This is a business and we're in the business to do business, so lets do some business!

The business, the firm, the boys, the lads, your crew...the picture on the left obviously has nothing to do with business to business marketing. However, it does give you a nice insight into the cut-throat world of business. If it all goes tits up, these boys could be round collecting all your worldly posessions (and probably smashing up your lovely premises as they go about it).

Sometimes in business you've got to collaborate with your rivals in order to be successful.

It's a bit like in the film Football Factory (aaaah...there's the relevance of the picture). Billy Bright (the bloke jabbing his finger at the camera in the picture) deals in narcotics - specifically heavily cut cocaine. Now, even though he's a Chelsea boy through and through, he does business with Millwall's top boy, even though Millwall are there most hated rivals...why? Because that's where the money is.

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" (Michael Corleone - The Godfather Part II - 1974)

In keeping with the film inspired start to this blog, the above quote is one that can be applied to business to business marketing (in a twisted sort of way). Basically, as a business you might not be particularly interested in what another company does, you may not even like their particular sector of the market. However, if that's where the money is, go with the flow!

Business to business marketing describes transactions between businesses. Now this could be between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, a wholesaler and a retailer, and so on and so forth. Somewhat surprisingly, the volume of business to business transactions is far greater than that of business to consumer transactions. And this is why as marketers we should place a large amount of emphasis on B2B marketing.

Businesses can be divided into three main categories;

• Government organsiations (health and education etc)
• Institutional organisations (not for profit, charities etc)
• Commercial organisations (distributors and retailers etc)

The importance of business to business marketing can be outlined when we look at not for profit organisations (like charities). Whilst charities do rely on kind souls like you and me for donations, the majority of their income comes from the government and independent companies. As a result of this, charities need to market their cause correctly so as to make it attractive not only to the hoi polloi like you and me, but also to the guys with the big money. This would be a business to business transaction and henceforth it explains why business to business marketing is vitally important to today's marketing generation.

And so, this is it....the last post. I don't want to make a big deal out of it (wouldn't want anyone crying or anything like that), but it's been an honour and a privilege to have you read my incoherent (and sometimes downright silly) musings on the world. Hopefully it's given you a bit of an insight into what we've learnt this year (it's bloody flown by) and will aid you in years to come when you go on to be a successful PR or marketing guru.

Finally, follow the link to the video just as a nice end to what's been a thoroughly enjoyable year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7aBGh9tJWg

*sob*...oh damn, I said no tears!

The Starship Enterprise week...

No...for all you little geeks out there, this post is not about Star Trek, Star Wars, or any other star for that matter. So if you've found yourself on here by accident, please go boldly where no man has gone before...and kindly buzz off back to Warhammer (or whatever it is you do in your spare time).

This post is solely about the one week of the year we call "Enterprise Week", or as some people called it (me included)....HOLIDAY WEEK! No, I jest. I was unfortunately unable to attend this event, as by the time I got my lazy self round to it all the places on the lectures I would be able to attend had been snapped up. However, had I known that the girls would be running the door I would have rocked up there anyway and gatecrashed my way in.

Anyway, regardless of whether I attended or not, I'm pretty confident I'll be able to give you a bit of an isight on what went on, with the help of a few bits of info and quotes I may have "borrowed" from other people.

Enterprise week basically gave us marketing students a chance to hear the way that the big boys run their companies, their thoughts on the recession and how it could effect the marketing industry and what we (as future PR and marketing gurus) can do to ensure we make the most of our education when we get out into the big, bad world.

Alan Rich set the tone when (directly contradicting the media's opinion) he highlighted the recession as a "fantastic opportunity". His opinion was that rather than having to cut back on expenditure, companies should retain their existing budgets and focus on a more limited number of brands. This means that rather than spreading their budgets thinly on a higher number of brands, companies should spend the same amount of money on a smaller number of brands and really concentrate on the brands that people will keep going back to.

Tom Vick (from JWT) pointed out that at this moment in time digital marketing is killing off television advertising. According to some people, today 117 adverts are needed to have the same effect as 3 adverts would have in the 1970's...that's an immense figure. But when you consider the amount of television advertising the modern generation is exposed to, you can clearly see why it takes such a large amount of exposure to advertisement to make an impact on a person. Mr Vick also advised that with the focus of today's marketing shifting towards digital marketing, there is pressure on companies who wish to be successful to make a push towards this type of marketing and away from other less successful types of marketing.

