With so many marketing avenues for companies to utilise, it’s easy to lose sight of the essence of effective messaging.

It’s something that you see in a lot of corporate viral marketing campaigns – the companies are going for intangible brand awareness rather than an increase in sales.

Using Carlton Draught’s Big Ad as an example, sales of Carlton Draught actually dropped – despite reaching a Worldwide audience of  3 million people, who viewed the ad on the internet.

The reason for this, was largely because there was no compelling reason to buy Carlton Draught presented in the campaign – instead, the ad was designed to create brand awareness alone. The ad failed in the one area it counts – the “Big Ad” failed to sell beer!

You could argue that brand awareness strategies are fundamentally flawed by an assumption that people will buy a product just because they are familiar with that product. Given the choice between two identical products, one which provided you with a compelling reason to buy, and the other which was a known brand, most people will pick the compelling offer.

So in the case of the ‘Big Ad’, the  failure to monetize through advertising wasn’t so much about marketing avenues, as it was about a failure to communicate any key product benefits.

“With hindsight, it’s hard not to see the irony within the Big Ads Lyrics…

“It’s a big ad? Expensive ad?
This ad better sell some blooooody beer!”

The market for high quality extra virgin olive oil is very competitive but Robinvale Estate found a way to position themselves a bit differently with their product range. This family operated business found that the demand for quality oil lessened over the years and they needed to add value to their product range in some way.

The marketing manager decided on a fresh approach, create a variety of flavoured olive oils using fresh fruit and herbs. They diversified their production from just olives, into other varieties of fruit and vegetables. They also branched out into flavoured salad dressings with combinations like balsamic and oregano, lemon and verjuice.

By targeting and appealing to the domestic market, their sales are very strong. The graphic design used on the label also has a very fresh appeal and captures the lightness of the oil and the lemon and garlic flavouring. Sometimes strategic thinking can allow you to step away from your competitors and be known for something unique.

The prediction for 2011 is for growth in sales of luxury brand products like Gucci, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. This has been forecast by Bain & Company, a consultant firm who produce an annual study on the luxury brand market. The main reason for the growth is the demand in China by the newly rich looking to promote their wealth through buying luxury products.

The strategy for growth by Versace and Max Mara is to invest heavily in marketing to the Chinese consumer. Gucci has also been successful in introducing their brand to this market by making their products accessible through the design of simple wallets and accessories. Both Gucci and Louis Vuitton have been the most successful luxury brands in China. The key to their success is understanding the tastes and habits of their new consumer.

Luxury brands had record sales in 2007, but the prediction for 2011 is for sales to outperform this record. Leather bags, jewellery, shoes and watches are forecast to see the biggest demand and growth.

Not only does the design of this watch look cool, but the packaging design has been considered for both its look and functionality. The brand, Nooka, has cleverly created a point of difference with their packaging design for their product – the watch container can also be used in the microwave to heat up food, along with any other uses you can think of. The simple, elegant design is made of cooking grade silicone so it looks great as packaging as well as a simple addition to your designer cookware. The packaging design beautifully reflects the shape, colours, material and style of the watch.

Design is a great way a company can add value and create a point of difference. What a great marketing and branding strategy, being able to sell a product based on multiple uses.

The highest profile tennis players greatly influence the sales of fashion brands. They are chosen to market a brand not only for their tennis skills and performance but also for their personality, charisma and appeal to their fans. Their beauty, style, cuteness and appeal are all marketing tools that are used by brand managers.

Tennis players used to wear white, simple outfits as the whole focus was on their tennis. There used to be strict regulations and guidelines around their dress code. Now, tournaments like the Australian Open are watched not only for their tennis but also for the fashion. The outfits are colourful with new and interesting designs to create attention, inspiration and sales.

The fans connect to a player’s sense of style and personality and are highly influenced by what they’re wearing. During the Australian Open, the tennis fashion brand, Lacoste who sponsors Roddick, notices a huge increase in their product sales every time he plays a match. His fans are inspired by his look and Lacoste sells anything he wears.