Battle of The Bands Huddersfield

This year, as a ‘Managing the Live Event’ assessment, I had the task of planning my own event with some group members and then bringing all the ideas to life. The idea that was implemented was ‘Battle of The Bands Huddersfield’.  This live event consisted of three student bands that were chosen through a Facebook poll with over 1000 results.  The event was hosted in The Parish, a local bar/venue in Huddersfield.

The 3nine8 starting off the night and building tension

One of the touch points of the event was most definitely just before the first band started playing, as everything was in place. This was the ‘clearance’ and most definitely showed that all group members knew what they were doing and helped engage the audience; showing them a clear route of where they could go, what they could do whilst waiting for the first band and also signalling when the ‘experience’ was starting. This helped build tension, which is definitely needed for a ‘Battle of The Bands competition’. Other moments that engaged the audience was during voting and the announcement of the winners.

Personally, I think the pre-event experience was the most challenging and also the most successful part, when it came to consumer engagement. This is because the Facebook poll that was created to choose the top 3 bands had a lot of attention, as people from all over Huddersfield (not just students!) took part in voting. A Guitar Hero stand was also implemented in the Student’s Union, to try and promote the event and increase sales. This was useful as it created another experience for consumers and brought some fun into a typical day for a University student. The stand was very popular and many students wanted to participate. Many students highlighted that it was bringing them back memories when they used to play the game. This form of engagement is by far one of the most powerful that I had seen during our promotion periods. This is because the use of something nostalgic helps the consumer remember their past involvement with the game and the one they are currently experiencing; therefore leaving them with something they can talk and think about after playing; thus leading them to thinking about our event and buying a ticket. The stand was a form of sensory marketing and consumer motivation, as it engaged the individuals with the use of some of the human senses and also it gave them a sense of belongingness; making them feel valued by us.

A consumer playing Guitar Hero on our promotional stand

 I feel that for the actual live event itself, as the event manager I was not in full control of the event experience. This is because of the nature of our event. Our live music event is also controlled by the sound engineer, as they created the ambiance through sound their chosen lighting. It was also partly controlled by the bands themselves,  as the engagement of the consumers would have depended on their choice of songs on the night. Lastly, it can be suggested that the whole event experience could have been controlled by the audience, as they were in charge of picking the bands and those who attended, as their personalities and attitudes towards the bands that were playing and even the organisers would mean the experience that was planned out could be changed. However, as we organised and knew the set lists for the bands and collected enough market research about our target audience, this was not an issue and lead to a very successful night. 

Culture, McDonalds HK and UK

McDonald's is one of the world's most well-known and leading brands in the fast food industry. However, this does not mean that the brand is marketed the same in every country. The way McDonald's promote their portfolio of products varies depending on the market and the culture of the country; therefore it is necessary that each form of marketing is delivered in a different way, in order to catch their target audience's eye.

One form of marketing that McDonald's use in a large amount of their advertisements is storytelling, which helps connect the audience to what they are seeing and engages them to follow the story and think about the products that they are selling.

In January 2016, McDonald's Hong Kong decided to promote their brand during the Chinese New Year period. This was a very wise decision as they used one of the country's traditions and ideologies to help bring an individual closer to the brand, by making them feel that the brand wants to connect to them and make the part of the company. The key message highlighted in the commercial was "

有你，就是最大祝福",which translates as "Having you is the greatest blessing".

The advert shows a child giving their mothers love, bringing them gifts and sharing food with them. Chinese New Year- McDonald's Avdert This may seem quite strange, as not once does the advert show an actual McDonald's product; however this is where the aspects of high culture comes in. In countries such as Hong Kong, China, Korea, Taiwan etc. the population tend to obsessively follow dramas that include storylines that include love, sadness and romance. The love that is spread in McDonald's advert is sweet and shows that family is very important; thus reflecting a value that they have in Hong Kong, especially during Chinese New Year. The use of these values and traditions is extremely beneficial for the brand, as it means they can connect with an audience, even without using any of their products in the advertisement.

Child sharing a sweet with his mother

This use of storytelling works incredibly well in Hong Kong, although this is not the same case in the UK. Storytelling is used in the UK commercials, but very differently, as McDonald's creates an approach that allows all consumers to know exactly where their food is from and how responsible the brand is in sourcing their products. This reflects the ideology of how important sustainability and the country's economy is.

