Attack Marketing and Social Media

Great story here that really highlights something I've been thinking of recently: using social media appropriately. Vibram, the funky shoe manufacturer, had been inundated with complaints from customers who thought they had bought genuine products only to find them quickly fall apart! Vibram soon realised that although the returned products looked like Vibram shoes they just weren't right.


After much thought Vibram decided not to wait for government help against counterfeiters but to act themselves. How?


"Candidly, you have to realise that intellectual property only gets you so far," says CEO Tony Post. "At the end of the day it's really about your relationship with the consumer."


They seem to have pulled off an amazing turnaround and in some part it's due to social media. But not only social media.


When I saw this graphic showing the complexity of social media tools I threw my hands up in the air. This graphic seemed to say that marketing is complex now. But it doesn't have to be. These are just tools you could use in order to better your relationship with your customer (as Vibram's CEO says). 


Marketing isn't about facebook, or LinkedIn or twitter (alone). It's about people. Sure these are tools that can reach your key stakeholders but honestly: would you use EVERY gardening tool you had to plant a seed? 


Just as Vibram did, you have to choose when to use social media and how to apply it to your goals. And of course, which tools will best reach your stakeholders.

Using the Golden Ratio to boost sales

As part of my research into the psychology of design I've borrowed a book from the library (actually lots of books, but the one I'm looking at currently is) 'Guerilla Marketing Revolution', Levinson, J.C., Hanley, P. R. J., 2006.

One part of their book examines the Golden Ratio (1:1.618) which has been used throughout art and design history to render artworks more pleasing on the eye. Levinson and Hanley take this step even further by stating that design which is based on the golden ratio is so pleasing on the eye that "materials which used the golden ratio performed five or six times better than those that did not" (p.80).

Furthermore they find that it improves readability and data retention but they state that the horizontal ratio has the only benefit in sales and marketing literature while vertical lines can be used in website design.

I also always use a Golden Ratio grid on business card layouts.

Pepsi-giving you more than a drink in a can

QR codes (Quick Response) have been taken up by Pepsi making it the first time this technology is widely used in the UK. The QR has already reached a type of cult status in Japan where it was invented and uses a type of barcode technology printed onto products which can be swiped by a mobile phone giving additional product specifications or competition information. 

Pepsi are rolling out the QR codes on their Pepsi Max products as part of a renewed Mobile marketing campaign showing that they are well ahead of the game in the QR and aiming at early adopters. Check out this article on QR codes.

http://www.pepsi.co.uk/QRSteps.aspx

Crunchy sales

So a main trend in the marketing press these days is the discussion as to whether flash sales will pose any long term threat to the business. Debenhams, Marks & Spencer and BHS all announced sales in their stores recently and analysts worry that not only will this give just a temporary boost in profit but that long term consumers will see the retailers in a different way, damaging their brand position.

Discount stores threatened Tesco's 30% lead in the grocery market and replied by introducing the Discount Brand. This, claims the Fool, has brought in 300, 000 new customers but The Independent recently reported on the company's worst sales in the UK for 16 years, so maybe things are catching up with Tesco.

My question is, though, what else can be done? These companies are attempting to stimulate spending in a rather flat economy and hopefully long term marketing budgets and planning won't suffer for it. this will be key to keep companies afloat during the difficult times-creative and canny PR and marketing to help sell products and ultimately contribute to a bounce back in the economy.