There is a saying that nothing causes failure more than success.
In the world of business and marketing this is very true, and a really big watch out. The problem is that it is very hard to avoid it. Imagine the situation. You have been brave and bold and run a new campaign, it was out of the box, different and created a big buzz both with your peers and also the consumer. And it worked.
What happens next. You try and copy it. You try and replicate it. You try and though stick as closely as you can to the breakthrough thing. You forget that the reason it worked was it was different, bold, breakthrough and challenging. Beware success, make sure that you think carefully about what was the heart of success.
An example for me is the Barclycard instant swipe card thing (unfortunately I can never remember the name despite seeing the ad a lot). They created an impactful and striking and unusual ad where a man goes on a water slide from the office, buying things along the way with his swipe card. It showed the speed of the transaction. And he bought a few things.
So what have they done next? Made a clearly very expensive, technically clever ad where a man goes to work on a roller coaster (and actually only buys one thing). It is all about a rollercoaster, technical effects, and forgets the product. It is predictable and not clever, the first ad was a surprise and unexpected. But moving to a roller coaster was predictable and obvious. Surely the smart thing would be to find an unexpected scenario where people were buying things fast.
Barclaycard Rollercoaster TV ad (click here to watch on YouTube)
Barclaycard Water Slide TV ad (click here to watch on YouTube)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
SIMPLICITY: The trend to ride to win today. More thoughts on this topic
In a recent posting I wrote about it feels like “simplicity” is the hot trend that marketers should be focusing on to win. It feels to be a fast growing trend for all sorts of reasons, ranging from enabling to offer better value for money through simpler less complex offers through to the feeling of being safer, kinder and gentler in an increasingly harsh world.
I have a copy of the original post at the bottom of this update.
As this is top of mind, I tend to notice things that reinforce this view of course
I saw a really interesting article on the Huffington Post blog by Dr Arnold Klein a dermatologist that got me thinking.
In his article he talks about how in the world of beauty care the obsession today is about complexity in regimes, offers and the whole process while in reality SIMPLICITY is actually the best thing to do rationally. Of course as the market is so much about aspiration and irrationality both manufacturers and consumers behave differently.
There were 2 things that really stood out for me in his arguments:
SIMPLE IS SAFER AND BETTER
When it comes to caring for your skin, the more simple you are (he argues) the safer and better it actually is. People are doing things that make your skin more sensitive and affected that they really don’t need to
He says: “Another thing to remember is the fewer agents we use on our skin the better. Albert Kligman my teacher from Penn and the brightest dermatologist next to me, of course (only kidding) did a study on Japanese women; who are known to have sensitive skin. The study found that these women used on average 8 different products on their skin. (For comparison US women use about one product.) When the number of products the Japanese women used was reduced to one there skin was no longer sensitive.”
SIMPLY OFFERING WHAT IS GOOD IN A SIMPLE WAY SHOULD BE ENOUGH
He talks about how manufacturers tend to create complicated offers to try and sell more regimes and cross-sell.
He gives as an example how Neutrogena in the USA sell retinols (which he acknowledges an outstanding anti-age ingredient).
He says: “A good example of a product like this is Retinol SA from the Ageless Intensive Line by Neutrogena. Its concentration of retinol is high enough to be effective (i.e. converted to retinoic acid.) The issue I have with the Neutrogena product is that there are all these weird add add-ons that come with the product such as the facial vibrator and cleansing pads one is suppose to use. Why? Buying a new cream becomes tantamount to buying a new car. Why they can't simply sell the cream?”
Read the full article on the Huffington Post:
“Hope in a Jar --- Cosmeceutical Science : Fact or Fiction Part 1” by Dr Arnold Klein
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arnold-william-klein/hope-in-a-jar-----cosmece_b_433967.html
My original post on Simplicity as the way of the Future:
I have a copy of the original post at the bottom of this update.
As this is top of mind, I tend to notice things that reinforce this view of course
I saw a really interesting article on the Huffington Post blog by Dr Arnold Klein a dermatologist that got me thinking.
In his article he talks about how in the world of beauty care the obsession today is about complexity in regimes, offers and the whole process while in reality SIMPLICITY is actually the best thing to do rationally. Of course as the market is so much about aspiration and irrationality both manufacturers and consumers behave differently.
