It could be said that there are two key factors to delivering a marketing message:

1. Knowing what message to deliver
2. Knowing which platform to deliver it on

Based on some stats recently released by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA), it would appear that mobile web is fast becoming a platform to focus on.

The survey’s highlights include:

• 10 million people in the UK now browse the internet on their mobile every week
• Those accessing the mobile web do so for on average 6.3 hours/week
• That’s more time than they spend reading newspapers (5.3hrs) or magazines (3.7hrs)
• 46% use the internet whilst watching TV

These stats simply reinforce what us marketers already know: marketing on mobile is going to be huge. Very soon, having a mobile element to your marketing campaign will be a must, rather than an option.

But before you rush off to start designing your mobile apps and widgets, you need to consider whether your customers are active mobile web users. After all, the mobile web is still a predominantly young user base.

Whilst the EIAA survey found that 43% of 16-24 year olds and 26% of 25-34 year olds are accessing the mobile web regularly, I expect the numbers plummet past 35.

The fact is that despite all the fanfares on the millions now accessing Facebook and using branded apps on their mobiles – millions aren’t.

Why Labour’s focus on direct mail is a smart move

Some have been quick to judge the Labour party’s decision to allocate most of its budget to direct mail as a sign that it ‘doesn’t get’ the internet and is past the times. But focusing on direct mail might, actually, be a smart move.

With modern digital printing technology, they can create campaigns which are personalised to feature local issues, as well as those of national concern. Making their marketing more relevant to each individual means it could be more effective than a high profile poster campaign delivering the same message to every passer by.

If they had the budget for it, I’m sure Labour would have happily blitzed every platform. But focusing on direct mail is probably their best chance of engaging with their traditional Labour support base. Spending millions on mobile isn’t, yet, the most suitable strategy.

If Labour were really smart, they’d be integrating their direct mail with personalised URLs leading voters to websites customised with policies to match each voter’s interests. Maybe by the next election their marketing will have caught up.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

One is Steve Jobs’ latest gift to the world of technology. The other is a treatment for sickness using highly diluted substances. So what can they possibly have in common, I hear you ask?

Well, in the last two weeks both have been the subject of online backlashes against what their critics say is marketing hype. More than ever, using hype to promote your product is a dangerous game. Making exaggerated claims might be a fast track route to building interest and exposure. But when your product fails to live up to the hype you’ll find your credibility derailed.

These days, people are only too happy to blog, Tweet and share their rage when they think they’ve been hoodwinked by a cynical marketer.

‘iPad Sucks’ – 667,000 Google hits and counting

When Steve Jobs chose to unveil the iPad with the adjectives ‘revolutionary’ and ‘magical’ he was met by a wave of criticism from people with adjectives of their own.

Within hours the internet’s influential tech bloggers had unleashed a barrage of negative posts, comments and articles on what they saw as the iPad’s failure to live up to the hype.

From the way the iPad was promoted people were expecting it to have a new slick interface or built in projector. When it was shown to appear little more than an enlarged iPhone (without the camera) people felt misled, and a backlash ensued.

‘Homepathic overdose’ – 622,000 undiluted hits

Two weeks ago hundreds of ‘sceptics’ gathered outside branches of Boots to ‘overdose’ on homeopathy remedies in protest at the selling of remedies they said were ‘scientifically absurd’.

Now, this blog isn’t the place to debate whether taking highly diluted substances will cure your cough. But it’s interesting to note that, according to a Guardian article, one homeopathy pill maker spends €108 million on marketing and only €6.5 million on research.

Awareness of the homeopathic overdose campaign was spread, largely, by the online community of sceptic bloggers and podcasters. The fact that it generated so much exposure in the traditional press reflects how people now have the tools to challenge what they see as marketing hype and can more easily take their protests into the real world.

Be careful about your marketing’s claims

So will brands respond to the changes in consumer power and cut back on the exaggerated claims made in their marketing? I’m not holding my breath. I read today that luxury soap maker Dove plans on promoting a new range based on scientific knowledge that took 15 years to develop.

Let’s hope those claims prove to be true. Who knows, there might be a community of dry skin bloggers already with their hands hovering over the keyboard.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

If people are spending most of their online time on social networking sites, is this where most of your digital budget should be going? Well, Coca Cola certainly seem to thing so. It recently announced it would be abandoning campaign websites, for future product launches, and focusing on social networking sites instead.

And they’re not the only big brand to do so. Kellogg’s and P & G have also announced similar moves in going to where their customers are, rather than trying to entice them to their branded sites.

So is this where online marketing is heading? Are social networks the future of online marketing? Or are Coke, Kellogg’s and P & G abandoning campaign websites too early?

