Scorch Talk

Guest Author: Rachel Browning

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the State AMI Awards for Marketing Excellence. An evening to see the best marketing projects and people in the state, complete with paparazzi-like photographers and a drink in hand. Where was suitable to present the finest in the field with awards for Marketing Excellence?

At Scitech, no less.

Following drinks and canapés in the entry, guests were invited to join the officials for a “night with the stars” in the Planetarium.  Quite an experience for those of us whom do not frequent the likes of Scitech often (or in most cases, at all).

The big dome came alive with a private screening of one of the latest discovery movies at this science mansion. We were, quite realistically, ‘taken into space’ to explore the world of stars, satellites and intergalactic activity.

The connection that this had to marketing was questionable at first, but the message became clear – results happen when you have the courage to strive for what you believe.

Mr Marco Cicchine, State Director to the National Board, likened the push of a new proposal to those astronomers throughout history who pushed and pushed for materials, experiments and costly machines to be built for them to discover something new and ultimately change what society thought was to be true.

The push to find out more in a constantly evolving market, where consumer knowledge is vital in achieving great marketing results, can only be achieved if you make it so.

Delving into the unknown is a suitable description for Scorch, who won the award State Finalist for New Brand for our work with Tile Boutique (WA Marketing Strategy) which we launched into the WA market in January 2012.

Once a creative idea is formed, it takes a courageous leap into action to lift a campaign off its feat (think of those astronomers!). Launching a new brand becomes successful with a complete marketing strategy across all areas of communication, along with a team of brand ambassadors who are committed to spreading this message to their customers.

The entrants of the Marketing Excellence Awards had shown commitment and passion to the industry, developing campaigns that were original, effective, and would achieve usable results in market research in order to continue great campaigns in the future.

Special mentions to the kings of the night Murdoch University, gaining numerous awards for their work with ‘Box seats, banners and Bob Dylan’ and ‘When ideas connect, encounters are created’ campaigns. Vivid Wireless and iiNet were also worthy winners of the night, along with the other category champions.

The AMI national awards are to take place on 19^th October 2011.

There has been a lot of talk over the last week (and just a few PR hands thrown in the air) about the fact that PR Lion GRAND PRIX at Cannes, has been won by….wait for it….an Advertising Agency.

Now the news here isn’t just that Clemenger BBDO has won the PR Lion this year (for the NAB’s “Break up with the other banks” campaign) – a bigger headline is that ALL of Australia’s success in the PR category at Cannes has come from Advertising agencies. In the three years of the PR category at Cannes, Australia has had many entries win a shortlist – none from PR agencies.

This has come about through ad agencies recognising over the last decade what PR people have been banging on about forever – and that is CONTENT is the key. PR specialists have been creating great content for clients for years, and coming up with strategies for communicating that content/news/idea to the key stakeholders. This idea of “sharing great content” is also what social media is all about, so it’s no great surprise that in 2011 the smartest Advertising people are thinking along similar lines.

We’ve seen a shift with Ad agencies moving away from a strategy of deciding on the advertising channel first, to delving deeper for what the crux of the story really is, and how to best sell that across ALL avenues. Starting to sound familiar? This is what clients demand in this communication era and the successful Ad agencies are evolving to adapt. It’s also interesting to note that the “break up” campaign that won the PR Lion had a huge component of paid advertising, but it was the idea, and the content, that was key. The concept was bold and delivered mega bucks in unpaid coverage.

So yes the lines are blurring between PR and advertising (which doesn’t bother Marketing and PR consultants like myself a great deal!!) and as they should. The times they are a changin’ (actually too late they’ve already changed) and great CONTENT is the new black. At the end of the day, both Advertising and PR specialists need to keep evolving to survive. There are plenty of PR agencies doing just that (and doing great work!), and as far as Cannes goes …..maybe they just need a bigger client to showcase their goods – or a better advertising campaign at Cannes to wow the judges!!

In 2011 Social Media isn’t a buzz word anymore, it’s become an intrinsic part of the way people communicate (well…lets say for Gen X and younger, with a fair whack of baby boomers thrown in!), and we’re finally moving away from every second blog being written about it being the latest thing.

But that being said, for many businesses the question still remains, how to get involved in Social Media in a sincere way, and how to do it well… because lets face it, if you get on facebook and just spruik your wares, you’ll last all of about 5 minutes (with about zero likes!). The key to Social Media is, of course, BEING SOCIAL, and moving into that realm might require a little leap of faith.

