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Marketing & Branding

The 15 Drivers for 2015 Are you wasting money on irrelevant marketing? Branding and marketing expert, Kay McCarthy highlights the key 15 drivers for leading marketers in 2015.

AS we prepare for 2015, Kay Mc McCarthy, founder & Managing Director of MCCP - The Planning Agency, explains the 15 trends that are driving marketing and branding, from the advent of ‘mini’ pleasure seeking to connecting with the ‘always-on’ consumer.

what their new mindset and purse will pay for. Examples include the successful launch of Hailo in Dublin, Netflix, Airbnb and Dublin Bikes, pay for what you need when and how you want. Brands need to think like a business and identify where they can earn more revenue by innovating around a new consumer value system to stay relevant.

1. Recovery Mode but Still Cautious Ireland is beginning to recover, as indicators such as GNP are positive, (+ 5% in 2015), unemployment is dropping back to around 11% from 12% last year and consumer confidence is at the highest level since 2005, consumers will feel a lot better. However, the lag between sentiment and spend could take a little while as we’re also seeing house prices and rents rising nationally (up 15%) and by 25% in Dublin. Couple this with the introduction of water taxes and pressures on disposable income will continue. This means that the behaviour of value hunting will continue as the discounters are now an accepted norm for many shoppers, who are moving more of the weekly shop to these brands.

3. Mini Pleasure Seeking As consumers are gradually ‘feeling’ better, we are seeing some short term ‘mini pleasure’ seeking, as consumers want to treat themselves as they tire of being good. They want to enjoy new discoveries that offer sociable and affordable experiences that bring the group together in real time, often enhanced by technology. However, this comes with limits and ‘a little, often’ versus a big binge is expected. There has been strong innovation in the social scene at restaurant and bar level, with the rise of accessible and casual gastro dining, quality beers holding their own, the growth of Craft beers (albeit still niche), spirits and cocktails and pop-up dining.

2. Brands Rewrite the Rules Brands that are truly 21st century are rewriting the rule books and re-purposing themselves, innovating their business model to deliver what the consumer needs and

4. Social Clanning The group has always been important and now with technology, the group can stay together always. Experiences that unify the clan in real time continue to grow: this offers marketers opportunities to move from community to tribe

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Marketing & Branding and to understand the cultural nuances around their tribe.

5. The Global Consumer Even if you are not a global brand, the context in which your consumer operates is global. This means that your brand and communication will not be just referenced against its competitive set but by that of its peers from another market. The current Christmas campaign is a good example of where you will see a John Lewis or Sainsbury’s ad online before you see the Tesco Ireland or Dunnes Stores ad on your own TV. 6. Connecting on a Cultural Level Even though your consumer is operating in a global context, you must connect with them at a cultural level: avoid the pitfall of global blandness, unless it is a universal truth. The most effective brand communication really demonstrates its understanding of the culture of that consumer, even if it is global. Consumers like to be recognised for what makes them unique, and want this celebrated as the world is more global. A recent example is Coca-Cola’s bottle campaign, where each person’s individuality is recognised by way of their name. What can be more individual than that? This is a positive surprise from an iconic global brand such as Coca-Cola. Brands that get this really work well, unless it is a case where you have found a rare and truly universal insight (e.g.

Specsavers, Dove are such recent examples).

7. The ‘Always-On’ Consumer Irish marketers have to manage a challenging recovery but what is more challenging is the rate of change that technology is bringing to their consumers’ world, as we enter the age of the ‘always-on’ consumer. The average Irish consumer now has more gadgets than children and this means a number of important considerations: consumers will wear out quickly if there is not enough engagement and layers to your messaging. They will want to use their multi screens to discover more, share more and if the right content is not there, they will move on and you will lose the opportunity and waste a lot of media investment.

8. Real Time, Not Yesterday To really understand the real time consumer, marketers need to access real time insights about their consumers, as with access to more

the purchase for many categories, including work we completed for Rustlers in the UK. As a result, we were with the consumer in a digital mode along their customer journey, so the insights we gleaned were more accurate and, therefore, more valuable. We also use many more creative techniques involving behavioural economics to ensure our research is more robust and a more accurate predictor of behaviour.

9. From Brand Tell to Brand Storytelling & Doing The old model of brands using parent-to-child communications is well out of date. The always-on consumer wants a brand story that they can engage with. It needs to be based on accurate insights about them and not all about the brand.

They want you to know them, not to just talk about yourself. This goes one step further as consumers want brands to be doing what they value, to have meaning and purpose: Coca-Cola’s bottle campaign, where each beyond what you sell, what is your person’s individuality is recognised by way of their name is “a positive surprise from an iconic higher purpose that mutually benefits you and them? They want action, not global brand such as Coca-Cola”. words. information, by the time the focus group has happened, you are really 10. The Power of Emotion (even if looking in the rear view mirror and communicating a functional benefit) under the lamppost, when you need There is a trend towards positive to be looking ahead, as well as in the emotion after the era of austerity. now. The blend of real time and more Brands that show positive emotion creative techniques needs to be used, and make the consumer feel good and marketers need to avoid wasting do better than those that leave the consumer feeling isolated. Brands that money on some traditional means and use emotion to bring attention to a get closer to real insights and be able strong benefit get greater cut-through: to act on them to continuously improve a good example is Volvo Trucks live their messaging. experiment, as there is no better It is necessary to combine real example of using emotion around a time research techniques with more fairly core and functional product truth traditional ones, such as the focus (steering). group, in order to accurately assess what the consumer is doing versus 11. A Love/Hate Relationship with what they are saying they are doing.

