Fox Kalomaski

By Staff, Brand Republic

LONDON - Fox Kalomaski has developed a TV and direct marketing campaign for Milton Keynes shopping mall thecentre:mk.

The campaign features the new proposition "the centre for seriously savvy shopping" and primarily targets ABC1 women in the outer catchments of the centre.

The direct marketing element was a 22-page magazine produced with contributions from journalists including, the deputy fashion editor of the Sunday Express, Claire Brayford, and will be delivered via door drops to 50,000 households.

The magazine focuses on brands and products available at the centre and features categories such as top tips, clever buys and little treats.

Melanie Beck, marketing manager at thecentre:mk, said: "This new campaign builds on the sharp increase in AB visitors to thecentre:mk since Fox Kalomaski was appointed in 2006.

"We are confident that the new marketing activity will strike a chord with today's consumers who are shopping in a more discerning way."

Travel Weekly
SPECIAL REPORT

Travel agents can increase their prominence in the marketplace by offering clients more experience-based holidays, writes Chloe Berman

With holidaymakers facing more choice, agents are always looking for innovative ways to differentiate themselves – and entice their customers to book their dream trip. 

According to marketing agency Fox Kalomaski – whose clients include Thomson, Air New Zealand and Butlins – authentic travel is the key to success.  Head of Planning Anthony Tasgal said: “Consumers have been overwhelmed with choice and holidays have become homogenised.  Authenticity is a way of combating that.” [find out more about Fox Kalomaski's Authenticity Index Model]

Holidaymakers are looking for a more rounded experience of the destination they visit.  They want to enjoy the ‘lived’ experience of a place as locals do.

“Consumers are gravitating towards places that have substance, that are natural and slightly quirky.  They are put off by anything synthetic, cheesy or man-made,” explained Tasgal. 

So how can travel agents and operators provide this ‘authentic’ experience?  “Travel companies can bring a destination t life using information and images about history, culture and architecture.  People and personal experiences are important.  Companies who do this are starting to see results, even in a tough marketplace”.

Using authenticity can give agents an edge over their biggest competitor – the internet, said Tasgal.  Arranging personal tour guides, giving customers insider tips on the best places to eat, and having a knowledge of the history of a destination can give agents a real advantage.

Travelmood marketing director Chris Lee, who works with Fox Kalomaski, said travel companies need to be proactive in selling authentic holidays.  “Many customers think they are travel experts because they have spent a couple of hours on Google.  We’ve taken back the expertise.  We offer ideas and keep control of the process,” he said. 

 
Case study – Tunisian Tourist Board

After many years of Tunisia being presented as purely a sun, sea and sand package holiday destination, Fox Kalomaski was briefed in 2007 to change the perceptions of the UK consumer.  It was tasked with positioning the country as a holiday destination with a diverse range of sights and activities.

The company decided to focus on four elements:  history and culture, luxury, Mediterranean experience and adventure.  A photo shoot was carried out across the country to create a library of images showing the treasures of Tunisia, from the wonders of the Sahara to the bustling souks and medinas of Tunis, the ancient and historic remains of El Jem and Carthage and the miles of Mediterranean beaches.

A website and ad campaign were launched with this new focus in mind.  Chief Executive Gary Jacobs said: “Creating this new positioning for Tunisia has helped increase awareness and interest in the destination and demand has enabled British Airways to add two weekly flights from Gatwick to Tunis Carthage.

Authentic Experiences in Travel

Gary Jacobs, chief executive of marketing agency Fox Kalomaski

The fiasco over the Lapland-style theme park in the New Forest which let down hundreds of families last Christmas demonstrates the importance of offering an authentic experience.

More than 2000 people who paid £25 to £30 for tickets to the park in Dorset made official complaints about it and demanded refunds saying it did not resemble the marketing images on its website. 

So this begs the question: can a manufactured experience be authentic? The definition of authentic; made or done in the traditional way or in a way that faithfully resembles an original, means the answer of course is ‘yes’. How then can the tourism industry leverage the current hot topic of authenticity and ensure that they deliver a rewarding experience with a mix of the genuine article?

Many destinations that are rich in genuine experiences have failed to bring their best to the fore and fall back on generic messaging and imagery.  They hope that consumer choice is swayed by yet another advertisement for an exotic beach location. 

