Polestar: Profit more

PHD's bad in the office

2011-02-24T09:09:00.000-08:00

By now everyone, and I mean everyone, will have seen the PHD film about the future challenges for Marketing and agency professionals. It seems to have been passed around, posted to every social media platform and generally shared with a relish for black humour that even Jimmy Carr would appreciate.

There is another perspective on this and it starts with having the humility to recognise that we've all fallen the wrong side of the fine line of judgement on numerous occasions. The film is about a fundamental and thought provoking truth. I guess there are a few places where it falls apart a bit, especially in the ever so slightly acerbic tone towards clients...there's no point in biting the paymaster, we all share the same challenges.

What I find genuinely disturbing is the complete absence of constructive dialogue. There's a dark side to any form of virtual community which is that the vacuous and dim wits are empowered by anonymity. Most noteable the pure vitriol and abuse that is posted by characters using ludicrously fictitious names. From behind that comfortable screen all they indulge in is play ground bullying of the lowest common denominator. PHD definitely got it wrong, they went up a rather overly-intellectualised and poorly phrased cul de sac but they apologised (perhaps a bit too desperately). What is far, far sadder are the cowards; who let McCarthyism loose on the web?

Perspective needed on the years most miserable day

2011-01-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

Apparently today is scientifically the most miserable day of the year.

Topically radio 5 was running a phone in for ways to cheer you up. Food, drink, staying in bed were the usual suspects but the best idea was just to be grateful for what you've got.

Which got me thinking about a film I saw on ESPN over the weekend about Terry Fox. He had a leg amputated because of cancer and decided to run across Canada to raise money for research into the disease. Read about him here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox

Be warned, it doesn't have a happy ending. But on this allegedly grey day it's inspiring & humbling. A bit of perspective is the greatest pick up.

How the quickly the media world turns on it's axis

2010-11-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Like many people I saw the 'Facebook film' Social Network the other day; Jesse Eisenberg is completely believable as Mark Zuckerberg and the Aaron Sorkin script is brilliantly balanced across a maze of intriguing characters. The film signs off by reminding us that Facebook is worth $25 Billion today. Really? And exactly what credible logic went into that valuation?
The (probable) argument runs that with 500 million active users worldwide that the user base is too 'locked in' to Facebook to move elsewhere....I mean you wouldn't, would you, all of your friends are already on Facebook so why move to a new or rival offer? Facebook has the momentum and whilst the contextural targeting revenue doesn't currently come close to justifying the $25 Billion valuation (unless you want to apply la-la land multiples) it's only a matter of time.
That sounds awfully like the kind of investment banker flaky nonsense peddled in the first dot.com boom...and where did that go? Cash, not eyeballs or headcount, is king. Meanwhile News Corp has just announced a 3.2% increase in revenues (3 mths to end Sept 2010) with growth from 'old media' and the notable low light of a 25.5% decline in revenues within the Digital Media Group division (including My Space). Within this Rupert Murdoch is trying to change the free content model. All of a sudden digital is looking like a potential balance sheet drag.
It's not, and never will be, given the way it's changed the (profitable) retail landscape and consumer behaviour but within that there are no sacred cows including Facebook. What marks out so many digital business models (including Facebook) are the low barriers to entry and fragility of brand loyalty...you're one mistake away from oblivion. Rather than the 500 million active users being the fortress walls that repel new pretenders and the possible renaissance of the old guard (like My Space), it could be the achilles heel and a reminder of that digital brand fragility. Given any abuse of the customer relationship with Facebook (data confidentiality?) the reaction may not be individuals leaving one by one but entire friendship communities up rooting and moving elsewhere...and of course that binnary, 6 degrees of seperation, benefit that once sent Facebook into the stratosphere suddenly consigns it to the dustbin of yesterday's 'not cool' stuff. $25 Billion...really? I'm not so sure.

Telecoms in 2010 – a sector struggling to be distinctive?

2010-10-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

For the second year running, Polestar joined 18 other brand and communication strategists in Berlin for the annual Telco Summit hosted by our friends at Musiol Munzinger Sasserath.

Exchanging knowledge from 15 global markets we were left with a clear picture of the need for telco brands to drive towards greater differentiation, meaning and consumer centricity. And in so doing ensure they retain consumer relevance.

Price competition and commoditisation remain critical issues. Being all things to all people from a positioning and product perspective might have its up sides from an acquisition perspective, but the lack of stickiness for brands inevitably means it’s an expensive strategy.

How many telco brand owners could (hand on heart) say that they have a meaningful and distinct market proposition backed by a strong perspective about what they stand for in the market? Very few one suspects.

Why not focus for effect, excelling in fewer core areas rather than providing a plethora of average offerings?

