by Erna George. Functional benefits such as ‘double the goodness’ or ‘three times the power’ are nowadays difficult to uphold as they are easily copied. And, with increased choice and consumer cynicism, they are no longer good enough.
Tag archives: fair exchange
Fair Exchange: Reap rewards through inter-agency collaboration
by Erna George. Every now and then I cast my mind back to the days when I was a brand manager, and we worked with probably two partner agencies – one handling above-the-line work and the other our below-the-line activities. It was only every now and then that we made use of a specialist, such as a promotions or public relations agency.
Essentially, we would invest a massive amount of time and money to make that impactful television campaign, and all other elements flowed from this.
Fast forward to 2013 and the world has changed. Between social media, PVRs and many other distractions and channels, making that impact has become tougher. And the buzz in the marketing corridors is the need to move (quickly) towards greater collaboration and exchange across agencies.
Today, clients are looking for agency partners that can synergise with other partners. The new exchange is cross-collaboration, and the days of one agency as the only — or the core — partner is over. As an analogy, think back to when Daewoo was selling cars, washing machines and air-conditioners; consumers found it tough to believe one brand could be great at it all. Similarly, it is difficult for clients to believe that one agency can be specialists in every area.
Fair Exchange: South Africa’s cellular network providers are holding us to ransom
by Erna George. It wasn’t easy finding an industry less consumer-friendly than South Africa’s financial services industry when it comes to the use of legalese – no, no, no, no. Silly me. It was a piece of pie.
And which is it? It’s South Africa’s mobile communications industry. Yes, the industry that ‘connects people’, ‘helps them stay in touch with the world’.
Just recently (on holiday in our country), I found myself interacting with folk from all four corners of the globe – and all were astounded at what we have to put up with just to ‘connect with people’ and ‘stay in touch with the world’.
Fair Exchange: Loyalty smoyalty
by Erna George. Brands partner consumers in many ways and finding ways to keep what should be a two-way partnership exciting is a challenge given all the many distractions around. One device employed seemingly at the drop of a hat in South Africa is the loyalty programme.
Fair Exchange: Comparative advertising — help or hindrance?
by Erna George. I do believe that competition is what keeps innovation flowing, pricing honest and the consumer getting good value. But will consumers start questioning whose stats are correct, how are comparisons done and whose claims are being honest versus who is being economical with the truth? How exactly does this help the person in the street, or in the supermarket, and what does it do to brand trust?
Fair Exchange: Power in partnerships
by Erna George. Having started my career as a client at Unilever before spending several years on the agency side both in design and marketing insight & consulting, I have been ‘on both sides of the fence’. But, I remain true to one view: When clients treat agencies like vendors, or agencies treat clients like they are not experts, the relationship or the work it produces is never optimal.