Time to change? Sharing to consume, not owning to consume - and other ways to save the world!

Recently I was at a talk by Gary Gardner of the Resources Legacy Fund, where he was talking and discussing developments and trends within the whole area of sustainability and "green".

His talk sparked some thoughts and ideas in my mind that I think are important for brands and companies to think about.

Most of the thoughts were sparked by his comments about the "challenge of a full world". By which he means that the growth of population and reducing resources, means that we are facing a need to think more and more about how to manage within a world that is getting "full up".

It also made me think a lot about just how wasteful we are overall, and especially within developed Western markets. We are used to consuming, owning and buying - and we waste huge amounts of "stuff" (such as food, water, petrol and so on). We are driven and motivated to consumer and own things, in fact it is probably seen as a sign of success to consume and be seen to consume.

But this cannot be the way of the future..and 2 ideas really made me think:

Sharing to consume, not owning to consume

I was especially intrigued by the idea he spoke about of the emergence and growth of "sharing". For example, the car hire/ sharing service like Zipcars/ Streetcars where all around the city are cars that you hire by the hour. There are bike schemes in many major cities like Paris and London that do the same. The growth of equipment and tool hire.

What I find interesting about this concept, is that you can still consume and use - but you are reducing the amount of resources and waste by using only as and when you need it, and not by owning it. I wonder what and how we can expand this to many other areas and categories.

Wasting water and flushing resources away

The point that someone made is that there has been no real major revolution and innovation in toilets. We all flush away huge amounts of water. We cannot keep doing this. We need to rethink the whole process...

Unnessary centralization and movement

People are starting to question things like bittled water. Why are we putting watre in bottles and then shipping them all over, when in many markets water from the tap is safe, tasty and fine. I think we will all start to question the idea that we have moved production of many items many thousands of miles from where they are consumed, and we will find that the costs of fuel and the realisation of the imapct on the enviroment will lead us to all starting to look to and expect sourcing to become closer and more local again


Increasingly the consumer will expect us all to enable them to be less wasteful, and protect resources - but they do not really want to compromise on usage. So time to be clever and really innovative....

Thoughts?




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Bloggers Outreach launches. A new site to connect bloggers to bloggers, and brands to bloggers

I have recently launched a news blog/ site/ community called Bloggers Outreach which can be found at http://www.BloggersOutreach.com


Why have I created this?


I have been an active blogger since 2005, and over the last few years I have seen the influence and power of blogs grow and grow. The good ones are getting more important, and more influential, every day.


I believe that this will continue as key and important blogs on topics become seen as the independent, unbiased and opinionated sources of advice, information and guidance.

We are seeing "user generated content" sites (like TripAdvisor) in my view becoming less effective and reliable, as users vent or rave in short sentences - while on the other side companies and agencies are trying to manage what is said and how they are rated. This means these sites, unless they find a new model, will become less important and less effective.The good blogger who has passion, expertise, understanding and stays independent  of mind and views will become very important. They can be experts in key niches and topics.


I find increasingly that I turn to and refer to blogs when trying to find out about places, purchases or issues. I find they end up being more detailed and more accurate and more reliable. This, when done well, will be the future of advice and recommendation.The BloggersOutreach blog and site is an attempt to help create a place to share, support and promote blogs and blogging. I think that so much interaction with bloggers is done badly, as brands and companies try and find out the best way to contact and interact.

An emerging trend and practice is for bloggers to start to create communities and forums to share, discuss and learn. They are fascinating as they also start to filter out and bring blogs on topics that they as a group feel are strong and complimemtary. These forums become a great opportunity for PR and Brand owners to connect in more efficient and effective ways - and learn the best way to do it.

BloggersOutreach.com is exploring how bloggers can connect with other bloggers and blogging communities, and with brands and companies.

Visit the site and sign up for the ride...











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Is putting a big bottle down a naked man's pants a good way to sell?

Always popular posts on this blog (based on visits) are the ones about sex in advertising - and especially the ones about the increasing use of naked and near naked men in advertising.

The fact that naked and semi-naked men are being used more and more, likely answers the question about why we are seeing so many of them. It also tells us why increasingly celebrities and sport stars are willing to strip down to be in ads. 


