A Brandless Shopping Experience

"As we become increasingly bombarded with information and stimulation, the world is becoming a noisier place." (Selfridges & Co)From a shopping point of view, I'm sure that many can identify with this. We are constantly being targeted by  different advertising offers, discounts and bargains. The shopping experience on its own can sometimes be a noisy, stressful nightmare.When Selfridges first opened 104 years ago, Harry Gordon Selfridge launched the Silence Room where busy shoppers could easily "retire from the whirl of bargains and the build up of energy". Selfridges have now brought this back as part of their No Noise initiative.

The new Silence Room has an insulated inner-sanctum, that is shielded from the noise and human traffic of the store. The initiative also includes The Quiet Shop, where interestingly, some of the world's most recognisable brands have taken the symbolic step of removing their logos - including Levi's, Marmite, Heinz and Clinique.

And if this is not enough, Selfridges have partnered with Headspace, the modern meditation experts so that through guided meditation they can deliver peace and quiet while shopping.

What do you think of this initiative? Even though it's an attempt to de-brand, there will undoubtedly be many consumers who will clamour to get hold of these special editions of favourite brand names before they are possibly discontinued!

Italian Brands Begin Partner Hunt In India

A clutch of Italian fashion brands is gearing up to enter India, in the latest thrust by high-end merchandise makers wanting to tap new money in a country where luxury retail is showing signs of a pick-up.

Fashion houses Moschino and Alberta Ferretti, Pollini, Gattinoni, Byblos and Scorpion Bay have signed up their entry strategy and partner search operations. Joining these brands are Brunello Cucinelli and Sergio Rossi who are also in talks for a partnership in the country.

India's luxury market is expected to touch $14.73 billion by 2015, according to industry estimates, from an estimated $8.21 billion this year. Analysts attribute it to the expanding class of high net-worth individuals in the country.

India is aleady playing host to sevelral foreign fashion brands, including Italy's Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Tod's and Boggi Milano, which sell their products through local partnerships.

Not all partnerships, however, have fared well, making potential entrants doublethink their India plan. Iconic Italian brand Prada is yet to enter the country, for instance.

India recently allowed 100% FDI in single-brand retail and 51% in multi-brand retail, but with a rider that 30% of sourcing should be done locally.

Despite the easing, luxury brands still prefer partnerships, as operations are easier through such arrangements.

Source: The Economic Times | Business of Brands | February 2013 | New Delhi | India

Breaking News: Blockbuster calls in administrators

No even the time to publish the post related to HMV yesterday and today there is yet another announcement. Yet again the latest high street casualty is related to the same trend in customer movie consumption and the shift towards online consumption.

This time the big name is Blockbuster UK.  The chain has been in trouble these last few years with more people switching to only movie consumption and the credit crunch, however the chain still had 528 stores and employs 4,190 staff.

 Blockbuster UK’s announcement comes just after the announcement of HMV which also fell into administration and Jessops which closed doors just last week.

As usual administrators will try to get the most of out the business and try to secure the jobs were possible and pay off as much of the creditor balances as possible.

Breaking News: HMV closing down

HMV is the latest casualty in this crisis and the biggest since Woolworths closed its doors. The demise of HMV although it has been probably helped by the current crises can be linked to a number of other reasons.

Basically the chain has been very slow to react to changes in customer wants. Less people were demanding physical copies of cds and dvd. In todays digital era, people are choosing to download music and movies so the brick and mortar formula was out dated.

Another issue that affected HMV might have been the lack of direction. It is very difficult and time consuming to change the product focus of a successful store and HMV has just run out of time. There could have been a number of other opportunities which HMV could have worked on, including partnering with famous artists and produce clothing wear, become sole retailer of a number of upcoming gadgets etc. However this could now be history. 

All this things have led the 92-year-old music store to become the latest high street casualty. Unfortunately as in other cases, those most hit are it's own employees (4,350 jobs are at risk if the chain closes) and it's smaller share holders who saw their share price drop from 274p in 2005 to less than 2p yesterday.
.

This puts more pressure on the economy as these lost jobs are added up to the jobs lost in the recent collapses of camera trader Jessops and electrical retailer Comet that together cost more than 8,000 jobs. 

According to different sources, the appointed administrators will keep the profitable “core” of stores operating. However, bad news might be on it's way for customers who have bought gift cards or have received them this Christmas as it is understood that HMV has emailed all stores telling staff not to accept gift cards.

The 4-fingered chocolate battle

Have you ever thought about KitKat's shape in the form of 4 fingers and how that came about? Nestle, which owns Kitkat, has just won a trademark battle against Cadbury in a European-wide ruling re-instating that the four-fingered and three-dimensional shape of the KitKat is exclusive to Nestle. What this effectively means is that no confectionery manufacturer can produce and sell chocolates in the form of the KitKat's 'four-fingers'.

