The End of #brands2

With Uni results being released yesterday I have officially completed my Marketing degree and can look forward to 2 years of part-time study focused on Accounting whilst working full-time as an undergraduate Accountant.
Management of Brands would have to be one of my favourite subjects ever, not only did I get to use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Foursquare but I got to call it homework. The ultimate dream! Just quietly I also did quite well grade-wise which is a bonus. It was because of this course I began my blog focusing on marketing communications and social media. Now I'm heading into the field of Accounting it seems pointless continuing a Marketing blog but I honestly have really come to enjoy blogging. It looks easy but it is so hard to produce a worthwhile post and when it is well received it makes all the staring at a blinking cursor worth it.
So for the time being I will continue blogging and hopefully at a semi-reasonable frequency.

Zara Hype

After a month long break, this blog post is dedicated to the recently renovated Burnside Village. Although impressive I was most looking forward to the opening of Spanish chain, Zara. For months throughout the renovations I had heard numerous bits of information from it being the largest Zara store in the Southern hemisphere as well as being modelled off Zara's New York store. Fashionistas around Adelaide having been eagerly awaiting the opening and for those who adore the store were not disappointed. 
Thursday morning I arrived at Zara bright and early hoping I wasn't going to spend hours lining up to get inside. Although the store was quite busy and only lineups were for the women's changerooms. 
The thing I found most interesting, from a Marketing student's perspective, was the lack of traditional advertising. The hype surrounding the opening of Zara was word-of-mouth and discussion in social media between consumers. No fancy print campaigns or television commercials. I don't know whether it actually worked for Zara considering they may have wanted even more people coming through the doors. I know I will absolutely be back, on quite a regular basis I assume. 
I simply had to visit Zara on the very first day, and of course purchase something! It all comes down to the hype. I've had at least a dozen conversations about Zara with people and being able to say I visited the very first morning. 
So do yourself a favour, visit Zara, and don't walk out empty handed. 

Share A Coke with Cass

I've been wanting to write a blog about the latest Coke campaign for quite some time. It all began when my Facebook News Feed was littered with pictures of people's Coke bottles, and who they were sharing a Coke with. I was confused and couldn't seem to find any information about a new campaign anywhere. A few weeks later I came across Coca-Cola Australia's Facebook page, and the whole Share A Coke campaign became a whole lot clearer to me. 

When I discovered that Cass would be featured on a Coke bottle I've made it my mission to find it. I don't even drink Coke, I prefer Diet Coke, but I've found myself buying Coke bottles just to see what name I can get. Our fridge contains the following bottles; belonging to my Dad, Rob, my sister, Rebecca, and me. My Mum has the less common name of Antonietta so she misses out until we can buy her a bottle saying 'Mum.'

You want to buy a bottle of Coke, but what if your name isn't one of the 150 selected? Well, don't fear you can attend your local Westfield and create your own custom can! What a fabulous idea for people who have less common names. Not only that but I recommend paying a visit to the Coca-Cola Australia Facebook page. Here you can share a virtual can of Coke with friends and listen to the songs corresponding to each of the 150 names. I spent a good part of this morning selecting a different name and listening to the different songs.

Coke is one of the biggest brands in the world so why do they still find the need to create such campaigns as this? The answer is quite simple, they aren't really advertising to gain more market share, almost everybody recognises Coke, and a majority of the population drink it. I believe its a way of getting people to talk even more about Coke and therefore people aren't talking about the competitors. People are absolutely talking more about Coke, whether people love it or hate it I think depends on whether they can find a bottle with their name on it. What do you think of Coke's latest campaign and would you specially buy a bottle if it had your name on it?

GASP and those emails...

For a blog with a focus on social media & marketing communications I simply must post about the topic dominating social media and news programs all over Australia today, GASP & those emails.
If you haven't seen or heard about GASP today (it would be hard to ignore) here is the full story according to the Herald Sun.
A customer complains about poor service, company responds, emails go viral and become a worldwide trending topic on Twitter.
I'm not a PR expert in the slightest but even I can see GASP didn't hande this well at all. In current economic circumstances retail stores are suffering and this type of customer service will not entice anyone into stores. I can understand that it would be frustrating for salespeople with a continual stream of customers and no sales. However, as a customer trying on clothing is part of the shopping experience & in no way should a sale be forced. In fact the more a salesperson forces a sale the more likely I am to simply walk away.
So in a he said/she said saga we may never know the truth of what happened. What we do know is that GASP have done horrific damage to their brand. They are persistant and are unlikely to apologise, normally a brave action. However in the face of such public negative comments it seems like a truly stupid decision.
What do you think of GASP's actions?

