I understand the logic. Global name, economies of scale, re-vamp the image. However, I can't help thinking that changing the name from Norwich Union to Aviva is a bad idea.

Aviva is a name that is neutral, inoffensive, meaningless and therefore highly forgettable. It could be anything - a yoghurt, a feminine hygiene product, a mobile phone tariff. It will take a lot of time and money to make it stick and to mean something. Also, I don't think paying celebs a lot of money to take part in really poor ads is a good use of money. Much better to spend it on better products and services.

At least Norwich Union has been around a long time (since 1797) Its famous and memorable. It's got roots. It's got heritage. This must mean something in such a low interest category as insurance.

In the end, no-one's going to get really upset (unless you live in Norwich, maybe) as no-one really loves insurance enough to care. The only winners will be the marketing services companies who will be engaged in the re-branding exercise and the marketing director who  will add 'global re-branding' to his/her cv. Its a shame though, as I think that this kind of exercise gives the marketing industry a bad name.

Comment (0)

Innocent Drinks is one of the most talked about and admired brands within marketing circles. Its story is very compelling. No wonder marketing folk, many of whom work for very boring companies, love it. We all know the brand off by heart:

• co-founded by youthful bright entrepreneurs and run it with a personal touch
• ground-breaking, quirky design and non-conventional communication style
• a simple and very on-trend brand proposition
• a strong and authentic ethical stance
• premium quality (and premium priced) products

Of course, Innocent were not the first to adopt this individualistic, ethical way of  running their business. There was the Body Shop, the early incarnations of Virgin and of course Ben and Jerry's. Before them, John Cadbury.

And today many other categories have their own versions of the Innocent marketing mix. In the personal care / cleaning categories there's Method. In clothing, there's Howies, in snacks there's Burt's chips and of course, there's Coco de Mer in the market of er...erotica.

What intrigues me is:

• can the ethical vision of a brand survive the vision of its originators?
• can a brand maintain its integrity as it grows?

Evidence so far suggests that they can't. Body Shop was never the same in the post-Roddick era , especially now its owned by L'Oreal, its polar opposite. Equally Ben and Jerry's, now under the control of Unilever has lost its magic, so has Green and Blacks now that Cadbury owns it. Of course, the multinationals will claim that nothing has changed, they're managed as standalone companies and they've retained their integrity, etc. They would say that, wouldn't they?.

So let's see what happens to Innocent. In 5-10 years time once the owners have decided to pack it all and the company has ‘gone Global' with the help of Nestle / Pepsico / P & G, will it still be knitting woolie hats via an army of volunteers and giving 10% of its profit to charities? I'd love to think it would be....not sure it will though.

Comment (1)

With sales of over £500 million and over a million machines sold, Nespresso has been a phenomenal success. At the heart is a superb product, backed by a brave and ambitious marketing plan that has been brilliantly executed.

- an innovative channel strategy whereby the coffee capsules were only sold on-line and not via the normal supermarket channels

- partnerships with machine manufacturers to develop a range of co-branded machines retailing from £99 - £699

- the creation of flagship stores in prestigious locations

- Hollywood glamour via the endorsement of George Clooney

- Presence in top restaurants (Sketch, the Fat Duck)

All this from an organisation best known for selling jars of instant coffee, petfood and chocolate bars through supermarkets. Bravo.

Comment (1)

The latest Virgin Atlantic ad - click here -  is fabulous. Witty, beautifully executed, strong brand message, utterly self confident. I'm not a big fan of the Virgin brand. It's spread itself too thinly and is very hit and miss.

However, it really comes together with Virgin Atlantic - particularly if you're fortunate enough to have travelled Virgin Upper Class. With the limo service, fast check in, funky terminal 3 lounge and the on-board massages its hard to beat. One day perhaps, its rail service will rival its airline. Now that really would be an achievement.

Comment (0)

1. Cut Corners on Quality

Everyone is looking to save costs nowadays. This is really important and can make or break a business. However as soon as it starts to affect the fundamentals of your offer then you're in trouble. Your consumers will notice. Not at first maybe, but they will eventually. Then, when the next round of cost cutting comes around you're starting off a lower base. It's the road to nowhere.

2. Being Pessimistic

As soon as we start to lose self belief we're dead. Staying positive is essential in tough times. Anxiety, nervousness, stress will transmit itself to the people around you. You'll start to become tentative and underperform. Potential consumers won't want to deal with you. Then you'll be in deeper trouble.

