Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

The next time your shiny white BMW gets covered in graffiti I suggest you thank Sytner BMW.

This fine example of a new BMW 635d was at the Big Day Out at South Hill Park in Bracknell this weekend. For some reason, best known to Sytner, they were inviting and allowing everyone to write all over their car (and a Mini that was also there).

I’m really not sure the artwork being applied to the car improved the brand image of Sytner or BMW. One thing is clear though; a number of locals were introduced to a new way to show their appreciation of BMWs.

How on earth would you advertise your services if you were offering circumcisions? This is a synopsis of a Facebook conversation. 

POST: Circumcision leaflets through your door as junk mail, welcome to London, E1. 

POST: Are they advertising that they come at a snip of the price! 

POST: 20% off if you buy before the end of June. 

POST: Don’t even joke – there is one of those little clip-art stars in the corner with the caption “Bookings being taken for this summer”. Seriously, who decides to be circumcised because of a leaflet through your door? 

POST: They have to advertise via leaflets as getting product placement on daytime TV is a little tricky. 

POST: It would probably do very well after the money saving section on GMTV! 

Well, it all made me wonder. What other obscure services do you think are difficult to market?

The Roald Dahl Museum is an excellent example of a destination attraction working well with a brand, in this case the children’s fiction works of Roald Dahl.

The museum is a wonderfully presented attraction that allows children and adults to see some of the life of Roald Dahl and also to experiment and enjoy making words into stories. Strangely their website does no justice for the museum.

The museum compliments the books of Roald Dahl and delivers a fun insight to the full list. Interactive, simple exhibits make this a big enhancement to the brand of Roald Dahl. 

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

81-83 High Street, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, HP16 0AL, UK.
www.roalddahlmuseum.org
Tel: 01494 892192

Roald Dahl’s works

The BFG
Boy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Danny, the Champion of the World
Dirty Beasts
The Enormous Crocodile
Esio Trot
George’s Marvellous Medicine
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Going Solo
The Gremlins
James and the Giant Peach
The Magic Finger
Matilda
The Minpins
Revolting Rhymes
Roald Dahl’s Guide to Railway Safety
The Roald Dahl Treasury
The Twits
The Vicar of Nibbleswicke
The Witches
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More

Yamaha West London

It’s funny when you spot a brand. We all tend to make assumptions based on our experiences.

When I saw Yamaha West London I immediately thought it was a keyboard or guitar shop. I then wondered why there was an MOT sign on the front of the building. It turned out it was a motorbike retailer.

Full marks to Yamaha for the consistent presentation of their brand.

How many consumer brands have product ranges as diverse as guitars and motorbikes? Loads when you start thinking about it: Hitachi (nuclear power stations to clock radios); GE; Sony. I think the difference with Yamaha is that they hold such strong brand positions with consumers in vastly different sectors.

BTW … West London Yamaha can be found at 138 Twickenham Road, Hanworth, Middlesex, TW13 6HD. www.westlondonyamaha.co.uk

Hertz blue key fob

If I were the guardian of the Hertz brand I’d be shaking my head. Surely the Hertz logo is yellow?

The Hertz Corporation (also known as Hertz Rent A Car or simply Hertz) is the world’s second largest car rental company, with 1,900 locations in the United States and 5,100 worldwide behind Enterprise, but is the largest general use car rental company in the world. Source: Wikipedia

Copenhagen

This blue Hertz key fob was with the key of a car rented from Copenhagen airport a few days ago.

Mind you, there are some funny goings on with brands in Copenhagen. Look at all the logos on this building! The building is Industriens Hus.

National Clamps out caring

It seems every business needs a strap line. Many of these strap lines seem to sit quite naturally with the brand but some really don’t.

I spotted this one on the back of a van today, “National Clamps…we care.” All I could do was laugh. The thought of wheel clampers caring does seem a bit incongruous.

They have brand synergy! And on their website they follow the “we care” message on. This is alongside the statement, “Failure to pay after the 28 days will result in a County Court Summons and a subsequent appearance. You the driver may not be the registered keeper that doesn’t matter as the owner’s vehicle committed the trespass and damages are pursued from them.” (Incidentally I’m not sure that statement makes sense.)

National Clamps have hit the news before and details are on the BBC website.

It’s the contrasts I find interesting. In a couple of hours opinions of a business and it’s brand image can change so quickly.

For the worse: a McDonald’s cashier swearing in front of my children. Unacceptable and I paid for the privilege of that.

For the better: ASDA, who aren’t high on my list, had a manager on the checkout genuinely wanting to know the customers view of their range and the shopping experience.

Which business is going to improve the most? It really is no contest is it? If they had conducted a Net Promoter Score on the same day it would have shown them poles apart.