Alex Woodruff Biz Buzz

Product managers are responsible for the whole of the marketing mix. But some parts of it are slightly beyond their grasp. Not your place. In August I saw the local lottery trying to boost sales during the summer lull with a special Mercedes SLK promotion, free to all entrants. Arranging the cooperation with the carmaker [...]

My eye was caught recently by an item in a specialist marketing and advertising magazine about guerilla marketing. An ad agency in the relatively small German town of Eschweiler had obviously been briefed to create as much hype as possible for the opening of a new Tamaris shoe shop. The publicity stunt they came up [...]

I have Helge to thank for recommending a quick visit to two slogan-writing websites. Somewhat worried that either could put me and my agency out of business, I thought I’d give it a go first at Sloganizer.de with one of the most baffling concepts we’ve met in Germany: the idea of a “traditional” company being [...]

A campaign going downhill, quickly. International developments have a way of mucking things up for you. You spend months developing a clever advertising campaign, only to be taken by surprise only weeks after launching it. Of course nobody can predict the future, but sometimes you do shape your own destiny. Take Fortis Bank, who my [...]

I am intrigued by the mixed statements being made by this German department store chain. I saw this poster recently and nearly walked past it (not easy for me, being in marketing you never switch off!). After all: the style, slogan and imagery are a comfortable fit with the rest of their high-profile campaign. Until [...]

Poor Coke, minding its own business when suddenly it finds itself in the middle of a global controversy. The first it heard about it was when a Chinese blogger came out with the following Germany has started to really show adverts for Tibetan independence. Coca-Cola! Okay, I will remember. From now on I will not [...]

I find myself in one of Mallorca’s few genuine holiday havens – no masses, low key, still a holiday resort, only not spoilt by modern tourism. Frequented by lots of French and a healthy mix of other nations, including many Spanish. Lovely promenade. Just right. Then… as it said in my blog at the time: [...]

Need some sexual relief? Try this. Source: company website screenshot Well, some product manager was obviously slightly challenged in thinking up a name for this product. Perhaps, so involved in the product world, benefits, consumer needs, USPs and competitive positioning, everyone involved – from R&D to the packaging designers and marketing department – forgot to [...]

This poster for a Baden-Württemberg bank has a fundamental logical flaw. It states that, “Good advice is give and take”. Agreed. So, dear bank, what will you give…? Well, unfortunately the poster continues by saying “WE TAKE…” Ok, they take time (not the literal translation, indirectly they mean they’re happy “for things to take the [...]

On the last MBA course we discussed companies that expect you to go to great lengths just to take part in a promotion. A bit like the mineral company that expects you to drink huge amounts of water just to get a stuffed toy, here is another promotion that really does ask too much of [...]