'Feel Good': Personas

Who drinks 'Feel Good'? As a group we came up with a few different personas of the type of people who drink 'Feel Good'.

Gary
Age: 19

Occupation: Politics Student

Hobbies: Mountain biking, jogging and going to the gym regularly.

Gary enjoys socialising with his friends and getting good grades at uni. He enjoys his politics course. He's always trying to keep his family and friends happy.

Louise
Age:25

Occupation: Accountant

Hobbies: Shopping, reading a good book in her local park, going to the gym and going out for dinner with friends.

Louise has a busy lifestyle, she's a recent graduate and has just started her first job working as a trainee in an accountancy firm. After work she has a glass of wine to relax or invites friends over to her flat which she is currently renting in the city center.

Sue
Age:27

Occupation: Full time mum

Hobbies: Entertaining friends and socialising with other parents at family groups.

Sue is extremely health conscious since becoming a mother. She does her best to cook healthy meals for her family.

John
Age:30

Occupation: Electrical Engineer

Hobbies: Socialising, going out with friends for a few drinks, watching football.

John has his own house and lives on his own. He tries to be healthy but feels he doesn't have enough time. He gets the occasional take-away. When he's not working he's spending his money on the latest gadget.

'Feel Good': Competitor's Adverts

I've been trying to get some inspiration for my groups 'Feel Good' advert. So I thought I'd look at some of its competitors ads.

'Drench'.

This advert is for 'Drench' water, its fruit juice ad is quite similar as it's very random and focuses on the fact you can perform better after drinking it. I really liked this ad featuring Brains from 'Thunderbirds' just because I found it funny. I remember seeing it at the time but didn't realise it was for 'Drench' so I'm not sure it was effective in doing its job properly since I have never had 'Drench' before. However it would get people talking about it.


'Volvic Touch of Fruit'

A colourful ad showing people enjoying themselves and full of energy it's implied that this is because they drink 'Volvic'. A clear shot of the 'Volvic' bottles and freshly cut fruit shows the viewer exactly what the product is, what it looks like and what it contains (although this may not be the whole truth added sugar isn't mentioned). I like the way this is the final image as the viewer isn't left confused wondering "What was that ad for again?".

'Tropicana'

I love this ad just because it makes me feel happy, I'm not sure why. Maybe because it reminds me of holidays and perfect breakfasts. I'm a 'Tropicana' drinker. 'Tropicana' have the advantage of advertising this way because orange juice is more of a breakfast drink. Targeting people by focusing on 'Feel Good's' USP will hopefully help us.

Music features heavily in these three adverts and I think it gives a friendly, upbeat, happy vibe. So maybe our 'Feel Good' ad should have some music to it, we are trying to make people feel good after all.

'Innocent'

This ad is very simple but effective. The 'Innocent' carton is shown in natural surrounding on healthy green grass. It's then joined by what the drink contains showing viewers what it is.The last shot is of its different packaging so viewers will then recognise it in the shop. The whole ad sums 'Innocent's' brand.

'Feel Good': Ideas Wall

We have now started to think of potential adverts. We gathered around a blank wall then sketched whatever ideas came to us and added them to the wall.

We then selected a few of our favorite ideas that we felt we could work on a little more or help generate new ideas. 

 Some of our ideas....

'All you need is  Feel Good'. Person pictured with a bottle of 'Feel Good' having a happy life. shows the joy it brings.

An apple on a date with water having fun when a bottle comes out of nowhere and squashes them together inside. This creates the juice in the bottle. 'Capture those Feel Good moments'.

'Feel Good Fridays'. This ad would show an office situation where the workers are drained of energy. A 'Feel Good' drinks trolly passes by a desk hands a drink to an employee. After he drinks it his grey face changes he now looks energised. The whole office is now buzzing. 'Thank Goodness for Feel Good Fridays'.

We were still thinking of staying with the cartoon style that 'Feel Good' already has as they do want it to be cheeky and fun. However we think that it shouldn't be as cute as it is at the moment as this seems to be aimed at much younger people than their target audience.

Hmm... still more work to be done I feel. Group meeting later so hopefully some more ideas will emerge.

What makes you Feel Good?

As a group we did a quick brainstorm on what makes us feel good then what makes us feel bad. We did this in the hope that it would help us come up with some good advert ideas. It did in fact loosen us up a bit before we began on our ideas wall.

