Will HMV's new branding be just what they need to bring them back intothe entertainment race?

HMV is back with a new logo, tagline and advertising campaign. The tagline, 'home of entertainment since 1921', focuses on the company's long running heritage in the entertainment history; HMV is a brand you can rely on. This new strategy emphasises that HMV is back with a 'bang'; new energy, new life, moving forward to be in the forefront of customers' minds.

The 10 second TV advert which aired during X-Factor on Saturday featured the new neon logo and the tagline. It is very simple but clearly emphasises that HMV is back to compete in the entertainment industry. This followed graffiti-style marketing on London roads featuring the well-known HMV dog, Nipper, which helped to drive the reopening of their flagship store on Oxford Street. The campaign will also feature outdoor, TV, social media, digital and point-of-sale elements.

Will this be enough to bring HMV back as a strong competitor in the entertainment market? They certainly have rebranded themselves very well and placed themselves as a brand that not only has a long heritage, but is also continually evolving and is at the centre of today's entertainment. However, I am not sure if this will be enough to ensure they remain on our high streets with the growing trend of seeing our shops disappear from the high street. At the end of the day, entertainment is so easy to purchase online with a speedy delivery and normally if you want to buy a CD or DVD you know what you want, you don't new to try it on for size like a piece of clothing. Can you predict what the future holds for HMV...?

Lloyds Bank show they know what matters

Lloyds Bank signifies the rebranding of 1300 branches from Lloyds TSB to Lloyds Bank with a £30 million marketing campaign. The new campaign revitalises the 250 year old brand through focusing on "moments that matter", emphasising that what matters to customers in terms of their banking, is what matters to Lloyds Bank. 

The bank has chosen to not detail their portfolio of products and services but instead focus on their relationship with their customers. This is a much better technique as in the current financial climate, customers want to know they can have trust in their bank and that their bank in turn understands what challenges face customers today. This is resonated through the Television advert campaign created by RKCR/Y&R where we follow and understand the story of a man who has been living at home with his parents, but through the help of a mortgage with Lloyds Bank, he can start his own life in his own house. The advert has a real warm feel about it and you can truly believe that Lloyds Bank endeavours to build strong relationships with its customers. It has a completely different affect in comparison to Lloyds' previous campaign of the animated figures and the 'for the journey' end line, truly emphasising Lloyds Bank is in tune with the market and what customers rate as most important. The new look, feel and tone of the advertising ensures that the brand is revitalised in light of the rebranding. 

When I was much much younger, my Dad and our family friend challenged me to think up a new marketing campaign for Lloyds. Being a huge Harry Potter fan, I went with the concept of Lloyds Bank's offerings being truly 'magic'. It was funny watching back this old home video and seeing just how interested in marketing and creative adverts I was from a young age! Although recently watching this back and seeing how creative I was from a young age, I think Lloyds Bank's new campaign idea will be more successful!

Ben & Jerry's have done it again

Ben & Jerry's is such a fun brand, everything from the colourful packaging to the description of the ice-cream, it signifies fun. Their recent campaign continues this message by encouraging people to join in and create their own Ben & Jerry's flavour. All they have to do is come up with two ice-cream flavours, chunks of an ingredient and then a core and tweet it to Ben & Jerry's using the hashtag MyBenAndJerrys! The chosen recipe owner will win a one-off creation of their ice-cream!

I love this concept! It perfectly displaying interaction between a brand and its consumers and increased that 2-way relationship that is so important. It encourages people to engage on social media, take a look at their current flavours, get involved with the brand and also it is a great talking point so brand awareness is sure to be increased. 

The only issue is, how on earth are they going to decide which flavour will win?! I've been having a look at some of the concoctions tweeted by fans and amongst the 'Banoffee Pie! Toffee and Vanilla ice cream with a chocolate and toffee core, with banana and chocolate chunks' and 'Vanilla and Toffee Ice Creams with Fudge Chunks and a Apple Sauce Core' as well as 'Pancakes&Syrup! Maple core, blueberry and pancake flavoured ice creams with blueberries & pancake bits', how on earth will they decide?! What would be your flavour concoction?

Tweet for a Table!

The Co-operative came up with a fantastic idea to drive engagement and showcase their tasty food by bringing 'pop-up' restaurants to main cities in the UK. Diners were asked to 'tweet for a table' with the offer of a free meal! This concept derived from their objective of appealing and building up a relationship with the younger generation. What better way to reach the younger generation than offer a free meal and communicate with them through the channel they use commonly?!

