The Battle Is On: iPhone Versus Android

How Does Your Mobile Phone Characterize You?

Nielson found out that almost 50% of mobile phone users now own a smartphone. This has led to an on-going battle over which is the best smartphone and operating system to be using.

Check out the article here: http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/29/nielsen-as-u-s-nears-smartphone-majority-its-a-two-horse-race-between-android-and-apples-ios/

Hunch has now gone one step further into this battle as to publish an infographic demonstrating the different traits between iPhone and Android users. Yes, that is correct- we have become so materialistic that we are now judged not just on our houses, cars, clothes and jobs, but now even our mobile phones! So, what does your mobile phone say about you?

Out of the 15,818 people that were interrogated about their mobile operating systems, they found that the most popular was the Apple iOS with 32% and its fierce competition Android came in second place with 21%.

Demographically an Android user tends to be younger between 18 -34 years and are more likely to live in the suburbs or country. Whereas 29% of iPhone users are over 35 years; and are typically city dwellers. Interestingly, if you are an iPhone user you represent the richer spectrum of society with 67% of users having an annual household income of £200k or more. Moreover, 37% of iPhone users have a graduate degree, compared to the 80% of Android users who are more likely to have a high school diploma.  

Personality-wise Android users appear to be the pessimistic introverts in society whom save their money, are 12% more likely to have pets; are later adopters of technology yet are better at mathematics and verbal aptitude. On the other hand iPhone users are more optimistic and enjoy spending their money, yet 39% are more likely to be high-maintenance but with strong verbal aptitude. They are more likely to enjoy the life of luxury- playing a musical instrument, been on holiday in the past 6 months and be the first adopters of new technology.

Going into further analysis, iPhone users are 50% more likely to text whilst driving, whereas the safer Android users would more likely text whilst waiting in a queue. Yet Android users seem to prefer the sweeter things in life such as mini-pizzas, sirloin steak, popcorn and chocolate compared to iPhone users who would prefer to snack on sushi, mixed nuts, ginger snaps and yoghurt. 

The comparison list then delves into which TV shows, films, books, trees and entertainment one should prefer; all dependent on the type of mobile you possess. You can take a better look yourself below. The question is, do the findings of the infographic ring true for you? Let us know if you will now judge a person by his or her mobile phone in the comments below.

Time For A Cupa!

Tetley's Change Their Marketing Direction

I have just watched Tetley's new advertisement with strap-line- "Make Time, Make Tetley".

You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Rb-1sub4M

My first reaction to this advert was that it was funny, clever and quite true. Many people today are beginning to see that their social media sites do not necessarily correspond to their friends circle anymore. Instead we often find ourselves adding business contacts or others to assist with networking (and often just to be nosy too!!) This means, a lot of people can relate to the advert and get engaged with its meaning.

This re positioned Tetley brand now values friends and family, encouraging their customers to meet up with people face to face and have a cup of tea together rather than doing everything online. I think this is quite similar to what other tea brands have done for example Twinning's is all about that emotional connection and not being alone. With this change in direction, Tetley now hope to appeal to a younger audience. They have incorporated QR codes on their packaging which provides extra content about sourcing and blending the tea, incorporating the whole journey before it reaches the users mug.

I personally love these changes and how they are incorporating digital marketing more into their strategy. Tetley is my personal favourite tea brand and I am glad to see the brand getting well and truly in the competition!

Do you like the Tetley advert?

Social Media = Monetization?

What does ‘being social’ mean today?

Facebook have recently announced that they are testing new ads which will appear in user’s newsfeeds whether they have or have not shown interest in the brand previously. This is without a doubt to become an increasingly great topic of debate and will change the way users see the Facebook brand once again. Originally this brand and core idea was built around being social and simply being able to keep in touch with friends and family, but now it seems that monetization is at the heart of the business strategy and forgetting about customer user experience and what being social truly means.

It also means that marketing to the masses will come back into play, as opposed to the personalisation we receive currently in more micro-segmented ads specified to our demographics, needs, interests and influencing factors.