                                     

Family, friends good food, t.v and home comforts were the main thinks that make us smile.

 Surprisingly thinking up things that make us unhappy was more difficult. Bad drivers, annoying people, spiders were a few of these.

‘Feel Good’ USP.

What is the Unique Selling Point of ‘Feel Good’?

Other drinks as well as ‘Feel Good’ give you one of your five a day. But ‘Feel Good’ is different from the rest as it is 100% natural and contains no added sugar. As a juice drink this is uncommon. Competitors that look like healthy fruit drinks such as ‘Vitamin Water’ and ‘Drench’ contain way over 20g of sugar. Check out the Donut-O-Meter below.  

‘Feel Good’ doesn’t disguise itself it is what it is, fruity

‘Feel Good’ …Research.

Meeting up with my group again we decided to do some more research.

Questionnaires were made up to give us an idea of the lifestyles of people who drink juices like ‘Feel Good’.  We asked their name, age, occupation before asking them; to tell us a few words that describe their lifestyle, what they do to keep healthy, if buying healthy drinks is important to them and which one they buy and why. We also presented them with a sheet of paper that showed the ‘Feel Good’ logo and the logo of its competitors to see what they recognised the most and if they’d ever heard of ‘Feel Good’. The majority of people we asked said they mainly drank water or orange juice if they were being healthy. If they were to drink any other type of drink it would be ‘Innocent’ as they think it’s good for them. A few people had tried ‘Feel Good’ before as it happened to be there when they were buying a drink. However no one bought ‘Feel Good’ on a regular basis even though those who had tried it enjoyed it. I still feel the main problem is that people can’t easily get their hands on a ‘Feel Good’ drink. Something I’m interested to look at next is how other juice companies started, how they managed to get retailers to stock their drinks and become well known to the consumer…

As a group we drew up another perception map this time looking at a drinks price and its quality, high-low. This again showed ‘Feel Good’ in a crowded area.

The ansoff matrix was used to help us identify how the product stands at the moment and where or what opportunities there are for it.

Advertising and Branding Exam Brief.

As it’s getting to the end of the semester we have been given our exam brief for the Advertising and Branding module. We were asked to choose one subject out of a selection which included ‘Heinz Salad Cream’, ‘i newspaper’ and ‘Peacocks’. After looking at all the briefs my team and I decided that we would work together on ‘The Feel Good Drinks Company’.

‘The Feel Good Drinks Company’ offered two different briefs; we have gone with brief one. Brief one ‘Make us Famous’  is to create a campaign that makes the brand well know by communicating the brand name, what the drink looks like and that the drinks are full of natural, tasty fruit. It has to be done in a unique, memorable way that makes people laugh. We all agreed on this brief as we thought it seemed like a chance to do a fun advertising campaign with an interesting product.

We started  by doing a bit of  individual research, then getting together to brain storm the ‘Feel Good’ product and company. Looking at their website and previous adverts we see that they have a childlike cartoon style which we feel is overdone in the healthy fruit drinks sector. Their target audience is 16-34 year olds but it seems their adverts might appeal to a much younger group of people.

Finding a bottle of ‘Feel Good’ is a difficult task unless you go to a large supermarket but even then there are just a few flavours stocked. On a trip into the town centre the product was only found in ‘Costa’.

The taste test… I enjoyed the drink however it wasn’t what I expected. As it’s advertised to be made from real fruit and an advert I watched showed the fruit being squashed into a bottle, I expected it to taste more like a smoothie. It tastes like diluting juice or flavoured water. Maybe exactly what the product is needs to be shown more clearly in its advertising, this may attract those who don’t like smoothies but like a healthy fruit drink.

SWOT Analysis and a Perception Map were then undertaken on the information we had collected.  We found its main strength is that it’s a healthy fruit drink that doesn’t contain sugar. Weakness is that not many places stock it. An opportunity could be found in point of sale, having it widely available and in a place customers will notice it. Also they could change their bottle to stand out from competitors as they have similar bottles. A crowded market is what threatens this product.

Our Perception Map was drawn up based on drinks, pricing High- Low, and how healthy it is. The healthy fruit drink market is quite crowded at the moment we need to target the market in a different way from ‘Feel Goods’ competitors to stand out.

What’s Next: more mapping, analysis and surveys. 

Christmas Smells & Sounds = Buy, Buy, Buy!

