Smart::: Creating shorter links

BRAND OWNER:Mercedes Benz
CATEGORY:Automotive
REGION:Belgium
DATE:Apr 2009 - Dec 2008

The Smart car’s key selling point is the fact that it can be manoeuvred into tiny parking spaces – perfect for city living. Measuring just 2.69 metres long, it can even be parked sideways in most road-side spaces.

In order to highlight this fact online, Smart has created a URL shortening service. Akin to services such as http://www.tinyurl.com/ and is.gd, the service transforms a long URL such as those from Google Maps, into a very short one.

Visitors to http://url.so-smart.be/ are able to ‘navigate swiftly through the busy online traffic’ and ‘park large URLs into tiny spaces’. Visitors can enter a long URL, for example: http://advertiser-in-arabia.blogspot.com/ and it will be transformed into a shorter ‘smart’ URL such as http://so-smart.be/~ns21n4 .

This shorter URL takes up fewer characters on micro-blogging sites such as Twitter, which has a 140 character message limit. Any links shortened with this service automatically become micro ads because of the ‘so-smart.be’ prefix.

Visitors to http://www.so-smart.be/ will find a site called “Smart & the City”, charting the love affair that the car has with the city and featuring information about the vehicle including specifications, carbon emission levels, and the option to request a brochure or a showroom visit.

Fast-Food Research Shows McDonald's Still Number One

McDonald’s and Burger King remain America’s #1 and #2 most preferred fast-food chains, while Subway unseated Wendy’s in 2008 to nab the #3 spot, according to research on the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry from Experian Simmons.

Other major chains in the top-10 rankings, which show preference trends over five years (2004-2008), are Taco Bell - which reclaimed its #4 spot after dropping to #5 in 2007, Wendy’s, which dropped from #3 to #5, KFC, Pizza Hut, Arby’s and Dairy Queen.

The proliferation of QSR chains in the US also has caused “others” (an aggregation of the many smaller chains) to hold a significant market share as well, the research found.

Niche Chains on the Rise
The rankings also show that three QSR chains - Chipotle , Jamba Juice, and Panera Bread - are relative new comers to the market, yet have become an important force in the QSR market by carving out a specialized niche with their offerings. Chipotle has risen from #57 in 2004 to #26 in 2008, while Jamba Juice has jumped #58 to #38 and Panera Bread has climbed steadily from #29 to #18 in the same time period.

Dramatic Jump in QSR Visits
The average number of visits Americans make to quick service restaurants, which has held steady at approximately seven since 2004, substantially increased to 11 between 2007 and 2008. This, Experian Simmons suggests, may be caused by the current economic crisis.

Midwesterners Frequent QSRs Most
Overall, Midwesterners are most likely to eat at quick service restaurants, the research found.
The following table lists the likelihood of people in each of four US regions (Northeast, Midwest, South and West) to eat at the 13 fast food chains Experian Simmons reviewed. The table on the right illustrates the percentage of each region’s residents that eat at the quick service restaurants. Overall, Midwesterners have the highest percentage of visits to McDonald’s and several other major chains, while Northeasterners score highest with Burger King and Wendy’s.

Westerners frequent Taco Bell and “other” QSRs more than those in other regions. One reason they are more likely to eat at “other fast food restaurants” may be because the Western region has a number of quick service restaurants that aren’t present ?in other regions, said Experian Simmons.
Additional survey findings:
Men (115 Index) are more likely than women (87) to eat alone at a fast food restaurant.
Women are more likely to take their children below age 12 to a fast food chain during lunch than any other meal time (126).
Hispanic Americans are more likely than non-Hispanic Americans to go to a fast food chain with children during all meal times.
Americans aged 18-24 are three times more likely than older Americans to snack at a fast food chain with friends/co-workers.

Other research from the NPD Group finds that kids and young adults are visiting restaurants less because of the high cost and because of a perceived availability of less healthy choices. The study also finds that Baby Boomers’ restaurant use is increasing.

About the research: Data analysis is based on results from the Experian Simmons National Consumer Study/National Hispanic Consumer Studies conducted in the Fall of 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, as well as the 2008 Full Year study.

