Acceptable in the 80s .....the 80s

What was acceptable in the eighties seems to be acceptable again now in the ad industry. I am unsure if it is savvier companies tightening their collective belts or trying to feel better about themselves in the bad times by revisiting the good times or companies taking people's minds to a happier place reminding people that their heritage equals safety and therefore they should shop with them rather than their nearest competitor. Whichever it is, it is a good bit of fun and certainly made me happy when I saw these three examples. 

 

The ad that got me a my wife cheering at the TV was the Red Car and Blue Car ad from Milky Way and that was when ads were ads and the fact that we could sign every word even 20 odd years later means that the ad still works even now as a piece of entertainment that is based on a truth ' Milky Way is lighter than competitor bars'. Click here to watch the ad in all its glory. 

Cadbury were first to dust down an old favourite in the form of the sassy caramel who would have done wonders for getting cut through alongside the 'Gorilla' campaign that has been heralded as the best campaigns since Honda 'cogs'. 

ITV are also running a best ads ever set of programmes and their own ad campaign which is something I have never seen on Commercial TV and thought that was something left to the media companies like CBS in the underground. Times must be really tough, but they have went about it in the right way. Each of the companies whose clip is played in the ad should seriously consider running these ads straight away to ride the crest of the wave. 

Lastly - a real treat if you click here to view one of my 'persil-onal' favourite ads of all time. Aw MUM!

Here are the best of the rest - 

Bernard Matthews Scout Camp

Weetabix Crew

Kia-ora

Um Bungo

Birds Eye - We hope its chips

California Raisins 

Getting your message into the fastlane

I have been doing alot of driving and standing still on motorways of late and as I was tapping the steering wheel along to Chris Evans latest request on Radio 2 I started to spot alot of trucks passing by me that were not just branded but had the cleverest of marketing messages that connect the brand, current message, situation and placement all rolled into one. I have to say that not all achieve this but I wanted to list some examples:

• H&M - Does my Chassis look big in this?
  
• Rizla - Picture of a Shed and the word Load (Shedload)
  
• Sloggi (above) and M&S pushing their Plan A campaign. 

Marketers please consider this as a great way to bring a smile to motorist and a moment of light relief as people make the long trips up and down Britain's highways and byways. 

Plus it is an amazing way to engage customers and potential customers in the most unlikely of situations.

Keep on truckin'!

The Difference between Brand and Marketing

Brand and Marketing and the difference between the two is not just misunderstood in business it is misunderstood in most companies and even in their marketing departments.

I have worked as both a General Marketer and as Head of Brand/Senior Brand Manager and I wanted to give you an easy guide that will help navigate your way between the two areas of brand and marketing plus help you realise their potential to ultimately help your business.

Brand is my real passion and it was only when I was working with a ‘Brand Guru’ Robert Bean of Northstar Partners that I started to understand what it really was. Robert worked at BT as Head of Customer Comms when the ‘Its Good to Talk’ campaign was launched and worked on the Honda brand whose work turned into the ‘Power of Dreams’ campaign so he is to be trusted.

Robert’s definition of a brand is that it is a ‘promise delivered’. This is the best definition of what a brand is that I have came across in my career. You make a promise to customers and colleagues with everything you do advertising, products, service etc and therefore to be successful you must deliver on that promise every single time. So my idea (along with most people) of a brand being a badge, a name or a colour is on about 5% of what your brand actually is. 

Your brand is ‘only everything’ within your company and therefore defining your target audience, what they want, why you are better than your competitors and a short statement that describes your company or brand’s purpose and writing it down is imperative for your business. Most businesses know what they are from day one and as long as they stay small and keep the same employees then you will be able to get by without the exercise above, however if sales drop, if people leave, if a competitor threatens your ‘patch’, then what do you do and what do you base any future decisions on? If you define what your brand stands for then it becomes easier as you can use it as a clear lens to view every decision through like who you should hire, what products to sell, how your communications should sound and even what your office environment should look like.

The key to unlocking all of this is involving your employees to take them through this process and having a brand expert on hand to help guide you through the process. This does not need to be costly or take up too much time, however once this is done it could last a company for 5 - 20 years or longer if done well.

So what about Marketing then? 