For as long as I can remember Christmas has been associated with scents and sounds. From the angels singing while the wise men gave baby Jesus frankincense and myrrh, to the smell of cinnamon and the jingle of sleigh bells today. As it’s coming up for Christmas shops have started to decorate but it’s not just for the warm fuzzy feeling and the enjoyment of their customers that they do this. Most retailers depend on strong Christmas sales every year and by dressing their store up they increase their profitability.

‘It’s beginning to smell (and sound) a lot like Christmas: the interactive effects of ambient scent and music in a retail setting’ an article by Eric R. Spangenberg et al. looks at the effects of ambient scent and music on a customers evaluation of a store, it’s environment and merchandise. The article compares customer reactions in a mock retail setting where no Christmas scent vs. Christmas scent and no Christmas music vs. Christmas music is applied. They found that Christmas scent buying effects are moderated by music. Customers react better when scent and music are combined equally. Where there is scent but no music stores evaluations are lowered. Shops need to keep scent and sound consistent or there will be no affect on a customer’s behaviour. Therefore it is a wise choice for shops to evoke the spirit of the Christmas season by implementing environmental cues and creating a welcoming, pleasant atmosphere.

“results suggest that wise retailers can act upon this lesson by blessing their customers with synchronized sound systems and scent diffusers, and in turn receive the blessing of strong holiday sales.”

It would be interesting to see whether or not this theory works for other holiday seasons such as Halloween or Easter. Also if it’s not Christmas would Christmas scent and sound still make you buy? Probably not as other factors would be missing such as, time of year and general holiday spirit. However different scents and sounds may be capable of increasing profit. In the ‘Hollister’ shop for example there is a distinct smell and music is played loudly throughout the store. Most people enjoy this especially the smell. You can smell the store before you see it so it is instantly recognisable, the clothes inside are sprayed with the signature scent so when you buy something and wear it for the first time you remind other people that recognise the smell of the brand. The shop then has extra items to sell as customers can buy bottles of perfume or the CDs that are played.

Scent and sound is a very clever non intrusive way to encourage people to buy, most of the time you won’t even notice you’ve been affected. I guess it’s the same as when you smell a Starbucks coffee then suddenly have to buy one.

Do Store Interiors Make You Buy?

I’ve currently been reading articles about the interior design of stores and whether or not it increases sales. Does a shop layout, environment, visual merchandising and interior design make people buy? It has been proven that it does. In today’s market where competition is fierce the design of a shop is where some companies would be able to gain an edge over their competitors. A shops atmosphere can attract customers and keep them coming back.

Andrea Groeppcl-KIein and Dorothea Baun test this theory in their journal ‘The Role of Customers’ Arousal for Retail Stores- Results from Experimental Pilot Study Using Electro dermal Activity as Indicator.’ They agreed with other experts such as Donvan and Rossiter that a pleasant store environment generates arousal and pleasure in the customer which in turn increases; shopping enjoyment, time spent in the store, a willingness to talk to personnel, chances of customers spending more money than planned and their probability of returning to the store.  However they felt that other articles simply measured this on a verbal scale which may not generate accurate results. They propose to use Electro dermal Activity (EDA) to measure a customer’s arousal in a store. EDA is a sensitive indicator that responds to the smallest variation in a person’s arousal.

They set up two different grocery stores in Austria both selling the same products, of the same quality and price.

Store 1 took into account environmental psychology. The fruit and veg were presented in a large scale in deep carriers and separated according to colour. Some products were placed on islands in the middle of the store. Exotic fruit, flowers and fresh herbs were used as eye catchers. The store was bright, spacious and high ceilinged.

Store 2 did not take into account environmental psychology. It wasn’t very bright and there was no extraordinary product presentation unlike store 1. Shelving was put along side the wall and display tables were in rows squeezed within long narrow aisles.

As they thought Store 1 created a higher arousing environment.

So, why does a more pleasant environment make us want to buy or revisit a shop?  Well an interesting and provocative store design affects the part of the brain involved with filtering sensory information from the central nervous system. All sensory information enhances arousal which therefore causes activity and reactivity in the central nervous system. This increases outer and inner stimulation which leads to higher activation and activity. Basically a pleasant store atmosphere evokes positive feelings which will then be associated with the shop and the brand. Stores with clear and simple structures make people feel relaxed therefore more comfortably in the store. When we are comfortable, relaxed and enjoying ourselves we are open to buying.

