Integrated agency Red C has won a three-way pitch to expand the role of online marketing for AGA Rangemaster Group, which celebrates the 300^th anniversary of its foundry this year.  The agency has been appointed to work on a number of brands including AGA, Fired Earth, Divertimenti, Falcon, Rayburn, Rangemaster and newly acquired Mercury.

“Each brand represented a very different challenge,” explained Red C Managing Director Adrian Rowe.  “For example, AGA already has a strong social media presence thanks to its passionate customer base and iconic status, whereas Falcon, which benefits from a strong commercial heritage, is aiming to raise its profile with those with a passion for cooking.”  The agency recommended a different blend of PPC, search engine optimisation, social media marketing and e-mail programmes for each brand.

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For customer engagement, e-mail is fast becoming the most powerful channel available to marketers.  Growing penetration of e-mail addresses on our customer databases, the environmental backlash against direct mail, the increasing preference of customers for online dialogue, the exceptional richness of response data from email – just some of the reasons why UK marketers should be exploiting every opportunity to capture addresses and permissions.  Yet I am surprised by the lack of attention and thought that is going into the sign-up process, especially in these recessionary times. Read more…

You could be forgiven for approaching the New Year with some trepidation, if you work in the marketing and advertising industry.  Some of the traditional big-spending UK marketers are in trouble.  Retailers are succumbing to depressed High Street spending in record numbers – Woolworths, MFI, Whittards, Zavvi, Adams  – and predictions are for several more high profile casualties in Q1 2009.  Financial services is carnage – a roller-coaster stock market, collapsing house prices, dismal rates for savings and investments, reluctant lenders  – the only useful role for marketing seems to be chasing debt.  And it doesn’t take much foresight to predict a treacherous year for holiday companies – teetering airlines and the collapse of sterling against most major currencies are making the B&B in Blackpool look an attractive option right now.

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