So having a company Facebook page is the first obvious step, but that page needs fans and interesting content to make it work… and who is the person within your business responsible for that? and then there’s Twitter, LinkedIn, foursquare and a few dozen others to consider, or at least keep an eye on (though personally I’d say start with the Big 4 – FB, twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube). At the end of the day, people will be (hopefully!) talking about your brand, good and bad, the only question is whether or not you are listening, and how you respond.

So here’s a WILD and CRAZY idea – how about empowering the young people that work within your business to be your brand ambassadors? How about making your workplace such a great place to work that they love being there and would happily tell their friends?

The younger generations are all communicating through social media, and though usually not allowed to work, it would be easy to (…trust…and ) allow them to log on a couple of times a day and see what’s happening and who’s saying what. They can regularly check #yourbusiness on twitter and keeps tabs on chats about related topics, competitors, events and other things of interest. Not to mention chatting to people who have comments or complaints, and help them out. I mean we employ our people to help our customers / clients in our business, so why not online as well?

Wow what a WILDLY successful leap of faith that could be!!

Guest Author: Rachel Browning

Arriving in the busy and alive streets of Melbourne late Thursday night, with a body clock set 2 hours behind in Perth time, there was only one thing to do: Explore.

After finding our hotel – a cosy room amongst a seemingly endless maze of corridors that were deceptively hidden behind the quaint façade of the building – a bag-drop and quick freshen up was needed before hitting the cool streets.

Strolling along in warm jackets and scarves (a big difference to the sunny clear skies and warm weather we had left behind in Perth!) and picking up a slice of pizza for $1.50, we happened to stumble across a previously closed and emptied shopping ally, now alive with funky hip-hop beats and a group of break-dancers free-styling to their own rhythm.

It was going to be a good weekend.

A weekend full of new talent, fresh ideas, innovative design… All found in the historic streets and contemporary design houses of Melbourne, gathered together for Saturday in Design.

To start the busy main event on Saturday morning we took ourselves to Flinders Lane – a small strip of showrooms packed to the brim with exciting launches and design collaborators. A man who we soon discovered to be Jack was standing on the footpath with his cow and three beans, leading the way to the Chapter House Beanstalk. Inside, we followed the twists and vines of the stalk and found Golden Eggs and Magical Harps amongst intriguing showcases by Signature Flooring, Konfurb and more. Admiring colour ranges and new products whilst enjoying a perfectly brewed latte and hot chocolate… It was “all work and no play”!

InterfaceFLOR became host to a spectacular display of art at Zambesi Studio, inspired by what you might think to be an uninspiring product: carpet tiles. Ten designers were given the challenge to fuse fashion, fabric, flooring and inspiration. The brief was to DEKONSTRUKT carpet tiles down to their raw ingredients, and REKONSTRUKT them into an art installation that would inspire Emotion.

Our favourite was an amazing construction of colour and wool, signifying the struggle of life pulling you down. A concept that is well-known to each human being and so beautifully presented in an art form that truly inspired us.

Another designer used laser cut carpet tile letters, each word a reflection of the emotion inspired by the colour and texture of the carpet.

The day continued to impress us, with incredible design served on the side of spectacular showroom displays – a concept every exhibitor got right at SiD. Living Edge was King. Wandering into their showroom (picking up some scrumptious nibblies as we went!) we found the infamous Living Edge Chandon Miniature Cork Chair Competition, a highlight from last year brought to life again. Using only Chandon packaging products – the cork, the gold wrapper – entrants were asked to create a [miniature] designer chair. Gorgeous tiny triumphs!

More delights were found upstairs at Living Edge, who played host this year to Launch Pad – an annual program exhibiting emerging Australian design. Modular lounge, Loopie, was inspired by the behaviour of people in waiting areas. Without conventional and designated seating, you can sit any way you like on Loopie to communicate in the way you wish to – we had fun bouncing on the soft, springy curves!

Inspired by the art of origami, the flat pack design of the Perch Stool is made from a singular piece of cardboard and eliminates the need for glue or fixtures. The result? A chair that is not only strong and durable, but can be completely recycled after use. Eco-friendly and perfect for corporate sponsorship, where any design, logo or colour can be printed on the exterior of the stool.

Another find was a children’s Dinosaur Chair. Each element of the chair is contained on just 2 pieces of environmentally-friendly plywood. The chair can be constructed manually, just like the classic model dinosaur kits all kids love and adore. The skeleton design will be a hit, with its cool-factor just a bonus to the imagination the stool will provoke in the new generation.

