tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40463868368748563442024-03-06T03:26:16.483+01:00Insight for InnovationMy personal thoughts, views and thinkpieces on insight, innovation, communication, consumer trends and brand development within the wonderful world of consumer marketingLindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-45015709886913842942014-04-11T15:48:00.000+02:002014-04-11T16:05:24.318+02:00From healthy to well'thy - insights regarding the new definition to healthThe consumers in the rich part of the world appear to experience even growing pressure. You may think it has something to do with the conflicts around the world, the pressure of finding work-life balance or climate change. All those things probably hold true... but in addition there is a challenge of a more personal and physical matter. <br />
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The mother of a friend described the situation vividly following a recent visit to Thailand. At a popular Scandinavian hotel she witnessed mid-aged Scandinavians in their prime. Their beautiful toned bodies, bulging muscles and tight six-packs were on show by the poolside while watching their young kids having fun. Being of an older generation and with different priorities she was amazed by their healthy and toned bodies. But beyond the surface she also noticed that in their beautiful healthiness, they did not look or seem particularly happy. <br />
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This was an insightful observation which I've since thought about it whilst working on the creation of a deep understanding of consumer needs and insights related to health. <br />
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What remains as an important consumer health need is of course the long-standing impact of a healthy lifestyle. The feeling of being able to turn-back the clock and live longer. Another reason for embarking on a healthy lifestyle is the impact that good nutrition has on energy levels and on the ability to handle everyday life. And thirdly of course the want to ‘look-good’ and perhaps lose some weight. However, beyond these typically vocalized health needs and reasons emerged a more unarticulated ‘meta’ need. I would claim that this need has the power to change the view on health and the health foods territory as a whole. And perhaps this ‘meta’ need is the one with the strongest impact on the people by the pool in Thailand. This ‘meta’ need is to show your status in society through a healthy looking body. We call it ‘Health is the new status symbol’ and in the terms of Maslow it can be summed-up to ‘self-actualization by looking truly healty’. <br />
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I am convinced that this strong desire to demonstrate ‘status through health’ will have a strong impact on the food industry. It probably already has when you witness the strong growth in categories such as health snacks and the many launches of protein yogurt. In the fashion world Marc Jacobs has dropped 15kilos and is now selling his version of a sport on the catwalk. Swedish retail giant H&M has opened up their own sport stores well aware that ‘Health as the new status symbol’ is desired state that sells. It is only a matter of time until retailers give health foods an even larger share of space. <br />
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Out goes the envy of the Oligarch flexing his Rolex or the ‘beauty fake’ of Hollywood quick-fixes. In comes a desire and praise of the toned bodies of international sportsmen and sportswomen. Never before have such serious effort, time and money being spent on personal trainers, health foods, running gear, bicycles and health retreats. Health is the new status symbol – and for the food industry this realization will open up many opportunities. But let us try to be a bit more cheerful than the Thailand crowd in our endevours to achieve status through health. <br />
Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-61124892879472573342014-03-19T22:14:00.000+01:002014-03-19T22:14:41.932+01:00Strategic Innovation ManagementIt’s only during the last few years that I have heard Nordic companies talk about innovation from a more strategic and business growth oriented perspective. Maybe this shift to what I would call a more sophisticated approach to innovation is linked to the last few years of European recession where companies with a strong innovation pipeline have proven that growth is possible - despite the economic gloom. Or could it be the result of a new generation of senior management with the growing awareness that innovation doesn’t simply pop-up from nowhere but is rather a business growth discipline with opportunity to learn from the likes of the 3M’s and P&G’s of this world. <br />
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No matter what, it’s with great anticipation I see this growing awareness and first foundations to a more sophisticated innovation approach. I hear of companies that employ innovation leaders, build innovation teams and invest in tools and processes for how to manage innovation successfully. It’s early steps and a new discipline for many, but I believe that these early steps of approaching innovation as a business discipline may soon be compared to the quality movement of the 90’s. <br />
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When it comes to the HOW of innovation, I would like to raise the importance of top management leadership and ‘Strategic Innovation Management’. In my definition this relates to the importance of raising innovation to the higher management agenda, to act as a continuous steering tool with focus on identifying and managing the projects leading to organic business growth. Some of the important elements to consider in that respect would be to: <br />
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<b>Establish a top management ‘Innovation management’ forum<br />
</b>oThis is a decision and steering forum for all innovation projects, where projects are established, gate decisions are taken, and particular steering is given on the request of the project lead or owner. <br />
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<b>Identify future growth drivers or opportunity platforms<br />
</b>o Growth drivers or opportunity platforms are identified and promising innovation territories in a market. These are used to help focus innovation efforts in the direction that the business feels would be the most promising. <br />
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<b>To actively manage and balance the Innovation Portfolio<br />
</b>o This is the classification and continuous analysis of innovation projects, to ensure that there are enough projects and project breadth in the innovation portfolio to secure future profit streams. With innovation project breadth I mean the mix of more easy wins, low risk and less groundbreaking initiatives VS projects that are truly big opportunities but also with a much higher risk profile. <br />
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<b>An innovation process with direction, steering and clear decision points<br />
</b>The classical Innovation stage gate funnel is a commonly used approach that makes sense in my world but each company would of course have the opportunity to create its own process, and a process that is fit for the business and market environment. The key thing is that there is a framework for innovation with clarity on why projects are run, who gives direction, who makes decisions and when in time each of the previous points should be handled. <br />
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The above factors I would consider being core of the discipline of ‘Strategic Innovation Management’. And once those are in place a good foundation for promising innovation projects would be in place. <br />
Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-84582638147363618842013-10-02T21:34:00.001+02:002013-10-02T21:55:01.194+02:00What's a trend anyway?It was a few weeks back in time and it was just another morning on the tube. I was on the way to work, somewhat bored when I came across Metro. Browsing through the pages I spotted this article about the very cool fashion designer Mathew Williamsson. Unfortunately I'm not the proud owner of any of his garments but despite my relative ‘untrendyness’ I've still somehow grasped that he is übercool by the more eloquent fashionistas out there (the ones that somehow squeeze in thoughts about fashion into their lives = not me).
Now, the thing that grabbed me with the article was not so much Mathew's sayings regarding fashion as such, but rather the things he said about trends. In his übercool way Mathew proclaimed that "trends are out" and he said something around 'modern women not buying into the idea of trends any longer since they rather focus on individuality and identifying their own style'. I don’t know how well these perspectives go down in the fashion industry, but his views somehow stayed with me over the last few weeks while I’ve had the opportunity to attend some trends seminars and read a few trend papers. Being updated on trends is part of the job of picking up 'new', fresh thoughts to guide and inspire innovation. And trends are also an important perspective to future-proof directions I already work on.