The way forward is to shun stereotypical holiday images in favour of a genuine flavour of what that destination has to offer. If the only offer is a beach, then the destination or travel company needs to unearth a uniquely local reason for consumers to consider why they should choose to sunbathe in that particular spot.
Make the most of Authenticity

1.    Use research to reveal hidden characteristics of the destination and focus on selling those.
2.    Don’t be afraid to use quirkiness to portray a differentiation.
3.    Always aim to surprise the customer.
4.    Holidaymakers are generally looking for something different to experience, so find the difference and give it to them.

An unprecedented insight into the collective mind of the marketing business has been gained by Fox Kalomaski and Marketing magazine. 
 
In the first-ever survey of its kind, published earlier this month, 700 of the magazine’s readers responded to a wide-ranging series of professional questions posted on a website custom-designed by Brik Digital.  The cumulative marketing buying-power of these executives is around £2 billion annually.

Issues covered the whole gamut of change and economic downturn and included perceptions of marketing within companies, the likelihood of budget cuts this year, TV advertising, digital marketing, ethics, sexism, job changing, best/worst brands and best marketer.
 
To read the full article from Marketing visit their website by clicking here

Stephen Fox, Managing Director of Fox Kalomaski comments, “There are reasons to be cheerful.  UK marketers are confident that their work is respected by the rest of the company, that marketing is represented at board level and that they are doing a very good job. 
 
“However, the problem in 2009 is that the success of the brands for which they are the custodians now lies in the hands of the finance director.  Creativity is becoming a commodity: the cheaper the idea, the more likely it will see the light of day.
 
“The strategic repercussions of marketing on the cheap involve negative effects across the whole communications infrastructure, resulting in the undermining of brands, media and suppliers.
 
“This unwelcome process is not helped by the belief of marketers themselves that the only way to get to a senior position is to keep switching employers.  Such promiscuity means that the brand suffers from inconsistent treatment through constant tinkering in a ’new broom’ culture.”

The Costa Brava might be one of the most popular holiday destinations for the UK mass holiday market but they helped increase interest in The Bahamas recently by passing off one of the thousands of beautiful beaches in The Bahamas as one of their own. 

At a presentation at World Travel Market in 2008 FutureBrand revealed that 'after natural beauty, authenticity is the second most important factor in choosing a holiday destination'. Consumers today are seeking authentic travel experiences and looking for a holiday that will give them some great stories to take home with them to tell their friends about.

This story is of the wrong kind for the Costa Brava Pyrenees Girona Tourism body, but they will get over their embarrassment and may think the long term damage could be negligible as they will have derived more press coverage from this faux pas than they could have dreamed possible, and as the old adage goes, 'there's no such thing as bad publicity'. However, in the search for authenticity the knowing consumer will unconsciously put the Costa Brava in the 'manuFAKEtured' box and a great deal of hard work by the tourist board will be undone.

As the UK marketing communications agency for The Bahamas Tourist Office we totally understand why Costa Brava chose one of The Bahamas stunning beaches for their ad and the fact that they could have chosen from any one of 15 stunning islands with pink, golden or white sand beaches just goes to show that it is indeed 'better in The Bahamas'

2gether

Chislehurst, south London

The Churches Together charity shop in Chislehurst is a remarkable example of amateurs putting the professionals to shame by just thinking things through from the customer's point of view.

You enter the shop and are greeted, you are allowed to browse without hassle, stick around for 15 mins or so and you could be offered a cup of tea or coffee and then if you really want to shop there are loads of bogof's, a bargain basment, quality ranges, videos, books, cds, etc.

Ok, maybe they don't have the pressure others might have, but I don't see why bigger stores have to forgo simple politeness and a desire to make the customer feel wanted. Maybe we just blame the credit crunch.

Sports Direct

Southeast London

This store is accessed via escalators from the high street. To get to them, I had to push between a lonely rack of merchandise and a sulky young man in a red top.

In the shop, I noticed other young men in identical red tops - who I now realised must be staff. Since they were obviously very busy, what was their colleague doing downstairs?. I hung around looking as lost as possible, but no one pointed me in the direction of a purchase, so after about 10 minutes I gave up.

Downstairs, Sullen Youth was still there - only then did I twig that he must have been guarding the solitary rail. But no one was interested; people just wanted to get upstairs, where staff needed their sulky colleague. Bad for customers, bad for staff, bad for sales.