How about being a champion for causes relevant to consumer’s lives, excelling as a responsible corporate citizen?

Offer a distinct point of view?

Or acknowledge and leverage consumer power instead of restricting it?

Many telco brands have found themselves creating cynicism, distrust and disconnection simply because they fail to recognise consumer demand and seem intent on leading the consumer rather than embracing consumer input.

None too radical you’d have thought but there’s currently a real dearth of brands achieving this with any great consistency.

Somewhat ironically, the sector is crying out for more innovation. But not innovation of the tech led variety necessarily. Just the guts to dare to be different and lead consumers with a more relevant, more distinctive brand proposition that justifies their role in our lives.

Click here for a summary version of the summit output or feel free to get in touch if you'd like us to take you through the trends and observations in full

"Mums" the word

2010-08-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

After a very interesting conversation with a friend of mine, when she referred to a friend of hers primarily as a “mum”, I got thinking about the way in which these young women were beginning to see themselves in today’s society. There appeared to be a sense of pride and status when they described themselves as a “mum”. It seemed to me that gone were the days of feeling “mumsy”, completely isolated from one’s peers as a result of having children or feeling inferior to those career girls left behind at the office and resigning oneself to an existence of solitude, speaking in baby-talk for the majority of the day. The 2010 Mum seemed different to me– she seemed more “connected”.
Here at Polestar, we thought this trend was so interesting that we commissioned our own research into the subject and decided to ask these women directly about their thoughts and opinions on a whole array of topics; from self-identity to advertisers marketing to them. The 2010 Mum emerges intelligent, well-connected, collectively very influential and the ultimate source of advocacy. What’s really interesting is the way in which these women have professionalised the role of being a mum and are actually tackling it in the same way they would a high-powered job in a corporate environment. This has clearly had an effect on the way in which they see themselves, individually and as a group. For more information about some other fascinating new insights into this vital, high-spending Mum Mafia within the traditional housewives with kids’ audience, take a look at our article on Mediatel and for the full report, drop me a line on 0207 089 6588 or email me on kirank@polestarcommunications.com.

What's Trendy?

2010-07-27T02:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I was making my usual commute into Waterloo, surrounded by South West Trains’ finest customers; some reading papers or engrossed in a book on their Kindle and others contorting their posture in all sorts of weird ways to try and get a signal on their new iPhone 4. As I scanned the carriage with my blurry eyes, taking in this very familiar scene, my eyes locked on not one but two young women, knitting. Yes, knitting. You know, with proper needles and a ball of wool and everything. On a train. In London. In rush hour. In 2010. My gaze fell on the ball of wool bobbing around one of the ladies’ Mulberry handbags. I was mesmerised by how relaxed they looked, completely oblivious to my stupefied expression and carried on clicking their needles rapidly until it was time to mind the gap between the train and the platform. As I got off the train I started thinking about how various friends of mine had re-joined a library, a bake club or a book club recently, which led me to consider that this was a definite trend emerging here amongst a very valuable target market for advertisers. So once back in the office I decided to explore a little deeper into this phenomenon and found that it wasn’t just the two knitting ladies on my train or my strange friends who were reclaiming traditional pursuits but brands and advertisers seemed to be doing so too. But what’s the reason behind this? To find out, take a peek at our new Brand Trends Report, showcasing the most important trends of 2010 from Polestar’s point of view. So if you want to learn more about how people are using online to enhance their offline experiences in the real world or want to find out more about how everyone (yes everyone) seems to be crowd-sourcing or indeed knitting, then take a look or get in touch for a more comprehensive version.

Last World Cup post - the office sweepstake results are announced

2010-07-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

You'll have noticed that the football cropped up in a couple of our Polestar blog posts. Meanwhile, behind the scenes here at Polestar there was an office sweepstake, organised by the blokes. As it was organised by blokes it had a proper spreadsheet, a points-based system, and a tie-breaker.

None of your girly names out of a hat nonsense.

It was all terribly exciting, if you like that sort of thing. Which roughly half the office do, it seems.
And the winners have just been announced, in league-table fashion. In the bottom half of the table are all the boys. Brilliantly, joint second place went to Kiran and Tambo and the winner is 'lil ole me.

All of us ladies are very excited about our big cash prize. Almost this excited, in fact.

