I took Putting People First’s recommendation and got a temporary account on the World Advertising Research Center web site and snagged a few business-ey papers of possible relevance to my academic design work. Access to the full online library is limited to some sample documents, and even then I was only able to download a selected few. Still, it was worth the effort since some of these publications may find their way into a future design document.
How ‘marketing science’ undermines brands
Bruce Tait, Admap, October 2004, Issue 454, pp. 46-48
Bruce Tait, co-founder of Fallon Brand Consulting, believes there is a crisis in brand differentiation and creative brand management. He lays this at the door of ‘marketing science’ – the current process-centric, quantitative methods promulgated by big business and the business schools – that stifles creative and original ideas. He sees the solution in CEOs who see beyond process management.The secret of multi-branding
Leo van Sister, Admap, November 2004, Issue 455, pp. 15-17
Leo van Sister, founder and partner at BrandWatch brand consultancy, discusses the pros and cons of multi-branding, and the guidelines for success in this, one of the most popular, business strategies for large multi-national companies.Skoda – ‘It’s a Skoda. Honest’: the profitable return on brave communication
Laurence Green and Felicity Morgan, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Best Agency prize, IPA Effectiveness Awards, 2002
Repositioning 2000-2001 campaign for Skoda. Brief history: ridiculed because of Communist period perceptions, UK sales grew through the mid-1990s and high loyalty was achieved. But poor image remained serious obstacle. Launch of Octavia model in 1998 was a failure (having not addressed the brand’s stigma). Launch of the Fabia model then seen as an opportunity to attack the prejudice directly. There had to be a shift in attitudes so that new buyers would not feel they would be laughed at for buying a Skoda. Media: TV plus PR, with campaign based on drawing attention to the `joke’. Fabia executions in early 2000 followed by new Octavia executions in early 2001. Early editorial and qualitative evidence that attitudes were changing. Improvement in consideration recorded and drop in rejection (Millward Brown). The advertising and PR campaigns at the Fabia launch started a new marketing programme including direct marketing, point-of-sale and Internet. Results: volume growth outstripped market, record brand share. Factors discounted: price, distribution, fleet marketing, product improvement. Skoda volume sales above market trend during 2000-2001. Econometric modelling found correlations between spend, awareness, consideration and sales, intensified during the campaign years, but not enough for proof (that effect was due to advertising rather than to the new product). However, sales for the Octavia grew atypically after the campaign started and peaked 3 years after launch instead of (as normal) immediately. Modelling (described) confirmed that the Fabia launch/relaunch of Skoda image and the Octavia launch following this had had strong effects on Octavia sales, whereas the Octavia facelift had only a weak effect. Success thus due mainly to the change in attitude to the brand as a whole brought about by the Fabia launch campaign. Octavia relaunch contribution estimated at incremental £41 million in short term. Long-term profit estimated at £8.9 million against 2001 re-launch budget of £5.2 million.Brand Profile: Coca Cola(US)
Brand Profile in association with Adbrands, March 2006
This Brand Profile provides key details and analysis of Coca Cola, including its market position and performance, latest news and history, together with onward links to related profiles on WARC and external web sites.Advertising and the seven sins of memory
Larry Percy, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2004, pp. 413-427
A positive intention may be formed as a result of exposure to an advertisement, but if a memory malfunction interferes with that intention, the advertising will be ineffective. This paper considers the implications for advertisers of Daniel Schacter’s ‘seven sins of memory’: transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence. Each of the ‘sins’ is explained in detail and advice provided for advertisers on how to avoid these pitfalls.The new PR imperative: return on investment
Mark Weiner, The Advertiser, Mar 2003, pp. 38-43
This paper looks at the essential need of evaluation of PR activity, and the author’s experience of measuring ROI of PR in its own right or as part of an integrated campaign.The making of tomorrow’s consumer
Jean McDougall and David Chantrey, Young Consumers, Vol. 5, Issue 4 (2004), pp. 8-18
Jean McDougall and David Chantrey present the findings of Millward Brown’s international study of the youth generation’s relationship with brands and give advice for marketers aiming to connect with these young people and earn their loyalty in the future.Evolution and revolution in qualitative research
Gill Ereaut, Admap, October 2004, Issue 454, p. 146
Gill Ereaut, Linguistic Landscapes, considers the current position of qualitative thinking and research (especially the ubiquitous focus group) and looks ahead to the evolution of new, imaginative and exciting techniques, skills, and thinking.In-store TV: medium of the future?
Roderick White, Hot Topics, July 2004
WARC Hot Topics are the essential guide to debates in and around marketing. Following the annoucement by UK high-street chain Tesco of the introduction of in-store TV to 300 of its stores by the end of 2004