Alison McDowell

Christmas with John Lewis and Elton John

by Alison McDowell

Marysville Jazz and Blues - And that's a wrap

We are ecstatic about the results we delivered for the 2018 Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend.  Our client’s goal was to achieve a 24% increase in ticket sales, so we delivered an 87% increase.   In addition, these visitors injected over $300k into the local economy.

How Roadmap Strategy achieve these results?

• We worked with our client to understand their business, their audience and develop marketing goals, strategies, objectives and tactics
• We developed their brand and partnered with creative agency The Incubator to create a campaign design that connected emotionally with the locals and the target market
• A detailed activity plan was created where we shared responsibility of execution between ourselves and the Committee for an integrated approach to marketing
• A partnership with RACVTicketing was developed and we worked closely with event partners, Yarra Ranges Tourism, Visit Victoria and Murrindindi Shire Councilto connect with their audience and add value to their offering.
• We monitored marketing metrics and lead indicators to maximise marketing performance and manage the unprecedented growth of interest of the 2018 Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend

We couldn’t have done it without these great partners, and we're pretty chuffed they had nice things to say about our work.  We can’t wait to work with them again soon.

Helen Charles, RACV Ticketing

“It has been a pleasure to work with Ali from Roadmap Strategy to promote the Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend to RACV members across Victoria.  From the very beginning Ali was clear about sales and marketing strategies for the 2018 event.  We worked together on a sales and marketing plan using RACV channels to appeal to members who are interested in regional music events.  This event was excellent content for our EDM’s and Royal Auto Magazine.  The beautiful branding and images were given to us in the perfect format to make it easy to promote using our social media and digital channels.  Ali was proactive throughout the promotional period to ensure that we maximized all opportunities to promote the event to RACV members.  We are looking forward to promoting the 2019 event”.

Charles Thomas, Yarra Ranges Tourism

“This branding is incredible! Taking the festival to another level”.

Matt Thomas, Murrindindi Shire Council

“Well I’d say you were extremely proactive in informing and updating on how things were travelling and that you utilised opportunities to work with Council to promote the event well.

The information you supplied was useful and tailored to our promotion options (FB tiles etc) which in turn made supporting the promotion of the event an easy process”.

by Alison McDowell

Marysville - a town rebuilding needs a rebuilt brand

We were engaged by the Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend to develop their brand identify, connect them with their target audience and of course achieve record attendance at this years’ event.

But what was the point of difference for this jazz and blues weekend.     It was in the essence and the soul of Marysville itself – it’s a town that rebuilt after the Black Saturday fires, it is about local people, local makers, local produce and a village set in the Australian bush with an abundance of wildlife.  For the locals it’s their village, their community and where they belong.  For visitors it’s about the mystical and magical journey through the Black Spur to the village that is Marysville.

Our fork in the road was to the choice between playing the tourism icon card or winning the hearts and minds of the locals.   For Marysville the choice was clear, and our journey began visually connecting the hearts of the locals with their village.  A visual identity that they would share and that would tell the story of the 2018 Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend.

The Weekends identity has been set for the 2018 Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend.  It captures nature, renewal, energy and regrowth of the region while capturing the vibrancy of the region through the Australian King Parrots that call Marysville home.

This week we are proudly launched our creative to support building the brand for the Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend.   We look forward to sharing the execution of our marketing roadmap and the results of our work for the 2018 Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend soon.

In addition to developing the events visual identity, Roadmap Strategy developed and delivered the marketing strategy to build the brand and drive attendance to the event.   Read more about our strategy and our results in the article below.

https://roadmapstrategy.com.au/marysville-jazz-and-blues-and-thats-a-wrap/

by Alison McDowell

Membership starts in your heart

Successful membership organisations put the customer at the centre of their business model rather than the product or the transaction.

They listen, they learn, they respond and they allow members into the inner sanctum of the organisation making them feel like they belong.  In short, good membership organisations win their members heart and trust.

In return members will share more information about themselves, welcome the opportunity to build a strong and positive relationship with you, be your strongest advocates, reduce the threat of competition and deliver reoccurring income.

Membership can be a powerful and rewarding point of difference within a competitive market, especially when you truly focus on your members best interests.

Once you have membership in your heart and at the centre of your business model, your membership growth and and retention strategies will significantly increase by way of returns and return on investment.

by Alison McDowell

Interview Series: Membership and Loyalty Programs

by Alison McDowell

Rise of the social enterprise

With 20,000 social enterprises operating in Australia and growing, this business model is the darling of entrepreneurs.

But what is a social enterprise?   It’s a hybrid organisation that applies commercial strategies to create social innovation through external stakeholders.

A popular social enterprise model is Profit For Purpose, where an organisation is profit driven, yet uses some of their profit to support their chosen cause.  With 75% of millennials and 51% of baby boomers prepared to pay more for products that are committed to social change this is a growth industry.

Consumers now define themselves by the brands they use, so it’s no surprise they are prepared to pay more for products that reflect their personal values rather than benefits such as cost or convenience.

A successful example is PARK Social Soccer Co. Operating since 2015, the companies vision is to help disadvantaged kids through the sport they love – soccer.  Through their Pass-A-Ball Project, for every ball purchased they pass a ball to a kid in need.  Thus far over 4,500 soccer balls have been distributed to disadvantaged kids across the globe.

Social enterprises marketing messaging must connect to their cause and engage their audience on an authentic and emotional level to be successful.  Trust and transparency are non negotiable.