The even bigger Apple

2010-07-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

Last week in New York every single Apple store was completely besieged by consumers so desperate to get their hands on the iPhone4 that they were queueing all night and throughout some uncomfortably, sweltering, hot days. Of course this was all deja vu as much the same scenes greeted the launch of the iPad. It's not exactly a secret that Apple advocates are a particularly evangelical bunch yet the world of on line blogs and user reviews have noted that the latest iPhone is not necessarily without fault, yet when you see scenes like this (at about 22.00 at night) it's tempting to think that we may have to create some kind of superlative that goes beyond super or hyper brand. Many brands get past being a 'nice to have' and become some kind of personal characteristic or attribute; maybe the latest handbag from Prada or limited edition Porsche...but seldom do people put themselves through quite so much personal inconvenience to be ahead of the wave. In a very challenging economic environment Apple products seem to defy the laws of price elasticity and the benefit that brings to the balance sheet were very evident in the recent results. Thousands have offered opinions on what makes Apple so special and it seems pointless to add to that queue, instead I'll just make a single observation that it's a timely reminder that product integrity is everything. So those cutting corners in R&D and NPD may reflect on that before they have to explain away some insipid looking financials in about 2 years time

Start in a different place

2010-07-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

When solving marketing and communication problems, are we starting in the right place? Are we asking the right questions?

At a recent media week conference Les Binet, who knows more about effective advertising than pretty much anyone else in the UK, proffered a check list on how to make sure things work.

This is a really useful list so it's worth repeating some of the key pillars ....

Set clear and detailed objectives
If you start by spelling out the hard business objectives, payback is increased four times
Focus on profit
Most people think the job of advertising is to sell more stuff, so they focus on increasing sales volume, but the most profitable campaigns are the ones that make people pay more
Engage the whole market
Increasing brand loyalty has become the main goal for many campaigns - but advertising has hardly any effect on brand loyalty
Touch the heart
Rational messaging campaigns are the least effective. The best campaigns make people feel things about a brand - emotions are more profitable than messages
Create ripples of influence
The most effective campaigns take emotional bonding to the next level. Be newsworthy, go viral, or do things that people talk about in the pub - go beyond the private sphere
Harness the power of integration
Convert fame and buzz into sales. Integration doubles effectiveness, so communications must make brands desirable while also pacifying the rational brain with reasons
Beware of using only one metric
The campaigns that perform the best move all the measurement dials, whereas the campaigns that only shift one measure under perform

Now, I'm sure we can all find examples where these aren't true. But broadly most campaigns would be improved by adopting these principles.

But what about the questions that need to come before communication?

1. Should I be using communication at all? Too often we rush for the crutch of ad spend when product, distribution or service issues lie at the heart of sluggish growth. Knowing when it does and doesn't have a role is fundamental to effectiveness

2. What role does communication play within the client organisation? Will it motivate teams, can it act as a unifying force? Initiatives that span silo's are what really accelerates growth

3. How is 'talkability' hard wired into the product or service? Too often advertising is tasked with spin. The combination of inbuilt word of mouth features and strong advocacy friendly brand stories, amplified through communication, is what super charges brands.
OK .... so this sounds like hard work. Maybe it's beyond the remit of marketing. But then again look at this example .......

http://www.longlivealex.com/ . The clear role for comms is to bring the (very long term) brand benefit to life. The idea generated can act as a unifying rallying call as to why the business exists and in a non cheesy corporate type of way. Finally it generates ingrained talkability and on-going content which many FMCG brands feel is beyond them. Inspired.

It doesn't contradict the 'rules' of effectiveness. But by starting in a slightly different place it takes it to another level.

By the way, I am the 2,391,052,000 oldest man in the world.

Targeting the Properly Posh

2010-06-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

This week a few of us here have been doing some work for Berry Brothers & Rudd, looking at the luxury consumer market. As an established and premium business, BB&R still carries the royal crest today. Indeed one of BB&R’s quirkier spirits brands, The King’s Ginger , was created specifically to satisfy the ‘needs’ of King Edward VII after his physician prescribed a ginger liqueur to keep him warm on country drives(..!).

Beyond the royal consumer base, BB&R’s consumers are still a pretty elite bunch and tend to be what we would scientifically refer to as ‘Properly Posh’. Our analysis of research such as Conde Nast’s trend report and TGI Premier has shown that these wealthy individuals are, as you would expect, motivated by quality and desirability over price. Although they have been affected by the recession, this extends to deliberating over purchases whereas previously they were happily buying on impulse. Note that they are still buying. For now, at least. They also still agree, despite the apparent contradiction, that there are several ‘luxuries’ that they ‘just can’t live without’. Those people who were stretching themselves to buy luxuries and designer brands are now having to make do without, but those who comfortably inhabited the world of luxury are still enjoying shopping – as long as it can be justified as ‘investment’ buys.

If you're interested in insights into the Properly Posh, take a look at our Luxury presentation, or get in touch.

While on the subject of class, a rare insight into the psyche of the British middle classes can be garnered via the Twitter hashtag, #middleclassnightmares. it’s now long gone in terms of trending but was great fun while it lasted. Favourite tweets included ‘Ocado delivery came early, interrupted French lesson. ’ and ‘the kids want to put England flags on the Volvo for the World Cup’. Genius.