Marketing is simply defined by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as ‘The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably’. Therefore your marketing is an integral part of your brand as your marketing in essence helps you make the promise that you are wanting customers to know about. Your marketing should also be completely based on your brand positioning, personality, values and tone of voice that have all been defined and socialised amongst all staff.

In essence Marketing is what you do to get your message or promise to customers, your Brand is how you keep the promise made through delivery to customers and colleagues.

The best way to learn more about brand, marketing and how you can use them to gain a competitive advantage I would advise sparing £14.99 on Winning in Your Own Way The Nine and a Half Golden Rules of Branding by Robert Bean available from all good bookstores from September 09.

Listen Up! - 9 steps to Podcasting to your customers

Before you read this I want to let you know that this for everyone and Podcasting is alot easier than you think.

What is Podcasting?

Well, it is a Personal On Demand Broadcast. A podcast enables you to store snippets of your favourite shows or subjects of interest that are either audio or video that you can watch on your PC or on the go on you MP3 player.

Why would I record a Podcast?

By recording a podcast you will connect with communities who are interested in hearing about your business, industry news or helpful advice to your customers in your chosen industry. It is cheap and easy to do and give you content that can use time and time again.

What do I need to record a Podcast?

• a good quality microphone (Shure or equivalent USB)
• a Laptop or PC
• Audio editing software - the best in my experience is www.audacity.com (and it is free!)
• MP3 encoding software such as LAME download
• A hosting service to broadcast (LibSyn for free, AudioBlogger is also a good choice)
• Web publishing service such as Blogger

So how do I get started. Voices.com is a great resource on the perfect recipe for Podcasting for a small business. They follow a 9 stage plan to successful podcasting, follow this and you will not go far wrong:

1. Plan your Podcast

• Identify a name, personality, get a blog/domain name and theme for your Podcast

2. Write a Script 

• An outline of a standard podcast could be:
  

• Show intro monologue (who you are, what you're going to talk about): 30-60 seconds 
• Intro music jingle (repeat for each show so listeners identify the jingle with your show): 30- 60 seconds 
• Topic 1: 3 minutes 
• Topic 2: 3 minutes 
• Interlude (music or break): 30 seconds 
• Topic 3: 3 minutes 
• Topic 4: 3 minutes 
• Closing remarks (thank audience for listening, thank guests, talk about the next show 
briefly): 2 minutes 
• Closing music jingle (suggest same as Intro music jingle): 2 minutes 

3. Set up your recording equipment

• Ensure you have your microphone set up, test your tone, open your audio software and test it is all working as you would like it to
  

4. Record your Podcast

• Just hit record and make sure you are alone. You can also try out interview in person or via Skype
  

5. Edit, Mix and Export your episode

• This can be the more technical and difficult part. Stick to your script and plan you made earlier and just make sure it sounds professional and like a seamless experience for your listeners
  

6. Upload your episode to a hosting provider

• At a beginners level I would suggest uploading to Audioblogger.com or LibSyn 
  

7. Create your podcast episode and show notes

• You will need a Blog account so that you can post your audio blog here. I would recommend Blogger.com. Here are some tips:
  
• Give your podcast a title
  
• Number your episode 
  
• Add a short description for your episode 
  
• Add a hyperlink to the MP3 file for this episode 
  
• Add tags to help search engines identify the contents of your podcast episode 
  

8. Burn your podcast feed

• Use Feedburner to create an RSS feed for your Podcast so that feed readers will pick up your Podcast 
  

9. Add your podcast to ITunes and other Podcast directories

• Upload your Podcast to iTunes to other Podcast sites to maximise your coverage.

Where can I learn more?

I would highly recommend visiting www.mypodcast.com, downloading the free guide to podcasting on the site, watch Common Crafts easy and simple guide to what podcasting is and creating a podcast to help you on your way.

Source and Credit to Voices.com - Small Business Podcasting Kit document

Achievable smartphone applications for small businesses

For some small to medium businesses it is easy to feel behind the curve in technology terms when all you really want to do is create engagement and cut through that creates high impact to all of your customer base for a low cost that does not take up too much of you or your team’s time. The good news is that there could be a way for you to connect with your customers in an innovative way and leapfrog your nearest competitors by miles for little cost and little effort on your part. Sound too good to be true? Read on......