The start of the A-Z story

The UK advertisement consists of a story of where all the ingredients come from, how they get delivered and who benefits from it. This helps connect their audience by engaging them in what could the next letter represents. This is using the concept of content analysis, as the culture's beliefs and mass communications are used to find repetitive values that are trending; which happens to be locally sourced goods, sustainability and a good economy. A-Z of McDonald's Advert

The UK advert would not work in Hong Kong, as the values and culture of the two countries are completely different; so it would be difficult to connect to an audience. Vice versa, the HK advert would not work in the UK, even though it has quite a low culture with many segments. This is because the concept of sharing and giving is not as important and Chinese New Year is not celebrated by everyone in Britain.

In conclusion, it can be correct to say the McDonald's mainly use a storyline to help consumers to follow a value  that the company and culture both believe in. However, it is also necessary that the story also links in with social structures, ecologies and ideologies of the countries in order to interact effectively with their target audience.

Culture and the use of comedy in British advertisements

Culture can be explained as a society's personality and the way in which people may view certain subjects. Culture may help an individual shape their personalities and identities.

This therefore means that if a society does not have many sub-cultures, what they view as a 'social norm' will be viewed the same by the majority of individuals. 

Culture can also be linked with beliefs and values, as it reflects the idea that what people believe in and trust, can impact the way they react to certain matters and situations. 

For example, since 2009, British financial service comparison website Go Compare has been very popular with the British audience, for good and bad reasons. The company decided to base their marketing on a large, Italian man singing his heart out. The lyrics would include the words 'Go Compare' continuously to remind the audience of the brand name. The audience also get to experience the Go Compare man annoying a couple who are struggling with financial services. This reflects a UK ecology, which is the fondness of humour in almost every subject.  

Go compare man annoying a customer

This marketing of the Go Compare advert is very smart, as it is so random, novel and annoying that the whole situation is funny and worth talking about; especially as the jingle/song is very catchy and will stick in the minds of anyone who watches the advert. This is useful, because it means that if an individual is looking for a financial service the song will spring back into their minds, even in 2016. The idea of using humour in a catchy song is very beneficial for the company, as it reflects a part of the culture in Britain and therefore becomes part of an individual's life. This means that even if the advert is not on television anymore, if 'Go Compare' is ever mentioned, the individual will remember the advertisement and think of the song. By creating this form of marketing, it is implied that instead of the company repeating the advert and making their audience get bored of seeing the same thing, they are able to make the audience help market the brand because the song is already stuck in their minds since the first few times they have heard it.   

The one and only Go Compare man

However, it can be argued whether the 'Go Compare' advert would work in every area of the world. This mainly because each society will have different ecologies, ideologies and social structures, so therefore they may not understand the whole 'humour' concept. This suggests that one view of humour may not be the exact same in every other society. For example, what one culture may find humorous may not be looked at in the same way elsewhere and may actually seem disrespectful; creating a negative experience for the consumer. 

Overall, I think the 'Go Compare' advertisement was a very successful form of marketing, as it uses annoyance and humour to keep their website gocompare.com in the minds of consumers. It is quite clear that the company is able to bring in a lot of attention, as it has been voted "most irritating advert"; which therefore shows that individuals can actually remember the advert. This hints that if they are ever in need of finding the cheapest, highest quality financial service, they will remember the ridiculous, repetitive advert and continue to their website; thus increasing the amount of people using the company's website. 

Starbucks Experiential London Store- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Sensory Marketing

In October 2015, Starbucks decided to create an 'experiential' store in London.

The new store was very different from any other Starbucks in the world and even introduced an evening menu that has a variety beers and wines. 

Starbucks is known to sell rich coffees and other hot beverages, however by adding a little twist and selling beers and wines, this meant that the store could expand their target audience; thus giving them a chance to gain more market share in the food and beverage sector. 

Starbucks displaying their choices of food and beverages

Another smart move from the brand is their involvement with technology. Starbucks typically is filled with businessmen/women with laptops or other devices, producing work alongside drinking a cup of coffee. Starbuck's idea to include wireless charging will be a great benefit to the company, as it means that customers no longer need to bring their chargers and search for a space with a socket. This will make their consumers feel valued and part of the brand; therefore creating brand loyalty. This sort of involvement creates a viable experience and links in with the 'belongingness' level on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as it makes the consumer feel that they are accepted by the company and mean something to them. 

