Tag Archives: branding

Written word speaks volumes for the brand

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78% of people interacting with a brand on Facebook are likely to do a further ’brand action’, such as visit a website and consider purchase.

34% of people who don’t interact with a brand on Facebook are likely to visit the brand website and consider purchase.

73% of those entering a brand competition on Facebook would visit the brand’s website.

86% of those watching videos on a brand’s Facebook page would then visit its website.

via Written word speaks volumes for the brand | Trends | Marketing Week.

Breast cancer charities warned that pink is counterproductive

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Breast cancer charities have been warned that using pink in their advertising, communications and branding could reduce donations and support from women.

A report by London Business School, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and international business school INSEAD claims that gender cues such as pink ribbons, backgrounds and images of women are counterproductive and “activate a defensive reaction” in women that interferes with the objectives of breast cancer awareness campaigns.

via Breast cancer charities warned that pink is counterproductive | News | Marketing Week.

 

Norwich Union becomes a bus company

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Norwich Union have announced that they are abandoning their brand name after over two hundred years.

Norwich Union was founded in 1797 in Norwich, when 36-year-old merchant and banker Thomas Bignold formed the “Norwich Union Society for the Insurance of Houses, Stock and Merchandise from Fire”, a mutual society owned by the policyholders who received a share of the profits. [source: Wikipedia]

Now they’re adopting the name of a bus company, Arriva.

No! I misread it. They’ve become a yoghurt type of thing called Activia. Mmm, Danone.

Nope, wrong again…Aviva is the name. Throwing the baby out with the bath water? Possibly. What do you think?

Anyway, Norwich Union explain:

Why Change? Sometimes a simple change of name can unlock the potential that was there all along. Celebrities do it all the time. They know that if you want people to remember you, it helps to have a name that sticks.

For us, it was just a case of outgrowing the name we started out with. ‘Norwich Union’ fitted us fine in 1797, when we began selling protection against fire in rural communities. It still worked for us 200 years later, when we’d become the biggest insurer in the UK. But since we’ve joined up with Commercial Union and General Accident, we’ve got that bit bigger. In fact, we’re now the fifth-largest provider of insurance, savings and investments in the world.

As a global company, we need a name and a brand that will be recognised anywhere. The name Aviva brings together more than 40 different trading names around the world. It’s perfect for us because it’s short, memorable and feels positive and lively.

Apart from the new name, we’ll be carrying on as usual. We’re proud of our heritage and our values. We’ve got to know our customers, and have found that the best way to provide financial services is to treat every person as an individual. That’s something we’re definitely not going to change.

Right, I understand now. The trouble is how will I remember the name!

Modifying corporate logos

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woolworths logo Modifying corporate logos

Woolworths fascia

Should people play around with corporate logos?

I think Google has added to their brand image by creating seasonal treatments for its logo. St Patrick’s Day and Christmas themes spring to mind. The modifications have given their business more of a sense of personality.

Here, in the photo, is the temporarily tweaked Woolworths fascia board from Broad Street, Reading. I’m in two minds as to whether this approach really works. I may be feeling negative as the snow covered doughnut bits are stuck over the letters in a temporary fashion.

This subject reminds me of the time when an enthusiastic marketing manager for Penguin Books in Australia changed their world famous logo – they put the Penguin on a surfboard and gave him some sunglasses! Normal use of the logo was resumed quite quickly.

What’s your view on this subject?

Directory enquiries – the good and the bad

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directory enquiries Directory enquiries the good and the bad

Directory enquiries

When you can’t get in your car you need help. Well I did anyway. And the number for Saab Assistance was locked in the car. Directory enquiries seemed to be the answer.

Whoops, well it would have been if I hadn’t phoned 118 118. Congratulations to them on their marketing and choice of number; it is the service that sprung to mind immediately. I think the fact that their call centre may be past the White Cliffs of Dover is highly likely when one is asked, “How do you spell Saab?”, “What does Saab stand for?” and “Is it a local dealer?”

Give me strength.

Anyway, I abandoned all hope on that one and noticed the number 118 247 staring up at me from the yellow pages. A number in seconds, and it was the right one.

The lessons learned:

1) If you invest in a brand name make sure you deliver behind it.
2) If you want directory enquiries I recommend 118 247.
3) Don’t lock emergency numbers in your car. Store them in your mobile as well.

British Gas: aggressive sales tack

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I do hate salespeople that lie.

I read a chart of the “best clients” from an agency perspective. At the bottom there was the “Brands in Need of a Direct Makeover” section.

British Gas: Aggressive sales tack, combined with perceived lack of database marketing finesse, hits utilities giant.

It may not just be their database marketing that needs finessing. A door to door salesperson knocked on our door for a second time the other day. This was despite a sticker saying we do not buy at the door. He wanted British Gas to also supply the Harrington household electricity.

The pushy salesman said that he wasn’t in fact selling anything and therefore it was alright for him to knock on the door and waste my time. I presume that this means that electricity supplied by British Gas is in fact free.

The net result: I think less of the British Gas brand and would actively consider moving our gas account from them…if I could be bothered.

 

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