May 25th, 2010
Marketers are sometimes scornful of large corporations lending their name to promotions and events that really do add value to the brand.
But in the case of Red Bull and the Cliff Diving World Series 2010 such criticism does not apply. In fact, it is a case study on how to get it right!
A recent short break in mid-May found us in La Rochelle on the South West coast of France. Arriving at the historic port early afternoon we were surprised to find the roads closed and many people milling around but assumed that it was a usual Saturday in a tourist location.
We were swiftly told how wrong we were by the hotel receptionist who told us proudly that the town was ‘en fête’ due to the ‘plongeurs’.
To call the guys who so dived so beautifully off one of the historic towers (over 90 feet or 27.5 metres high) merely ‘divers’ is to do them a disservice. Their dives were breathtaking, of Olympic standard and the whole event an amazing spectacle. 
See the videos at Red Bull Cliff Diving Series 2010 La Rochelle May 2010
But in branding terms it was a triumph. Not only were the guys (dressed in Red Bull swimming trunks) gorgeous to look at but when they dived they literally had wings – reinforcing in a visual way the brand message of the drink!
The resulting pictures and videos are stunning but the attention to detail was impressive.
All the cafes had special Red Bull promotions. Everyone could see the action due to the location and the huge television screen linked to a camera above the diving platform.
The usual hospitality village was located away from the main viewing area and the whole event was free.
Despite the massive scale of the competition, next morning virtually nothing remained, all the structures – including the diving platform – having been taken down overnight.
The result was a great event which can only have added to the audience’s positive impression of the brand.
Posted in PR, branding, marketing, public relations, travel | No Comments »
March 18th, 2010
Social Media appears to be now stabilising as a Marketing channel with the six key players e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Google, LinkedIn and Twitter consolidating their position in the marketplace.
Obviously there are lots of other platforms – and new social media sites – but the main players continue to dominate the social media space.
That said, as the market stabilizes it is time to use the tools more strategically and concentrate on the message rather than the shiny new medium.
At Cerco we are increasingly being asked to devise a social media strategy for clients. Only this week we advised on the use of a private Twitter group for passing information around a group of multi-national and multi-discipline salespeople.
The client was astonished at the versatility of Twitter and how the real time information would supplement their intranet – all free of charge.
For an excellent article on Twitter best practice see: http://blog.spurinteractive.com/2010/03/07/twitter-best-practices-for-social-media-marketing/
Author Steve Latham makes the valid point that too many tweets are about me, my thoughts and my status.
If you are using Twitter for business, do not tell us that you are standing in a supermarket queue. Your (business audience) does not care.
We have recently witnessed two cases of ‘careless (Twitter) talk costing sales’ – to paraphrase the old WW2 saying.
In both cases the Twitterers forgot they had potential clients following them and made totally inappropriate comments, losing themselves future work and attracting much negative ‘buzz’.
So the old Marketing adage of the message being as important as the medium still holds good!
Posted in CRM, PR, Uncategorized, branding, facebook, marketing, public relations, social media, twitter | 1 Comment »
February 28th, 2009
Listening to a recent Radio 4 Today programme interview with Geoff Cooper CEO of Wickes (and the Travis Perkins Group) it appeared that company was well-placed to ride out the current recession.
He was later quoted as saying ” We took early action in 2008 to deal with the increasingly tough trading environment and have set our business ready to manage continuing difficult market conditions in 2009. We have already taken decisive action, and stand ready to take further steps if necessary.” (Source www.diyweek.net)
However, on the radio he added that high staff turnover was a feature of their business and appeared to view it favourably as a way of managing staff costs.
It made me think. Usually businesses want to keep their staff since recuiting and training new employees is costly in both temporal and financial resources.
Making working conditions as appealing as possible in order to retain staff has always been a ‘given’ in management terms.
So could the current market conditions be leading to a new model in which companies welcome staff departures as a way of controlling costs?
This may look appealing to the accountants but has big ramifications for Customer Relationship Management!
It is no co-incidence that John Lewis is performing well in difficult market conditions. Their staff actually know something about the products they are selling – unlike the average salesperson in Wickes or B&Q.
Staff knowledge as a Key Performance or Profit Indicator? Why not!
I know in which store I prefer to buy my everyday DIY products!
Travis Perkins underperforms but Tile Giant sales up
Posted in CRM, management, marketing, profits, public relations, sales | 1 Comment »
January 15th, 2009
This morning Simon Fox, CEO of HMV Group, was featured on the Radio 4 Today programme explaining his group’s Christmas figures.
Amongst the information discussed, he mentioned that sales of travel books were down yet sales of celebrity memoirs ‘held up well’. He sounded quite surprised by the fact.
This leads one to consider why one would buy the (ghost-written) memoir of a minor sports celebrity as a present rather than that lovely Lonely Planet book on the Galapagos Islands!
Is there a message here for marketers and PR experts? Has the travel book lost its allure in the face of the wealth of Z list autobiographies or have people stopped buying travel books in the winter as an instant ‘escape’ for themselves or their loved ones? Food for thought!
Posted in PR, marketing, public relations | 1 Comment »
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