See behind the scenes of the making of ‘Together At Last’
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As businesses start to re-open their doors once more, it’s safe to say we’ve officially entered the realm of the ‘new normal.’ But what does this mean for your business and, crucially, your marketing plans?
It’s probably an understatement to say that the way you run your business has had to adapt in recent weeks. With this in mind, it’s almost certain that your pre-lockdown marketing plans need to be re-shaped too, so that you can be confident your comms channels are working as hard as they possibly can.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don’t worry, we’ve put together 10 questions you should be asking yourself about your marketing right now. And, of course, if your answers to these questions lead you to thinking you need a helping hand with anything, the OnBrand team are ready to take any marketing load off your mind!!
Your 10 questions start here
- What’s changed in my market/economy?
Change isn’t always a bad thing. For example, it may be that your target audience’s shopping behaviour has changed; they may be shopping less, but spending more. Could this be an opportunity to look at ways to upsell or increase basket size online? - What are my competitors doing?
Whilst assessing what new opportunities there may be for you out there, don’t forget to check out what your competitors are doing too. Think about what makes your brand/business different and how you can achieve stand out amongst all the ‘New Normal’ noise. - What are my comms priorities?
Whilst it might feel like you should be putting spend across each and every touchpoint, it’s better to do a few things really well, than spread your budget too thinly across too many channels. Think about which channels are working best for you right now and ensure those you choose to put resource behind will help you reach your overall business objectives. - What skills are missing in my team that I need to take control of?
With businesses having to make tough staffing decisions over recent weeks, you may find there are skillsets you need to tap into right now that aren’t covered within your team. At OnBrand, our team cover a range of different marketing disciplines, so whatever the gap, we have an expert on hand to help! - How much do I need to change my original 2020 marketing plan?
It’s unlikely your marketing plan from the beginning of 2020 is going to be exactly the same now. Take time to really assess which parts are still going to deliver, and which areas need a tweak! - What new needs do my customers have?
The world has changed for everyone. Not only are businesses needing to make changes, but consumers are having to approach every day tasks and responsibilities differently. Do your customers have any new needs that you can help them with? - Do we have the right level of comms activity running to reach our customers?
If you’ve been one of the businesses that have had to shut-up-shop during lockdown, it may be that you’re needing to ramp up your comms activity more than you originally planned to at this time of year. Take a look at your marketing spend for the year so far – perhaps there’s budget you ended up not using during lockdown that you should be thinking about re-apportioning to really create impact now that you’re back up and running again? - Do we need to revise our business goals?
Do your business goals still reflect the market you find yourself in? If they’re now seeming unrealistic or you’re needing to change your approach, make sure you re-align your business goals so that you have something to measure success with by the end of the year. - Is our website/e-commerce platform robust enough to respond to changes within the business model?
There’s no denying that since lockdown, the world has become more digital than ever. People are spending even more time scrolling on their phones. How well do you engage with your audience across digital platforms? Is your website optimised for e-commerce? - What am I doing to keep my brand visible and top of mind?
Of course, reaching your customers is key, so it’s important to think through which channels are going to work hardest at doing this for you. It’s also important to think x-channel. How are you engaging on social media? Do you have an email database you can segment with the right targeted messages? Are you running an affiliate program? We can help you explore which channels are right for your business, and look at your overarching content strategy so that not only are you appearing across the best channels for your brand, but so that your messaging really cuts through and stays top of mind.
Lots to think about! Want to chat through ways we might be able to help? Email: sayhello@onbrand.co.uk or call 03333 22 00 22
We thought we’d enjoy a little interlude from what’s going on in the mainstream news, to spread a little cheer and share one of our favourite campaigns from earlier this year.
Question for you…What do you get when you mix a shopping centre, a dollop of love, a spoonful of Whitney Houston and some clever radio marketing alongside a sprinkle of social media magic?
An interesting recipe right? Read on…
A bit of background
OnBrand’s history is deeply centred around radio, so much so that the whole company used to be called Centre Radio. And we’re proud to supply our most cost effective product, Centre Radio, to a wide range of different shopping malls up and down the country, with a variety of playlists and recorded messaging that can be updated and loaded quickly, especially in times when you need to react in a crisis.
We can make you feel good
We’re often reminding people that sounds can encourage a range of emotions. But did you know that positive feelings created by music can also help to increase both dwell time and sales in a shopping centre? You can read more about the science behind it here.