Especially themed “Arthur G Goes Green” was next on the sites to see. Straying from design and following our stomachs we spotted mini cupcakes with brilliant green frosting – so brilliant they turned US green! Just a few moments revelling in the delightful taste was quickly followed by the realisation that Arthur G didn’t just want to go green… Arthur G wanted everyone else to go green too. Luckily, we had some (green) chewing gum in our pocket and were tired enough to keep quiet (with mouths SHUT) for a while…

A perfect end to the night was enjoyed at Image Interiors. Launching Hülsta and Rolf Benz at their first ever SiD deserved to be celebrated! With a live band and salsa dance lessons (yes! Salsa dancing!), good food and drink, and great company, we danced the night away…

The next morning our feet were feeling the pain of the many hours spent exploring the design precincts, with the occasional detour to shop, and of course the fun we had learning how to salsa! But just like we felt in our first moments arriving in the city, the weekend was certainly a good one.

Design is about discovery – of things that are exciting and new, curious and awe-inspiring. From the humble break-dancers of the shopping ally to the contemporary buildings scattered throughout age-old churches and story-telling streets, and most of all the new design innovations on showcase for all to see.

I have a theory, and it goes something like this “Those who have the capacity to effect change, have a responsibility to do so”.

Have a think about that for a minute.

If you have the capacity to effect change, in other words, make things happen, bring people together, lead a project, start something great? Then I believe you have a responsibility to do so.

Imagine if more people in the world that DO have the capacity to make things happen, thought this same way? (And I believe that is A LOT of us). Wow there’d really be some good stuff happening.

So don’t say NO straight away to someone’s idea, consider it. If it’s a good idea, then get on board. Sometimes think YES before you think NO! Move ahead and make things happen. And what about your own ideas? We’re only on this earth once, so don’t keep stuff to yourself, get it out there…..its 2010 and we have more avenues than ever before to share our ideas and make things happen.

And you might be surprised at the result.

….And for those of you interested in delving further, Seth Godin has written a mini-book called Insubordinate, which encompasses similar thinking. Here’s a short excerpt:

“I’ve figured out that there are three kinds of people:

Linchpins

Supporters

Leeches, Advocates for the Devil, and Bystanders (aka people in a pre-linchpin state)

 I lump the last three together as one kind, because I don’t think they deserve categories of their own. Even though they’re the majority in terms of numbers, they don’t matter so much in terms of getting things done.

 The first group, the Linchpins, are the people who make a difference, the ones that ship, the rare ones that truly have an impact. This group of people, in that moment of time, change everything.

 The second group, the Supporters, are eager and willing to help. They respect and admire the work the linchpin is doing, and they’re ready to supply leverage or money or just a smile to help get the job done. Even better, they challenge the linchpin to do more, dig deeper and make an even bigger difference.

 The third group, as you’ve probably guessed, are the pessimists, the obstructionists and the protectors of the status quo. Driven largely by fear, they set out to slow you down, whittle you down and average you down. Mostly, it’s not their fault, though, because they’ve been brainwashed and don’t yet realized how powerful and productive it is to take a different route.”

I read an interesting article recently on Mumbrella, the crux of which suggested that the Marketing landscape is changing and digital will soon come first when marketing strategy is developed and budgets allocated (this I believe to be true).

The article also touches on various digital elements such as Social Media and blogging, and their role in Digital Marketing. This has prompted me to share a few pointers to those embarking on, or investing more funds in, a social media strategy:

 Know thy customer

Knowing and understanding your customer is (and always has been) a fundamental part of the strategic marketing process. This fact does not change just because you’re going online.

One of the problems with social media has been a tendency for businesses to dive in without a strategy to understand and “talk to” their customers. Having a facebook page and a blog that are randomly spewing out facts and palaver about your brand will not build you a loyal community. Do you know who your customers are, what they need, and what kind of a relationship they want with you? You’ll need to know this to build a community or tribe around your brand.

 Content is King

I know you’ve heard me say this before, but there is nothing more important than having interesting content. Which brings me back to knowing your customer…. what do they want to hear? What do they want to engage with you about? If you are thinking “I haven’t got anything interesting to blog / post / write about” – then you need to look harder. Or get a friend with a creative mind and a fresh pair of eyes to brainstorm with you.

 Keep up the flow

Your fans/ customers/ clients will appreciate regular updates, and with today’s technologies it’s easier than ever to give them what they want. Post regular news, update people on what’s happening in the business, and provide them with special offers. Answer their questions and keep interacting. It doesn’t have to be a full time job, you can write two news snippets a week, or write a whole pile at once and schedule them to be released over time. Just don’t keep the information in your head – ship it out there!!