The advent of smartphones such as the Apple iPhone, Google G1, Nokia E71, Blackberry Storm, Palm Pre all give businesses (including yours) the opportunity to not push heavy sales messages via SMS but actually be helpful to your customers and potential customers whilst engaging them in what you do. 

It is really simple to create smartphone applications all you need are some ideas on how you want to engage your customers, a modest budget and the help of a good technology partner who can help make your idea a reality.

Questions to ask yourself:

1) What does your business do? What is your main trade?

2) What do your customers want? What do they tell you they want from you and you do not deliver on, or alternatively what do they really like?

3) What budget could you spare and how would you let people know about the application to promote it?

Great examples of the best applications that are small business relevant would be:

• Inner fence Visa payment app to help all small businesses pay via credit card in an instant. This is a small company development but was so good it made it into the actual Apple iPhone TV advert 
• Spirit level application - would be great for a small business builder to have released this 

Great examples could be:

• a local church could have a pocket bible or audio hymn book plus the app could send you a reminder of when services and group activities are on.
• a local guitar store could launch a tuner, backing track or an application to enable the phone to be a mini amplifier.
• a hairdressers could have an app where you can upload your photo and choose a new hairstyle. Similarly this could work at an opticians.
  
• a landscape gardens could have a garden planning app that featured a calender of what to plant when, drag and drop garden redesign feature and guide to plants that work together.

Who could help me then? 

I would recommend contacting an excellent agency called Coolgorilla via their website www.coolgorilla.com. I had the pleasure of working with Roy Forsdick at Coolgorilla to create lastminute.com audio translation books on the iPhone for a very small cost and they went onto have over 1.5m downloads on iTunes and via the iPhone. The company name did not matter or how big a company it was. It was the idea, distribution channel and connecting what we did with what customers would want, all rolled into a neat bestselling application.

Good luck and be brave, it could pay massive dividends for you.

How Bazaar - 125 years of Marks and Spencer

Having grown up with Marks and Spencers (my Mum loved it as much as the royals!), it is easy for all of us to take it for granted. However I was delighted to see the great ship M&S celebrating its 125 year birthday and doing it in a style all of their own.

I have never seen a brand that has bounced back so much after everything that is thrown at it and is also so confident in its own skin. You gain a wry smile from and a sense of a bunch of marketers who really get it and know themselves by every single thing they do.

The amazing facts about M&S are how they have both stuck to their heritage of being pioneering and actually change the way we eat, shop and dress for 125 years. 

The other trick they have managed to pull off is how loved they are by the British public and every single person in Britain seems to want them to succeed. How can you achieve this? This is like searching for the answer to the meaning of life in brand terms and only since Salad Cream's position on Britain's supermarket shelves was in danger did we see the passion on Britain go towards supporting and preserving part of its heritage. If M&S was to ever even hint that it may close its doors, can you think of another company or institution that would cause so much public concern or interest in its well being? Tesco - no, BBC - not really, BHS - no way. 

Many companies tell people it is their 10th birthday and send them a voucher or something, however M&S have really invited you to be part of it and you do feel part of it. Amazing giveaways for a penny which helps engage people in the their brand story and the trust element of being over 100 years old has never been more timely. I hope my great grandkids are celebrating their 250 anniversary and that their is still a place for the old dear many years from now. 

Great work M&S keep it up!

Everyone loves their own brand

As people are wishing the year away until the credit crunch loses all of its teeth, there are many of us out there who are reevaluating our situations in what we do as a job (if we still have one) or if you are looking for a new role. 

I read an interesting article this week (Ok again in 'Psychologies' magazine) on a women who gave up the 9 to 5 and relooked at what she really wanted to do with her life. Alot of us would be eyeing up the move to the countryside, the b&b in devon, becoming a 'consultant' or even thinking we were 19 again and hoofing it round the world in hostels, then getting the Amex out and upgrading to the local Marriott (or better) and cut it down to a month of luxury instead of a year slumming it. But instead of dancing with wolves to find yourself, the article highlighted 5 easy steps to finding brand you and at this time when confidence is at an all time low everyone could learn something from going through this exercise, even over a cuppa when you have a spare half hour. 