An additional report that discusses the impact of the recession on family dining and QSRs also is available from Experian Simmons.

ÖBB Austria Railways – HOW OH! (Austria)

Agency name: PKP proximity
Client name: ÖBB Austria Railways
Category: Integrated Communication

BACKGROUND
Travelling by train is not hip among young Austrians.
The campaign target: to motivate young people to travel by train in their summer holidays and to sell 120,000 summer-tickets (+5% vs 2006).
The ÖBB summer-ticket is a special holiday-offer from the Austrian Railway company ÖBB for unlimited train use for € 19 (age <20)>
OBJECTIVES
To motivate young Austrians to travel by train in their summer holidays.
To promote the ÖBB summer-ticket.To sell 120,000 ÖBB summer-tickets.

STRATEGY
Taking the train is not the transport of first choice with young Austrians. But for most of them taking the train is their only realistic opportunity to travel in their holidays. We needed something or someone who would have credibility with the target group, and could say “'move your ass' and go out in summer! It's easy... With the lowest train-fares from ÖBB (Austrian Railways)”.

We created a new hero: the Canadian Indian „Howling Heoro Keese”. He became a real character with his own online platform, TV-show and events.

To approach young people in their own language two linked campaigns were set up:

• a viral campaign to introduce the Indian
• four weeks after the viral teaser campaign the TV-, Print- and Billboard campaign started with details of the offer and reservations on

www.inmotion.oebb.at
OTHER COMMUNICATION
Viral Campaign, My Space Site, GO TV, Print, Billboard, Citylights, TV Spot, Online,

CREATIVE STRATEGY
The viral campaign was started by sticking cryptic yellow posters and stickers to walls and places where young people come together.

“The ear” as a symbol for the “hearing Indian” was created and myspace.com/how_oh went online.
On the website people learned about the “Free Culture Network” of a Canadian Indian called Howling Hearo Keese who knows everything about the 'in' places (cause he's “all-hearing”).
Basic Message: HOW OH! “Iroquois” meaning something in between “Get lost!” and meaning in Austrian dialect “get out of here!”

Key Visuals: “The ear” and Howling Hearo Keese
Only four weeks after the viral teaser campaign the TV-, Print- and Billboard campaign started with details of the offer and reservations on www.inmotion.oebb.at.THE STAR & HEROE: Howlin hero Keese

ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS
An outstanding hero, connecting all media-channels (incl. direct marketing, viral, classic & guerilla) and a slogan as a new word-creation (HOW OH!) that's now in the mind of every young Austrian.

Pedigree::: Adoption Drive

BRAND OWNER:Mars
CATEGORY:Pet Care
REGION:Germany
DATE:Mar 2008 - Jul 2008

Pedigree was facing a huge problem, since the dog food market was being polarized between own label and premium brands. Pedigree was somewhere in the middle and did not have clear differentiating brand attributes.

The opportunity was to tell consumers, that Pedigree cares more about every single dog than any other manufacturer. In order to prove this, it created the Pedigree Adoption Drive and raised Awareness for dogs living in animal shelters.

The idea was to activate dog lovers to get them to become part of the Adoption Drive and create a dog rescue movement. Dog Lovers could become part of the movement, by donating money or by adopting a dog.
The first stage saw various rescue dogs profiled in all the big German newspapers, along with a telephone number for more information. Posters at gas stations on the freeway – notorious dumping grounds for unwanted pets – reminded people about the dogs’ plight. This was supported by TV ads.

The second step was to activate consumers to become a part of the movement, largely at point of sale. Images of local animal shelter dogs were displayed along with the message that with every purchase from Pedigree they support these dogs. People were driven to Pedigree.de in an online drive and there were many cases of editorial integration including reports of dogs who had found new homes. All of these homed dogs were shown on the Pedigree site.



The campaign achieved a short term sales growth of 8,6%.

Also the penetration of the brand increased about 4,8% for the first time in three years and remained on a higher level also after the campaign period.

Finally the target to donate €250k to animal shelters was smashed with a donation of €400k and the adoption rate increased about 20% during the period of the campaign.