3. Stemming the Innovation Pipeline

People often delay new product launches and spend less time and money on innovation during a recession. Now more than ever we need new products and services that inspire us, solve problems, make our lives easier, etc. A recession is a great time to put even more distance between yourselves and your competitors. Make sure you take advantage of this.

4. Slashing Prices

This is a tough one, I know. What do you do when you're competitors have reduced their prices? What happens if your customers ask for price cuts? You may need to promote to stay in the game, but avoid cutting prices too deeply for too long. Woolworths and MFI didn't go bust because they were perceived as too expensive.

5. Being conservative

Einstein said, insanity is ‘doing the same thing and expecting different results'.

Now's the time to try something new and different. Be bold. Extraordinary times require extraordinary actions. If there's a new customer you've always wanted to acquire, now's the time to land them. If there's a revolutionary new way of doing business that excites you, now's the time to go for it. Fortune favours the brave.

Or as Del Boy used to say ‘He who dares, wins'

Comment (0)

Tesco Featuring Des O'Connor

Reminds me a lot of the old Morecombe and Wise Christmas Specials, where Des was the butt of all their jokes. Funny - but with a strong value message.

Argos Garage

Very insightful depiction of the risks of last minute Christmas shopping. Its happened to us all, I'm sure. Slightly incongrous Stephen Fry voiceover, but adds to the humour.

 Marks and Spencer

This is where I'd like to be on Christmas day - at Twiggy's lovely house with lots of good looking women and having a sing a long with Take That.

 Waitrose

Beautiful production values, great soundtrack. Lovely images of people travelling home for Christmas.

Click on the titles to view them

Comment (0)

As I write, the future of the ‘much-loved' Woolworths brand is still up in the air. There's uncertainty over who the new owners will be and in what shape the business will emerge. Goods are currently being sold with up to 50% off at my local store and staff don't know whether they'll have jobs to come back to in the New Year.

So how can the business itself around? It's not easy and many people have tried and failed. However, here's a few suggestions:

Step 1 Focus on the Needs of Young Families

The brand is downmarket and old fashioned. It needs to re-juevenate its image and become more of a destination store for young families. As well as re-visiting the range - see below - it needs to offer additional services such as cafes, crèches and baby changing facilities to encourage mums to visit and spend time there. See IKEA for inspiration.

Step 2 Range Rationalisation

Woolworths sells too much stuff and most of it not very well. When you walk around the store its like visiting a car boot sale or a village  fete. There's all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff - potted plants, pick n' mix chocolates, frying pans, etc laid out in a haphazard fashion

Weird, low value items need to be ditched. Merchandising needs to be more imaginative and inspiring. I think a lot more could be done with the Ladybird brand, not only in the area of kids clothing. Its certainly got more equity than George.

Step 3  Make it Less Seasonal

People visit most often for Easter eggs and Christmas pressies. This makes it vulnerable to seasonable peaks and troughs. There need to be reasons to visit the store more often by offering more regular goods. In addition there should be more events throughout the year: Valentines Day, Summer Fun, Back to School, etc.

I've always been impressed by the way Tchibo changes its offer and range on a weekly basis to keep consumers coming back. Woolworths could learn from this.

Step 4 Really Deliver on Value.

Although the stores look cheap, what they sell isn't always great value given the level of competition from discounters. Ensure that at least certain items are the best value in the market. Its how the brand was built in the first place and it needs to re-establish this in the hearts and minds of the consumer.

Step 5 Create an Online Experience

Online retailing is on the up and Woolworths is lagging behind. In order to stop consumers continuing to turn to supermarkets and specialist on line retailers such Amazon and Play.com it needs to take this area much more seriously with great offers, free delivery and a more intuitive, interactive website.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Woolies over the next few weeks. Whoever buys it will be taking on the biggest challenge on the High Street. Whoever succeeds will deserve a knighthood.

Comment (3)

I used to like some of the Specsavers ads. It has a memorable end line and there's some fairly amusing executions, such as the one where the sheepdog gets sheared.

However, I do find the execution using Edith Piaf offensive and tasteless. This is a truly great song and she's a cultural icon. To take her words and her performance and associate it with a price promotion on glasses is sacrilege. It shouldn't be allowed. Is it because she's dead? Who are they going to pick on next? I dread to think.

Comment (0)