But following Mathew W’s perspective and being fed all these 'trends' I'm trying to get my head around what I actually think about trends. So far I've come to the following conclusion: What we call trends are reflections of big shifts in human emotions linked to reality. And those emotions are in turn linked to shifts and changes in the world around us. In the higher steps of the hierarchy of needs our needs shifts little by little based on external stimulus. As needs shifts and people or companies witness this shift, we start to witness reactions. Some reactions are pure withdrawal ‘no it’s not happening’ or ‘no, it won’t affect my business’ or simply ‘it’s too frustrating to even think about it’. Others reactions are future focused and proactive. It’s those reactions that result in innovation – both breakthrough and incremental.
So, to my view the so called trends that we so often refer to, are simply clusters of reflections of the innovations that are already occurring. And we are only able to create these clusters when the stream of innovation is so wide so it can actually be seen and synthesized. Which is actually when the trend and the change in people is already happening.
Thus, my belief is that to fully understand trends and to understand how to capitalise on trends, one needs to start with mega shifts in the world and to start to extrapolate on those shifts to try to understand the impact they will have on human needs and human emotions both in the longer- and the shorter-term. Of course, it still makes a lot of sense to follow the ‘trend’ reflections synthesized in presenentations and power points, but be aware that they are ‘here and now’, already happening and soon in a store near you. So to be able to capitalize on them you need to act fast.
Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-28422156416398006732012-11-30T23:26:00.002+01:002012-11-30T23:33:30.057+01:00Nikon 'I am' - powerful and insightful communicationToday I am going to write something close to a tribute to the best advertising campaign on air at the moment. It is the Nikon 'I am' campaign I'm talking about. I think they TV ads are so strong so they almost make my heart burst with happiness for seeing such great creative and insightful work. And the print and digital is equally strong. I don't know the agency behind the campaign but I hope that the communication isn't just empty words but rather a portrayal of what the Nikon company and brand truly want to offer to the world. My understanding is a brand that is absolutely passionate about offering their customers the ability to express themselves and who they are freely. The whole idea is clearly based on a strong consumer insight: 'the need to feel free and be able to demonstrate your true self to the world'. On the site 'I am' Nikon express it this way: "No matter what I use my camera for I always say something about myself with my photos...whether I’m capturing holiday memories or snapping party shots, whether I’m just having a laugh or earn a living as a photographer. With my Nikon I can combine my personality and my dreams. With my Nikon I can show the world who I am". <br />
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Why is this campaign so strong? Well, at the heart of it lies great quality products. But to make those products truly desirable and worth paying an extra margin is the key to success. And in this case Nikon has identified how to truly connect to consumers through insight and human emotions. Watch the ad and see how they use copy, imagery and music to create a very strong, emotional connection with the viewer. It is powerful, isn't it? I love it anyway. And feel pretty keen to buy a Nikon now....<br />
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<br />Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-9793710664892971872012-09-26T09:52:00.003+02:002012-09-26T09:52:27.902+02:00Thank you Babybjörn - the honest, innovative, life-saver brand Yesterday I had one of the toughest days for a while now. Both kids are ill with colds and fever, and my little boy is also teething... A recipe for total disaster zone. But whilst I have been feeling extremely deprived of sleep I have actually managed reasonably well. And the reason for that is mainly attributed to my long-term friend the Babybjörn baby carrier. What would I do without it? Whilst carrying around my little grizzly boy in my Babybjörn I started to think about the Babybjörn brand and an article I read just the other day about its founder Björn Jakobson. After having read the article I understood that one of the reasons that Babybjörn continues to produce such fantastic products is because the brand is staying true to Björn and his wife Lillemors founding principles and values. Babybjörn is truly a family owned brand where the founder hasn't been tempted to sell out to investors or the stock-market, but instead decided to grow organically, steadily year by year, by staying true to what they believe in most, the power of a caring, safe, and loving environment for small babies. And to support an environment that encourages strong attachment between baby and parent. <br />
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I took a look at the Babybjörn website and came across this fantastic clip with Björn and Lillemor. In this clip one can truly feel the power of the brand at its core. And the core I believe is not its fantastic products but rather the strong brand values acting as a foundation for anything the company does going forwards. Those values also ensure that the company continously search for new insights to innovate and new products or current products better for both baby and parents. I hope that the values of Björn and Lillemor will continue to remain at the heart of the Babybjörn brand for many years to come. What a great brand and what an inspiring brand story. <br />
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Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-5391723341548404262012-09-23T21:23:00.001+02:002012-09-23T21:29:11.825+02:00SC Johnson innovative launch with WC Duck Fresh Discs<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4046386836874856344" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHEqkOXm4XMcq9MPpfhzna3HJ5roozUzDE73aQk2xlVV79nFGgIuJ22i6jLgmPRWbu77MzT0jodBvOCNanMZ-hLIfvAf1XaKT4E6nIscS_RQUzelPtlsjhvGF8yLBQze-ZRN_Z8Uo03k/s1600/fresh-discs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>My life has been upside down this year with the arrival of my baby boy. A very joyous arrival of course but also, with two little ones at home there are very few moments for myself by the computer. So it has unfortunately resulted in very few blog posts this year. Not because I haven't had anything on my mind to write about. But rather the opposite given how much time I spend in the supermarkets these days...<br />
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So, with a few seconds to spare I wanted to share with you my latest favourite of FMCG innovations. This time it may not appeal to all based on it being a solution for a rather dirty problem. It is the launch of WC Duck Fresh Discs by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.scjohnson.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="S. C. Johnson & Son">SC Johnson</a>. I haven't tried this product myself yet but I am familiar with the problem that is being highlighted in what I view as an effective and well-executed TV commercial. This launch demonstrates that SC Johnson look for real insigts to develop new and innovative ways to provide consumer friendly solutions to common problems. I have been involved in similar research in the past and I
can tell you from my own experience that it can quite an eye-opening
experience to understand how other people clean their loos... <br />