X-Men::: The Wolverine Buddy Poke

BRAND OWNER:Fox Films
CATEGORY:Entertainment
REGION:Brazil
DATE:Mar 2009 - Apr 2009

To promote the premiere of Fox Film’s new film X Men Origins, the film studio wanted to take advantage of the popularity of social networking site Orkut.

One of the most popular applications on Orkut is The Buddy Poke. The Buddy Poke is essentially a greeting delivered by an avatar from one friend to another. Users can express themselves via the character.
For the purpose of the movie promotion, an avatar of Wolverine was created – the first time the application has been used by an advertiser. Users of the Wolverine Buddy Poke can be select two options – either “claws out” or “ask to respond” – to send to friends.

Having selected the greeting, their own avatar gets personalized to look more like wolverine – complete with huge claws and side burns.

Then a small animation of the newly wolfish avatar can be sent to a friend. The Buddy Poke is not branded with the name of the film at all – the idea is simply to make a subtle association with the film, which launches at the end of April.
The movie charts the violent and romantic past of Wolverine, from his complex relationship with

Audi::: Progressive vanguards

BRAND OWNER:Volkswagen
CATEGORY:Automotive
REGION:China
DATE:Mar 2008 - Dec 2008

High brand awareness for the Audi A8L was failing to convert into sales in China. Consumer research revealed that the Audi brand was perceived as old, conservative and government-related.

The car brand needed to communicate its new positioning of “Progressive Vanguards” to a niche audience of sophisticated business executives and hence boost sales.

We knew that this target market were confident in their own beliefs and ideals but conversely they were also keen to learn from other people’s success.

The solution was to create Audi’s own list of “Progressive Vanguards” and put their stories at the heart of the campaign.

Audi teamed up with leading business newspapers and periodicals to create Audi branded content where 24 leading businessmen from China and abroad would talk about the secrets of their success.

They included Steve Jobs from Apple, Ma Yun from Alibaba and Li Yan- Hong of Baidu. Readers were directed to their stories via eye- catching banners on the front page.

Special events and business conferences added another layer to the communication, encouraging readers to take a test drive.

Sales of the Audi A8L rose 35% year on year with a saving of 45% on a regular media buy.

Coca Cola:::Free yourself with a song

BRAND OWNER: The Coca Cola Company
CATEGORY:Drinks (non-alcoholic)
REGION:Malaysia
DATE:Jul 2008 - Aug 2008

Coca-Cola’s popularity among Malaysia youth was waning because of an explosion of healthier beverages and the fact that its advertising was being drowned out by the jumbo budgets of telecoms companies.

2008 was a tough year, with a deepening recession and a youthful rebellion against the ruling party. Coke needed to find a way of tapping into the stubbornly optimistic youth and establish itself as the drink that truly expressed the national mood.
2008 had seen the rise of two youth icons that had captivated the imagination of the country.

The first was Shila, an everyday girl from a small town, who rose from the streets to win the largest reality singing show on TV.

The second was Alam, the village underdog who won the biggest dance show. Coca Cola took the two icons, and signed up an iconic lyricist to create a music video –Free Yourself (or Bebaskan-lah in Malay) – where Coke was integrated as the fuel of refreshing liberation and positivity. Coke’s jingle was also laced into the fabric of the song.

The major advertising element was a TV commercial, but it also brought in radio and online. The video became self-propagating, with friends forwarding it to friends, posting it on blogs and on YouTube, colleagues showing it to each other and on-air requests creating a pull-mechanism. Bebaskan-lah! became the anthem of the times by plugging into and giving expression to the spirit of the period in a language that truly connected with youth – in a way that was so very uniquely Coca-Cola.

The campaign was hugely successful in sales terms, achieving a volume growth of 280,000 unit cases. Coca-Cola’s preference score hit a record five-year high, rising 177% across the year, overwhelming all other brands in the category put together. - The song itself reached No. 1 within 2 weeks and was also made a theme song for a popular local youth drama, A Story of Hope.

Axe:::Cheesegirls

BRAND OWNER:Unilever
CATEGORY:Toiletries/ Cosmetics
REGION:South Africa
DATE:Jun 2008 - Nov 2008


Axe was worried its market share would remain static unless it targeted untapped demographics, including urban black youth aged 18-25. The problem was that Axe hadn’t spoken to this segment for 5 years and even then, the urban black youth didn’t relate to the Axe communication.

