A recent research report by GfK has confirmed that advertising using online channels generates considerably more short-term sale revenue than TV, press and outdoor campaigns.

GfK have calculated that the average short-term online sale for digital advertising is 75p, which compares favourably to 66p for press, 53p for outdoor and, a low 43p for TV.

The GfK Media Efficiency Panel studied eight major FMCG campaigns to measure cross-media advertising on short-term sales.

These findings are helping brands understand that TV is not necessarily the best channel for their advertising. Digital is not an answer on its own but these findings indicate that it can compete with other channels in regards to audience reach. Digital campaigns reach a total of 33% of the online population, with press reaching 40% and outdoor trailing on 30%.

Shuvo Saha, Industry Director FMCG & Healthcare, Google, says that GfK UK “have proven the sales effectiveness of search, display and YouTube activity in integrated multimedia campaigns and provided invaluable insights about consumer behaviour across offline and online channels.”

Babita Earle of GfK states that “With online digital advertising spend set to increase significantly over coming years, it is vital that media planners have quality information and data so they can fully understand the best ways to optimise ad spend, both online and offline. The findings of this new study will help marketers re-evaluate their budgets to take advantage of the efficiencies delivered by online digital advertising.”

Purple Frog have long been advocates of digital channels and digital advertsing, and not just for standard broadcast advertising. The digital and online environment creates the opportunity for brands to engage with consumers and buyers. It brings back the arts of listening & understanding.  Customers have long been regarded as targets to bombard with information, what brands really need to do is understand their issues and concerns and solve these, digital channels offer this opportunity. Digital alone may not be the answer but it is increasingly becoming more important and any brands that either ignore it or treat it lightly will be left behind by their competition.

Maximising your return from your marketing spend is vital. Marketing is undertaken by all businesses, but those that are successful are those that take it seriously. I will be presenting on Effective Marketing at the Refer-On Hub Showcase on Thursday October 13th.

Effective marketing is not about spending more money. It is about increasing the returns you get from your existing marketing. It is about measurement, analysis and refining.

Most businesses see marketing as a cost to the business. They are wrong marketing is an investment and effective marketing will help drive growth and development in a business. Insights and understanding come from analysis and with the development of digital marketing means that there is now no excuse for not measuring marketing effectiveness.

To find out more about marketing effectiveness join us at the event. For more details see the Refer-On Hub Showcase  page on the Refer-On website.

Date: Thursday, 13th October 2011
Time: 07:00-12:00

Location:
Crowne Plaza, Marlow
Fieldhouse Lane
Marlow
Buckinghamshire
SL7 1GL
www.crowneplazamarlow.co.uk

Insights provider, Kinetic Worldwide have just surveyed 500 UK adults and have found that they are increasingly using their mobile devices to access location tools and social networks.

The survey found that Facebook Places, now disbanded, scored the highest in terms of most recognised at 67%. Google’s Latitude came second at 39%, Twitter Places logged 24% with Foursquare closely following with 23%.

The survey also found that 43% of consumers are expecting to utilise location based services more in the future, 48% of these to meet people, and 26% to upload recommendations or discover places to visit.

44% also indicated that they would access promotional offers via mobile, which is very relevant to retailers and restaurants especially as this figure is very likely to increase over time.

In terms of social media 50% of Twitter users log on via their mobiles, this figure drops to 41% for Facebook and 26% for LinkedIn. These statistics make sense as Twitter is clearly a more here and now channel whereas Linkedin is a channel more relevant to work and careers and mobile contact is therefore less relevant.

“Far from being a static home based form of communications, social media will increasingly influence choices and behaviour in out of home environments,” said Nick Mawditt, global director of insight and marketing at Kinetic Worldwide.

Purple Frog agree with Nick. Smart Phones have changed the dynamics of communication and tablet computers have further changed consumer habits. Restaurant offers and vouchers are now more useful if supplied by mobile. It is not only about saving paper and not printing out vouchers, but impulse dining when out needs the ability to redeem an offer when a printer is not a viable option. This change will apply to all location based mobile services. Consumers will expect to be kept informed when they arrive somewhere and not to have to research and work out offers and opportunities before they set off.