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Hence I find this a great launch that I believe is based on consumer insight into the wonderful world of toilet cleaning... But I need to try the product before I'm convinced that it will be a lasting concept that will have an impact on the category. The TV-commercial can be seen here. The one on air in Sweden may be cut a bit different from this one. <br />
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Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-54696289458410808892012-06-17T14:27:00.000+02:002012-06-17T14:27:20.072+02:00The power of signature branded productsThis last Friday I spent a luxurious afternoon with a good friend browsing through clothing shops in central Stockholm. Of course I had the little one with me as well but luckily for me he seemed to enjoy the browsing too happily sleeping away in the pram.<br />
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One thing that struck me as I browsed through some of the clothing stores is how powerful a few signature, classic products can be for the brand as a whole. <br />
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A perfect example for this is swedish clothing brand <a href="http://www.polarnopyret.com/all-clothes/stripes">Polarn & Pyret </a>with their classic line of striped childrens clothes. It might be difficult to spot the small P&P label on their garments but you will always recognise their signature stripes. And those stripes stand for everything that P&P stands for. And this I would probably summarise as: durable, comfortable and classic, everyday clothing for happy and healthy kids.<br />
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Other retail brands with signature products would be <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gant_U.S.A." rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Gant U.S.A.">GANT</a> with their classic light blue or white cotton shirts or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_Performance" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Peak Performance">Peak Performance</a> with their hooded sweatshirts in extremely durable quality. These mid-range priced clothing brands have understood that owning a certain style, pattern or cut will add to creating lasting brand impact. Something that more expensively priced, luxury clothing brands have adopted for years - and I am just thinking of Mulberry as the perfect example now. <br />
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The advantage of owning a certain pattern, cut or look must be great. They would be the same as for Heinz with their classic ketchup, or for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Coca-Cola">Coca-Cola</a> with their coke. It is a line of products that you can trust, a constant cash-cow which you can utilise to support new ventures.<br />
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So why are they not all doing it? Why can you not find any signature brand products at e.g. H&M, Kappahl or Sisters? Or the brittish brand Next or Oasis? Why don't they create something lasting that people return to buy year after year, and always feel proud wearing? Well, one reason might be that they feel that their commitment to fashion is too strong. And that signature products may ruin their fashion credentials.<br />
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Would they? Personally I think there is a middle way, and that the Polarn & Pyret, GANT and Peak examples show the power of signature products in the fashion industry. If signature branded products fit the brand, and offer something special and a sense of pride for the owner, they create strong brand impact through the thousands of people wearing them with pride, year after year. <br />
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<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=ee1ac3db-16ba-4ae3-8283-be850cc9b382" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-48958043705111591252012-04-14T16:54:00.002+02:002012-04-14T16:58:30.286+02:00Electrolux - commitment to 'Thinking of You'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday I spotted a great ad by Electrolux in the newspaper - it was highlighting one of their vacuum cleaners. But instead of focusing on the vacuum cleaner message I spotted the Electrolux brand tagline 'Thinking of you'. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMb2YRxUUOB3D_NltwenJ5Sq8VclGGXXgiPV_gFVQtt-FwTgAUn882VCyl-apPDvfIrZQRnI_TRyrAc88Ob94JoGNDuDOnc9DfWOUuEYIdfh4dXnEOL77GaN4kxEpXiwOuEPMB6kyaCs/s1600/electrolux-logo-thinking_we.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMb2YRxUUOB3D_NltwenJ5Sq8VclGGXXgiPV_gFVQtt-FwTgAUn882VCyl-apPDvfIrZQRnI_TRyrAc88Ob94JoGNDuDOnc9DfWOUuEYIdfh4dXnEOL77GaN4kxEpXiwOuEPMB6kyaCs/s200/electrolux-logo-thinking_we.jpg" width="200px" /></a>I had not seen that tagline before. Is it maybe new? But when I saw it I was so pleased to see that <a href="http://www.electrolux.se/Innovation/">Electrolux</a> has such a strong commitment to consumers. Based on news in the marketplace, hirings and their recent, successful launches I have already understood that something is happening at Electrolux. During the last few years they have moved from a technically driven appliances manufacturer to a consumer insight centric solution provider. Electrolux is deeply committed to consumer centric and insight driven innovation, and it was fantastic to see that this commitment has also translated to their brand communication. I think the total change to a consumer centric company will continue but whilst their at it and beyond I believe we will see great things from Electrolux. I'm not only looking to buy a sexy <a href="http://www.electrolux.se/Produkter/produktserier/produktserie-stadning/Ergorapido-Range/">Ergorapido</a> vacuum cleaner asap (how did they manage to make a vacuum cleaner sexy and desirable?) but will also look into buying some shares... </div>Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-37116917786548710542012-04-12T10:29:00.000+02:002012-04-12T10:29:05.797+02:00Tesco unveils upgraded value range<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv0vzDIVbC4ej38-O6OOKtg8m0HmxUA-wJh54cs2nRYGhyphenhyphenflK7y5zjk3GFtd7DvWFM-nnyJKcQisCXvWIUOyln7watK6N4j5dYBm2vQOiClsL592nnXaZZTRuVQHjf8TeEtmbUuZRR3c/s1600/tesco_value_products.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv0vzDIVbC4ej38-O6OOKtg8m0HmxUA-wJh54cs2nRYGhyphenhyphenflK7y5zjk3GFtd7DvWFM-nnyJKcQisCXvWIUOyln7watK6N4j5dYBm2vQOiClsL592nnXaZZTRuVQHjf8TeEtmbUuZRR3c/s200/tesco_value_products.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div>Gosh - it certainly isn't easy to find some space to write anything these days. I am on maternity leave - now with two little kids in the house. It is magical but it has also been quite a change to handle the switch from one to two. And the change has certainly resulted in very few moments for myself so far. <br />
But I do want to share an interesting newsflash that I read today. This time about Tesco, one of the worlds largest and most innovative retailers. Tesco is the king of private label branding and now they've upgraded and rebranded their low cost, low frills Tesco Value range. The Value range has been part of the Tesco offer for a very long time. This portfolio of blue and white striped products was launched more than twenty years ago and includes products across all categories and grocery aisles. <br />
