Building Consumer Relationships, the Innocent Way

Innocent smoothies is just one of the most referenced companies in the UK when it comes to marketing success stories.

For Innocent, it all started just over 15 years ago, when three Cambridge graduates, Adam Balon, Richard Reed and Jon Wright tested the water at a small music festival in London.

Armed with a large sign (which asked people if they 'thought they should give up their jobs to make smoothies'), and a 'Yes' bin and a 'No' bin in front of their stall, they asked their consumers to vote with their empties and the rest as they say, is history. The next day all three resigned and now, Innocent have expanded to provide veg pots, juices and kids' drinks across Europe, with the vision of helping 'people live well and die old'. The company turns over in excess of €200m across Europe and continues to go from strength to strength.

So how does a company as successful as Innocent remain true to its roots and keep its consumers happy? Put simply, by engaging with their consumers via all touch points, giving them a way to voice their opinion and keeping it 'fun', the company offers all critical components that ensures the brand remains both fresh and front of mind to the consumer.

Whilst not every company has the luxury of being able to communicate using consumer language on their product itself (Innocent bottles use simple things, such as 'enjoy by' rather than 'use by' and 'call us for a chat' to engage with the consumers in a friendly and approachable way), another approach used by Innocent is their eCRM system. With over 120k subscribers, their newsletter has a vast reach and is continuing to grow.

A CRM (or Customer Relationship Management system) allows a company to track and segment consumer types based on their interests and preferences. For your average business, it is a great way to ensure you can gather useful information on your customers, tailor messaging or offers to certain target markets and allow you to identify trends that you may not have been aware of at first glance.

And this is where we stumble into the arena of market research. Through formal or informal information gathering (stored in an up to date CRM system), you are essentially undertaking your own form of primary research and through interpreting this data (via segmentation, reviewing and identifying trends or similarities in consumers), you can tailor or even introduce new products or services to a new market.

So even if you do not sell fruit based beverages, your company can benefit from simple market research and who knows - you might just uncover the next 'smoothie'.

From Richard Wood, Insights & Intelligence Officer, Enterprise Marketing Solutions Ltd.

01296 584834 www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk

Out of this World Work Experience

After being in full time employment for near to 6 years in the retail management industry I decided I wanted to follow in a different career path. Taking advantage of my qualifications I achieved at the Grange School 6 form in 2008, 3 A-Levels in business studies, I decided I wanted to enter into the business sector of management and more specifically the fast passed world of advertising and marketing. In order to hope to achieve this I have taken up a part time (BA Hons) degree in business management and marketing which I begin late in September.

Since deciding to go traveling around Europe throughout August I realised I would have near to three weeks before my university enrolment when I returned. Realising this I decided to take this opportunity to look for and obtain possible work experience in marketing as I would be looked at as a novice entering a field I had zero experience in and put me ahead of the game when applying for internships or entrée level positions. This is where I came across Enterprise Marketing Solutions, after looking into their website and discovering not only were they a well-established marketing firm in my home town they were situated in walking distance from my home. I contacted Karen Moule via email along with my CV and cover letter and within 30 minutes I had a response from Andrew McIntyre, who then forwarded myself to Karen who then rang me personally to arrange a date I could come in and gain the experience I was looking for.

Once I returned from traveling I began my initial 1 week work placement with Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing Solutions. Within the first initial meeting, where there was an introduction to the business, the employees and Karen herself, I could tell I was in an environment I could not only learn but feel comfortable and along with Karen’s long wealth of experience not only in marketing but also in advertising Karen was the perfect person to work alongside to get the experience I was looking for. By the end of the first two days I had created an e-newsletter, created and edited a few social media networks for clients including email communication to clients discussing the progress and changes, read and understand the final strategic plan for another client and started managing and editing a website using word press, along with some admin work so this was not a case of sit back and make tea for Karen and Andrew. Throughout these tasks though I was not at any stage ‘thrown into the deep end’ I was always given easy to follow instructions and guidance during every task I was given.

Nearing the end of my third day I had learnt so much with Karen and Enterprise Marketing I decided I would request to lengthen my initial time another week which Karen was happy to accept, so what started as an initial one week work placement had now turned into two which I was extremely happy about. My time at Enterprise was not however confined to the office and this was shown near the end of my first week when I was asked to join Andrew in an off-site meeting with a current client who was requesting a review on the status of his on-going social networking sites including his website and SEO responses while keeping notes. I also put myself forward to accompany Andrew at the beginning of my second week to oxford to represent Enterprise Marketing Solutions at the Business Wealth Club meeting, this was highly rewarding as this gave me an insight not only into the running of many entrepreneurial businesses small and large but also the key marketing points, known as the marketing wheel, these businesses focus on during their yearly quarter. I also assisted Karen and Andrew in shooting two adverts for clients who were looking to re-brand there image, giving my opinions and ideas of shooting angles when and if they were needed, this was great experience as it focused more on the advertising side of marketing.