There were 2 things that really stood out for me in his arguments:
SIMPLE IS SAFER AND BETTER
When it comes to caring for your skin, the more simple you are (he argues) the safer and better it actually is. People are doing things that make your skin more sensitive and affected that they really don’t need to
He says: “Another thing to remember is the fewer agents we use on our skin the better. Albert Kligman my teacher from Penn and the brightest dermatologist next to me, of course (only kidding) did a study on Japanese women; who are known to have sensitive skin. The study found that these women used on average 8 different products on their skin. (For comparison US women use about one product.) When the number of products the Japanese women used was reduced to one there skin was no longer sensitive.”
SIMPLY OFFERING WHAT IS GOOD IN A SIMPLE WAY SHOULD BE ENOUGH
He talks about how manufacturers tend to create complicated offers to try and sell more regimes and cross-sell.
He gives as an example how Neutrogena in the USA sell retinols (which he acknowledges an outstanding anti-age ingredient).
He says: “A good example of a product like this is Retinol SA from the Ageless Intensive Line by Neutrogena. Its concentration of retinol is high enough to be effective (i.e. converted to retinoic acid.) The issue I have with the Neutrogena product is that there are all these weird add add-ons that come with the product such as the facial vibrator and cleansing pads one is suppose to use. Why? Buying a new cream becomes tantamount to buying a new car. Why they can't simply sell the cream?”
Read the full article on the Huffington Post:
“Hope in a Jar --- Cosmeceutical Science : Fact or Fiction Part 1” by Dr Arnold Klein
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arnold-william-klein/hope-in-a-jar-----cosmece_b_433967.html
My original post on Simplicity as the way of the Future:
Is simplicity the way of the future? I think it could well be. I do think it is a big trend to watch out for an embrace.
After years of excess and conspicuous consumption, the economic crisis has forced a rethink in so many areas. And one theme for me seems to be that simplicity is the thing that is emerging. It is a natural reaction to excess, complexity and concerns about what we eat, use and do to our bodies and the environment we live in.
Some of this trend is fuelled by the need for organizations to find ways to cut costs too, ironically.
Many hotels, airlines and other service industries are taking out various features and items to reduce costs. In fact some hotels are prepared to lose stars from their ratings in order to strip back some of the features. Hotel chains like Travelodge are doing well on the basis of offering nothing more than a good night's sleep. They do not have complex services and features but focus on making sure that people have a good night sleep. Nothing more and nothing less. Focusing on one core and simple thing. People may get used to, and like paying less for getting the key thing: good comfortable night sleep. This is simplicity and ensuring you focus not on all the ancillary offerings, but the simple thing people need.
The increased awareness of the dangers of chemicals and the junk in the environment that is leading to increased incidence of things like eczema and skin issues is also leading to more simple and perceived safer products. We are seeing, for example, rapid growth of brands like “Simple” in the UK that tells a story of just a few key ingredients that are all you need to get the results you want. We are also seeing the growth of pharmacy brands promising to exclude preservatives and other chemicals to be just simple but effective.
There was a really interesting article recently in USA Today about the emergence of the simple trend and how it is having an impact and resonating across many other categories that is well worth reading called “How many ingredients in this scoop? The answer may be surprisingly simple”
What do you think? Got any other examples? Email me or leave a comment on the blog posting now!
After years of excess and conspicuous consumption, the economic crisis has forced a rethink in so many areas. And one theme for me seems to be that simplicity is the thing that is emerging. It is a natural reaction to excess, complexity and concerns about what we eat, use and do to our bodies and the environment we live in.
Some of this trend is fuelled by the need for organizations to find ways to cut costs too, ironically.
Many hotels, airlines and other service industries are taking out various features and items to reduce costs. In fact some hotels are prepared to lose stars from their ratings in order to strip back some of the features. Hotel chains like Travelodge are doing well on the basis of offering nothing more than a good night's sleep. They do not have complex services and features but focus on making sure that people have a good night sleep. Nothing more and nothing less. Focusing on one core and simple thing. People may get used to, and like paying less for getting the key thing: good comfortable night sleep. This is simplicity and ensuring you focus not on all the ancillary offerings, but the simple thing people need.