Two and a Half Men & Foursquare

Whilst I was watching Two and a Half Men last night I noticed Ashton's laptop case covered in stickers. The foursquare logo really stood out, perhaps because I'm a daily foursquare user. Foursquare mentioned this fact on Instagram making me wonder whether it was simple a coincidence or planned. Ashton is a foursquare user...
For such a highly hyped television show recently it makes sense to have a subtle bit of advertising with such a large audience watching.
What do you think? Planned or coincidence?

EDIT: It turns out that Ashton actually has a personal financial stake in each of these digital companies. CBS wasn't too happy about him using these stickers as essentially a free promotional platform. However, it doesn't really compare to the behaviour of Charlie Sheen on set.

#SocialMediaLunching

My friend Caitlin (@caitlinjjohns) and I had a cute little lunch today at Sushi Train. Throughout the meal we tweeted our experiences, checked-in on Google+ and Foursquare, and posted photos of our meal on Instagram.
We tried to document as much of our little lunch time adventure on social media as possible. Although it was probably mundane updates to other people it was a lot of fun. It also gave us both a chance to use Google+, something we now both adore.
So next time your having a lovely lunch don't forget to share the experience on social media, and on Twitter use our self-made hashtag phenomenon #SocialMediaLunching.

Life's For Sharing

Procrastinating as only an University student can, I re-discovered my favourite pieces of advertising from T-Mobile.
Flash mobs are difficult to undertake and if done poorly can cause damage to the brand's overall image. When done well, as T-Mobile has done on several occassions, it becomes a powerful piece of communication.
The T-Mobile Dance is fantastic. Look out for the people who aren't involved in the flash mob but dance along anyway, especially the two old ladies.

This sing along in London to The Beatles' classic 'Hey Jude' is moving to say the least. The whole idea of this flash mob really illustrates what the brand is about and their motto 'Life's for sharing.'

The final video is something I discovered today. I absolutely love aiports & this video made me want to be stepping off a flight and seeing this reception.

Get It For Less...

I only saw the latest Big W ad the other night but it's already firmly imprinted in my mind, possibly for all the wrong reasons. If you haven't seen it yet check out the YouTube link below.

Warning: Will be stuck in your head for days. If you're like me you'll also feel the need to buy a $1 skipping rope.

On the back of consumer uproar and hatred at the Coles singing advertisement I can assume the only reason Big W followed was for the publicity. The Facebook group hating the Coles ad currently has over 26,000 members. Coles has even started a competition where the school with the best performance of 'down down' wins more sports equipment. Ethical issues currently in the media about this aside the advertisement certainly cut through.

I don't know if Big W followed or simply was slow off the mark releasing it.

Personally, I hope these retail giants dont start a trend of cringe worthy musical advertisements in the future. What are your opinions of these ads, love, hate, or indifferent?

Apple Lover

I learnt about authentic brands today during my Management of Brands lecture with Cullen Habel. Apple came up often as an excellent example of an authentic brand, something with quality leadership, a passionate artisan (being Steve Jobs) behind the brand. 
Throughout the lecture I reflected upon how I became such a lover of everything Apple. My first Apple purchase was a first generation, pink, iPod Mini. Now I own an iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPod Classic, and my pride and joy a MacBook Pro.
Apart from word of mouth recommendations the only research I conducted before purchasing my MacBook Pro was watching this YouTube video. Despite the ads being a little old they are still as relevant as ever. 
Apple is selling the benefits of their products rather than the features. Rather than saying it comes with a magnetic power cord they state it if the cord is tripped over it will *pop* out & not bring the laptop crashing to the ground. 
Watch it and then buy yourself a MacBook Pro. It will be the best decision you ever make, I promise.

Apple just works. 

Our Gruen Experiment

Marie and I headed down to Westfield Marion on a mission to buy some gifts. We decided to experiment in a completely new shopping centre how disoriented we would become, also known as the Gruen effect. I've decided to blog about our adventure with special comments (in italics) from Marie.

For those that don't know Gruen isn't just the popular ABC show about marketing. The current shopping mall layout was first designed by Victor Gruen. It is a highly confusing layout of stores causing consumers to forget exactly what they were there for and increases the likelihood of impulse shopping. It's why there are no windows so you can't see the world outside changing and why there is a distinct absence of clocks so it's easy to lose track of time.

With this in mind Marie took my phone, changed the time (so I couldn't cheat) and we set off. I kept asking Cassie what time she thought it was - to my surprise she actually thought it was later than it actually was. I thought the whole purpose of the "Gruen" effect was that consumers thought they were in the shops less time than they actually were. To be honest I had a few hints, I saw how quiet the food court was and school kids walking around and could determine the time.

