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Brands Get Noticed with Microsoft Live Search Cashback Program

In a weak economy, consumers are looking for deals.  There are many websites dedicated to providing coupon and discount codes to frugal shoppers, but did you know Microsoft Live Search jumped on the discount bandwagon earlier this year with the Microsoft Live Search cashback program?

The initial purpose of the Microsoft Live Search cashback program was to boost Microsoft’s position in the online search market as well as to make some extra money for Microsoft.  While it’s unknown if Microsoft has reached either of those goals, new data released by Microsoft does show that the Microsoft Live Search cashback program certainly helps advertisers give their brands a boost at a time when consumers want to save money and retail sales are down industry-wide.

According to The Register, eBay has increased its paid search ROI by 50% using the Microsoft Live Search cashback program and ShoeMall.com has seen an increase of 6-times its previous ROI.  Microsoft Live Search claims that 4.5 million consumers use Microsoft Live Search to conduct over 68 million product or brand searches each month.  That’s a lot of targeted exposure for an ad!

Microsoft also claims (via their own study with comScore in 2008) that, “Live Search referred almost 12% of all U.S. commercial online transactions and about 13% of all U.S. online spending among key retail categories in the second quarter.” 

No one knows how accurate that claim is since Microsoft spearheaded the comScore research, but cashback search does seem like a viable brand marketing option that can easily be incorporated into a brand marketing plan.  What do you think?

Image: Flickr

Nestle Responds to Child Labor Violations

Who made that Kit Kat bar you’re eating? There is a good chance that a child worked on a cocoa farm in the Ivory Coast that provided the cocoa supply used to make your Kit Kat bar. Those are the findings from the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which conducted an audit (per Nestle’s request) of the Nestle cocoa supply chain.

The FLA study reported that 80% of Nestle’s cocoa comes from channels that are “opaque” in terms of the transparency of their labor processes and practices. In a 2008 government survey in the Ivory Coast, it was found that 89% of the country’s children were involved in cocoa production in some way. According to Bloomberg, Nestle purchases 10% of the world’s cocoa supply, and more than one-third of that comes from the Ivory Coast.

Nestle is the first food company to join the FLA, and the company claims to be taking the numerous child labor violations discovered in the report seriously. The company reports that it will pursue each of the 11 recommendations that the FLA made in the report, including increased monitoring of cocoa farms, building and improving schools, and more. The infographic below provides some of the report statistics as well as the “Nestle Plan” projections.

Click the image below to view the infographic at full size.

nestle fair labor association child labor infographic

Nestle’s zero tolerance for child labor commitment is an important one that will take years to roll out. However, demonstrating its corporate responsibility is a positive branding story that might help Nestle navigate negative publicity related to child labor more successfully in the short- and long-term.

What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

5 Rebranding Mistakes to Avoid No Matter What

Rebranding is hot these days.  It seems like more companies are sending out press releases about their “rebranding” initiatives than ever.  However, many of these rebranding efforts miss the mark despite the huge amounts of money invested in them.

How can your company ensure that your rebranding is successful?  It’s simple.  Avoid the 5 mistakes listed below.

1. Forget a facelift.  A simple nip-tuck will do.

A rebranding takes more than a few tweaks to your logo and slogan, redesigning your signage, and printing new business cards.  A rebranding is an opportunity to re-imagine your story and create a new brand promise that will take your company into the future.  Would you rebrand yourself by simply getting a new pair of shoes or would a complete makeover — physically and emotionally — be required?  The same goes for your business brand.

2. Don’t call in unbiased branding experts to help you.

One of the most common mistakes companies make when it’s time to rebrand is assuming that they have the talent in-house to get the job done.  The job might get done, but it won’t be as good as it could be if you got help from people who live and breathe branding and can cut through the internal debates and hangups to truly roll out the best rebranding effort possible.

3. Involve anyone and everyone in the decision-making process.

When it comes to rebranding, everyone seems to feel like it’s their place to weigh in on the decisions.  Believe it or not, most people don’t have all the facts.  Their opinions should be taken into consideration but those opinions should not rule with an iron fist.

4. Don’t bother doing any research.  Go with your gut.

It’s true that the best branding experts have a sixth sense about branding, but there is more to branding than gut feelings.  You need to be able to formulate strategies and decisions should be based at least partially in fact.  Strike a balance between research and creativity, and you’ve struck marketing gold.

5. Just update the logo and forget about everything else.

Your brand is far more than just a logo.  Rolling out a new logo is not rebranding.  Don’t confuse the two.

Just Yodel It to Me

“Just Yodel it to me.”  That’s a phrase you’re likely to start hearing a lot in the near future with the launch of HDN’s new brand identity.

HDN (Home Delivery Network) is the biggest home delivery service in the United Kingdom.  After purchasing part of DHL’s U.K. business, HDN needed a revamped brand identity, and in an attempt to stand out from the acronym-heavy package delivery business, the company went with a fresh, creative, and memorable brand name — Yodel.

That’s right, “can you Yodel it to me?” is catchy, isn’t it?  Check out the old HDN logo compared to the new Yodel logo below.


yodel_logo


Here’s the strategy behind the new identity from The Clearing, the company that created the new Yodel identity:

“We created the name Yodel by building on the brand promise and thinking about the service from the perspective of both business and home customers: ‘it’s your delivery’. So Yodel comes directly from the words ‘YOur DELivery’. And because the service is tailored for customers, it’s their call how it works — which perfectly resolves the name.”

The new logo is clean and simple and works well in the bright colors connected with the new brand identity.  There is no doubt that Yodel delivery trucks will stand out on the street and develop a brand persona all their own.


yodel_trucks


And I love the slogan on the back of the new Yodel vans: “You get more delivery options and a can-do attitude when you Yodel it.”


yodel_truck_back


There are just so many creative ways that this new brand identity can bring a business in a fairly dull industry to life.


yodel_graphic


Sure, it might take a little time for consumers to catch on to the Yodel craze, but I think it will inevitably sink into popular culture and live harmoniously as a brand, a proper noun, and a verb.

What do you think of the new Yodel brand identity?  Love it or hate it?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Do Consumers Care if Kraft Acquires Cadbury?

Just a few years ago Cadbury purchased a number of consumer products from Pfizer after the pharmaceutical behemoth acquired Warner Lambert.  Products like Trident gum, Halls cough drops, and more joined the Cadbury Bunny lineup of confectionery products.  None of the brands seemed to suffer, and Cadbury shares enjoyed a nice boost.

But what’s next for those brands?

Well, if Kraft has anything to do with it, those Cadbury-owned brands will join the Kraft lineup, which already includes Oreo and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, in a hostile takeover of Cadbury by Kraft.

And here is where the branding conundrum begins.  Do consumers truly notice when brands are sold and acquired?  Are they insulated from the activities of the parent company on a consumer level?  That certainly seems to be the case for Trident, Halls, Oreo, and other consumer products that are not closely tied to a parent company brand name.  Naturally, it’s not always the case though.

And does a lack of connection to a parent company brand make a product brand more attractive for hostile or friendly takeover?

I think the argument could certainly be made that allowing product brands to stand on their own can make them more valuable, particularly in today’s climate of rapid news sharing, excessive lawsuits, and shady business practices.  I suppose it’s a cyclical battle that mirrors the historical pattern of corporate centralization to decentralization, back to centralization, then decentralization, and so on.

So I’m playing devil’s advocate and asking what you think?  In today’s world, is it better for product brands to disassociate themselves from their parent company brands or is there still value in tying product and company brands together?