Starbucks may also meet the accomplishment-ego needs with their new store, as it includes hand-held payment units, virtual screens, table service and the freedom to wait wherever they want for their chosen drink. Their evening menu also includes prestigious meals, such as truffle mac and cheese and drinks, such as unique espressos that are not available in any other Starbucks stores.

The 'experiential' store in West End- London

Firstly, the upgrade in technology and service means that customers can order and pay for their beverages anywhere in store; therefore allowing the store to serve more customers, whilst bringing in more profit quicker. It also means that the company can also show prestige and status, because currently they are the only brand who provides this type of service. This sense of prestige and accomplishment hits another level on Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and creates a feeling that makes the consumer reflect their ego-needs, which are fulfilled. 

As you can see in the image, Starbucks have created quite a 'chic' look in their store, which looks very appealing in the eyes of a consumer. The layout and design draws in the customers attention, making them want to sit in and enjoy a beverage. This design reflects the theory of sensory marketing and explains that the way an area is set up can create an atmosphere that impacts whether an individual wants to come in or not. The design also includes glass windows everywhere, allowing consumers to look into the shop straight away and see the barista create the wonderful smell that they have just walked past. This form of sensory marketing is very smart as the strong smell of coffee helps draw in customers attention; making them want to go in and buy a drink. Another form of sensory marketing is the placement of the food, as seen in the top image. The food has been placed on high stands and some in glass cabinets, making it easy for consumers to see the tempting variety of products. Some of the baked good on the stands are not covered, which meets the needs of the consumer's smell and sight senses. Once these are fulfilled, the consumer can move on to the hear, touch and taste senses when they pick up the baked item, take the first bite and then appreciate the flavours. 

This form of marketing from Starbucks was an extremely good idea, as it really helped explore an individual's senses, gave them a sense of prestige and accomplishment, whilst still feeling valued by the brand. It is safe to say that this will lead to a good reputation of the brand, as it really shows that they take time in making their customers feel as relaxed and as happy as possible. 

The Self Concept

This blog post is slightly different from previous posts and instead of looking at it from just a marketing campaign perspective, it will also be looked at from a personal perspective.

The self-concept summarises the beliefs that a person holds about their personal attributes and how they evaluate themselves on these qualities.

The self-concept can be created by an individual and how they see themselves. It explains the idea of who we actually are, what we would like to be, who we think we are, what others think we are. Each individual will have an IDEAL self which is our conception on how we would like to be and we will then have an ACTUAL self which is a more realistic appraisal of the qualities we have. 

This suggests that each and every person will always evaluate themselves through popularity, how much confidence they have or even what people say to them. For example, someone may decide to value themselves more if they set a new profile picture on Facebook that brings in more likes than any other picture they have posted. This may give them a sort of 'ego-boost' and could lead to the individual appreciating themselves more. The obviously can work vice versa, as for someone who perhaps doesn't get any likes or nice comments on their profile picture may end up losing confidence. Therefore, this suggest that people are highly influenced by the way other people see them and how others see the definition of 'perfect'.

Another example includes the fashion and beauty industry. Every year there is no doubt that US fashion giant Victoria's Secret will their annual fashion show using the most famous super models to show off their new products. The images and videos of the event then get posted online and go viral. This may affect an individual's self-concept, as they will end up looking up to these 'perfect' models, compare them to themselves and then pick out their flaws to create an 'ideal self'. Consumers may then start buying products and researching how to look a certain way to reach their new goals.

Victoria Secret Group photo 2015

It is now explained that consumers also have MULTIPLE selves. This means that we all have several ways we see ourselves depending on what situation we are in. For example, the way we dress for work, at home with loved ones or a night out with friends will all be different, because we all feel the need to act and dress for different occasions. This obviously may not be the case for every person, but even for those who tend to enjoy dressing differently and don't like to follow trends, they are forced to dress differently because they are expected to, for example they may need to wear a certain type of smart clothing for a job interview. 

Marketers must now start creating strategies that fulfill the needs of these multiple selves and should aim to pitch products that can facilitate these different identities that all individuals have in order to sell masses of their product or service. 

Marketers are very smart and like to make consumers think that they are able to change the way the act, look and feel drastically. Consumers will spend ridiculous amounts and engage for a longer period of time if the marketing is done well and the consumer believes that they can become their ideal self. 

