Piggyback Marketing With Some Smart Words

Sometimes with advertising and marketing, you just have to be really cheeky. Steal the business right out from underneath your competition’s feet.  

It’s not really how I like to operate, but it does work for some people. And you might say, if you can do it, then why not?

I recently found this example which illustrates my point exactly. Just a few well chosen words, crafted by a copywriter, and with the help of Google Adwords and PPC, this fast food comparison steals away business. 

I searched for Just Eat one Sunday when I was dog sitting (a whole other story) and decided to indulge in a takeaway. Don’t judge, it was the weekend! But the first link that popped up, a Google ad, was for Hungry House, with the Strapline “Just Want To Eat”.  

Four simple words, and the business goes to them, instead of Just Eat. 

To be fair, Google is usually pretty hot on making sure that competitors cannot bid on key words associated to a brand. This is to protect a brand or company from being priced out of the marketplace and bidding on their own name. But somehow, these cleverly crafted words have dodged around that ruling (or Just Eat haven’t ensured a monopoly on their brand identity) and Hungry House have been able to quite easily muscle in, and steal the business. 

Comparison websites are pretty cut throat, and this is what the difference is between the right words, and the wrong ones. 

A Surreal Cubanisto Experience At The House of Mask

It started when we first arrived, with our names on the VIP guest list.  

No, I lied. First we followed the spray painted masks on the floor, which led us to the Old Granada studios, a place steeped in history but now chillingly empty and devoid of character. Yet it was perfect for the Cubanisto Launch Party in Manchester.  

This was pretty surreal for the both of us. Especially Kirsty. We got special wristbands, but then joined the back of the standard queue. I was pretty sure that being VIP, we’d be able to skip this queue and head straight up the stairs, and into the event, of which we still had no idea what to expect. 

Kirsty though, is from a more humble background, and she wanted to stand with everyone else. Nothing worse than looking snobbish trying to skip the queue and then getting rejected.  

After waiting a while though, some more VIPs walked past with wristbands on, skipping the queue and heading straight up. Forget waiting, we thought, and off we went.  

And that’s when things got weird.  

First, we were greeted by guys dressed all in white, like androids basically. Then, we had to confess our sins on a chequebook, in order to enter. We handed these cheques to two girls speaking in unison, asking us to “give us your confession. Then you may enter,” little knowing that these confessions would later be displayed on a big screen.  

Then, we had to climb through a wardrobe, navigate an array of obstacles in the dark, and then climb through a tunnel. It was a lesson in how to build suspense and intrigue, as well as being a little bit unnerving too.  

But then we popped through a little door, and into the party. A free Cubanisto beer on entry, this was all about Cuba, enjoying the rum flavoured beer, and having a good time. We were given masks to decorate and wear, and a piece of jigsaw puzzle. Everyone had different pieces, and you had to find the three connecting pieces by mingling and talking to new people. Then, you could collect your key.  

Your key opened mystery boxes around the room, let you enter the Photo Booth (which was a fun addition) and got you free Media Noche sliders, which were pretty tasty. 

 

With luminous art being painted on both sides of the room, and a DJ on the decks, Cubanisto beer was free flowing (and it was free and unlimited for us - in full disclosure - but it was awesome!) Once you got over the initial surreal shock, it was a pretty random night out, very different, and very fun. And we both really enjoyed the Cubanisto beer too, as it seemed did everyone else in Manchester.  

So if you hear about a House of Mask launch party in your area, or you haven’t tried the new rum flavoured beer yet, I’d definitely recommend checking it out! 

How To Sell The Brazilian Football Team

It’d be a tough job for any copywriter right now. I definitely wouldn’t want to be writing about Brazil’s merits at football, certainly not about their current team.  

I’m sure anyone could write about the historical brilliance of Brazil and football, a sport which is ingrained into the very patriotism and culture of the country. Brazil and football is like Belgium & chocolate, Australia & kangaroos and Italy & pasta. So to see them crumble into pieces at the World Cup is something pretty spectacular, especially in their home country.  

Writing about the current team, promoting their merits, and building a brand and identity around each of the members is going to be a pretty difficult task at the moment. 

Although I’m sure the local writers in Brazil will love chastising the team and writing their sporting obituaries in the national newspapers. That would make for some creative and entertaining writing.  