Brands need to develop a strategy to embrace this change and to take advantage of it. Purple Frog can help call 01844 295170 or email more@purplefrog.co.uk.

Purple Frog have worked with St. Joseph’s since 1998 and have provided a wide range of marketing and communication support from newsletters, web sites and fund raising initiatives.

Social Business – the way forward.

Social Media has significantly changed the way that businesses & brands interact with customers. There are many articles about Social Media and Social Media Marketing. Even though some businesses are yet to fully embrace this, the development of the Social Business is taking place.What is a Social Business? The best way to answer this is to use SAP as an example.

Purple Frog attended the CMO Exchange in July 2011 were Sarah Goodall of SAP was one of the speakers and panelists. It was very enlightening to hear her talk about how SAP has developed into a Social Business and how as a result social media transcends the marketing department and actually involves the whole business.

Sarah described how SAP had in effect started in social media before it had even really been thought of. They originally started by creating networks where their developers who were based around the world could get together online and help each other solve programming and other software issues. This in turn led to further collaboration between the developers covering innovation, peer insights and evaluation.

The IT community as a whole not just SAP has been able to benefit from social networking. In fact according to a recent Forrester Research report (When to Socialize online with B2B buyers December 2010), “As a source for answers to business problems they need to solve, and for the ability to tap into a broader network of peers, business decision makers are making greater use of social media for business purposes”

SAP totally embraced the value of Social Networking as they saw that it gave customers the opportunity to get the maximum from their IT investments in a way that had not previously been possible.

SAP concentrated on 3 specific areas of benefit to develop the social business:

Social Innovation

Social Intelligence

Social Commerce

By concentrating on these areas SAP were able to develop the SAP Community Network. This network is open to and used by a variety of people in different roles. These include developers, IT professionals, business analysts, decision makers, and end users. The network also hosts the largest aggregation of SAP experts, partners, industry opinion leaders, and SAP employees all of whom are collaborating to increase the return on customers’ SAP investments.

SAP were not the only company at the CMO Exchange to have developed a Social Presence which transcends marketing. Psion have also developed a Psion Community where they are also engaging with developers and other professionals as well as actively talking to clients to understand their needs, wants and desires.

The Social Business has been able to grow within the IT industry. Further examples are communities that have grown up around open source software such as Drupal and WordPress. It does not have to be just the domain of the IT industry though. Whatever sector you are in which part of your business would not benefit from:

Social Innovation: The ability to develop products and services whilst accessing all creative, business and financial talent available. The ultimate in brainstorming.

Social Intelligence: Using insights and understanding gained through collaboration for new product launches, project development and education. The ultimate in market and peer research.

Social Commerce: Offer solutions and products on new platforms that are only a click away from the discussion areas. The ultimate in visibility.

So don’t let everything pass you by. If you are not engaged with your customers then someone else will be. The future for all business is collaboration and through collaboration developing a social business. Make sure you are ahead of your competition and are acting first.

To read more from Sarah Goodall of SAP visit her blog Tribal Impact which gives even more details on the developments at SAP and where they are going next.

Crystaleen Recyclable Point of Sale.

Many point of sale items are printed on vinyl. The problem with this type of point of sale is that vinyl cannot readily be recycled and is also not a sustainable material. Point of sale material need to be robust and often wipe clean which makes vinyl an ideal solution.

Purple Frog however can offer our clients Crystaleen. Crystaleen is a recycled cost effective environmentally friendly alternative to vinyl . Crystaleen is 100% recyclable after use and has a smooth, brilliant white finish with an excellent opacity.

The material is waterproof and weatherproof to a high exposure which allows it to be used for both indoor and outdoor point of sale. It can also be used in more than point of sale.

