Mobile and Me Time

When I usually explain the potential of mobile marketing to someone, I tend to use the expression "on the go". I usually say it is the opportunity to meet consumers on the go, to contact them in surprising (but brand or product related) situations. And I was reflecting on that when I was reading "How People Really Use Mobile" in HBR, a couple of weeks ago. Because that article, based on a InsightsNow research study for AOL and BBDO, defies that notion - it says that 68% of mobile consumption is at home! And that a massive amount of it is actually "me time" - the time we have only for ourselves, in which we actually are not interacting directly with anyone, we are relaxing, reading, watching a movie, reading (or writing...) blogs,... It raises a couple of questions:

- First of all, this means mobile devices are actually our retreat away from the world. That's the place we are ourselves and don't let much interfere with us. If mobile devices (which are actually, by definition, an extension of ourselves, the most individualistic gadget there is) are a way to reach consumers when they are "in me time", that makes them especially valuable to marketers - as it is a dimension that brands usually are not able to enter, a very intimate one. Just remember to be clever when doing it, because if you do it the wrong way, you will have a very angry rejection (remember consumers want that time for themselves, to be away from things like... advertising clutter!).

- "Me time" is a huge definition - just look at what I included when I defined it in the first paragraph. If we want to better understand mobile usage and how to better get advantage of "me time" potential, we need to go one level deeper and answer the question "what is mobile me time for my consumers?". Understand if it is reading, watching a movie, writing (or engaging in creative activities),... Only then will you be able to setup a communication strategy that actually suits this opportunity.

- My last question is actually a challenge. We are looking at "mobile" in an aggregate way - we are mixing in smartphones and tablets. I would love to understand if there are differences in usage between them - because, intuitively, I would say "home consumption" will be higher on tablets and smaller on phones, for the devices specs.

Ah! And last but not least - I swear I will not say "on the go" so much, when I am talking about mobile marketing...

http://hbr.org/2013/01/how-people-really-use-mobile/ar/1

Suppliers and quality

Third parties have many advantages, but bever forget they might also mean added jeopardy to your product's quality. Just thing about the 2 biggest flops of the moment:

- Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the most outsourced Boeing plane ever is nowadays grounded, after several safety incidents, meaning million of euros in losses for the American company;

- The Findus horse-meat scandal, in which a supplier is now accused of selling horse meat as beef.

The fact is that having third parties supplying key raw materials is many times the right thing to do - they offer competitive advantages that complement yours, and reinforce the product. But you should never lose control of the quality - you need to make sure you have adequate controls in place to ensure your product's quality is exactly at the "Value - Production Cost" equation's right spot. Never forget it! Or you might be heading for trouble...

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/-big-cost-seen-for-boeing-dreamliner-grounding-GidF~fWxREqPxG4JCh3dKw.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/11/world/europe/uk-horse-meat-probe/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Worth keeping an eye out for 2013 and beyond

JWT released their 2013 trends summary back in December. But it is still worth to have a look at what they say will be the backbone for consumer markets throughout the year - and actually the mega-trends that are at their roots and will be expanding beyond this year.

One of the mega-trends that actually goes across the selected ones is the increasing embedment of technology in our day to day life - not only from a business perspective, but as an enabler of "me-time", family and social interaction and leisure. It is curious how JWT even includes it in the sensorial trend, saying it will be an enhancer of that trend. But we shouldn't forget about business, and the "peer-to-peer" trend means that digital and social is a lot more than just media, it provides a backbone for business models (in case you have been distracted on this). This mega-trend is here to stay, and you should be well positioned to play on it for years to come, on its several dimensions.

Then, of course, you have a strong "me-culture" mega-trend that has been around for the last years - one about senses, about expressing one's creativity, about leaving a balanced, healthy, happy life. One that says, "I am what I am", and I need to make sure I am well, living my life the way I want it to be lived, touching the outside world with my own personality and ideas. This mega-trend won't disappear in the next few years (believe me), and is actually being enhanced by the interaction with the "technology embedment in life" one.

I think that the last mega-trend that I would like to highlight is about "location-me". The name is not intuitive (sorry for that, my fault), but it lives on a very simple platform - for years, the consumer had to move around to go shopping, experience culture, practice sport. What we see nowadays, is that the world around us actually starts coming to us - smartphones and tablets make you have social interactions at your fingertips, as well as news, online shopping opportunities,... But also, retail is seeking to change your purchasing moments - you won't have to go to a store anymore, businesses will try to get to you in unexpected / out-of-the-ordinary situations, because, as JWT says, "everything can be a retail channel". I think this one is slowly emerging, and it will only become more powerful in the years to come.

