M&S invites customers to spend a penny

Today sees Marks and Spencer get in on the nostalgia trend and return to its Penny Bazaar roots. The British institution is celebrating its 125th birthday by offering customers the opportunity to snap up 2 million specially commissioned items, ranging from socks to cufflinks, for the princely sum of 1p.

Every penny earned will be donated to the M&S 125 Charity Challenge, which raises money for local and regional charities across the country. Stuart Rose, the company's executive chairman, said: "It's been a tough year for us all but people are fed up with being fed up and we wanted to give our customers a real treat."

This is a smart move from M&S, and one that is clearly founded in 'real world' consumer insight. It acknowledges the fact that we are all seeking comfort in the past, as well as giving something back - both to charity and the consumer. Everyone's a winner, not least of all M&S itself.

The amount of free publicity generated will mean that the event has probably paid for itself. Not only has it made headline news, but it's also being discussed on money-saving sites across the country, as well as high fashion and marketing blogs.

Check out the TV ad here:

Daddy, what did YOU do in the Recession?

We've already blogged about how a little goodwill can go a long way in these straitened times.

Here are some nice examples of brands putting this into action:

Kraft has been offering literal warmth and fuzziness in the form of heating bus shelters and giving away free soup samples in the Windy City.

Also in the US, FedEx has made the grand gesture of allowing customers to print off up to 25 copies of their CVs for free - at any of its 1,600 stores across the US.

Hyundai US has bucked the trend for car manufacturers to lure in new custom by offering 0% finance deals (i.e. what got us into this mess in the first place!) with its aptly-named 'Assurance' programme. The promise? If you lose your job after buying a new Hyundai, you can simply walk away from your loan or lease and return the car to Hyundai. The programme launched in January and so far, Hyundai has recorded an increase of nearly 5% YOY (versus overall US car sales which are down 40% YOY).

Meanwhile in the UK, Tango has shown that manners cost nothing by launching a limited edition can replacing their "Tango" logo with the word "Thanks". Why? Simply to "thank the public for saving the brand" by responding to the "Save Tango" campaign in their droves and boosting sales by 8%.

What could your brand be doing to shore up a little goodwill?

The lost art of kindness

I’d like to share with you a truly brilliant essay published in the Guardian Review dated Saturday 3rd January.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/03/society-politics

The article runs to some nine pages so allow me to summarise: kindness is dead.

Adam Phillips and Barbara Taylor (just Taylor, not Bradford) put it much more eloquently:

“Most people appear to believe that deep down they (and other people) are mad, bad and dangerous to know; that as a species - apparently unlike other species of animal - we are deeply and fundamentally antagonistic to each other, that our motives are utterly self-seeking and that our sympathies are forms of self-protectiveness.

Kindness - not sexuality, not violence, not money - has become our forbidden pleasure. In one sense kindness is always hazardous because it is based on a susceptibility to others, a capacity to identify with their pleasures and sufferings. Putting oneself in someone else's shoes, as the saying goes, can be very uncomfortable. But if the pleasures of kindness - like all the greatest human pleasures - are inherently perilous, they are none the less some of the most satisfying we possess.”

I believe there is a learning herein for, believe it or not, brands. Yes, brands - the very pillars of capitalism. The economic downturn represents a great opportunity for brands to show some compassion and understanding for their consumers (and store up some goodwill while they’re at it).

‘Nichetributes’ are a great example of how they could do this. The brilliant http://www.trendwatching.com/ coined the term, which denotes attributes/features/additions to existing products, making them more attractive to specific user groups, while at the same time signalling to those users that the brand ‘gets’ it, that it cares. For consumers, anything practical and useful will go down well in these leaner times, while anything that speaks their language will be reciprocated with appreciation and goodwill.

N.B. This trend is NOT about tailoring your advertising message; it IS about tailoring your product.

So, there you have it. Be kinder. If there’s a better New Year’s resolution out there, I’ve yet to hear it. NG