I know that I’m definitely affected by a stores design there are some shops I dread going into and rarely buy from because the shop is messy, unorganised and overcrowded. Shopping is more pleasurable for me when it’s a calm experience. I like stores that aren’t busy or noisy, that smell nice, have their items laid out clearly, and changing rooms that aren’t claustrophobic. This makes me want to buy; the whole experience feels like I’m treating myself from the moment I walk in to when I leave with my item nicely wrapped and bagged.

Student Designers: Business Designed.

Student Designers hosted there first student workshop in Edinburgh last Friday and I was lucky enough to get the chance to take part.

The workshop began at 10am, myself and a few other students from DJCAD arrived slightly before to sign in and check out the space. Eight work stations were set up with post its, pencils and other tools we would need throughout the day.  After a quick introduction we were split into groups where we brainstormed a topic using post it notes for a set time before being moved on to the next topic.

After a coffee break and getting to know each other we were then re-grouped for the next part of the day. Each group was given a topic that was brainstormed earlier and asked to come up with a business design relating to the subject. Our topic was ‘Environmental Sustainability’ we looked into ideas of swap shops and rebranding charity shops but we eventually decided to go down the transportation route. The final idea was to create a bike scheme where students could hire bikes for free to cycle in and around the area surrounding their university. We developed personas of who would use the product then mapped out our business model on one of the sheets provided.

Later all the groups got together with a few beers and presented their work. Everyone’s ideas were quite impressive considering we only had a day to design something. A favourite of mine was ‘Digi Doc’ an interactive phone app to cut out the embarrassment of going to the doctor and telling them your problem face to face.

The main reason I wanted to take part in the workshop was to gain experience working with others outside of university and meet new people. I get really awkward speaking in public and knew we would have to pitch so I’m hoping the more experience I get doing this the more comfortable I’ll be. I also got to apply some knowledge and skills I’ve been acquiring in my Advertising & Branding module at uni. It was a really good day, we were kept busy, encouraged when we lost focus and given plenty of free food and drink throughout the day. I’d definitely like to take part again.

Pecha Kucha Night Dundee.

Just a quick blog about my first proper Pecha Kucha experience.

Since my class has been encouraged to present our work in a Pecha Kucha style – 20 slides, 20 seconds to talk about them- a couple of times this year I was quite excited there was an event on in Dundee. I went along tonight to see how professionals coped talking about their subject of choice and what exactly a PKN is like.

The event was sold out and after the success of tonight I suggest you get your tickets early for vol.2. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. There were 11 speakers all of which gave interesting talks on a variety of subjects from computer games to empathy. A couple of my favourite speakers were Hilary Grant and Ross Fraser McLean.

Hilary Grant a textiles graduate discussed her career after university. From working for others in London and the Highlands, she has now set up her own business in Dundee which looks like it will be a great success. She talked about her work and showed images of her scarves, they look amazing I want to get my hands on one for Christmas!

Image by 'What Kristen Saw'

Kate Pickering of Vanilla Ink also discussed her life after uni. Showing its okay to feel lost after you graduate, that it takes time to find your path, something I find particularly encouraging. She is now setting up a business to help other students bridge the gap between uni and the workplace after they graduate.

Ross Fraser McLean a photographer told a crazy story about being abducted by a snake charmer after he saw his snake in the park. We never did find out how he escaped but saw some beautiful pictures from his adventure.

Everyone gave a terrific presentation and of course I can’t forget my tutor Andy Milligan. Andy you were fab!

All in all it was a fun night and I would definitely do it again. It’s a laid back way of finding out some interesting facts.  Also it was great to see how much talent is in Dundee and how many people are interested in and support Dundee’s creativity. 

Branding Space & Place. Glasgow Trip.

Last week I took a trip to Glasgow to examine the brand identity of places and spaces in the area.

‘The Brand Gap’ by Marty Neumeier defines Brand Identity as ‘The outward expression of a brand, including its name, trademark, communications, and visual appearance.’

