Thursday, March 23, 2006
Ethical Marketing is not just for Christmas, it's for life!
With big brands buying out their eco-friendly counterparts and junk food being re-badged with nutritional values - ethics in business is here with a bang and everybody seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. Can it last, or is it just a gimmick?
The last year has seen a number of high street retailers changing direction in their marketing strategy to maintain customer loyalty. In this shift of trading patterns, we've seen companies with a previously less than ethical persona making moves to be associated with companies who can give them a leg up the ethical ladder. The big news this week was L'Oreal buying The Body Shop for £652M; highlighting again the gathering momentum of ethical consumerism and the impact it's having on ethical branding not just on the high street, but on businesses as a whole.
Not all of us have businesses that are on the high street; therefore it's not the only place where you'll find good ethical practice. In the current climate it's easy to assume that ethics in business are limited just to environmental policy, which isn't the case at all. It's a great starting point to have an efficient office such as recycling paper and saving energy - Marketing these points is certainly a step in the right direction. But what about other areas of your business which you can publicly highlight? The way you look after your employees or stating why you choose certain suppliers - if you've chosen a certain supplier because of the way they operate, it sends a clear message that you take things seriously. It's a very appealing proposition and a perfectly valid reason why a prospective customer will choose YOU over another supplier.
Communicate positive messages about the way you are already conducting your business in stronger, but ethical light.
For the immediate future we can expect to see more business operations communicating on an ethical platform to market their service or products and it will continue to be seen as a bandwagon; for a while. But remember, ethical marketing isn't a trend, a fashion statement or a flash in the pan - companies who for years have traded on their ethics are now market leaders. If you do decide to use it as a route to market, your business ethics must be upheld as if they fall by wayside it will get noticed. This time it's one style of campaigning that's here to stay.
It's something close to our hearts here at Persona Creative. Not only because some of our clients are charitable organisations, but because we ourselves try to trade ethically. Everything from our workplace environment being filled with greenery to abiding by codes of practice in marketing. It puts us in a good position if you want to discuss ways of bringing ethics to the front seat of our communications or indeed if you're looking for a supplier with a heart.
Who owns the media? You do...
There is a LOT of change happening in the media at the moment. Probably as much as any time in history. The best part is, most of it is due to people power - it all means new opportunities to market.
One such significant change is the major mobile operators becoming media owners. Previously, the likes of Orange, Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile were telecomms suppliers; cables & wireless stations that carried voice signals. Just like analogue land-lines before them, these lines also carry data and the emergence of 3G changes everything. The multiple billions of pounds spent on licensing for UK 3G operations shows that the networks are banking on it's future - and that future is very much interactive services. Suddenly, these telecomms giants are in prime place to offer advertising, sponsorship and user-driven content to marketers of all sizes and the change in culture within these companies will put them head to head with the likes of the BBC and Sky. There is also huge change in the newspaper world. The recent decision by Trinity Mirror group to sell off Northcliffe Publishing (Owner of Nottingham Evening Post etc) was seen by many as confirmation that things are changing; possibly for the worse as far as papers are concerned. Ultimately the widespread panic this caused resulted in the sale being withdrawn, with Trinity citing under valuation as the reason. In either case, the unstoppable rise and take up of citizen and online publishing is eating away the market share currently held by only the chosen few. The speed and flexibility in which a blog can be created and distributed is like nothing the traditional media has been able to offer. Podcasts are revolutionising how radio broadcasters plan and position their content and Personal Video Recorders are a real thorn in the side for advertisers and their agencies. Such monumental changes will inevitably provide as much as much good as they are currently fuelling the bad. Marketers in business now have more freedom to create communication lines with their audience; suppliers and customers alike. Media owners are now having to work hard to attract budgets in their favour and more is being asked on the ROI each media channel can provide. Changes in media ownership and the cause-and-effect that results from it are key indicators to the future of macro and micro level communication. It's our job as an agency to pay close attention to this and shape marketing strategy for our clients to suit the landscape. It would be negligent of us to presume too much and ignorant of us to side-step the future in favour of the now. Our client services programme gives access to this kind of thinking at no cost - if you're not working with us already, ask yourself if you get the same level of service from your digital/brand/media service suppliers. If not, it's worth having a chat with us to see how things could be different.The Third Generation - Mobile Marketing to the masses
I'm going to get straight to the point - Take mobile marketing seriously NOW.