Is this what ‘being social’ has transformed to today and has Facebook become an advertisers world rather than for the end user?

London Olympics 2012

Adidas Gets Gold!

Did everyone think London could pull off the 2012 Olympics? At first I was a bit apprehensive, yet now I can see that it has been a huge success, and with the Paralympics about to start I am sure there is much more to come. This has been particularly due to the people getting involved and creating an amazing atmosphere, alongside the sponsored brands ensuring their campaigns created enough excitement and Olympic spirit!

My favourite brand sponsoring the Olympics has to go to Adidas. Their campaigns have been second to none, and timed perfectly to stay ahead of their main competitors Nike. Adidas have remained consistent throughout, with of course, the main highlight being on the top British athletes. Their main integrated campaign #takethestage was a huge success and ranked as one of the main topics of conversation on twitter. To me, it allowed everyone to get involved and relate, with subsequent messages following, strengthening and broadening the campaign such as ‘take the crown’, ‘take the gold’ and ‘take the pressure’. Yet one of the most important aspects to this campaign was it encouraged engagement with fans, as a Facebook page was set up to allow them to create their own image campaign and ‘take to their own stage’.

More recently, the athletes have been spotted in a Queen YouTube video, rocking out to ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ (View the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERgU551NFeY). Adidas described the video as “a unique video toasting the success of the team and capturing the mood of the nation”. I think it is fantastic that we can see the athletes in this way and join in their celebrations through this medium.

 

Internship at Feelingpeaky

A Steep Learning Curve…

Starting anywhere new is always a scary thought, but I can confidently say that joining Feelingpeaky for a 3 month account management internship has been the best decision I have made career-wise so far! Having been here for about 2 months now, I have truly experienced ‘agency life’ (not being asked to get teas and coffees but actual work!) and been through a steep learning process, gaining the practical knowledge required after graduation. I have recently completed an MSc in Marketing at Oxford Brookes University and then made the move down from Cheshire to London to join the exciting city life! 

As Feelingpeaky is a small agency, I have been given a high amount of responsibility right from the beginning, which although has been tough- I know it has been worthwhile. Everyone has provided me with ample knowledge, advice and training to be able to take on some of my own smaller client projects alongside working on some of the larger projects such as Longleat Safari & Adventure Park. This experience has challenged my organisational skills and creativity - from copywriting and ensuring there is enough call to action included; to ensuring the design work is how the client has requested. In today’s digital-orientated society, it is now more important than ever to ensure your target audience is visually engaged, yet sustaining the brand image at its core. This is one aspect which I believe Feelingpeaky excels in, as they understand what the client wants, who their audience is and how to get the results required.

One of my best parts about the internship has been getting to know everyone in the office better; through going out for after work drinks to trying to feed them jam doughnuts at lunch time (I think I was a bad influence!) I have also loved the variety of projects that I have been able to work on. This has stemmed across a wide array of fields from email marketing, PPC, SEO, website management to social media. Developing all these new skills has been tough but rewarding, and I know I will come away from this internship with a new insight into where I want to head next…. The important part is that I am on the marketing ladder now, which is often the hardest step!

Power and Involvement of the Consumer

In todays society it has become known in business that 'the consumer is always right'. We all want to please our customers to retain their custom and build longer lasting relationships for the future. But to what extent should we include our customers in the decisions we make? Should businesses be using a more collaborative or co-creative method nowadays to involve consumers on a greater level?

It is to no surprise that social media has changed the way customers have become involved in brands today. With all the brand information online it is easy for customers to form a strong opinion on different topics and therefore discuss them in-depth on forums. Social media has allowed for the masses to see each opinion and discussion and therefore word of mouth and customer reviews have become crucial. In many ways this has changed the power that a company has over its brand.

Bhalla (2011) writes an interesting concept on the power of the consumer. Here it is suggested that companies can involve their consumers on different levels through listening, engaging to responding. With higher levels of involvement the consumers forms an emotional relationship with the brand and therefore are more likely to continue purchasing from that brand in the future.