World Cup - sponsor visibilty research from Marketing Magazine

2010-06-15T01:33:00.000-07:00

The other day I noted that according to Nielsen research Nike, despite not being a World Cup sponsor, had out performed everyone. The obvious lessons are there for all to read, especially the fact that Nike remain consistent in their investment, leverage the living daylights out of it and follow a religiously creative credo...apart from the odd meltdown as also noted. Now Marketing Magazine have teamed up with Lightspeed Research to examine the returns for official sponsors; http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/News/1009918

It makes fairly grim reading given the multi million Euro cost of World Cup sponsorship; Coke lead the way with 65% recognition (which of course says nothing about 'liked' or 'engaged') whilst Emirates Airline trail with 23%. Perhaps worse still is that brands, which perhaps don't natural enjoy a place at the front of a consumers conscientiousness, such as Visa, were being regularly confused for key competitors like MasterCard. Quite probably that's because MasterCard have their own football led strategy with the Champions League.

The fact that Nike and Coke are prospering whilst the likes of Emirates and Visa are struggling just goes back to some fundamental principles of communication planning and brand association; invest seriously (or not at all), invest consistently and leverage like crazy (but dont just think advertising, instead think of other integrated brand signals). Vitally the success of your sponsorship will depend as much on what you do in the years before the event as within it. And of course, whatever you do, don't just look at your competitors, panic and copy them...find your own space, build your own content, lead your own conversation.

World Cup communications - the story so far

2010-06-14T03:10:00.000-07:00

So far the world cup has been processional as teams play with everyman behind the ball. Thus far the greatest spectacle has been the Ghanaian supporters and England’s arch nemesis the German team in action. The best save was ITV’s coverage of Marcel Desailly’s celebrations (after showing a car ad instead of the England goal to the HD viewers) and the worst foul is the constant drone of the vuvuzella trumpets. But how has the brand communication shaped up so far?

The TV advertising breaks are wall to wall with brands looking to associate with football and the world cup. In keeping with ‘event TV’ there are some efforts worthy of Messi’s trickery, most obviously Nike’s homage to Rooney, Ronaldo et al (including the marvelous fall from grace version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSr4QnwOePQ) and Carlsberg’s call to arms (now looking somewhat flaccid after that calamitous effort versus the USA)http://www.youtube.com/user/EnglandTeamTalk?v=66OuJZGDCHE&feature=pyv. Nike is not an official sponsor of World Cup 2010, yet according to Nielsen research, has achieved a far stronger association than any other brand. I guess it kind of helps to not only be so dominant beforehand but also to equip 9 of the 32 teams (but then again Adidas have 12). However, it’s not all communication perfection for brands like Nike, some of their localised support media is lamentable. There is a mind boggling example of this on the Cromwell Road with Nike recreating Mount Rushmore with what I assume are the faces of some of our English heroes but they may as well be chimps for all I know. The execution is appalling, in fact i’m not even sure it was Mount Rushmore, it looks more like a failed attempt at a climbing wall with some inexplicable features to clamber over. Man alive it’s dreadful – Nike’s very own Robert Green moment.

As governing body communication goes the FIFA site is slick and up to the moment, if a little starchy. The official sponsor links are somewhat hidden in ‘competition’ sections like the Castrol match predictor although the link to Visa’s Facebook match planner is well positioned in the news section. As often happens with ‘official’ websites it lacks a sense of fun which is somewhat at odds with the Ghana fan club and even ITV’s Desailly moment: http://www.fifa.com/index.html

These days the best campaigns so often cast TV advertising in the role of the invitation with a far richer, more interactive experience on line. That sense of ‘fun’ and integration with the core campaign is threaded through everything that Nike do, so on the website you can ‘write your future’ as the brand is (locally) imploring England to do the same: http://www.nike.com/nikefootball/write-your-future/campaign/tools?locale=en_GB

And if it is the lighter side of football that you’re after you can do no better than sign up for The Guardian’s Fiver; written in the very best traditions of British satire and English football fatalism:http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/thefiver.

A final word goes to Hyundai; quite brilliantly they were the only car marque to grow in the USA through the recession by offering to buy back any new Hyundai if you lost your source of income. Simple but deadly smart value creation from marketing. So is their most creative effort on the ITV sponsorship bumpers to replicate the Top Gear car football idea?

The World Cup - it begins

2010-06-09T08:38:00.001-07:00

Every four years the whole world witnesses a cavalcade of colours lights and sounds. Reputations are made or broken, there are cheers and there are tears, and in the space of five weeks, people will speak fondly of heroes who they previously didn’t know from a bar of soap...and apparently there’s going to be some games of football played as well.

