Marketing blogs by LEON Bailey Green

Having looked at many trainers on various online footwear stores (research purposes) I was overwhelmed with the amount of shoe technology jargon.

I never knew so much technology was involved in designing trainers.

It all sounds so good, and I’m sure most of the technology in the trainers produces the desired effect of increased performance.

Already hailed by Vogue and InStyle Online fashion accessories store Lily and Lionel launched two weeks ago.

I am confident Lily and Lionel is a luxury brand to watch out for - the concept is borne out of Alice Stone’s true passion for fashion and love of travel, all inspired by her late grandparents; the real Lily and Lionel.

”A pound invested online is far more effective than one spent offline” say Martha Lane Fox - Read my take on Martha’s comment on the Market Sentinel blog.

Behind every new look, new launch or new advert there has been thought as to how it will affect the industry, press and most importantly the end consumer.

Rebrands get planned months, if not years ahead. To make sure they’re right.

What does our new brand need to reflect? How will our current consumers/customers feel about it? Who are we trying to speak to with our rebrand? 

Product launches take years to master. To make sure they’re right.

Who would buy this? Why would they buy it? Where would they buy it?

And a lot of effort, by a lot of people goes into creating TV adverts, to make sure they’re right too.

How can we make impact? What times and which channels will it be on? Do we need a celeb in it?

Many will present a rebrand, product launch or advert and tell those in charge of their online – “this is what we’re doing, make our online fit”.

The wrong way round? I think so.

According to consultancy firm Intangible Business the value of Bernard Matthews has dropped £20m in the past year.

Unsurprising news after the Jamie Oliver led Turkey Twizzler bashings and the uncontrollable Avian Flu disaster.

But when a brand is down, the only way is down even further or up, up and up.

Bernard Matthews has chosen the up path, with a new name in tow, adding Farms to the brand name to become Bernard Matthews Farms.

Amazon has been with many of us since our internet lives began.

The brand is a constant. Always reliable, always selling books cheaper than Waterstone’s and generally always there.

By there, I mean our email inboxes. Amazon likes to keep in touch.

Economic downturn = offline advertising (unmeasurable) spend down, online marketing (measurable) spend up?

That’s what a lot of people seem to be saying [here and here]. But not me.

Not entirely anyway. I can see online marketing spend increasing in line with the already forecasted increases, but in terms of a higher jump because of the downturn no.

Internet business has changed to meet the demands and expectations of the growing numbers of online shoppers, shifting their pounds from the high street to the internet.

But with many high street stores now offering the same prices as their online counterparts, the internet is no longer always cheaper.

Let’s take a look at how online stores can launch an offline presence to continue the trend of growing numbers of online shoppers, now that price is no longer a stark differentiator.

Web to high street
Taking a successful online operation to the high street seems to be a key move for fashion websites. Other sectors must follow surely?

You’ve just embarked on a marketing campaign for your website, the visitor numbers are going up but you want these users to engage with you in the future too. So how do you sign up visitors to register on your site or newsletter?

See my article on the Enterprise Nation website.

This is round two of marketing the L’Oreal brand to black women, who spend three times more on beauty products than their white counterparts – and with a growing black middle class on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s a target group not to be ignored.

Any number of entities could have been the target of vitriol after the release of the advert; Beyonce, the creative director of the advert or even the magazines which published it could have taken the hatred, but L’Oreal picked up this unfortunate tab.

This week on E-Consultancy I asked the question ‘Is the role of the SEO dead and should PRs own natural search?’.

This week on my Drapers blog you can read my views on celebrity fashion brands analysing online conversations.

Orange is now encouraging people to find their website by typing ‘I Am’ into search engines instead of advertising www.orange.co.uk.

At first I thought it was quite clever and innovative, but I am surprised that the only Orange presence for a search on ‘I am’ is in the sponsored listings.

Last week I was forwarded an email with various “mashups” of Cadbury and Nestle brands.

With everyone apparently “feeling the pinch” discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have seen year on year sales rise by 13% and 20% respectively.

It’s the perfect time for Aldi and Lidl to increase marketing activity. With more of their shoppers coming from the middle classes, how can they market themselves to attract more of these affluent shoppers?