I quickly became confused between the major retailers. I thought I was in Harris Scarfe and was in fact in Myer. Crossing the mall, up and down levels combined with the fact I had no idea of the mall layout just added to the confusion. The confusion was also prominent for me despite knowing what time it was, I felt that the shopping centre was ill planned and made it more difficult to shop. Given its supposed to be a large and superior shopping mall I was awfully surprised at how hard it was to navigate.

I love online shopping and for this reason is rare for me to now simply browse a shopping mall without a specific purpose, which allows me to get in and out very quickly. Real shopping, as I discovered, is REALLY tiring. My feet were sore, my brain was aching, I just wanted to go home if I could ever find my way through the maze of stores. I became extremely disoriented to the point where I felt drunk, nothing was making sense and I was losing my mind a little bit. We both almost became impulse shoppers continuously, I wanted to buy lots of junk I didn't need but I have a feeling thats my shopaholic nature and love of material things - not the gruen effect. Leaving Marion, Marie and I had completed our mission of buying gifts although it probably took a lot longer than either of us expected.

Has anyone ever had a similar experience when shopping or is it easy to ignore the so called Gruen effect?

Is Brand Loyalty Hereditary?

My good friend, Marie Logan (follow her on Twitter @marie_logan or check out her delicious blog http://thedeliciouslifeofme.blogspot.com/) brought the fact of brand loyalty to my attention this morning. Marie recently bought a gorgeous bright blue Nissan Micra for herself, affectionally known as Mikey. Now, Marie had effectively decided to purchase Mikey before looking at any other cars, and simply visiting other car dealerships cemented the fact she had made the right choice for her. 

The main reason Marie headed straight for a Nissan dealership was because her Mum also owns a Nissan and loves it. With that in mind why would Marie doubt her own mother and look elsewhere? Now we come to the issue of brand loyalty and how it begins in consumers. Many people would have the same experience when purchasing certain items. I know I can't go past Yamaha speakers because my Dad adores them and my Mum swears by Clinque so when I started wearing makeup my first stop was the Clinque counter at Myer. Getting consumers at a young age is brilliant for brands, and if done successfully can lock in a brand loyal consumer for a lifetime. 

I know I'm old enough now to make my own choices as a consumer but many of these brands my parents are loyal to have been transferred to me. Do you think brand loyalty is hereditary?

Twinternships

I stumbled across an article from Adelaide Now earlier this year as I was job hunting:
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/interns-help-firms-turn-on-social-media/story-e6frea83-1225983833486
It is all about companies hiring interns who focus on social media including Facebook and Twitter, called a twinternship. Something that many companies feel simply because they have a presence on social media means that it is an effective communication tool. As I blogged about yesterday, Qantas, used social media to report through a press conference and received mixed reviews. However for social media to be most effective it requires a two way communication.


Through my University degree majoring in Marketing I am discovering just how powerful a tool social media is, creating jobs that only a few years ago didn't even exist. It seems like the perfect fit for businesses wanting to have a greater online presence through social media and for young graduates wanting experience in a professional communications environment.


It sounds like the perfect job for me! Anybody in Adelaide need a twintern?

Qantas Tweets Up A Storm

Today, Qantas used Twitter to make massive restructuring announcements that were quoted straight from CEO Alan Joyce's speech. They created their own hashtag #anewspirit  and it's debatable whether it was successful or not. Personally, I loved it. Using social media as a means of reaching a wider audience is genius. I wouldn't have paid much, if any, attention to the speech otherwise and I certainly wouldn't have known so many facts that were presented.

Many people were outraged at the information announced but this post is looking directly at the communication channels rather than the message. It is said that its better to not use social media tools at all rather than use them poorly. As a method of delivering such major announcements it was adventurous and I believe it paid off for them.

Looking at the feedback Qantas didn't receive many all-round positive reviews. Many were annoyed at the volume of tweets and how such bad news (job losses) were announced inbetween good news. What company would simply report all bad news? Qantas has tweeted it was an once off event which I think is a shame. Perhaps with a lower volume of tweets (something the company has acknowledged may have been an issue but necessary to convey everything) it could be an excellent tool. It was useful during the ash cloud situation in Australia earlier in the year to keep customers informed.

One aspect Qantas has really excelled in this whole situation has been the response to feedback. Qantas responded to the mixed reviews in a polite and informative manner. More businesses need to realize it is a two way communication rather than simply spreading information and not interacting.

Did you like Qantas' use of social media? Do any improvements need to be made?