When looking for a new role or when boldy going where no man (or woman or actually you) have been before, it is a good idea to rediscover what made you so attractive to an employer in the first place. I always see it like dating. If you have been in a long relationship, you get comfy, you are you but you begin to forget what might make you attractive should you ever have to go out and find another 'partner'. What would you dress like, who would you be looking for, what do they want in you? You don't want to jump at the first opportunity and it is an easy mistake to make to try and be something you're not just to get in the door (I am talking about jobs now!). So the best thing to do is be confident in who you are and you will be in the best frame of mind to meet potential suitors (Whether new job or career) who want to spend the rest of their life with you rather than it all ending in tears. Here are my version of the four steps to finding brand you......

1. Create your brand values. In other words, think about four key words that explain what you are all about. Think about after meeting you, what would people say about you when you left the room? (That is your brand.
2. Create your brand story. Everyone has a story, where they have come from, what they have done, why they chose those paths and ultimately how all of this ties up to show a clear path to where you want to go next. Next think about all of your key events, both personal and professional, think about those who had the biggest influence on you and also what had the biggest influence on you through your life to date (Music, sport, weddings, tragedies that made you stronger). You will be surprised how these key events unlock who you are and have been a major factor in influencing you in the past, now and in the future. If you are struggling, start writing the next chapters and even how you see the ending to your story. You never know where that may lead.
3. You are a unique product, tell me your key features. You will need a great answer to rhyme off what you can do for someone, what you will add to the role, however if a career change or upgrade, how will you rebrand yourself. What do you want to be that you can back up and start planning to putting development in place to help you get there.
4. Remember your audience. Who are you talking to line manager, hr, agency, CEO, investor? Whoever you are talking to make sure you have a think about the day they may be having, it may be to your advantage. Find out as much as you can about them, their dept and who works in it. If it is HR, why not talk to someone you know in HR (or find someone) and ask them what their role is like day to day or ask if you can speak to someone at the level or in the role you are applying for, it really will help. Lastly think about what they will really want to know and stick to that. Remember your stakeholders if there is a panel or more than one person interviewing you then ensure you find out about them and give them plenty of reasons to believe in your brand from their point of view too. 

It is tough out there but if you can rediscover what made you so special in the first place you can turn any job interview into a the life changing moment you have always dreamed of.

ASBO-tising

As I was perusing a ladies mag called 'Psychologies' (you don't need to know why!), I double took when I saw this advert for a famous lady's shampoo. So, lets get the basics right....nice lady - check, Lovely hair - check, ASBO tag - che.....what?? Now, I have been involved in many advertising pitches, ad creation and signing off campaigns through the line and I have personally got sign off from brave CEO's at times, but what on earth were anyone and everyone involved with Clairol thinking with this ad?? What the hell happened to 'just stepped out of the salon'.

I know there is a big heat readership and everyone loves a bit of celeb juice but glamourising Li-lo's nightclub face flattening antics but this is going a bit far.

I think of Clairol as a higher end beauty care brand that provides accessible salon quality on the high street, but how the agency pitched this, marketing manager said yes and then the Senior leaders signed it off is beyond me.

What's next a tag with every ten bottles, alcoholic shampoo, drink, rinse and repeat??

If you want a real lesson on how to cheapen your brand by taking a 'wouldn't it be funny if...' joke a bit far and printing it in national magazines then Clairol soon to be sponsoring Booze Britain as the biggest example of this I have seen in a long time.

Guilty of being Innocent

So, I like many of you fans, marketers, customers and journos thought it was all over for Innocent since they sold their very pith to the corporate equivalent of insecticide, The Coca Cola Corporation. However it is not all doom and gloom, Innocent may have cracked it......

My heart skipped a beat tonight as I was in Tesco (adding to their 3bn profits) and saw a new Innocent product which if you think about it is the most obvious product they could ever produce and also the one that could seen them move from niche cutsie pie brand to becoming the Coke of the chiller cabinet - Innocent orange juice.