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Now the Value range that we have seen so far is history. During these years of recession and European economic turmoil Tesco has decided to update and upgrade the Value portfolio. Its revamped look and feel is developed to add higher quality associations. And the new brand name of ' Everyday Value' should demonstrate that this is more than a design upgrade. Tesco has reviewed the entire portfolio and upgraded the range of products with more modern, desirable food whilst getting rid of nasties such as MSG across the whole range. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFRGU0eojhT-5_ZWKlpAUX9wIGp84ck-tmJE_VgLkAk-ye3foHYBx_cDnF7I0UhvmCHex1G6CY0QVWmvY8GtKT18BS7BBclAPc9xWSPbpVqTOaDOWEZjrC5wEbaxs-mbcflc30z5UCek/s1600/11272_Everyday-Value-by-Tesco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFRGU0eojhT-5_ZWKlpAUX9wIGp84ck-tmJE_VgLkAk-ye3foHYBx_cDnF7I0UhvmCHex1G6CY0QVWmvY8GtKT18BS7BBclAPc9xWSPbpVqTOaDOWEZjrC5wEbaxs-mbcflc30z5UCek/s320/11272_Everyday-Value-by-Tesco.jpg" width="320px" /></a><br />
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It may seem a bit surprising that Tesco has decided to do this change now - at a time when one would assume that many Brits would be bargain hunters and rather interested in the 'old' Value range. But I think that Tesco is right on track with this change - and maybe it should have happened sooner. I assume that this move is based on a long-term decline in sales of the Value range and that the 'old' Value range wasn't seen to reflect positively on Tesco as a quality brand and grocery chain. <br />
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Behind this I also believe that this move represents a longer-term change in western society. Consumers have become more quality and health aware. And to only focus on 'cheap' and 'bargain' isn't enough anymore. Fewer are prepared to make the trade-off between cheap, empty calories and nutritious food. When producers or grocery chains focus on this single-minded message of 'cheap' it comes with negative associations to 'bad quality and bad for me', resulting in declining sales of the cheapest products in store... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEufovaEU2rbQZiXybFRaWwFkuMJRil-0EsgOpK3sVVt2MLQr2xMbQEAGX1p-2JG06ip1o9iDmPRx-8n3bt5MeU5b3-Ch8L94fpVrvi7uBTH1ZfC6ZgFELkqsWfPrsKFrxPy9jDRinRQ/s1600/ica-basic-raksallad-400g-7318690081098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEufovaEU2rbQZiXybFRaWwFkuMJRil-0EsgOpK3sVVt2MLQr2xMbQEAGX1p-2JG06ip1o9iDmPRx-8n3bt5MeU5b3-Ch8L94fpVrvi7uBTH1ZfC6ZgFELkqsWfPrsKFrxPy9jDRinRQ/s200/ica-basic-raksallad-400g-7318690081098.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div>So it is interesting to see that the largest Swedish grocery chain ICA just launched their 'Basic' range concept. A range that is... well, basic... It's red and white clinical exterior doesn't appeal to anyone with an interest in food or nutrition, but is solely focused on the cash stripped bargain hunters. I would not be surprised if ICA looked west when developing this range, inspired by the 'old' Tesco Value look and feel. So, given the Tesco move away from this focus it will certainly be interesting to see how well this line of products is being received in Sweden.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-53365429754296896872012-02-09T15:12:00.000+01:002012-02-09T15:12:48.790+01:00Philadelphia cream cheese with Cadbury chocolate - a launch with potential?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yv_C_VuEFth3GKojVKX_zw5V7uiPzfAH4VSgKxockve3dqyIYgkd0420XildRI1Wr-1PrkTrcxK3dgmJV0xSJ0hv0KCWwL5bK3WsUshzxSUwjoybF7qQ7Rqsq_4zZ7Ehk8xQf75VsYs/s1600/9717_Dairy-Milk-Philadelphia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147px" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yv_C_VuEFth3GKojVKX_zw5V7uiPzfAH4VSgKxockve3dqyIYgkd0420XildRI1Wr-1PrkTrcxK3dgmJV0xSJ0hv0KCWwL5bK3WsUshzxSUwjoybF7qQ7Rqsq_4zZ7Ehk8xQf75VsYs/s200/9717_Dairy-Milk-Philadelphia.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div>Today I heard about this interesting co-branding launch by Kraft Foods. It has been two years since Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury, and now Kraft Foods is joining two of its most famous brands together by marrying Britain’s most famous chocolate brand with Philadelpia cream cheese. And Kraft has high hopes for the new launch targeting £10m in sales in the first year alone.<br />
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In the UK this product will be launched in February 2012. And it will be merchandised next to the other chilled cheese spreads and the plain Philadelphia. It will be sold in a 160g tub and a 120g four-pack of mini tubs (both rsp: £1.62). The launch will be supported with a £3.2m marketing budget.<br />
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In Germany and Italy Kraft already offers chocolate variants of Philadelphia through the Milka chocolate brand. And in those markets they focus on the breakfast occasion. The interesting thing here is that in these markets consumers are already used to using chocolate spread - Nutella is very popular in both Germany and Italy. I now look forward to see how the Brits and the country of Marmite respond to the idea of sweet rather than savoury on their toasts..<br />
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And in the UK Kraft has understood that they cannot position the Philadelphia Cadbury spread against the same occasion as in those markets. Instead consumer research has identified Philadelphia with Cadbury as a snack, rather than as a breakfast spread. The question is if the 'snack' occasion will be big and interesting enough to pursue in the longer term... Time will tell...Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-52040092267462745562011-11-10T21:27:00.000+01:002011-11-10T21:27:39.168+01:00Logosack - an opportunity to buy a new and professional looking logo in an instantThis is a great concept that I just need to share with you all. Lobby design in Stockholm has launched a company and website called <a href="http://logosack.com/">Logosack</a> where you can buy a logo by just using a few mouse clicks. I have tried this website and the logos look very professional. And for just 2000SEK per logo (approx. 200EUR or 280USD) I think they are a real bargain. The website exists only in Swedish today but will soon be available also in English.<br />
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Just during the past few months I've had several friends asking me for advice on how to create logos for their websites, small independant freelance consultancies and blogs. The cost of using a design agency to create a custom made logo is often simply too high for new founded small businesses or for bloggers, and I think this kind of service is a fantastic way to offer many more businesses and people nice looking logos for a very good price. Great idea, innovative thinking, and with a fabolous and simple execution. I might just have to buy a Logosack logo myself...Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-9362082266119897482011-11-07T21:38:00.000+01:002011-11-07T21:38:51.633+01:00The 11 Most Innovative Online RetailersI got a note today from Online MBA linking to an article on their blog about the <a href="http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/the-11-most-innovative-online-retailers/">11 most innovative online retailers</a>. Personally I find the future of online retailing absolutely fascinating. It is amazing how names like Amazon and Ebay have carved out their space in the retail world and such strong roles in their respective markets. Consumers and especially young consumers are becoming more and more used to buying their stuff online, and as this tendency increase the traditional retailers will see their sales falling while the ones with a strong online role will grow and grow. This will certainly take longer in certain categories, while the developments in other categories will boom. Yes, it may feel a bit strange buying your shoes online the first time you do it, but when you've tried it and it works you're likely to do it again, and again. Especially if the selection and prices are better than on the high-street. <br />
