Two vital marketing lessons that football clubs must not ignore

To reiterate English soccer legend Jimmy Greaves, football really is 'a funny old game'. With global demand for the English Premier League (EPL) at record highs, TV investors have injected unprecedented millions to grow their media market share. The result is that as the world economy stumbles to recover from a crippling banking injury, EPL teams continue to spend fortunes on new players.

But as important as football may seem to be to billions of fans around the world, football clubs cannot afford to overlook a couple of fundamental, common sense principles which we as marketers must ALWAYS obey.

1. Focus on your target audience and ignore your customers at your peril

Like any business in any market, once it is doing well financially it is easy for them to "take their eye off the ball". It can be easy to become complacent, to forget why the business exists and forget why they have built a following and become just so successful. Football clubs are no exception.

The customers (or fans) build an emotional relationship with their chosen football club and this relationship is arguably stronger than what any brand has with its customer base. The great Bill Shankly once said of his teams' Anfield spectators, "It is more than fanaticism, it's a religion. To the many thousands who come here to worship, Anfield isn't a football ground, it's a sort of shrine. These people are not simply fans, they're more like members of one extended family."

With this in mind, it amazes me how this 'extended family' is sometimes treated. Take for example Cardiff City. Two years ago the club was bought by affluent Malaysian businessmen who injected millions of pounds into the Cardiff City depleted coffers. As thankful as the shareholders and fans were, the relationship was stretched when Malaysian owner Vincent Tan changed the clubs colour to "lucky" red and badge from a bluebird to a red dragon as part of his investment. A hundred years of tradition ignored relatively overnight. Now what's that going to do for your brand affinity? Unsurprisingly total uproar and negativity resulting in demonstrations outside the ground.

A year later, though not as drastic as the Cardiff City case, it seems that nothing was learnt at Goodison Park when Everton Football Club decided to 'develop' their club badge (left) again. Now I emphasise the word 'again' because as you can see below, Everton are not adverse to changing their club badge. Since the glory days of Dixie Dean, they've felt the urge to change their clubs icon ten times. Indeed sometimes the changes are so dramatic that they are unrecognisable from the previous version. 

Now I've got two issues here as a customer and a marketer. Not with evolving a company logo because the style of anything can date (see the logo for oil giant Shell further below). But unless the logo has little value or 'equity', then the changes incorporated into a new version should be subtle and kept to a minimal. Another issue is the frequency of changes. Do it too often and you end up confusing your customers which will weaken the 'affinity' to your brand. Customers like things to be kept simple, easy to understand and are adverse to change. Now in the past, football clubs could get away with their subjective logo changes because there were no instant business/customer communication platforms for supporters to air their views. Fans were hardly going to chant on the terraces en masse about their club's new badge or kit when they were busy verbally abusing the opposition. But today the digital communication revolution has meant that internet chat rooms and social media platforms has swung the power in favour of the customers. Today businesses can't work in isolation and simply 'push' changes to their brand without firstly considering and listening to their customers.

So lesson's learnt? Let's hope so. In Everton's case the adverse reaction by supporters has been well documented. Their advertising agency Kenyon Fraser and Head of Communications Alan Myers are now working to deal with this 'marketing injury' and get the Everton brand back to 'full fitness'. The new club badge has gone to the vote and today Everton fans have overwhelmingly (80%) chosen the version which incidentally isn't a million miles away from what they've had since 1991.

As any business will know, unhappy customers will effect sales and we are yet to hear how this 'miss pass' (or 'faux pais'?) has dented Everton's bottom line for the season. My guess is not that much but fortunately for them football fans are unique. Unlike in 'the real world' where customers will simply purchase from a competitor, it is highly unlikely that Everton fans will suddenly take their allegiance across Stanley Park to Liverpool F.C.

But other businesses in other markets are not so lucky. Any marketer worth their salt can tell you that businesses can change their advertising campaigns, their messages, their products, their offers and their propositions but if you want to keep hold of customers then you should not change your brand values. After all your brand is what your company stands for, it is your 'personality'. Your brand is what differentiates you from your competitors and your 'brand essence' is your unique business DNA. This is what customers buy into as opposed to going somewhere else.

So finally, the other branding point that EVERY business should adhere to is...

2. If your logo isn't broke, then don't try to fix it

I wanted to show you a good example of how to develop a company logo to the point where you can leave it alone and move on to other more important marketing issues like growing your business. You'll know when you have reached that point, because your logo will have really good brand recognition and you won't have to have your company name printed next to the logo (think super brand's like Adidas, Nike's swoosh or SHELL). You will only need the icon or graphic.

Here you see how 'super brand' SHELL has developed its logo since Queen Victoria was sitting on her throne. Clearly the 1900 logo version was in need of creative development and over the next hundred years its basic element was fine tuned to the most recent version created by Landor Associates (don't ask me what their fees are but they've put together logo's for most of the big names that you can think of). From the table, you can see how the present logo has had a simple, interior colour change from plain, process yellow to an ochre. This subtle change gives a warmer, friendlier feel to this global brand's personality (probably for environmental issue reasons). Sometimes a subtle change is all that you need to do when it comes to your logo.

