The second speaker of the Brand Summit- Jonathan Schroeder, Ph. D- focused on Style and Strategy: snapshot aesthetics in Brand Culture.
We notice advances in Brand Research- adding the issues of Brand Culture- the culture surrounding the brand.
3 dimensions of branding:
brand identity- the strategic heart of the brand
brand image- brand are psychological
brand culture- cultural domensions of codes of brands that influence brand meaning
A brand culture mission statement- cultural, political and ideological objects- need to be correlated with typical branding concepts : equity, strategy and value
Companies need to tell stories, build community and solve problems, create sharing stories in order to appeal to the young educated public (18-34).
Snapshot Aesthetic:
- photos taken by amateurs or photographers, they look casual and authentic, invoke the average consumer
- Or consumer generated content- the snapshot looks more authentic.
18-34 demographic don’t respond to over-produced material.
- casual image of products – consumer lifestyle brands
- brands appeal to informal consumption- from family dinners to online financial management
- visual framing for strategic images- here and now contemporary look, you can build onto a nostalgic idea, or the photo booth usage- to show that you are having fun
Framing: is used to resonate with the legacy of the brand- Frederick John Perry
Consumer Generated Imagery- the snapshit can become a marketing tool!
Examples:
Youtube: Catch sunglasses – Ray Ban- using consumer generated for the relaunch of their product
Ford Fiesta Movement Agent 2010
Polyvore- for clothing- the leading coomunity site for online style, virtual styling tool
The new market place rewards more participatory, more sincere companies…
The tendences show that people are reorienting towards:
Real, exciting, mundane experiences
Twitter- verbal shapshots
Youtube- documentary aesthetics
Blogging and viral marketing campaigns
Brand Communication
Photography an engine of value creation
Understanding the visual context- history legacy of memory – of contemporaru visual strategy and corporate expression
On the 20th of October I attended my first marketing event at Manchester Business School- Brand Summit- and I was happy I can keep up with the latest trends in marketing from here.
The conference had 3 speakers that focused on 3 different themes.
The first speaker- Michael Solomon, Ph. D- talked about Managing Identity on Virtual Marketing Platforms.
He underlined some important trends that should not be ignored by companies:
Understanding the public and how is that changing the way we communicate
The digital dichotomy
Transpozing the reality- reality engineering
He also talked by the Changing role of Brands from:
- Brands as assets created and controlled by the firm to Brands as co-created entities
- Brands exist in the minds of the consumers to Brands live in cultures
- What brands mean to How brands come to mean; brand development mechanism and processes
Brand Personality has 2 components:
Personal Resonance – high level of engagement, the brands speaks to you as an individual
Cultural Resonance- where the brand addresses some cultural characteristics you share with othersConsumer Generated Content raises the issue of Risk of wrongful usage of the Brand name from the consumer side versus Control of the company ???
Why do customers create the content:
Intrinsec enjoyment: Create for the playful enjoyment you get out of the process
Self- promotion: To attract the attention of a potential employer such as an ad agency or to have as part of a portfolio for admissions to an education institution
To change perceptions: the goal is to influence hearts and minds
B.O.S va deschide luna martie cu proiectul Myth Busters! Titlul vorbeste de la sine, vom devora mituri! Ce mituri, va intrebati? Miturile studentului care isi doreste o cariera in domeniul business, care se vede in viitor tanar antreprenor, dar pe care lipsa de informatii si experienta ii face sa dea inapoi!
Daca esti inventiv, ai spirit organizatoric si iti place sa preiei initiativa, te asteaptam in perioada 10-11 martie la Orange Concept Store, orele: 10:00-16:00 , pentru a darama alaturi de antreprenori de succes, miturile care ne impiedica sa transformam ideile in realitate!
Structurat sub forma unor workshop-uri, proiectul se adreseaza studentilor din anii terminali si masteranzilor din ASE, Facultatea de Administratie si Afaceri (Universitatea Bucuresti) sau SNSPA care isi doresc sa afle cat mai multe informatii despre domeniul antreprenoriatului. Pe parcursul celor doua zile, cu ajutorul unor specialisti in domeniu ne propunem sa „daramam” cele mai des intalnite mituri printre care amintim incapacitatea tinerilor de a gestiona eficient timpul sau imposibilitatea accesarii fondurilor necesare unei afaceri. Scopul proiectului este de a reda studentilor increderea in propriile forte, oferindu-le in acelasi timp suportul teoretic necesar pentru demararea unei afaceri de succes.