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So, enjoy the read. I had never heard of some of these names before but now I will need to start to google them asap to find out more about their innovative approach to retailing.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-40993882600322068142011-10-25T19:20:00.000+02:002011-10-25T19:20:55.639+02:00Abba Middagsklart - clever and credible addition to the Abba brand portfolio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXq_WrYKbSStH-QCpwnJOecAaxWdrz6vxdxjGX-anQj6pF3CCkLf6u7FI-qLEVtdj7mZ9r0VxrS28iBVbZBOZj35QlNSJAA52VGu8kqwqA-IaZ3l8SURpcfmeBhrMqwwv6JKrMgTBXhsE/s1600/Abba+Middagsklart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXq_WrYKbSStH-QCpwnJOecAaxWdrz6vxdxjGX-anQj6pF3CCkLf6u7FI-qLEVtdj7mZ9r0VxrS28iBVbZBOZj35QlNSJAA52VGu8kqwqA-IaZ3l8SURpcfmeBhrMqwwv6JKrMgTBXhsE/s320/Abba+Middagsklart.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>One of the hard things for established FMCG companies is to find new growth and credible brand extension opportunities in the market. There are different reasons why this is so hard. One difficult thing is of course to decide in which direction to go - to identify market and brand potential and to prioritise between different the different growth opportunities in the market. <br />
Another issue is also the difficulty of breaking into new territory by overcoming the challenges of the current production capabilities and potential. All the above represent just some of the challenges any big FMCG company will face when considering entering new market space.<br />
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That's also why this new launch by Abba Seafood grabbed my attention in the supermarket today. Abba has successfully innovated within the current realms of their production and category capabilities. They've worked themselves higher up in the value and margin hierarchy, and they've added some interesting and relevant brand extensions. But with the launch of Abba Middagsklart they demonstrate a commitment to do even more. The Abba Middagsklart concept is a range of casseroles and sauces especially developed to cater for the convenience seeker and cleverly linked to the growing interest in eating seafood, and the incredible growth in fresh and frozen salmon sales.<br />
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I really like this launch. A casserole ended up in my shopping basket straight away, and the product delivered to my expectations as well. I will definetely try more of these products, and I congratulate Abba on entering new territory where they cater to a very clear convenience and 'I wanna eat more seafood but I don't know how to cook those dishes' need with a very credible brand offer.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-56811125252857987662011-10-08T15:15:00.000+02:002011-10-08T15:15:40.745+02:00Arla upgrades design of Arla Cow hard cheeseMy husband and I take turns doing the weekly grocery shopping. Today it was his turn and yet again he managed to do his shopping in 40 minutes. A trip that normally takes me about 1,5hours since I tend to spend more time looking at brands, new launches and new design, rather than focusing on the shopping list... Well, I guess it comes with the trade...<br />
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Anyway, when unloading the bags I managed to spot something quite interesting. I think I've previously highlighted the brand positioning 'closer to nature' work by Arla, one of the largest dairy FMCG companies in Europe. Arlas new brand positioning has so far resulted in a new corporate logo, an impressive number of new ads and quite a few new products. The Arla total brand family is huge, and it cannot be an easy task trying to connect all the different sub-brands to the now more 'natural' motherbrand. Some need to be tied more closely to the core values of the 'mother', and others should be allowed to act more freely, given a different role in the market.<br />
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Anyway, back to the point. What I spotted today was a new design for Arla's range of hard cheese. Looking at the previous design it may have been clear and recognisable. But it also gave a very industrial and cold impression. With Arla now aiming for a warmer, more natural touch, it was interesting to see the upgraded design of hard cheese. Spot the difference below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT95oO5ETniVjTwrzsMn7X0SRy82u48L6MQWObSpiNskOYocgxHpqk7OajBluRQiHj81lMXcub7HrHjeUcZZpIpHhB9oiOUhrPPx28mR-rZGzPnJM-19SnFx4NtHyE1WVAgnXl0mfqPh8/s1600/prastost-mellan-31--ca-667g-arla.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT95oO5ETniVjTwrzsMn7X0SRy82u48L6MQWObSpiNskOYocgxHpqk7OajBluRQiHj81lMXcub7HrHjeUcZZpIpHhB9oiOUhrPPx28mR-rZGzPnJM-19SnFx4NtHyE1WVAgnXl0mfqPh8/s200/prastost-mellan-31--ca-667g-arla.jpeg" width="200" /></b></a></div>To the left you can see the old design for Arla Präst - with the Arla Cow quite prominently displayed on the front, on black background, and with a photo of a sandwich with cheese on the left.<br />
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What can one say about this design? Cold, rather boring, basic, isn't it? <br />
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Now, look at the new design below. And bear in mind that the pastic packaging solution is exactly the same. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3GW2XbS8_JDjwfH7SpYdTCbsY4dUFpI3HmHjF7xYwwvNnvX7Nq2zPcAsZOFv7xCdGme480en7NdUG8Z9FqUnalbOZsCDv1pExaPw0tW8Wb50gRHPGKsC2zfGuUPQEHFU_ZansvwWU54/s1600/Arla+ost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3GW2XbS8_JDjwfH7SpYdTCbsY4dUFpI3HmHjF7xYwwvNnvX7Nq2zPcAsZOFv7xCdGme480en7NdUG8Z9FqUnalbOZsCDv1pExaPw0tW8Wb50gRHPGKsC2zfGuUPQEHFU_ZansvwWU54/s320/Arla+ost.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
Personally I think the new design conveys a higher quality cheese. But not only that. In the new design there is a linkage to cheese heritage and tradition, and a clearer and more logical brand architecture with connection between Arla corporate, Arla cow and last but not least to the variant Präst. I especially like the new Cow seal that holds the variant name. <br />
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In the new design Arla is also aiming to lift the taste and consumer benefits of Präst cheese through simple yet tasteful storytelling. I think this is the right way to go in a category that is highly competitive and where Arla must convince consumers that it makes sense to stick to the Arla brand, and not divert to the growing number of cheap no label or private label alternatives.<br />
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One thing that I find may still be missing in the new design is a stronger connection to 'naturalness'. The usage of 'beige' is surely there to convey this feel but maybe it could have been even more prominent. Hard cheese is surely a natural product - so there is definetely no mismatch with naturalness and the product itself. <br />