Each individual also have a LOOKING-GLASS self, which is the theory of how other people around us see and judge us. From a marketing perspective, this view is actually the most important and they realise that people can change their behaviour because they think others will interpret them differently. This means that products will be marketed to make the consumer feel that they need to be part of the brand in order to gain acceptance from other people who they know of or are friends with. This links in with self-esteem advertising, where a company may market a product that is used as a remedy for those who have a lower self-esteem, in order to make the individual feel more empowered; therefore creating brand trust and loyalty. 

Social identity and the self-concept can actually be shown through an individual's consumption behaviours and the products they choose to buy. Marketers cannot tell the individual who they are, but they can leave subtle gaps that the consumer can fill themselves to complete their own view on what they could potentially be. This reflects that idea of 'YOU ARE WHAT YOU CONSUME' and exaggerates the idea that people buy items and use services to create an image of themselves that they would like to be. 

Aldi Christmas Advert 2015- Experiential Marketing

This Christmas Aldi have produced several marketing campaigns to show off their products.
 One that was great in catching attention was their 'favourite things' advert, where the brand displayed a variety of Christmas related items from their product portfolio.

The brand decided to pair up the the minute long clip with the song, 'My Favourite Things' from the Sound of Music, a 1965 classic. This was a good idea at it helped satisfy consumer needs by creating a feeling of belongingness towards the marketing strategy through a song that reminds consumers of the past. The song is able to create memories, which reflects upon Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs.

Aldi's Favourite Things advert

To choose belongingness as their main stage on the hierarchy of needs, is a very smart move from the brand. This is because it can create a valued feeling, which makes the individual watching feel like they are then accepted and can be part of the company and their advertisement. This is extremely useful for Aldi, as during Christmas, the supermarket industry is very competitive and all have their own marketing strategies; meaning that Aldi can use acceptance as a form of bringing in potential consumers through building loyalty, trust and a sense of attachment. Consumers are also emotionally charged, so the more they feel involved, the more likely that Aldi will be their chosen supermarket to purchase from this Christmas.

The foods shown on the advert, such as the reindeer and gingerbread house are also become a reality, which helps the audience follow the advert more closely, as they it gives the advert some uniqueness. This is great for the younger generations who may not be familiar with the Sound of Music, as they can also be drawn into the advert by spotting their 'favourite things' that appear through the clip.
Overall, it is quite simple to say that Aldi have been smart with their marketing, by connecting to the older and younger generation. The brand has managed to meet the basic needs of their audience by showing love through their products by connecting them to their actors, which then helps connect the audience by keeping them emotionally attached to the story and song.

The Decision Making Process - Aldi Christmas Advert 2015

For any consumer, the decision making process plays a key role in what products or services they decide to choose. This process is just as important to businesses in all competitive sectors, in order to gain the most market share and produce the highest amount of profit.

The decision making process consists of four different stages:
1) Problem recognition
2) Information Search
3) Evaluation of Alternatives
4) Product and Brand choice

As explained in a previous blog post John Lewis' 'Man on The Moon' Christmas advert was very popular among consumers of all ages, as it included a story line that was easy to follow and become a part of.

This is where the clever marketing comes in, as Aldi decided to replicate the well-known Christmas advert by also having a man on the moon who happens to have a telescope too. This means they have manged to skip the first part of the decision making process, as John Lewis has already met the needs of consumers in the problem recognition stage.
During problem recognition, there is an ideal state, which is what individuals want, and an actual state, which consists of what is actually available. Aldi manages to show individuals that what they want from what they have seen in John Lewis' advertisement can also be bought from their stores too. This means that the needs the individuals have in both ideal and actual states can be met.

Aldi's man on the moon with the cheaper telescope

Aldi were able to move straight on to the information search and evaluation of alternatives stage, by providing details about their brand and then showing they they are the alternative of John Lewis. This therefore suggests that instead of consumers searching for alternatives. Aldi have managed to provide them with the necessary details by showing consumers and potential buyers that they are the cheaper alternative. Aldi's advertisement also declares that you cannot tell the difference in quality between the two products, even though one is clearly more expensive and known to be higher in quality. This is where they reflect the final stage of the decision making process- product and brand choice, as consumers can then decide on which brand they would like to purchase from. However, as Aldi are trying to promote their own product, it is more likely that the individual watching would then choose their brand, due to the fact that it is established that they can offer similar products at a lower price. This is value for money, which is what consumers like to see.