He outlined 5 key points how agencies should respond;

1. Forget above the line and below the line as marketing concepts.
2. Bring back the dictionary definition of advertising.
3. Re-structure business around brands and it's communications needs.
4. Invest in re-training and re-orientating agency colleagues.
5. Learn from the youth, for example, agencies using younger staff to train the older.

So in hindsight, maybe I should have gatecrashed my way in, as it seems to have been a very interesting and varied week, where we got the opportunity to learn from different sources with proven track records of success in the marketing industry. However, hopefully I've been able to give you a bit of help with what it was all about, and maybe next year I'll actually attend Enterprise Week so you can get my own thoughts rather than those I have stole....er...borrowed off other people.

*This post was sponsored by Datlen, Stokes, Simpson and Fontanoz (2009). However, all images and intellectual ramblings are sole property of Sean Halsey, and as such, any unauthorised use will result in prosecution and/or death by stoning. All rights reserved. *

Karma chameleon...

Culture...it's a minefield isn't it? Such a varied and dense topic that we could be here all day examining it. But frankly, I don't have the time nor the patience...so I'll try and sum it all up in a nice bitesize chunk for you.

The dictionary defines culture as "a form or type of civilization of a certain race or nation"...but then further down it does also describe it as "the commercial rearing of fish and certain plants". So, are we talking about races and nations, or am I just writing this for the halibut...hahaha. I joke, I joke.

So, ignoring my humourous quip, what exactly are we talking about?

"Culture is the fabric of meaning in terms of which human beings interpret their experience and guide their action." (Clifford Geertz)

Well, culture could be defined as a common set of beliefs, values and customs that are shared between a group of people. For instance, the chav culture love Burberry, gold jewellery and stealing cars. They believe that education isn't important as they go to the "university of life". They value McDonald's over Burger King (it's cheaper) and their customs include fighting, robbing and drinking Stella in parks. But that's not for everyone...I'd much prefer a nice, warm can of Special Brew.

"Culture is a little like dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass-you don't see it, but somehow it does something." (Hans Magnus Enzensberger)

Once again, segmentation is fundamental when considering different cultures. What one group of people may like, others may hate. However, I'm not going to bang on about segmentation as I seem to do that in absolutely every post. In terms of the the purchase process and how marketers can apply the theory to different groups, culture is a vitally important aspect to consider. As you may have started to gather, many of the different aspects of this whole blog have started to mix in with the others. We've previously covered values, social class and personality and self concept, and I like to think of culture as the amalgamation of all of them, with (as always) a bit of segmentation thrown in for good measure.

"I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any." (Mahatma Gandhi)

Culture can include the perceived meaning of things and the translation of words and language. Therefore it is important for marketers to recognize what cultures their target market will incorporate, and how the use of their marketing skills can be applied to appeal to (or in some cases repel) certain cultures.

"On a group of theories one can found a school; but on a group of values one can found a culture, a civilization, a new way of living together among men." (Ignazio Silone)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_WAmt3cMdk
HSBC ran a series of successful adverts that show the differences in certain cultures quite cleverly. Watch the above advert and it might help you to understand culture a little bit more.

"Culture is the name for what people are interested in, their thoughts, their models, the books they read and the speeches they hear, their table-talk, gossip, controversies, historical sense and scientific training, the values they appreciate, the quality of life they admire. All communities have a culture. It is the climate of their civilization." (Walter Lippmann)

To me, culture is everything that makes a person unique, yet everything that they have in common with others.

Hopefully this post has given you some idea of what culture is all about. If nothing else, I've thrown a lot of lovely soundbites in here for you to use at your own will. And here's my favourite;

"Culture is roughly anything we do and the monkeys don't." (Lord Raglan)

Yeah but, no but, yeah but...

Football commentators are often heard say "form is temporary, but class is permanent" when a player performs well after a string of terrible games. But what difference, if any, does social class make in terms of marketing communications?

First off, let's break down the subject matter. What is social class?http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/Style/gonewiththegale/what-social-status-are-you/

Having taken Michael's test on the above link, I came out as exactly as I imagined...dirty, stinking, on the breadline lower class. Well thanks, tell me something I and anybody else who knows me didn't know. According to the quiz, being lower class means "You're stressed over money and unfortunately you're 'maid' to work hard for little money. The only wealthy people you know are the ones who make you clean their floors. Just like the upper class, the government doesn't listen to you either". I resent that! Chances are if I ever had to clean wealthy people's floors, they may well find that some of the lovely oil paintings they have on their walls might just start mysteriously disappearing...