Still, it does annoy me how sports writers and pundits on the TV have suddenly descended on the inadequacy of Brazil, now that they’ve capitulated in the last week. Previously, whilst Neymar was accepted as the stand out, they were labelled as a steady, secure team, seemingly going all the way. But after collapsing on themselves, suddenly the focus is on how rubbish they’ve been all along, how they can’t believe there are no better players around in Brazil to play for them, and how it’s the end of an era for Brazilian football.

Really?  

That’s a pretty dramatic shift, after losing just two games. (In drastic fashion, granted.)  

Just another case of hindsight being a wonderful thing. And why I wouldn’t really like to be writing about the World Cup, or Brazilian football right now. Although, being in Brazil to write would certainly beat Manchester! 

Why Allocated Seating At The Cinema Is A Bad Idea

Following a recent visit to our local Cineworld cinema, we found things had changed. As usual, we queued up to get our tickets, but this time, we were asked a new question. 

Where Would You Like To Sit? 

Not what we were expecting at all. And not happy about it either. Because if there’s one thing I hate about some cinemas, it’s allocated seating.  

I absolutely fail to understand its benefits. I really don’t see any. For me, it just causes more hassle, more annoying people, longer waits, and a less enjoyable experience.  

According to this blog, by Cineworld, (which if I’m perfectly honest, could do with a copywriter sprucing it up a little bit), there are many benefits of allocated seating. Apparently, it means peace of mind, knowing you’ve got a seat reserved. It means being able to sit next to your friends. It means a ‘more relaxed journey to your seat,’  less queues and congestion, and supposedly, more choice.  

Let’s start with this last one. More choice. How on earth does having allocated seating mean you get more choice at the cinema? It’s an absolutely moot point which makes no sense. Cineworld’s blog says “with allocated seating, you can choose where to sit.’” Really? No way. I didn’t realise that without allocated seating I didn’t have a choice. Maybe if staff tried this themselves, they’d realise that there’s actually less choice with allocated seating. Because if you turn up at the ticket counter and ask for a ticket, you get a choice of front, middle or back. Not a specific seat. It’s not like walking into the cinema and then choosing where to sit. Allocated seating makes no difference to the choice of film or screening I’m going to make, and nor does it offer me more seating options.   

Next up, sitting with friends. Yeah, I usually choose to sit next to the people I go to the cinema with. Being able to book a seat doesn’t make much of a difference to that. And in fact, it’s sometimes easier, if there is a group of you, to just walking into the cinema and ask someone to move up one or two seats, so that you can all sit down. Because let’s face it, how many people really turn up to the cinema with more than a family, or group of 6? If that is the case, you make sure you get there early, or you just split into two different groups.  

It’s not like you can talk to someone during a film anyway.  

Supposedly, it also means enjoying a more relaxed journey to your seat. 

“With allocated seating you no longer need to compete with other customers for available seats in the auditorium.”  

When was the last time you fought someone off to get to your favourite seat?  

“Plus, if you arrive late you won’t have to search in the dark looking for available seats.”  

This one is complete rubbish. I think everyone agrees it’s much easier to see a seat with someone in it and one that is empty, compared with scrambling around in the dark trying to locate a tiny row number and minute seat number.  

Because that’s what allocated seating means for me. More hassle in the theatre auditorium. You stumble around, trying to find where it is you’re supposed to be sitting, worrying you might end up sat in the wrong place and annoy someone. And then when you are sat down and trying to watch a trailer, someone later than you is blocking your view, stood looking around trying to find their seat. And that’s people with good eyesight.   

And then there is the claim that allocated seatings means less queuing and congestion. Again, the complete opposite is true. Most people do not book in advance online. So when you turn up and stand in a queue, suddenly, it takes a whole lot longer to get through. Because Cineworld staff and computers aren’t the fastest at the best of times. And then when they have to ask another question to customers, wait for answer, and then input it into their system, it takes up lots more time. Not good for a smooth customer service.  

Because you know what some people are like. They um and ahh, because they just don’t know. And let’s face it, front, middle or back is pretty ambiguous. So then you might want to pick a certain row, or seat, which means looking at the computer and having a think about the best spot, and suddenly, it’s taken 5 minutes just to buy a ticket.  

And then, there’s more congestion when you get into the auditorium, because most people don’t seem to like allocated seating either, and find it difficult to get to grips with. You have to stand looking at your ticket, and then as mentioned previously, stumble around identifying a row number and seat number. And before you know it, there’s a queue of people behind you just trying to sit down. 