Now, it is not the product itself that is exciting me so much, but the worked famous packaging and tone of voice. It was like being greeted by and old friend and although it was 20p more than the competitor I wanted to be one of the first to try this and have the carton in my fridge. Not since I raced to the shop on Victoria Street in London and bought a smoothie with a woolie hat for my whole team in Xmas 2006 have I been so giddy in a shop.

Highlights of the pack are innovative development of logo, persona on pack (I'm new), two simple options, with bits, no bits, classic no preachy Innocent (a route they started to go down with five a day - tsk tsk) OJ - better than chips (just wonderfully them), even a factbox saying what's in it for me and lastly the open invitation to fruit towers.

I know it is a cliche in the marketing world to talk about Innocent and it is almost cool to tut as a fellow marketers mention their name but for product innovation, packaging and tone of voice I challenge you to better it, they are even juicing Apple in that regard (sorry couldn't resist). 

Here's hoping that Innocent stay pure in product as well as marketing. As soon as the tone of voice is compromised or they become another dullard in the chiller with new product lines or they stop playing in the space that others do not dare, a sadder place it will be for all of us.

By yon bonnie Banksy

I was in Glasgow on Saturday walking down Bath Street and I saw the smartest piece of marketing I have seen in a long time and it reminded me of marketing that I wanted to explore in terms of cut through, talkability and value for money when I was at lastminute.com. 

What I could only describe as street and sign etching is the smartest most eco-friendly way to get your message across. I am unsure any of you reading has actually seen this let alone used it. 'Reverse graffiti marketing' as it is actually known is a rarely used but effective way to stop people in their tracks.

I was delighted to see the University of the West of Scotland attempting this on the streets of Glasgow this weekend. Bath Street and the surrounding streets will be choc full of students and student types who will not have heard of UWS or have a preconceived idea of who UWS are. 

(i.e. not as good as the traditional Unis of Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh). They are tapping into the cool factor by channel, message and design.

There are some small agencies that do this for everyone from Size? to Starbucks to Big Brother and although not reaching mass numbers the engagement of the individuals who notice this and also 'get it' will be far more powerful that scattergun DM or TV in the right environment.

Be brave and in times like these, be creative and you could really get some traction with the footfall not to your store but any major city or conurbation. 

Very Smart indeed.

If you are interested in this a good agency to speak to would be: Dirty Street Advertising

Innovation's what you need if you wanna be a record breaker....Yeah!

Innovation (as opposed to invention), a widely misused term and something every company no matter how dull wants to dabble in.

The truth is very few companies are as they are simply not brave enough to zag when the world zig and vice versa. I have been thinking about innovation since visiting the public toilets in London Euston (sorry - too much info readers) however I was stunned that I had to pay 30p for a well you know but was delighted that I was met with the sight of wall to wall Dyson airblades. Joy!

That feeling is what innovation is all about - that and that alone. The fact that you are excited about drying your hands, you may even have a second go, you rush out to tell people the loved ones waiting for you that you have just used it and talk through the whole process is what all product managers and marketers yearn for.

That started me thinking about the the main innovators are in our lives and I have been trying to quantify this and give examples of how others could innovate in the future. The best examples are pure brand innovations that inventions and actually fast followers putting their effort into ionic design rather than true r and d.

Ipod earphones - World wears black earphones, we (Apple) will produce white. Creating a striking tribe of apple fans that wear these as a sign of early adoption.

Callaway - World produces 'round golf drivers' we (Callaway) will produce the world's first Square driver. Nike have actually stolen the march on them through tour pro coverage and marketing, however the 'honour' still lies with Callaway.

Even something as simple as breaking convention like Walker's crisps and having Salt and Vinegar in green bags rather than blue gave mass infamy across the UK (and outrage amongst those who are colourblind) almost immediately.

So the simple rules of innovation seem to be, look at your market and product and like Paul Arden famously said 'Whatever you think, think opposite'.

Simples.

To Twit To Who?

So, Twitter is the latest 'socialite' to takeover our collective lives and destroy millions of pounds of industry productivity and the ability to concentrate on anything anyone else is saying unless they are part of your virtual circle of friends. Great huh? 

Well, yes bloody brilliant in fact as it gives you the ability to brag to the world what you are doing right now or to show them how quickly you can RT (retweet) the latest snippet of news to show how 'in the know' you are. 

