Transparency caught my eye as being one of the fundamental parts of business that promotes trust between a company and its consumers. Because there has been a shift to a customer-centric model, social networking has played a large role in providing a new level of transparency and authenticity that is now required, if not demanded, by customers.

Woolworths pride themselves on their level of transparency in their organisation. This was shown in the “Woolies Good Food Journey” where two well-known chefs travelled through South Africa to all of the sources of Woolworths’ meats to show consumers that the animals are treated very well and their brand-promise is true. However, towards the end of 2012, it emerged that Woolworths had blatantly called for non-white job applicants to fill a post. This makes one ask how transparent Woolworths really is since this was such a shock to South Africa to find one of the biggest retailers in the country  that prides itself on being so transparent was being labelled as a  “racist” brand.

A similar example is of how the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a charity for the cure breast cancer, pulled their funding to Planned Parenthood without explaining the reasons for it. It later surfaced that the organisation was under investigation from Congress and therefore had to pull their funding. This debacle was labelled as one of 2012’s epic fails. This lack of immediate transparency went a long way to damage their client relations.

So, as a final thought, one needs to ask the following question: are brands really being transparent with their consumers or do they have a fabricated version of the truth to aid them in business dealings?

Dino Vichos 24 January 2013 OIL Intern

This latest fad not only allows the consumer to take control of the brand message, it also lets people make commission from selling products. Brands are rewarding their loyal consumers with club card points, prizes as well as a giving them control by allowing friends and family to actually go online and comment on purchases that the consumer is about to make.

What’s important is that this is a very positive way that allows a business to really show how it’s putting its customer first, almost like thanking them for their contribution and loyalty.

Some brands that are doing this are Tescos, Debenhams, Pizza Hut and Iceland.

The downside to this form of WOM is when activities such as these also push users to spam their friends, potentially recommending something for the sake of the prize, without testing or knowing the value of the product, a potential downfall to the brand if not liked.

The nature of the social shopper is that they want to be the first person to tell their friends about a great deal or share something, but how far can this idea be pushed before it comes crashing down? A brand is only as good as its customer’s loyalty, but how far can that loyalty be stretched? There’s a fine line between having a loyal customer, and having a customer whose only loyal if rewarded.

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/4003281.article?cmpid=MWE06&cmptype=newsletter&ern=E3D452B051D60C06CC37BBE4E99FE1BD&email=true

An example of this is McDonalds Canada, “Our food. Your questions” campaign which allows Canadians to ask any questions they want about McDonalds food on a specially created website and a response is given. Even though this made the brand an easy target for criticism it helped the brand appear more  transparent and accountable for dealing with the questions. Another example of emotionally involving the audience through social media platforms is the “Toyota Etios Tweets for Sweets” campaign, where they turned second hand or discarded objects into a chain reaction of smiles to “unsmiley” locations and asked passersby to tweet what makes them smile using the #Etiossmile hashtag on Twitter.  Ultimately there’s a higher level of honesty and relevant messaging required in this day and age than in the broadcast era when messages were never questioned.

Although social media has opened the door two for consumers to voice the good and bad, brands need to recognize the potential social media has in telling genuinely engaging brand story’s.

Vennduke Chigumba 9/10/2012

An emotionally meaningful concept that (unconsciously) influences behaviour and thinking

With this in mind, they created a concept known as 23 plusone which is an in-depth understanding of how brands can be successful if one uses emotions to drive them. Through extensive quantitative research to understand the human and what drives us to be who we are/ like what we do/ and ultimately what attracts us to a brand. They came up with 24 (23 plus one) basic human drives which they then categorized according to 5 main clusters:

• Self-development e.g. freedom/ fun
• Basics e.g. safety/ social connection/ taking care of each other
• Ambition e.g. what we strive for/ to have status/ pride etc.
• Vitality e.g. physical attributes/ health/ strength
• Attraction e.g. beauty/ what attracts us

As an outsider to this latest insight into the world of branding, it would seem that 23 Plusone has really created an idea where understanding the consumer is key to creating a brand that will drive sales, be re-positioned as engaging and consumer friendly, and take the lead in its category. However, the question needs to be asked how easy is this actually to achieve?  Or how do you get the balance right without all becoming me-too brands. It seems that by first and foremost understanding your consumer, the brand you create can really reach your market on a personal level, creating a unique experience for both them and you. But when does this concept become wasted?

Difficulties seem to arise when you are targeting a consumer who is driven by competitions/ where cash is king, and where the drive to further interact with your consumer is barred by their sole desire of coming out a winner. Specifically in lower LSM markets where consumers are very easily manipulated, the concept of emotionally attaching them to a brand seems to get lost. In the end I think that emotional branding does not necessarily cut across all racial/ cultural and specifically LSM barriers, but could rather be successful if implemented on the right consumer, in the right market.

