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Archives for 2011

Advertising: Viral Buzz or Brand Identity?

Today’s guest post is from Alan Grainger, discussing the appeal of the viral buzz over the stable brand identity.

Will Marketers Continue To Choose Viral Over Brand Identity?

The spread of viral marketing from simply being an online phenomenon to an accepted form of television advertising seems to have gathered pace this year, with some of the biggest brands choosing to ditch their time honoured identities in favour of spoof adverts.

Both Pizza Hut and Gillette have jumped on the “Compare The Meerkat” bandwagon by breaking with tradition and releasing humorous adverts with the intention of grabbing online interest too.

Both of these companies have some of the most ingrained brand images through their adverts and have created a strong and consistent message through their television presence. This is probably all the more reason for changing their direction so dramatically with these new spoof adverts and it is sure to awaken viewers who normally glaze over the standard generic adverts that they have seen for years.

It seems that whatever new product is being sold by either company, the advert is still the same, and this has been the bedrock of establishing a strong brand message for many years.

Pizza Hut & Gillette

We all know what to expect from a good old Pizza Hut advert. A family is bored and they don’t know what to do, they go to Pizza Hut, cut to a shot of the new product (invariably the same old pizza with a new way of shoving more cheese onto it), cue a shot of the cheese going all stringy and end with the family looking smug.

It’s the same with Gillette who have also been running almost the same advert for years. Enter a ridiculously good looking man (celebrity or otherwise) who doesn’t really look like he even needs a shave, strip him off (obviously), get a shot of him shaving and then cut to an animation of some blades cutting a hair. You then finish with a shot of him looking smug with an impossibly beautiful woman stroking his face.

The continuity of this brand message has certainly been successful for both of these companies for many years, but with every company currently looking to create a new way of standing out from their peers it seems that now is a good time to ditch the time honoured brand message ad and focus on something that will create a buzz.

Viral Buzz

In the case of these two companies it stands a good chance of working too. With such a predictable history of adverts, coming up with something radically new is likely to snap viewers out of their daze and force them to take notice of the ad. It is likely to create a buzz around the company and prompt people online to find out what all the fuss is about if they have missed the ad on TV. In this way it provides a good avenue for online exposure and may even have the effect of turning the campaign “viral”, being passed around, shared and consumed by online viewers.

Long Term Success

While this is likely to achieve a great deal of short term success, don’t bank on it being a long term solution. These companies have worked incredibly hard over the years to establish the right brand image, so you can prepare yourself for more of the same smug face stroking and stringy cheese in the future. Coming up with something funny and quirky is a great way of scoring short term success, but establishing a strong and trustworthy brand is a timely process that takes more than just a few novelty adverts.

Companies spend millions every year in using brand consistent advertising and promotional products to establish their brand identity, so it seems that while viral hits may produce some short term gains, building a strong brand identity is still key to long term success.

Thanks Alan!

Alan Grainger is an in-house B2B web marketer for The Corporate Gifts Company, a leading UK specialist in the business gifts sector. He writes articles exploring the issues faced by the B2B web marketer, giving an ‘in the trenches’ view from an in-house SEO department.

Corporate Eye Summary May 21, 2011

  • How Gender Affects Color Marketing and Branding
    Earlier this week, I wrote a post about an infographic that visually displays a great deal of information about how color affects purchase decisions.  Today, I want to share another infographic, which was created by the same company, KissMetrics. This infographic visually displays color preferences by gender and how the color and gender relationship affects […]


  • How Colors Affect Consumer Purchases – Get the Stats
    I’ve written about color marketing theory and how color affects brands and purchase decisions before on the Corporate Eye blog. It’s a topic that I find fascinating. This week, I stumbled across a great infographic created by KissMetrics last year that puts color marketing theory into perspective based on real world statistics. Everyone loves infographics, […]


  • Corporate Eye Summary May 14, 2011
    The Numbers Behind Social Checkins and Location-Based Mobile Apps Creating branded mobile apps is the hot topic for companies of all sizes, and incorporating social aspects into mobile marketing campaigns is just as hot. It seems like every brand is trying to find out how to engage with consumers who are on the move using […]


  • QR Code Scanning Skyrockets up 4549 Percent in Q1 2011
    Are you using QR codes in your marketing programs yet (see the explanation at the end of this post if you’re not familiar with QR codes)? If new research from Mobio Identity Systems is accurate, then you can probably assume that your customers are scanning QR codes already. The Mobio study reports that QR code […]


What Do Consumers Want When They Scan QR Codes?

Last week, I wrote a post on the Corporate Eye blog about the skyrocketing growth of QR code scanning, and this week, I want to share some more statistics that reveal what consumers want to get when the scan QR codes.

In a survey of smartphone users conducted earlier this year by MGH, 32% of respondents claimed that they have scanned QR codes — a much higher number than previous studies revealed. Furthermore, respondents cited the following reasons why they scan QR codes (via eMarketer):

  1. To get a coupon, discount or deal = 53%
  2. To get additional information = 52%
  3. To enter a sweepstakes = 33%
  4. To sign up to receive more information = 26%
  5. To access a video = 24%
  6. To make a purchase = 23%
  7. To interact with social media properties = 23%
  8. Other = 11%
  9. Don’t know = 2%

But what’s even more interesting in the MGH study is the finding related to what respondents plan to do in the future related to QR codes. 70% of respondents stated that they plan to use a QR code (either again or for the first time) in the future. In terms of future use, respondents cited the following reasons for wanting to scan QR codes in the future:

  1. To secure a coupon, discount, or deal = 87%
  2. To enter a sweepstakes = 64%
  3. To access additional information = 63%
  4. To make a purchase = 60%
  5. To sign up to receive more information = 53%

There is no doubt that QR code usage is growing quickly and brands that offer QR code experiences that add value to consumers’ lives are performing best. Today, offering coupons, discounts, contest entries, and deals through QR codes is a viable marketing option that can deliver positive short-term results. In the future, the desire to make purchases through QR codes will undoubtedly grow.