Axe needed to engage with this target group in a meaningful way without alienating current users. Axe realized that urban black youth didn’t identify with the Axe promise of ‘getting the girl’, because they were far more experienced. However, they would identify with getting the girl who everyone is afraid of approaching, the rich girl, aka the cheese-girl.

Axe decided to create a band called The Cheesegirls, who would release two songs. The first song trashed ghetto guys (known as Kasi). The second video paid tribute to Kasi guys because they have been wearing Axe and are therefore irresistible.

The activation was focused on radio (a key channel for the target), used PR as the hook and then changed the traditional role of TV. The track was launched through the sponsorship of an annual DJ conference and on radio. Listeners were invited to vote for their favourite mixed Cheesegirl track from the DJ conference.

The Cheesgirls were marketed as if they were a genuine pop sensation, getting interviews in music magazines and on TV. Axe was never linked to the band.

A PR set up saw the lead singer of the Cheesgirls ‘busted’ dating a Kasi guy. The band then organized ‘apology interviews’ which saw the band openly apologize and promise to re-write the lyrics for the infamous track 'Kasi No No'. The second track was then launched and played across 3 key stations, along with the music video which finally revealed the Axe link to The Cheesegirls.

As a result, the first rack received 504mins of free radio exposure over the first 8 weeks. Track 2 yielded 441mins of free radio exposure over the 7 weeks.

The campaign also smashed through the 10% share barrier target, one year ahead of schedule.

Questions to ask before you design a new logo

No matter how small or large your organization....you need to be as objective as possible about your logo design. This isn't about whether you like the color orange or think trapezoids are cool shapes.

To illuminate and eliminate.
Creative brief...a discovery process ...it is about trying to capture the spirit of your organization in a mark...to give people a clue as to what you do and what you're all about.

Logo creative brief

• Your company name
• Describe your business (your product or service)
• Website address
• Who's your target audience
• What colors do you require in the logo?
• Do you have any preference for you logo regarding image and text style?
• Language you require in logo?
• Any additional thoughts?
  

Additional questions
What, if anything, are you using for a logo now?
If you have a current logo, why are you looking to change it?
What word/words need to be included in your logo?
Who is your competition? How are you different from them?
What is your brand promise/tagline? How do you bring that to life?
What are your organization's values/mission?
What words would people use to describe your organization/city BEFORE their first visit (in other words-what do they think/believe before they visit)
What words would people use to describe your organization/city AFTER their first visit (in other words-what do they think/believe after they visit)
Are there any iconic places, elements of architecture, design elements, landmarks that make your brand unique?
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Techno or Active
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Warm or Progressive
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Old Fashioned or Modern
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? High End or Cost Effective
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Night Life or Early Morning
Who would have no interest in your city/brand?
Are there any color no no's? Image no no's?
Competitors' marks (colors, shapes, concepts, ideas are already being used in the marketplace)
Where will the logo appear/primary usage -- how will you use it?
Any other production considerations (must work extremely small, or will be usually be reproduced in single color etc.)

Logo design inspiration sites:

• http://logofaves.com/
• http://www.logodesignlove.com/best-logo-design-resources
• http://www.wolda.org/showcase/
• www.logodesignlove.com/
• www.logogala.com/