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So, to summarise the argumentation above I must say that I like these upgrades by Arla and I look forward to follow the next steps of Arla building and developing their brand and broad product portfolio.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-84361931170480473102011-09-29T18:58:00.001+02:002011-09-29T18:59:43.012+02:00Norwegian Airlines – the impact of poor customer service on a total brand experience<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">About once per week I set the alarm on a quarter to four in the morning and drag myself out of bed to prepare to catch a flight to Finland and a good day of meetings. I’ve got the total morning routine sussed out pretty well by now. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxMT-hFS7zmQajhNvm26Xr_209bFISthDQdtP5vBVFGylyXdI2jyjKDq2JBzpJokSjLLtH2KSQ45ux9t8jrBIbIDIv4MqzCVmxeQWf2AjA4yZMutQzdZKzy_gVoCq8qIcyeVMunR6_JE/s1600/sponsor_norwegian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxMT-hFS7zmQajhNvm26Xr_209bFISthDQdtP5vBVFGylyXdI2jyjKDq2JBzpJokSjLLtH2KSQ45ux9t8jrBIbIDIv4MqzCVmxeQWf2AjA4yZMutQzdZKzy_gVoCq8qIcyeVMunR6_JE/s1600/sponsor_norwegian.jpg" /></a>Once at the airport Finnair or SAS used to be my airlines of choice. But then I discovered the simplicity of flying Norwegian. A streamlined process with quick check-in and no queues at terminal 2, and the gate just after security, not a 2k walk away… With nice new planes and smiling staff there has simply been nothing to complain about. By now I have probably experienced around 40 Norwegian Airline journeys to and from Finland. And I must say I used to be a fairly content and satisfied customer. I could in fact even call myself a Norwegian Airlines brand promoter. Well, that was until today…</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>A first issue is that at Helsinki Vantaa airport Norwegian has moved from terminal 1 to terminal 2. Since the move check-in is just not working as well any longer and today it was a nightmare. I was late – this is true. But I was there just a few minutes before the check-in closed 45 minutes before take-off. With no luggage to check-in I wasn’t the least worried. However, I somehow managed to mess around with my booking number and the check-in machine. The usual things like writing a 0 instead of an O… and the clock must have ticked on… so all of a sudden the machine wouldn’t allow check-in anymore…<br />
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So I promptly walked to the check-in staff. There were two people in front of me in the queue and two staff, one woman and one man. The man was busy doing something important so he couldn’t be bothered with customers and the queue grew. I waited patiently and the clock turned to 40 minutes before check-in until I got to speak to the lady. She informed me that I had missed my opportunity to check-in... Of course I got a bit stressed about this as you do... Especially since I had promised to pick-up my kid from kindergarten straight from the flight. <br />
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I said: “I was here before 45 minutes but I had to jiggle with the machines…and I went to the counter as soon as I realized they did not work ”. The lady looked over at her colleague the man and he said: “Oh, so it really took you 10 minutes to walk from the machine to the counter” <br />
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Well, I am pregnant but I am still rather mobile... and the journey from the machine to the counter was approx 10 meters. So no, the walk probably took me about 20 seconds... The cheek of a rude man! I got so furious at this supposed to be customer service guy who took the opportunity to tell me off and really enjoy it too! It was totally unnecessary, especially since he simply could have told me in a nice way that I could check in with my mobile phone and the code – which I also did after a furious walk to security. I'm now going to use the strong word bastard!<br />
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So, my brand experience of Norwegian has deterioriated through this smug little man who took the opportunity to tell off a customer who used to be a brand promoter. And a customer who via her company spends approx 6000-8000SEK on Norwegian journeys per month. What a clever man! <br />
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So this long storey is the storey of how I moved from brand promoter to a brand disliker through one poor customer interface that lasted just a few minutes. One man managed to ruin a relationship I have with Norwegian Airlines - and believe me, this example will be used by me as a future reference when I talk about the importance of delivering a branded service promise at ‘key moments of truth’. This certainly was one for me...Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-4996823501244915352011-09-26T19:15:00.000+02:002011-09-26T19:15:32.145+02:00Tesco moves beyond private label with venture brand Chocablok<div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlVFqc2gr2skpR3qTupPdtF8DGs-oPFeun-M59KzJtJ5PeReMr88q6DtCND-3w8qPfHVlhGBtE-NRRnaA4lUuZTax9zKgQ-qwMfTzdPWVlHwwgMxVNs6EjWJU9kpCZLVimWdLT3VB83o/s1600/AAA_CHOKABLOK_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlVFqc2gr2skpR3qTupPdtF8DGs-oPFeun-M59KzJtJ5PeReMr88q6DtCND-3w8qPfHVlhGBtE-NRRnaA4lUuZTax9zKgQ-qwMfTzdPWVlHwwgMxVNs6EjWJU9kpCZLVimWdLT3VB83o/s320/AAA_CHOKABLOK_5.png" width="320px" /></a>I read something today that I found really fascinating. And this is why I want to share these news with you. Earlier this year Tesco unveiled their plans to develop global product brands, that are different to traditional retailer private label. For a start, these Tesco brands are no longer talked of as private label, but instead they are seen as brands in their own right, and there is no mention of the Tesco parent brand on the packaging. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The first of these brands to hit the shelves was a luxury ice-cream brand called Chocablok. Chocablok is claimed to be made by an “expert team of master cremeliers’ with more than 100 years experience between them. It is a luxury ice cream made from what is said to be a blend of the finest ingredients including real chocolate, whole milk, double cream and free- range eggs. Sounds all good to me! I can't wait to try this one...</div><br />
But, it doesn't come cheap... Each pack retails at £3.99 per 500ml, a pricing that clearly emphasises its premium positioning amongst the likes of Ben & Jerry’s, Haägen Dazs, and Mövenpick. <br />
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What does Tesco say about this then? “Our venture brands are very different to own-label,” said Tesco brand developer, Sidonie Kingsmill to Marketing Magazine, “they will never be "me-too" products. We look at where the customer opportunities are, where brands are not succeeding and what we can do in addition to brands. We’re in a unique position as the biggest retailer, with access to the best suppliers worldwide.”<br />
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This development made me reflect on the limitations of private label. Private label has developed a lot since its early days as a discount and often rather boring offer. Today we can find PL goods across the whole range of categories and the British retailers are phenomenal at this. However, this Tesco example might also demonstrate some of the limitations of PL. Clearly Tesco isn't just doing this for fun. No, instead they've carefully analysed the situation and realised that they can make even more money if they also develop brands that are 'freed' from the motherbrand, and thus able to compete against other brands with no danger of being held back by the mother brand associations i.e. in this case Tesco. <br />
Well, that is just one reflection, I guess there must be more reasons why Tesco is venturing into this arena. And maybe some of the other simple reasons are: plenty of cash, retailer power and distribution network. They simply can!Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-14617300402005658812011-08-30T22:24:00.000+02:002011-08-30T22:24:34.345+02:00Starbucks continues expansion plans in Sweden<div id="artHead"> <span class="artOverhead" id="_ctl11_artoverhead"></span>In 2010 the first Starbucks was opened in Sweden at terminal 5 at Arlanda airport. Now it's apparently time for more, as Starbucks plans to open up a few more cafés next year at the high traffic locations of central stations in Gothenburg and Malmö. </div><div id="artHead"><br />