Well, to work out the answers to these questions, let’s assess the benefits of both:

Benefits of Facebook

• It’s where your customers are spending the majority of their online time
• You’re only a mouse click away and don’t need to build a time consuming and expensive SEO and site awareness campaign to attract visitors
• Creating a Fan Page is free, quick and easy
• Did I mention that it’s free?
• People actively engage on Facebook commenting, uploading photos and sharing interesting links, helping them to feel like part of the campaign
• Awareness spreads virally when people joining Fan Pages appears in the news feed

Benefits of Campaign websites

• You have more freedom in the type of brand experience you can create. You’re not reliant on people clicking through the tabs or having to squeeze everything into their template
• You can capture email addresses and contact details for follow up marketing activity
• You have access to metrics on number of visitors, time on site and where people are clicking to gauge the success of your campaign

Based on the above, I think it’s a safe bet that Facebook will be offering marketing packages to brands, which give them access to metrics and user data, in the near future. Facebook is, after all, still struggling to make a profit and will want to take full advantage of its gargantuan (and active) user base.

Advice on campaign websites

When it comes to building a successful campaign site, our advice is to consider how you’re going to engage visitors’ interest and encourage repeat visits.

Are you hoping they’ll sit through your Flash presentation and then immediately want to buy your product?

Or do you want to build a place where likeminded people can congregate and interact over their shared passions and interests, and build an affinity for your product over time?

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been offering suggestions on engaging with customers using social media. Now, giving advice is easy. Following through on it is the tricky part. So to prove we’re not just hot air at bda, here’s a rundown on our social media marketing strategy:

1. How we engage

As you might have guessed, our primary tool for engaging with social media, and the online marketing community, is through our blog. We publish a variety of posts to share our views, offer advice and give readers some insight into the thinking behind the work we do. The types of articles we write include:

• Discussing what’s happening in the fast paced marketing world
• Sharing the results of marketing surveys and commenting on their significance
• Advice on implementing modern marketing strategies, notably email, PURLs and integrated campaigns
• And the occasional post about who’s pulling the levers at our agency

As well as sending weekly posts to subscribers, we repackage our blog posts into an email newsletter which we send to existing clients. We also occasionally pull articles together to create a ‘Greatest Hits’ eBook, which people can download and share without a pesky email signup box getting in the way.

2. Contributing to our networks

With our blog the engine running our social media marketing campaign, we like to ensure our posts get spread around and shared with as many people as possible. So you’ll often find links to our latest articles featured on a variety of marketing websites, including:

Internet Marketing News Watch

Marketing Service Talk

Business Week’s Business Exchange

Junta42 Content Marketing

UTalk Marketing

You’ll also find the bda team active on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook as well as taking part in discussion in a variety of online marketing forums and websites.

3. Earning positive attention

When writing blog posts, we always aim to provide readers with practical advice they can actually use and apply to their own marketing. We also like to offer fresh opinions and to challenge hype (which, let’s face it, can be fairly common in the Web 2.0 marketing world). It’s through being useful and offering practical advice that we earn the positive attention that we do.

With Twitter being the yardstick for measuring interest these days, a couple of recent blog highlights include:

When Social Media Backfires - Tweeted 53 times

Conversational Marketing – Should You Believe the Hype? – 36 Tweets

What someone should tell Tiger Woods about marketing in a crisis – 27 Tweets

4. Gauging success

It’s no secret that blogs are great for improving website rankings and attracting links from other sites. In the month prior to starting to blog regularly our website received 360 visitors. Less than two years later and our visitor numbers have nearly quadrupled to over 1200 a month. We’ve also amassed 212 comments and links from other blogs sharing our posts with their readers.

How these figures translate into sales is a conundrum that’s still baffling social media experts. However, we like to approach its value in the same was as any type of marketing: does it boost our reputation for thought leadership, build credibility in our expertise and make our website a more useful resource to potential clients?

When choosing a marketing agency clients also want to know whether you’re switched on to what’s happening in the marketing world and plugged into the new ways of engaging with customers. We like to think that’s what our social media marketing strategy achieves for us, and helps spread the bda brand name at the same time.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

In this year’s marketing predictions (ours included) there’s no shortage of people preaching on how influence is being plucked away from the fingers of brands. No longer are people settling for what they’re fed in the sales pitch, but are now checking for reviews and real life experiences online. Well, I experienced this firsthand when shopping for a tent to take my kids away on holiday to the Lake District.

In previous years, buying a tent would have involved jumping in my car, heading to the nearest outdoor activities shop and then picking up whatever appeared most suitable. Whatever I chose would have been decided purely by the sales information I found in store.