 

Apparently allocated seating also means peace of mind, knowing you’ve got a seat reserved. I can’t argue with this one. That’s very true. But how many people do actually book in advance? If you’re going for something to eat first, or if you’ve got Orange Wednesdays, you’re not going to be booking. And even if you’re just going straight to the cinema on a regular day, you might not decide what you’re watching until just before you leave, or even when you get there.  

Because let’s be honest, how often have you been in a completely full cinema? And when you have allocated seating for a screening that’s less than half, or even a quarter full, it just looks like an absolute farce, causing more trouble than it’s worth. What's wrong with first come, first served?  

When a film is full, when it’s a brand new release of a blockbuster for example, then fine, do allocated seating. If you want to see the film on an opening night, you’re going to book ahead, and if you turn up late for the start of a brand new release, whether you’ve got allocated seats or not, you’re going to be in the neck craning section. Having allocated seating then to fit as many people as possible into the cinema makes sense. I can go with that. 

But at any other time, what’s the point? It’s just more hassle than it’s worth, and makes for a less enjoyable experience. Don’t you agree?

World Cup Fever - Did You Tie Your Brand In?

Now that England have crashed and burned in the World Cup, and are already back in the country, you’ll probably notice that the number of World Cup related adverts drops off dramatically.  

Previously however, in the build up to and kick off of the tournament, you’d be hard pressed to avoid all the football related themes across just about every product imaginable: Every new TV advert tries to tie in with England’s world cup fortunes; Budweiser beer bottles get a design makeover; Pot Noodle brings out a ‘Brazilian Beach’ flavoured special; and KFC create a special Brazilian flavoured menu.  

You see, whenever there’s a big global event, or something which is going to catch the nation’s attention, brands want to piggyback on that momentum, and appear to be relevant to the current Zeitgeist. If you’ve got World Cup on your mind and you see a World Cup themed advert for Pringles, you’re much more likely to take notice of the advertising, and think that the product is relevant to you.  

It makes the product seem all that more useful, when it relates to something you care about.  

And now that England have been knocked out? Well, seeing England Football themed advertising about supporting the team and wishing them luck is probably going to really annoy you, if it hasn’t already. It brings up bad memories. And brands don’t want to be associated with bad memories. So, you’ll probably see advertising like this pulled wherever possible. Physical products are a bit stuck, but online, radio and TV ads will no doubt be pulled and edited to something different.  

There’s likely a whole host of print and TV adverts which you’ll never see, conceived in case England advanced through the group stages, and now shelved for another 4 years. And in countries like the USA, where the America ‘soccer’ team has stirred up a real interest and national spirit in the game, promoters will be frantically scrambling to create the same types of product placements and advertising which those in England are currently dumping.  

Smart companies and brands in the UK may well have already begun capitalising on England’s quick departure from the tournament. Now that there’s no football left to watch and you’re not interested in watching Wimbledon, what are you going to do with your time? - Enter My Company’s Product -  

So what’s the point? Why should I bother to theme my brand, my business and my products around key events and current affairs? What I sell is not relevant to that.  

Oh but it is.  

It doesn’t matter if your brand doesn’t tie in perfectly with the World Cup. What matters is that your brand appears relevant to the consumer. You want your company to be seen as being current, modern, and up to date. You get the times, and you’re not stuck in the past. Your brand is relevant and useful to your target audience, so they are more likely to embrace you. Theming your marketing and advertising around something current gives you that bit more personality, and makes you a bit more fun too.  

So if I’m copywriting for a company in Manchester and the summer looks like it will be one of traditional wet Manchester weather, I might theme the product around rain, so the customer can directly identify with it.  

Don’t think there’s any way you could tie in your product with a current event? Think again. With the right creative copywriter, there is always a way to link, however tenuously, your brand or product to a certain event. Check out my favourite mole catcher, Mr. Mole Man for example.  

Does mole catching in Shropshire tie in with the World Cup in Brazil? No. Absolutely not.  

Only, you can make it if you try. With a little imagination, and some creative writing, anything is possible. And that’s why I wrote Mr. Mole Man a blog about kids recreating the World Cup in their back garden, and being thwarted by mole hills. Or how if the moles had a World Cup, England would actually be successful.  

It’s a totally ridiculous blog, of course it is, but it’s entertaining, and it’s relevant. And right there, those two words, entertaining and relevant, have helped Mr. Mole Man’s brand get into the minds of his customers.  

For any type of the brand and product then, it’s important to be aware of the Zeitgeist.