Overall I only have to thank Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing not only for the amount I have learnt over my two week work placement but for the welcoming and supportive environment they provide that allowed my learning to take place. My time with Enterprise Marketing Solutions was highly rewarding and if you are in the Aylesbury or local Buckinghamshire region and looking for some real hands on experience you can take with you, I would 110% recommend Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing Solutions and in fact would love to come back in the near future and work for them again.

Luke De Benedictis

Masters of the Consumer Marketing Universe

Coca-cola: creating consumer relevance and belonging in the soft drink market

When it comes to understanding your consumer, look no further than the masters of marketing, Coca-Cola.

From giving Father Christmas his famous red coat, to key presence and support on countless sporting events, Coca-Cola is synonymous with examples of how to successfully market a product to your consumer.

Their latest campaign, 'share a Coke' positions the brand clearly as the inclusive soft drink - moving a bottle of the fizzy stuff from 'just a drink' to being a friend in its own right. Essentially, it just would not be a gathering if Coca-Cola wasn't there.

So how have they managed to give this perception across so many countries and to so many people?

Put simply, it all started with a simple piece of Market Research. Coca-Cola identified a list of the 250 most popular names in the UK, taking into consideration gender and ethnic make up of the UK. As the company wanted to appeal to everyone (after all, anyone can purchase and consumer a coke), it deliberately identified with its entire target audience.

By replacing their iconic branding on their bottles and can with these names, they successfully engaged with their target audience and created a 'buzz' around the campaign (for instance, I not only seek out a bottle with names of friends/relatives, but I save the bottles too, once empty!). And for those of you who have a rarer name than I? Don't fret - Coca-Cola thought of that too: you can personalise your can using the virtual can app!

From here, the Share a Coke campaign gathered momentum, with social media posting opportunities (Coca-Cola actively encourages consumers to share their images and stories on its Facebook page too) growing on an international basis and eventually lending itself to a television ad, starring some of those popular names. There were even Share a Coke events running through the summer, proving just how successful this marketing campaign was.

So what learning's can we take from this campaign? Firstly, including your customer (or at the very least, engaging with them) builds a sense of camaraderie where they are an extension of your business; an advocate, and you are part of their lives.

Secondly, through simple market research, you can identify your target audience (on first name terms if you really want!), and can reach out to them on a perceived individual basis.

Finally, all great marketing campaigns start with market research. It doesn't need to be expensive and in the grand scheme of things, is rarely that big, but the insights you can gleam from the findings can help you to shape a marketing campaign and position your brand in a very consumer friendly way.

So Coca-Cola has delivered yet again via an engaging and memorable campaign and it won't be long until another one of their famous ads graces our screens again....holidays are coming folks...

Richard Wood, Market Research & Insights Officer 

Enterprise Marketing Solutions Ltd 

My Work Experience at Enterprise Marketing Solutions

As passionate believers in work placements and work experience, this week we have been joined by Alex, to show him the wonders of the world of marketing and why we love it so much. I thought it would be interesting for him to tell you in his own words how it went:

My Experience at Enterprise Marketing Solutions 

During the introduction of my first year at John Hampden Sixth Form, I had to dive straight into sorting out an activity for personal social development week.  4 Days, straight after our summer exams, to complete something productive and relevant to our future course at University.  After covering Marketing throughout my Business Studies AS course, I developed a key interest into its shear importance with modern-day businesses (and my 15 mark exam essays).  Considering my choice of university course is German with business studies, I felt it would be ideal to obtain work experience in my favourite business field.  After some Google browsing and website reviewing, I found Enterprise Marketing to be the perfect place to contact.  With Karen’s experience with working in Germany and developing a fluency in their language, as well as Andrew currently being at University, I was inspired to get my work placement sorted immediately with them.  Naturally, with Karen’s goodwill and keen interest to help others out through work experience, I found myself to be accepted for the required dates with all forms filled out in under a week. 

Exams were finished, revision was over and work experience was waiting in the wings.  I was nervous yet somewhat excited to both be away from exams and to have first hand experience at the Enterprise Marketing firm.  As the days went by and the week progressed, I found myself presented with brand new experiences each day.  From understanding the contents of marketing plans, to being toured around a major printing company – Spot On.  It was this variety of events that truly defined the value of work experience and the importance of spending time in different fields.  Even minor details such as learning about SWOT analysis and how to professionally interact with clients, have all combined together to prove the importance of my time with Karen and Andrew.   

After reviewing my personal social development week with my school teachers and friends, it became clear that my experience was something to be admired.  When listening to what others had done with their time, it merely strengthened my overall satisfaction with Enterprise Marketing Solutions.  With my friend Jack revealing he just browsed the PC on BBC Sport for the majority of his time at his work placement; and Usman explaining his shear disappointment with the lack of activities during his week, I realised just how grateful I was to spend my time with such amazing and helpful people. 

My thanks go directly to the supreme team of Andrew and Karen, for accommodating me for a week in both June and August, and delivering a host of tasks and objectives that made up one incredible experience at Enterprise Marketing Solutions.  I have learnt so much in terms of practical business skills and knowledge that will only benefit me in both the working environment and with my university application.  You truly are superstars and I wish you the best of luck with the future of your business and everything else outside of that.  I can only recommend you continue to take on work experience placements, so others can live the same experience which I was so fortunate to receive.

http://www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk/testimonials1/giving-back/

We really enjoyed having Alex with us; he was extremely helpful, willing and we enjoyed sharing our knowledge with him. And we've got some yummy choccy biscuits to enjoy as a parting present for us!

