The Sauce – 20/12/23

This is for you marketers.

‘The Sauce’ newsletter is your weekly dollop of marketing news.

This week’s edition brings you Apple’s festive ad campaign, a cheeky ad from On the Beach, details of Auto Trader’s increased marketing investment, and the latest on personalised marketing.

Read on for the full stories from the past week and visit the Awesomesauce Marketing LinkedIn page to get The Sauce straight to your inbox.

 

A Bite of the Big Apple

Apple’s latest campaign takes inspiration from the brand’s iconic white shopping bags, with giant versions of the bags now featuring on out-of-home billboards in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Munich and Paris.

The ‘Wonder Awaits’ campaign draws on the anticipation and excitement of the instantly recognisable white bags and also features in-store and online. The Apple logo on the bag has the addition of a white bow which adds a festive touch.

Here’s what our Account & Strategy Director, (and self-confessed Apple addict) James Keith thinks of the latest campaign:

“This campaign is Apple through and through. The brand is known for minimalism from its product-design to marketing, and the brand is strong enough that its logo and bag are instantly recognisable. These ads are so simple but with the brand’s strong identity and the high-footfall locations, this campaign will make a big impact. It’s designed to replicate the feeling of getting a new Apple product and cleverly drives desire for the product without showing the product itself.”

What’s on your Christmas list? We’re hoping for iPhone 15 Pros here in the Awesomesauce office!

These ads are so simple but with the brand’s strong identity and the high-footfall locations, this campaign will make a big impact.

On the Beach Crashes Chanel Show

Online travel agent On the Beach has ambushed a Chanel show with a cheeky new ad. Chanel Metiers d’Art is one of the world’s most prestigious fashion events, attracting A-list celebrities and having previously been held in Paris, Rome and New York.

This year’s event took place in Manchester, and locally HQ’d On the Beach chose to make an impact with a mobile poster ad. The ad featured a Chanel bag with the line “This bag’s £5,093 cheaper in Turkey (May as well get some sun while you’re there too)”, encouraging consumers to ‘bag’ a bargain holiday on their website.

The tongue-in-cheek ad caused a stir in the Awesomesauce office and provided a welcome distraction from the weather, but was it a step too far? Seemingly encouraging consumers to buy counterfeit Chanel bags is a somewhat risky and very brave strategy and not one we’d recommend to our clients! But kudos to On the Beach for taking a risk which undoubtedly raised their profile.

What do you think of the On the Beach ad? Bold and effective marketing or a step too far? 

 

Auto Trader’s Turbo-Charged Marketing Investment

Online automotive marketplace Auto Trader is set to boost its marketing investment as it aims to reach a bigger audience in the UK, as well as appealing to a younger demographic and a female audience.

The company says it will increase marketing investment by 23% year-on-year in Q1 2024, as it looks to further build trust and ‘brand saliency’.

As part of the investment the brand’s adverts will appear in high-profile spots from Boxing Day and into the new year, including The Voice, and Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win, as well as TV idents through its ongoing partnership with Channel 4.

Mark Boyles, Art & Digital Director at Awesomesauce, said, “Auto Trader is a great example of a brand which adapted and survived the digital revolution as it evolved from a print magazine to the digital version known today. With the current economic climate, we’re seeing many businesses reluctant to invest in marketing so it’s fantastic to see Auto Trader continue to evolve and invest with a multi-platform approach.”

How is your 2024 planning coming along? Are you increasing marketing spend?

We’re seeing many businesses reluctant to invest in marketing.

Digital Marketing is Missing the Mark

Research cited by MarketingTech last week has found that brands are missing the mark when it comes to digital marketing.

The survey found that 66% of UK consumers hear from brands digitally six or more times a day, but 88% claim that half or less of the content is relevant to them. 19% even said that none of the content they receive is relevant to them. And with 41% saying they would switch from even their favourite brands if the customer experience got worse, it’s crucial that brands address their digital marketing comms.

Our take? Personalisation is the best way to deliver targeted messaging and convert leads, but only if it’s done right. Data quality is key, and with 51% of consumers in the survey admitting to deliberately trying to withhold their personal information, the struggle is real. 

With the right data and CRM systems brands can deliver detailed and personalised customer journeys, but as demonstrated in the survey results, it’s easy to get wrong without the correct data, expertise and systems. In these cases generic messaging aimed at the brand’s target audience is often the best way to hit the mark.

Need help with your digital marketing and tailoring your messaging or defining your audience? Email james@awesomesaucemarketing.co.uk.

 

Happy Holidays from the Awesomesauce team and be on the lookout for the latest dollop of marketing news in the new year! In the meantime don’t forget to check out our previous posts here.

Want to find out more about what we do and how we can help your business? 

Contact our Account & Strategy Director James Keith on LinkedIn or email james@awesomesaucemarketing.co.uk.