Logo Design blogs

38one.com/cleverblogEN
Logo Design blog
ilovetypography.com/EN
Blog that brings the subject of Typography to the masses.
blogvecindad.comES
Diseño Gráfico y Más.
cosasvisuales.blogspot.comES
Comunicaciòn visual y otras historias del saber
dda.blogsome.comES
Dd'A. Blog de dirección de arte y diseño gráfico.
inconcientecolectivo.cl/ES
Blog de noticias y tendencias del diseño chileno e internacional.
justcreativedesign.com/EN
Just Creative Design is a blog which focuses on graphic design, offering free graphic design tips, articles & resources on all subjects of design, ranging from, but not limited to; print design, logo design, web design, branding, typography, advertising &
logoblink.com/ENG
100% logo stuff
mishef.com/BULGARIAN
Web design and graphics portfolio and blog.
packagingworld.blogspot.com/EN
Packaging World is a packaging blog, full of new packaging trends, news and great concepts, from all around the world.
paragonanubis.wordpress.com/EN
all about copy cat logos and advertising in the middle east and the world
studiografiko.wordpress.com/EN
Official Studio Grafiko’s Blog.
thisisgraphicart.com/EN
Graphic Art and Design news and inspiration
www.albillo.com/blog/ES
Blog sobre marcas, logotipos e identidad corporativa.
www.allgraphicdesign.com/EN
Graphic Design & Graphics News Blog
www.bildirgec.org/TURKISH
Kullanıcıları tarafından yollanan günlük yaşama dair haberlerden derlenen, genç insanların buluştuğu ve bilgilerini paylaştığı bir ortam, bir elektronik dergi.
www.bla-marcelotomaz.com.br/portuguese
Design, branding, and ad blog
www.creativepanorama.com/EN
Creative Panorama is a blog acting as a filter so only the best in the creative world is highlighted.
www.criteriondg.info/wordpress/ES
Blog de diseño, recursos y noticias de actualidad.
www.desaingrafisindonesia.com/INDONESIAN
DGI
www.designobserver.com/ENG
Writings on Design and Culture.
www.dezeen.com/EN
One of the most popular and influential architecture and design blogs on the internet.
www.dezeen.com/category/graphics/EN
One of the most popular and influential architecture and design blogs on the internet.
www.everythingaboutdesign.com/EN
Everything about design! Graphic Design, Fashion, Architecture, Crafts, industrial Design, Websites, Contest, Design news, Design Contests, Designers etc.
www.fubiz.net/blog/FR
Le site Fubiz est axé sur les sujets du monde graphique, de la culture urbaine, des produits tendances et des arts numériques.
www.grafikhaber.com/TUR
grafik tasarım ve grafik tasarım teknolojileri (graphic design and graphic design technologies)
www.identityworks.com/English
Reviews of important corporate identity work, as acts of leadership and for creative excellence.
www.lijeonline.blogspot.com/Portuguese/ English
Lije Online was launched in 2005. It is a blog, weekly updated, that gathers useful information about Design and Arts in general.
www.mattus.web-log.nl/Dutch
A dutch blog on design, brands and branding
www.oeilpouroeil.ca/wp/FR
Un blogue publié par la Société des Designers Graphiques du Québec SDGQ qui se consacre à la réflexion et l’actualité dans le domaine du design graphique à l’échelle locale et internationale.
www.ok-blog.nl/EN/DUTCH
An online source of inspiration. A large international group posts articles about design, art, trends, but also technology and science every day.
www.oneplusoneequalsthree.com/EN
1+1=3 is an Australian blog dedicated to the discussion of design—principally graphic/communication design and interactive design.
www.pixelgangster.deDE
The daily design blog.
www.theserif.netEN
Daily dose of design inspiration
www.vcdc.grGR
Visual Communication Designers Club
www.whitespace.hk/blog/EN
Thoughts and inspiration from Hong Kong based design studio
www.zeroin.grGR/EN
Spot on the web focused on contemporary design.