Their cause is their ‘why’, their mission, and their true north and it must always come first in social enterprises for them to successfully engage and connect with their consumer audience.

Learn more about PARK Social Soccer Co. and join the movement.

Alison McDowell, Founder & Marketing Partner

Roadmap Strategy

17th May 2018

by Alison McDowell

How Lacoste became part of the extinction conversation

The world is losing species at an unprecedented rate.   So how can brands be part of the extinction conversation, while building their brand and delivering a profit?

Lacoste may have just found the solution.

Partnering with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Lacoste created 10 limited edition polo shirts, replacing its iconic crocodile logo with 10 of the most threatened species in the world.  The number of shirts available corresponded with the number of each species remaining.  Tragically, this amounted to only 1,775.

Unveiled at Paris Fashion Week, the launch created a media storm and a global conversation, praising Lacoste for the initiative, promoting their brand’s value to existing and potential customers, and seeding the extinction conversation. The Lacoste shirts sold out within 24 hours and raised over $325k for IUCN SOS – ‘Save our Species’ program supporting frontline conservation projects.

Increasingly, consumers define themselves by the brands they buy. Neilson reported that 66% of consumers are prepared to pay more for products and services produced by suppliers committed to positive social and environmental impact.

Brands must not only compete on product, price, promotion and distribution; they must also compete on, and effectively communicate, their values.

Lacoste has been committed to saving threatened species since 2009.  However, this campaign has taken their message and brand values to a new level and attracted global recognition.

The key learnings we can take from the Lacoste campaign are:

• The best partners understand and respect each others values and strategic priorities
• Choose a cause that connects with your customers
• Keep your message simple and ensure it aligns with your product
• If you truly believe – think BIG and make it happen

Congratulations Lacoste  and IUCN on an exceptional global campaign, and thank you for driving the conversation about saving species.

by Alison McDowell

A decline in trust will effect your brand

Consumer trust is an important ingredient to building brand equity and business growth, so it is alarming that Forrester Research is reporting its decline across all industries and 69% of CEOs confirming it as one of their biggest issues.

A decline in consumer trust can result in reduced consumer spend, diminished customer loyalty and referral, and ultimately effect brand equity and product pricing.

In the past, trust was earned and lasted a lifetime.  However, trust is now earned and lost with every experience the consumer has with a brand.  And these experiences are amplified through review websites, social media and word of mouth, with 60% of consumers identifying these mediums as the most trusted sources of information on products and services.

Learning to listen to your customers and demonstrating that you understand their needs is core to building trust. Consumers define themselves by the brands they use.  As such, it is important they feel part of your business, build an emotional connection with your brand, and feel that it reflects their values.

The key drivers that deliver trust in your brand, as reported by Forrester Research, are:

• Transparency
• Integrity
• Competence

Transparency is about respecting consumers’ data and privacy and not overloading the them with back covering disclaimers full of jargon and acronyms. And keep it simple and make it easy.

Integrity is about doing the right thing and keeping your promise, even when no else is looking.  Engaging consumers in your business,  seeking feedback and acting on it, will build trust. When choosing a cause include your customers in the decision and develop a model that engages them every time they transact with your brand so they can feel connected and part of your journey.

While competency, on the surface, is seen as an efficient customer journey, it is important to look deep into the organisation at all aspects of the business and re-evaluate any processes or procedures that do not add value to the customer.

The decline of trust is damaging brands and most likely impacting profit.  While it is important to develop, understand and measure your key drivers of trust for your brand, what will bring it all together is effective two way communication and engagement with your customers.

Now is the time to act to protect and increase consumer trust in your brand to help your business be the best it can be.

by Alison McDowell

What can your brand learn from the John Lewis Christmas ad?

Every year I wait impatiently for John Lewis to release their Christmas advert to see which of my heart strings they are going to pull and how they will make me feel.

This year’s ad featuring ‘Moz the Monster’ is about bringing to life the power of children’s imagination and the joys of great friendship.

John Lewis Christmas ads have been part of a successful long term brand building campaign using Christmas tradition to connect their brand around family values, sharing and wonderment with their audience – and the strategy is working.

The Christmas campaigns have been running since 2011 and have been attributed to an average of 16% increase in sales over the festive season between 2012-2015. They are also the most shared ads on the internet with the 2016 John Lewis Christmas ad being viewed over 25 million times.

Successful brands know how to build connections with their customers and that is to do it with emotion. Emotional connections rise above superficial pricing and convenience meaning customers stay loyal for the long haul and are less likely to defect to competitors.

Simplistically to build emotional connections with your customers consider the following:

1. Make your customer a priority of your business
2. Listen to your customer and demonstrate how you understand their everyday needs
3. Develop your company personality by letting its human out – people connect with the people
4. Be consistent in the delivery of your company personality in everything you do and say

Consumers define themselves by the brands they use and the more connected they are to your brand the more likely they are to become advocates for you and amplify your message to their family and friends.

Like John Lewis, building your brand is a long term strategy, and incorporating emotion is invaluable in differentiating your brand from competitors and help create a deep seated relationship between your business and your customer.

Now getting back to this year’s John Lewis Christmas ad. Did the ad make me feel warm and fuzzy and connect me emotionally with the essence of Christmas as they have in previous year's? The short answer is no. But I’m swimming against the tide, Brandwatch is reporting consumer sentiment is running at 86% positive and 14% negative so it looks like John Lewis have another success story on their hands.

What do you think of the 2017 John Lewis Christmas ad compared with previous year's?

by Alison McDowell