branding

Even Christmas drinks show something about branding

December 25, 2008 By Dan Thornton

Firstly, Merry Christmas to everyone!

Secondly, my love of marketing means that I couldn’t help but comment on a micro-brewery I discovered when I stocked up on alcohol for Christmas (in moderation, obviously!).

I’m still coming to terms with getting older – and discovering a taste for ‘real beer’ rather than massmarket lager, so I always like to try a couple of new beers on ever shopping trip.

Which is how I spotted Punk IPA from Brewdog.

It’s definitely an example of a business, brand and product with the marketing built in!

From their site:

‘Beer was never meant to be bland, tasteless and apathetic.
At BrewDog we are setting the record straight.
We are committed to making the highest quality beers with the finest fresh natural ingredients.
Our beers are in no way commercial or mainstream.
We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.
We are unique and individual.’
A beacon of non-conformity in a increasingly monotone corporate desert.
We are proud to be an intrepid David in a desperate ocean of insipid Goliaths.
We are proud to be an alternative.’

Interestingly, they’ve just been successful in a battle with the industry-backed Portman Group over the language on some of the labels on their beer – for instance describing Punk IPA as an aggresive beer, which the group original claimed would ‘encourage anti-social behaviour’.

You can read more about the battle in a great post on the Brewdog blog. Meanwhile, I’m hopeful about trying some of their other produce, particularly the Hop Rocker, The Physics, and the Hardcore IPA!

Has Microsoft made a major marketing mistake?

November 21, 2008 By Dan Thornton

I downloaded the new Xbox Live Experience and Dashboard for my Xbox 360 last night, and while the functionality is taking a little bit of time to adjust to, I’ve already decided I don’t like a major part of the strategy. And more importantly, it may be a big mistake for Microsoft.

Everyone in the world knows the success that Nintendo has had with the Wii – which ignored the graphical arms race to focus on party games and family friendliness, plus little WiiMii avatars etc.

But I didn’t buy an Xbox 360 for those reasons. I bought it because I loved the Xbox Live functionality, enjoyed fairly mature games, and saw the potential for digital music and film distribution.

I liked the fact the Xbox was seen as slightly more hardcore than the family Wii or the trendy PS3. I liked the fact it was more of an unusual choice, and that in my opinion it looked quite stylish. I like the fact the dashboard system was quite simple and functional.

But with the new dashboard update, Microsoft has essentially forced me to turn my Xbox 360 into a less fun Wii.

And suddently the Xbox looks more like a copycat than a leader. That’s the marketing mistake.

The two incarnations of the Xbox did something different to the rest of the market by concentrating on online gameplay, and becoming the first console to make good use of broadband. That was the Purple Cow. It’s what built a following for both Xbox and Halo.

It’s what made me tell friends and colleagues why they should get an Xbox and meet up online. Why I talked about how Microsoft were being brave enough to blaze the trail for online gaming. And why people talked about Sony killing their brand. There was talk about convergence, and owning the living room. And as someone who grew up with videogames and has now reached middleage, it was a sign that the average adult could engage with gaming on their own contemporary level, rather than as a childish indulgence.

All that’s now gone.

Not because now I’m forced to represent myself as a cute little fella in a suit and comedy hat.

But because I’m forced to admit MS has copied the success of Nintendo in the cute market, and forced consumers who paid for a different brand and image to copy as well. It’s no longer a hardcore choice, or a Purple Cow. When two competitors start chasing the same ideas, and Nintendo already has the lead and a price advantage, it’s a battle the Microsoft brand can’t win.

Have you upgraded to the new Xbox Live experience, and do you agree or disagree? More importantly, how do you feel about the avatars, and the fact it brands Microsoft as copycats, not tech innovators – and could a brand with the legacy of Microsoft ever compete on that level against Nintendo?

Note: edited a reference to prices, as I incorrectly priced the 360 as more expensive than the Wii.

Another big change is on the way…

April 12, 2008 By Dan Thornton

So far the last 12 months have seen me move house, start a new job, and within the next few days, become a father.

So it seemed the perfect time to make another couple of changes. The first is that I’m currently working on a new home for this blog, which will be at www.thewayoftheweb.net. It means I can finally type the url in seconds, rather than minutes.

I’m also switching to a hosted account with Godaddy, and building the new site with WordPress. I’ve got lots of praise for what Blogger has allowed me to do, but although it’s very easy to set up and use, and the free hosting allows advertising (Unlike the free hosting version of WordPress), it’s quite restrictive with regards to templates etc, and so many sites are instantly recognisable as Blogger creations. Plus, switching to three columns has given me enough space for all the widgets I want, but it’s made the main text space a little claustrophobic, so hopefully my new freedom will enable a bit more space… I’ll keep you posted how the new site is coming along, and make sure there’s plenty of warning, in case you’ve subscribed to my RSS feed etc. Rest assured if I do add the .com domain at some point, .net will remain the main place for RSS feeds etc, so no more changing.

I also invested in danthornton.net, and contacted the current owner of the dot.com version. I’m not too much of an egotist, but it’s just handier for anyone wanting background info, and I’m also conscious that one day, I could have been involved in a far more minor version of the current Shel Israel blogodrama.

So that’s my current position. I’ll still be updating here for a bit longer while I get a template etc I’m happy with, and move across my archives, and then it’ll be all systems go!