BrandsTell. People.

<h1>Last time articles and conversations about social media and the necessity for brands to be “there” became some kind of a big trend. Possibly, even bigger then the real brands’ presence in the social media. We see a lot of well-polished presentations and a huge number of gurus’ and experts’ opinions. Sometimes they bring even more questions then we have before the reading. </h1> In this context, real brands’ stories are always interesting. And we set some questions to Tom Burrow, Digital Manager, UMBRO: Your role at UMBRO is a Digital Manager. Is UMBRO’s Digital Team big? How many people are involved in the UMBRO’s online activity? Do you outsource UMBRO social media work? - There are now two of us working in digital, myself and a fulltime content creator (Aaron). We work as a part of the wider brand communications team and everyone tends to pitch in with ideas and content. UMBRO makes high quality, crafted football products. Most of the staff are big football fans are really passionate about their work and ultimately enjoy what they do. Through social media we try to express the personality of the company by creating and curating football content. Some of the most interesting stuff comes from outside the communications team so we are always encouraging other staff members to get involved. We work with agencies occasionally for consultation but 99% of the content is produced at UMBRO House. We know that many brands are just in the beginning of their social media journeys. What was the start point for the UMBRO’s social media journey? What event/product? What platform? We first really started looking at social media towards the end of last year. Football is the largest shared culture in the world and a lot of the conversation surrounding the sport is hosted on social media channels. As a football brand, we wanted to be part of this conversation so we started to look at how we could contribute. Roughly around the same time we started work on the launch of the England home kit. The kits development had such a rich story and we had so much great content which worked perfectly on social media platforms. We started by looking for ways that we could be useful to the different communities. We photographed our archive of football kits and memorabilia and put this out online through a blog and via flickr (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.flickr.com/umbrofootball/"> flickr.com/umbrofootball </a>). We had a lot of footage of the development of the England kit so we made this into a number of movies and established an UMBRO youtube channel (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.youtube.com/umbro/"> youtube.com/umbro </a>). The online communities embraced our activities so we have continued to create and evolve interesting football content in these and new spaces. At umbro.com I saw links to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr. Is that’s all? How do you choose social media platforms to participate in? What is the principle to decide what content should go to Twitter, Flickr and so on? We set out with a presence on lots of social media sites, however after a while we started realizing some sites were more appropriate for our content than others. So we currently have accounts on <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://brandstell.com/peoples/BrandNews/2649/">Twitter</a>, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and of course the UMBRO blog and tailor content appropriately. In terms of deciding what content goes on which site, we tend to start the process thinking what will be interesting and useful to the people on each of the platforms. So anything conversational, such as ‘which song sums up your team the best?’ or ‘who has the best facial hair in football?’ tends to go on Facebook. Anything more in depth, such as articles on kit development, interviews or research pieces would then be published on the blog. We share some photographs using Flickr. However, we are always careful to respect the flickr community and never upload anything too branded. <iframe align="center" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?group_id=&user_id=31564594@N07&set_id=72157616416782758&tags=umbro" frameBorder="0" width="327" height="327" scrolling="no"></iframe> UMBRO. Tailored by England / Created with <a href="http://flickrslidr.com" title="flickrSLiDR">flickrSLiDR</a>. We use Twitter to point to a lot of stuff on the web or even just chat about the weather outside UMBRO House or the price of a fried breakfast. Twitter is good like that! Like a typical social media user, we are regularly testing out the latest sites and platforms. We are currently having fun in the office putting together Spotify playlists which we have then started to link to them from our sites. Check out our Manchester playlist (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://sharemyplaylists.com/manchester-2/"> sharemyplaylists.com/manchester-2</a>) we had a lot of fun with that one. Geographically, is