Table of contents for Feburary/March 2016 in Marketing

* CONTENT PARTNER: a Marketing Content Partner is an organisation with which we’ve entered into a partnership to collaborate on content for the magazine (see page numbers listed for each) as well as exclusive content only available to Marketing Advantage Pro Members. See marketingmag.com.au/advantage for more information. Marketing would like to recognise and thank the members of its Editorial Advisory Board for their invaluable guidance, including but not limited to Dr Michael Valos (chair), Caroline Ruddick, Erik Zimmerman, Mike Harley, Shannon Peachey, Trisca Scott-Branagan, Skev Ioannou, Cameron Woods, and Peter Little.…

“To catch a wave you have to, first, see it coming, second, give yourself the time to start paddling and, third, know how to stand up at the right moment.” When the theme of this issue of Marketing was mentioned, there was an obvious choice for me in regards to the topic I would write on: market leaders and first mover advantages… or disadvantages. As CEO of Effective Measure, I have been privy to the trials and tribulations of a start-up, which has involved being a first mover in emerging markets, being a market leader and also a market follower – but most of all seeing the pain and the glory associated with being a first mover. The start-up space is one that fascinates me and, after years of playing…

Campaign ‘Investment Heroes in Disguise’ Client ASX Agency MercerBell The challenge was to get the Australian investment community to reconsider equity options, so that people would start trading them again. Background: Equity options had an image problem. Australian investors didn’t fully understand them, and many saw them as a risky investment strategy. Consequently, brokers weren’t recommending options to their clients and the category was in decline. Used wisely, however, options have the power to protect, grow and diversify a portfolio. And it’s this positive message that ASX wanted to get out to investors, via brokers, seminars and training, so they would start to see options differently. Objectives: The challenge was to get the Australian investment community to reconsider equity options, so that people would start trading them again through ASX.…

Caroline Patrick’s recent move to the position of general manager, marketing and strategic relationships at Police Health in Adelaide, was carefully considered – after spending six productive and successful years in various roles at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. “I found about halfway through my career that it was really important for me to have a values alignment with the roles that I chose, so particularly over the past eight years I’ve been very deliberate about moving to organisations that are very strong on their value set,” she explains. “Specifically the purpose: if that company didn’t exist, would it actually make a difference to the people it services if it wasn’t there?” Police Health certainly ticked that box for Patrick – it’s a South Australia-based members’ own national private health insurance…

If you have a standardised sales process and metrics in place, there is a clear evidence trail. Having a sales team that gets results is integral to business success. That seems an easy enough goal, but how do you know who on the sales team is really driving success and who is actually holding the team back? It is critical that sales managers, along with senior company directors, are able to track and assess the performance of their staff. Unfortunately, too many companies do not have a quantifiable means of evaluating sales success, with recent research from data marketing firm JNR showing that 60% of businesses lack a reliable means of measuring sales performance. Sales team performance need not be a mystery. In order to know where your sales reps…

This morning, as well as being the day Marketing goes to print, forcing me to get this written, is the morning during which we’ve received the news about Coca-Cola’s new global brand strategy. This new ‘one brand’ approach, kicked off by the ‘Taste the Feeling’ campaign feels like big news… but I’m having trouble articulating why. It’s hard to tell whether the move is brave, or incredibly risk-averse. Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Coke Life will stop going their separate way, and the same creative is intended to roll out worldwide, from Japan to Mexico to Italy. Bear with me as I process my initial thoughts in this public forum – which may be risky if I’m completely misreading some things at this very early stage – in the…

THE SAMPLE n = 1000 When you are planning to purchase a product or service for the first time, do you look for companies that implement new innovations first? More respondents said they look for companies that implement new innovations than didn't, and males (56% said yes) seem to be slightly more interested in innovation than females (51% said yes). Thinking about the brands you own or services you use, would you say most of them are ‘innovative’ companies? More than two-thirds of all surveyed consumers said that brands they own or services they use were 'innovative' companies. Males were more likely to say yes (72%) than females (66%). Of the age groups, the 45-and-over group were more likely to say yes (73%) than the 30-44s (64%) and the 18-29s…

