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Ever since Sony’s announcement in early February to divest the VAIO brand, we’ve not heard much. Created in 1996, it became a global brand with that famous analogue wave and digital symbolism, creating a globally recognised logo that overcame language barriers. So what next for VAIO?

The brand in the UK seems unloved, stock-filling the channel at high end prices for low spec, and it would appear, with virtually no marketing support from Sony. Are we seeing the dying embers of the VAIO brand being packaged up to be sold to the highest bidder, or the self-destruction of a very youthful, global brand?

Whilst technology usage habits have changed, I think it’s fair to say that VAIO didn’t meet the demands of consumers. A poor tablet proposition and equally poor build quality and cut through in that very important corporate space has meant that VAIO has not moved ahead, or indeed along, with the current times. Like every PC manufacturer must, making significant inroads in B2B to support the consumer market is crucial in order to drive brand equity through cleverly designed and attractive products which create desire, need and want appeal with everyone. Google’s minimalist Chromebook is testament to this and OEM support from industry leading brands Acer, HP and Toshiba will serve to benefit these brands alike. But not being able to bring a viable VAIO tablet to market is disheartening for such a massive brand. Worldwide sales of tablets to end users reached 195.4 million units in 2013, a 68 per cent increase on 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. The demand for tablets is palpable and growing.

The tablet market has become a challenging environment for branded hardware-driven players. In 2013, Microsoft’s tablet volumes improved but share remained small. Despite Microsoft now acting more rapidly to evolve Windows 8.1, its ecosystem still failed to capture major consumers’ interests on tablets. Samsung exhibited the highest growth of the worldwide tablet vendors, at 336 per cent, in 2013. With Apple having just announced its second quarter figures stating that every 2 in 3 iPads purchased were done so by new users and forecasting that tablet users will overtake PC numbers in the coming years, perhaps we can see why Sony is selling its PC business and the potential loss of a successful brand in the market.

With EE announcing the abandonment of one of the globe’s most recognised and respected brands in the UK since 1994 that is Orange, in favour of the infant EE brand, are we seeing those technology brands of the nineties expiring as they no longer speak to an audience 20 years on?

I suspect the VAIO and Orange brands won’t disappear from the market. After all, France Telecom has just rebranded all of its European telecom business to Orange. Maybe the introduction to new and fresh markets will see VAIO thrive where it seems to have failed to create new markets for itself. No doubt VAIO will live another day, but why build a brand to then abandon it? Confidence and zeal to survive must be innate in a brand to give it the tools it needs to innovate and be considered in the mix by consumers in a crowded, style and brand conscious “digital” marketplace.

Read the full article at http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2014/05/05/what-will-ever-become-of-vaio/

As the industry awaits a decision about the proposed £4 bn Carphone Warehouse/Dixons merger, which would effectively see one retailer gain a monopoly in the market, it seems an appropriate moment to reflect on the state of the electrical retailing industry.

Expenditure in the electronics industry is set to increase in 2014. Last week saw Vodafone announce that it is to create 1,400 jobs across the UK by opening 150 stores in 2014, an impressive feat against a challenging economic backdrop.

This is in sharp contrast to developments on London’s Tottenham Court Road, once regarded as the place to go for any kind of electronics, where we’re seeing so many major brand stores closing their doors.

Did these brands put enough into offering every customer the best possible shopping experience? It could be argued that for these retailers the importance of creating an appealing shopping experience was forgotten.

Developments on Tottenham Court Road highlight the importance of treating every consumer that enters a store as a potential customer.

This especially hits home when the costs involved in marketing campaigns to attract that potential customer are considered, along with the major overheads needed to keep stores open.

According to research commissioned by Gekko earlier this year, 53 per cent of UK consumers regard electronics as investment purchases, with almost 20 per cent buying electronic products due to brand status.

The research also found that 53 per cent of UK shoppers do their research online before making a purchase in-store.

With so many consumers dedicating time to online research, it’s vital that retail brands provide an appealing digital experience and keep their website serviced with the most up-to-date information about their products.

