Walkers are Sensational
Walkers are set to re-launch its declining Sensations brand in a bid to get back a share in the premium crisps sector.
Delivering a Crisp Brand
Even though the brand has recorded a 0.4 per cent growth in the last year Walkers claim that people no longer consider it as a premium brand and they wish to change that.
They will be reducing the pack size of Sensations’ regular line by 15g to 160g. The prices will remain the same though. They are also changing the packaging from the white bags featuring black and white photography and replacing it with a predominantly black design. They are introducing new flavours in the overhaul, which will roll out over supermarkets as of next month. TV and press advertising will also support the revamp.
As Walkers have proved, simply staying in the market is not enough to stay afloat and you need to invest to get more out of your brand. Now is the best time to invest in your business and here at Touch Marketing & Design we can use our vast experience to help you. Whether you want to change the look and feel of your brand, update your website or develop an advertising campaign, we can help you get the best out of your investment. For more information please visit our website.
Supermarkets Give More
Money-off coupons and vouchers are set to be the next big marketing tool for UK supermarkets.
Supermarkets Give More
Morrisons in particular had the greatest increase in market share in the run-up to Christmas due to money-off voucher promotions. Retail experts have praised their promotion offering £20-off vouchers when you spend more than £40 in three consecutive weeks, saying it was instrumental in Morrisons record Christmas sales.
Coupons can be a very successful marketing tool as they are a cost effective tactical solution taht cna change consumer behaviour without destroying the brand.
At Touch Marketing and Design, we have seen the effect of voucher marketing at first hand. We designed vouchers for our client, Maxwells Café Bar, who wanted to give something back to their loyal customers in January and they found them to be very successful. It is important to give consumers more reasons to stay loyal to your brand and giving vouchers, special offers and even money-off coupons can give your customers a boost to shop with you.You don’t want to lose
For more information, please visit our website.
It's Snow Joke!
Family broadcasters Dan, Jon and Peter Snow are posing in their pants in support of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The campaign, which will run in M&S stores, is part of the retailer’s partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The campaign intends to highlight the increased chance for a man to develop prostate cancer if a close relative has been diagnosed.
It's Snow Joke
Every year in the UK 35,000 men are diagnosed with the disease and one man dies every hour as a result. M&S will donate 10 per cent from the sale of the Autograph range of men’s underwear to the charity during the first two weeks of March. Trolley tokens and pin badges bearing the charity’s blue man emblem will also be on sale in store for suggested donations of £1 and £2.
This campaign, obviously on a large scale, shows how collaborating brands together can do well for a greater cause. It is true also those campaigns involving branding merchandise can really get a message across. Every brand, whether retail, charity or other, needs exposure and branded merchandise or promotional products is a great way to get your message across.
Working with our chosen charity, Macmillian Cancer Support, we have found just that. Recognised brand tie-ins / endorsements and promotional items are two of the key things that have really helped increase exposure and in turn helped to raise additional funds for a deserving and worthwhile charity.
Carlsberg Helps Pubs Thrive With Direct Mail
Carlsberg UK has launched an initiative which aims to help the rocky pub sector better market itself to consumers in the recession.
Don't Call Time Yet
The initiative ‘We Deliver More’, aims to provide those landlords that need help with design templates for point-of-sale material, give them the ability to send personalised direct mail to a database of consumers as well as get feedback from a mystery shopping programme.
The pub trade is facing its most di¬fficult time in nearly 100 years, with an average of 6 pubs closing every day. Carlsberg hopes to help the pub trade attract more consumers with this programme as well as help them to increase sales on their beer.
Direct mail campaigns can be a great way to get in touch with lapsed clients and indeed catch new customers. If you are interested in creating a direct mail campaign then Touch Marketing & Design can help you achieve your goals. Visit our website for more information on how we can help you advertise through direct mail and other mediums.
Banking on Your Brand
Bank brands are often uninspiring visually yet do portray a solid and reliable image. The UK has officially been classified as being in a recession today which adds further scrutiny from customers. Banks and financial institutions need to work hard to try to convince customers that they are trustworthy, stable but also innovative without looking to be splashing the cash on huge marketing campaigns.
Banking on Your Brand
In today’s marketplace it is even more important to be innovative and to stand out and be bold. There are obvious examples where banks have clearly realised they need to focus on rebuilding trust, including Virgin Money who has a new philosophy ‘Everyone is better off’ and Natwest who are improving their customers experience by offering free financial advice.
Bank brands are often badly marketed with little or no customer relationship and this is something that all brands need to be focusing on today. Brands are about standing out but also standing for something – giving value and selling an experience.
There are some good examples of where banks in previous years have got this focus right. Barclays campaign from 2006 used plain English to connect with customers – calling an ATM a “hole in the wall” and welcoming signs for visitors that simply said “Hi”. This was continued throughout all marketing elements keeping a consistent brand relationship with their existing and new customers.