Crystaleen is available as a non and as a self adhesive material. It is stocked in a range of weights and a very varied range of self adhesives and paper backing sheets. All variations can be  printed, using either Litho or Digital printing processes, therefore ensuring the highest quality of image possible.

Crystaleen can be used in any communication material where vinyl was previously regarded as the best solution and as the printing quality is high it is a superb alternative to screen printing. This enables creative work to be more accurately represented and because litho printing can be used this enables special colours to be incorporated where required. Litho printing also means that Crystaleen is a cost effective solution where multiple quantities of the same communication are required.

Crystaleen is suitable for general point of sale, window graphics, stickers, on-product labels and other in store promotional literature.

For marketing departments looking for hygienic solutions to literature and point of contact posters read more about our antimicrobial solutions.

To find out how Purple Frog can help you with your point of sale requirements call 01844 295170 or email more@purplefrog.co.uk.

21st Century Health Communications

Health Communications is an area of marketing where hygiene is of vital importance. To protect literature, posters and other health communications in environments such as washrooms, hospitals, toilets and sports centres it has been necessary to laminate items. This plastic covering which has allowed literature to be wiped clean has meant that costs are increased and also items are not sustainable.

Now however there is an alternative. Biocote Technology has brought health communication into the 21st century. Purple Frog are able to offer healthcare marketing departments this technology through CrystalBio. CrystalBio uses BioCote technology, a safe, natural antimicrobial and reduces the level of bacteria and mould on the surface of products, making them cleaner, safer and more hygienic .
CrystalBio products are ideal for environments where hygiene is important, such as hospitals, care homes, schools, restaurants and cruise ships. CrystalBio antimicrobial technology is also ideal for personal care products, helping to prevent odour causing bacteria and improve hygiene.

The technology is incorporated into the products ( Stickers, menu’s, liners, cartons, covers etc. ) at the time of manufacture, in the form of an additive in the varnish. A constant built in protection is added for the life of the product. It’s antimicrobial performance does not deteriorate over time, nor does it need to be reapplied. The visual aspect of the printed product is not affected by the coating and the product requires no additional specialist cleaning.

All CrystalBio products are validated and quality control tested on a regular basis to ISO22196, in an independent laboratory .
ONLY products that reach a 95% reduction in bacteria are allowed to use the BioCote logo as a guarantee of antimicrobial performance.

The coating is cost effective, sustainable and adds very little to the turnaround period .

To find out more call us on 01844 295170 or email more@purplefrog.co.uk

Social media marketing is about gaining insights, engaging with your customers, gaining their advocacy and getting them to talk about your brand with their friends and acquaintances.

Social media works in a 5 stage cycle.

Listen

Listening is the most important element of a social media strategy. Listening using specialist or free tools allows you to develop an understanding of your market place. This gives you insights into consumer wants and desires as well as competitor positioning and activity. Listening ensures that your social media activity has customers at the core of its thinking.

Respond

Once you have listened and understood where people are talking and what they are talking about you need to respond. This can be in the form of answering questions, taking part in forums and commenting on blogs. Then creating social media campaigns, developing apps for different platforms or setting up customer service channels. The opportunities are endless but responding can only be done once you have listened.

Converse

Having listened, the objective of a response strategy should be to create a conversation or other forms of engagement with groups or individuals. The focus should be on content or campaigns that are of interest and are shareable, not on selling. It’s essential to keep responding, seeking feedback, constantly learning more.

Lead

Leading in social media is all about gaining influence, changing perceptions, informing and advising. Whatever form it takes, it must engage the audience. Whilst you want it to impact on your brand it does not have to have the brand itself at its core. It may only need, for example to feature on one of your brand values, that you know through listening will resonate with your customers. Focus on issues, create opportunities and improve experiences for actual or potential customers.

It can mean starting a debate, a campaign or a competition, or establishing a tie-in with a sponsor or channel partner. The trick is to be different and to make your offer shareable. That way you ensure adoption of your brand and sow the seeds of growth in your business.

