONSUMERS AND BRANDS THIS WEEK
1. 75% say their shopping behaviours have changed. Learn how.
A Retail Intelligence survey has found that 75% of consumers felt that their shopping habits “changed” in 2011, while 50% believe their shopping habits will change yet further in 2012.
So what?
The last year was a very tough year for households in Ireland with many still switching and exploring own brands. Brands had to fight harder than ever to retain customers & had to resort to promotional offers to do so. It looks even tougher in 2012, with 23% believing their weekly grocery spend will decrease while 42% believe they will shop for more private label/own-brand items this year. Given people’s evolving shopping behaviours shopping insights & marketing will be key to brands success in 2012. MCCP will discuss how brands can win in store by enabling people’s need that arise in their home at the Checkout Conference on Tuesday 17th of January at the Four Seasons Hotel. More information available here http://tinyurl.com/7t6rcsb
2. 2,500% increase in Irish people acting against moral injustices
During 2011 MCCP reported and followed a trend we call ‘Justice Guardians’ whereby the Irish public are taking it upon themselves to morally police situations & do what is right. As waiting for the respective authority body to step in takes too long. A case in point is the attention brought to the job bridge scheme & the conduct of those offering “jobs”.
Reports during the week highlighted anonymous tip-offs on suspected social welfare fraud has risen from about 600 in 2005
Exciting Job Opportunity
Exciting opportunity with leading Brand Strategy and Insight Agency MCCP.
Immediately wanted someone who can and has experience in tracking down, interpreting insight from a number of a different sources using a variety techniques,( both qualitative, quant, online and offline)
Contact susan@mccp.ie
MINDSET AND APPROACH AFFECTS PERFORMANCE
Is 2012 a Fresh New Start or more of the same? Your mindset and how you approach 2012 can affect your performance.
As most of us return renewed over the festive period, what we can expect this year from the Irish consumer market place. The more fundamental question is how you can take advantage of the marketplace to gain an edge over your competitors.
Glass Half Full or Empty
If you are a glass half empty person, then it’s going to be another year of consumer fear and instability. More of the same does not mean that you should continue to do more of the same however.
If you are a glass half full person, then you are already seeing opportunities. Only the positively sharp and the most adaptable will really win out. But that is not all.
3 of the 7 leading consumer insight themes that we have identified for 2012 include:
Please call us for MCCP Trendstream Lighthouse Report for latest trends on the Irish consumer 2011/2012
Continuing yo yo of sentiment, consumer hunger for hope and optimism, consumer’s need for release and ability to be not only resilient but also resourceful mean that marketers need to be focused on: (6 of 12 we have identified)
Is your brand positioning right for the consumer in the age of the New Normal ( started 2 years ago and is still in development),what problem are you solving for them; is it right for the consumer and it is better than the competitorsoptimism, consumer’s need for release and ability
A YEAR OF OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES: 2011
What behavioural micro trends did we see in 2011 & can we expect to see in 2012? Here are 20. Call us in January for our top level Lighthouse report and presentation to get behind these and understand how to take advantage of these micro trends for your brand.
- Sentiment continues to yo yo as people are hyper sensitive to both good & bad news.
- People are seeking greater sense of control in any area of their lives possible.
- People are increasingly acceptant of the age of austerity & brag about & earn kudos for frugality.
- People are taking the tried and trusted, safe options to avoid risk.
- Yet people are partaking in resourceful experimentation trying some new products & services in an attempt to make more of what they have to work with.
- People have been forced to take a short term view on planning, meaning that marketers must be more agile, close to consumers but have a clear view as to what their brand story is.
- People are sharing online & offline more, looking for closer connections as a support mechanism.
- People have lost trust in traditional institutions & are becoming justice guardians of their own patch.
- People are desperate for & drawn to positivity & optimism.
- People are partaking in ‘Authentic Participation’, creating their own fun & events as they can no longer afford to buy into experiences.
- People have had to reprioritise their aspirations (what you do & believe rather than what you own & consume) & as a result status indicators have shifted).
- Increasingly people are choosing