Your business needs to be looking ahead when it comes to QR codes, because this opportunity will evolve very quickly. Start testing now, so you’re not left behind tomorrow. For inspiration, check out the QR code to help clean up the Gulf of Mexico shown below, which was created by ScanLife and added to the Reuters billboard in New York City’s Times Square last summer following the BP oil spill.

And don’t look at QR codes with blinders on. According to the MGH study, 72% of smartphone user respondents stated that they would be likely to recall an ad with a QR code in it. In other words, QR codes can also positively effect advertising recall. Not bad for a little 2-D barcode.

What do you think? Are you using QR codes to market your brand yet? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

How Gender Affects Color Marketing and Branding

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about an infographic that visually displays a great deal of information about how color affects purchase decisions.  Today, I want to share another infographic, which was created by the same company, KissMetrics. This infographic visually displays color preferences by gender and how the color and gender relationship affects marketing and branding.

Following are some of the highlights from the infographic related to gender and color preferences:

  • Blue, red and green are universally liked by men and women with blue taking the top spot.
  • Orange and brown are universally disliked by men and women.
  • While women love purple, men absolutely do not like purple.
  • Orange and yellow are perceived as cheap colors.
  • Men are more accepting of black, gray and white than women.
  • Women are drawn a bit more to pale colors while men are drawn a bit more to bright colors.
  • Women are more specific when it comes to colors with an eye for the slightest color changes and names to match. For example, green could be called moss, pea, citrus, and so on, but to men, they’re all just green.

You can click on the image below to view the infographic at a larger size.

I actually laughed as I read through this infographic, because it brought to mind some real world situations. For example, I remember one time when I had a male boss who absolutely abhorred the color purple. Nothing we created for the brand could have any purple on it at all! I also remember several times debating the specifics of a color with my husband (we’ll use blue for the purposes of this example) and his response to me was always, “they’re all blue to me.”

Color can create a distinct and subconscious response in people and that reaction can vary by gender. Make sure you consider how color affects your target audience before you choose colors for your brand identity, packaging, and so on. It’s a decision that can have a huge impact on your results.

What do you think? Leave a comment and share your opinion.

How Colors Affect Consumer Purchases – Get the Stats

I’ve written about color marketing theory and how color affects brands and purchase decisions before on the Corporate Eye blog. It’s a topic that I find fascinating. This week, I stumbled across a great infographic created by KissMetrics last year that puts color marketing theory into perspective based on real world statistics. Everyone loves infographics, so I thought I’d share it with the Corporate Eye audience.

You can click on the image below to view the full-size infographic. Some highlights include:

  • 85% of surveyed consumers state that color is the primary influencer of purchase decisions.
  • Color increases brand recognition by 80%.
  • Impulse shoppers are most influenced by black, royal blue, and red orange.
  • Budget shoppers are most influenced by navy blue and teal.
  • Traditional shoppers are most influenced by pink, sky blue and rose.

I also found the following points to be particularly interesting:

  • 64% of online shoppers have decided not to make a purchase because a website loaded too slowly.
  • Amazon.com reports that for every 100MS additional load time of a web page, there is a 1% decrease in sales.
  • 42% of online shoppers base their opinion of websites on design alone.

These statistics support the concept that website usability and design must work together cohesively in order to build your brand, business, and revenues.  Color and design have significant impacts on consumers’ shopping and purchase decisions.  Don’t overlook their importance!

Stay tuned to the Corporate Eye blog — I found another cool color marketing related infographic that I’ll be talking about later this week!  In the meantime, what do you think about the statistics in the above infographic? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Corporate Eye Summary May 14, 2011

  • The Numbers Behind Social Checkins and Location-Based Mobile Apps
    Creating branded mobile apps is the hot topic for companies of all sizes, and incorporating social aspects into mobile marketing campaigns is just as hot. It seems like every brand is trying to find out how to engage with consumers who are on the move using social, location-based apps like foursquare and Facebook Places as […]


  • Going Social: Internal or External Team?
    This is a guest post from Carla Sanchez, discussing whether to outsource your social media activity, or to do it in-house. What do you think? Do let us know in the comments below. Corporate Social Media: Outsourcing vs. Hiring a Team Internally In the past few years, social media has quickly become one of the […]


  • Apple Steals Top Spot from Google as World’s Most Valuable Brand
    In the annual BrandZ rankings of the top 100 brands in the world from Millward Brown, Google has held the top spot for the past four years. Not anymore. The 2011 BrandZ Global Top 100 has been released and Apple stole the top spot from Google with an 84% increase in brand value from 2010 […]


  • Sustainability Reporting in the EU
    companies and readers agree (that the) regulation of the development of sustainability reports, the content of the reports and the verification of these reports could offer important benefits when it comes to quality, credibility and comparability of reporting


  • Corporate Eye Summary May 7, 2011
    Accounting for Sustainability | A Lost Jewel? What does December 6th 2006 mean to you?  Is it that it’s the anniversary of the independence of Finland from Russia, or Eire from the UK? Or is it some event which happened on that specific date: NASA declaring that it had evidence of liquid water on the […]