UMBRO’s online activity focused on UK, US? Are any plans for other internet segments? UMBRO is a British brand, our global head office is in Manchester so our recent content has been mainly focused around us here in the UK. However we are encouraging UMBRO offices in other countries to take the plunge in to social media. UMBRO Brazil (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://blog.umbro.com.br"> blog.umbro.com.br </a>) and UMBRO Japan (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.umbro-jp.com"> umbro-jp.com </a>) have recently started writing their own blog sites. I am really excited about UMBRO social media going global as this can only lead to more great content to share. Some of the futsal stuff that is published on the Brazillian site is amazing. We also use umbro.com to aggregate good football related content on the web, most of which is sourced from social media. The site has a content management system and is going live in twenty new countries and languages over the next month. The content will be updated by people in each country, so for the first time in the company’s history we will have a truly global online presence and rich aggregation of global football content. Do you monitor the UMBRO mentions that consumers post in social and traditional online media? What tools do you use? We monitor mentions of UMBRO to an extent using Google alerts and searching twitter etc. We also all read blogs and forums and if anyone says anything interesting about UMBRO then if appropriate we may contribute to the conversation. I have tested some more sophisticated software which tracks all mentions of UMBRO, however it all felt a bit ‘Big Brother’. At the end of the day social media is made up of peer to peer communities so we have always treated this with respect and behave as individuals. How do you translate these online conversations into the ROI language? What are key moments you pay attention to? I am not sure if we really go as far as being so precise to track the ROI of social media. Rolling back to this time last year there were very little mentions of UMBRO on any of the blogs or forums that I was reading. Six months later we found over a hundred blog posts mentioning UMBRO on one week. We saw this as a success as by providing useful content, UMBRO was in the heart of the conversation. Over the last year we feel we have build up respected channels in social media. We know that if we post a link from our twitter feed then it can easily be picked up by a few hundred people. So if you weighed the time it takes to write one tweet and measured the clicks against the cost of a traditional banner ad, then I guess you could count social media as a very healthy ROI. We see theumbroshop.co.uk in England. Are any plans to create online-stores for other countries? umbro.com is being re-launched in a number of different languages and localized to the different countries over the next month (in December). On the new site users will have a ‘where to buy’ facility mapping their location which will point them in the direction of the online store or nearest retailers. What advice can you give brands which just decided to go to social media? Firstly don’t be afraid. Social media is very honest and transparent so if you have nothing to hide then there is nothing to be worried about. However, I think it is wise to practice first. Find a quiet corner of the internet somewhere and get comfortable creating content and establishing your voice. Secondly, be useful. You should always ask yourself the question ‘why is this interesting?’ before posting and aim to be adding value to the network. Just having a social media presence is not enough. Possibly one of the most important things is being part of the conversation, read other peoples content and take the time to reply to comments. A lot of brands tend to use social media as a news channel and just broadcast what they are doing. A good, lasting relationship works two ways. I find taking the time to read and reply to comments pays off ten-fold and also is a great way to get inspiration for new content. Lastly, have fun! That’s what it’s for at the end of the day. written by<a class="source" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/olgayefimova"> @olgayefimova </a> /<a class="source" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/brandnews"> @brandnews </a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="brandstell";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-bookmark-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/feed.php?pub=BrandsTells&h1=http%3A%2F%2Fbrandstell.com%2Frss_new_en.php&t1=" title="Subscribe using any feed reader!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-rss-en.gif" width="83" height="16" border="0" alt="" /></a>  <script type="text/javascript"> tweetmeme_style = 'compact'; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js"></script>

Mon, 21 May 2012 02:02:19 +0300 BrandNewshttp://brandstell.com/peoples/BrandNews-asks-Why-you-tweetWhy you tweet?