Fun for us, but for the CEOs and CMOs it is another panic meeting in your diary for them to ask you , "what is this Twitter and how the hell can we make money from it". This shows yet again the lack of thought, respect and understanding of those who are using it from the more senior people in the stodgier organisations. Meanwhile most brand and marketing manager's will be breathing a sigh of relief as they didn't quite crack facebook, myspace, bebo or even this blogging thing so they have a chance to start again and make a real success of this latest tool to engage their audience. Could this be the one the (business) world is waiting for?

So how can you make it work and what are the rules when starting to dabble in the Twitterverse for your company:

1) Have a reason to be there. Same as any communication. If you are a bank, really think about the reason to be there - you won't have many fans right now. However if you have deals, inside track info or real interest from letting people into your daily office life then this is the start of a conversation.

Brands that could do well are:

- O2 on tarriffs, priority tickets and competitions
- lastminute.com could communicate any real 'lastminute' deals through Twitter and make it pay to be a member

- Radio and TV stations promoting competitions, song now playing and coming up Tweets as direct calls to action

2) Drive sign ups through communications and on your site, reasons to join and continued engagement when they have joined, its email subscription all over again!  

3) Follow the 'Twitterquette' as peeing off your followers could be a big mistake that could result in negative Tweets and would damage your brand faster than Gerald Ratner.

David Norris a learned former colleague of mine from lastminute.com who is now COO at livebookings has constructed a few handy hints on Twitterquette.

Which brands have got it right?

So far great examples are brands that really bring you into their world. 

- Spotify's what music they are listening to whilst having cake afternoons and also updating you every few days with the baffling amount of tracks that are available to listen to for FREE (talk about a reason to follow).

- Lovefilm's handy hints about their service and what they are watching is great but could do more on film releases that week and what is good in cinema and dvd.

- BBC have got it pegged as usual as a quick reminder that the apprentice is on will see you drop the iphone and switch your undivided attention for an hour which let's face it you never do anymore not even for you fav football team! 

But the real winners are the celebs like Stephen Fry, Tim Lovejoy, Chris Moyles, Philip Schofield, Lily Allen, Mike Skinner, Jonathan Ross, Rob Brydon and Holly Willoughby. The draw is From Tweets about what to wear, what they are drinking is a cheeky intriguing glimpse of what their life's are really like and is a nanosecondly updated version of 'heat'. Then we have the chance to reply where all of of our friends can see our 'witty' comments or helpful points to celebs in need. The constant checking to see if they have replied to you keeps you engaged although it never happens (apart from Toby Young - Thanks Toby!) no matter you will do it all over again in a mere few minutes time. 

Holy Moly has brilliantly developed a formula of Twitter Twattiness which is as follows:

100-(100 divided by f1 multiplied by f2)= percentage tool when f1=followers f2=following

Boiled down means when looking at celebs the bigger the gap in followers to those following, the bigger their ego etc.

Guess who is the winner of this competition? (The Biggest Brand on the planet)

Which Brand's have got it wrong?

Brand Loser's are most of the bands whose Tweets are written by their manager or some lacky. We are too savvy for this and if you cannot be bothered to type 140 characters to your closest fans then you may lose us depending on how powerful Twitter becomes. Oasis, Britney and Coldplay should know better by now being Global Brand Juggernauts themselves. Tut Tut!!

So in summary Twitter looks like it will be a very fragmented channel unless you drive followers, have reasons to follow and give real value to your followers. 

Lastly - how do you know it has worked? Interaction, followers and measuring your buzz rating via the Linked in App is a good start to keep the people upstairs in dinner chat about how they have got the better of Twitter.

Good luck! 

I will leave you with a clip on the people Twitter is turning us into from Current TV

Pun-derball - great Bond ad line

It tickled me the other day to see a new ad from hmv promoting the fact that the new Bond 'second in a trilogy except Daniel Craig is signed up for 2 more boring one that is building to something bigger honest guv' namely Quantum of Solace.

There does seem to be a real battle on price with the Bond movie and whether it is the shop heavily discounting on the family Broccoli not wanting this to sell lower volumes than the last one remains unanswered, however at £7 in Tesco it is a 'good buy' indeed and worth getting (underwhelming a movie as it is).