And as for my last comment…. about ‘sharing the love’??….. well it’s easy.

Just share the love. Share your knowledge. Share your information. Help your customers / fans / clients become smarter about what you do. In the long run you’ll do better with customers being smart, savvy and well informed, as they’ll return to you over and over again as their source and “hub” of information.

Now go out there and share some love!!

Well our adventure certainly continues…though the excitement of Milan has almost being overtaken by the chaos of the airports all being closed, and everyone trying to find other ways to get home. The four of us were supposed to be on a flight to Germany to visit Huelsta, so luckily the team at Huelsta had organised a coach, so we had wheels, which are pretty hard to come by in Europe right now!

SO we had a beautiful drive through Switzerland…and had just tackled our first real German sausage for lunch (this pic was included on a dare!!), then what happens next? The bus breaks down of course! 8 hours into our 12 hour drive we are then stranded on the side of the German autobahn, waiting to be rescued, and by some stroke of luck a bus driver on his way back from Rome with an empty bus takes pity on us and drives us to Cologne. So long story short – 14 hours and 3 buses later we arrived in the beautiful village of Stadtlohm.

We will now have a few days here with Huelsta (stay tuned to the next blog to see why the German really do it better!) And right now…as promised, Andrew Thornton Hick shares with you his top 6 design trends for 2010 from the iSaloni in Milan…enjoy!

1) “Teal-quoise” – in all shades from teal green to azure blue, warm aqua tones flooded the Milan design stage: from textured accent cushions to fully upholstered sofas and beds, high gloss lacquer finishes to vibrant floor rugs. This seasons colours are moving away from the purples, mauves and lilac tones so prevalent in 2009.  Petrol blues and muddy dark greens fringe this new palette.

2) Implied Organic – synthetic surface finishes implying natural materials from marble laminates, texturised timber veneers and digitally printed fabrics are being used to achieve natural warm tones.  Some using recycled materials like woven PET plastic, others using engraved wood-grain on lacquered surfaces.

3) Natures Wonder – natural is the new black. Raw finishes, matt waxed wood and even solid timbers made a strong return to form with an appreciation of individuality on otherwise mass produced pieces.

4) Folding – if you could bend it, it was so – pleated chair surrounds, bunching of loose covers and in particular loosely woven leather finishes gave a drapery feel and a floating elegance to upholstery pieces whilst also elegantly redressing classic designs into new guises.  Clever origami side tables were well resolved and opening / closing bed headboards were popular.

5) Shape-shifting – as budget cuts drive creative leaps of faith, manufacturers turned to applying their forte material into non traditional forms, for example chesterfield studded leather commonly seen on sofas being used as mirror frames, terracotta floor tiles morphed into dining table tops and designs inspired by movement or freeze-frames giving a fractured sense of form.

6) Colour blocking – bold vibrant tones centred on greens, blues and yellows offset the natural and heavily texturised new collections.  Hints of gold came through but many primaries juxtaposed to create vibrancy and impact.

The well heeled gurus of furniture and design have all descended on Milano this week, for the annual Salone Internazionale de Mobile, including the intrepid team from Ultimo Interiors. Little did we know our adventure would include being stranded in Europe with no flights going anywhere! But more on that later….

Our team includes Ultimo owner Genny Sberna, Brand & Commercial Manager Andrew Thornton Hick (both design gurus!) and yours truly, in Milan for 3 days, soaking in the most inspiring new designs of 2010. With us is Glen Jansz from Image Interiors in Melbourne, and together we are traversing the 209,000 square metres of the best furniture the world has to offer.

And we were not to be disappointed – stand upon stand of stunning, luxurious, high end furniture and accessories, in every design, finish and colour imaginable. The colour tones this year lean toward sumptuous neutrals, with creams and ivories everywhere, accentuated with gold’s, bronzes and lots of lavish texturing.

Or stunning stark whites, with highly polished steel, mirrors and splashes of bright accessories. Apparently Beige is still the new black  :-) ATH

There are also a lot of teal blue accents in accessories and cushions, and according to Andrew Thornton Hick this new  trend in colour is “colour blocking” with large blocks of bold reds, blues, purples and yellows thrown across a space or lined up in seemingly random order.

A few of the other trends Andy has been pointing out I’m not sure I love – those “old carpet” look fabrics on everything from floors to walls to upholstery, and some OTT brightly coloured suede furniture with feature hand stitching. (But that’s just me!).

