The Marketing Week

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

McDonald’s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEpwdzbVZMM

McDonald’s latest marketing push doesn’t talk about the price of its Big Macs or extol the virtues of its bacon sandwiches, instead the brand has decided to play up the trust it claims to have built nationwide. In what it is calling a “significant step change” the ads talk about the initiatives it has made to build good will around the brand by giving out children’s books in Happy Meals and sourcing ingredients from British farmers.

The ads are part of a long-term plan under a revamped approach called “Here’s to what matter” to bring to life the factors it believes matter to people. The first TV spot, airing tonight (25 July), showcases the work done through the Ronald McDonald House charities and highlights the little things that matter to families, such as an ill child hearing the reassuring sound of dad’s voice in hospital.

“By sharing our stories through multiple channels and with fresh and exciting creative and a purposeful and unifying theme, we hope to surprise and reassure the people who matter most to us, from our customers”, says McDonald’s CMO Alistair Macrow.

GOOD WEEK FOR

Digital marketers

If you want to be one of the highest marketing execs you need to make digital your priority, according to a survey by the CMO Council. It found that CMOs that have transformed their brand’s digital marketing performance are more likely to be in the top tier for wages, with 51.8 per cent that cite “developing improved digital marketing” as one of their key accomplishments earning more than the average $200,000 salary. Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council, says digital is the number one project marketers should be focused on to improve their salary.

“Digital extends marketers’ domain into customer service, support and experience, it drives revenues and feeds into ecommerce. Digital marketing underpins operationally many facets of the business,” he says.

Demand for digital marketers is also on the up. A separate report by recruitment consultancy found that the number of jobs being advertised for marketers rose 8 per cent in the second quarter, with digital marketers particularly in demand. Time to make sure you are up-to-date on the latest innovations in digital.

BAD WEEK FOR

Coca-Cola

It may be the most recognised World Cup sponsor, according to Millward Brand, but Coca-Cola’s marketing efforts haven’t helped its sales. In the three months to 27 June, revenues at the soft drinks maker slipped 1 per cent while net income was down 3 per cent. It also reported its first sparkling beverages decline in 15 years.

It will be hoping that its “Share a Coke” campaign, which is getting a big push in the UK from this month, will help boost sales as it did last year. The campaign was a big success, helping it outperform the soft drink market in both volume and value sales and boosting consume perceptions of the brand, according to YouGov BrandIndex data.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Bosch creates ‘Where’s Wally’-style Facebook competition

The German electronics maker has aped the styling’s of 80s and 90s kids favourite ‘Where’s Wally’ for its latest social media push. Facebook fans of the brand in Australia can win prizes by solving riddles and finding the hidden person using a Bosch product in a series of illustrated winter landscapes. The Loud&Clear-developed campaign aims to push the brand’s seasonal products during Australia’s winter.

Nike creates vending machine that dispenses free stuff in exchange for Fuel points

The sportswear giant has become the latest brand to put a unique spin on the vending machine. Nike craftily set up the machine in a random location in New York and then sat back as people exchanged their Fuel points – gained from using its Nike+ products – for free merchandise such as shirt or socks. The vending machine visits a new location each week with clues being posted on its New York-specific Twitter feed.

ONES TO WATCH

Pinterest steps up advertiser charm offensive

The social network hired senior Unilever marketer David Rubin as its first head of brand. Pinterest has been on a hiring spree of late as it looks to carve a formidable advertising business around its nascent suite of advertising tools. It hired Twitter veteran Lisa Manowitz as head of partnerships in May and recently added the Promoted Pins service for brands. The leap to an effective marketing platform has proven a tricky one for many social networks and Rubin and the rest of the Pinterest team will need to work hard to create a niche proposition amid the dominance of Facebook and Twitter.

TWEETS

@olinewton – Oli Newton, brand and agency advocate for the UK at Twitter, on the site’s ability to track down a lost passport.
Right Twitter, let’s pull off a miracle. Lost passport last night near Piccadilly Circus, London. Please help me find it. £500 reward.

@MusaTariq – Musa Tariq, senior director of social and community at Nike, on the winning formula for social media success.
The best #SocialMedia advice I can give your brand is to post less.”

@dresserman – Retail analyst Steve Dresser on the departure of Tesco’s CEO
Clarke’s strategy was all about doing what worked in the past, but quicker. That didn’t work, Clarke struggled with the ‘common touch’.

@benevans – partner at tech VC firm Andreessen Horowtiz
Soon talking about the ‘mobile’ part of your business will be as meaningful as talking about the ‘digital’ part of your business.