Not so now. These days you can use the web to track down the opinions of other consumers in minutes, and find out all the nitty gritty details missing from the brochure.

Word of mouth is more trusted

Initially, I’d thought one of the cheaper tents would be adequate. Being relatively warm and, of course, waterproof seemed the only factors I needed to worry about. However, after reading a few negative reviews I discovered that whilst the cheaper tent was waterproof it was prone to leaking at the entrance. Not wanting to wake up with wet feet, I decided based on positive reviews to opt for the more expensive model.

What this brief example shows is just how important word of mouth is becoming in marketing. People are more cynical of marketing than ever; thanks to the web they can sidestep the sales pitch altogether to get the ‘real deal’ on a product’s true value.

This new age of transparency has some marketers worried. But it also presents an opportunity.

Harnessing word of mouth in your marketing

The ease with which people can share opinions means poor products and services can no longer be disguised behind clever copywriting and Photoshop. Complaints and criticism can spread in hours, undermining million pound marketing budgets in the process.

As my example shows, superior products (even if more expensive) will become easier to sell because of people’s trust in real life reviews. Customer feedback can also be incorporated into product design – no amount of testing is going to be as effective as the real life experiences of thousands.

So, as the transparent age approaches, marketers can choose to bury their heads in the sand, and ignore what’s being said about their products, or they can hail the rise of the consumer and incorporate the online conversation into delivering better products and more authentic marketing.

Next week: How to develop a social media marketing strategy

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Is your marketing aimed at building closer bonds or telling people how wonderful you are? If it’s the latter you might want to head back to the whiteboard. The fact is that consumer mindsets are changing; the ability to share opinions globally, in mere hours, is irrevocably changing the nature of marketing.

No longer can we simply spoon feed people advertising whilst they’re slumped in front of the TV, or carpet bomb messages they’re now adept at sidestepping. People just aren’t listening anymore when there’s so much noise to contend with.

Added to this is the recession tightening purse strings and hardening people’s resolve not to be bullied into buying ‘stuff’.

So what we’ve now arrived at, in 2010, is the rise of the cynical, sceptical and often critical consumer, who’s not shy of sharing their opinions with friends, followers and the search engines. With consumers now less trusting, building more personal relationships will be the key to marketing in 2010.

Here’s a rundown of some of the trends to watch out for this year:

1. Driven by the proliferation of laptops, smartphones and internet enabled TVs, people will be going online more often and from more locations – positioning digital closer to the centre of marketing campaigns, rather than an offshoot

2. Despite what some digital fanboys might say, direct mail still has a role to play. Surveys show that people prefer to receive offers in print. But to help print survive it needs to be supported by email, personalised URLs and mobile to enhance its relevance and impact

3. Digital advertising will become more targeted as advertisers start using data on where visitors have been and what they’re doing. Expect a backlash when complaints on privacy lead to rushed government legislation. You can pre-empt this (and build trust) by making it clear what data you’re collecting and what visitors gain in return

4. Expect more cases of multi million pound marketing budgets being ruined by critical or mischievous consumer generated content

5. Brands will create their own media channels (and sidestep the traditional media) offering consumers valuable content, useful apps and branded live events

6. Search gets social –Tweets and status updates will start appearing in the search results, making customer service more integral to marketing

7. Crisis marketing – the ability to spread negative opinions globally in hours means you must have a plan in place for monitoring what’s being said, and have the tools to respond and be a part of the conversation

8. Social networking will fragment as teenagers abandon Facebook to escape snooping parents and as people form private networks amongst those whose opinions they actually care about. This will make the job of identifying where customers are congregating that little bit trickier – you won’t be able to just slap up a Facebook fan page and tick social media off the list

9. Mobile will come of age as people start buying more than just ring tones. Short code and coupon marketing will become more widespread, and smartphone apps will evolve from mere gimmicks into useful tools

10. 2010 is going to be an interesting year for marketers, and one in which you’ll need to significantly update your job description as marketing becomes integral to everything a company does

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Tomorrow there will be people wondering whether their Christmas wishes will be granted this year. And marketers are no exception, many of whom will be hoping for some festive cheer after what has been a difficult year.

Here are five wishes we think many marketers will be hoping come true this Christmas:

1. Proliferation of smartphones

Smartphones are an exciting prospect, with their flashy touch screens, the explosion in the popularity of apps and because they’re such a personal device. There have certainly been some impressive marketing hits and misses this year. As we learn from those who got it right and avoid the mistakes of those who got it wrong, smartphones will become an integrated part of the marketing mix.

