With 36 stalls, the market was over 10 times bigger than the usual turn out, with a mixture of local food producers, horticulturalists, beauty products and craft workers showing off and selling their products.

The footfall was impressive, as hundreds and hundreds of shoppers poured into the Market Square and High Street.

Traders could not believe the uplift in sales and already 30 have re-booked their place at the 2^nd MR Big market on the 1st September.

Brandthing’s Sara Scott, responsible for MR BIG marketing said “There’s a great buzz about the town and people want to do their bit. We sold loads of T-Shirts, mugs, umbrellas and shopping bags – these will help people spread the word far and wide - some have gone out to ExPats in other countries! People seemed proud to be wearing their  ‘I love Market Rasen’ T-Shirts and we hope the whole town will be wearing them by the time of our September market!”

Jackie Smith, BIG Market Director, said “Mary told us to aim BIG and we certainly have. In addition to a bigger selection of stalls there was a dedicated cafe area under the auction shed, a short-term Kids Club at the Festival Hall, entertainment, plus a new layout which made the market a place people wanted to spend some time.”

MR BIG's aim is to make the Market a real community space again and judging by Saturday’s turnout we’re on our way. Well done to all for their hard work.  Brandthing is proud to be a member of MR BIG and offering brand and marketing support on a volunteer basis.

Long term food trends such as health consciousness, quality and importance of origin have been chewed up and spat out by consumers.  The result is a fusion of trend mash-ups that are creating new opportunities for brand owners to act upon, gain customer attention, mind space and of course share of shopping basket.   Our latest paper gives you some of the most interesting market developments to hit our shelves in 2012.

We give you the key facts and dive into successful case studies, chopping them up to  understand the ingredients that contribute to healthy brand growth, even in tough economic times. So why not get the kettle on and get your teeth into this excellent read.

Here's the introduction video to Google's fabulous 'Project Re:Brief'



The question behind the idea is ‘what if the Madmen of the past had access to the wonders of digital technology, how would this effect the creative execution of their campaigns?’ The result is something truly spectacular.

Working alongside the Google creative team, Harvey Gabour revisits his iconic 1971 Coca-Cola advert - ‘HillTop’.

Without further ado here’s the documentary.

I know, don’t worry… It made me cry too.

The video produced by Google promotes its ad platforms, and is executed tear-jerkingly well. Made so captivating, perhaps by the lovely old chap whose creative juices are not only still flowing ‘it’s the only one left’, or perhaps it’s the wonderful re-execution of the campaign that pulls at the heart strings.

Google is also teaming up with other madmen (and madwomen): Amil Gargano, art director for Volvo’s 1962 ‘Drive it Like You Hate It.’ Campaign; Howie Cohen and Bob Pasqualina, copy writer and art director, respectively, behind Alka-Seltzer’s 1972 ‘I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing’ ad; and Paula Green, copywriter for Avis’s 1962 ‘We Try Harder’ campaign.

The Volvo re:brief is live for you to watch. However, videos documenting the Alka-Seltzer and Avis efforts aren’t available yet.

I particularly look forward to the Avis one; it’s my personal favourite out of the bunch. Paula Green created more than just a slogan, she created a manifesto for the rent-a-car company. The result was a market share increase from 11% to 34%, astonishing results, and a truly amazing campaign. 50 years later 'We Try Harder' remains the company's tagline.

What’s your thought on recreating such iconic adverts, should it be done, or is it a crime?   

A little beauty of an advert caught our attention this week, it features Roy, a border-collie sheepdog, Gareth Longrass the shepherd and a bunch of mindless wandering blokes.

Created by AMV BDO for Guinness, Roy the sheepdog is charged with rounding up would-be Guinness drinkers, who for one reason or another may miss the golden opportunity of celebrating St Patrick’s Day at the pub with their mates. Diversions include: slobbing about on the sofa, The Mrs, an Indian take out or maybe it’s the club full of birds that will lead the sheepish men astray.

It’s a great little ad, and bound to cause laughs on the most prestigious day of all days. Contrary to some opinions, men actually like being portrayed as mindless animals, so the link between sheep and men is not so far between, and will defiantly get the blokes down to the pub.

Have a watch here, and tell us your thoughts.

One item in particular caught our eye as being fairly ground-breaking in its market.

This little beauty:

Help Remedies is a NYC based start-up looking to revolutionise over-the-counter medication. The packaging designed by ChappsMalina is simply brilliant.

Simplistic design and clear call to action, especially helpful if walking into a pharmacist in the early hours after a rather long and rough night on the tiles, you know what you’re looking for ‘I have a headache’ – HELP! (Not speaking from experience there or anything like that... ahem ...)

“The product approach was simple; keep it clean and minimal with enough coding to clearly articulate my needs in a moment of crisis as directly as possible. Instead of lab coats, ChappsMalina chose to communicate content through the soft topography of the packaging material that is reminiscent of a soft white pillow”

We agree – bravo.

