'Fresh' UK Marketing News from theMarketingblog

Q. Is the footwear industry on the edge? / Fiona Wyatt

Salman Khan_Relaxo_Hawaiin_Talking Mens Shoes

FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY ON THE EDGE?

It has been 5 years since the Global Financial Crisis, and economic recovery is well overdue. The IMF cited that the two most likely global risks for economic resilience is, fiscal imbalances and income disparity. The Footwear industry has certainly been impacted by both. 

You should include adverse weather, which has seen winter collections and summer collections selling so slow, that sales have been the feature of most retailers for far too long.

According to Euromonitor.com - Apparel and footwear has seen an hourglass consumption shape for 2013. This means that consumers are paying for premium and economy products over the mid price products.

The pattern appears to be, that the little growth in 2013, was not in Europe. Look at these figures from Europe:

  • Italy had unemployment levels of 12% in general, and 35% amongst the young.
  • Switzerland’s low temperatures resulted in retailers selling summer products cheap.
  • The men’s footwear section was hardest hit in the Netherlands, men did not spend as much on athletic shoes in favour of pairing up smart/casual look.
  • Pretty much the same could be said for Spain, France, Greece, Portugal.
  • The few glimmers of hope came from Austria, Finland and Poland who all saw an increase of 1% in their apparel and footwear sales.

The rest of the world fared better, however still painting a picture of cautious sales.

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Changing people’s attitudes towards ageing and getting them to celebrate later life / Age UK

Age UK, a charity dedicated to helping everyone make the most of later life, implemented a marketing campaign utilising Stackla aimed at changing people’s attitudes towards ageing and getting them to celebrate later life.

The charity kicked off the campaign with a TV advert featuring a poem written by Roger McGough that describes ageing as a “way of life” with people encouraged to share their ‘stories’ on social media about why age wasn’t a barrier to enjoying life.

The TV spot is supported by a “Love Later Life” social hub platform provided by Stackla that shows social stories from Age UK and the public that also features support from celebrities including Sir Roger Moore, Alastair Stewart and Zoe Wanamaker.

 It aims to encourage people to think differently about getting older and demonstrate older people’s role in society.

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What type of transparency do online advertisers really need? / Daniel de Sybel, Infectious Media

05 Aug 2014  |  Daniel de Sybel      

What type of transparency do online advertisers really need

Clients are rightly demanding more transparency in digital advertising, writes Infectious Media's Daniel de Sybel - but are they focused on the right type? It's time to make some clear distinctions.

"Transparency" in online display advertising has become somewhat of a dirty topic. Being accused of lacking transparency now carries connotations of nefarious media executives planning new ways of making money by increasingly obscure means. Advertisers are seen as the victims, tempted by promises of smart technology and more efficient buying, persuading them to spend more in areas they don't really understand.

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Jon Davey says "be hard core authentic"… #behca

I was talking earlier today to Pam Carvell, Life President of the Hotel Marketing Association for the UK… we’ve known each other since I built her first website a few moons ago… we were talking about how sales & marketing have changed over the years…

Once upon a time, if the MD of a big company liked you then they would simply give you the order… today that process has been hugely complicated, ensuring that what once was a few jovial conversations is now too much of a slog to be worthy of any great effort… chances are, if they go out to tender without knowing who the winner is first then how do you know if you’re not just wasting your increasingly valuable time? You don’t…

So you can spend a year dancing through hoops, only to get disqualified at the last hurdle without even knowing the blinking thing was there!

This changes sales into more of a marketing exercise… where you have to lay out your offering and allow the fishes to nibble… to swim round and check the other side… to visit other sources of nourishment… returning under their own steam, when they are good and ready, to finally take a bite.

How many times do you need to have contact with a prospect before they turn into a client?

Once it was 3… now it’s 33… and god forbid if you are not pitch perfect each and every time!

For me pitch perfect is not about being suited & booted, t’s crossed and i’s dotted… I’m not a tender sort of dude… I’m a man of action who in a world full of waffle cuts to the chase… if you don’t like my direct demeanour then we are unlikely to do business… so I’m increasingly finding myself saying it as I see it… I always like to think I have done that but I know I have held back in the past because I felt others might think it not “pc”.

But what’s the point… in 33 engagements I’m bound to relax and let my guard down, saying something “wrong” which I felt was right… so I guess the answer is to be real… be hard core authentic…#behca... say it as it is in your head and if someone doesn’t agree then we can agree to disagree and if this means it’s a deal breaker, do me the courtesy of letting me know so I’m not dicking around wasting anymore of my time ;)

You really want to be talking to those people who appreciate your brilliance…

Let me hear you tweet it from the rooftops #behca

Thank you.

Jon

FMCG / "Supermarket price war rhetoric has recently ramped up, stoked by Tesco’s slump in performance" / SPA Future Thinking

supermarket wars

POSTED BY: MIKE KELLY

Supermarket price war rhetoric has recently ramped up, stoked by Tesco’s slump in performance which has seen like for like sales fall by 3.7%, primarily driven by the rapid expansion of low cost retailers, such as Lidl and Aldi, and increased transparency afforded to consumers by online retail.

Figures released by the ONS in May show that food and non-alcoholic drinks prices have fallen by 0.6%, and while this might be a welcome statistic for consumers, it spells trouble not only for the supermarkets, but for the FMCG manufacturers stocking the shelves. As the likes of Tesco seek to maintain revenue, it seems inevitable that FMCG manufacturers can expect increasing pressure for deal selling, squeezing margins as supermarkets pass on costs. Knowing that this is coming, we take a look at how FMCG manufacturers can not only look to weather the storm, but thrive in challenging conditions.

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