Tag: marketing strategy

Old Spice Man – Old Cologne in New Bottles?

July 19, 2010 Blog 4 comments


Source: Frat House Sports

By now, almost everybody plugged into social media (including my friends Ivan Chew, Kevin Lim, Siva and Lucian) would have heard of how Old Spice, a heritage toiletry brand (used by one’s granddad) managed to reinvent itself through the Old Spice Man Youtube channel. The idea was developed by marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy and involved the shooting of real-time marketing videos while leveraging on social media networks.

Here’s an example of the commercials which have been circulating on Youtube and garnering massive views:


Digging Deeper To Find Gold

June 14, 2010 Blog no comments


Finding treasure requires a lot of investigating and digging. Just ask Indiana Jones! (source)

In any successful marketing endeavour, one must be willing to think, live and breathe like one’s potential customer. This also means that preconceived notions and prejudices must be tested and thrown out the window if they are proven untrue.

What are some of these common misconceptions and myths? Let me offer some examples.


How Coca-Cola Markets Holistically

May 2, 2010 Content Marketing 2 comments

Coca Cola Shanghai World Expo Pavillion
Coke Pavillion at Shanghai World Expo (Courtesy of Coca-Cola China)

Have you wondered how Coca-Cola became the world’s leading brand?

Well, thanks to Coca-Cola, I’m about to find out.

I’ve been selected by Coca-Cola to be one of two bloggers (the other is Alvinology) to fly to Shanghai for the World Expo to cover the launch of its pavillion, explore its new Global Innovation and Technology Center (GITC), and attend events such as its Founder’s Day ceremony and an Expo Celebration Concert.


We Should All Be Curators

March 28, 2010 Blog 4 comments

P1100977
The art of curating and storytelling drew 8.5 million visitors to the Louvre in 2009 – many just to catch the Mona Lisa here!

One of the insights which I have gleaned in the hectic past few days from Steve Rubel and his thoughts on digital curation was this:

We should all be curators. Every single one of us in the fields of marketing, public relations, and advertising. And not only in the digital realm, but all others too.


Anatomy of a Brand

January 14, 2010 Content Marketing 1 comment


Are these brands or logos? (Courtesy of search-this.com)

What is a brand? How does one understand the art and science of branding in the digital driven age?

First, a brand is not a logo. Certainly, logos represent one dimension in the embodiment of corporate or product brands. However, they are just a visual representation and a signpost rather than the true meaning of the brand itself.


Imagination versus Pragmatism

January 8, 2010 Blog no comments


Dubai was all about the dream without the reality, and landed itself with a huge debt. (courtesy of Bobesh)

There are two school of thoughts in marketing. The first belongs to the world of imagination while the second is centred on pragmatism. Do these spheres of marketing always have to sit on opposite poles?

Let us look at this in some detail.


Adopting Multiple Marketing Perspectives

January 6, 2010 Blog no comments

eye see you, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

To succeed in the art and science of marketing, one cannot simply stick to one central approach and hope to wing it come what may. What’s needed instead are a mix of both long-term, medium-term and short-term views. The adoption of these perspectives should vary depending on one’s vantage point.

For a start, one should have a clear long-term vision of the goal and desired end point. What are the overall objectives of one’s marketing efforts? Heightened customer satisfaction? Improved profits? Greater sales turnover? Or stronger brand positioning? Deep in the trenches of marketing skirmishes and battles, one should never forget what the end goal is.

Next, one should look at the medium-term strategies that are needed to accomplish that. What would be the few projects spanning several months to year that should be considered? These could be the development of new products, refurbishing of shop-fronts, training of staff in new areas, organisation of events, or upgrading of service levels.