Alex Woodruff Biz Buzz

Not much to say about this latest marketing gaffe, apart from: doh.

The screenshot comes from Markus, who, quite rightly points out that English people looking for a job may have problems relating to “Motorrad”. If you’re not German, this means motorbike, but don’t ask me what it’s doing on an English website. I can only guess that it’s “editing residue”.

I guess it could be worse. It could say “Imprint” on the website…

Now the New Product Development case study includes other markets, we get to see a winner in the tissue market. Going under the huge German Tempo brand (if you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know they had a foray into toilet paper), the study group’s idea was to target a very specific, but very frequent usage occasion, side-stepping the usual association with tissues (for people with a cold). In fact, people using this study group’s product normally feel far from unwell.

Relax, Tempo’s at hand

It’s the tissue for afterwards. So users of the Tempo Sexy Box are less into blowing your nose, and more into … er … bedroom use of tissues.

Unfortunately there are no packs to show you. Though I can tell you it looked like an extended version of a Kleenex box, complete with condoms and lubricant gel. Somewhat disappointingly, there’s no advert showing the usage occasion either (though I think the target market - which predictably included the masters students themselves - would probably prefer to see ads showing the action before the usage occasion, not the clean-up operation afterwards). I can also report that, unlike previous case studies, they decided not to act the ad out. But we all got the idea.

The question for the study group was how to sell it. But I dare say that imagination itself was enough.

The German slogan is pretty untranslatable, so I’ll just say, roughly “Relax, it’s in your hands”: Hast du’s zur Hand, bist du entspannt!

As in previous years, and as recommended by marketing experts when you use current events to reach out to customers, companies are jumping on the World Cup bandwagon as an advertising vehicle. Inevitably, some are even playing to classic cultural clichés.

So having seen what the Croatians make of the English recently, I’d thought I’d examine what the Brits taunt the Germans for.

Sausage conflict. Source: walkers website screenshot.

Enter Walkers Crisps, owned by Pepsico and interesting with respect to international packaging design. Add the World Cup theme. Then sprinkle it with German-ness - which to the Brits seems to be Bratwurst.

The advertising campaign has a number of major flaws (the houses in the background are clearly not GERMAN, they look like a middle-class estate in a British suburban commuter belt), but oh dear - is this all Walkers could come up with?! (More: Walkers Crisps).

Despite this, I have to think back to a case study when the MBAs designed a chocolate snack on World Cup flavours. It didn’t win the case study, but looking back at it now - there was obviously a good idea there somewhere!!

For an absolute teutophobic beer ad, see the classic Carling Black Label ad.

Saying it in style. Source: M Walsh

If you’re going to name your P for Product in English, do your homework.

How about this new canine grooming centre in the town of Erlangen, north of Nuremberg: Doggy Style.

Oh dear. Of course with the English having such smutty minds, this was bound to be rude for someone: having sex “doggy style” means taking somebody from behind. For more in German see wikipedia :NOT safe for work.

I wonder how many old English sheepdogs enjoy Doggy Style.

But giving them some credit, note the brand name is written upper case and is not hyphenated (doggy-style). So at least they got that bit right.

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 a recent trip to Slovenia, my eye was caught by this clear attempt to tap into country of origin (COO) benefits - with a sandwich!

Well, how about that. A man in a bowler hat, plus umbrella, eating a sandwich in front of Big Ben. Not what I’d immediately associate with a sandwich, but if it works in Slovenia, then why not…?

Now - having eaten the tuna sandwich that was contained in this packaging, and being totally disappointed by it, this highlights one of the downsides to country-of-origin positioning: the expectations may be so high, your product could disappoint the customer in an instant.

So if you use COO marketing make sure your product meets the exact (and potentially exacting) quality expectations of the target customer (which with this sandwich, was probably not me).

Pick up better habits

This example of conative marketing - ie, A for Action, caught my eye a couple of years ago. You see a cigarette on the pavement, pick it up, but then find it contains a message on how to quit smoking.

It’s simple and effective.

What really hits home though is the way it reaches out to the specific target group. Non-smokers will totally ignore it.

Only downside: this is an expensive promotional mechanic. But it gets my thumbs up!

Sniff this, or sniff the food?

I was taught by one boss NEVER to put a negative image in an ad. I was working in foods at the time, so he said no insects, no animals (especially cows, as this was a dairy food, and he thought cows come from smelly farms), no men with beards, the list went on and on.

I was worried our ads would be bland and full of smiling, happy ‘average’ people. Which begs the question - is marketing there to hold a mirror to society as it is, warts and all, or should it try to paint a picture that customers would prefer to see?

Before I get too philosophical, let’s look at an example. Put simply, it’s a dog sniffing the arse of another dog.

This visual left me so cold I didn’t notice the tag lines (”Checked for good friendship. Checked 20 times for good quality”). Let alone the body copy (”Dogs check everything. Just like us”). But if I think about it, it still doesn’t work. I picture Pedigree quality managers sniffing dogs’ arses.

Maybe my boss was right. But I’m not a dog owner. Maybe dog owners find this funny?

I recently started comparing two own label diet/low fat brands that reminded me of the Memorex relaunch.

X marks the confusion

Ignoring the naff names (especially “Well you” - sounds to an Englishman like you’re about to be told off), they both use a symbol within the letters to signal an active and healthy person, moving, reaching their arms up.

The “Be Light” one confused me totally. I realised that for months I’d been misreading it as Bexlight. I thought that’s an X in the middle.

Well, get it?

It was only when I saw the WellYou one that I realised why, and that actually the brand is not bexlight. Or maybe it is, and the other one is called Wellou.

I guess designers can’t win on this one. I wouldn’t consider myself a design novice, but if these run-of-the-mill brands can get it wrong, it’s understandable how Memorex can soon look like novices.

Solution? Do a simple test with consumers and count the confusion. If it’s not clear - change the design!

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 Vegemite, a yeast extract similar to (but definitely not the same as!) Marmite. The marketing department’s idea: let’s invite our customers to think up a new name for Vegemite. Were they mad? Or, as I suspect, was this a marketing stunt? The result: iSnack 2.0. Oh dear. Well, according to my sources the name was discontinued only four days after its launch. They’ll have to run down stocks. But as a Kraft spokesman said: “The new name has simply not resonated with Australians. Particularly the modern technical aspects associated with it.”

Ok, let’s see how community marketing and Web 2.0 works in another country: the United States. And how about letting customers design the next Barbie doll?

Pink programmer.
Source: Mattel website screenshot

The question is though, who are these “customers”? Well, it comes as no surprise to discover that the people who voted in this “You decide” poll, are online and, er, therefore into computers. So what would they like the next generation of Barbie doll to become?

You got it: a computer engineer.

Well, that’s social trends for you. And technology trends for you.

Customers voted - and marketing listened. Carefully. Too carefully?

Just because Web 2.0 and involving customers is all the rage, doesn’t make it right!

Bombarding the customer.

I often post on this blog about things that I find shocking as a Brit living abroad.

If it’s not about rudeness
or inappropriate visuals
it’s about marketing departments unknowingly putting their foot in it.

For more, see the Cultural Hotpot posts.

Well, this time something in reverse.

If you’re German, would this make a shiver go up your spine if you saw it in an English shop? The English obviously don’t think twice about it.

Blitz is now an English word, apparently. And the good news - only a minority would relate this back to the second world war. Which is why I saw this in Sainsbury’s supermarket, shouting out among other loud placards.