by Alistair Mackay (@almackay) Brand evangelists can be hugely damaging for a brand, whether in politics or the private sector. It’s not just people bad-mouthing a brand that can influence others to avoid it; it’s the characteristics of those singing its praises, too.
Category archives: Marketing
Shelf Life: Exclusive Books switches branding, focus
Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches: Exclusive Books turns the page with Switch; USN unveils new packaging; and a new Addis product to mop up any mess.
Dissident Spin Doctor: When to listen — and when to push back
by Emma King (@EmmainSA) I firmly believe that, as agencies, we should not be simpering sycophants and, as with most relationships, a client/agency relationship works well when the respect is reciprocated and there’s a mutual ability for both sides to speak frankly and openly to one another.
The Real McCoy: Serving after the sale
by Sean McCoy (@TheRealMcCoyTRM) Brand owners need to consider that outsource service partners and contractors are an extension of staff and operating systems, therefore they are critical to the internal brand and delivery of the promise — much like the well-oiled franchise model.
Green Sky Thinking: Tech companies come out in the wash
by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) #ClickClean is a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of all the ‘dirty stuff’ we consume online, where “dirty” refers not to content but rather all those clicks, streams and shares that are still being powered by dirty energy.
Shelf Life: Häagen-Dazs snow globe
Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches: Häagen-Dazs hosts the coolest event, WDC spotlights creative talent
and Cocoa Butter’s smooth promo.
Tuned: Save our Millennials? No, we’ll save you!
by Thabang Leshilo (@Thabang_Leshilo) It’s a dark and gloomy future that has been painted for Millennials, who are said to have high hopes and low prospects. I disagree. We — I’m a Millennial — have characters traits that will see us through.
Motive: Bards of the brands
by Robyn Daly (@robyndaly) Brand narratives are the buzzword of today, so content marketing is on the up-and-up. But who’s telling the stories… and is it really such a new thing, after all?
Influencers: Internal advocacy
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) When it comes to word-of-mouth and advocacy marketing, are we forgetting to use one of the most powerful tools at our disposal? One that can be easily controlled and set to work at any time? And at very little cost?
The Sell: Going back to basic retail-selling principles
by Mimi Nicklin (@MimiNicklin) While much in retail has changed since 1920(!), when it comes to selling our wares in 2014, so many of the principles they were innovating with at the original Selfridges store should still form the basis of our retail innovation today.