ALICIA MACK First, on the team front, never underestimate the extremely personal reactions people have to change of any kind. I had naively assumed that a digital change program would be different because people who work in digital know more than most that rapid change is an absolute constant. I presumed that the opportunities that were being afforded would override any worries or concerns. I presumed that everyone would be as excited about the changes as I was. I was unequivocally wrong. Regardless of the industry or the nature of the program, people will always revert to type in the face of change and, as the leader of that change, you need to put that at the top of your priorities. If I had realised this I would have approached…

Campaign Pet Health Centre launch Client Just For Pets Agency Brand Savvy Consulting Background: In 2013, Just For Pets (JFP) faced a David and Goliath battle for survival. The Australian-owned buying and marketing group represented 65 independent Australian pet retailers that trade under their own names – the IGA of the pet industry. Despite a $151 million group turnover and 180% five-year growth, JFP had just a 2% share of the $7.6 billion pet retail market and faced the burgeoning threat of sector corporatisation. The category's two major corporate players, Petbarn and PETstock, were acquiring smaller retailers, aggressively opening new stores and undercutting prices of long-established independents. Objectives: Just For Pets needed a way to unite the small business group towards a common goal, galvanise it against competitors and demonstrate…

Campaign Geographical expansion on a budget Client Bethanie Agency In-house With new aged care vacancies in the Harvey region and only $1500 of marketing funds available, Bethanie needed a smart solution. Background: As Australia’s population ages, services for the elderly are becoming more and more important. One major component of this is at home care – designed to allow people to live well in their homes. This style of care not only ensures that people stay safe and healthy, it also allows them to maintain ties with their communities and remain at home for longer – the goal of many aged citizens. Bethanie has been involved in aged care since 1954. Being aware of the ongoing need for care at home, Bethanie conducted a marketing campaign in 2014 to help…

Have you heard the joke about the 10 dressmakers? Have you heard the joke about the 10 dressmakers? It goes like this: A celebrity bride-to-be goes to 10 different designers and asks each to design her dress. But she needs it in two weeks not the usual six months. Each designer is thrilled to be asked. They research bridal fashion and overseas trends. Each brainstorms 50 ideas before settling on one. They then spend thousands on silk and lace and beading. They pull late nights and weekends sewing and crafting. Finally, exhausted, each presents their finished gown. The bride sits stony-faced as they file in, one by one, to show her their creation. The punchline? Only one designer gets paid. Nine get nothing. And the ‘winner’ is told to start…

“Even multinationals with a mature presence in China make myriad mistakes.” China’s internet regulations are always changing, highly complex and never well understood. But it is possible to successfully navigate the difficult rules and develop a site that performs and resonates within a Chinese market. REA Group did so recently with its new real estate site: www.myfun.com. It launched smoothly and the team has since optimised it further and seen: • a reduction in full render time by five seconds, • increased customer time on-site, and • greatly improved position in Chinese search engines. This is a standout example of a foreign company excelling digitally in China. Unfortunately, though, it’s not like this for most companies. Even multinationals with a mature presence in China make myriad mistakes. For the last…

“ The CMO job description has been described as ambiguous. Is this good or bad?” This year, the articles in this column seek to inspire a shift in the role of the CMO from one concerned with marketing execution and tactics (i.e. in charge of marketing communications) to one that provides insight and influence in the boardroom. To make this happen, CMOs need to hone their holistic and strategic skills. The experts interviewed for this article highlight that highly valued CMOs guide their organisations through uncertain futures. They also help shape organisational cultures and champion the customer’s viewpoint in strategic planning. There are two viewpoints: academic and practitioner. Many academic studies report that the CMO role varies between organisations, as the work carried out by CMOs seems to depend on…

“ Trust, another leadership quality, is often built on superficial signals of confidence, such as height, a deeper voice and adorning yourself with some bling.” Experience is a comb you earn after losing your hair’ – that was the answer I received from a former triathlon coach when asked if, after so many kilometres, he was able to find shortcuts in a race. He then explained that it is extremely important to build your foundations, which takes time, but occasionally less experienced competitors have an edge because they have not been regimented in conventional ways of training and competing. The same, I believe, is true for business and leadership in particular. Just knowing your stuff is no longer a competitive advantage when it comes to leading projects, people and companies,…

Adjective 1. Show someone or something the way to a destination by going in front of or beside them. 2. Be in charge or command of. 3. Set (a process) in motion. Noun 1. The initiative in an action; an example for others to follow. 2. Someone or something that may be useful, especially a potential customer, business opportunity or piece of information. 3. A position of advantage (first place) or the chief part played in a group, film etc. Origin: Old English laedan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leiden and German leiten, also to load and lode. “Even multinationals with a mature presence in China make myriad mistakes.” – Dave Anderson on lessons from REA Group’s successful launch in China, on page 86. “Trust, another leadership quality, is…