The increased awareness of the dangers of chemicals and the junk in the environment that is leading to increased incidence of things like eczema and skin issues is also leading to more simple and perceived safer products. We are seeing, for example, rapid growth of brands like “Simple” in the UK that tells a story of just a few key ingredients that are all you need to get the results you want. We are also seeing the growth of pharmacy brands promising to exclude preservatives and other chemicals to be just simple but effective.
There was a really interesting article recently in USA Today about the emergence of the simple trend and how it is having an impact and resonating across many other categories that is well worth reading called “How many ingredients in this scoop? The answer may be surprisingly simple”
What do you think? Got any other examples? Email me or leave a comment on the blog posting now!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
New Media Cruise/ Podcamp@sea: of interest to new media fans?
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The Idea
A different kind of cruise is being planned for this June. This is a cruise for people more interested in bit rates than bingo, and more interested in RSS than the midnight buffet. The idea is to create a floating unconference on new media. I have had a chance to do a themed based tech cruise and found that it was much more enjoyable and interesting than a regular cruise vacation (shuffle board is not my game). We will spend the time in port exploring but when the ship is at sea we will have sessions of interest to the attendees on new media and social media.
This is a 5 day cruise to keep the costs low with no additional fee for the conference as long as you register through me. By registering together as a group, the ship should provide the necessary meeting space with no additional charge. Also we will sit as a group rotating people through different tables to make it easier to meet people.
What is an Unconference
To keep the costs low it is my intention to do this as an unconference where the people attending will decide what sessions we will have rather than paying for speakers to attend. I would like to provide a place where novices and experts alike can learn something. I have created a discussion in the Amateur Traveler boards called “What do you want to learn?”
The Cruise
The plans for the New Media Cruise have solidified and we have reserved cabins for cruise leaving New York City on June 28th and returning on July 3rd with stops in Halifax and Saint Johns.
Who are we?
I am the host of the Amateur Traveler, The Bible Study Podcast and a co-host on This Week in Travel podcast. All together I have published more than 400 podcast episodes (both audio and video).
I am working with Lorene Romero of the Home Based Travel podcast to pull this off because she is a cruise travel expert and knows how to coordinate this with the cruise company and how to help people book their travel, excursions, etc.
For full and fair disclosure Lorene and I will make money on the commissions to help pay for our time working on this, but frankly Lorene thinks I am a little crazy for not having a registration fee to pay for miscellaneous expenses.
How much will this cost?
The taxes and fees came in a bit higher than I expected (always make sure to check these when you book a cruise because often the advertised price does not include them).
Final costs are:
Inside Cabin $420 base price, taxes and port charges $198.77 = $618.77 per person
Outside cabin $480 base price, taxes and port charges $198.77 = $678.77 per person
Balcony $650 base price, taxes and port chagres $198.77 = $848.77 per person
Also plan on $10 per person per day for tips
How do I book the cruise?
Email newmediacruise@AmateurTraveler.com with your contact info and cabin selection. If you do contact them please mention that you heard about it via Gary Bembridge (TipsForTravellers Blog)
How can I help?
Please spread the word to the podcasters and new media producers that you know. The more people who come the more fun this will be.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Renault Twingo living in modern times campaign. I like it.
There is so much dross and dull formula advertising out there at the moment, and as times and budgets are tight it feels safer to make safe choices.
Click here to watch on YouTube if ad not running above
Click here to watch on YouTube if not showing above
I am very much entertained by the new Renault Twingo ads in the UK. I normally am rubbish at remembering what ad is for what car, but found the cheeky and thought provoking take on attitudes to life quite surprising and interesting.
In both the ads you are lead to believe that the person will react in one way to seeing something unusual about one of their family members, but they don't. And underpinning it all is clearly both an open attitude and clearly a caring for the family member, accepting them.
I liked that it captures a social trend and also reflects the bond within families. And they are fun and well made.
The campaign is called "Modern Times" and the line is "because we live in modern times"
The 2 ads are for "Dad" in line and "Daughter" with a new job..
Click here to watch on YouTube if ad not running above
Click here to watch on YouTube if not showing above
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