<h1>The official history of the micro-blogging service Twitter started in March 21st, 2006 when on a birthday of Jack Dorsey (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/jack">@Jack</a>) a beta-version of Twttr was launched.</h1> Then Jack Dorsey wrote his first tweet: “setting up my twttr” and Dom Sagolla (@Dom) answered “oh, this is going to be addictive”. Much water has flowed under the bridges since then. Twttr turned into Twitter, and on June 12th, 2009 the number of tweets exceeded 2 147 483 647 – the limits of signed integers – causing multiple twitter apps to crush, but Twitter and tweets continue to grow. Some of them are written by brands and sometimes it is not without some profit and good. For instance, in December, 2008 Dell Outlet (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/DellOutlet">@delloutlet </a>) informed that it had generated 1 million USD online by posting e-commerce links to its Twitter feed and created the whole hub for its <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.dell.com/Twitter"> twitter accounts </a> while the Dell’s twitter-story became a some kind of a manual for many. On the other hand, many surveys about brands, companies and their communications on Twitter are quite contradictory. Some of them (like, WebTrends data*) say brand marketers are “reluctant” about using Twitter, despite the big exploding audience**(pic.). Other (like, <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/marketingprofs">@MarketingProfs </a> data) inform 83% of companies and brands expect their use of Twitter to increase over the upcoming six months and 45% see Twitter as “somewhat important” to their business. May be, it’s because that Twitter isn't for everyone and in practice brands on Twitter behave as “ordinary” users: Some try and leave. Some don’t try at all, following the rule “the less you do, the less mistakes you have”. Some gather small and big <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://brandnews.ua/index.php?cmd=news_full_text&type=news&id=2622&lang=ru&is_res=1">audiencies</a> and lead discussions or conversations. Sometimes they are serious, sometimes not. Sometimes these are monologues, sometimes – very inspiring dialogues. Observing, one can know a lot, but always better to ask. And so <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/BrandNews">@BrandNews </a> asks brands: 1. Why you tweet? 2. What are distinctive features of your style for tweets? We are going to add answers depending on what brands will appear on Twitter, how often they tweet and behave as dialogue masters and others. If you follow brands on Twitter, really read their tweets and think they are interesting, please <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href="http://twitter.com/BrandNews">let us know</a>. <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/umbro"> @umbro </a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/umbro_brandnews.gif"> The person behind @umbro is Tom Burrow, a Digital Manager at UMBRO. Why UMBRO tweets? Football is one of the greatest shared cultures in the World. People love talking about football and so do we. What is the UMBRO’s style of tweets? Twitter is quite an individual driven platform so our tweets and style is always human, genuine and reflect the views of the individuals writing. We talk about anything related to football, players, kits or even the best place to get a burger before the game! <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href="http://twitter.com/SunChips"> @SunChips </a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/sunchips_brandnews.gif"> The person behind @SunChips is Nicolle Poole, the SunChips Assistant Brand Manager. Why SunChips tweets? We tweet to share and gain knowledge. Our tweets tend to focus on this relevant to our brand and story. What is the SunChips' style of tweets? (are there any distinguishing features?) Sorry, that should be things, not this :) <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/Toyota"> @Toyota </a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/toyota_brandnews.gif"> Behind @Toyota there are 4 persons. These are Scott DeYager (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/ScottDeYager">@ScottDeYager </a>, ^SD), the lead of social media efforts for Toyota in North America; Sona Moon, (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/sonamoon">@ sonamoon</a>, ^SM), Toyota PR; Dan Sieger (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/sieger262">@sieger262</a>, ^DS) and Amy K. Taylor ( <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/Amykt">@amykt </a>, ^AT). And more contributers will be added soon. Why Toyota tweets? We've started combined (all 3 brands) to build a model and plan for support/sustainment...Plan to eventually break off the brands. ^SD What is the Toyota’s style for tweets? Our style is conversational and customer focused. We want to provide timely info and answers to customer questions/needs. ^SD <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/mentosgum"> @mentosgum</a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/mentos_brandnews.gif"> Behind @mentosgum there is an agency (Cossette) with Fabrice Calando (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/fabrice_calando"> @fabrice_calando </a>); Alison Neill ( <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/AliNeill"> @AliNeill </a>) and Sophie Labelle ( <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/sophielabelle"> @sophielabelle</a>). Why is Mentos Gum on Twitter? We want to be able to speak to our consumers one-on-one in an easy way. We also want to spread happiness through Tweets that we think people will enjoy, as that is the essence of the campaign (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://makeyourworldgorounder.ca"> MakeYourWorldGoRounder</a>). What is Mentos Gum’s tweet style? We try to share content that is related to our campaign: fun, happy and upbeat Tweets. (The MakeYourWorldGoRounder.ca campaign challenges Canadians to think about life’s simple pleasures and submit ideas on what would make them happy). We communicate our campaign’s videos, images, and successes, as well as communicate with the people who are submitting their ideas to our website. We also do customer service and listen to what our consumers are saying about the brand. It’s a fun brand, product and campaign, so we just try to have fun with our followers! Why are there not more followers? We structured the campaign around our MakeYourWorldGoRounder.ca website, as it is technologically innovative and original. We chose not to market or “push” our social media platforms, as we felt these were created to support the campaign and simply offer a place to converse with our consumers. <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/ford"> @ford</a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/ford_brandnews.gif"> The person behind @ford is ScottMonty (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/scottmonty"> @ScottMonty</a>, ^SM), Head of social media at Ford Motor Company. Why Ford tweets? Simple, concise and 1:1 communication that demonstrates our company's commitment to engaging with consumers & building brand awareness. ^SM What're distinctive features of the Ford style for tweets? Most corporate accounts are co-managed by multiple people and have their names listed in the bios or on the Twitter background. ^SM What's the best @Ford or @ScottMonty tweet ever? <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/Ford/status/1568053416"> Best @Ford tweet </a>. <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/ScottMonty/status/1490021589"> Best @ScottMonty tweet </a>. ^SM <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/Alicia_at_Honda"> @Alicia_at_Honda </a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/honda_brandnews.gif"> It is a twitter-name for Alicia Jones, Corporate Communications, American Honda Motor. Why Honda tweets? I Twitter on behalf of American Honda Motor Co. to reach our customers, enthusiasts, media and other influencers in the United States. I've found that there are a variety of benefits: - Provides a direct line to communicate to consumers/customers/enthusiasts; - Gives a personal touch and entry point to what may otherwise seem like a "big," "corporate" brand; - Affords an opportunity to share bits of info that might interest followers but not otherwise be news release worthy; - Provides a great avenue to listen to what is being said about the brand to identify potential issues, concerns, feedback, etc.; - Leads to stories about Honda in blogs as well as "traditional" media; - Aids in customer retention by identifying/elevating concerns as well as thanking customers; - Bonus: a couple customers have said they've actually purchased a Honda because of engagement on Twitter. What are distinguishing features of the Honda style for tweets? American Honda currently has a handful of Twitter accounts including <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/honda"> @Honda </a>, <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/Alicia_at_Honda"> @Alicia_at_Honda </a>, <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/Acura_Insider"> @Acura_Insider</a>, <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/asimo"> @ASIMO</a>. Our colleagues at Honda Canada and Honda UK are also Twittering (@HondaCanada, @AcuraCanada, @Honda_Racing, @Honda_UK). The primary account for American Honda corporately is @Alicia_at_Honda where I engage in the conversation about all aspects of Honda's lines of business... from automotive to motorcycle to power equipment, etc. The @Honda is currently functioning as an RSS newsfeed from hondanews.com. As we have many fans and robotics enthusiasts so we've also recently started the @ASIMO twitter. Finally, my colleagues at Acura send tweets specifically about that brand exclusively via @Acura_Insider. What was the best @Alicia_at_Honda tweet ever? That's hard to say but I think that the best tweets come 'live'...like from the road of the recent @H2RoadTour, or watching Honda MotoGP riders, or TwitPics of cool vehicles on display at our headquarters, etc. I think those are probably the most engaging for