The research also found that for high-ticket electrical items, 53 per cent of consumers want to touch, feel and experience the product to ensure that they are getting value for money in their purchase.

In order to attract shoppers to their stores, retailers must ensure that the in-store experience runs seamlessly alongside the shopping experience online.

When consumers walk through the door, the branding, feel and format of the store must feel familiar to the consumer.

A positive consumer experience helps to drive the value for money criteria by making consumers feel special, added to by attentive staff that aren’t pushy, but know how to sell based on the needs of the customer.

The shop floor must be ready for different shoppers, for whom value means different things. Understanding the shopper will help to open up the right channels engagement for the brand.

Every major electrical brand out there wants to appeal to the broadest demographic possible, and most businesses will spend vast sums of money in order to achieve this goal.

However, when a brand is sold through a third party retailer, the brand has less control, and this is where the vital role of field marketers comes to the fore.

It’s crucial for electrical goods retailers to have brand ambassadors in third party stores who understand their brand, how to achieve the connection sale and are equipped with the knowledge and training to provide impartial and factual advice about the benefits of their products.

This human element is vital; it is the reason many customers will visit the stores, to have a two-way conversation with an expert and receive guidance in making a decision is key to driving sales.

Field marketing plays an important element in making the customer journey more controlled and profitable for brands.

With all of the closures on Tottenham Court Road, it’s easy to assume that while still being sold via a third party store, brands had a lot of control over the customer journey.

The importance of an appealing brand and shopping experience which engages the consumer both online and offline cannot be underestimated.

Read the full article at: http://ertonline.co.uk/Default.aspx.LocID-05nnew3lf.RefLocID-05n03s004.Lang-EN.htm

With shoppers increasingly relying on their smartphones and tablets to research, compare and buy goods online, all sectors need to be considering their ecommerce strategies. The DIY sector is no exception and the traditional ‘out of town’ retailers are having to adapt their strategies in order to succeed in the marketplace. It would in fact appear that the era of big box retail dominance is coming to an end. Over the past 12 months there has been considerable comment on how major DIY brands including Wickes, Homebase and B&Q, which traditionally operate massive 100,000 sq ft stores, have or are at least considering the downsizing of their physical properties and moving  towards smaller, more interactive spaces. In light of these developments, it seems an opportune moment to explore the possibilities for retailers in the DIY sector looking to shake up their spaces and create truly effective in-store experiences.

The DIY sector is undergoing seismic changes, with everything from the economy to the weather being highlighted as the reason for the downturn in sales. However, while it’s fair to say that big box DIY retailers are finding trading tough, they’re certainly not about to disappear. They are simply moving towards smaller formats and investing more heavily in their online retail presence. In order to thrive in this changed landscape, DIY brands need to ask themselves; what can be done in order to optimise the entire purchase journey for customers?

One of the biggest challenges facing big box retailers is the increasing desire to purchase away from the traditional point of sale. With more and more consumers choosing to buy online, the trick here for DIY brands is to integrate their brick-and-mortar spaces with their online stores. Omnichannel retail models are the order of the day for DIY brands attempting to integrate digital and offline sales channels.

Another major factor in the changing DIY marketplace is the rapid proliferation of smartphones and tablets. Consumers are now armed with technology ready to price-compare every product, and are visiting stores looking for deals rather than making one-stop, fill-the-trolley trips. B&Q has been doing particularly well in this area with both its creative mobile app and in-store wi-fi playing key roles in its omnichannel strategy.  Apps are effective tools to utilise online and mobile techniques to drive people in-store, and the customer interaction works well to create a wholly rounded customer journey. However, there is a lot more scope for B&Q and other DIY brands to be doing more in this arena in order to underline the integral part played by in-store communication during the purchase journey. It would be refreshing to see these retailers embracing technology more wholly and implementing regular technology-fuelled in-store activity into their marketing strategies.