Yet with increased involvement, the consumer gains power over the brand. The company therefore begins to use a relational brand management paradigm and allows the consumer to form a voice within the company, through suggesting ideas, joining in competitions and attending various events. This is a beneficial way to making sure your products or services are meeting the needs of todays consumers. Yet, it can also change the brands values and meanings. The brand may become inconsistent which can alter its image to others.

So is power to the consumer a good thing? Ultimately the consumer is gaining power through social media. Companies need to ensure their consumers are on side with what they are producing, as with the amount of competitors it is easy to lose valued customers. Offering consumers a chance to be part of a brand allows for constant market research to be taking place. There is always the possibility that they may come up with your next best seller! Yet this needs to be managed carefully. Consumers want to be replied to quickly and feel like you are taking notice upon what they said. If this can be achieved then strong lifetime relationships can be formed, particularly through social media, which can strengthen the brand. After all, customers trust customers opinions. It may be useful to have them on board in the future as co-creation and collaboration becomes an increasingly hot topic and is happening on a wider scale by many companies.

The Joshua Tree Charity

Charities need to work hard in todays society. Particularly with the economic recession, it is hard to generate supporters and to keep the charity moving forward. There are so many charities today, all with important causes, yet it is impossible to support them all. The Joshua Tree are one charity who stand out to me as they have never given up even when the times are tough. They have used all the marketing tools to maximise upon their opportunities and build upon their brand image. Therefore this is a charity I would like to share with you all.

The Joshua Tree are a small, local charity based in Northwich, Cheshire who aim to build a holiday home and support centre for children with immuno-suppressed illnesses to visit with their families, for a free short break. Over the last few years the charity has grown from strength to strength and now are making real progress having just been granted planning permission for the fantastic house plans. The house has been designed carefully, they truly want to create a relaxing yet fun environment for the children to experience. All the space has been utilised to the maximum, even the loft space is going to be made into a childrens 'secret passage' to allow for  a sense of adventure.  I believe this charity is going to make a huge difference to so many families in the near future, offering valuable support during these hard times.

For me, this charity is my #1 as they are sticking strongly to their mission and maintaining consistent brand values which I think is a definate highlight to the charities success so far. The Joshua Tree are making use of both digital and traditional methods such as newsletters, website, social media and attending local events. They have not forgotten that traditional methods can make a huge impact which runs alongside the social media. Together these marketing tools are highly effective, particularly as we can see the charity develop and take on board further supporters who are dedicated to the cause. They never forget that face-to-face contact is important and so even when having busy weeks, try to attend as many events as they can.

The Joshua Tree have joined the world of social media with facebook and twitter accounts. How does this help them? Although it takes a lot of time to maintain, it is a crucial step to gaining awareness for the charity and to acquire new supporters. Furthermore I believe that by up-dating current supporters on a regular basis through these systems, it also benefits retention of supporters. Not to mention, it must be saving on valuable resources which is a huge benefit to any charity. Yet as the charity grows, this will allow for relationships and interaction between supporters and the charity, to develop. I believe this is crucial in todays society, for brands to be able to come down to a personal level and truly care about their supporters needs and influencing factors. Furthermore, it allows for perhaps some collaboration, whereby supporters can voice their opinions and generate discussions about the charity.

Furthermore, the concept of localism is becoming increasingly important for brands. Even though we have social media which appeals to the masses, it is crucial to maintain a sense of place. Even more so, a strong local strategy is suggested to be vital today. (See this article: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/media/huffington-says-brands-need-to-develop-a-grass-roots-online-strategy/3027640.article). This is an aspect which I feel the joshua tree have achieved and are not forgetting their local supporters and environment.

I feel I should thank The Joshua Tree for letting me volunteer all those months ago. Without you guys I wouldn't have found my love for marketing and probably would be studying town planning right now! A big turn around!

If you want to find out more about The Joshua Tree you can find them on facebook, twitter @joshuatree2006 or check out their website at http://www.thejoshuatree.org.uk/.