Firstly I had a look at Merchant City. Merchant City is an area in the city centre of Glasgow which has recently been rebranded by Graven Images. Before rebranding they looked at the positives and negatives of the area. The positives were that it is a thriving, regenerating and attractive area. The negatives were that no one knew the boundaries of it, its identity was weak and its brand was under promoted. After seeing the area for myself I felt that some of the negatives still have to be addressed, to me the boundaries were unclear. Street signs showed when you were in Merchant City but I didn’t know exactly where it began and where it ended. It is an attractive area with lots of beautiful architecture which suited its high end stores such as ‘Mulberry’ and ‘Ralph Lauren’. However some areas were run down and covered in graffiti which didn’t make its identity consistent.

I think that places are perhaps harder to brand as it is an environment that can’t be strictly controlled unlike the interiors of a store that has constant security and staff to make sure everything is in line and up to standard. 

Later I went to the Apple Store. The grand building reflected the quality of its products. The space inside was very modern, the products were laid out on wooden tables giving an informal homely vibe which made people more inclined to become familiar with the product. The fact that the store was so welcoming links with Apples laid back, user/customer friendly image. Staff were highlighted in blue t-shirts and were swarming around the store ready to help, one member of staff to every person.  The store made me think of Apple as; friendly, helpful, modern, of high quality and cool, successfully portraying its brand.

All Saints was another store I viewed. Its interior was quite industrial with stage lights hanging from the ceiling, cogs and machinery all around and a battered wooden floor. In the window were rows and rows of sewing machines. This store reflected the style of clothes sold, the way the clothes are made, the seams stitched in a miss matched fashion was shown by having sewing machines visible. The industrial theme shows the brand as being, edgy, trendy, grungy and unique.

John Lewis is not my favourite shop I find it too chaotic and would rather not shop somewhere where there is an endless selection of items on offer. The space is very busy but is laid out in sections according to product. Before you enter there is a map telling you what floor you’re on and what products are available on each floor. The make up was found at the front leading onto jewellery, accessories, stationary then men’s fashion. Everything is laid out in a certain way to make the shopper buy. Products that customers won’t go looking for are placed by the escalators in the hope that they will notice them and buy. Big brand, big store.

Lastly I spotted a few differences between the two main shopping centres in Glasgow, Buchanan Galleries and Princes Square. Buchanan Galleries consisted of high street shops for a mixed age group. The interior is very basic. It has a food court which consists of takeaway food stands such as Burger King. I feel it’s a place that is aimed towards families spending a day shopping or teenagers hanging out on Saturdays.

Princes Square on the other hand, has a brighter, more luxurious interior with wooden floors and spiralling stairs. This is reflected by the high end more expensive stores. There are fewer stores within Princes Square; it seems they have gone for quality over quantity. Instead of a food court they have a selection of restaurants where people sit in to eat. I think young professionals would be the main clientele for this shopping centre.

I don’t know a lot about store design yet but I’m hoping to change this through my research in block two of my advertising and branding module. However I think if you look closely enough you can see some of the signals shops are sending to attract their preferred customer and make them buy.

24 Hour Brief… Revisited.

The other week I got together with a couple of members from my group to discuss the final advert we designed for the 24 Hour brief. We wanted to look at the problems of the previous advert and find ways to change it for the better.

Notes from group discussion.

The main problem with our last advert was that it was too serious and may have made people panic unnecessarily. We thought that by keeping the same message but making the advert light hearted and funny might solve this.

Our last advert was a poster campaign but as we were brainstorming we came up with ideas that could be made into a television advert. The general idea of the original ad was used again but to make it slightly humorous we decided to show the illness as a cartoon monster that grows as the condition of the man worsens. The viewers will see an x-ray of his chest with the monster squeezing at his heart. The longer he puts off going to the doctors the stronger the monster gets. Instead of having several different men with different symptoms we decided to stay with the one story from the previous advert. His daughter, work colleague, partner notice his pain and will ask him if he’s alright and he will dismiss their comments saying he’s ‘Just unfit/tired’. After his partner asks him she picks up a trash bag, takes it out to the bin while the viewer hears her making an appointment at the local GP for her husband. The final scene is the monster being left in the bin and the wife closing the lid on it. The revised tag line would be “Take Out the Monster… Make an appointment at your local GP for the man in your life.”

Story board.

The advert still targets women emotionally showing that they can help their friend/partner/father by encouraging them to go to the doctor, it shows that they should make the first step even if their partner won’t. Unlike the last ad where the man felt a slight pain and was told to go to the GP this ad shows the condition worsening before he goes to the doctor. Therefore this hopefully sends the message not to panic but if a problem persists get him to the doctor.