Even if millions of people don’t get smartphones in their stockings this year there’s no need to feel glum. There’s still plenty of fun to be had with short codes and coupons in the meantime.

2. More businesses realising the importance of the web

I could sprout off some stats about the millions who went shopping online this Xmas and the millions more searching for product information throughout the year. But I think a timely example is the recent race in the music charts. The X Factor marketing juggernaut had the power of TV, radio and in store advertising powering its campaign. Rage Against the Machine had Facebook.

Rage’s victory (on download sales alone) was a great demonstration of social media flexing its muscles to influence opinions and spread ideas. More businesses need to realise that online is where their customers are spending more and more of their time, and invest in their web presence accordingly.

3. More investment in PURL campaigns

We bang on about PURL campaigns a lot on this blog, and for a good reason –they’re just so darn effective.

Marketing needs to be targeted and personalised if it’s going to appeal to people weary of being carpet bombed messages of little relevance or value to them. PURL campaigns, whether integrated with print or email, enable you to deliver customised messages based on an individual’s preferences and capture data for future campaigns at the same time.

In 2010 you’ll need to be marketing smarter if you want people to listen, which is why many marketers will be hoping they get the funds they need to deliver targeted PURL campaigns next year.

4. Less spent on celebrity endorsements

The implosion of brand Tiger has had many brand strategists shaking their heads and saying we’ve already seen the first and the last one billion dollar brand.

Whether or not Tiger Woods seeks deliverance on Oprah, brands are now nervous of risking millions having their identity stapled to a fallible human being. Many marketers will be hoping the millions saved on celebrity endorsements can go on campaigns they can more easily predict and control.

5. Job security and rebuilt teams

2009 has certainly been a difficult year. Despite everyone agreeing that marketing more in a recession is the smart thing to do, most companies have guillotined budgets, leaving depleted teams scrambling around to deliver the same results on a shrunken budget, slowing momentum and dampening morale.

With signs of brighter times ahead, many marketers will be hoping the grip on the money hose is loosened, and they can start rehiring and jumpstarting campaigns that have been put on hold.

Here’s hoping that Santa makes some of these wishes come true and spreads some festive joy for all the overworked marketers out there this Christmas.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

“As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs.” – A Gillette statement as expertly spun as a Tiger Woods chip

Only two months ago Tiger Woods was being hailed as the world’s first billion dollar sportsman. Well, since then he certainly hasn’t been behaving like a billion dollar brand. As the criticism grew the more silent he became in what is a worsening PR disaster for the troubled golfer.

Going silent in a crisis might have worked in a time when you could control the messages being spun in the media. Not so now. The power of social media means people can spread rumours and opinions at a startling rate. Which is why speaking out in a crisis is vital, otherwise inaccurate claims go unchallenged and silence is equated to guilt.

Social media has sped up the need for crisis marketing

Whether it’s sharing opinions on Russell Brand, Jan Moir or BA’s cabin crews, it seems as though every week there’s another story being driven by what people are saying online. Nowadays people rush to comment, Tweet, join Facebook groups and angrily hammer out blog posts to fan the flames of that week’s raging debate.

Much of what’s written isn’t fact checked or balanced, with many false claims accepted as truth. So you must speak up and be part of the debate if you want to challenge inaccuracies and diffuse negativity.

But first you must have a marketing plan in place for when a crisis occurs.

How to market in a crisis

Listen – Before you can respond to criticism you have to be able to hear it. So you’ll need to set up listening posts in the form of RSS feeds for Google, Twitter, YouTube and anywhere else you think your brand name might be mentioned. You’ll then be able to listen to what’s being said so you can prepare your response.

Respond – Paralysing in a crisis isn’t going to win you friends. So you should aim to respond to an outbreak within 24 hours. In this era of transparency and sharing of information, denial will only backfire. Instead you should acknowledge the situation, explain why it has occurred and say what you’re doing to put it right.

When responding you could follow Dominos’ example and post a YouTube video (the most appropriate response in its case), start Tweeting or send out a press release. Publishing a statement on your website is a must.

Make sure you have a process for approving anything you publish and stick to a consistent message. Impulsive, off the cuff comments can live for a long time online, no matter how quickly you try to delete them after.

Prepare for a successful relaunch

In 1982 US painkiller brand Tylenol faced the disaster of a tampering scare. But through the way its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, handled the situation it emerged more trusted and with a larger market share. This reversal of fortune became known as a Tylenol 180, and is a legendary example of successfully turning a disaster into an opportunity.

When crisis occurs, holding your hands up and saying how you’re going to make things right can actually deepen your customer relationships. You can then start planning for a successful relaunch, because the story of redemption is a powerful one.