A couple of things I DO love are the deep chesterfield style buttoning in leathers in an array of colours and unusual designs, lots of loose “gathered” leathers giving added texture,and the outside feature stitching on leather pieces such as this chair from de Sede.

So stay tuned for more in the next few days, with some of Andy and Genny’s favourite pieces from Milan, highlights from German brands Huelsta and Rolf Benz,the beautiful Cattelan Italia range, and our fave accessories from the show.

And oh before I go – I should include a few pics from our night out at the Established & Sons party this week…great music, queue’s down the street and endless Peach Bellini’s. Escorted by the lovely Ludovic from Chaplins we were well entertained and viewed the lastest pieces (apparently through 3D glasses most of the night – I blame the Peach Bellini’s). Stay tuned for more 

What do you do on the long haul flight from Perth to Dubai (after watching two movies on demand and giving up trying to sleep sitting up that is)? …write a blog post about your latest fixation, in this case social media marketing. (I am hopeful that using my brain might deaden the pain of sitting in one spot for 10 hours.)

There is so much information out there now, about the web, blogging, social media and marketing that it’s easy to get overwhelmed, and many businesses put it all in the too hard basket for another day. But like the initial foray we all had to make into emailing (remember the old timers kicking and screaming), embracing the web and social media networking will be imperative. They are a powerful tool for communication and marketing, and can give your business the opportunity to develop a brand and culture like never before.

So here we go……take some baby steps!

Blogging

Creating a blog can be a great way to increase your brand visibility and show some of your business’ ‘personality’. But beware – a blog is not merely another avenue to spruik your products and services…..in the online world, content is king (closely followed by personality!), and if you bore people with mind numbing marketing spiel they’ll switch off without a second thought.

A blog is a storytelling platform about your business or brand, or perhaps about your industry or community – So make sure your information is relevant, interesting or useful…or a combination of all 3! Keep your focus so people get relevance and consistency from your blogging, and show your personality and have some fun with it.

Create the Echo effect

Once you have a story to tell, social networking sites can share those messages and links like tentacles – spreading out from a central point and creating an echo effect. Remember this process is content driven – if it’s not interesting or relevant it won’t echo anywhere – and if you’re doing it well will start to include two way communications with your customers.

And remember this is the point of social media – talking WITH your customers and industry, not AT them. Whether you choose to be on Facebook page,  twitter or any other networking sites, you need to be a part of that community and provide value to the community. Establish your business as a source of content, and expert within your industry, by interacting and providing this valuable content. Businesses can’t just drop in with a product offer every now and then and hope to gather a following.

Have a destination

I wouldn’t recommend using your twitter account or Facebook page as your main/only destination to draw people to. Once of the downfalls of this is you are leaving you fate in the hands or the “popularity” of that particular site – what if that site becomes yesterday’s news and the community you’ve built goes with it?

Make sure it’s your website (or even blog if you haven’t got a website) that is actually at the centre of your Social Media strategy, and use the social networking sites as a tool to develop your community and draw people to your business or brand.

These are just a few broad starting points – shortly i will delve deeper into Social Media Marketing Strategy and it’s place with your communication strategy. And we’ll also touch soon in websites and SEO….

p.s for those that are interested in the latest from Europe in furniture and design…stay tuned, as i’m at the Milan fair for next 3 days and my next blog will have all the news

It’s interesting how when you’re asked to analyse a business’s marketing needs, you often find real opportunity in the business strategy. Many businesses evolve from a great idea or a necessary product, but if you ask about the 5 year plan, or vision for their organisational culture, you might be met with a blank stare.

And this is where the question becomes interesting…..is marketing really the 2^nd step in the process, needed to effectively communicate the message, or is branding now so important that marketing and strategy go hand in hand?

The effectiveness of a business depends on the alignment of the brand;

Vision, Image, Culture

With the internal business capabilities;

People, Technology, Processes

Each will play a different, yet synergistic role in the success of your organisation.

Vision defines where the business wants to be. Consequently, it stands to reason that to know where you want to be, you have to know where you are now. Have insights into consumer wants and needs and surprise your customers by showing that you know them.

Image is the view your customers and prospects, suppliers and employees have of your brand. It’s developed through the style and tone, content and design of your business through internal/external communications. It is necessary to have the right mix of communication and design.

Culture is no longer an activity performed on the sidelines of an organisation. Culture is your people. Evidence shows that there is a strong relationship between culture and performance.
Internal business capabilities are, of course, vital to the effectiveness of your business. But it is the vision, image and culture that will make your brand complete.