Email results dropping? Take a ZiG E-healthcheck to boost your ROI

Increased use of the 'cheaper' Email channel has only added to communication overload. Is it any wonder that businesses are seeing a drop in results? After all, there are only so many hours in a day and a full inbox simply increases anxiety for the recipient.

So, if you are planning a new Email campaign, here are a few points to take into consideration.
(1) Get the right balance Send too many and you run the risk of communication fatigue and brand disinterest. Send too few though, and you may well miss opportunities to engage.
(2) Be timely and relevant 
As with direct mail (D-mail), think about the very first message that your reader will see. With D-mail it’s on the outer envelope or the letter headline. With E-mail it’s your subject-box line. In our experience, three types of subject lines that bring most success are:
a) benefit led 
b) news, or
c) curiosity
(3) Make sure that your content is interesting and compelling. 
The more relevant the message, the more interesting it is to your target. This will in turn create more desire to purchase.

(4) Avoid overuse of images as they can get stripped out by firewalls. Ensure important information, e.g. prices or dates, are not embedded into graphics, as they may be lost.

(5) Be consistent with other on and off-line communications in look and feel.

(6) Segment your target audience and test different headlines. The beauty of Email over Dmail is the speed of response and analysis.

(7) Quality rather than quantity

Don't blanket mail. Guard your reputation by enabling recipients to opt-out easily.
(8) Learn from your results
Use tracking software to learn which content is most popular and how recipients are following it up - this will be invaluable when planning future campaigns.

Another Titanic tragedy?

Look at this poster for ONE SECOND only and then close your eyes...

OK, now that you've opened them again, STOP looking at the poster. Don't scrutinize the message, the image, the colours or typeface any longer. 'One second' of your time is actually five times longer than you normally give to the 2,500 messages subconsciously received every day. 
So, what do you think of it? Did anything grab your attention long enough to make you look longer? Drop me a quick email, I'd love to know.


Here's the thoughts from the ZiG Zone 
Well, it's Northern (and) Ireland Tourisms' attempt to 'piggyback' the plethora of media coverage surrounding the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of Cunard's prize passenger ship, RMS Titanic. Titanic is probably even more famous today than it was back in 1912. With TV documentary's, radio, national press coverage etc., now is an excellent time to push awareness of the NEW Titanic Museum opening in Belfast in April. 


But I'm not convinced that this poster captures the excitement of the moment.

Unless you know what the dramatic shape of the museum is (not dissimilar to Mann Island near Museum of Liverpool), then I just don't think (in the infamous words of Louis Walsh) that people will 'get it'. 

Not only does the subtle imagery let it down but the headline too. Firstly, it's difficult to read as it's SET IN CAPITAL LETTERS and we don't read words we read shapes. 

Secondly, how uninteresting is the headline? An angular block is landlocked? Mmm, fails to stir me and make me want to 'jump in' and fly over to Ireland. 

Sadly this is a poor execution and a severe waste of clients budget. 

If your marketing is to work, i.e. you see a good return on your spend, then the message and imagery needs to be attention grabbing.

Unfortunately this poster doesn't stand out and British museums can hardly throw money away. The ZiG verdict: Yet another Titanic tragedy. If it's any consolation, I'd love to go to the museum after seeing the video on the museum website.

P.S. How long did it take you to notice the boy looking at the submerged wreck at the bottom? More than 0.2 seconds?

Don't wait for The Chancellor. Here's how your business can improve results

Despite yesterdays budget, there seems little hope of a dramatic change to the dismal state of the economy. 
Surviving a recession is tough. When it comes to marketing, business owners have to make a choice:

a) Cut marketing budgets to save money (short-term thinking) or 

b) (More profitable, longer term thinking)
Promote your business with smarter, customer focused advertising that can be measured. 
It might sound obvious, but measuring your marketing returns does help to improve your 'return on investment' (ROI). I know, I know, it DOES sound obvious, but you'd be amazed how many businesses don't know what works for them and what doesn't.

So, BEFORE you spend another penny on producing a business-generation communication (whether online or offline) think about these 4 simple questions:

1. WHO are your target audience? Who do you want to buy from you?
 It's no good producing any communication if your targeting is weak.

2. WHERE will you find them? Where is the best place to advertise to them or for them to find you?

3. WHAT do you want to say to them? What is your offer and is it different (and better) from your competitors? Is it believable?
and,

4. WHY the 'heck' should they pay attention to you? Does your communication stand out from the crowd? This point is especially relevant when you produce press advertising or pay-per-click.
Food for thought?

Discover the best way to market your business in a recession

The irony of the current recession is that there has never been so many, many ways to market your business. The best of it is that the costs of advertising have made it possible for some of the smallest players in a market take on the bigger, more established ones. It's for this reason that so many well known household brands have been struggling.

