Crepe-tastic – Branding the experience and little details
This morning I was ahead of schedule for a brand presentation to one of our technology clients in Westborne and I thought I would find a little coffee shop to have a quick drink before going in. I found a little place called crepes farm at the top end of Westborne. Very unassuming from the outside, but once in I was treated with a very pleasant surprise, a smile, well designed decor, menus and many little details that continued to surprise.
I ordered a green tea and got a fab yogi tea in a wicked tea pot (giraffe styled see my pic) and I couldn’t resist one of their crepes. It is nice to see a small company get things right, the way it should be, it is obvious that the couple who own and run this business truly care. All the ingredients are natural and organic, gluten free flour, and most ingredients are locally sourced from Dorset.
They create the crepes in full view and the chef was precise, clean and organised, just what i like to see in a kitchen! Plus they have free wifi, so a winner all round.
I am a big fan of specialist niche businesses who offer something different, something deeper than the coat of paint or menu selection. If you are ever in Westborne do drop in and take a look, you will be pleased you did!
Well done to a business that has only been open for a month.
I look forward to seeing their website go live soon I hope…
Read MoreLoyalty and Dedication: The Priceless Commodity?
Brand and customer loyalty has been a hot topic for the past few decades. Since American Airlines started its first “Frequent Flyer Miles” program in the 80s, companies and brands all over the world have been coming up with new and interesting ways to capture attention and reward their faithful consumers for buying their products or using their services.
Traditionally these would come in the form of a barcode card, key fob or printed coupons. These schemes offer a combination of rewards and recognition, in order to drive up sales and customer retention rates. Credit card companies are notorious for their offers, with the majority now handing out flight miles, cash back, credit points and prizes if someone makes a purchase on the card. Through this, the idea is that they are helping the customer to stretch their budget that little bit further and keep them coming back for more.
Despite this, almost half of people still do not participate in these loyalty programs. And only half of those again are actively using them. So why is that? Could it be that most reward schemes come down to only one thing: freebies? As the concept has gained popularity over the last couple of decades it’s easy to see how it can be a double edged sword.
The problem is that it’s possible to get it wrong. While offering free stuff to customers the more they buy, an aggressive campaign could feel almost like a bribe, whereas a complicated system with different tiers and structures can only serve to confuse and confound the customer. Take Starbucks as an example:
My Starbucks Rewards
Last year, Starbucks introduced a Gold membership card. A customer could pay $25 dollars for a year membership, and in return they would get 10% off their purchases every time they went into Starbucks. For hardcore coffee drinkers this could equal some serious savings. The card would pay for itself in a matter of a month or two (or even a few weeks if you were a serious caffeine addict).
Read MoreWho owns your website, logo, brochure, software…?
This is a really important realization for many clients and indeed agencies. Having designed countless websites, logos, brands and custom software it is important to know what exactly you are buying.
The following is an exert we obtained from one of the South’s leading law firms who specialise in these matters…
“If you have paid someone to design your website, logo, or brochure or create software for you, it is not unreasonable to assume that the copyright in the end product belongs to you. However, this will not be the case unless you obtained the designer’s express agreement to this when you commissioned the work.
If you haven’t obtained the designer’s agreement to the copyright passing to you, all you have is a licence to use the website, logo, brochure or software.
This may be all that you need, but it might become a problem if you want to sell the business or authorise someone else to use your “property” or get someone else to develop or change what you already have. The original designer can stop you unless you have his agreement, which will normally comes at a price.
Action Points
It is essential to ensure that you get the designer to agree that you will own the copyright at the time you negotiate the terms of the engagement.”
Add this to the T&C’s of an agency and you can easily become confused as to who owns what and where you stand. Reading the T&C’s of any supplier is essential however this is often overlooked as business is regularly done on trust. However lack of understanding from a client or the reluctance of an agency to explain exactly what is being bought and sold is not a valid excuse.
Website source code also remains the copyright of the agency unless written agreement has been agreed. Also this licence to use the source code like any goods remain the sellers property until full payment has been received as is the same with any designed product from a logo to a brochure.
So please be careful that you are aware of what you are purchasing when commissioning a design agency to build you logo, website and materials, that if you require more than a licence and wish to own the copyright then make sure you have the agreement and costing outlined at stage one.
As the South’s leading branding agency we are committed to helping consumers understand what they are buying from agencies and not only to be aware of this but work in partnership with them to build brands with value, success and integrity.
Read MoreThink Evidence
As marketeers we have to change beliefs, beliefs need evidence to support them; customers need to see
evidence. The more they see, the more they feel empowered to change their belief about a product or service. Once their belief is changed we have a chance of influencing their actions.
Think evidence; what evidence can you show them? Well as a good friend of mine says, “go third party”; what would you want to see if you were where they are? Once you do that you may understand your customers’ actions better and then how to change them.
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