Digital We are living in the era of brands Consumers use technology but it is to ‘doing, not saying’ and so we must make their lives better. They want it also get more accurate information on to be seamless. Increasingly, however, what consumers are doing. We have used software tools to access this at consumers are claiming that technology is taking over their lives and the point of consideration, closer to

Johnnie Walker: Keep Walking – a brand idea that is relevant and able to drive coherence in all its content.

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Marketing & Branding Heineken’s Sound Atlas which does this but also ticks the global box for the consumer.

Many high-end restaurants and events now want consumers to turn off their devices for some of the experience so that they get more out of it.

Of course, technology will be increasingly important on the other side but when you are using it, make The Heineken Sound Atlas campaign allows consumers to live in sure that it is the moment but also ticks the global box for the consumer. used in a way that reflects their dehumanising the brand experience. behaviours.

A good example is Honda, Studies have shown that they want where the user can really interact and to turn off and live in the moment, to chose different routes and stories as enjoy the experience more. They are seeking out real and live experiences to part of the overall communications feel life more. A great example of this is experience. The viewer presses ‘R’ to

About the Author KAY McCarthy is the founder & Managing Director of MCCP - The Planning Agency.

Kay has more than 22 years’ experience in leading the development of effective consumer-led brand strategies. Experienced in leading both client and agency, Kay also held a senior marketing role at Diageo for over eight years, overseeing the global research programmes. She has held executive board positions globally at Universal McCann, and pioneered engagement research and brand planning techniques in her role as Strategic Planning Director at Universal McCann EMEA, London, and as Deputy Managing Director at McCann Erickson, Dublin.

During her time as Head of Strategic Kay Mc McCarthy, founder & Planning at McCann Erickson, Dublin, Managing Director of MCCP - The her team were awarded best in Global Planning Agency.

Planning by McCann Global. Kay has won two Euro Effie’s for her work on Tourism Ireland International and Xbox (EMEA). She has received several Adfx and AIM awards for her work on Unilever, Sprite and Diet Coke. Kay is a trained facilitator, coach and moderator, and was the chair of the Irish Marketing Society during 2008/09. Kay has an MSc from Trinity College Dublin.

In 2008, Kay set up MCCP - The Planning Agency to bring best in class independent strategy and insight planning to brands. Today, MCCP - The Planning Agency is a real force in the industry as a leading specialist strategy group and has attracted global clients such as Heineken, Smurfit Kappa, Tourism Ireland, Muller, Kepak/Rustlers & Big AL’s UK, Primark, and RaboDirect, amongst others. Kay is regularly asked to speak at key marketing and industry events and conferences, and was invited to speak on the strategy at Cannes Global Festival of Creativity, EuroBest and ASI in 2014.

Kay believes that brands need to reinvent themselves to become rerelevant, using a fresh set of eyes and embracing creativity beyond simply advertising, especially when economy and demand is tight.

find out what kind of person drives a Honda. The story has two sides and the viewer gets to choose which side.

One story follows a dad picking up his children from school, the other a getaway driver.

12. ‘Always-on’ Innovation The days of on and off innovation are gone, as consumers want seamless and pain-free experiences. Brands that use ongoing incremental innovation and to some extent see themselves as in ‘beta’ always do better. Brands need to consider innovation as an ongoing programme to evolve their products to make them more and more relevant.

13. Simplicity Even though it would seem that we live in a complex world, we need to simplify what we communicate. But simplification in a world of more communication means that we need to bring more cut-through ideas to consumers. Brands need one really compelling idea that is a strong enough brand and business generating idea.

A good example of a brand idea that is both relevant and able to drive coherence in all its content is Johnnie Walker: Keep Walking. Global brands seem to get the idea of a brand idea that is delivered consistently over a number of years because the idea is strong and relevant, yet simple enough to carry on working for the brand.

14. The Brand Inside Great brands live out their brand on the outside but also engage their full internal audiences with the brand vision and purpose so that everyone not only understands the brand but also lives it. Embedding the brand into your organisation to engage and create innovation from within is necessary and fruitful as the wider internal team are a valuable touch-point. This means, however, identifying one brand team vision and purpose that excites and engages.

15. Find a Brand Purpose that’s Future Proof As consumers use brands in new and evolving ways, not only do they need brands to offer great authenticity, they want brands to connect with their own values as well. Brands are looking beyond emotional and functional benefits to offer something more enduring and connective such as a brand purpose. Finding a brand purpose means being true to who you are and what you can do for the consumer, beyond the product or service and will create strong value and differentiation for brands of tomorrow.