They must stop people and they must work?

Women used to be, and still are, frustrated and appalled at how they, and their assets, are made a cheap focus in ads. They hate the stereotyping of women and sex, and how basic and obvious it is usually treated.


As we look at men in ads, we see many of the same traits emerging more and more. One that I have noticed is the need in perfume ads to shove an unrealistically large version of the bottle down the front of a man's trousers or covering his "assets"..


It is obvious, a bit basic and do intelligent people really think a crude suggestion like this will sell make fragrances?


For me I think it shows (once again) that while you may be able to stop people, which is the first role of any advertising, you then need to engage and interest. 


The best ads will stop your target, and then draw them in and let them think, engage and take a message. You do not have to hit them over the head. You do not have to shove your message into their face. A bit of subtlety, a bit of cleverness and you will likely get them to spend more time - and do a better job.


As David Ogilvy, the famous ad man used to say, never forget that the consumer is not an idiot, she is your wife.....


Stop people, but then engage and get them to think. You do not need to shove a big bottle down a man's trousers to make a point....?


Thoughts? Any other examples. Please email to me: click here or leave a comment



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Your help needed! Vote for my Marketing Podcast in Euro Podcast Awards

I need your help! Please can you take a few moments to vote for my Tips Marketing Unleashed Podcast that has been nominated in one of the categories in the 2011 European Podcast Awards. Last year I was in the Top 10 Business Podcasts in the UK.

It is very simple. All you need to do is follow this link (click here) and click on the VOTE button you will see below the Podcast Picture. Then vote, rating the stars (hopefully 5 stars!) and submit. You have the chance to sign up to their email newsletter but you do not need too. Make sure you click the submit button and you are done!

I really appreciate it is you can! Hopefully your kind votes means I get a high ranking...



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Why always doing the right thing is not being chicken! Good guys win in the end..

The demise of the 160 plus year old newspaper in the UK (News of the World) this past weekend due to the effects of the scandal of phone hacking and paying police for information, proves again to me the importance of always doing the right thing. No matter how hard it is. No matter how difficult it makes your life.


In the end the good guys always win. It is important to make a stand when you see things are wrong, even if not illegal. Brands and companies need to be the right thing.


I first wrote about this back in 2008, and thought was time to discuss the topic again...


I am very much in the camp that believes that doing the right thing will always mean that you win in the end. Even when the short term road looks harder going as a result.


It is easy to get distracted and to believe that because others are doing something that it must be ok to do it that way as well. I think as marketers we should have the courage and vision to do the right and best thing- always. And, let's face it, it is still better to fail knowing you have the moral high-ground, than succeed knowing you have not done the right thing.


This is also true of us as consumers, and not just as marketing people. We are obsessed with the price of things being cheap as a consumer, and so we turn blind eyes to the effects on rights, the way we treat people and animals, all in the drive to get lower prices. Brand owners looks at how they can cut costs by cutting costs, things like safety, quality control and sourcing from countries and suppliers where they drive down costs but not investing in good practices and places.


Our obsession, for example, for cheap disposable clothes means we consume more cotton and fabric and the knock on effect on the environment is huge.


We need to be more focused on doing the right thing. Just because others around us are doing the wrong thing and doing well in the short term (which seems to have been the case with phone hacking, and getting the big stories), does not mean you win in the end. The good guys do finally win, and not just in the movies...


There are so many examples in recent years and even months that drive this home for me, a few include:


British Airways and Virgin Atlantic colluding on "fuel surcharges"
This has lead to some high profile job losses within BA, massive fines and now they have to refund millions to travellers who flew between 2004 and 2006. The travellers can soon register for a refund at http://www.virginbapassengerrefund.com/. In fact having done about 20 - 30 flights at least that could mean a refund of up to a staggering £400 to £600 for my flights alone. There is also, of course, the likely impact on their brands and loyalty which may make the penalties look small. The potential loss to their brand standing and loyalty may be greater now with new "open skies" policy meaning that BA and Virgin will no longer be protected as the only UK based airlines allowed to fly in and out of Heathrow.


