GO GREEN and SAVE
Consciousness is the new marketing tool and within this conscious space it is the green movement that has potentially the greatest legs. Companies that are going green show that they are committed to a healthy and sustainable environment which is a pre-requisite for a financially successful business. Going green creates customer loyalty as consumers who are going green are loyal and often willing to spend more to staying green.
The Star newspaper reported how a passionate Limpopo farmer Tintswalo Mabunda grows fresh vegetables on her 10 hectare farm and sells them to big retailers such as Pick n Pay (29 August 2011: 7). Tintswalo not only has green fingers but has big dreams. In a market where the recession has taken control, companies are finding every possible way to save where they can. Well, the passionate Limpopo farmer has provided hope for some retailers as she not only provides fresh vegetables at a lower price but helps retailers follow the green trend or movement which consumers are after. Tintswalo has perhaps not realised it, but she has approached a big gap in the market. Going green can help companies save during the recession - they save financially as they cut down on costs while at the same time not losing their customer loyalty for they are keeping up with the market trends where consumers are conscious of saving their environment.
"America’s Got Talent” for Marketing – Do it like them!
15 MILLION Viewers tuned in to watch this year’s (2011) season premiere of America’s Got Talent. However you may describe it as shallow, self-serving and at times just plain tasteless and is this why TV fans can’t get enough of it? Its sounds absolutely ridiculous and many advertisers as well as myself are enthralled. The question is how did they get this kind of clout and recognition? Apparently through a brilliant marketing strategy. The article which I discovered on the Cool Marketing Stuff website describes 5 reasons why America’s Got Talent for Marketing:
1. It fills a huge Gap
2. It is America
3. It is Entertaining
4. It is Unpredictable
5. It is Viral
It’s as easy at these five steps in creating a successful marketing strategy. Come on! If America’s Got Talent can do it.... so can you!
1. Find a gap in the market and fill it – do research in your field of interest and find out what could possibly be missing, be creative and fill this gap you find.
2. Just like America’s Got Talent appeals to all comers and pretty much every marketing demographic there is in the USA, you need to discover your target market and appeal to them as this is the only way your marketing strategy will be a success. Grab your market share!
3. Whether you love or hate America’s got Talent you have to admit one thing: it is entertaining! This is the key in today’s market; you have to provide entertainment and excitement for your customers as they are always looking for something new. Be as creative and exciting as possible, go crazy with ideas, think out the box and make it work. We all love something that provides a feeling of excitement.
4. America’s Got Talent is unpredictable from its contestants to what the judges have in store. Unpredictability also creates entertainment but most importantly creates surprises for customers which in turn create a sense of excitement. So be unpredictable, keep surprises coming and you are sure to captivate an audience as well as keep them for they will be coming back for more.
5. This is perhaps the most important of all... going VIRAL! America’s Got Talent provides TV fans with the opportunity to also take part in this ridiculous show where they can vote for their favourite contestant via their cellphones or the internet. This allows customers to feel engaged with the brand and that they also have some form of control over its end result. This keeps customers glued to the brand and produces enthralling results. So no matter what your product or service offering, go viral. In a world of social media that allows and encourages us all to post and promote our opinions about pretty much everything it allows for an interactive audience which is what any marketer wishes for. So go viral and get your audience to engage in your brand and let them have a say in it too so that they feel they have some form of control and purpose for choosing your brand.
Is it not interesting how effective a marketing strategy can be, it’s not always so much about the product or service itself but the way you market the product and sell it.
check this link out for more info: http://coolmarketingstuff.com/americas-got-talent-for-marketing/
Branding is More Relevant than Ever:
But what about new laws for cigarette packaging?
The Star: BAT opposes plain cigarette packaging (29 August 2011: 23)
The Australian Government is requiring that all tobacco products be sold in plain packaging. A new law is to be passed that will ban logos and colour variations on cigarette boxes. Packets will have to be olive green and carry health warnings within six months from January next year. The question is will the South African government follow Australia? The SA council however did state that they would follow any movement that reduced smoking.
British American Tobacco SA opposed this notion and stated that packaging was fundamental to consumer choice in a competitive market. If the South African company were to follow Australia what are tobacco companies to do? The question here is does plain packaging link to levels of smoking?
Ofcourse I have not done proper research on this but from marketing knowledge we know that branding is more important than ever as it creates a competitive advantage and thus we can assume that if cigarette brands are no longer going to brand they will not grow any further but remain stagnant for we can assume that all present smokers will still buy their cigarettes for they already know their brand. But new smokers will be stopped and those switching may also be stopped. Price also needs to be considered ofcourse but branding almost plays a more important role than price as for some consumers it’s about the image and quality that links with that brand image, so will price now determine the choice of cigarette purchase if all packaging had to be the same?
It will be interesting to see whether the plain packaging of cigarettes will reduce smoking amongst consumers and if not what is the determinant of the purchase?