The original KitKat manufacturer, Rowntree in Yorkshire, launched KitKat in the 1930s after an employee's recommendation that the company should produce "a chocolate bar that a man could take to work in his pack up". The result was the four-finger chocolate bar as we know it today. It was an immediate success and was then rolled out all across the UK.

Much later, in 2006, Nestle registered the shape of the KitKat as a trademark, but rival Cadbury then won an appeal that invalidated the registration. Now Nestle has emerged again as the winner. 

While many seem to have had similar foresight and registered their shapes, imagery, colour etc as unique trademarks, e.g. Ferrero Rocher's golden paper-wrapped chocolates and Hershey's kisses, significant fortunes must have been lost by failing to register trademarks on time, such as the recent case of the chocolate Easter Bunny.

One could argue that because we now live in a time where image is everything and anything can set a company apart from its competitors, such rulings would enable companies to protect their competitive advantage. Do you agree with this ruling? Can it lead to anti-competitiveness?

Some of the best commercials of 2012

We thought it would be good to close off the year showcasing what were in our opinion some of the best commercials we’ve come across during 2012.

1.   John Lewis – The Journey

A heartwarming ad that features a snowman embarking on an arduous quest to buy a present for a special someone, who is only revealed at the very end of the commercial.

2.   P&G - Best Job

This ad promotes P&G’s Olympics sponsorship, and celebrates the role that mums play in raising Olympians. The commercial has been very well received and has won a commercial Emmy Award.

3.   The Guardian - Three Little Pigs

An ingenious and well produced commercial, where the Three Little Pigs tale is rehashed having the pigs burning the wolf alive. The Guardian is there to cover the rest of the story is at unfolds. The ad won multiple Cannes Lion awards.

4.   Chrysler - Halftime in America

Starring Clint Eastwood, this inspirational commercial is about rallying Americans to work together to rebound from a tough ‘first half’. Despite being one of the adverts that stood out most in this year’s Super Bowl, it has drawn political criticism as it was seen to be an endorsement of the Obama administrations’ bailout of Chrysler and General Motors in 2009.

5.   Nike – Find Your Greatness (Jogger)

Although Nike wasn't an Olympic sponsor, it successfully ambushed the Olympic games this year with this brilliant yet simple commercial. The commercial was filmed in a single, unedited take and features an unknown, overweight teenager as he shuffles uncomfortably down a lonely road. Even though obviously struggling, he never gives up.

6.   British Airways - London 2012

In a tongue in cheek ad where a 65-metre wide Boeing 777 is seen motoring around London, we see BA telling it’s potential customers to stay at home and support team GB instead of flying.

7.   VWPolo – Dad

An emotional commercial, which opens with a couple bringing a newborn baby girl home and follows the development of the father’s relationship with his growing daughter. The commercial ends with the father giving his daughter a VW Polo when she leaves home heading off for university.

8.   NSPCC - Sh*t Kids Say

A heart-breaking campaign launched by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), that urges the public to trust their instincts and report anything that seems suspicious.

9.   Adidas – Take the Stage

A simple yet striking commercial focusing on top British athletes and the challenges of competing at the highest level on a global stage.

10. Audi – Vampire Party

Piggybacking on the latest trends relating to vampires, here we have a large group of young vampires being accidentally burnt by the LED headlights of an Audi S7.

What do you think of these commercials? Are there any others that you would add to the list?

New Anti Smoking Campaign launched today in the UK

Following Australia's world-first laws on cigarette and tobacco plain packaging, other countries could start becoming more aggressive in targeting tobacco company products with new legislation and publicity campaigns.

The UK could be the first to move as the department of health is set to invest £2.7 million in an integrated marketing campaign that will focus mainly on online and outdoor advertising. The ads being created are an attempt to “shock” smokers into quitting, the Dare-created spot explains that smoking 15 cigarettes could cause a mutation that leads to cancerous tumours.

This shock campaign is aimed at the generation of smokers that have not been exposed to hard-hitting campaigns but have grown up in an environment less accepting of smoking as a result of the 2007 smoking ban in public places and last year’s display ban in supermarkets. Although not as aggressive as the Australian approach (where all cigarette companies have been forced to replace their traditional packaging for uniform packaging with a generic drab olive green covering, gruesome pictures of diseased body parts and depictions of children and babies made ill by their parents' smoking), the campaign should be a very bold one both in terms of the message and the visuals used. (view video about Australian action below - WARNING: The Advert contains strong images)

In fact the campaign has been handed an “ex-kids” rating, which means it cannot be shown during children’s programming but could still be seen by children watching television with their parents and hence a number of complaints are expected to be received by the  Advertising Standards Authority from adults claiming the spot is upsetting to children.

The campaign launches today (28 December) and will run until mid-February. View the advert in the video below. (WARNING: The Advert contains strong images)