Internal Marketing, why bother?

Throughout University, and many modules of different marketing formats, one area that has never been covered, is internal marketing, and the benefit it can have on the both motivation and communication given to your employees. Whilst I agree that external marketing will always have monetary gains, from experience, I believe that this is dependent upon the Industry you are in, and that in some industry’s, especially the heavily manufacturing industry, internal marketing could be as/if not more important.

When I refer to internal marketing, I believe it can be summarised as: an employee motivational tool to effectively satisfy its customers. So it is not just about displaying information about the business, or about news and events that are happening (although they do play an important role), it is about providing your employees with information that will focus their judgments and decisions on customer satisfaction. Having the recognition and therefore the motivation to go beyond your day-to-day duty, could change the perspective a customer has of your organisation. If this can be achieved through simple recognition, and a greater emphasis on pushing key information to your employees, then this should be facilitated within your organisation. As identified by ‘thesocialworkplace’, employee recognition is not just about employee motivation, or working harder, but could also give an increased employee retention, which is now very hard to sustain within the UK’s ‘itchy feet’ culture.

So does your organisation focus heavily on external marketing? Does it not do any marketing at all? Would you, as an employee feel more wanted and valued if you had access to up to date information or are you in a position to offer greater information to your employees? Internal marketing will only create a more informed workforce, and the time and resources to manage such a project, are far smaller than the potential ROI that it could have.

It’s not a complicated topic, but it is one that I think is often overlooked because it is not seen as a physical or monetary gain, and this is a real shame.

James

Ps. I’m as shocked as you are about how serious I was just then. My comical genius will be back soon, but just then, for five minutes, I enjoyed being serious.

Tony the Traitor – Paddy’s at it again!

Firstly I must apologise and as this is again football related, but seeing as the majority of television is now based around the world cup, it seems counterintuitive not to discuss it.

So who actually thought that we were ever going to beat Italy?

Paddy Power must have been licking their lips as the surprising english optimism was once again shot down by ‘Pirlo’ and his band of bearded heroes. The only surprising thing about this game, was how quickly Paddy Power produced such a brilliant piece of advertising. It was evidently pre planned, and it would have been funny to see there advertisement had England actually won the game, but then I suppose pigs can’t fly!

Paddy Power hung a man named Tony, in a gibbet, because he cashed in on making a fortune because Italy won the game, is a stroke of genius. As you can see, the text is bold and is immediately identifiable, and highlights how strong the Paddy Power brand has become.

Yes some of their campaigns such as ‘Money Back if Oscar Walks’ may have gone a little to far, but in terms of publicity and a reaction to their campaigns, they do generate interest and discussion.

Yet again Paddy Power have reacted quickly and this time managed to put a positive spin on what was a terrible night for all English Optimists. Lets hope they can keep this going and that their expressive freedom is not curtailed by a small majority.

James

 

 

 

BBC vs ITV World Cup coverage

In short, why the hell is Adrian Chiles ITV’s leading presenter for this months World Cup in Brazil. I mean firstly, he’s a West Brom fan, which immediately qualifies him to know nothing about football. (Although he did admit that Diego Lugano was a waste of space, something that Costa Rica quickly found out)

Secondly, Why did ITV think that Chiles was Gary Lineker’s equal? England’s second highest goal scorer, or a slightly round guy from Birmingham, that presented the one show and the appalling day break? Lets not even mention his monotonous voice!

But this is not ITV’s only world cup calamity. Cannavaro is a world cup winning captain, but to have him as a pundit in the studio, alongside Viera and Lee Dixon could not make for less enjoyable TV. In comparison, listening to the smooth “Va Va Voom” of Thierry Henry, the passion of Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand’s no-nonsense approach to everything, was so much more interesting. The dynamic between them is like that of the 1998 Manchester United team, as they seem like a genuinely close-knit group that are fully engrossed in football. Whereas ITV’s misfits seem uncomfortable and on edge.

Maybe ITV’s misfits are trying to get the little jingle that some genius has created, which opens every ITV coverage. You can only assume it is entitled Brazil, as this would summarise the extent of ITV’s creativity. I admit it is catchy, and when you see the Brazilian man playing his little instrument, you do immediately transport to a land far far away. My issue with it however is how simple and stereotypical it is. BBC have created a story board that sees footballers past and present, turned into small Subuteo like figures on a quest to get to Brazil. It simply makes for a more interesting watch.

We could continue in this light for a long time, but inevitably the BBC have got something wrong. Yes, ITV’s Andy Townsend is one of the worst commentators ever, but Phil Neville somehow manages to make him sound like Morgan Freeman. Phil’s debut commentary was the England vs. Italy game, and the backlash after the game was incredible. Phil was trending throughout the night on twitter, with 102.7 thousand tweets including Phil Neville’s name at one point. It wont destroy his commentators career, but could he have had a worse start?

So who wins? BBC? ITV?

I might just do that annoying thing when you don’t actually pick a winner, and say something alternative like, ‘Football is the real winner here’. But I won’t! The BBC have won this duel easily. They have better pundits, a better introduction piece, and we haven’t even had to mention the actual football matches!

James

Nike The Last Game (Must Watch)

Theres something about the world cup that is so enchanting, it doesn’t matter what nation you are in or are from, you just can’t help but get excited about it! This excitement is only enhanced by numerous world cup related adverts that are shown prior to the start of the tournament, none more so than Nike’s latest stroke of genius.

The ‘Risk Everything’ campaign features a host of Nike’s sponsored football players including Ronaldo, Rooney, Neymar and Ibrahimovich, and their latest ‘Last Game’ advert has digitally remastered all its footballers and turned them into cartoons. Each character maintains there main features and characteristics, and pits them against a team of perfect Robot clones. Inevitably the originals beat the cloned players, and it is the notion of everyone being different, and offering something completely different, that really emphasises why the World Cup is so great!

No two players are the same! No two countries or teams play the same way! And no two managers get the tactics right 100% of the time, but that is what the world cup is about! The world cup advocates individuality and encourages global differentiation, which is truly unique to large sporting occasions. Nike have captured this notion perfectly, and through some clever CGI have created a truly wonderful advertisement which will resonate with football fans worldwide.

Video :

James

One thing I do find a bit strange, is that out of all the footballing goalkeepers in the world, why have Nike only got Tim Howard (Manchester United’s Cast off) as there sponsored Goal Keeper? Even worse is the fact that Ribery and Ibrahimovich could be joined by Ronaldo whilst they watch the World Cup from the comforts of their own homes. If Ronaldo doesn’t recover in time for the tournament, three of Nikes biggest stars wont even be at the world cup, and that is really devastating!