The ad pictured reminded me that with all the doom and gloom going on I have not seen many great fun ads and this really did make me laugh out loud when I saw it. Sad but true. There are few examples I can think of but am hoping that 

Also if you wish an aural treat then watch Adam Buxton's suggestion for a better theme tune than the odd indie r'n'b not even looking at each other in the video version that Jack White and Alicia Keyes released.

Stamped out - Death of our libraries

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin......

I was really sad to see an article in yesterday's Observer by Rachel Cook entitled 'The Death of the Library' that highlights the fact that libraries, like churches and our high streets, were the centre of our community and now they are on the slippery slope to being closed down or turned into a drop in centre or worse, a Wetherspoons (other wallet friendly drinking emporiums are available).

I started thinking about this issue over a year ago as my Mother worked in the local Library for twentysomething years and was one of those pillars of society who could not walk 10 yards without saying 'Hello Mr. Jones, how is Betty doing?' which is beyond any customer service that we see today. However it seems that the Library could be the last place we do see this level of community as our real communities are eroding while we are all too busy creating new virtual ones.

My Mum said that it was sad to see the staff being less busy, less books being 'taken out' and less kids coming in to take advantage of the events and services offered by the Library. It seems her retirement could not have came at a better time.

There are many culprits we could look to all the way from Amazon and Tesco for their cheap prices and easy access to books, or Local Councils for not moving with the times, the reduction in great books being commissioned as a 'celeb' autobiographies will sell more units (much like the record industry, hence the charts being full of bile) or we can also blame ourselves i.e. own 'lazy-itis' for just wanting to switch off after work so we can watch 'Come dine with me', happy that the kids are busy playing Playstation or simply the fact that we are all still working long after the Library has closed.

Now, this issue gets me emotional and excited as personal feelings aside, I see this as a brand and marketing issue that can be solved and something I would personally love to take on as a challenge. The question or business problem is no different that many other brands face, "How can we (Brand X) be relevant on today's society?".

All that has happened is that the Library, like many other brands, have simply forgotten why they exist, what is their reason for being and how can they stick to that through everything they do whilst fending off competitors and evolving their marketing strategies that still stay true to their consistent brand promise.

This is what I have been spending most of my time in the last two years working on, what is your brand promise and how can you deliver on that promise every single day in everything you do? Not easy and there are actually very few companies that you could name that absolutely 'keep' their brand promise every time. Apple, Google and Disney being the kings.

So, looking at the Library, the original brand promise may have been 'to give everyone free access to books'. They can still have this as the core but they need to make that promise relevant for today's customer. Let's look at the changes ....

As time has passed two things have happened:

1) Libraries have added on services to keep people coming through the doors

- Kids clubs

- Free access to PCs

- Photocopying

- Hiring Albums, CDs and DVD

and now some are even offering

- Coffee shops

- Soft Play

- Creches

- Yoga??

2) External factors

- Supermarkets selling books at low prices

- Changes in reading habits and what we read

- More instant society

- Online sites selling books at discount prices direct to your door

- Audio books on iTunes, click and 'read'

- People having less time through work and social activities

- New inventions suck as Kindle and Sony Reader

- CDs, Downloads and PCs are accessible to most

- Charity shops benefiting from up to date titles as books become more disposable  

How do you handle this if you are the Library - there are alot of factors and largely their industry and customer has changed. 

The real question is - do we want to save them or not? If so, how can we help?

What could be the solution, what would you do? Is turning them into coffee bars/come Internet cafes, move them all nearer the big retail parks (take the mountain to Mohammed), set up express concessions inside key stores or in train stations, go online a la Lovefilm or is it something different? My bet is a bit of all of this and more and creating a community all over again is key to this working and I think there is still alot of goodwill in the bank for all of us that put effort into worthy causes and could afford some time to help on this.

A good starting point would be that the Leaders of the Local Councils help Libraries take the bull by the horns by appointing a brand agency that would be able to help them solve this before it's too late. Through some re-alignment of the business and how they are positioned, smart PR and delivery of a revised brand promise, Libraries could still be delighting readers from 2 to 102 for many years to come.

The End? Hopefully not.