a "follower" of the brand because you get a little bit of an insider's view and perspective. To continue... <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/iaaw"> @iaaw </a>: <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/absolut_brandnews.gif"> Behind @iaaw (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://brandstell.com/index.php?cmd=news_full_text&type=arch&id=2592&lang=en"> In An Absolut World</a>) with information from the world of Absolut is Gringo, an agency from Brasil. Why IAAW tweets? There are two reasons: 1. To connect with our consumers and potential prospects and to fill them with news and relevant stuff from our "In An Absolut Wolrd" Blog; 2. For our surprise, an important and active piece of our target is on Twitter. What is a style for IAAW tweets? Our style is informal, interesting and we always try to put some of Absolut vision on it. What was the best @iaaw tweet ever? The best @iaaw tweet ever was the announcement of a huge and beautiful party that Absolut realized in Brazil to introduce his new campaing: In An Absolut World. <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/iaaw/status/1717222726"> Look </a>. To continue... <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/BeefeaterLondon"> @BeefeaterLondon </a> <img src="http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/beefeater_brandnews.gif"> Behind @BeefeaterLondon there is an agency (<a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.maynardmalone.com/"> Maynard Malone</a>): James Skinner and Allan Wills. Why @BeefeaterLondon tweets? Everyone loves a cocktail, whether at the local bar after work or at home unwinding from a tough day at the office. We tweet to encourage cocktail mixology and educate individuals on how Beefeater Dry Gin can be used in a variety of ways to enhance cocktails. What is the @BeefeaterLondon style of tweets? We keep a relaxed tone of voice online and love to tweet about London in particular, the home of Beefeater Gin. We like to share cocktail recipes, photos and mixology videos with our followers. We also like to involve our fan base by asking them questions regarding their favourite cocktails and bars around the world! What was the best @BeefeaterLondon tweet ever? The best @BeefeaterLondon tweets involve letting our audience choose between two different cocktails on any given day. Our Mixology videos have generated a lot of online conversation but ultimately everyone wants to have their own input so the “Beefeaterlondon would like to know what you will be drinking this Friday night?” usually goes down well... No pun intended! To continue... <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://twitter.com/ElGradoTequila"> @ElGradoTequila </a> <img src=" http://brandnews.ua/resources/images/int_illustrations/elgradotequila_brandnews.gif"> Behind @ElGradoTequila there are <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.elgradospirits.com"> El Grado Spirits </a> founders: Ben Gonzales, Page Brockman, Ashly Kubichek Victoria and Ron Parks. Why @ElGradoTequila tweets? We tweet to raise brand awareness, notify followers of upcoming events & handle customer service issues. It's fast, cheap & works. To continue... July, 2009 © BrandNews. *<a class="source" target="blank"href=" http://www.brandrepublic.com/DMDaily/News/896609/Marketers-reluctant-using-T">Marketers 'reluctant' about using Twitter, survey finds</a> ***<a class="source" target="blank"href=" http://blog.comscore.com/2009/04/twitter_traffic_explodesand_no.html">Twitter Traffic Explodes</a> ***<a class="source" target="blank"href=" http://www.marketingprofs.com/store/product/21/twitter-success-stories/">Twitter Success Stories</a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="brandstell";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-bookmark-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/feed.php?pub=BrandsTells&h1=http%3A%2F%2Fbrandstell.com%2Frss_new_en.php&t1=" title="Subscribe using any feed reader!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-rss-en.gif" width="83" height="16" border="0" alt="" /></a>

Mon, 21 May 2012 02:02:19 +0300 Pumahttp://brandstell.com/peoples/Puma/2258/

<h1> In February this year two brands - <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href="http://brandstell.com/index.php?cmd=history_brand_news&lang=en&brand=Puma&id=40"> Puma</a> and Ducati – went to the famous London design College Central St. Martins to look designs of PUMA Biker Jackets and picked the best ideas developed by Katie Greenwood, <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href="http://www.waynefitzell.com"> Wayne Fitzell </a>, Nicola Lewis and Laura Mackness. </h1> According to brands, in August these things will be presented in shops in different countries of the world and will be choosing their consumers. BrandNews chose one of them – the PUMA Biker Jacket by Wayne Fitzell – and set some questions to its author, British designer Wayne Fitzell: Besides Wayne Fitzell is a designer, what kind of person he is? Does he smile in the morning? Did he always want to be a designer? I wanted to be