Where is hot in May? Branded utility from BA

When I plan a holiday I either know where I want to go or I know when I want to go.  The first is ok but when you only have a time slot it can he hard to know where to start.  This month BA launched Tripseeker, an interactive planning tool that allows you to find a destination based on time, price and temperature.  You can play with the variables and see on a map what your options are (uses Google Earth).  This tool is built with BA destinations in mind so might not cover everything but it is a good start.  Imagine if you could also add recommendation data to this tool as well.  So once you have identified your ideal destination you could then get pull in recommendations and reviews for hotels, restaurants and sights.  Feel like getting away?  Try out Tripseeker http://www.britishairways.com/travel/TRIPSEEKER/public/en_gb?refevent=HomeBannerBlue&openxzoneid=301&openxcampaign=Tripseeker-A&openxbanner=7310&openxtype=click

A match made for owned heaven

Heston and Delia, maybe an unlikely combination on first glance but I am emjoying Waitrose’ current comms strategy that has put a content partnership at its heart.  This campaign has been executed with consistency across multiple channels and it is encouraging me as customer to spend more time thinking about waitrose.  Delia and Heston can be experienced in store, in their weekly newspaper, on the website, on youtube and on my iphone.  What a brilliant example of making your ‘owned’ assets work for you, i think is more they could be doing to drive earned media from this activity to make it even more powerful.  Focusing on ‘owned’ i like the fact that however I choose to access this content the story is simple to follow and it provides me with something useful whether I see it first in store, or read about it in their newspaper or discover it on my iphone. The new iphone app allows me to view the recipes and add to my shopping list (not to buy via iphone but to use in store) if i want to watch the chefs in action I can go to their new Youtube channel.  I also read that waitrose are launching a cooking school later this year.  In my mind Waitrose are now a premium brand but now also really demonstrate their value by offering me more products and services that I would have expected from a supermarket and just in case I still feel that I should be more careful with my grocery money then the new ATL campaign is making me feel better that on over 1000 products they are same price as Tesco.  Another example of a brand who gets the new ecosystem and how each layer of content can contribute to how I feel about them… just need to be a bit more in the earned space….

Brand butler at work

Estee Lauder helping people look their best on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/EsteeLauderUK?ref=ts

App-itite

I do love apps, well iPhone ones anyway.  I am currently loving the Ocado App.  Very clever and simple.   Upmarket food shoppers who love waitrose probably also have a good chance of owning an iPhone so Ocado have made it even easier to order your groceries on the go.  The App is fast and simple and will get your groceries to door by the next day.  Now that last 5 mins of down time has been filled.  Thank you Ocado this is branded utility at its best.

Everything is rentable and needs based marketing

We have long been referred to as a throw away society but now are we becoming more of a dip in and out society?  This months Wired magazine got me thinking with their feature on ‘Why own your life when you can rent it’  Pretty much everything you need can be rented or used on a impermanent basis: rent a flat, car, handbag, office space and web space to name a just a few.  Not only is this better for environment it is also better for our pockets, next time you go to buy just think ‘is there another way’.

Some of my favourites:  Street Car, Bag borrow or steal, The Frock Exchange, Google Docs

Branded utility – what can my brand do to be really useful?  Maybe facilitating something around these temporary experiences or needs could be the starting point for an idea…..