Using technology to connect with customers in stores is hugely important, but human interaction and face-to-face communication with a knowledgeable product specialist continues to trump even the most advanced mobile and digital strategies. In other words, while sophisticated online strategies can certainly work hard to increase footfall in DIY stores, positive human interaction on the shop floor is ultimately the most important part of the customer journey. Both the retailers and the owners of the brands sold in-store should therefore be considering their approach to providing product training and brand ambassadors to help drive sales. Although the internet offers unlimited scope for shoppers to research and compare prices, the average shopper will be looking for advice, inspiration and guidance in-store. Using specially trained brand ambassadors who are briefed on your target audience and the brand messages to interact with people in a knowledgeable and engaging way can be an invaluable way of getting customers to consider products they may otherwise have overlooked.

With DIY stores’ footfall in decline, the opportunities for brands to connect with consumers on a personal level within their retail spaces are becoming fewer and farther between. It’s clear that interactive and engaging marketing strategies along with downsized physical stores will be key for DIY brands looking to prosper in 2014.

Last week saw London’s Olympia host the UK’s first ever Wearable Technology Conference and Expo dedicated to showcasing the latest developments in smartwatches, wristbands and other wearable devices. With speakers from Microsoft, Google, Samsung and Intel, the show promised a lot, but did it live up to the hype?

The show floor at Olympia reflected an industry that is still in its early days with a clear split between sport and leisure wearable gadgets. The most commercially successful wearable tech category so far is that of sports-focused devices, and the plethora of health and fitness-trackers on display at the show underlined the consumer demand for these products. Wearable tech innovations are helping athletes – both amateur and professional – to improve their performances by creating data while they train, allowing the user to identify areas that require improvement and extra focus. The recent Winter Olympics highlighted these developments as we saw athletes from around the globe trying out a variety of devices in an attempt to gain an edge over the competition. Users of sport-based gadgets certainly know what they want from their devices.

On the other side of the coin, the majority of leisure-focused wearable gadgets like Google Glass and vrAse have not yet hit the open market. This category of devices needs to be refined and defined for the consumer before it penetrates the market, a point which was very evident at the show. The battle for domination in the wearable tech industry is heating up with the major announcement from Google last week about its plans to establish a bigger presence in the industry. The search giant announced Android Wear, a version of its operating system designed specifically for wearable devices. The effects of this move by Google will be felt across the sector by chip makers, electronics firms and fashion labels working on wearable gadgets this year.

All of this is taking place against a backdrop of privacy and security concerns among UK consumers. The market share remains firmly up for grabs and the next twelve months will tell an interesting tale.

In order to thrive in the wearable tech industry brands need to place more emphasis on the quality of the design of the products, with much more input from the creative and design side required. Brands will also need to explore more effective ways for users to interact with the devices. Whether this will be achieved by taking voice activation or recognition to the next level, or through an entirely different approach remains to be seen. We can expect a different state of affairs at London’s Wearable Tech Show 2015. Watch this space.

Read the full article at http://www.techbubbles.co.uk/blog/londons-wearable-tech-show-2014/#more-5405

How do brands respond to “shopper tribes” research to drive sales? A recent study commissioned by Gekko Group showed that only 15 per cent of shoppers are influenced by Ethical Issues, however, many companies try hard to distance their brands from any ethically negative press. Could consumers who are not flouting ethical issues be telling brands through this statistic that they expect them to be ethical? The recession has fueled the priority of bargains for many consumers, as they seek cheaper deals; however, consumers simultaneously wish that brands remain ethical.

Can brands do both?

Take companies like Innocent, Green & Blacks, Body Shop. Ethical, fair trade, cruelty-free are your immediate assumptions, but they are all owned by conglomerates who you would not immediately associate with ethics: Coca-Cola, Kraft and L’Oreal. What these brands have done through acquisition is target Millennials who are all about niche brands, small start-ups and companies that they relate to. They want to support brands they like – those brands that reflect their values. However, shouldn’t we expect ethics from all brands regardless? Shouldn’t it be built into the essence of every brand to ensure they care about the planet, humanity and cultures without question?

The small percentage of consumers that consider ethics as key in their shopping activity indicates the trust they place in brands to already be ethical in their product. As with the great sugar/obesity debate, we make our own choices. This choice extends to the brands we use every day and how we choose to identify with them. Can an airline ever be truly environmentally friendly? And the same goes for cosmetics, processed foods, electronics and, in fact, everything we buy. Every brand tries to do their bit, but it should be done without question, as a matter of course and continuously challenged internally.