Loyalty Cards

That familiar question when you're standing at the checkout of your local supermarket, "Do you have FlyBuys/Everday Rewards?" Having worked at a supermarket I know how annoying that question is, trying repeating it for every single customer that you serve. Some people have it ready before I even ask, others take forever digging around in their purse to find it. I have even had people say they don't have a card only for them to open their purse or wallet and I see the card in a prominant position.

There are consumers who use their loyalty cards to their advantage, collecting points and redeeming them for gift cards and luxury items. Others simply collect points haphazerdly or leave the card in the stack of other disused loyalty cards. With retail stores, in particular the major supermarkets, collecting so much information about an often weekly shopping adventure, this information isn't being put to much use.

Knowing what groceries consumers buy is such powerful information, in particular for marketing purposes. If you can discover that a particular person only buys Tim Tams when they are on sale why not exploit that piece of information. Despite the annoyance of constant spam emails the occassional email to the main grocer buyer, saying Tim Tams are on special this week, come to our store wouldn't hurt. There is the possibility of getting spammed with weekly or even daily emails about specials at our local supermarket. I wouldn't mind an email telling me that a particular product that I buy every single week is on special.

I can imagine many consumers being outraged this information is being collected, but what did they really think these loyalty cards were about, giving gifts to consumers? No, its about companies finding out information about their consumers so they can better target their needs. If Coles or Woolworths can find a way of using this information to their advantage in an ethical, responsible and useful manner it's a win-win situation.

Post Purchase Is Important

The customer purchase decision contains 7 steps and I believe the last step is overlooked the most by many businesses, post purchase. Essentially, when the purchase has been made and the customer is reflecting on whether they are satisfied, it fulfilled their needs etc.

Today I had to ring a particular company, HP, about the warranty on my calculator. I named Hewlett Packard because I believe it's important to inform other consumers about all types of experiences.

My first difficulty was locating a number to actually contact the company on. If it takes me 20 minutes searching your website to no avail then that is the first problem. I only persisted because I needed my issue resolved. What if I had positive feedback about your products and gave up after 10 minutes? Is it too much to ask to make a large company contactable in some way?

After dialing the only phone number I came across during my search it automatically went to an automated message with an American accent saying to call back during business hours. In my desperation I rang the parts department in the hope they would be able to assist. I was told by all 7 different operators that I spoke to, after being on hold and giving over my contact details every time, that they couldn't help. I collected 5 different phone numbers to call and after trying all of them I still hadn't spoken to anyone who could remotely help me.

I don't think I am a difficult customer to deal with. In my casual job I deal with disgruntled customers on a daily basis and have sworn I would never behave in such a manner with anyone regardless of how angry they made me. With such a large business like HP is it so difficult to ensure you have a sufficient amount of resources available to help your customers. After my negative experience with HP I know I won't be buying the brand again, even if my issue doesn't eventually get resolved. With a competitive market across all types of products and services there is no shortage of choice for consumers. If businesses want to keep me as a loyal customer they need to understand my needs and try their best to accommodate them. It won't work out every time but a little bit of effort is all I want.

So now I'm stuck with a broken HP calculator, trying to calculate the time difference between America and Australia to ring HP, and having wasted half my day.

Am I too harsh on HP's lack of service or well within my rights as a consumer?

Personal Branding with Michelle Prak

Michelle Prak, Digital & Social Media Consultant with Hughes PR, was the guest lecturer in our Management of Brands lecture at the University of Adelaide. Not only is she present on practically every social media tool, she has an amazing personal brand. She brought up so many fantastic points about the use of social media in regards to personal branding that I just had to share them.

1. Be Consistent

When you have profiles across so many different platforms like Michelle does then consistency is a necessity. She has the same profile image, so switching between platforms her brand identity isn't lost.

2. Have a Plan

Especially for the blog writers out there, have a focus or general idea of what your blog is about. It could literally be about anything as long as you have a passion and stayed focused. Having a plan will also help you decide what to write about.  Ask yourself 'why are you there?'

3. Converse

Engage in conversation with people and participate in online communities. It is a great networking tool, will improve your personal brand, and make social media much more interesting to use. 

4. Be Professional

You never know who is looking at your profile so be professional. Social media is a brilliant way to network with people you may not normally meet and can create many opportunities. So delete those embarrassing bios and pictures. 

I left the lecture with a clearer idea of how to nurture my personal brand and how to use social media to its full capacity. 

Follow Michelle on twitter @Prakky or check out her blog (especially if you're passionate about or interested in social media) http://prakky.wordpress.com/

My Tony Bianco's

I stepped in a puddle today. Nothing spectacular, I know. As I continued walking something made me turn around and I saw my footsteps. I was wearing my Tony Bianco ballet flats, a pair I've owned for many months. My footsteps were actually spelling out the brand name, Tony Bianco.

