I've been traveling for the last few weeks and have come back to our agency with a renewed enthusiasm on the merits of clean, simple Below The Line communications. What I've noticed is the lack of consumer products that actual have a good story. A simple story that consumers can absorb in our less is more current culture. (There's a reason that Twitter limits you to 140 character tweets.)
Coke is a good example of how simple sells. Happiness from the start! It's amazing the effort they go to to make it look simple. As few words as possible but consistently communicated in every major city, all over the world.
At every touch point make it consistent and make sure the brand foundation speaks to their needs. Coke's "Happiness" campaign is right on. Who doesn't want a bottle of happiness. Research, research and research some more to offer your clients insightful communications that delivers to consumer or customer needs.
- Dave Wohlner, President LSC
Marketers obviously like couponing. In Supermarket News' 2005 Survey of Manufacturer Promotional Practices, more than two-thirds of the participants said they feel couponing is an effective promotional tool. Fast forward to 2010 and yes, things have changed but they are still a vital consumer and trade marketing tool. Read on.
Music has a permanent place in consumer and trade programming.
Encourage seasonal display opportunities that offer retailers an innovative, consumer music themed promotion.
Source: PlanetRetail. Based on sales for calendar 2009 or fiscal year closest to calendar 2009. All sales include nonfood operations and are net sales in U.S. dollars based on full-year average exchange rates. Store counts include franchised or licensed locations and may include nonfood outlets; counts are based on PlanetRetail research, company reports and estimates.
Last Labor Day, there were three times the normal amount of FSI coupons in our local paper. With the decline of the newspaper industry, you would think that FSI's wouldn't be so prevalent. And yet, we see more demand than ever from consumers to use these types of promotional programs.
Value programs and other strategies revealed.
A report from Nielsen Consumer Insight suggests that by October 2008, one-third of all U.S. consumers in a survey said they didn't feel secure in their jobs, while half believed they were worse off financially than a year ago. As a result, consumers are taking steps to cut back spending, particularly on major purchases for the:
BRADFORD, England -- The global recession is spoiling the summer for a lot of industries, but not the U.K.'s supermarkets. They're loving it. With an estimated five million Britons staying home this summer instead of traveling, the country's leading grocers are slugging it out for shoppers' time and money. They're slashing prices, launching new budget brands and taunting the price claims of rivals in advertising.
Every brand makes a promise to the customer; but a truly strong brand makes a highly relevant and distinctive promise, then delivers it consistently across the board. This is no small task, and one that requires everyone within an organization to know and understand the brand promise and how each and every activity of the company connects with delivering that promise.