I would define social class as the grouping of people according to their wealth, social status and occupation (among other things). Some people may argue that the social class system does not exist anymore, but I would beg to differ. Consider this; I (as working class scum) struggle every month to meet my direct debit payments and generally live my life praying to the heavens for that one big win. Whereas others (those born with silver spoons in their mouths) receive a more than generous "allowance" from their parents each month to keep them living in luxury. This would seem to suggest that the social class system is alive and well, and persistently trying to piss on the parades of poor little buggers like me.

Social classes can be broken down into the following groups;

A – upper middle class

B - middle class

C1 – lower middle class

C2 – skilled working class

D – working class

E –lower class

Now, having sat through Ruthy's lecture on social class, my opinion of how the social class system works has changed somewhat. I used to believe that you are what you are, regardless of what financial improvements you make in your life. However, it would appear that the classing system only really exists because we as people are continually putting ourselves into categories and pidgeon-holing ourselves as a particular type...just because I would class myself as working class (D) it doesn't mean that when I finish university (hopefully having gained a degree and with full working use of my liver intact) I cant be in a job that would be reserved for the middle class (B) and aspire to have the wealth of the upper working class (A).

But what difference does all this make to marketers? Well, a marketer's goal is to appeal to the correct grouping of people that the product is mainly aimed at (as we saw in the earlier post on segmentation). If people can be defined into social classes, marketers can easily identify which group they are supposed to be trying to capture the attention of, and use the right language and imagery to isolate and appeal to that social group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZn-FaWeUZY

Watch the above advert and then answer me this...who was this advert specifically aimed at; The builder down the pub, supping his pint after a long, hard day on site? Or the toffee nosed old boy, sitting in his London town house in his silk pyjamas and slippers, who just so happens to have accidentally changed the television over from ITVs "spiffing" drama Jonathan Creek. Personally, I think the marketers who designed this campaign were aiming it specifically at the working class man, who works hard, plays hard and enjoys nothing more than a night down the boozer followed by a scrap in the kebab shop. And as such, some might call it a "Chav-vert"...BU-DOOOM CHHHH!!!

So in summation, social class may only be a figment of our imagination. But considering we all have an opinion of what class group we fall into, it is important for marketers to recognise this and (as always) to aim the product at the right group.

Just as a light hearted way of looking at how people are always striving to move up the social class ladder, watch the video on the link below. The video contains probably the biggest example of a man motivated by trying to move up the social class ladder. And it also shows that the "one big win" I was talking about earlier can really happen, so watch it you plonkers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsuIaZcj8Ak

Marketing to the little nippers...

Marketing to children is a touchy subject for many people. Is it morally wrong? Is it unethical practice from marketers? My personal opinion is that if you can manipulate the kids into increasing your sales by using marketing then they are fair game. Some might say that's a cold-blooded attitude to have but you know what they say...nice guys finish last. Marketing to children has gone on for years. It's not a new concept that the minds of the little whipper snappers may well be far easier to manipulate than that of a fully grown adult who's seen it all before and tends to have built up a resistancy to the tricks of the trade.

The advert on the left is from the 1960's and is for the multi-generational children's favourite that is Lego. Many children (including myself) have grown up with Lego and it seems to be a product that has stood the test of time. In 2008 Lego posted a 51% rise in UK sales (http://www.guardian.co.uk/, 2009). But would Lego have had anywhere near the success it has had without the help of the many adverts aimed at children that it has used to it's advantage over the years? Chances are that Lego would have been replaced in the popularity stakes by some unruly upstart like Meccano. I for one remember vividly seeing adverts for the latest Lego set on the television (many moons ago) and almost forcing my mum to the nearest toy shop to get it before anyone else. Had she not have been so generous, I probably would have stole her purse and gone down there by myself, such was my appetite for all things Lego. And as far as I'm concerned, that's all down to the way it was marketed.

According to the "kids grow older younger" video we watched in class, children have a say in around £30 billion worth of spending per year...so can anybody blame marketers for wanting to take advantage of them? I can quite honestly say that if you gave me even 1% of that £30 billion I would not lose any sleep at night over marketing to kids being immoral. The video explained that between the ages of 2 and 4 years old advertising first starts to have an effect on children. If marketers can hook children in between these ages then the chances of them being a long term source of sales is far greater. Interestingly, Stephen Colegrave of Saatchi & Saatchi advised that children are also kept in mind when advertising products for adults. This basically boils down to the fact that advertising is far more effective on children that it is on adults. So called "Pester power" then plays a part because eventually, most adults will give in ( like my dear old mum did with the lego). "Pester power" tactics is not just the child whining until they get their own way. There are many ways a child can force their parents into buying them what they want, including putting their pocket money towards the cost, doing household chores as payment and asking for the product as an early christmas present.