Packaging of these brands will happily shout out “Natural”, “Organic” and “Sustainable”, and are usually emblazoned across the majority of the packaging to strengthen brands’ credentials and continually build that perceived trust we have in them that they are doing the right thing. Look closer and those tiny ingredients don’t look as natural, organic or sustainable as they could be. This could certainly turn us off those brands little by little until we eventually stop recommending or, worse still, stop buying the products. It’s up to the brand to do the right thing or be honest and give consumers the choice.

The ethics debate is a debate that will never go away and one that will forever be relevant to every generation. However, whilst only 15 per cent consider it in the mix, we must remember that for the 85 per cent that don’t, it’s not that they don’t care, but that they trust every brand to act responsibly in all that they do – just like most people, I suspect, choose to do in their everyday lives.

Read the full article at http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2014/03/25/ethical-bargains-do-they-exist/

Field and experiential marketing can be costly but if a brand gets it right, it can reap the rewards.

Marketers often speak of starting ‘conversations’ with customers and prospects but, in reality, very few campaigns ever lead to a face to face chat.

Yet, despite the digital age, the saying that people buy from people still stands – and they are more likely to do so if they have an opportunity to try before they buy. In fact, TGI figures suggest that 41 per cent of shoppers who see a demonstration of a product go on to buy it from the store.

That is why experiential marketing and in-store demonstrating are growing industries in the UK. They now form a major part of field marketing which, in total is estimated to be worth £230m a year by the Institute of Promotional Marketing.

The latest branch of field marketing is a world away from brands having people dress up in outfits and hand out flyers at busy spots. A whole new industry has sprung up to line up prime in-store locations, train brand ambassadors and provide the latest technology so immersive experiences can be shared through social media.

For longer established brands, awareness and advocacy are still important goals of in-store demonstrations but, in most cases, sales will be higher up the list of priorities.

That is certainly the case for Gekko Client, Epson. Like other brands which regularly commit to using brand ambassadors, the company has a detailed message it needs to get over which is best conveyed face to face where a trained representative can show the benefits of its ‘premium ink’ packages.

Hence its sales manager Tim Bedward believes the key to its annual in-store demonstration programmes, across the peak Christmas and January shopping months, is in the training its brand ambassadors receive through in-store marketing agency Gekko.

“Everyone on the programme spends a day at Epson being trained on the products and shown how we’re all about ink quality,” he explains.

“The crucial part is we not only get this message across but we can also spot if we don’t think somebody is going to work out as a brand ambassador. It’s not common but we do fail people. We also finish off the training by showing people how to ‘close’.

“It’s key for our brand that shoppers don’t feel pressured and so it’s fine if we don’t sell a printer or ink so long as we leave the customer with a good experience.”

Field marketing: The big threee challenges

Budget and time

Very few brands carry out their own experiential marketing efforts because of the sheer time and effort required to coordinate booking the right positions in the best venues, training up temporary staff and putting together the equipment and technology required for an effective campaign.

For this reason the biggest challenge is finding the budget and coordinating at least one or two agencies, sometimes three, to ensure a campaign delivers on its objectives.

The right people

Once a marketing team has decided to run an in-store demonstration or experiential campaign, the most important aspect is to find the right people to represent a brand effectively.

Brand ambassadors must know the companies and brands they are representing and understands their key values. Only then can the required product knowledge, where applicable, be learned.

Top priority is to never be pushy but rather always give an enjoyable experience that may lead to an immediate or future sale.

In-store relations

Brand ambassadors need to work well with permanent in-store staff, and realise they are there to convey a brand’s messages and showcase products, without denigrating rivals, and then pass on a sale to a permanent member of store staff to process at a till.

Get this right and the brand will not only be welcomed back by the retailer but the positive impact should remain with the permanent staff too.

read the full article at http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/analysis/marketing-tactics/promotional-marketing/what-product-demonstrations-can-do-for-brands/4009770.article