</div><div id="artHead">Sweden already have a number of Starbucks 'wannabees' including Waynes Coffee and Espresso House. I've complained before that I don't think those two chains have established enough differentiation and uniqueness in their brand and service concept. And with Starbucks entering they might have to think about this, and how to keep their customer base if a Starbucks would open up around the corner. Strong brands always have a big advantage, but of course - in the coffee chain world the biggest advantage of all is great tasting coffee at a high traffic location... </div><span class="artBody" id="_ctl13_artbody"></span>Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-49177450955417416782011-08-23T20:55:00.000+02:002011-08-23T20:55:03.709+02:00Consolidation in market research industry when Ipsos buys SynovateI met with a research professional and good contact today and heard the interesting news today that<a href="http://www.ipsos.com/content/ipsos-has-reached-agreement-acquire-aegis-group-plc%E2%80%99s-market-research-business-synovate-crea"> Ipsos has announced the acquisition of Synovate. </a>This means that Ipsos will climb the ladder to become one of the biggest three market research agencies in the world behind the likes of Nielsen and Kantar group (TNS, Millward brown).<br />
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It will be interesting to follow the next steps and to understand how these two businesses are planning to merge their respective cultures and processes into one whole, and to see what they are going to sell as their key propositions to customers like you and me... <br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=e3cbdcf8-0406-4c4b-abc3-e697cc724015" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-62846707898863695642011-04-27T21:00:00.002+02:002011-04-27T21:05:25.500+02:00Measuring Brand EquityWhen you work with brands you sometimes need to identify the ones worth the marketing bucks. I googled the Y&R Brand Asset Valuator approach today which is a method I used years ago when working on this topic. And I came across this quite interesting slideShare presentation which worked as a useful reminder of the many different approaches out there... Some I believe to be better than others. Enjoy!<br />
<div id="__ss_753017" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0pt 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/CarolPhillips/measuring-brand-equity-presentation" title="Measuring Brand Equity">Measuring Brand Equity</a></b><object height="355" id="__sse753017" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=measuring-brand-equity-1226676362976116-9&stripped_title=measuring-brand-equity-presentation&userName=CarolPhillips" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed name="__sse753017" src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=measuring-brand-equity-1226676362976116-9&stripped_title=measuring-brand-equity-presentation&userName=CarolPhillips" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0pt 12px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/CarolPhillips">Carol Phillips</a>.</div></div>Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-68239910122251041872011-04-20T20:46:00.000+02:002011-04-20T20:46:45.358+02:00Knorr - Bag of Taste, clever new concept by Unilever<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIuoLem01nPWajhAzgVTC7HwXjEjuQBxc0rgOy0KMCdREpiGD9JeP_aajudPIjn9z2TCOkI_etkchlgHriYD6hR7aat8yFtWOCzwq-ujjTBB4AoIENspgJjGupanxQSRKteEWoKKa-WQ/s1600/bag+of+taste.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIuoLem01nPWajhAzgVTC7HwXjEjuQBxc0rgOy0KMCdREpiGD9JeP_aajudPIjn9z2TCOkI_etkchlgHriYD6hR7aat8yFtWOCzwq-ujjTBB4AoIENspgJjGupanxQSRKteEWoKKa-WQ/s200/bag+of+taste.png" width="200px" /></a>Just saw the Knorr 'Bag of Taste' ad on the telly and just had to write a short note to say that I love this new concept by Knorr. During recent years we've already seen a couple of good launches by Knorr and they appear to be on the perfect path to growth. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I also believe that Unilever has done a good job revitalising the Knorr brand and I see the 'Bag of Taste' as yet another evidence that they have great new concepts in the pipeline, concepts with benefits that are built on real consumer insights and that will help the Knorr brand to climb on the value ladder. </div>Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-78566681353279249712011-04-12T21:23:00.001+02:002011-04-12T22:10:21.605+02:00Starbucks - a unique and well crafted positioning in the world of coffee<a href="http://www.onlinemba.com/the-scale-of-starbucks/"><img alt="The Scale of Starbucks" border="0" src="http://onlinemba.com.s3.amazonaws.com/starbucks.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
[Source: <a href="http://www.onlinemba.com/">Online MBA</a>]Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-16844530005859557242011-04-10T20:36:00.000+02:002011-04-10T20:36:49.613+02:00Wolf brings Swedbank brand back on track?Yesterday I had the privilege of attending 'Stora Annonsördagen', an event organised by the Swedish Advertisers federation. CEOs of some of Swedens largest corporations were talking about the importance of strong brands, brand equity, brand values, living the brand and communicating the brand. Surely bound to be some topics that you rarely hear them mention on a day to day basis.<br />
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The recent Swedbank brand and communication story was a particularly interesting case told by Swedbank CEO Michael Wolf. For those out there who don't know Swedbank it is the largest retail bank in Sweden but it also has significant presence in the Baltics. In fact, it was the recession and especially the bad debt in the Baltics that caused particular turmoil. It was at the beginning of 2009 when Swedbank was in serious trouble and had to be saved by the loan guarantees by the Swedish state. And the crisis and all the accompanying bad press had a negative effect on the Swedbank brand trust and credibility. This is when Mr Wolf took over as the CEO.<br />
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Today the situation is quite different. Sweden is in growth again and the horrible year of 2009 is 'almost' forgotten. Swedbank has impressed markets with reported net profits of SEK 7.4 billion for 2010 increasing from a net loss of SEK 10.5 billion for 2009. This is of course good. However, the ambition of Mr Wolf was not only to impress financial markets, but also to restore consumer confidence in Swedbank as a brand and retail bank. And Mr Wolf followed a textbook recipe for how to get the Swedbank brand back on track: <br />
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<b>First step: To identify the essence of the brand - the brand values & the brand difference</b><br />
Swedbank is the result of many mergers in the Swedish bank industry, and of making something large and significant out of smaller, regional financial institutions. These smaller banks were deeply rooted in the Swedish culture and values, but somehow those values got lost as the bank grew bigger and bigger. And they sure were not guiding the risk taking in the Baltics. But following the crisis Swedbank realised that they must restore and strengthen the values within the corporation, and 'live those values' both internally and externally. The values identified as core to Swedbank were: Simplicity, Transparency & Caring. Values that are not unique per se, but which will work as guidance as Swedbank work to identify its point of difference. Mr Wolf explained that the values will be the guiding force to find brand differentiation. The Swedbank differentiation will come, as Mr Wolf put it: -"by delivering the values through concrete services and products".<br />