The mighty mobile has shown it has moved on from the early days of 'WAP Crap' and placed itself in pole position as the gadget of choice for consumer interaction.
Ring tones, desktop wallpapers and photos of your mates aside - what are the opportunities for business? Well for starters, reverse charging systems (Text / MMS ACME to 1234 at 50p per message) can be used to 'pull' information about your products and services on demand; creating an additional revenue stream through operator commissions in the process.
The widespread roll out of 3G means more and more people will be able to access high speed internet - making anywhere the point of decision/sale. Brands owners are hard at work thinking up new ways to connect with people on the move, 24/7 and the tone is thankfully shifting from aggressive sales tactics, to creative and user focused services.
As consumers we are all demanding more personalised service and more accessible information. Brand loyalty can no longer be taken for granted; it has to be earned and rewarded through close two-way interaction. Those businesses who innovate and create value add services using the current and emerging channels will no doubt flourish.
Starting your mobile marketing strategy doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. How about producing a simple infomercial about a new service that you seed to your current clients? Or maybe making their account information available to their mobiles? If you want to see how powerful and effective mobiles can be - try running a mobile-only special offer that further incentivises a recipient to forward it on to a friend - creating a 'viral effect'. Not only can this spread like wildfire, it allows the recipient to choose what suppliers to trust and refer to their inner-circle of contacts. Permission Marketing at it's most effective!
By starting to create points of interaction that get your audience thinking about you more often, you'll be planting a seed that will form the roots of your business in the months and years to come. Exciting times indeed.
You can talk to the team at Persona Creative if you have an idea for mobile marketing and need to develop and deliver it, or if you need help identifying one in the first place.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Vacancy: ASP.NET & SQL Server Developer
We are looking for a new team member to get involved with the more technical side of our web projects. Core skills you must have:
- ASP.NET (Either VB.NET or C#)
- SQL Server (Admin & Code)
- Raw HTML and CSS
Ideally, you will be used to working in a web development environment - using IIS development servers and Visual SourceSafe.
To apply, send us an email to careers@personacreative.com with your CV and URL's - stating what parts of the development you were involved in. You will need to be within commuting distance of our studio in Nottingham.
One final note - we don't use PHP, JSP or CGI, so please don't apply if this is your core skill area.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Vacancy: Flash designer
Ok, so we are working on a major UK brand (re)launch and are in need of a seriously talented Flash designer. Ideally, we need somebody local to Nottingham (or withing commuting distance) as we're already working on other parts of the project. Stuff you can expect:
- Viral games
- Product tours
- Advertising
There are also LOADS of other Flash projects on the go, so there is plenty to get your teeth into.
So, if you're bored working at some other crummy agency - give us a ring and come and have some fun whilst you work :)
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Vacancy: Digital Photographer
Our in-house studio is in need of additional love and care from a talented young digital photographer.
The studio is set up for object/product shoots, executive portraiture and abstract work - which we use on a wide variety of projects. You can check it out for yourself at http://studio.personacreative.com
We think this is a pretty good opportunity, as we're looking to find somebody to take full control of the studio and ultimetely our photography service. That means you can get involved in marketing the studio and indeed building up a mini-business within Persona Creative.
Not only do you get full access to a studio - we'll give you a high spec PC for editing, complete with graphics tablet and large format printer. It's a digital photographers paradise - do you have the talent to take it on?
Send us your CV and a link to your online portfolio and we'll get in touch to discuss things further.