However, today we’re not going to talk about science. Here’s an update on how we used Centre Radio creatively to have a bit of fun this Valentine’s Day at The Baytree Shopping Centre.
What went down
The Baytree Shopping Centre wanted to launch a simple Valentine’s Day competition, but with a twist. Something that would make shoppers want to ‘dance with somebody’ and engage them within the centre and on social media channels.
Centre Manager, Dan Foley didn’t really need to look very much further than OnBrand. We got right to the heart of the brief, which would mix all the elements together… (any Whitney fans getting our references yet?)
The chart-topping idea
A week-long competition that encouraged people to listen out for Whitney Houston’s, ‘I will always love you’ and then message the centre’s Facebook with the time that they heard it, in a bid to win a Valentine’s Gift Bundle.
Working closely with our audio team to ensure the track was played when the ‘Clock strike(d) upon the hour,’ our social media gurus then set to work promoting this awesome competition on the socials.
With a tightly planned schedule, we created banner advertising, posts and fun teasers, encouraging people to go into the centre and listen out for the tune, while giving them clear instructions on how to apply for a chance of winning.
The results
We generated plenty of seasonal engagement around this awesome competition, with customers emailing us to let us know they had specifically visited the centre just so they could hear the song… footfall – tick!
Another customer was also so chuffed at the ‘creativity’ they mentioned it in their entry comment.
And let’s not forget how happy the winner is…
At Onbrand, we talk a lot about memorable experiences, happy customers and success stories… it just makes us ‘so emotional baby’!
Looking for a unique competition idea? Get in touch on sayhello@onbrand.co.uk.
We’re ‘saving all our (creative) love for you…..’
We love writing. Social posts, style articles, quirky bits of copy and awards entries. Especially when they win! And that’s exactly what happened when it came to The Baytree Shopping Centre’s Green Apple Awards entry. Here’s how the story goes.
Getting to the core of it
We knew The Baytree Shopping Centre Manager, Dan Foley, wanted to enter these awards. However, we were up against tight deadlines and challenged with a lack of information to support the entry. And when we did get all the bits and pieces through, we really had to pull in all resources to ensure that we could get these awards written right at the last minute…
Slicing up the key points
Lots of info is so much better than nothing, but when you’ve got to cut it down, well…our challenge was to pick out the key points of what was really needed. We closely reviewed the criteria of the awards and spent a while matching it up to the information we were provided with. So far so good. However, then came the sticking point…there was evidence missing. We knew the deadline was the next day, but we couldn’t risk submitting an entry lacking in substance (we’re thorough like that you see…) so, we spoke to Dan and advised against submitting an award lacking in substantial evidence. He agreed that an extension for a late submission would work better.
Baking and waiting
After a rewrite and approval from The Baytree Shopping Centre, we inputted the golden entry. Held our breath and pressed enter. And then we waited. And waited and… the news came in a couple of weeks ago that our awesome client had only gone and won! Celebrations and social media announcements all round…
An additional slice of success
And just when we thought it couldn’t get better, our social media had attracted the attention of a local journalist who couldn’t wait to get a press release. Cue, more fast writing and a great result. We made the local online paper (upload the coverage)! How’d you like them apples 😊
Got an award entry that needs writing, or press release? Get in touch and see how we can help grow your marketing. Pip, pip…
How roaming entertainment and random acts of kindness came together to create a night (and day) to remember at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Store in Ashford.
The Dream
McArthur Glen wanted to stage something a little different for their latest late-night shopping event. Staying true to their brand, they asked us for an aspirational and inspirational event, with impactful entertainment which would stand out from the crowd, in more ways than one.
Our challenge was to find the right kind of top-class entertainment that had enough presence to be noticed among throngs of shoppers and lots of background noise, at the same time as creating a lasting impact for the visitors.
The budget was £7,500 – £8,000.
Our Remedy
Our solution to noticeable entertainment was to bring in a roaming band – Rome – who could entertain shoppers with lots of different performances, bringing the entertainment and the shopping experience together as one.
We also provided a team of six ‘brand ambassadors’ to meet and greet and offer random acts of kindness throughout the day and evening. Each ambassador had a £200 gift card to randomly treat shoppers with by offering to buy gifts for them. This delightful touch ended with visitors receiving their child’s first pair of shoes, or their family evening meal, completely free of charge.