Chickens, Chinese made toys and cheap fashion...
The major grocery chains in the UK, obsessed at fuelling a consumer predilection for lower and lower prices keep squeezing suppliers. This has led to less and less humane and terrible conditions for raising chickens, something celebrity chefs are now trying to attack and expose in high profile TV shows.


At the same time we saw that the obsession with cheaper and cheaper toys not only led to terrible conditions for workers, but also corners being cut on safety. This meant that we saw that paint with lead was used, leading to the huge recall of toys by Fischer Price.


As consumers ourselves we also need to start doing the right thing, and accepting higher prices when there is clear evidence of better and more appropriate conditions (from everything to how chickens are raised through to how much workers and paid and how they are treated to make those £10 and less jeans).


These wrong and terrible consequences will keep happening until we all accept the importance of doing the right thing, both as marketers (ensuring our entire supply chain has the moral and still efficient high ground) and as consumers. We need to accept that there is a huge cost of cheaper and cheaper products. Turning a blind eye to this potential cost in quality, safety and suffering is not an option.


News of the World, and phone hacking
This finally made the brand so toxic and reviled, it was closed down..

Bad guys lose. Final News of the World Cover July 2011

What do you think? Leave a comment below in the blog or email me!

Blogger outreach: some thoughts and my 7 tips on how to do it well

I have been running blogs since 2005, and in the last year to 18 months it has become clear that brands and companies are trying to tap into this rich source of advice and recommendation for their businesses. It is also clear that almost all of them do it really badly, and do not understand what a blogger mindset is and how to get the most out of it.

So here are my 7 tips and thoughts:

(1) Read their blog - in depth. And then pitch or make contact in a personal and targeted way. As a blogger with fairly busy sites, I now get almost daily approaches. Most are clearly generic and off some list or cut and paste. If you want bloggers to partner, you need to show you understand their blog. Blogs for most are hobbies and things of passion...


(2) Remember bloggers are trying to or have a USP or point of difference, you need to help provide that. So, for example, access to wide range of people from the brand to meet or talk to versus a standard release or approach. My busiest blog is my Tips For Travellers blog, and in the travel blog world there are zillions of them. I need to make sure I have an angle and approach...


(3) Bloggers want more traffic. How can you help them get that? Links from your sites? Training on SEO and other traffic driving activity.


(4) Bloggers want recognition and to stand out. The space is very cluttered, and anything you can do to elevate their credibility or reputation will be well received. So things like awards, membership of top bloggers and so on.


(5) Bloggers are getting organised and forming informal and formal groups. They help to screen the best blogs, and always looking for good speakers, sponsors to cover cost of events and so on. Work with these as they are well connected, can be very efficient and effective.


(6) Bloggers are looking for some revenue. For many it is a hobby, but need some revenue to pay for the site, equipment, travel to events and so on. Some are trying to make a full time living from it. It will not always be free to get bloggers on board. It may not mean direct payment, but events and so on. Or buy ads rather than just trying to get "free" coverage...


(7) Build a personal relationship. For example, there is one person at Orient Express that will be the contact with me. She was the host at their event and made sure I was welcomed and introduced me around. I noticed everyone had some bloggers "under their wing" as it were.

Thoughts and tips based on your experiences as a blogger or brand based on what works and does not? Leave a comment on the blog posting...





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Magners 17 Types of Apples. Forgetting that consumers buy benefits?

One thing that makes me a bit crazy is when marketing and agencies forget that consumers and customers buy BENEFITS and not the "reason to believe".

But it is one of the more common mistakes we all make, and I have done it too many times (and learnt and been reminded when the sales and shares do not come rolling in despite the great BENEFITS delivered....)

I was reminded again by the massive Magners Cider poster on the M4 motorway as you head out to Heathrow. This huge poster will be seen by huge amounts of people, and has a great location. But it does not sell me the benefit of the product, and what it is going to do or give to me.

It tells me that they use 17 different types of apples in it. Do I really care? I care about what drinking the product will do for me. But there is nothing about that.

I assume the 17 apples is a big difference from others, but you need to tell the benefit and underpin with the reason to believe..

It is really easy to slip into this, as we all focus on better technology and engineering and want to shout about it. But never lose sight of the benefit. That is what consumers buy....

One of the more common mistakes we all make....

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