Alex Woodruff Biz Buzz

Better than before How do you update a brand without making it look like what you had before wasn’t perhaps as good as you were making it out to be? For years people mocked the iconic Persil for claiming it washes whiter. What, like it didn’t wash white before? And what is ‘whiter’ anyway? The [...]

Source: website screenshot I have Johannes to thank for this latest example of a German company realising that many customers judge you most by the part of the marketing mix they see most often: P for product, in this case even P for packaging. Pickled gherkins are big in Germany (the market, not just the [...]

Producers of mobile phones, digital cameras, flat screens and similar hi-tech products often have to pump huge budgets into R&D. To get this investment back – and break even as quickly as possible – they tend to “price skim”. This involves using high prices to remove the “cream” from the market before the competitors catch [...]

What do you do if a competitor copies your brand name? Normally: blast them out of the water. But check your facts first. Beer from here, and there. The German brand Löwenbräu will be familiar to beer drinkers in many countries of the world. In Germany there are two Löwenbräu’s, however. So which one is [...]

The last time I saw an outlet opening that looked like it was in the wrong place, I was convinced by a fellow Brit that it served a growing need and would survive. Ok, I’m not into manicure and nail painting. But apparently it was all the rage at the time in London. So I [...]

It’s common in business to business for companies to play up their heritage. As any German engineering company will tell you, the label “made in Germany” is an instant door opener to many export markets. A slice of English heritage? It can also work in non-BtB markets, as long as you understand the audience. On [...]

Two recent examples of how listening to the much revered customer does not always go right – especially if they take over your marketing for you! And using Web 2.0 and inviting online junkies to define tactics …? Online geeks hijack P for Product.Source: flickr We’ll start in Australia. The Land of Plenty. This includes [...]

Lilac logistics? How do you market a service that nobody can see, measure or experience until it happens? Tangible products can be shown, in physical terms. Intangible things (like services) can’t. One solution some companies use is to turn the abstract “process” into something more visual. This company on the right, Müller, has decided to [...]

Don’t blink – it’s adiads Question: Why do the Chinese copy big brands and produce fakes of their own? Answer: Because they can. Can in the sense of “are not stopped” – by the authorities, who have obviously not got the situation under control. Can in the sense of “know how to” – having been [...]

When markets offer so many alternatives already, it’s difficult thinking up new ideas to appeal to the over-targetted, already-satisfied customers. Apple’s approach is clear: the USP with their latest product launch is stated without hype and over-marketed image: “the world’s thinnest notebook”. The MacBook Air: So what about this one: Arrogant Bastard Ale. It’s been [...]