Design links

www.scene360.com/EN
Online film and arts magazine
www.thaiwebgallery.com/EN
Free gallery of great websites in Thailand and International Wesites. We encourage people to create beautiful, good concept, good structure original sites based on CSS and all technology. Promoting best websites is our main goal for maintaining a communit
www.designineurope.eu/EN
Design in Europe brings you a selection of the best well-designed personal, experimental and corporate sites from the European union.
www.designspotter.com/EN
DESIGNSPOTTER is a design magazine dedicated to everything related to young modern contemporary design.
www.designtaxi.comEN
An international multidisciplinary design network that features the latest design news, competitions, websites, portfolios and events across the world.
www.dexigner.comEN
Delivering design news, events, competitions and links, Dexigner is the leading online information service for designers and artists
www.digitalartsonline.co.ukEN
Comprehensive coverage of the art of graphic design, 3D, animation, video, effects, web and interactive design, in print and online.
www.directory.designer.amEN
A multi-profile design site for designers and other professionals, who are involved in different spheres of design - photographers, illustrators, architects, web programmers, etc looking for state-of-the-art and creative ideas.
www.etcetering.comEN
A platform that presents a diverse level of news , information and services to young, old, new and established designers and artists.
www.graphics.comEN
The shared resource for creative design.
www.logodesignlove.com/EN
Website devoted to logos.
www.culturepush.com/EN
Culturepush tracks cool stuff in art, culture and design in Singapore.
bizcommunity.com/EN
Africa's leading daily advertising, marketing and media news resource for the industry.
bookmarkd.net/EN
bookmark’d™ is a social-driven website that sets out to collect creative portfolios from different disciplines of the design world, deliver design news, events, links and to provide an information service in the field of visual design.
www.logogala.com/ENG
LogoGala aims to be an outstanding resource for fresh logo design inspiration and to showcase great designs in the gallery for your viewing pleasure.
www.lostateminor.com/EN
Online publication devoted to pop culture — art, photography, design, music, the Interweb.
www.netdiver.netEN
Netdiver is a digital culture magazine and luvs everything design.
www.newwebpick.com/EN
NWP (newwebpick.com), an international digital designer union and a community of international digital designers, is one globe designing information focusing on the digital design.
www.designdump.com/EN
The Design Dump is a graphic design resource featuring; graphic design conferences, graphic design competitions, graphic design books, original graphic design and web design articles, graphic design resource links, design magazines, and much more.
www.cgindia.org/EN
An online Magazine and CG portal which provides wealth of information on 3d, Animation, Computer Graphics and Visual Effects (VFX).
designsingapore.com/EN
Design Singapore
digitalthread.comEN
The oldest existing web design community web site.
directory.designer.amEN
Made by designers for designers and other professionals, who are involved in different spheres of design - photographers, illustrators, architects, web programmers, etc.
www.commarts.com/EN
Premier source of inspiration for graphic designers, art directors, design firms, corporate design departments, advertising agencies, interactive designers, illustrators and photographers.
www.creativeireland.comEN
The irish creative design community.
pureaustriandesign.com/EN/DE
Austria's window to the international and national design community.
japandesign.ne.jp/JAPANESE/CHINESE/EN
Japan's largest design portal to support all the people involved with design.
ffffound.com/EN/JP
FFFFOUND! is a web service that not only allows the users to post and share their favorite images found on the web, but also dynamically recommends each user's tastes and interests for an inspirational image-bookmarking experience!!
www.japandesign.ne.jp JAP / CHI / EN
Japan's largest design portal to support all the people involved with design.
www.mister-wong.com/EN/DE/CN/ES/FR/RU
Mister Wong is one of the leading social bookmarking services with portals in 6 languages and over 4 million visitors per month.
www.gammaidentity.com/ENG/RUS
Gamma Identity is a new portal for professionals involved in branding and design. Portal allows for brand agencies, design studios and firms otherwise involved in branding and design to share knowledge, opinions, communicate and collaborate together with
www.czechdesign.cz/CZ/EN/IT
Design Portal
www.yo-yoll.netIT
Grafica, design, e comunicazione. Seleziona le risorse per chi si occupa di immagine in rete.
www.designgrafico.art.brBRASILIAN
A Lista designGráfico é um grupo de discussão virtual sobre design gráfico e áreas afins que utiliza a internet como meio de comunicação.
www.designmadeingermany.deDE
Ist eine deutschsprachige plattform von und für designer und agenturen.
www.grafiport.com/TUR
Grafiport, artık grafik tasarımı ile ilgili iş ve eleman arayanları bu sayfalarda buluşturuyor.
www.obdesigner.netFR
Design, tendances, concours et emploi.
draft.it/cms/IT
Grafica pubblicitaria e comunicazione.
israelidesign.org.il/ISRAELIAN
המרכז הישראלי לעיצוב, מדיטק – חולון אתר המרכז מידע בתחומי העיצוב השונים בארץ ובחו
www.capdesign.seSE
For Battre Visuell Kommunication
www.chinavisual.comCHI
A leading on-line media, which serves in Mainland China and the global creative community, and also an information service provider of the interactive industry
www.cuatrotipos.com/ES
Diseño periodistico y más.
www.designerinaction.deDE
Design portal mit news zu design, webdesign, typografie, papier, druck, fotografie sowie termine, tipps, tricks,

Anthropologie.com::: how is this website selling itself online?

