Time to look back, photo by Temari,
2011 like every year for the last decade has seen Marketing change as media and the way people have used media has changed. It is important still to not lose track or forget about those things that have stayed the same and some elements are always going to be the same whatever the platform.
What has changed:
On the Way up
Price Comparison Sites
Yes they have been around for some time but they can now be accessed from anywhere, as smartphone ownership has sky rocketed so has price checking in store, with apps such as redlaser that will let you scan a barcode and check prices online. Stores are no longer protected from the effect Price Comparison sites have had on e-commerce stores. There are also far more niche Price Comparison sites now for everything from Utilities to holidays to Fuel at local Petrol Stations
Social Media - specifically its use for delivering Customer Service
Social Media was previously all about awareness if anything, though many Companies seemed unsure about exactly what they were doing with it. Now though be it Facebook, Twitter or another platform Social Media is very much about Customer Service, people use it as a replacement to e-mails and answers to queries become public so benefit everyone. It is also important for businesses and brands to keep an eye out for mentions in Social Media so they can deal with problems that come to light not through a complaint but thorugh customers getting together and discussing.
The power of public opinion
Social Media asd mentioned above allows people to come together and discuss, as menntioned companies can deal with a problem if they bevcome aware of it in time but sometimes it is too late and often the press pick up on a story before the brand does. Littlewoods customers compalined about the ad that stole Christmas on Social MEdia and News of the World was shut down by public opinion that gained impetus thorugh communications on Twitter, Facebook and other places which led to dozens of e-petitions and a strong voice that News Corporation eventually heard as did politicians.
Consumer Confidence
Consumer Confidence has remained low in 2011 but people are more confident about 2012, many in the UK expect the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to be enough to boost the economy and get things restarted again, in reality it is the confidence of consumers itself that may do this.
Wikitude, an example of how augmented reality can provide extra information wherever you are, photo by Mr3641
Augmented Reality
From virtual supermarket shelves in Seoul’s subway system to mobile apps that see what you are aiming your camera at and provide more information augmented reality can when used well boost sales. Still in early days expect in 2012 to see more apps that in store will not only give you prices for products online but a host of extra information and reviews.
Product Placement
Well it was only in this last year that it became legal to place products in TV shows in the UK so it is no surprise this is on the up, it has been a little slow to take off and it has at times been a little too noticeable taking away much of the value.
Geo-targeted Marketing
Knowing where someone is allows advertising to be much more relevant, especially when they are looking for something in-particular, but also for sending other offers; Groupon does this of course but the actual implementation hasn’t been ideal. A lot of geo-targeted advertising is likely to go out by e-mail which could in turn give e-mail marketing, which is flagging, a boost by making it more relavant, a quality it currently lacks.
On the Way Down
My Space
Its been on the way down for some time but Myspace has lost further ground to Facebook, other services including Goggle Plus have failed to gain ground againist Facebook as well though. Still however Facebook hasn’t been without its critics, primarily regarding its ethics and privacy policies.
Spam: Both E-mails and website content
With Social Media you can send relavant information to a warm market, with e-mail marketing increasingly people now used to Social Media Marketing expect very relavant e-mails, this means even if you have subcribed to a mailing list you might see an e-mail as spam if it doesn’t have any value to you. Online as well people now expect good quality content, if you don’t deliver it someoneelse will. Google have made a number of updates as well meaning that good quality content and not just keyword-rich content is the order of the day, or rather year.
Groupon
That didn’t last long, Groupon’s implementation has been poor even if the idea was good; the range of offers has been limited and therefore repetitive. There have also been far too many reports online and offline of poor customer service from Groupon and offers that weren’t honored once purchased. Groupon could perhaps be saved in 2012 but it seems unlikely as others are beginning to do the same but better.
Silos useful on a farm not in Marketing, photo by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Silo based Marketing
Silo based MNarketing has never worked well but with a Digital Marketing department and Digital Marketing agency and then a separate Advertising Department and Ad agency some companies have really got their messages in a twist and Silo based marketing is being abandonded by many who are opting to at least integrate Digital and Ad departments.
Organic products and Green Credentials
Organic food especially has taken a step back this year, it is less important to people now than in the past it seems and sales volumes have dropped. Of course you need to make sure that this is the case for your target market but many people are having to make cutbacks and paying a premium for Organic has been one of the first things to go. Items seen as having green credntials in general though and even Fairtrade may be less popular as well, even if a premium isn’t charged as people will assume they are buying a premium product: make sure you get the value proposition right for your customer.