Karen

Getting Better Results from the Right Communication

I read the article in FM World this morning 'We asked 100 FMs how much time they spend on their email accounts'. With some interesting statistics the point that I found most interesting was the comment from one interviewee saying that it irritates him when his team have simple questions and they email him, rather than calling him for a speedier response.

With so many different methods of communication these days, it is even more important to know which method of communication is preferred when dealing with clients, suppliers, or your teams, in order to firstly establish the best levels of communication, and secondly to ensure things happen as a result of those communications, otherwise nothing happens because you're waiting for a response!

One of our clients will never answer texts as in a previous role, text messages tended to convey bad news and this mental association has stuck. So if we need a response from her, the best method for her is to call her on her direct office line, followed by her mobile, followed by emailing her, in that order.

Similarly, I was looking at changing accountants and asked 2 accountants to call me to discuss my requirements. One sent me an email with a questionnaire / form to fill out and send back to them, the other called me. Guess who got the business?

If you ask the question at the outset of a relationship what their preferred method of communication is, not only will it improve your relationship as you are communicating in the way that THEY want you to, you will have better responses and, if you are selling to them, better sales from them.   

If you need help communicating with your contacts, whether clients, suppliers or your teams, give me a call 01296 584834. www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk

The View From Space

Great to hear about the amazing pictures that Commander Chris Hadfield has been taking for the last 6 months while staying at the International Space Station. To view his amazing pictures on his Twitter feed, click here @Cmdr_Hadfield and to watch his cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity, here http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/may/13/commander-chris-hadfield-space-oddity. Fab! Love it!

I'm also delighted to launch our own view of our own space of the Marketing Universe. With intelligence driven marketing strategy that drives the 'Big Idea' it enables companies to 'get their house in order' with branding, websites and printed materials before starting the promotional activity to drive customers to them.

If your marketing is a little lost in space, we'd be delighted to welcome you to our universe and deliver marketing for your business that is out of this world. Call Karen now on 01296 584834 or email karen.moule@enterprisemarketing.co.uk. www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk

Re-marketing for New Income Streams

With the great news that the Star Wars Rights acquired by Disney from George Lucas means that we'll have new Star Wars movies from 2015, it got me thinking about how businesses can revamp, repackage and re-market old, out of date products and services.

Star Wars came out 36 years ago, yet the strength of the brand will ensure sci-fi fans will be rejoicing with new films and spin offs featuring specific characters, (as they did with the Marvel character-specific movies) as well as generating multi-million pound revenues for Disney.

So, depending on how long you have been trading, which products / services could you revive to meet the demands of this modern world? I would love someone to fill my car for me and clean my windscreen at the same time, when I'm at the petrol station, especially when raining, like they used to do when I was a kid.

If you're not sure if some of your older products / services can be revamped, or would be relevant for today's market, you can easily find this out. Simply conduct some market research, perhaps initially among your existing customers. The feedback may be enough to establish a desire for it, with some design / functionality modifications.

The proposed updated model / service could then be tested with some focus groups to establish the reasons why the product or service would be desirable and identify the key messages that will engage with the ideal audience.

Too often we're so focussed on the next bright shiny thing, that we can forget some of the great things we already have and only need to apply some creative thinking to make it relevant for today.

And I'll be first in the queue for the new Star wars movies - the first one was the one that made me the sci-fi fan I am! Can't wait.

http://www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk/market-research/

Out of this World Ideas for Easter Marketing

If you want to leverage the Easter bank holiday weekend to promote your business or specific product lines, to increase your sales, win new customers and keep existing ones, why not take a look at our '12 Top Tips for Easter Promotions' here http://www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/03-25-13-Easter-Top-Tips.pdf and/or listen to some ideas from my video blog here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VI3OImL4-g.

Wishing you an eggcellent Easter with lots of great Easter promotions. :)

Cultural Relevance

After finally getting round to reading the Guardian's supplement on Superbrands from the weekend, I was left feeling that this is a supplement that all companies should read, to ensure they 'get' the key message of what these Superbrands have been doing to make them superbrands.

They have all been really clear on what they stand for, been distinctive in their markets and managed to stay that way by constantly moving with the times, as new technologies and trends emerge, to stay relevant to their customers.

Relevancy is always key to your marketing approach, however what's even more improtant for any business is to be 'culturally relevant'. So being aware of new trends, new ways to engage your customers, new technologies that will enable them to engage more easily with you, are opportunities for you to grasp. Believe me they're coming and some are already here.

So if you want to find out how Future Trends will affect your business and give you the foresight to be prepared to have products and services ready to meet them, then attend our Future Trends presentation on Thurs 18th April in Bicester and Thurs 25th April in Milton Keynes.

Click here to book your place http://www.enterprisemarketing.co.uk/seminars/