Anthropologie touchy-feely?

by Vivian Manning-Schaffel

April 13, 2009 issue

Anthropologie is a moderately upscale American retail chain that curates an assemblage of various brands for a decidedly feminine lifestyle.

With stores arranged in impeccably casual fashion, they provide their target consumers (women 28‒42) with an eclectic boutique-like shopping experience where they can gather items such as vibrant dishcloths, an overstuffed antique-looking sofa, a great pair of jeans and a progressive, designer bag—all in one convenient location.

Owned and operated by Urban Outfitters, Inc., the company responsible for its signature chain, Urban Outfitters, as well as the collegiate clothing brand Free People, Anthropologie began seven years ago as a direct-mail business, opening its first retail outlet in a sizable New Jersey mall. Boasting an impressive category growth of 27.6 percent in the past year alone, Urban Outfitters, Inc. and the brands under its umbrella are bucking financial trends with an upward swing in a downward-facing economy.
According to their website, the founders of Anthropologie created the chain to “cultivate a shopping experience unlike almost anything else in retail today.” Their touchy-feely messaging matches their feminine look, describing their collection of designers as artists with “an eye for craftsmanship, the smallest details, and that certain something special that makes each item you find in our stores and website more than novelty but a personal discovery.” Matching the romantic sensibility of many of their products, it also refers to their consumers as “soulmates.”
Despite never having advertised, Anthropologie’s customers stay longer in the stores than most chain shoppers, with an average visit clocking in at an hour and 15 minutes. Brandchannel paid a visit to Anthropologie.com to see if their online presence invites users to linger over their own special brand of boho mojo.
When a brand has such a strong identity woven into their catalog, the ideal would be to match that sensibility online, which Anthropologie does—at least visually. The homepage focuses on trends and “pushes” seasonal items with accompanying tag lines that outline the solutions to your shopping dilemmas (“Wild about bottoms, bewildered by tops? Visit Bottoms Up!”).
Such vast product offerings can be challenging to organize and display, but the folks at Anthropologie take a methodical, traditional approach to online sales, keeping the basics all in order with clear product images and detailed information.
It’s one task to make your brand’s website look as good as your catalog or your stores, but it’s another to entice target consumers to linger by offering tangible benefits from shopping on the site. The “For Your Home” section has found a way to do this with “Dwelling Dos” that provide a combination of information and interaction. For example, the homepage, featuring hardware, informs consumers about the benefits of their vast selection of drawer pulls and leads them to a “Personalize Your Look” page that encourages viewers to drag and drop the drawer pulls on mock furniture pieces so they get a visual of what the accessories might look like in life.
However, the “For Your Self” section, featuring clothing and accessories, is surprisingly devoid of value-added fashion content, save for a spotlight widget that delivers a featured product of the day to users’ desktops. They might consider upping the ante. By providing online shoppers with style guidance to help them assemble that chic Anthropologie look, the brand in turn enhances its positioning as an arbiter of bohemian style.
Overall, Anthropologie.com does a decent job of conveying the decidedly feminine sophistication of the brand. With a few tweaks and additions of value-added content to beef up the “For Your Self” section, perhaps visitors will be inspired to linger online as they do in retail.

Achieving Accountable Marketing: Six Critical Value Levers Must Be Pulled

By Michael Dunn
April 13, 2009 issue

Senior management continues to push marketers to demonstrate a strong return on investment, demanding more accountability and evidence that marketing investment is driving business growth.
It requires marketers to demonstrate disciplined planning, rigorous tracking and evaluation and, above all, continuous improvement in performance. They must also show cause and effect, quickly diagnose the root causes of any spending performance issues and make timely, fact-driven decisions to improve returns.


Call it accountable marketing performance, a goal that requires six “value levers” to be pulled effectively.

Value Lever #1 – Strategy
This critical lever sets up a series of choices that inform most of the subsequent activities across the other levers. It encompasses a series of decisions about strategic marketing choices:

• With which set or sets of customers does your company have the best business opportunities?
• What are the most achievable behavioral responses from these target groups?
• What unique benefits, attributes and ideas are most likely to elicit the desired behavioral response?
• What specific brand or business challenges are standing in the way?
  