Enter Deloitte’s “Unique People Inspired Results” campaign where real Deloittes employees are showcased for their diverse talent and interests outside of their working lives. They are shown to be human first and foremost, making the most of their money in the here and now, and therefore, able to deliver more fresh and inspired solutions for you, the customer.

There is unquestionable value in bringing a brand (especially the notoriously unapproachable and intimidating financial service brands) back down to consumer level. Marketers are evidently becoming more brave in doing so, and I think Deloitte’s has done a good job of it.  But it got me wondering for the future of financial service branding:

• How far is too far when it comes to authenticity and transparency in communication?
• And, do consumers looking for professional advice in dealing with their financial investments, really want to know how human their advisors are (remembering that humans make mistakes)?

As we know there are 20 strategies for every problem.  The answers to such questions lie in the positioning strategy, and the target you want to talk to.   position being established amongst competitors, and the market you are hoping to talk to.

Vennduke Chigumba 4/09/2012 Oil Intern

It would seem that the article had struck a nerve, and it was this realization that led me to writing this post: Knowledge is power, yes… But only when used properly!

Especially in the health arena, consumers are all too quick to take one, or any, side of the story and run with it.  OIL recently did research for a medical product, and noticed just how willing people are to give advice knowing full well that they aren’t experts, or to take advice from others who claim to know it all, or worse, have heard via the via that this may or may not be the case!

Those of us in branding and marketing, especially in the health & wellness or food & beverage category, need to be aware that consumers are heavily influenced all day, every day, by what they read, hear or see.  Seldom do they actually go and interrogate whether the piece of information is true for their body.

So how do we react?  Well, there is no one clear answer, except not to hide from this reality in which the consumer and the brand exist:

1)       Be aware of the myths and legends your consumers may face about your product/ category, and the barriers they can become to purchase

2)       Educate and empower your consumer to decide for themselves

1. Don’t assume your consumer can be easily fooled
2. Don’t assume your consumer does not want information

Georgina Ball, 23/08/2012, Oil intern

We know that not only is the youth market the future, but we know they play a huge role in influencing household purchase decision-making. Yet, according to the Generation Next  2011 survey, it is a market that is often underestimated, forgotten, or even offended by brands.

It begs a reevaluation of how we as brands, get communicating with (rather than to) the youth, right.  To do so, it requires understanding how the youth choose to communicate amongst themselves now, and how to adapt our communication accordingly.  This isn’t the stereotypical “oh well they use facebook” type insight.  How do they use it?  And how can our brand, use it in the way they will accept?

The article, “Unearthing the Paparazzi Generation” recently published by the Media Online, dubbed two new youth markets based on purely on their mode of communication and way of interacting:

• The Paparazzi Generation: those individuals who live in a world where everything is recorded, every minute of the day and then loaded real time on various social media platforms
• The Expressionistas: individuals who express themselves and constant interact through the posting of and commenting on videos

We think these are key insights to adapting communication for the youth market, and have come up with some tips in doing so:

1)       Give them worthy things to record

1. Content that is relevant to their life
2. Content that will say something about who they are for example the Tropika Flash Mob at Melrose Arch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FieQnadJtY
3. Content that, with one easy button, can be shared

2)       Be personal wherever possible

1. Find ways to speak directly to them or their friends, and make them feel special e.g yuppie chef personalized notes

3)       Allow them to generate the content they want to talk about

1. Use crowdsourcing to engage and get buy-in  for example the Chappies call on the public to write its “Did you know” facts http://bit.ly/Oams0l
2. Generate the willingness and the chosen ‘need’ to take part e.g McDonalds invite your friends and share

i.e encourage active participation in communication, rather than passive consumption of communication

Vennduke Chigumba, 20/08/2012, OIL Intern

OIL has analysed some of, who we felt were interesting winners to pull out learning’s for all those in our industry:

1)      Old news, but as relevant as ever: know your audience, and communicate in their language

2)      Create a sense of belonging for your consumer, a sense of being part of something special

‘Be the Coach’ an interactive mobile campaign

• Offering a unique experience to soccer fans who can actually get involved and vote via their mobile phones for players that would take to the field in the match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates (SA’s two largest soccer teams)
• A great idea that is targeting the type of South African who is very reliant on their mobile phone and would take delight in being able to simply sms their way into the management of their favourite teams
• This brings soccer to fans in a brand new, personal way

Take a shower with Sprite!