Another factor that marketers need to consider is that parents who are protective of their children (as most are) will be susceptible to the right type of marketing that uses potential threats to their children to it's advantage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNJUJXgoqd8

The above advert for Dettox would appeal to protective or "regressive" mothers. It shows all the bacteria on a high chair being cleaned away by their product and therefore, most mothers would feel a need for the product in order to keep their baby safe from harmful bacteria. If an advert for a product shows children in a good light (clever, funny, independent) then the product will appeal more to their parents as all parents want the best for their children and are eager for their children to be all those things and more. When watching the advert, subconsciously the parent will be thinking "I want my child to be like that" and therefore, the chances of them buying it are greatly increased.

Brands play a huge part in children's school life. When growing up it's always about what trainers you have, who makes your school bag and what games console you have. For example; when I was a boy (I'm so old!) I was always striving for the latest pair of Nike trainers. My very first pair of trainers was some old school Nike Air Pegasus...and I loved them with all my heart. Now, the main reason it mattered so much to me what I had on my feet was not because they were the most comfortable, most expensive or even the nicest looking. The main reason it mattered was to impress my mates in the playground.

"If all the people are bald, I think after 3 months I would be bald also" (Monica, 2009)

Now, whilst the thought of a nation of slapheads running around is quite amusing, Monica's comment is spot on and supports my view that as much as everybody wants to be an individual, most people follow the crowd and are more interested in keeping up with current trends than retaining their individuality. Some may call this shallow...but what adults don't realise is that the playground is a very fickle place. Turn up in some Hi-Teks and you're a lamb to the slaughter...

A brand is a "stamp of authenticity in the playground" ( Stephen Colegrave, Marketing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi)

The above statement could not be closer to the truth in my opinion. Having my Nikes on my feet made me feel like the king of the playground. Everybody wanted them, but I had them And thus all my friends were jealous, which made my school life so much easier.

Another of the multitude of factors that marketers need to consider when marketing to children is the fact that children are getting older a lot younger these days. You can see it in everyday life...young girls walking round wearing make up, boys shunning playing football in the streets to play the latest Grand Theft Auto game on their Playstation 3. Getting older younger (according to the video) is a lot more prominent in the UK than anywhere else...children in the UK are more media-savvy, they watch more adult programmes (soaps like Eastenders and Coronation Street in particular) and they actually prefer adult adverts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmqCKtJnxM

The above advert for Budweiser was a huge success from it's launch in 1999 to the last time it was aired in 2002. Despite the product being exclusively available to adults (UK law dictated at the time that nobody under the age of 18 could buy alcohol), the advert appealed largely to children thanks to it's much-used catchphrase. The catchphrase was heard in playgrounds across the country, and thus Budweiser's brand recognition grew further. The children in school when this advert was aired may well be regular Budweiser drinkers today (I know I am) and that is thanks in part to the success of this advert.

However, the real issue is that advertising to children is a moral dilemma for the marketing world. Whilst it is a multi billion pound industry, many people argue that it is exploitative and immoral. I've already shared my views, but ultimately it is down to the individual and their company to decide how much emphasis they place on morals, and how much they place on making money.

Involvement, values and attitude...

What do you value most in life...Your car? Your watch? The ice on your necks and wrist? How many hoes you've got? Or are you so materialistic that you don't bother with traditional values like these?


Now that my tongue has been removed from my cheek I shall proceed.


A great poet once said;

"We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl".

No, wait...that was Madonna. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that the we're in the year 2009 and this is a sick, sick world we live in. What does it say about society when freedom of speech means less to people than the size of the rims on their car? Martin Luther King Jr. would be turning in his grave...

However, as much as the 21st century appears to be a materialistic world there are still many people who hold traditional values and place these values above material posessions regardless of what others may think.

Our values play a huge role in our purchase process. When buying a car do we think more about what safety features the car has and how environmentally friendly it is, or do we only care that the windows are tinted and that it's sitting on 20 inch rims? Chances are that most people who live in the real world and not in some fantasy land where they hang out on yachts with P Diddy and 20 supermodels for company would go for the former of the two.

Whether values play a part in the purchase process depends mainly on the level of involvement that the product requires from the consumer. Items with a very low level of involvement (such as toiletries and everyday consumable items) will generally not be purchased as a result of the consumer's values. Items that require a high level of involvement (cars, houses, electrical goods and expensive items) will be directly affected by the consumer's set of values.