When I was in London last weekend, my friends and I visited the 'pop-up' restaurant on the Southbank! I had already heard about this concept through twitter where friends of mine were doing exactly as The Co-operative had asked and tweeted for a table! We got the choice for a completely free meal, glass of wine and were encouraged to take photos with props and post these on social media for the chance to win a holiday to Turkey!

The Co-operative got this experiential and social media campaign exactly right. Diners would promote the food and free meal on social media so all their followers and friends would find out about it too and through giving away delicious free meals it is promoting how good their food tastes and what meals you can rustle up from ingredients bought in their stores. The Co-operative understood perfectly how to get the younger generation engaged and talking; increasing the likelihood of an affinity with this brand. A great unique idea and one that shows a brand really understand how to reach their target audience. 

What does Starbucks really stand for?

Starbucks has received a lot of bad press recently and therefore it may not have come to a surprise to some people that they were only voted 70th in the list of 'top youth brands'. However, this did in fact shock me, I'll explain why..

Starbucks is 'cool'. Meeting with friends or getting a drink to take away on the way to work or University; it's cool to be seen or to meet at Starbucks. The rise of social media has complimented Starbucks well in people using it as a way to tweet about their Starbucks, 'check in' to a cafe on Facebook or Instagram a photo of their Starbucks complete with their name on the takeaway cup. The seasonal drinks such as Pumpkin Spiced Latte receive lots of attention and even if the drink doesn't sound to your fancy, the hype and talk about it just makes you want to try it...and then tweet about it afterwards! Drinking at Starbucks has an air of sophistication and it is a trendy brand for customers.

Although the brand has had a lot of bad press, it has pulled through it well and hasn't stopped the consumer desire for a Starbucks. If given the choice, I would always pick Starbucks over another coffee shop chain. I wouldn't say I'm a great coffee connoisseur and know which brand's coffee tastes the best and why, but simply I like how it feels going to Starbucks! To prove my point, whilst in America I made sure I indulged in a Starbucks from the new Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom as well as in New York....and as you can see from the photos I obviously posted this on social media! I think Starbucks' branding is just right to appeal to the younger generation and young professionals, so why the low rating on the 'top 100 Youth brands'? Maybe the controversy behind the brand had more of an effect on how the Millennial generation perceive them after all. It won't stop me going to try a Pumpkin Spiced Latte soon though!

Bring Buffalo Wild Wings to the UK!

Buffalo Wild Wings...restaurant, bar, sports, delicious chicken, great atmosphere; a truly American experience.

Whilst I was in America this summer, I spent numerous nights out at the infamous Buffalo Wild Wings on a Wednesday night. A great atmosphere, cheap drinks and the local 'hangout' for all the Disney College Program members.  Then when I was travelling, my friends and I visited Buffalo Wild Wings in Los Angeles one evening for a meal.  I can honestly say it was one of the tastiest meals I had during my summer!  So when I saw the news stating that Buffalo Wild Wings is the fastest growing restaurant in America, I could understand why!

Buffalo Wild Wings is now a 950 strong-restaurant-chain in America and Canada, with plans to progress into Mexico, Philippines and the Middle East. The success of the brand is due to their strong themes that Americans relate to and love; a fun entertaining atmosphere, delicious, signature chicken and live sports.  In the American culture, they love to gather and watch sports socially, something that maybe the British aren't so apt to.  I believe this aligns back to my perception of how unpatriotic we are in comparison to Americans.  Working in Disney World over the Independence Day week really hit home for me how proud America is of their country, their culture and their heritage; something I love about the country.

I think it would be brilliant if Buffalo Wild Wings did ever expand into the UK market. The food would definitely go down well, but in an era where a brand's values and themes are so important to distinguish themselves; would the atmosphere and social sports-watching culture match that of Britain?

So what is this all about?

Some of you may be aware of my previous blog; My Disney Life which followed my amazing Disney adventure this summer 'working for the mouse' in Disney World Florida. I'm so pleased to say that my blog to date had 6266 views (I'm sure all of them can't have been my Mum & Dad!)  I realised recently just how much I have missed blogging, so why not create a whole new blog?!

I graduated from Birmingham City University this year and received the amazing news whilst enjoying the sunshine in Florida that I had received a First Class Honours degree in Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations.... But the good news did not stop there as I was also awarded Final Year Marketing Student of the Year; an achievement I am so proud of.  I worked so hard throughout my four year course but due to finding Marketing so interesting and stimulating and enjoying keeping up-to-date with trends, I loved my course.  So what better way to continue my enjoyment for following Marketing news and brands by documenting it all on my very own, new, sparkly blog!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy researching and writing for it, as well as following my journey through graduate life and a Marketing career.

xoxo