a footballer and had several trials with premier league teams in England, but as I stayed to complete my education, then I began my design education and began to focus all my attention to Design. You named your profession “making things”. Do you think that each thing (every piece of clothes) should have a meaning? No. But it helps me focus on creating a garment and also I find that it can make something more interesting for the consumer. Your PUMA Biker Jacket looks like some kind of soft and modern armour. What is this thing about? Did the idea for main design come instantaneously? Or it was very detailed and very long search – with many hours, many cups of coffee (tea?) and so on? It certainly wasn't instantaneous (!) but it wasn’t something on which I pondered on for too long either. It began with a look through Ducati's heritage and the history they had alongside their famous Motorcycle drivers. This gave a sense of who I was designing for (PUMA/DUCATI) and an idea of where I could take the project to. I researched vintage leather motorcycle jackets and other vintage clothing that inspired me for details. In the end I wanted something that could be worn on the street as much as a bike and something that could be worn in different ways - the design can be worn with just the shirt part, or the quilted vest part, or indeed together for the combined look. The element of armour and protection is something that I used more in terms of aesthetics in the jacket. Is such style congenial to you? Yes and no. It depends on the project and overall outcome. What color do you never wear? I wear all colors. When you are walking in London and see a thing you’ve designed in a shop window… What kind of feeling you have? Proud and a sense that the hard work has paid off. What thing (not clothes) you’d like to design one day? Anything that makes peoples' lives easier. Do you plan to have your own brand (or, may be, you have)? Perhaps in the future, but at the moment I would like to design for a label already in existence. March, 2009 © BrandNews.  <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="brandstell";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-bookmark-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/feed.php?pub=BrandsTells&h1=http%3A%2F%2Fbrandstell.com%2Frss_new_en.php&t1=" title="Subscribe using any feed reader!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-rss-en.gif" width="83" height="16" border="0" alt="" /></a>

Mon, 21 May 2012 02:02:19 +0300 TRUhttp://brandstell.com/peoples/TRU/2257/

<h1> <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://www.tru-insight.com"> TRU </a>, the research company and a part of the TNS Global, has been studying favorite brands of teens since 1982. In the beginning of March,2009, the company published its new <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://tru-insight.com/pressrelease.cfm?page_id=758"> report </a> about survey carried in 15 countries – the TRU Global Teen Study*. </h1> BrandNews asked about its results Riz Badr, TRU's Global Director and a person who cited Yoda from “Star wars” in his official profile (pic.): The TRU survey was carried in 15 countries. Are teens in different counties fond of same brands or there are some geographical and cultural features? The common elements/threads for the success of any global (or local brands, for that matter) is the ability of its brand platform to emotionally connect brand attributes with fundamental youth need-states while understanding the importance of what TRU calls “The balancing act” across the spectrum of these need-states. For instance, teens may revere independence but still respect their government and their parents. They value friends AND family. They enjoy acting wild and free, but they still plan for the future. To remind marketers of this tension between two competing mindsets, TRU advises clients to “Mind the Gap,” a reminder that oftentimes the most powerful youth positioning is one that manages to straddle need states. That said - for the most part, the top 3 favorite brands across the 15 countries TRU surveyed are dominated by the top 3 global power brands: <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href="http://brandstell.com/index.php?cmd=history_brand_news&lang=en&brand=Nike&id=109"> Nike </a>, <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://brandstell.com/index.php?cmd=history_brand_news&lang=en&brand=Coca-Cola&id=77"> Coca-Cola</a> and <a class="textLink2" target="blank"href=" http://brandstell.com/index.php?cmd=history_brand_news&lang=en&brand=Adidas&id=47"> Adidas</a>. However, there are differences between the teens from emerging and Western (G12) countries. In the G12, teens tend to embrace global brands without even giving it a second thought. Although young people in developing markets similar enthusiasm for global brands, teens in developing countries nonetheless display a greater affinity for their local brands, too. For example, although teens in China listed two major global brands as their favorites, they also selected Li-Ning - a local athletic-shoe and apparel