Refreshed and Revived
Our ideas came together to create a truly innovative event. Our band delighted their audiences by delivering unique and imaginative entertainment. Songs were created to celebrate the event itself, with some Wagamama diners being serenaded with the chicken katsu song and even singing special requests in-store.
The uniformed brand ambassadors were a hit too. They were easy to spot and provided some excellent additional branding for the event.
Along with the standard discounts on the day, of up to 70% off designer brands, these lovely ladies made surprise purchases of anything from flip-flops to food. Their random acts of kindness were like dreams come true for the shoppers who have since responded with fantastic feedback on the event.
The morning after the night before
Altogether, the event lived up to the dream of something different, something aspirational and something that fitted with the high-end, high-quality McArthur Glen brand. To top it all off, we gained some amazing press coverage in Kent Live and Hello Ashford.
Guerrilla marketing? We’re huge fans of it when it’s the right time and place. And when it came to helping the Pharmacist’s Trade Union (PDAU) get their message out to the right people, it was just what the doctor ordered.
The symptoms
The PDAU was formed by pharmacists to help protect and improve working conditions and employment terms for those in their industry. Its theory, and quite rightly so, is that looking after pharmacists would also help better patient care. PDAU started as a Defence Association and then also became a Trade Union.
It had been at odds since 2012 with a large retailer who employed around 7,000 pharmacists. Pharmacists felt that the company demanded a lot from them and didn’t listen to their concerns and wanted the union to be their independent voice at work. But the company fought this with every resource it could including what was called “disingenuous behaviour” in a court judgement. After years of dispute, including multiple legal processes the PDAU finally secured the right for a ballot in 2018 for those pharmacists which might force the company to change.
It was an essential process and the union was using a 17 year old legal option which nobody else had ever tried. If they failed they would be prevented from trying again for at least 3 years and if less than 40% of those eligible to vote said “YES”, it would be a failure.
‘We needed to ensure that we got our message in-front of the right people and enable them to make an informed decision on the ballot and make sure they vote.’ said Paul Day, National Officer at PDAU.
With limited methods of communication the union sought innovative ways to make sure pharmacists were reminded about voting.
The diagnosis
OnBrand’s reputation for creative ideas with slick execution and attention was what attracted them to the PDAU. They felt we’d be just the right medicine to help them in their quest. However, there was a stitch. There was only a week to get communications in front of people before the vote.
The cure
We had to think fast and creatively about how we could do this and reach everyone simultaneously. So we decided the best way to do this was to blue light a letter via couriers to the top 300 stores, reaching the most pharmacists at a place they would receive the message.
The outlook
‘As a result of OnBrand’s quick thinking guerrilla approach, we got documents in the hands of those who mattered. We achieved enough ”Yes” votes, and we believe each action we took contributed to that success. Alongside our more standard messaging activity the OnBrand approach meant pharmacists won the ballot and we were able to go on to achieve the recognition they wanted.’ said Paul Day
Watch this space…
Looking to inject some creativity into your marketing strategy? Give us a call or drop us an email. We’re always happy to talk ideas through.
The big issue
As a community shopping centre, Baytree knew the importance of bringing festive cheer to their audience and keeping up an overall momentum. They wanted to show shoppers how much each and every one meant to them, so they turned to OnBrand for expert advice and creative ideas on how to delight shoppers with a festive activity that would get everyone talking.
The big idea
They approached us as their agency and told us what they’d like to see. We listened to the centre manager’s idea of handing out goodie bags and decided to take it to the next festive level. As they say, “think big”. And that’s definitely what we did. We used our knowledge of the demographic – families – and decided to bring in elves to do the job for us. We also went one step further, chugging in a giant train in a side unit, to really drive the excitement home. And that wasn’t all…
We also pulled in a colouring promotion for kids, opportunities to buy Christmas presents and performances by local dance troops to reinforce the community message. And, to top it off we secured a free extra act to go down to the centre…Everyone welcomed the Grinch who was a huge hit with the shoppers, Baytree and retailers.
The big applause
We promoted the event on social media, releasing bits of it on consecutive days to build the excitement. We also got in touch with the local papers, securing a double page spread from one and front page from another – this was a huge win for us and the client who had in the past struggled with local coverage.
On the fun side, the elves and the Grinch doubled up as great photo props and pictures were shared across social media. With smiles, fun and chocolates in bellies, the event was great for bringing in the community and having a local event that was spoken about months after. Just call us Santa ????
