Post originally written for TREND.
Everyone – from Adelaide to Hong Kong, Istanbul to Stockholm, Tallahassee to Zürich – is dancing ‘Gangnam’ style. A handful of brands have embraced the music track, or its dance moves, in a bid to capitalise on the instant recognition they spark in consumers of all ages, and from all cultures.
But for how long? Read more…
This post was originally written for MarkLives.com
The Korean hit Gangnam Style has taken the world by storm, notching up close to 1-billion views on YouTube. Psy’s parody of the folk living in the affluent and trendy Seoul suburb highlights their rapid increase in personal wealth, manifested in lavish and conspicuous consumption. But is South Korea the only guilty country? And more than that: are they even guilty? Read more…
Added Value recently undertook to understand the role of the CMO in today’s businesses and the challenges these executives face. In part 1 of this 2 part series senior brand consultant, Alison Tucker, took a top line look at the changing role – and priorities – of the modern CMO. In part 2, Alison reviews how CMO’s themselves need to change in a rapidly changing marketing environment.
In 2000, the Marketing Leadership Council (a global network of over 600 organisations head quartered in Washington) identified a growing move by companies to restructure their marketing functions.
Its research showed that 85% of companies surveyed had recently completed reorganisation efforts or anticipated launching them in the next year, 95% were centralising aspects of their marketing function and 90% were orientating around customers. Read more…
Added Value recently undertook to understand the role of the CMO in today’s businesses and the challenges these executives face. In part 1 of this 2 part series senior brand consultant, Alison Tucker, takes a top line look at the changing role – and priorities – of the modern CMO.
The Marketing Science Institute has said that chief marketing officers (CMO) cite eight priority topics on their agenda for 2012 and the remainder of the decade.
Combining both strategic and operational responsibilities, these priorities are: Read more…
South Africa’s luxury consumers are bucking the global trend when it comes to the values driving their product and brand choices. Consequently, marketers responsible for guiding the fortunes of these brands should think twice before simply adopting communication strategies developed for European and American markets.
This was the message from Added Value’s cultural insight and semiotics specialist, Dr Inka Crosswaite, to delegates at the South African Luxury Association’s Wealth Conference held in Johannesburg on the 8th of March. The South African based Dr Crosswaite has a Doctorate in Social Anthropology from the University of Cape Town and was a lecturer at Stellenbosch University. She now applies her specialist skills to clients’ commercial brand challenges. Read more…
One of the biggest challenges of consumer research is that it is often focused on the present; consumers tend only to play back what they are currently experiencing and what they know is going on around them right now.
For brands this is tricky. On the one hand, understanding ‘now’ is useful to get a sense of context and to course-correct on current strategy or to adapt to consumers needs. But on the other, it’s hard to get a view on the future; how the bigger picture is changing and what opportunities – and threats – those changes might bring. Read more…
Added Value South Africa’s anthropologist and cultural insight specialist, Dr Inka Crosswaite, shares the trends shaping the South African market for 2012.
‘Autonomy’, ‘recognition’, ‘freedom and discovery’, ‘belonging’, ‘more global, more local’, ‘identity blur’, ‘new consciousness’, ‘vitality’, ‘wired world’ and ‘take a stand’ – 10 phrases that South African brand owners should pay attention to as they hold the key to current shifts in consumer attitudes and behaviours. Read more…
Innovation changes the world. Think of something as simple as the shape of Toilet Duck. Or disposable pepper grinders. Think of mobile phones, iTunes and iPods. These things have not only changed categories; they’ve altered the way we do things. Brands like Apple and Virgin have built their businesses on the idea that change – often radical change – can be very, very good for business.
“Rather than being exclusively online or in-line, many community ties are complex dances of face-to-face encounters, scheduled meetings, two-person telephone calls, emails to one person or several, and broader online discussion among those sharing interests” (Wellman 2001: 237).
Why is social networking so popular? There is little doubt that it has something to do with how life is speeding up, and the need for instantaneous social interaction, especially in an increasingly globalised world. Read more…
Ke Nako! It is time to celebrate Africa’s humanity. The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is about to begin. And despite a global recession, pretty harsh skeptics and a some political upheaval, hordes of South Africans are gearing up to welcome the world.