Veti intalni patru personaje, patru tipologii de studenti in care sigur va veti regasi, veti vedea cum tineri asemenea voua se lovesc de idei preconcepute legate de antreprenoriat, de deschiderea unei afaceri. Dar cu ajutorul specialistilor si a experientei acestora in lumea bussiness-ului speram sa va aratam ca antreprenoriatul nu este un domeniu de neconceput pentru cei fara experienta, lipsiti de un suport material prea mare.
Mai mult veti reusi sa ii ajutati pe acesti tineri sa-si realizeze visul. Formand patru echipe a cate 5 membrii veti putea realiza planul de afacere pe care cei 4 sau oricare dintre voi ar putea sa-l puna in aplicare mai departe. Veti vedea ca nu este atat de greu, mai ales cand aveti oameni care sa va indrume permanent.
Lista SPEAKERILOR cu care ne mandrim la acest proiect:
Asa ca descarcati aplicatia : aplicatie_Myth_Busters_2010, completati-o si trimiteti-o pana pe 5.03.2010 la aplicatiemyth@gmail.com . Daca sunteti acceptati pentru interviu si treceti si de el, ne vom bucura sa va anuntam ca sunteti un Myth Buster.
The first conference was about the Media and Advertising market- which was under a dark cloud in 2009. Most agencies had to adapt to a new situation- the economic crisis- when budgets were smaller, clients wanted the same results with smaller amounts of money, while adapting to a changing market. The overall atmosphere was one of pessimism, because the agencies representatives didn’t seem to forecast a brighter future for the next year.
Most of them had to rethink their strategy on a monthly basis in order to keep up with their competitors and in order to maintain a low level of costs. (Laura Badea – Omnicom)
Unfortunately, 2010 will begin with a budget deficit of around -30 or even 40% from 2009, even though agencies expected a 5% increase for this year. (Teddy Dumitrecu – Publicis)
This is why agencies had to do some restructuring and reanalyzing the costs in order to preserve the current figures and market share.
2009 was, for most of the advertising agencies, a risky year- clients wanted to go for the safe way- the traditional campaigns that can be measured and have immediate results with relatively low costs (opinion shared by Nicoleta Pădure – Media Direction, Teddy Dumitrecu -Publicis and Claudia Chirilescu- Spoon Advertising).
Competition is now extremely big and settles some price and quality benchmarks that will have to be modified.
2010 will be a year when quality will be the one making a difference and will begin to be a competitive advantage. It may be a difficult year because the market will be dominated by prices- and this will have an effect on quality. (Dan Balotescu – Media Investment)
Consumer habits have definitely changed, expectations are higher and the market is more mature than the previous years. We are no longer in an era of irrational consumerism and we have to adapt our businesses- especially on the needs of the clients who are paying a closer attention to global trends.
Some consumer habits won’t change. Especially women will continue to go on shopping sprees, but on a smaller level and will think twice before purchasing an item that before was seen as a luxury item. We will go back to the basis- especially to those brands that offer us stability. (Nicoleta Pădure -Media Direction and Claudia Chirilescu- Spoon Advertising).
Companies that now invest in media are thinking long term- because after the crisis passes they will preserve their brand images and the consumers’ perception of a strong, stabile brand, even in rough conditions.
When it comes to media costs Romania is not an expensive country.
Even other forms of media were affected in one way or another of the current economic crisis. The press is now varying between the printed and online content. The publicity in the print content has decreased with around 40-60%. The subscription cost won’t be accepted by all the consumers because by definition the internet is free so they could look for some free or cheaper alternatives.
The online had registered some decrease during this crisis, but comparing to the other media the decrease was not that significant. It is a new media and it could adapt better and faster than the others. Nowadays online is not looked from a tactic perspective rather than from a strategic view. And this is really important taking into account that 63% of the urban population is now online.
The most affected parts of the online were those of financial- banking and auto industry as a consequence of the offline situation.
The second conference was about Marketing in the New Media Era .
The media mix has changed : the TV importance has increased, the online has increased significantly while the print has registered a dramatic decrease. We now have a highly fragmented media.
If in2009 the buzz was social media, 2010 will be the year of portable media.
Simon Zsolt- CEO of Mediaedge:cia Hungary told that we have now 7 trends of the post broadcast of new age:
social media= online word of mouth
media will be everywhere (dynamic brand messaging in relevant environments)
media will become more portable across time, device and place (deeper engagement through consumer controlled content)
media will be more interactive instead of interrupting- we have here the concept of permission marketing
media will be more transactional
will be more searchable and measurable
will be more social (micro-publishing)
Social media has changed the way we communicate. Do you remember how your life was before you were using social media?