Yep, it’s World Cup time, and a majority of well known FMCG, fashion and technology brands are gunning for your awareness like a Eric Cantona Karate kick, with global football stars and global budgets. Even more interesting is the role that the internet will play in capturing and keeping the global audience’s attention.

Previously, brands would spend the majority of their WC budget creating awareness campaigns featuring press activity and TV commercials, followed with little or no CTA for the consumer; the latter hoping that the brand logo would be enough to activate a response, or at least stay long enough in the audience’s memory for an extended period of time....like when they need to buy a new pair of trainers. Through the introduction of the internet, brands were able expand on their campaigns with websites that follow on from the commercial and allow users to find out more information on the brand and its products.

On the eve of the 2010 tournament, the activity has evolved into fully integrated TV and digital campaigns that have a very strong focus on capturing and keeping potential customers with Social Media channels. A commercial is now accompanied by a brand dedicated microsite, youtube channel, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Due to the WC, these channels will be global, as opposed to being localised for a county’s market, and as a result, the opportunity for a brand to engage with an audience is greatly increased.
Nike’s Write history ad has generated 13 million hits and 25,324 comments from users. As the ad has only been live for three weeks, these are amazing statistics. I’d imagine that throughout the tournament, the amount of feedback and data generated through Social Media channels will be valuable enough to keep big Neville Southall in meat pies for a year....well almost.

Polestar in the community

2010-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Polestar stepped out into the local community last week spending a day with our nominated charity, The Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey

As one of the largest youth centres in the country it provides activity for over 700 young people every week as it strives to “inspire young people to realise their potential, to contribute positively to the communities in which they live and discover meaning and direction for their lives.” A mission we intend to help them deliver over the coming months & years.

A group of 14 year olds from The Charter School were our guests for an action packed day which saw us scale (or at least attempt to scale in some of our cases!) the highest outdoor climbing wall in South London, pictorially represent our future aspirations (lots of desert islands) and seek to share our (clearly limited) knowledge about STDs, nutrition and the alcohol/drink awareness.

All extremely rewarding and we are committed to doing much of the same in the future. And if you’re interested in supporting the Salmon Centre to lend some support of your own, please do contact them as all help is much appreciated.

Thanks for your data, here’s what we’re doing with it.

2010-03-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Last night i attended one of a series of digital seminars hosted by the law firm Olswang. The aim of the seminar, +TECHNOLOGY is to create an environment for technology specialists to listen to key notes delivered from respected digital experts, and discuss ideas and issues that affect the industry. This was the fourth instalment of the seminar programme, entitled You +TECHNOLOGY, with a focus on privacy issues incorporated with location based services.

The keynotes were delivered by Alan Moore of SMLXL and Tony Fish of AMF Ventures, and both speakers stated that as personal data gets more valuable, there is a need for governments to start regulating the way brands collect and utilise data. Very true.

But if a brand is abiding by data usage laws, are they also operating ethically? They may not be breaking the law, but are they taking a pro-active approach in educating users and informing them of what the data is going to be used for. I don’t think so. Let’s take a look at one of the more popular locations based services, Four Square. Four Square is an application that provides users with the ability to create a profile and share location details of where they are with friends on various Social Media channels. Although the app operates within the law, the privacy issues are alarming. All of a sudden, a number of people have found out your exact location when you ‘check in’ somewhere, alerting them that you might not be at home, giving them a clear sign stating please rob me. Currently Four Square is signing up 100,000 new members every 10 days, and i bet that the majority of those new members have NO idea of how their data is being used.

Things need to change. Users need to be given more of an opportunity to find out what their data is used for, and if brands start to adopt a more pro-active and honest approach in informing its customers of data usage, we’ll find a higher level of trust built up between both parties. As a result, this gives more of an opportunity to develop brand advocates, and ultimately create more awareness for the brand.

If you want know more, you can privately contact me at www.twitter.com/polestarcomms

The force is strong with this one

2009-12-17T02:27:00.000-08:00

I’ve been told many times that i can be a little obsessive when it comes to things i’m passionate about. Rugby falls into this category, as does old school progressive house, Adidas originals trainers, and Star Wars. You can only imagine my absolute joy when i found out that the latter two are joining forces to release a new range of street wear in Jan 2010.

Adidas originals have always been seen as a brand that is in touch with all things cool, so the partnership makes sense. I’m not the only one who’s pleased, as upon news of the release, fashion blogs and message boards lit up with cheers of approval.