What has stayed the same:
Ryanair confused customers with Green message, photo by Montgomery via Wikimedia Commons
Understand your customer and ensure all elements of your customer value proposition fit
Ryanair were perhaps the biggest culprit of not doing this in 2011. Ryanair decided to work on its Green Credentials. Even if this doesn’t put prices up the perception for highly price sensitive customers is that it might: the result is that the first website they go to to check prices on is Easyjet’s not Ryanair’s. Never add costs that don’t add value to your customers; unless a company are moving thier whole brand to a new position with a completely new customer value proposition to fit, these kind of tweaks will do nothing except confuse existing loyal customers.
Customer service is important even if not face to face, photo courtesy of Proatheleinc
No one just sells a good, there is always an element of Service that can’t be missed
Somehow companies, especially B2C companies,think that just because they are selling goods customer service doesn’t matter, the worst are e-commerce stores. Granted for some low cost sellers it is all about cost, though a contact number can significantly reduce risk still, but for most others including the websites of well known high street stores there is no excuse and a lack of customer service will simply stop would be customers.
Getting TV Advertising wrong can be a PR disaster
The biggest advertising Mishap in 2011 was probably the Littlewoods Christmas ad, while John Lewis won Plaudits with an ad that many thought was spot on, Littlewoods became hated by Parents and quite possibly by those who weren’t parents as well. Parents felt that the Ad basically made it clear that to their children that Father Christmas didn’t exist. Those who aren’t parents may have just found the ad a little too sickly to stomach; then there were the general complaints that the Littlewoods ad portrays Christmas as being purely about gaining material goods and that it aims to make parents feel guilty about not being able to provide their Children with the presents they want in order to push them towards the credit Littlewoods offer. The result was that an ad that should have had a slightly wider appeal in the first place but which was hated by the exact people it was aimed at too.
A rare sight, a Chevrolet Volt, photo by Mariordo via Wikimedia Commons
New Product Development (NPD) should be Marketing Led
We have seen a few products in 2011 made and launched because they could be launched and not because there was any demand. These products inlcude the HTC Status, main selling point: a button just for updating Facebook statuses, also the Playbook from Research In Motion: a tablet with no USPs whatsoever; both products that didn’t meet any kind of consumer demand. Meanwhile over in America General Motors released the Volt electric car, a car made because it could be made and which is almost unusable due to the lack of sufficent charging points, sales are still reportadely in the hundreds.
2011 what’s changed, what’s stayed the same
Time to look back, photo by Temari,
2011 like every year for the last decade has seen Marketing change as media and the way people have used media has changed. It is important still to not lose track or forget about those things that have stayed the same and some elements are always going to be the same whatever the platform.
What has changed:
On the Way up
Price Comparison Sites
Yes they have been around for some time but they can now be accessed from anywhere, as smartphone ownership has sky rocketed so has price checking in store, with apps such as redlaser that will let you scan a barcode and check prices online. Stores are no longer protected from the effect Price Comparison sites have had on e-commerce stores. There are also far more niche Price Comparison sites now for everything from Utilities to holidays to Fuel at local Petrol Stations
Social Media - specifically its use for delivering Customer Service
Social Media was previously all about awareness if anything, though many Companies seemed unsure about exactly what they were doing with it. Now though be it Facebook, Twitter or another platform Social Media is very much about Customer Service, people use it as a replacement to e-mails and answers to queries become public so benefit everyone. It is also important for businesses and brands to keep an eye out for mentions in Social Media so they can deal with problems that come to light not through a complaint but thorugh customers getting together and discussing.
The power of public opinion
Social Media asd mentioned above allows people to come together and discuss, as menntioned companies can deal with a problem if they bevcome aware of it in time but sometimes it is too late and often the press pick up on a story before the brand does. Littlewoods customers compalined about the ad that stole Christmas on Social MEdia and News of the World was shut down by public opinion that gained impetus thorugh communications on Twitter, Facebook and other places which led to dozens of e-petitions and a strong voice that News Corporation eventually heard as did politicians.
Consumer Confidence
Consumer Confidence has remained low in 2011 but people are more confident about 2012, many in the UK expect the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to be enough to boost the economy and get things restarted again, in reality it is the confidence of consumers itself that may do this.
Wikitude, an example of how augmented reality can provide extra information wherever you are, photo by Mr3641
Augmented Reality
From virtual supermarket shelves in Seoul’s subway system to mobile apps that see what you are aiming your camera at and provide more information augmented reality can when used well boost sales. Still in early days expect in 2012 to see more apps that in store will not only give you prices for products online but a host of extra information and reviews.
Product Placement
Well it was only in this last year that it became legal to place products in TV shows in the UK so it is no surprise this is on the up, it has been a little slow to take off and it has at times been a little too noticeable taking away much of the value.