“ Sales said that marketing’s leads were no good, while marketing claimed that the salespeople were just lazy or incompetent.” Dear 2016... Our FY 2020 just ended, so it seems a good time to reflect on just how far our business has come since those problematic days back in the mid 2010s. You see, in our organisation we used to have big problems between sales and marketing. They both pretty much felt that they were somehow competing with each other. When we did not achieve our sales targets, blame and finger-pointing became the order of the day. Sales said that marketing’s leads were no good, while marketing claimed that the salespeople were just lazy or incompetent. We were not alone in this situation. Back in those days, the disconnection between…

This will be a pivotal year for companies to improve their ability to serve digitally savvy, empowered customers. To thrive in the age of the customer, Australian firms will internalise the concept of customer obsession, accepting the fact that digital innovations are disrupting their business models and creating customers who are not only empowered but entitled. Companies can no longer view digital touchpoints as bolt-ons to core business processes and must instead define strategies to support multiple touch points from a single digital platform. In 2016, successful marketing leaders in Australia (and across the region) will accept the fact that digital strategies and business strategies are rapidly becoming one and the same. Accelerate your own understanding by working with other business leaders to address three acute strategic and operational challenges:…

As leaders, we need to foster a culture that is not fearful of failure, but embraces decisions that allow us to learn and redesign for the next iteration. Most people have a ‘thing’. Mine is asking people at parties one simple question: ‘What’s keeping you up at night?’ Leaving the more random responses to that question aside… I’ve found that when talking to business leaders, without exception, their unwelcome 3am ceiling-staring will trace its roots back to the dreaded D-word: disruption. Every industry is experiencing some form of disruption. The marketing, advertising and media industry has myriad disruptors ranging from the growth of omni-channel distribution platforms to BuzzFeed. The short end problem for our industry is the shift in power that the disruptors create. Clients can measure campaign performance to…

What makes this campaign even more powerful is that Converse identified these artists to not only be creative partners, but also to be the core consumers of the brand. Last year proved to be a great one for brands that have used music as their hook to create meaningful and personal connections with consumers emotively. We’ve seen how music has driven marketing in full force this year, producing significant results. It has left little doubt that an effective way into a consumer’s heart is through their ears. In this article, I will share my favourite campaigns that have successfully used music as a marketing tool to turn music-loving fans into brand-loving fans. 1. CONVERSE USED MUSIC TO GIVE BACK TO ITS CORE DEMOGRAPHIC – THE MUSICIANS This is one of…

“ I demand respect!” he roared and slammed his clenched fist down hard on the table to stress how desperate he was. We sat there staring. Embarrassed for him. Sad for him. Amazed at how he could be so unaware of the irony in his words and behaviour. You can’t demand respect. You have to earn it. And if you want others to do something for you (and do it well), then you need to be aware of this. Being respected is probably one of the most powerful elements of being an effective leader. What does being a leader really mean? There are as many definitions as there are leaders! Often what forms our view of a leader is based on experience. Personally, I think my greatest learnings of leadership…

“ Before we even start designing what we make, we should know where it fits in terms of price. Price simply can’t be an afterthought.” There are a lot of definitions of what a brand is, but I’m more interested in what a brand should do. In my mind it should do the following: provide a set of cognitive shortcuts to its audience. Contrary to what we may think, its audience doesn’t have to just be those who are in its potential market. Strong brands send a message to everyone, both lovers and haters. Often, a brand needs to also send a strong message to those who will never use, buy or consume it. And this is most important when it comes to the extreme edges of pricing. Yes, products…

Shopping success Aldi was my marketer of the year in 2015 and it’s hard to imagine the brand will take a backward step in 2016 now that it has entrenched itself in the Australian retail landscape. I must admit I was a little sceptical of its humble entry way back in 2001. Now fast approaching 400 stores and with plans to expand into Western Australia and South Australia, the brand has led the way in redefining the concept of value. Where this was once all about being thrifty, a tag many stores have sought to claim, the Aldi focus is on being a clever consumer. Essentially, the brand empowers shoppers to visit its stores by making it emblematic of social savviness and street smarts. An apparent move to freshen up…