Something so subtle yet so very eye catching. Such a useful aspect too, if I see a girl wearing a cute pair of shoes I can simply read the footprints to see where she purchased them. I know this pattern isn't on every pair of Tony Bianco shoes, but wouldn't it be the most fabulous advertising ever. 

I've decided every time it rains I'm wearing my Tony Bianco flats just so I can make these cute footprints!

Online shopping versus the retailers

The battle between online shopping and Australian retailers has ignited in the media once again. Being a passionate shopper I decided to put both forms of shopping to the test by engaging in some retail therapy, all in the name of research of course.

Gift shopping at Tea Tree Plaza

I knew I want to buy a piece of jewellery for this gift but also wanted to browse what was available before purchasing. Having numerous jewellery stores in close proximity to each other made it easy enough to browse fairly quickly. I finally settled on a particular store, Pandora, and received the most amazing customer service I have perhaps ever encountered. A young lady named Rebecca, was polite, offered suggestions and above all was patient when I simply needed more time to consider my decision. After complimentary gift wrapping the transaction was complete. I walked away completely satisfied and with the gift in hand.

Online shopping on Forever 21

I was given a gift voucher for a popular online shopping store for my birthday and finally decided to use it. Given the shipping on this particular website is fairly expensive I needed to make a substantial purchase to make it worth the shipping costs. I sat on the couch, iPad on my lap, coffee next to me, searching clothes by item, colour, size, price, whatever my heart desired. I asked for the opinion of my sister and Mum intermittently all from the comfort of my own home. I saved many items on my online bag and when I thought I had exhausted every aspect of the website I decided it was time to start culling. I went through my bag and removed items until the only things left would be suitable purchases. Within literally the click of a button everything was purchased and would be on my doorstep within 10-15 business days.

Honestly, I don't know what retailers can do to entice consumer back into stores and away from online shopping. I know that I can get 4 beautiful cocktail dresses delivered to my door for the same price of buying one at a store. I know what option I would choose. Yet online stores can't offer the same amount of amazing customer service that I received today. I know next time I need to buy a special gift the very first store I will look at will be Pandora. Consumers are looking out for their best interests and for many online shopping satisfies their every need. I don't agree that the deregulation of trading hours is the answer to bringing consumers back. Retailers need to put in far more effect to entice consumers back and if they take too long they may lose many consumers to online shopping forever.

I know this debate won't be solved anytime soon but the overall winners throughout all of this will most definitely be consumers.

My name is Cassie and I'm addicted to Foursquare

Today, I stole two mayorships, added a new friend to my network, went to the top of the leader board, and checked into 8 different locations. For those who have no idea what Foursquare is, it's essentially Facebook Places but with far more interesting and competitive aspects.

I've been a daily user of Foursquare for almost a year now. Before Facebook Places was introduced whenever I mentioned checking in on Foursquare my friends thought I was a little crazy. Apart from the potential privacy issues, why would I want to share my location and what incentives are there to check in. Firstly, I only allow people I know to view my profile. If I don't know them I won't accept the friend request, solving the privacy issue. Sharing my location is for a variety of reasons. Letting my friends know that I'm visiting a trendy restaurant, in an University lecture, or even at work. I can also see where they are, if they are nearby I can call them to catch up. The incentives are beating your friends in points, the more unique check ins the more points you receive. Some social media savvy businesses are jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon and offering discounts or special offers when you check in there. Personally, I have only unlocked one Foursquare special. The Austral on Rundle street, every check in you can redeem $10 jugs when you show your phone at the bar. Perfect for the struggling university student!

Foursquare solves the biggest dilemma I often have in life, deciding where to catch up with friends. I can bookmark locations so when the need to go out for dinner arises I have a list of places to choose from. Not only does it save time deciding but often I can visit new restaurants every time, something I love to do. I can also view tips from other Foursquare users about their experiences, positive or negative. I've chosen a particular meal based solely on a stranger's tip.

If you don't have Foursquare I suggest you download it right now, open an account, and start checking in. You can thank me later.

Let me introduce myself...

 

A blog all about ME, started as part of my University studies. This blog will help create and promote my personal brand. 

A few things about me;

- I buy completely impractical accessories, especially handbags and rings.

- I'm highly organised 

- I will never forget a birthday

- I take photos of good food in a restaurant before eating it

- I believe brunch is the greatest meal of the day.

- The TV show FRIENDS will always make me laugh

- I can see myself visiting New York City and never leaving.