Top 4 of the Week

1. Content Distribution Networks finding their niche

Content distribution networks are websites which host information gathered from other sources such as blogs and other smaller websites.

A lucrative market with low barriers to entry has led to an abundance of entrants over the last few years. This may make things harder for the website owners but it is definitely better for the consumers.

With more choice of these type of site to visit, website such as Vice, WorldstarHiphop and Prote.in have made sure to position themselves in such a way where they attract a specific segment of the market rather than trying to be everything to everyone .

I guess it is better to have a small cult following than to be popular but substitutable.

Worldstarhiphop: Urban, Young, Hip-hop culture

Vice: Anti-establishment, Indie, Alternative

Prote.in: Progressive, Innovators, Early adopters

Verdict: 4 Stars

2. McCoys Hyper-masculine identity

McCoys have recently found themselves in hot water due to a backlash from female crisps lovers caused by their hyper-masculine positioning. They dubbed their product as “Man Crisps” and drew on alpha male stereotypes at the expense of female consumers.

In the past Yorkies have found success in with the same formula, under their “It’s not for girls” campaign without any backlash form women. So why has is it worked for McCoy?

1. The brand may be perceived as anti-women instead of pro-men
2. The Yorkie’s campaign is still recent enough to be fresh in people memories

It’s a minor glitch in an otherwise solid campaign as McCoys have solidified this position by sponsoring the Darts Premier League, but if you are going to copy another brands positioning, you have to do it better or you will be seen as a cheap imitation.

Verdict: 3 Stars

3. DBPP – Death by PowerPoint

A phrase I heard more than “brand awareness” and “consumer engagement” since I have started this internship. I quickly learnt what I meant.

In an industry such as marketing where an idea is only as good as the way it is presented to potential clients, PowerPoint or even Prezzi (I hate Prezzi grr) are useful tools to aid marketers when giving a pitch.
However the use of PowerPoint is so prevalent in this industry that it can become tedious as times and when used in the wrong way can make great idea seem flat and disengaging.

Here are the main tips Jon Steel gave on giving a good presentation.

1. Minimise the text on screen, where possible just use a picture, so that the focus remains on you
2. Don’t overdo it with the stats: it’s better to conceptualise statistic than using pie charts
3. Don’t just tell me what you know, tell me a story”: carry the viewer on a journey with presentation
4. Dare to be different: you don’t have to give a presentation with PowerPoint.

Verdict: 5 Stars

4. Sartalics

I do not know how I am this actually fits in with marketing but I have always said that there should be a font specifically for sarcasm.

We have all been in that position when you text someone with a sarcastic reply and the tone of the response gets lost in translation.

Well not any more...say welcome to Sartalic, an italic font that leans to the left to denote sarcasm.

I will not be surprised to see this gain momentum on social media followed by cooperation hi-jacking it for marketing campaigns, similar to the meme situations.

The trolling possibilities are endless, \like Tim Henman’s tennis achievements\.

Verdict: 5 Stars

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