Multilogue

As a successful outcome of the first four stages, a social media multilogue is when you, your brand or campaign reach the point of being talked about, played with and shared without your involvement. The secret here is to develop your message so that others will evangelise on your behalf.

Let your customers do the talking as the social world revolves around friends, peers and their recommendations.

In short, consumer advocacy is key.

To find out how your social media strategy can be enhanced or even started if you are yet to take advantage call 01844 295170 or email more@purplefrog.co.uk

CMO Exchange July 2011

Purple Frog attended the CMO Exchange at the Hilton Tower Bridge on the 11th & 12th July as a silver sponsor. This prestigious event was attended by a large number of Chief Marketing Officers from a range of well known brands.

The Exchange was very informative with guest speakers including:

• Dani Gabor, Global Head of Strategy, Research and Advertising, ING Group
• Thomas Brown, Head of Insights, Chartered Institute of Marketing
• Charles Doyle, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Jones Lang LaSalle
• Nick Eades, Chief Marketing Officer, Psion
• Glenn Martin, Group CEO, BirdsEye
• Yann Gourvennec, Director, Web Digital Media & Social Media, Orange Group
• Erin Nelson, CMO, Bazaarvoice
• Sarah Goodall, Regional Head of Social Media, EMEA, SAP
• Rebecca Jones, Head of Marketing Planning, BBC Worldwide
• Andy McFarlane, Head of Marketing, Global Vodafone Enterprises.

All sessions were very informative and the experience of all the delegate as well as that if the speakers gave a clear indication that the following points were of real interest to the marketing departments of the companies represented.

• Chief Marketing Officers and their departments are struggling to have their voices heard at at the boardroom table.
• Social Media is a vitally important area that many are still struggling to integrate into their overall communication and marketing strategies.
• Measurement and ROI is something that needs to be given greater consideration across all activity.

Purple Frog attended this event in order to talk to delegates about Social Media Marketing, how to build strategies and integrate them within the rest if the marketing mix. Most of the delegates we spoke to were all at different stages of social media development. There were some, in particular SAP who had developed their positioning such that they had progressed social media beyond the Marketing Department and were actually talking about the Social Business. This is a concept that all businesses need to take on board. As the world changes due to the current financial uncertainties then businesses and brands will need to change as well. Read our blog about the Social Business to find out more.

Overall the event was a great success, we learnt a lot about the issues facing some of the top marketers in the country and we are applying these lessons to the way we deliver solutions to our clients.

As well as listening to some great speeches we also had the opportunity to talk with GE Capital, TomTom, Psion, Burger King, American Express, Citi Personal Bank, Hammerson, ING, WTA, Kcom, HSBC and Aviva.

The Brief

The brief was to create a community website that would allow the Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust (registered charity no. 1136844) to interact further with the community they serve. The charity wanted a site which they amend easily and would give them the flexibility to offer each of the sponsors and beneficiaries a separate page on the site. The site was also to have a changeable home page where excerpts from articles could be posted and managed by the charity without the need for any further input from Purple Frog.

The Solution

We built the community website using WordPress, as this platform had all the flexibility that was required. It is also able to be updated easily as web technology changes and forany additional functional the charity wants. The design was kept simple ensuring that the key messages the charity wish to deliver throughout the year could be concentrated on the home page. The use of WordPress means that the site can be heavily focused on the Beer Festivals before each event and more on the beneficiaries of the money raised in between festivals. A true community site.

The Outcome

The site was launched just before the Winterfest in December 2010 and since then has grown to over 200 pages and an average monthly number of unique visitors of 1,500 with over 2,800 visits in the weeks before the Summer Festival of 2011.

The site has enabled the charity to not only give sponsors more value for their donations by allowing them to advertise on the site as well as the printed programme, but by giving them a long term online presence to those searching for facilities and services in the area. Beneficiaries have also benefited by having their cause and links to their web sites made available to an ever increasing number of visitors.

Further developments are planned to the site by the charity to make it even more of a community site. All of which can be achieved cost effectively through the platform as input is not required from any 3rd parties.