With sponsors abandoning him daily, Tiger Woods will need to make his tear filled appearance on Oprah soon, or find another way of relaying what the Tiger brand is now about. The longer he stays silent the more time (potentially) false claims will have to weaken his deteriorating marketing muscle.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

This year the Fairtrade Foundation celebrated its 15^th birthday. Over the years it has helped improve the livelihoods of more than 7 million people throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. It’s a well respected organisation, fighting a noble cause. But as more shoppers opt for ethical brands, are companies going Fairtrade just for the marketing value?

This week Nestlé announced its Kit Kats (the four fingered variety anyway) are to be made from Fairtrade cocoa. It’s estimated the extra cash will benefit 8000 Ivory Coast farmers, with more funds being poured into education, healthcare and training.

But with Nestlé arguably the UK’s most boycotted company (thanks to their controversial marketing of baby milk), the news has hardly been greeted with universal praise. Nestlé’s critics have come out in force to question whether its gesture is genuine or just a cynical marketing ploy.

Nestlé aren’t the only company to be put under the ethical spotlight this year, with Starbucks, Cadbury and Tate & Lyle now all basking in a Fairtrade certified glow.

Going green is big business

These days you won’t just find ethical shoppers in Bodyshop and buying wicker baskets in specialist boutiques. The ethical market is now big business, with UK shoppers spending 40 billion green pounds last year. Many High St retailers now sell eco fashion ranges, whilst you can fill your home with sustainably made furniture and choose from 45oo Fairtade certified products.

In a recent survey 82% of consumers said they prefer to buy from companies that are socially and environmentally responsible; 23% will do so even if they’re products are more expensive. So it’s no wonder brands are eager to give their marketing an ethical stamp.

‘Green washed’ marketing risks a backlash

In 2007 the Advertising Standards Authority warned that the ‘green’ claims being made in many marketing campaigns might not be authentic. This followed action against a number of car manufacturers for their shaky claims on the ‘clean technology’ used in their cars.

The ASA’s warning seems timely, with so many brands now eager to paint themselves with a green tinted brush. But in the rush to go green many are forgetting the other values that are intrinsic to being seen as ethical: authenticity, honesty and trustworthiness.

As with all claims made in marketing, if brands are seen to be wearing green badges they don’t deserve they risk a backlash when their misdemeanours are exposed. This is why I don’t expect to see a rush of people lifting their embargo on Nestlé products anytime soon.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

With Christmas fast approaching, there will be plenty of people hoping for smartphones in stockings this year. Amongst them will be Google, who’ve just shelled out £449 million on Admob, a mobile advertising company. Dumping such a huge pot of cash on mobile has been seen as preparing for mass market adoption of smartphones. It’s expected that soon there will be millions more smartphone owners eagerly consuming content, and the ads to go with it. But in all this anticipation for smartphones, are some companies missing out on a mass market mobile marketing opportunity that already exists?

Now don’t get me wrong: I’m as excited as the next marketer about the opportunities offered by touchscreens, mobile apps and miniature web browsers. I just think that, in all the excitement, many companies are ignoring a way of engaging people on mobiles that’s popular, is already proven and offers one of the most immediate response mechanisms around.

What am I talking about? Why, the humble text message of course.

Marketing with short codes

Whilst some wait eagerly for the age of the smartphone, many smart marketers are already taking advantage of everyday, run of the mill text messaging technology.

You might by now be used to seeing five digit text numbers on TV shows, like X Factor, and on print ads (e.g. the Times’ 7am delivery ad on the London tube). These numbers are known as short codes, and they’re earmarked for massive growth (irrespective of what’s happening on smartphones).

These are just some of the benefits:

• More easily remembered than a telephone number or website address, particularly when the numbers spell out a word e.g. 62262 = OBAMA
• Virtually all mobiles can text
• People can take part in polls, receive coupons, register for news alerts and respond immediately to marketing messages
• All responses demonstrate interest
• Mobile numbers can be fed into a database for follow up activity
• Low deployment costs and fast delivery make short codes particularly suitable for time sensitive campaigns

But do people really want to receive floods of texted coupons, special offers and marketing messages I hear you ask? Well, according to research released by the Direct Marketing Association – yes, they do.

The DMA’s survey, of 270 people, found that 70% would be happy to receive messages from brands and 55% would welcome texts of sales and special offers. However, these findings shouldn’t be seen as an excuse to open the floodgates and start flooding people with text messages. Being useful and timely, rather than an annoyance, will be the key.

So whilst some companies sit watching the horizon for the dawn of the age of the smartphone, you can be engaging people with a simple technology that virtually everyone can already use.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.