Lessons learnt from Mr Selfridge

Since the New Year, my Sunday evenings have been brightened by the arrival Mr Selfridge.  For the uninitiated, this is the latest offering from ITV, a heady mix of fashion, flirtation and drama, all set against the eye-achingly beautiful backdrop of the freshly opened Selfridge’s store. The programme fills the hole left by Downton Abby but, with its partial focus on Selfridge’s battle to drive people to his store, it is also teaching me something.

Harry Selfridge is a PR and marketing mastermind and every week his activities highlight fundamental rules of our profession to be forgotten at our peril.

1. Get to know the press- Selfridge understands the power of the press to influence the public’s reception of his new store. One of the first things he does upon arrival in London is befriend the editor of the London Evening Standard. Unfortunately for us in 21^st century PR world, things are not so simple (taking Sarah Sands out for an evening of show tunes and light gambling seem somewhat improbable), but basic theory is the same. Be good to the press; take the time to get to know what client-relevant journalists want because they have the last say in what gets published.

2. Be a news hound- Today’s news is tomorrow’s fish paper so if you’re going to contribute to a current conversation, you have to do it fast. When Mr Selfridge hears news of Louis Bleriot’s inaugural cross-channel flight, he is quick to connect the Selfridges brand with the discussion. Upon the plane’s arrival and in front of the congregated media, Selfridge commandeers the plane for exhibition in store and by the next day has a full range of red, white and blue scarves made up for sale alongside it. Selfridge’s speed and decisiveness is key to his success here. His approach is similar to modern guerilla advertising campaigns (see below example), which succeed due to their quick-witted connection of brand and news.

 3. Choose a brand ambassador- Selfridge wants his store to be viewed as cutting edge, daring and sexy. In order to project this to the public he appoints beautiful and independent showgirl, Ellen Love, to be the ‘Spirit of Selfridges’.  The Selfridges, Ellen, agreement works in exactly the same way as modern celebrity endorsement; Heston Blumenthal and Waitrose for example. By associating a brand with an aspirational figure, which its target market wishes to emulate, the brand becomes more appealing.

4. … But take care in doing so- Although publicly an object of admiration, Ellen is privately a bit of a train-wreck, (with her alcoholism and drug addiction looking to become an increasing embarrassment for Selfridge in the coming weeks). The predicament is a familiar one: When an ambassador no longer represents brand values, the association turns from beneficial to blighting. Modern examples include Kate Moss, who was dropped by Burberry, Rimmel and Chanel following the exposure of her drug taking, and Lance Armstrong, ditched by Nike, Anheuser-Busch and Giro due to his use of performance enhancing drugs. The lesson is clear: Ambassadors can bring negative as well as positive press so take care when choosing them.  

5. Put on a show- Mr Selfridge understands the power of an event to make news and grasps any opportunity to generate exciting activity in-store.  When Anna Pavlova, arrives in London, people are desperate to see her and experience the glamour and grace she represents. Selfridge’s answer is to host a reception for Pavolva, where members of the public may come in-store and do just this. The stunt woks well as a PR campaign because the underlying message; that ‘every woman should have a Pavlova moment’, applies equally well to the event and the store famed for bringing high-end fashion to the masses.   

By Polly Robinson

Women say no to Crispello

This week, Cadbury’s kicked up a media storm, announcing the release of its latest chocolaty confection, Crispello.

The company is pinning its hopes on the new product, the first since the 1990s, to reverse a worrying downward trend in chocolate sales. According to industry research, annual sales of single chocolate bars fell by 6.6 per cent last year, in a market worth approximately £800m a year.

Now apparently women are to blame for this. We are all too weight conscious and have therefore decided to forgo fatty snacks in favour of nuts, raisins and rice puffs. Taking this as our (dubious) starting point, you can understand Cadbury’s logic in designing a slim-line chocolate bar that would appeal to women with one eye on their waistlines.

Nevertheless, it is one thing to design a light chocolate bar which may appeal to women, it is quite another to market it so unashamedly to an out-dated female stereotype.

A Cadbury’s spokesperson described the concept behind the new bar, “The mix of wafer and chocolate is a lighter way to eat chocolate, and we know from experience that women are attracted to this particular format. It will also appeal to women, because it is in three separate portions so they can consume a little at a time rather than in one go.”

Much as I hate to admit it, I am just the kind of girl that this bar should appeal to. I find a whole snickers hard to handle and have a tendency to buy a bounty, only to leave the second half for later (much to my flatmate’s consternation).

But if there is one thing I hate, its being patronised.

Susan Berfield summarised my feelings exactly on Bloomberg BusinessWeek commenting, ‘I’m sorry, did the spokesman just tell women how to eat chocolate?’ 

Everything about the Crispello, from the tragic strapline (‘A little treat for you’), to the condescending comments of the Cadbury’s spokesperson, makes me want to inhale a king-sized Mars whilst burning my bra.

I do not deny the business sense or effectiveness of gender specific marketing. I do however think that marketers need to spend more time ascertaining how that gender would like to be marketed to. Women in the 21^st century may still count calories, but we’ll be damned if anyone counts them for us.

By Polly Robinson

P is for Pinterest

In the social media playground, Pinterest is most definitely the new kid on the block. Yet with a 145% increase in visitors to the site since the beginning of this year alone, it has become contagious. Launched back in 2010, the site now has a whopping 13 million users, making it one of the fastest growing in history.

Unsurprisingly for a website that is largely dominated by adorable pets and a vast array of tasty treats, in the States at least, 68% of Pinterest users are women. The UK however presents a different story. Males account for the majority of activity but have a different agenda, using the site for web stats/analysis and blogging services. It is theorised that this gender discrepancy is the reason for the launch of manteresting.com

So why is Pinterest so interesting? Is it the fact you need an invite to join and therefore it’s more of a VIP social network?

As with all social media networks, criticism of the website abounds. There is a vocal group of Pinterest sceptics who comment on the lack on imagination exhibited by its users. Although it is true that there are a healthy array of cakes, puppies and wedding dresses on show, the website’s use extends beyond its capacity as a virtual mood board.

Companies such as TED Global, Sony Electronics and vacation rental service, HomeAway, are all ‘pinning’ and there’s no trace of kittens or bouquets on their pinboards. In fact, such businesses are using Pinterest in an intelligent and innovative way, driving traffic to their websites by exposing Pinterest users to images of sparkly new gadgets or jaw dropping holiday homes.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest allows people to organise chaos and visualise dreams and aspirations of what they would like their lives to look like. The added bonus of people being able to re-pin your images makes you feel special. The first image I placed on my pinboard was a poor earless bunny. Within the first hour I had 2 repins, 1 like and 1 comment – not bad for someone who’s been a member for a week and has 0 followers. Not so happy about the latter.

So what’s in store for the website? In recent weeks the site has been facing issues surrounding copyright and because of the simplicity and intuitive interface, it’s been reported as an easy target for scammers. The website’s future may be unclear but its development will certainly be pinteresting.

By Stephanie Rock