Posted by Frances Laing on Monday 1 June 2009
Woolworths revisited
I have on a previous blog made reference to the changing ownership of the Woolworths brand folllowing its sad demise earlier this year (view earlier posting) , and thought whilst surfing over the weekend that I would check up on the status of the online brand, given its intended plans.
I was pleasantly surprised by the site that is currently up - if you have some time, take a look here. I was intrigued by the intention to interact with consumers, as well as looking at the brand identity for the company which is of course no more. The site is mainly intented to be a blog, with the latest posting being put up this weekend. The site is very simple, allowing you to look at the old adverts that used to run, as well as running competitions, and having its own radio station (from last.fm). I love the fact that the brand is being kept alive during its transformation, harnessing some of the power of the social networking elements of the web, by Twittering, as well as of course the obligatory Facebook page. The numbers watching the brand aren't big at this point, but at least there is some presence on the internet, were you interested in finding what has happened to the company.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to put together some more hints and tips to help you through these challenging times. Budgets continue to be at a premium, and good advice is hard to find, particularly when there are so many people out there ready to offer you some! Here at Breeze, we believe that there is still plenty that can be done, and most importantly, that you can expect great results with the right building blocks.
To prepare yourself, I'd suggest this week that you start thinking about what you are really trying to achieve, in the long, medium and short term. I know that it can be hard to look ahead when you may only feel like you are keeping your head above water on a day to day basis, but I will keep reminding you that those companies who continue to invest in their brand, maintaining awareness through the hard times, come out stronger and fitter and ready to move forwards when things start to move on again. I do sometimes wonder if it is only the Marketers I know who really understand this, but I cannot continue to bang on about it enough!
If you want some help in the meantime, do please get in touch.