Good branding is all about ensuring your customers understand that your marketing is ultimately going to benefit them. Today this is more important then ever. At Touch Marketing & Design we have always pushed the importance of brand and the importance of getting it right – especially in a full on recession. Can you afford not to ensure your brand remains strong and true? We are here to work with you and help make sure your brand works hard for you – see how we can help and get in touch today. Your brand is precious – make sure your customers know this too.
Web Analytics a Must for Online Retailers
According to new research, 97 per cent of online retailers are not keeping tabs on the effectiveness of their marketing activity.
Calculate Your ROI
The study showed that 80 per cent of online retailers asked did not know where to spend budgets and 29 percent did not know how to measure return-on-investment (ROI) on any of their marketing activity.
A separate study has shown that a massive 96 per cent of online retailers do not calculating ROI across any marketing campaigns. Most of them do not have the knowledge or understanding of which campaigns are driving customer spend or do not have the processes set up to track such calculations.
It is vitally important for all marketers to track the performance not only of their website but of all online marketing, to help target customers effectively. This information can be provided by web analytics, which delivers clear and tailored analysis of online campaigns. Another method is using voucher tracking codes to evaluate the effectiveness of the site on visitor’s instore. Therefore putting budgets to good use, rather than throwing money away.
It is crucial in 2009 for online retailers to have a strong web presence as people move away from the high street. At Touch Marketing & Design we can help you to get the best from your website, eCommerce site and online campaigns. We can provide you with a statistics report based on the performance of your website and online campaigns, as well as set you up with new online marketing ideas. If you would like more information on our services please visit the Touch Marketing & Design website.
Reaching out to Clients
Reaching Out To Clients
Ahead of his inauguration on Tuesday, President-elect Barack Obama has jumped on the band wagon by creating an email database of millions of his voters. This database is being used to help him win the 2012 election by keeping an open dialogue with supporters throughout his 1st term.
It has been said that to win clients these days it helps to have new media on your side and to not underestimate its power. Obama certainly feels it can do no harm to his chances in 2012.
At Touch Marketing & Design we may not be able to win the US presidential campaign for you but we can help you reach out to your clients and contacts via email marketing and online campaigns keeping you winning all the way to 2012 and beyond.
If you would like more information on our online services then please visit our website.
Identity Logo Design – Re-brand, Refresh and Rejuvenated
The beginning of yet another year and it is often the time that businesses look to reassess their stance on the market and in some cases look at improving their brand.
Identity Logo Design
Many well known brands are refreshing their look for 2009 such as Chicago Town and Norwich Union. The latter changing their name to Aviva to help refresh the brand to keep up with today’s market and consolidate their identity across Europe and beyond.
It could be time to freshen up your brand in order to keep one step ahead of your competition, represent a new direction for your business or simply time to do a little more with your identity in these troublesome financial times.
Touch Marketing & Design can help. We have proven experience in corporate identity, branding and logo design that could really benefit your business in these hard times. A re-brand doesn’t need to be expensive and the investment can pay dividends and keep your business thriving throughout 2009 and beyond. For more information and to see how we can help you achieve your goals, please get in touch.
Marketing activity increase in spite of the gloomy climate
Despite a 12 per cent drop in marketing spend, direct marketing activity increased in 2008. Although traditional direct mail and door-to-door marketing has been over taken by email and online marketing, activity in both fields are on the up.
Marketing On The Up
The increase in volume but the decrease in spend is due to the inexpensive cost of online and electronic campaign marketing and businesses looking around for a better deal.
2008 has seen business cut spending in all areas due to the global financial instability. Only 7 per cent of companies reported an increase in budgeted spend compared to 49 per cent reporting a decrease.
As companies keep a tight hold of their finances it is a great time to get ahead of your competition. Whether you are a small company with a tight budget or an established corporation with larger marketing budgets, online marketing can be a relatively inexpensive yet powerful marketing tool. In these torrid financial times it is the right time to get your name, products and services out there and when things begin to grow again, you’ll be right at the top of your customer’s minds.
At Touch Marketing & Design, we can help you make the most of your print and online marketing without breaking the bank. If you would like more information on our marketing services then please visit the Touch Marketing & Design website.
Time or Money – it Doesn't Matter as Long as You Give it to Charity!
In the current economic climate, a recent report has revealed that while consumers are cutting back on giving money to charities, they are still willing to donate their time. In a recent national survey, around 60 per cent of people said they would prefer to donate their time to charities rather than cash.
Charity Support
People are cutting back on charity donations as they tighten their belts but volunteering your time and support can be valued just as much as your money.
At Touch Marketing & Design we provide our time and marketing and design experience to our chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.
Macmillan relies on voluntary donations for 99 per cent of their income and they couldn’t provide their vital services without the people who support them.
For more information about the help Macmillan Cancer Support offer for details of how you can help, please visit: www.macmillan.org.uk.