However, some marketing experts have the opinion that Adidas have cheapened the brand through the association, as it drifts away from its trademark athletic heritage, and risks alienating its sports focused buyers. Although the brand has only recently introduced a music and art strand with their originals product; the shoe has always had a strong following with musicians and artists for a number of years. Most notably was rap group RUN DMC with their single ‘My Adidas’. This act of advocacy contributed to a major spike in sales of the Adidas originals shell toes, a style that still remains as the product champion.

So, having Star Wars team up with the brand not only maintains its successful history with pop culture partners, it has also tapped into a channel that has nostalgic relevance with the brands target audience, and as a result has caused a little bit if hysteria with yours truly. I’ve already picked out a pair of Skywalkers that will go perfectly with my current threads. Nice kicks.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Online news – What are we paying for?

2009-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

News Corporation announced this week that it would be delaying the move to implement paid for content within its online news sites, which was originally intended for a June 2010 launch. Reasons for the delay consisted of falling profits for the year, and having a clear process for implementing the paywall system for the service.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/Media/News/964397/Murdoch-reveals-delay-switch-paid-for-content/

News Corp stated that they are currently working on a trial website that would include content from the Sunday Times, however a date for this release was not provided.
In the same week The New York Times announced that a decision would be made within weeks regarding an introduction of paid for content within their news sites. The issue was supposed to be settled in the summer, however the decision to charge users for content was not as clear cut as originally thought, and a general agreement within the company has not yet been made. Bill Keller, the executive editor stated, "There is no clear consensus on the right way to go"

http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/949951/New-York-Times-wrestles-online-charge-method/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

No doubt we’ll see some kind of paid subscription news service in the future, as it’s becoming clear that publishers aren’t generating enough revenue from the current advertising model.
However, how can companies assure users that the content they pay for is premium? Consumers aren’t going to pay for blogs and articles that can be sourced from a different site for free. How are these publishers going to make this model work?

The reality is, until corporations ensure that paid for content is valuable and exclusive, consumers aren’t going to participate in subscriptions.

If you’d like to know more about digital, email me at nickb@polestarcommunications.com

Follow us on Twitter too: www.twitter.com/PolestarComms

iPhone apps - Perfect mix of product & entertainment

2009-10-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Apple iPhone apps – Perfect mix of product & entertainment

It is becoming increasingly challenging for a brand to create awareness in a digital environment without having to offer consumers something of value. Gone are the days where a brand could wave a big juicy carrot in a banner ad, and then expect a user to click through. Digital consumers are becoming more intuitive when it comes to offers, and are less likely to connect, in exchange for an application that transforms them into a South Park character. There has to be something of value.

http://www.sp-studio.de/

Having recognised the shift in thinking, brands have now turned to Apple’s iPhone application engine to provide a solution. Through Apple’s App store, companies can now deliver brand sponsored applications that are available as free downloads. The aim is to provide the consumer with a utility that is entertaining, simple, buzz-worthy, and most importantly, not perceived as advertising.

Check out some great examples:

Becks gig finder
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/Digital/News/948972/Becks-launches-iPhone-app-help-music-fans-find-gigs/

Audi A4 Driving challenge – 370,000 downloads in first 2 weeks of campaign
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/04/audi-ships-a4-driving-challenge-iphone-game-v2-0/

Zippo virtual lighter – Held No. 1 ranking in App store
http://downloads.cnet.co.uk/0,39100207,39317803s,00.htm

So, has this exercise been a success so far?
The answer is definitely yes. Since July 2008, 500 million iPhone apps have been downloaded, with an average of 1 million downloads per day. The great news for marketing managers is that apps can be produced in a matter of weeks rather than months, and are a fraction of a cost to produce when compared to traditional branding executions.

If you want to know more about mobile applications, drop me a line at nickb@polestarcommunications.com

Are you following us on twitter: www.twitter.com/PolestarComms

The power to persuade people?

2009-10-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

It’s not just politicians like David Cameron and Barack Obama reading ‘Nudge’ (Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein), marketers are also turning to it to discover how persuasion is no longer an art but is now a science.

Studies have shown that most of the time we like to follow the crowd. If we are asked, we insist that we are not swayed by others opinions and that we make our own minds up however our behaviour and evolution belie this. Initially we have evolved to live in groups and with similar aims, so similar behaviour and co-operation become a lot more likely.

An example of when group norms have persuaded people to behave in a certain way was in a hotel bathroom. When people read the signs in their rooms asking them to help save the environment (and the hotel’s laundry bill) by keeping their towels for more than a day, many people complied. But not everyone. When the sign was changed to say that most people who stayed re-used their towels, people were significantly more likely to keep their towels.

There is a still a feeling that you are acting on free will however you are being subtly pushed in a particular direction. This only works if you feel that you have something in common with the rest of the group otherwise you won’t want to fit in with them.

