Tesco's first half results were revealed today and the news is generally positive. In a week where the retail giant also announced that they were moving into the home insulation business - the company seems to be continuing to sail through the economic minefield relatively unscathed. With fuel bills ever rising and generous government subsidies home insulation is one business that seems to be booming, and n typical Tesco style - they've moved in for a piece of the pie. Indeed this would seem a much safer bet than their financial services offerings at the moment. Today Tesco Chairman David Reid was at pains to tell us that Tesco is holding up strongly but warning with just a hint of modesty in his triumphalism that Tesco is unlikely to be completely unaffected by current events.
In marketing terms Tesco have started to shift their promotion back to their core business at the checkouts and play up their grocery offering, highlighting value for money. Despite having several press ads banned by the ASA in August for making a comparison against ASDA that it deemed unfair, Tesco continues to position on price in their most recent campaigns in what is likely to be a fierce battle amongst the supermarkets in the crucial run-up to Christmas. Both Tesco and ASDA announced hundreds of discounts across their stores last week heralding an almighty scrap ahead, and today Waitrose's Managing Director, the aptly named Mark Price appeared on Radio 4 stating that he thinks food prices will start to come down after the rapid rises we've seen in the past months.
I for one am currently reconsidering my supermarket shopping habits and I suspect I'm not the only one. In a climate where there are a lot of potential 'switchers', or to put it in political terms - 'floating voters', the fight to retain previously loyal customers will be vital for all supermarkets, and I'm sure those at the 'value' end of the positioning dichotomy will also be looking to recruit those 'trading down'. In my view, Waitrose and M&S are probably the most vulnerable supermarkets in the current climate, as their premium brand reputations may lead even its usually loyal (to the point of evangelism) shoppers to look elsewhere in search of better value.
Mark Price may need to start to mark down his prices in earnest in coming months if he's to maintain his market share...
:~
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Style or Substance? A Tale of Two Sarahs
The two women grabbing all of the political headlines in recent weeks met last night at a charity dinner hosted by Sarah Brown.
The two Sarahs, Palin and Brown are both women of stature and intellect, and yet we still find a great deal of the discussion in the media about their personal style. Is this right or fair? Should we just concentrate on the politics? On our moral high ground we could dismiss this comment as misogyny, but I for one will freely admit that I am interested in how these women present themselves, and I think it's important.
Call it personal branding or whatever you like, but as much as we may deny it, the impact we have on people is made up of a whole range of things about them, including their physical appearance, mannerisms, tone of voice, and the way they dress. It may be a controversial view, but I believe we owe it to ourselves to present our best self to the world, even if it is not an essential part of our job. The problem many women have is in creating a personal style that does not overpower what they are trying to say.
I was in the states when Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican running-mate for John McCain, and there was a huge amount of coverage across the network about her 'sexy hockey mom' image, which had an undercurrent of dismissal about it. Palin's look is polished and professional but with that edge of sexiness which may or may not be deliberate. Either way, I'm sure she has a team of advisers and stylists helping her create the signature look. She certainly looked worldly, and for someone who didn't have a passport until last year that was maybe what was required.
At the Labour Party conference this week Sarah Brown, however, was incredibly understated in her dress. In fact, for the key speech in which she introduced her husband (and for which she has since been feted by the vast majority of the British press) she wore an ill-fitting black and grey outfit which (in my opinion) could not have been more drab if it had tried. Certainly no hint of provocation there, and yet it seems to have worked for her. Sarah doesn't seem to make the bold, ill-advised mistakes that Cherie Blair did, but neither does she look 'stylish'. However, in many ways this is what is most likely to endear her to the British public - she looks quite ordinary. Compared to the stylised artifice of Carla Bruni's Dior wardrobe on the recent state visit from France, Sarah Brown has an earthiness which may indeed save her husband's bacon.
So,what's the marketing message here? Well, like it or not appearances are important, and no matter what we look like physically, we have control over parts of the way we appear to others through our dress and grooming, and that goes for businesses too. There's no shame in presenting your best self to the world - it might even win you some business...or an election! :~
The two Sarahs, Palin and Brown are both women of stature and intellect, and yet we still find a great deal of the discussion in the media about their personal style. Is this right or fair? Should we just concentrate on the politics? On our moral high ground we could dismiss this comment as misogyny, but I for one will freely admit that I am interested in how these women present themselves, and I think it's important.
Call it personal branding or whatever you like, but as much as we may deny it, the impact we have on people is made up of a whole range of things about them, including their physical appearance, mannerisms, tone of voice, and the way they dress. It may be a controversial view, but I believe we owe it to ourselves to present our best self to the world, even if it is not an essential part of our job. The problem many women have is in creating a personal style that does not overpower what they are trying to say.
I was in the states when Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican running-mate for John McCain, and there was a huge amount of coverage across the network about her 'sexy hockey mom' image, which had an undercurrent of dismissal about it. Palin's look is polished and professional but with that edge of sexiness which may or may not be deliberate. Either way, I'm sure she has a team of advisers and stylists helping her create the signature look. She certainly looked worldly, and for someone who didn't have a passport until last year that was maybe what was required.
At the Labour Party conference this week Sarah Brown, however, was incredibly understated in her dress. In fact, for the key speech in which she introduced her husband (and for which she has since been feted by the vast majority of the British press) she wore an ill-fitting black and grey outfit which (in my opinion) could not have been more drab if it had tried. Certainly no hint of provocation there, and yet it seems to have worked for her. Sarah doesn't seem to make the bold, ill-advised mistakes that Cherie Blair did, but neither does she look 'stylish'. However, in many ways this is what is most likely to endear her to the British public - she looks quite ordinary. Compared to the stylised artifice of Carla Bruni's Dior wardrobe on the recent state visit from France, Sarah Brown has an earthiness which may indeed save her husband's bacon.
So,what's the marketing message here? Well, like it or not appearances are important, and no matter what we look like physically, we have control over parts of the way we appear to others through our dress and grooming, and that goes for businesses too. There's no shame in presenting your best self to the world - it might even win you some business...or an election! :~
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