brand. Similarly, local brand Bata enjoys an extremely positive and loyal brand affiliation among Indian teens. Bata ranked as teens’ number-two favorite brand in India. And lastly the Norwegian teens’ second-favorite brand is a local/regional dairy-products brand Tine! In fact Tine ranked ahead of such leading technology global brand as Sony Ericsson; impressive considering that Sony Ericsson (Ericsson) originated in Sweden, one of the fellow Nordic countries. TRU made such surveys for many years. Is the list of world leaders in a teens’ world changing with time? Or – “Coca-Cola is forever?” The powerhouse names like Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Sony and Apple are among a handful of brands that have been consistently appearing among the list of leading teen brands around the world. Will this be true in the next 15-20 years? The data shows it's not going to be easy to retain the top spot, especially as local brands gain more savvy and begin adopting the methods that propelled global brands to the top. We all know that it is very difficult to stay on top for a long time (both for people and brands). How do you think, is it more difficult for brands that want to be the first for teens? A teens’ world seems to be changing more quickly… The established global brands cannot take their current leadership position for granted. They face fierce competitive threats from local brands such as the aforementioned Li-Ning, which is not only aspiring to become a global brand but which is creating a brand platform essentially similar to that of category leader Nike. South Korean brands Samsung and LG are already recognized global brand names considered to be within the top 5 brands in their respective categories, which shows how ambitious upstart brands can succeed. To retain brand leadership among global teens, brands must work harder to connect with young consumers on their terms. To do this, it’s important marketers concentrate on teens’ demand that they have it all, even when their expectations seem to work against each other (See: Mind the Gap). What brands did you like when you were a teenager? Are you fond of them now? Or when youth passes it means saying “good bye” to some loved brands? When I was a teenager I always had this fascination with the Porsche brand that holds true even to day. I would say that’s always been my most favorite brand ever. For as long as I can remember, the brands that I used during my adolescent years are the brands I'm still consuming. Almost all of my personal hygiene products are the same brands I’ve been using since my teenage years. What brands’ features are important for brands? Constant innovations? To be on trend? A joy? To be friendly? In our experience, the brands that really resonate with teens offer a combination of the most important product attributes and functional benefits. Today’s teens are not easily impressed simply by “cool things”. The aesthetics must be matched with a higher level of quality and performance. Teens are too savvy to simply look “skin deep.” How do you think, teens are not tired of all these active and dynamic products and ads that are offered them? May be, they also need some calm and “returning to nature” as we see in ads for adults? For teens globally, meaningful and relevant connection is of the utmost importance. Marketers can not get global teens’ attention by just introducing dynamic products and advertising campaigns. A case in point is Apple. There’s no doubt Apple is an extremely innovative “wow-factor” brand. Their advertising campaigns are extremely engaging! Despite Apple’s continued desire to garner a firm youth following for its brands, they haven’t been as successful globally as they have in the U.S. Apple only appeared within the top 5 favorite brands list in 3 countries. What surprised you in this survey? The most surprising discovery came from the answer to the long awaited question “Is there such a thing as a global teen profile?” As it turns out, there are stark differences between what we call “a tale of two teens” – those that live in developed markets, and those that live in emerging economies. Teens from developed markets are less easily impressed and have a greater sense of entitlement. They’ve seen it all from a marketing point of view, and very little you can do will impress them. On the other hand, teens in emerging markets sometimes seem almost overwhelmed by the level of choices and freedoms they’re experiencing. It’s all new and everything seems very exciting to these teens. *<a class="source" target="blank"href=" http://tru-insight.com/syndicated.cfm?page_id=699"> TRU Global Teen Study </a> March, 2009  <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="brandstell";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-bookmark-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/feed.php?pub=BrandsTells&h1=http%3A%2F%2Fbrandstell.com%2Frss_new_en.php&t1=" title="Subscribe using any feed reader!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-rss-en.gif" width="83" height="16" border="0" alt="" /></a>

Mon, 21 May 2012 02:02:19 +0300