Geo-targeted Marketing
Knowing where someone is allows advertising to be much more relevant, especially when they are looking for something in-particular, but also for sending other offers; Groupon does this of course but the actual implementation hasn’t been ideal. A lot of geo-targeted advertising is likely to go out by e-mail which could in turn give e-mail marketing, which is flagging, a boost by making it more relavant, a quality it currently lacks.
On the Way Down
My Space
Its been on the way down for some time but Myspace has lost further ground to Facebook, other services including Goggle Plus have failed to gain ground againist Facebook as well though. Still however Facebook hasn’t been without its critics, primarily regarding its ethics and privacy policies.
Spam: Both E-mails and website content
With Social Media you can send relavant information to a warm market, with e-mail marketing increasingly people now used to Social Media Marketing expect very relavant e-mails, this means even if you have subcribed to a mailing list you might see an e-mail as spam if it doesn’t have any value to you. Online as well people now expect good quality content, if you don’t deliver it someoneelse will. Google have made a number of updates as well meaning that good quality content and not just keyword-rich content is the order of the day, or rather year.
Groupon
That didn’t last long, Groupon’s implementation has been poor even if the idea was good; the range of offers has been limited and therefore repetitive. There have also been far too many reports online and offline of poor customer service from Groupon and offers that weren’t honored once purchased. Groupon could perhaps be saved in 2012 but it seems unlikely as others are beginning to do the same but better.
Silos useful on a farm not in Marketing, photo by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Silo based Marketing
Silo based MNarketing has never worked well but with a Digital Marketing department and Digital Marketing agency and then a separate Advertising Department and Ad agency some companies have really got their messages in a twist and Silo based marketing is being abandonded by many who are opting to at least integrate Digital and Ad departments.
Organic products and Green Credentials
Organic food especially has taken a step back this year, it is less important to people now than in the past it seems and sales volumes have dropped. Of course you need to make sure that this is the case for your target market but many people are having to make cutbacks and paying a premium for Organic has been one of the first things to go. Items seen as having green credntials in general though and even Fairtrade may be less popular as well, even if a premium isn’t charged as people will assume they are buying a premium product: make sure you get the value proposition right for your customer.
What has stayed the same:
Ryanair confused customers with Green message, photo by Montgomery via Wikimedia Commons
Understand your customer and ensure all elements of your customer value proposition fit
Ryanair were perhaps the biggest culprit of not doing this in 2011. Ryanair decided to work on its Green Credentials. Even if this doesn’t put prices up the perception for highly price sensitive customers is that it might: the result is that the first website they go to to check prices on is Easyjet’s not Ryanair’s. Never add costs that don’t add value to your customers; unless a company are moving thier whole brand to a new position with a completely new customer value proposition to fit, these kind of tweaks will do nothing except confuse existing loyal customers.
Customer service is important even if not face to face, photo courtesy of Proatheleinc
No one just sells a good, there is always an element of Service that can’t be missed
Somehow companies, especially B2C companies,think that just because they are selling goods customer service doesn’t matter, the worst are e-commerce stores. Granted for some low cost sellers it is all about cost, though a contact number can significantly reduce risk still, but for most others including the websites of well known high street stores there is no excuse and a lack of customer service will simply stop would be customers.
Getting TV Advertising wrong can be a PR disaster
The biggest advertising Mishap in 2011 was probably the Littlewoods Christmas ad, while John Lewis won Plaudits with an ad that many thought was spot on, Littlewoods became hated by Parents and quite possibly by those who weren’t parents as well. Parents felt that the Ad basically made it clear that to their children that Father Christmas didn’t exist. Those who aren’t parents may have just found the ad a little too sickly to stomach; then there were the general complaints that the Littlewoods ad portrays Christmas as being purely about gaining material goods and that it aims to make parents feel guilty about not being able to provide their Children with the presents they want in order to push them towards the credit Littlewoods offer. The result was that an ad that should have had a slightly wider appeal in the first place but which was hated by the exact people it was aimed at too.
A rare sight, a Chevrolet Volt, photo by Mariordo via Wikimedia Commons
New Product Development (NPD) should be Marketing Led
We have seen a few products in 2011 made and launched because they could be launched and not because there was any demand. These products inlcude the HTC Status, main selling point: a button just for updating Facebook statuses, also the Playbook from Research In Motion: a tablet with no USPs whatsoever; both products that didn’t meet any kind of consumer demand. Meanwhile over in America General Motors released the Volt electric car, a car made because it could be made and which is almost unusable due to the lack of sufficent charging points, sales are still reportadely in the hundreds.