Optimism in London …steady as we go or has it stalled? – Brand Index October 1, 2014 IN his speech to the Conservative conference in Birmingham this week, George Osborne stated: “Britain is the fastest-growing, most job-creating, most deficit-reducing advanced economy on earth.” Whether voters feel these statistics in their wallets will be a key issue for politicians in the weeks and months leading up to the general election on 7 May [...]
Walkers ranch raccoon crisps add flavour to campaign – Brand Index September 23, 2014 Crisps are not a product known for their constant innovation. In fact, recent YouGov polling shows there is genuine resistance to the introduction of new flavours, with around three in 10 believing there are enough flavours already. Therefore it may seem odd that a crisp manufacturer would want to base an entire advertising campaign around [...]
Ice bucket challenge heated up Macmillan Cancer Support’s campaign – Brand Index September 16, 2014 With the hype over the ice bucket challenge seemingly cooling, we can analyse how successful the campaign has been in raising awareness of one of the charities concerned. Although many believe that the challenge was for the ALS motor neurone disease charity, Macmillan Cancer Support also benefited. Macmillan recently topped YouGov’s mid-year charity rankings, so [...]
Network Rail’s public image in danger of running off track – Brand Index September 9, 2014 NEWS that Network Rail will be answerable to parliament – having its status changed so that it counts as part of the private sector – has caused a stir among MPs, executives and the public more generally. Is this the first step on the road to re-nationalisation? Is this what the public want? And how [...]
Property market fears have failed to dent confidence – Brand Index September 2, 2014 A decline in homeowners’ optimism about the property market has led to a fall in our monthly YouGov / Cebr Consumer Confidence Index for the first time since December 2012. However, looking at the latest set of data from our Household Economic Activity Tracker (known as Heat) suggests that consumer confidence is becoming more broad-based, [...]
HMV bounds back and finds its voice on the high street – Brand Index August 26, 2014 Are we witnessing a comeback from traditional high street retailer HMV? Recent figures suggest so, with announcements highlighting stronger sales and consumer perception. There was much public hand-wringing when HMV were placed into administration, leading to the closure of a number of stores following competition from online retailers such as Amazon. Since then, the brand [...]
The game that matters… BT Sport reaches for the Sky – Brand Index August 19, 2014 Following on from my column last week covering the home broadband market, I analyse another area in which BT has expanded in to – live broadcasts of Premier League matches. Clubs are making the most of the massive money they receive from TV in order to bolster their squads. The two main domestic football broadcasters, [...]
BT’s student ad series shows broadband rivals Virgin and EE how to switch on – Brand Index August 12, 2014 The battle to dominate the home broadband market continues unabated, with the main industry players going to ever increasing lengths to ensure that they win the hearts and minds of consumers. Here, I assess three of the main protagonists in the sector: EE, Virgin Media, and BT. The market is changing rapidly due to technological [...]
Pimm’s summer drinks winners as dark nights beckon – Brand Index August 5, 2014 The summer of sunshine to which the British public has been treated has presented a wonderful marketing opportunity to brands – especially alcoholic beverage companies – to cash in on consumer desire to have “fun in the sun”. Pimm’s is a brand synonymous with summer, representing a traditional image of sophisticated alcohol consumption at parties [...]
Brand Index: Feeling good yet? A happy wallet is key to confidence July 29, 2014 House prices are rarely out of the headlines, particularly in the capital. After unprecedented increases and talk of a bubble, homeowners are becoming more circumspect. Over the past 18 months, we have seen an increase in consumer confidence largely driven by the property market – both recent experiences of it and also expectations for it [...]