Advertisers are already using this in a number of ways – including it in copy (‘thousands of people like you are already singing up to this offer’) and allowing people to badge themselves so that there is a collective visible momentum (charity ribbons/ armbands). Is social media now the ultimate way to showcase behaviours of our peers and thus influence the behaviour of others like them?

Moderators en mass

2009-10-23T02:18:00.000-07:00

Last week the Daily Mail retracted a number of display ads featured in a comment piece on the death of ex Boyzone member Stephen Gately. The columnist who wrote the piece, Jan Moir, caused an uproar due to her insensitive comments regarding civil partnerships, with readers replying immediately to the content of the article.

Within minutes of receiving these comments, the Daily Mail pulled both the skyscraper and rich media display placements from the page, leaving the advertising space blank. Daily Mail responded to the ad retraction by stating “We removed the advertising within minutes of the article being published as we saw the strong reaction”.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/946413/Ads-pulled-columnist-Jan-Moirs-article-amid-gay-backlash/

What we have seen here is an example of how the readers became moderators of the published content. The Daily Mail editor didn’t recognise the potential danger of the piece, but thankfully the readers did, and made the paper well aware of it. As a result, advertising was removed, prompting the paper to make a statement regarding the retraction of the ads. "This is done frequently and by other newspapers. For example, we wouldn't want a mobile phone ad next to an article about mobile phone masts."

Due to the papers response to their readers, will we see a change in how content is published in future? No doubt publishers will take more consideration in what they deem appropriate for consumption, but will it ever get to a stage where authors and editors approve content with advertisers, or even more drastically, readers before going live?

If you’d like to know more about Social Media, you can reach me at nickb@polestarcommunications.com

You should also follow Polestar on Twitter – www.twitter.com/PolestarComms

Social Media - When negative content produces positive results

2009-10-16T02:35:00.000-07:00

Businesses are more likely to cringe at the thought of receiving negative feedback about their brand, prompting marketing managers to panic at the thought of users posting damaging information on social media sites relating to their business.

However in some cases, we are beginning to see companies take a different approach in the way they view social media sites, and the implications of negative feedback. Some marketing teams now view it as a way of addressing a problem, and more importantly, providing a solution.

Optus telecommunications have now utilised their Twitter page not only as a news feed for updates regarding the brand, but as an extra resource for servicing their customers. Optus have recognised that users are communicating with each other outside traditional channels, and have harnessed Twitter as a portal where they can provide solutions to customer enquiries and complaints, and as a result increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.

http://willscullypower.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/customer-loyalty-optus-well-done/

Banking institution First Direct have also utilised Twitter for receiving comments and feedback, enabling them to communicate more effectively with their audience. First direct are quoted as saying that this is ‘heralding a new wave of openness’ between the bank and its customers.

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/3005576.article#&nl=BN&ln=15100906

The development of this new communication channel has generated positive dialogue amongst other social media sites, and has enhanced both Optus’ and First Direct's online reputation as companies who understand their audience and are ready to move forward with them in the way they communicate.

If you’d like to learn more about social media, drop me a line at nickb@polestarcommunications.com

You should also follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nickbrauer

6 of our best

2009-10-13T09:02:00.001-07:00

Right, we've hidden our Polestar under a bushel for too long. A week on from our event, we wanted to share a few thoughts of our own on how to harness the power of advocacy:

First of all it's NOT the ONLY answer; advertising, sampling, PR, content etc all still play a vital role....but only as part of a wider, integrated strategy for advocacy creation.

We believe that doing the right thing must increasingly come before saying the right thing. This can take multiple guises and involve anything from relevant charity links and innovative promotions through to mobile apps, genuinely value add web services or a differentiated customer service experience.

Driving advocacy is not an after-thought - it needs to be a fundamental part of your planning. Start the planning process from brand thinking & design. After all, the brand is the message and often the strategic development of the brand itself can create a platform for advocacy.

After, and only after, this first stage turn your focus to how communications can amplify the 'advocacy advantages' created by your product or service.

Yes the internet and other interactive media are playing an increasingly important role here, but there is no reason why traditional mass media can't also play their part. And just to be clear, this isn't consumers talking about the ads - an over-valued and in business terms often irrelevant measure - it's about how communications can better seed relevant brand stories into conversation.

Innovate, innovate, innovate. Conventional and template thinking will only leave you way down the line behind a hundred more established brands in the sector. It's vital to 'start your own queue'.

P.S. If you're interested in hearing more about how we can help to activate advocacy for your brand, feel free to get in touch

Fab event winners

2009-10-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the R&R Fab team who just won the Silver prize in the Campaign of the Decade category at last night's Field Marketing and Brand Experience awards.

By our reckoning as we are still in the first decade of this century that makes us almost winners of the Best Campaign of the Century too!