Social media now builds communities (remember the Tribes of Seth Godin). Brands should participate in the communication process through: dialogue, energising, supporting and involving people rather than interrupting them.
Paul Garrison (CEU Business School) underlined the basics: marketing is not about awareness building, is about selling more stuff, to more people, for more money, more often and more efficiently.
He explained the concept of Exponential marketing = segmentation comes first, know your customer and than create your marketing objectives.
Furthermore he underlined the idea that IT should not be considered only when there is a need to cut back costs- it should be used to increase revenue ( using it to obtain a better understanding of consumers), by using CRM (customer relationship management).
The concern should be to put the customer back into CRM and don’t lose yourself in details like who will be updating the CRM database… You need to understand your customer’s lifestyle in order to be able to sell to him relevant products & services. Knowing your customer enables you to engage with him at a more personal level.
Next I attended the Cyber PR workshop which was pretty interactive. The audience in the room was really active on Twitter and engaged in conversations besides those discussed in the room- which was really crowded. People came especially for Crenguta Rosu (DC Communications) and for Bogdan Olteanu (Millenium Communications).
To be up to date, changes in companies need to occur : in structure, in procedures and in period. Social media can help you as long as you are actively participating: you shouldn’t leave your accounts to rust. (Crenguta Rosu)
The media consumption has changed. The spread of news online is now from many to a source. (Veronica Nicolae- Snapshot McCann PR )
Here is Bogdan’s presentation about the cost of online PR.
It seems that the online is not as cheap as everyone was talking…
Afterwards I attended another workshop: Marketing Through Social Networks which had a more fun approach and the speakers used videos to present the message : with web 2.0 consumers feel empowered. And you have to build, not just buy attention.
The perfect example for this was the campaign with the divorce between Advertising and consumers www.bringtheloveback.com
Mugur Patrascu (iLeo) had a funny presentation – he said that everyone is faking the realation with social networks. The consumer is like the ‘girl’ in the relationship while the brand acts like the ‘boy’.
Ionut Oprea (Standout) had also a really interesting presentation, but I don’t have more time to tell you about it.
Hope this long post was useful. Have a pleasant weekend!
Incep sa cred ca traim in niste timpuri in care nu stim cum sa ne mai facem griji suplimentare, ca nu am avea noi destule si asa. Si din pacate din cauza unei comunicari alarmiste din partea mass-media care sadeste panica in omul de rand situatia nu se schimba. Ce ma bucur ca nu ma uit la tv… Ultima oara cand l-am deschis subiectele fierbinti erau campanii electorale si gripa porcina… a fost deschis 30 de secunde. Nu am putut rezista unei asemenea parade a prostiei.
Acum e problema cu gripa porcina. A fost si gripa aviara, a fost si boala vacii nebune, omenirea a trecut si prin perioade mult mai zbuciumate cu ciuma bubonica si tot ne-am revenit… Daca istoria a dovedit ceva – e ca umanitatea a rezistat diverselor boli care au tot aparut de-a lungul timpului si va trece si peste viitoarele epidemii si pandemii, care or sa fie tot mai nasoale (limbaj plastic) si mai dificil de tratat. Oamenii se adapteaza (sau cel putin ar trebui) !
Sunt multe teorii ale conspiratiei care afirma ca bolile astea noi care apar sunt produse in laborator de niste Mojo Jojo malefici (fac referire la desene animate) care vor sa domine lumea- si comploturi ale marilor companii farmaceutice. Aici o sa va las pe voi sa aberati daca simtiti nevoia. Pe mine ma depaseste subiectul…
Nu inteleg isteria cu gripa porcina. Daca un singur om dintr-o universitate are gripa asta nu inseamna ca toata lumea trebuie sa se inchida in casa si sa nu mai faca nimic de teama gripei… Bucurestiul ar trebui sa fie golit daca toti ne-am inchide in casa de teama gripei, Metrorexul ar face degeaba greva joi (intre orele 4-6 a.m. ) pentru ca nu ar fi nimeni caruia sa-i pese de modificarile lor salariale, iar RATB-ul ar fi mult mai gol si lipsit de o parte din fauna si mirosurile specifice.
Hai ca inteleg ca e bine sa stim cum sa prevenim gripa, sa ne luam masti cand stam in locuri aglomerate, dar pana la a te izola complet de teama ca vei lua gripa mi se pare absurd. E mai probabil sa te calce o masina (pe trecerea de pietoni) decat sa iei gripa porcina…
Oameni buni, hai sa o lasam mai usor cu panica si sa gandim rational.
Aveti grija de voi!
P.S. Vad ca si echipa de la Metropotam are un articol legat de tema asta:
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