Getting smart and shared answers to these questions requires a fact-based foundation involving customer segmentation and targeting, customer-driven analysis, pathway modeling, brand equity modeling and purchase funnel analysis. When combined with equally valid qualitative insights and intuitive thinking, you create a strategic value proposition that is worth its weight in gold.


Value Lever #2 – Content
The strategic foundation must be translated into compelling, engaging and medium-appropriate messaging ideas. The best content platforms originate from a magical combination of strategic insight and creative expression and connect in authentic yet emotionally compelling ways.
Most companies rely heavily on external agency partners at this lever. But it’s the best collaborative partnerships that inspire great work, and great content ideas can come from anywhere—agencies, similarly briefed internal teams pursuing independent and somewhat competitive paths, or single contributors who find inspiration on a walk or in the shower. Whatever the source, smart companies validate multiple messaging ideas with robust testing before deploying them across a full-scale creative campaign.

Value Lever #3 – Marketing Vehicles
Effective vehicle choices should enable your messages to reach and connect with audiences in a timely, relevant, cost-effective and multi-platform way. But you must understand where your audiences interact with media or media-enabled experiences as well as their openness to receiving messages in that setting. You must understand the optimal strategic applications of each vehicle, their trade-offs and the underlying economics.
The wrong choices can endanger accountable marketing. You risk failure by mismatching vehicles with marketing objectives or audiences, or by having inadequate coverage across the mix. It’s equally dangerous to fail to weigh the underlying economics and potential revenue response dynamics. Finally, balance between new and traditional media is a must.

Value Lever #4 – Investment Levels
This value lever should diagnose whether the overall marketing investment amount is too high or too low vis-à-vis the intrinsic financial return characteristics of the proposed marketing activities in relation to strategic marketing objectives. It also helps determine whether the amount invested in particular vehicles, programs or activities is too high, too low or just appropriate relative to intrinsic return characteristics and those of alternative investment options.
But it’s complicated. Marketing program returns are not static. Changes in brand maturity levels or competitive intensity can impact program-level returns. Changing media habits and changing cost dynamics of various vehicles can affect their returns. Nor are returns always linear. Despite such challenges, there’s considerable upside potential to this lever.

Value Lever #5 – In-Market Execution
Great content still needs a great delivery mechanism; execution diligence ensures that your marketing content and your delivery mechanisms work together harmoniously.
Many tactical decisions underpin a successful and cost-effective campaign. Planning requires choices about reach and frequency, geographic coverage, and scheduling in light of insights around seasonality, purchase frequency and key decision points in the purchase cycle across all types of programs. Buying necessitates hard choices in a fluid media landscape, encompassing financial parameters weighed against considerations like media reputation and specific audience demographics. The customer experience must be consistent and seamless. Be warned: if poor in-market execution prevails, your failures may well be amplified in an embarrassingly public way through Web-based channels.

Value Lever #6 – Fixed Cost Management
This lever aims for improved cost efficiency and effectiveness through both cost cutting and cost containment. Your fixed cost base depends on your mix of marketing programs and can account for 20 percent to 60 percent of the overall marketing budget. And savings can be redeployed into programs that may improve overall effectiveness.

This value lever requires applying a purchasing or procurement manager mindset. One way to start is by understanding the ratio of “working” to “non-working” spend on the fixed costs of marketing program production. If this ratio is off, try selectively applying strategic sourcing principles to pay a little less for what you buy, redefine some core programs so they can be executed more cost-effectively or re-engineer overall processes to reduce costs without compromising quality.

Accountable marketing performance is an achievable goal. By focusing on and unlocking the power of the six critical value levers, the marketing organization will prove its value to the business as a whole as the creative yet rational source of future growth.

Michael Dunn is Chairman and CEO of Prophet (www.prophet.com), a global consultancy that helps senior management more effectively use branding, marketing, design and innovation to drive profitable growth. This article is based his new book, The Marketing Accountability Imperative: Driving Superior Returns On Marketing Investments. He can be reached at mdunn@prophet.com.