Now, if you still didn't do it, have a look at the summary of JWT's 10 trends for 2013 at http://www.slideshare.net/jwtintelligence/jwt-10-trends-for-2013-executive-summary

Appropriating communication cues

There are communication cues specific to brands and categories – the ones who have done their work really well, or that relate strongly with a consumer need. Whenever you watch a black and white commercial with a 50’s glamour you immediately associate it to Martini, when you see a beautiful model rotating her head so her hair flies and bounces you know that is a hair care commercial. Those are strong imprints in consumers’ minds, and are usually said to be the strongest form of branding.

That is why you need to be very careful not to include those cues on your communication if your brand or category is different. Because consumers will not actually identify your brand on it – their mind will automatically relate to the original one.

A very good example is the latest Depuralina commercial. The tone of voice that is used seems an institutional commercial, the text aligns with it with what seems like a “don’t eat so much for your own health” copy, the images are very similar to a high-speed internet ad – and then that is a pill to lose weight. But, the fact is the message is only passed on the last 7 secs of the ad – and before that, you had so many different unrelated cues that you are lost and your mind doesn’t capture the brand. That is the sort of result you don’t want to have when you are investing strongly in a new product.

But we also have a very good example of a brand that actually made it its own to play with cues from other brands. “SAPO” (the Portuguese internet service provider) has actually brilliantly played with classic commercials as the backbone of its communication. The trick here for branding though, is the tone of voice and, especially, the incorporation of their distinctive figure during the ads. You can see their “Martini version”  below. Cheers!

 

A basic of international marketing

One of the most fundamental truths of international marketing is "don't think that because you know a country you will know its neighboor". Because so many things change, in so many borders in the world! And don't get flawed by things like sharing the same language...

Let's look at Chile and Argentina. Yes, they share the same basic language (though you would be surprised at the number of different words), the same basic history (Spanish occupancy, revolutions led by the Spanish families settled there, periods of richness based on natural resources exploitation, far-right dictatorships during part of the XXth century), the same passion for grilled meat. But then, we shouldn't overlook the differences. The very different political landscape over the past 20 years, the differences in terms of European settlement (that contribute to explain why you feel everything in Santiago so organised and the stronger rule of Law), the stronger fascination by brands by the Argentinean consumers (and the price orientation of Chileans), the macro-economic picture (just look at inflation rates and you will astonished), the glamour of Argentinians vs the practicality of Chileans.

If understanding one's market and consumers is the key for good marketing, then, don't assume. Deep dive! Live with your consumers, breath the same air. Understand the differences vs the markets you know. Because, at that, it is the root for success!

Watch out for cross-selling

When you try to increment your cross-selling you need to be careful about a handful of dimensions. But one that is key is profitability, as highlighted on the latest edition of Harvard Business Review.

Cross-selling may seem a marketer dream - you are expanding the size of your customers checks with you, without the cost of acquiring a new one. But that may actually be deceptive, as there are no free lunches - you will probably have to communicate or give incentives for that basket increase. My advice on cross-selling is:

- have a good and solid profitability analysis and carefully monitor cross-selling in-market performance. It is easy that in products with different profitabilities, one of them might mask the other's lower margin. So, think about this;

- ensure you have the right incentives to your sales people. Make sure that they are being measured in terms of profitability and not volume;

- make sure you are taking all costs of cross-selling in your analysis.

- focus on your consumer. Why would those products association make sense? What can we ensure our customer is winning with this association? Remember that consumer and customer should be at the centre - not your cross-sell intention. Don't start selling baby diapers because a 80 years old is buying baby food.

But don't be afraid to cross-sell. It may just be the right think to do. You just need to make sure you are not taking your eyes from the ball.

Some of the best social campaigns from 2012

I will not dare to say these are the definitive 10 best campaigns from 2012 (I am noticing Red Bull Strato Jump is not there), but, if you want to see a number of good examples, backed by good monitoring, you might want to follow this link and see Nike, Cadbury and Old Spice mingling up with unknown brands on the best social campaigns for 2012. Enjoy!

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/11244-10-of-the-best-social-media-campaigns-from-2012