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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

If a soup is called low fat, and it’s on-shelf next to a soup for kiddies, you’d expect it to keep its promise. Not so with these two Knorr soups. Soup on the left: for kiddies, limited edition Teddy Soup. Soup on the right: low fat. Knorr confusion I won’t bore you with the nutritional [...]

Always read the instructions I discovered this little gem from Brazil on a table top in Berlin. An MBA had returned with it after discovering its “miracle benefits” while (supposedly) over there for his studies. Everyone he met said you should take it before and after drinking and the next day you’ll have no hangover. [...]

I’m used to seeing manufacturers play to current events to capture people’s interest – as they did in Germany during the 2006 World cup (click here to see what the Germans did in the supermarkets). But you don’t often see them completely redesigning the logo to capture the public’s imagination. Not unless they have such [...]