Understanding the power of advocacy

2009-10-07T09:44:00.001-07:00

Last night's event was hugely instructive, inspiring and rather good fun; great speakers, excellent company and a chance to taste the next big thing in global spirits, Pink Pigeon.

Emmanuel Rosen, author of 'The Anatomy of Buzz Revisited' treated us to highlights from his recent book around generating and managing customer conversations. Key thoughts that emerged included:

Whilst online channels has certainly played a role in accelerating buzz, offline (person to person) buzz continues to outstrip online buzz 7 to 1.

Advertising and mass media still have a role to play when generating buzz. On any given day in the US, for example, 55% of people will have at least one conversation related to media or entertainment (Source: Keller Fay group). Brands such as Vaseline Intensive Rescue have simulated buzz as an integral part of their campaign and have encouraged over 3 million 'prescriptions' in the last year.

Make no mistake, the biggest driver of buzz is your product itself. It's the basis for a great story, and brands that have stories are more likely to be talked about. Witness Tom's Shoes.

Marketers looking to create buzz should bear in mind that buzz isn’t communication between a brand and a consumer but it is the conversations between consumers. It is not enough to have a blog and to open up dialogue with consumers. Make it easy for consumers to pass the story on with visual cues, materials and opportunities for self-expression.

Given the show of hands, last night’s audience were surprised (but heartened) to learn that there is more positive than negative buzz circulating. Negative buzz, whilst spreading faster also tends to peter out faster. It is however critical to have contingency plans in place to help present a balanced argument.

Not all hubs (influencers) are equal. Whilst some hubs may be very vocal they are not necessarily connected to other hubs so you still need mass media to broaden your reach and increase the intensity of buzz. The use of barbers in Chicago to publicise the importance of prostate screening to an Afro-American community proved the power of thinking laterally about who these hubs might be.

Association with certain hubs of consumers can amplify or accelerate your campaign however if you are seen to be associated with the ‘wrong’ hub too early on then your success among other hubs may be negatively affected. Equally, brand loyalists may not be your most vocal advocates as they may have already done their buzzing. To reinvigorate these hubs you will need to find a trigger to get people talking again.

People drop in and out of hubs. It is important to keep listening to your audience and refreshing your contacts – someone who was once an expert on digital cameras may have changed hobbies or lost touch with the market now that they have bought their camera.

Make more of your assets. Brands often have material that they don’t use to its full potential – don’t just hold an event, film it, ask for attendees to contribute images and footage, invite them to the screening – create a virtuous circle. So, to demonstrate we’ve been good listeners, the film is coming soon and we’d encourage you to leave your thoughts and comments below please!

David King, Marketing Director at Berry Brothers & Rudd Spirits, in sharing with us the story of Pink Pigeon, provided a top draw example of how to hard wire advocacy into your brand. By making it a focus of everything they have done - from the brand story and name through to the packaging - they’ve created a product that not only changes the way people think about rum, but created a brand capable of creating the requisite buzz to help them take on high spending competitors.

P.S. Given how well received the event was we've decided to make it a regular feature - watch this space.

Have you heard the news yet?

2009-10-05T04:27:00.001-07:00

Advocacy.

Buzz.

Whatever your preferred term, it's become a critical aspect of any marketing strategy. Indeed we'd go as far as to suggest that it's never more important.

Why? Well clearly there are multiple factors at play, not least of which:

The return on investment crunch -
we seem to always either be in a period of media inflation (which always outstrips RPI) or there's restricted capital available to support marketing because we're in a recession. Either way, it's a fact that just delivering the same old, same old, will offer increasingly less good returns.
The demise of mass communications coupled with the growth in commercial messaging - this alone means that the balance has had to change between what brands and organisations actually do in terms of products, services and value over and what they say.
The explosion of brands -
fuelled by the growth in cheap investment capital (during the peaks) and the forthcoming growth in takeovers (during the post recessionary era) relatively unsupported brands are being pushed to the fore
Consumers changing views of brands - with consumers increasingly relishing their new found control, brands need to think, feel and act in different ways.
A significant breakdown in trust between the public and big business....the reasons behind which are glaringly obvious!
A genuine concern for the environment & real interest in corporate attitudes to CSR. Yes these factors may have taken a temporary step backwards for economic reasons but they are clearly on the rise.
A greater degree of transparency and consumer vociferousness. Clearly this is not exclusively driven by technology but it's certainly been the catalyst and leant greater creativity to the consumer voice.

P.S. On Tuesday we've got one of the guru's of advocacy , Emanuel Rosen author of The Anatomy of Buzz and David King of Berry Brothers & Rudd Spirits talking to a select bunch of clients and agency partners at our Polestar launch event about best practice activation of buzz. A great opportunity to compare notes. More later.