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<b>Second step: To go back to core strength in market</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFcBcOS36ImOzV_rQhaEASnDg4v3XSaQTJnRS3F-eRd_ivS1ntLCcNQnCOASV2A8GNT4YLFQKagOMvNlC7fLPf-I-MRFfhsngoeWT-5Y25pDgpcTcms75eEbhg5J6V_NQ28BmsDkTzE0/s1600/eken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFcBcOS36ImOzV_rQhaEASnDg4v3XSaQTJnRS3F-eRd_ivS1ntLCcNQnCOASV2A8GNT4YLFQKagOMvNlC7fLPf-I-MRFfhsngoeWT-5Y25pDgpcTcms75eEbhg5J6V_NQ28BmsDkTzE0/s200/eken.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old Sparbanken oak symbol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The second and very important thing that Swedbank realised, and something that Mr Wolf did not talk about too much, but which is of significance to the brand. Is to go back to the core of what is Swedbank in the eyes of their Swedish customers and target group. This goes way back in time... and to some very fundamental brand stories and symbols. As mentioned before Swedbank is the merged result of many small and regional 'saving banks'. One of those banks was Sparbanken, who utilised an oak as a strong symbol of the benefits of saving. And this oak is still remembered in a positive light by many older customers. When later 'Föreningssparbanken' became the international bank of Swebank the oak was still left in the logo but with little meaning for new customers. After years of excess, Swedbank is now going back to the oak, and what it stands for in terms of being careful with spending, and saving for the future.<br />
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<b>Third step: Setting a new communicaton strategy</b><br />
The third and significant step was for Swedbank to find a way to communicate that it has taken a new path, and restoring trust in the Swedbank brand. Swedbank worked with swedish agency Lowe Brindfors and UK agency Aardman to identify a new communication platform and concept called 'under the oak'. And the result was this new commercial currently running on Swedish television. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yY24M2jvQtM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
The target is for Swedish customers to get to know Swedbank again. And this ad has received a lot of positive reactions in Sweden<b>,</b> and it has also tested well when Swedbank has tracked reactions in the market. This new communication concept is apparently developed to have a lifespan of at least five years. And I'm already looking forward to follow the next step of the work that is being done to restore the trust in the Swedbank brand. <br />
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So all in all I was impressed by the brand and marketing work that is going on at Swedbank. And I was glad to hear that Mr Wolf talked about these issues as important for the bank going forward. I'm convinced that we will see a future where people won't be as loyal to their banks as they are today. If banks misbehave we will see people switching banks more often, and banks will have to work harder to keep relevant. The work that Swedbank is doing today is going to serve them well when this open marketspace is a reality.<br />
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I enjoyed this experience during my recent holiday in Dubai. One of the many lavish hotel experiences was the Atlantis hotel where I had the privilege of having lunch and then experiencing one of their ice-cream creations for dessert. Believe me, for anyone who likes a decent ice-cream this is the business!<br />
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24612469@N00/173663955" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ice cream lunch" height="200" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/78/173663955_cec335bc70_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="163" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 196px;"></span></span>The Cold Stone ice-cream is not just ice-cream. It is an ice-cream experience where fun and entertainment is joining force with incredibly tasting ice-cream flavours and creations. And the ice-cream is not just ice-cream anymore but instead it becomes the carrier of a broad variety of fantastic fillings, and it's all crushed, created and customised on a granite stone. All to meet your individual ice-cream desires. Mmmm.... what a treat! On their website they say: "Ever since we opened our first store back in 1988, we’ve been serving up what we refer to as<em> Creations" </em>And what I've seen and tasted is certainly delivering on this brand promise. <em><sup><br />
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I love the fact that Cold Stone Creamery have created a real ice-cream experience, that both adults and children can enjoy. All details are carefully organised to deliver your kind of ice-cream creation. <br />
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One particular fun part was the 'Old Spice' story told by Tony Durham of P&G. So why not sharing it with you? For me it's a fantastic story of how to use insights to rejuvenate a rather stale and boring old brand, that many consumers had forgotten about. P&G follow a first class innovation process of identifying great insights, and then acting on those. In the case of 'Old Spice' their insight was that "women buy female scented shower gels for their husbands" i.e. most guys walk around smelling of female fragrance... This insight was utilised as a startpoint for a new brand and communication platform for 'Old Spice' and the result was this creative communication featuring the 'Old Spice man'. <br />
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The focus on the communication was viral. Apparently the ad was placed on Youtube and via twitter and youtube it was spread with a speed that is nothing but incredibly impressive. I'm not sure I believe this figures myself... but Tony did say that the ad had 23m views within 26hours, and 200m views today on Youtube. Incredible! I'm an awe.... Of course the activities were linked to an Old Spice website and instore activities. <br />
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The 'Old Spice Man' since became a real cult and a persona was developed who interacts with its followers. A fun way of interacting was by creating 'Personal adverts' to respond to consumer questions or requests. A particularly fun request was the 'Marriage Proposal' request that Tony also shared during his speech. See this one below as well. <br />
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This P&G example is a creative and innovative way of breaking the rules and using insight to rejuvenate a brand that has somewhat become stale been forgotten. I hope you enjoyed this story.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4046386836874856344.post-65225568009704718732011-03-13T21:19:00.002+01:002011-03-13T21:23:19.961+01:00Clever awareness building and product trial tactics - Mutti tomatoketchupJust yesterday I wrote about the <a href="http://insightforinnovation.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-version-of-online-food-shopping.html">Middagsfrid</a> offer, and me for the first time trialing their offer of (hopefully) stress free mid-week dinner solutions. The load of groceries and recipes arrived today and I was delighted not to have to think up anything to have for dinner this week. What a saviour! <br />
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A thing that surprised me though was the Mutti tomatoketchup in the load... I scanned the recipes to see where it ketchup was needed but saw nothing...Well, when turning the recipe page there was a short little notice of 'This weeks Bonus product'. This was of course the Mutti ketchup. There we had the answer, and a clever trick of Mutti and other brands to reach the Middagsfrid target group of time-starved city folks. Great way to reach out to new users through a tactic that will delight and surprise. I already look forward to receive the next 'Bonus'.Lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311591972106862461noreply@blogger.com0