For instance, if I were to buy a new car, not only would I be considering the features the car includes (central locking, alloy wheels, power steering, etc) but also whether it would impress my mates aswell. Some might say this is shallow, but I have a reputation to maintain, alright!?! A mother and father with two children would probably be more concerned with the safety features on the car and how many tesco bags worth of shopping they could fit in the boot. The reason for the difference in what matters mainly boils down to a difference in values. Where I have nothing more to worry about than whether the car would aid me in my quest to be the most egotistical man in the world, a family have more important things to worry about, and thus safety features would be far more vital to them than what other people may think of the car's appearance.

Having taken the VALS test it seems I am a mixed up bundle of values. I came out primarily as an experiencer but secondarily as an achiever.

According to the website "experiencers are motivated by self-expression" and are "avid consumers and spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing. Their purchases reflect the emphasis they place on looking good and having "cool" stuff." Most of this seems in-keeping with my attitude to life. My Topman store card statement would certainly support the claim that I spend a "comparitively high proportion" of my income on fashion. However, as I came out secondarily as an achiever the website states that I am "Motivated by the desire for achievement. Achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a deep commitment to career and family. Their social lives reflect this focus and are structured around family, their place of worship, and work. Achievers live conventional lives, are politically conservative, and respect authority and the status quo. They value consensus, predictability, and stability over risk, intimacy, and self-discovery."...

Hmm. So from what I can see I'm shallow, desperate to be seen as cool and something of a "free spirit". Yet as an "achiever" I'm a conservative family man who respects authority (HA!) and lives a predictable life...so that's cleared that up then?!?

I would suggest taking the test and seeing what you come out as. It would certainly be interesting to see what results other people got and if they are as much of a contradiction as mine, because I'll be honest, it's still puzzling me.

To finish this off on a nice note (and in keeping with the musical theme of this post) I'd like you all to follow the link below and watch the video, but particularly to listen to the words of the song. For those of you who ARE caught up in this materialistic world we live in, it may well knock you into shape. In future decades our acestors may well look upon the words of this man as not only a great lyrical achievement, but more of a mission statement that tells us all exactly what matters in life...or maybe not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmv--UJ3eJM

Personality and self-concept...

As Bing Crosby once said;

When Madam Pompadour was on a ballroom floor
Said all the gentlemen "Obviously,"
"The madam has the cutest personality"

Who is the elusive Madam Pompadour? And what does she have to do with our learnings on personality? I have no idea...sounds nice though doesn't it?


All of us are unique. We all have seperate personality traits and different aspects of our personality that are only found in us. This should make us happy. However, the fact that I came out as Homer Simpson in the Simpson's Personality Test slightly disturbs me. Does this mean I'm a lazy, beer swilling slob? Possibly. Will this revelation change my way of living? Probably not.



The personality test tells me that coming up as Homer means I am the sort of person that lives for the moment which is a fair comment. You could turn this around and say that I don't think about the consequences before I do things, which again is probably a fair comment. But I prefer it the other way, thank you please.

The negative side of being "A Homer" is that I often take conflict personally (fair shout) and I "resist relationships that require me to function on a high intuitive or thinking level". To me what this says is that although I love drinking and sitting around the house, I do also hate having to think about things and I get the hump all the time...perfect!

The positive side to being labelled "the entertainer" is that I am able to have a positive influence on other people's lives on a daily basis by making them laugh. Whether they are laughing at me or with me is not of my concern. I'm happy enough in the knowledge that people find me funny.

Whilst personality and self concept are very different things, you generally find that a person's self concept plays a big part in defining certain aspects of their personality.

Personality can be defined as;
‘One’s habits and usual style, but also…ability to play roles.’ (Cronbach, 1984) [online] http://changingminds.org/explanations/personality/personality_is.htm

Self concept can be defined as;
"The ideas, attitudes, and perceptions people have about themselves". [online] http://en.mimi.hu/marketingweb/self-concept.html

My thoughts are that whilst personality is unique and can't be changed, many individual personality traits are defined by people's self concepts.

"People see themselves as they imagine others see them." Solomon (2001)

The above quote supports my view that self concept can be influenced by what you think other people think about you, and therfore certain personality traits can develop or be sub-consciously exaggerated in order to fall in line with the image other people have of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz6-Nf1e0vU

The advert on the link above appeals to my childish side. Do I have a childish side or do I just project that image because I feel that other people think I'm childish? Who knows...maybe that's why I'm a Homer.

Ciao for now.