• Created to be enjoyed during the summer heat waves on the beaches of Brazil, allowing consumers to experience a cooling off with a shower experience from Sprite as well as delicious refreshing Sprite to drink as well
• Talking directly to its target audience, Sprite stands true to its overarching belief in refreshment

Now you can literally ‘buy the world a Coke’

• Coca Cola’s ‘Hilltop’ commercial allows users to connect with strangers by sending a Coke around the globe to an unsuspecting recipient
• Composite motion graphics show the Cokes journey around the world and allows interactions between recipients and consumers
• This kind of campaign has the potential to drive communication between different cultures and potentially promote brands across borders from any location
• In terms of Coke itself, it is definitely highlighting the message of that brand – number one worldwide and following on the original campaign line “buy the world a Coke”

Not just your average solar energy report

• An annual solar energy report in Sweden was presented in a very unique way. Each page of the 2012 report is blank and the contents of the page are only revealed when it is being read in direct sunlight
• What is so clever about this campaign is that they are playing on the idea of the report, which is that of solar energy and in doing so they are promoting the concept that anything has the ability to be powered by the sun – something which is sure to create some great talkability

Joe FM makes Bjorn De Vuyst an instant celebrity

• In honour of Joe FMs (a popular Belgium radio station) third birthday – an unsuspecting resident was given the surprise party of a lifetime, merely because he happened to have the same birthday
• With the participation of listeners, who helped make all the important decisions regarding decorations, music, food and of course presents the National Surprise Party was created
• A great idea nevertheless and a really fun way of getting the listeners involved and interacting with each other as well as the station

3)      For the greater good, challenging the consumer to think for themselves, to think further, and to reevaluate their norms

4)      Use an everyday scenario, but disrupt and interrupt it to the point that the consumer cannot avoid the message

Volkswagen says “Don’t make-up and drive”

• A one-of-a-kind TVC, creating shock and awe with its viewers
• A normal task of applying make-up is turned upside down when a sudden explosion on screen sees the individual being thrust forward in a whiplash motion of a car crash
• A great attempt at creating awareness around something that seems trivial, but will hopefully imprint the idea that driving should not be shared with a mirror and in keeping with the ‘don’t text and drive’ message we so often see

ALS – I have already died!

• ALS sufferers made statments asking for support for funding for their disorder
• The catch in this campaign is a big one – the statements and print were only released once the sufferer had died
• An idea like this to bring about some kind of change for a medical disorder is very powerful because it is making use of death to bring about the positive and is sure to stick in the minds of those that view it

Every 18 seconds somebody dies of AIDS

• A German awareness campaign that made this number sizeable by using large billboards, paired with specially constructed helium machines that produced cross shaped foam every 18 seconds
• A ‘wow’ campaign that will make every person who sees it stop and register what it is that is being talked about and again it seems that death is being used to bring about some positive change

Wimpy talks in Braille

• Braille menus and specially designed Braille burgers made out of carefully crafted sesame seed rolls
• This type of innovation is sure to set a high competitive barrier for other fast food outlets in SA who lack the ideas/ have failed to come up with something as creative as this campaign

The learning’s we can take from these campaigns go way beyond the 4 mentioned, however, from a branding perspective, OIL feels that these are invaluable to our South African market, and the communication we should be producing going forward

Georgina Ball, 07/08/2012, Oil intern

Within this country we have a melting pot of cultures, languages, living standards and consumer needs and wants. So surely if brands can make it here, they can make it anywhere?

Themes common amongst SA’s top brands are:

Be challenging:  Capitec has grown dramatically in the last decade as a result of their courage to turn banking on its head. By targeting a market that has previously not been correctly catered for, they were able to take advantage of the gap by using accessibility techniques such as retail outlets to satisfy consumers more easily. Their marketing, of including the bank in the story line of Generations, is well aligned and been successful so far.

Be bold: There’s nothing better than a brand with a little guts, willing to challenge the norm and be disruptive in everyday activities. Nando’s is the best example of this. Their boldness and courage has turned them into an icon, with consumers constantly forwarding their adverts relating to a current affairs topic. Their cheeky nature and political commentary have them making conversations throughout the world.

Be relevant: Relevance is differentiating brand around the world as consumers are well trained in filtering out information that doesn’t pertain to their individual needs. Checkers is a good example of using unfavourable economic conditions and turning this into positive opportunities for their brand whereby consumers don’t change their lifestyle but rather their supermarket. This understanding of the consumer’s mindset at this particular time has the business succeeding in numerous markets.

Be local: Embracing one’s roots and staying true to what you stand for rather than acting like something you’re not is a characteristic of great brands. Klipdrift has carefully used a tapping into of the local market to do this, while not over using sensitive stereotypes. Everyday characters makes the brand endearing, while few are able to order the drink without thinking ‘met eish ja, met eish’.

Hopefully in future we can learn more from these local successes, and prove that local really is lekker.

Bianca de Beer, OIL JHB intern

“Creative without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising.)”

Jef I. Richards

Thobeka Sibiya, OIL JHB intern