With so many channels (e.g. email, direct mail, radio, press, outdoor, mobile, etc.) to choose from which one(s) is best for you? The options to market your business has never been so great. The problem now though, is deciding the most profitable one(s).

See the table below which shows how the modern consumer is influenced by many channels BEFORE they buy. For this reason I suggest any business who wants to ride out the recession, "Think multi-channel!!!!" because that is how your (potential) customers buy their goods and services.

With a co-ordinated, multi-channel route to market, you can find responses are raised by up to 40%. The ZiG advice is test and don't be afraid to make mistakes. You'll rarely find a successful business that has never made a mistake.  For the businesses who have tried and failed with a channel such as direct mail or email, I'd say think again because if you limit your channel usage, you could well be losing business. Let me know if you'd like to know more.

Not another Star Wars cop-out

Hi, Just having a (late) 'Friday afternoon rant' about lazy, expensive, and (more than likely?) ineffective marketing by 'The Big Boys' of advertising.
Unoriginally, yet another high profile company is using a Star Wars icon for their TV commercials.


You may have noticed Yoda spreading the 'force' for Vodafone. Yoda... Voda... get it? Mmmm exactly, a bit tenuous the link?
What gripes me is that only a month ago, PC World used Darth Vader to promote their in-store customer services and just prior to that a miniature Darth Vader appeared in a VW ad. Not only is it confusing to audiences but why go ahead with a campaign when the same idea is out there in the marketplace? What next, Chewbacca sunning himself on a P&O Cruise around the Med, defending the virtues of Princess Leia against the dark forces of the ships, amorous Italian, Captain Francesco Schettino?


Call me crazy, but I thought the whole point of marketing and advertising was to be unique, stand out from the crowd. Mission one: Grab attention... GET NOTICED!!!!


I imagine anyone who takes notice of these adverts (TV break = tea or twitter break?) would find it confusing. Though the mass media channel of TV has it's merits, I'm sure that the big budgets could be spent in a better, more direct, measurable way.
The only person who really benefits from these bland adverts is surely George Lucas.
Ah well, that's better. A rant shared is a rant halved!
Have a great weekend.

Christmas? Tis' the season to "go doolally"

Well it's 'nearly that time' again. With just over one week to go until Christmas Day, brands are advertising fiercely to compete for our increasingly sparse pounds and pence. 
It's a sad reflection of our current economic climate that we have already seen a plethora of 'Christmas Sale' ads. I mean, what are we going to do on Boxing Day? So other than the 'SALE, SALE, SALE' commercials, which ones have caught your eye?
Here are my thoughts on some of the adverting winners and losers this Christmas...

1. Currys/PC World
Supposedly we are all tightening our belts but I'm amazed to see some of the major brands waste small fortunes on poorly conceived, prime-time commercials.

An example of this 'yuletide craziness' is Curry's/PC Worlds 'Darth Vader' effort. What are we meant to think about their customer services team when they are being trained by the most evil of Jedi knights? Do we really want to be served by those who have gone over to 'the dark side?'

2. 'Smellies'

Perfume and aftershave products always do well at Christmas. Perfect gift for him, perfect gift for her. Why so ideal? Is it because they have a high perceived value? Perhaps. On unwrapping the gift, the receiver feels that a lot of time, thought and expense has gone in to buying the present. In reality though, they are the ideal 'panic purchase' gift that is left until 5 minutes before the shops shut on Christmas Eve - or is that just me?

Regardless of your experience, now is the time for perfume and aftershave brands (more commonly referred to as "smellies") to push their sales. Year on year, we are bombarded with similar, formula-driven, glamorous, seductive, black and white commercials with deep, Franco-Italian voice overs. The likes of Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci and YSL are all at it, not knowing whether the commercial is effective or not... but who cares right? Wrong. Call me cynical but isn't 'stand out' one of the main ingredients of a successful advert? Don't you want to be different from your competitors? Stand out from the crowd? Just ZiG when they zag?  The one commercial that does it for me is the simply executed Lacoste advert. A simple idea where the white Lacoste shirt is folded until it transforms into a bottle of aftershave. Now it might smell like Luis Suarez's after match socks, but I know which 'smelly' I'll be checking out on Christmas Eve at 5.25pm.
And finally, 
several brands have gone for the 'aaaaaaaarh' factor. This is what Christmas is all about, quality family time. It's about going to the school panto and listening to the children singing the praises of 'my mother' (Littlewoods) or sitting down and playing on the Wii with the son who you're too busy to see for 364 days a year (Sainsburys). A little contrived? Well perhaps
3. John Lewis's sentimental, TV commercial has hit your heart? What a nice surprise when the little boy unselfishly rushes to his mum and dad's bedroom with a present for them after you thought he was just another excited kid waiting to open his presents. Nice touch and the remake of The Smiths lyrical classic seems to be doing well in the charts too. Well done John Lewis's marketing team but I think that it's going to take more than a 30 second commercial to reverse the recession? I look forward to seeing how the sales figures do come the end of January.

Merry Christmas everyone and I genuinely wish you all the very best for health and prosperity in 2012.