We also feel the positioning of the brand is fantastic their motto is ‘take less’ peculiar when most companies are bringing out the new-dual-action-multiplying-nonsense-extra-power approach a company that stands back and says the following is sure to turn heads:

‘But we’re not going to talk about more, bigger, faster, extra, super, ultra , or maximum. We think that people get enough drugs, dyes, coatings, and other kinds of nonsense from other kinds of drug companies. Help is a new type of drug company – a drug company that promises you less.’

Clearly different and clearly going to be the winner when you next hit the drug aisle.

Felix is currently gearing up for go time, taking up with him nothing but a pressurised suit that will protect him from most things excluding a supersonic hit to the ground. The helium balloon powered capsule taking him to the edge weighs as much as a VW Beetle, and has a climb rate of about 1,000 ft per minute – better than a 150 hp airplane.

We love how this campaign has been created, and is a great way to showboat the brand values of RedBull. Check out mission control here.

If you want a date to mark down on your calendar – it won’t happen. They have given a vague reply to that question – ‘sometime this year’. This is largely due to testing and weather conditions have to be perfect. However, we are told that they will make a lot of noise when it is going to happen.

Let’s hope RedBull does give you wings

Amazon recently posted their gravity defying 2011 full-year results, as bricks-and-mortar retailers looked on enviously. Amazon posted a 41% increase in sales to $8.1bn (£30bn) during the year. Amazon’s sights are set on becoming a top ten retailer, currently residing in 25^th position up from 31^st in 2010. RetailWeek predicts they will hit the top ten by 2014.

Amazon is investing in logistics and new products, to sustain continued rapid growth in the coming years. Due to this heavy investment, their actual operating profits were down 39% to $862million (£537m). It just shows how the successful businesses grow by investing at the expense of short-term profits.

So Amazon looks set to fulfil its offering ‘Earth’s biggest selection’, by continuing to broaden and deepen its product range. The only potential weakness is its lack of multichannel offering. However, this will probably be combated via the introduction of pop-up stores and collection lockers.

So with the e-giant putting ever more financial pressure on bricks and mortar retailers, what exactly can they do to compete with the big bad e-wolf?

Competing on price is just not a smart way to go, their price checking app will destroy those who dare, so the focus has to be on added value. It can be a winning attribute to getting and keeping consumer spend, such initiatives like M&S free bra fittings, or Ikea’s help with construction of flat-packs. Remember good value is more than just about price in the consumer’s eyes.

Service is also a key point here.  Yes Amazon do deliver promptly (most of the time). However, what they do lack is that personal touch. Dixons the owner of PC World and Curry’s see exceptional customer service as the way forward for their business. Your brand has to sing its values through all that it does and who it touches along the way.

Your product range can also be a way of competing with Amazon, as stated earlier they are looking to deepen and widen their range, so how do you create differentiation  I hear you ask. Well you can take a leaf out of Selfridges book and try exclusive products, offer the customer something that Amazon just can’t deliver at a better price. ECommera chief exec Michael Ross believes that retailers will increasingly become brand owners in order to offer customer something unique. Also because of how vast and varied Amazon’s ranges have become it can also be rather off-putting for a customer, with so much choice they appreciate a trusted retailer picking out the best ones for them and not sieving through 5,000 variations.

And you forgot about convenience, this can be a big selling point to the 24/7/365 consumer, being able to pick up their items at convenient locations and times is a sure fire winner. Click-and-collect is getting a lot of attention these days, why, because it works and consumers want it, for example House of Frasier’s click-and-collect now accounts for 40% of the retailer’s online sales and they recently opened two stores specifically designed for this channel.

The next one is something that here at Brandthing we’re fairly vocal about – BRAND. The long standing retailers have significant heritage and connection with consumers through its brand. This can be pretty critical when it comes down to product lines where consumers are looking for a name they can trust i.e. electricals.

Just remember if you want to compete with the big e-boys start with getting the basics right. One of Amazons fundamental strengths is getting the product delivered on time, yes it sounds simple but countless retailers flop and falter on this one, instead focusing their efforts on making a shiny new website or obsessing about mobile.

The thing about Amazon is, you can’t really see the product, you can’t reach out a hand and touch it, see the size in perspective rather than guessing what 186262x537838 would look like on your wall. Here is where bricks-and-mortar rules - the physical world. Allow customer to taste, touch and test and put those helpful minions to work pushing the company’s brand values through them, and the in-store design. Experiential retail can be expensive but the extra footfall through the doors can prove to be an investment well paid.

Rewarding customers that have loyalty is another great way to capture their hearts, but maybe going above and beyond rewarding with money off. HMV Pure makes use of the retailer’s connections with industry contacts to give customers rewards such as magazine subscriptions and cinema premiers.

Amazon is still a baby; it may be a giant retail eating baby, but still a new company comparatively to many long-standing outlets who have built relationships with suppliers. Retailers need to work with their established partners. Speaking on Amazons current venture into the chilled food category, John Giles divisional director of food supply chain research firm Promar International tells it better than I could: “Amazon can physically build a cool store and a distribution depot fairly easily, it is building relationships with suppliers that is key....In fresh food categories, such as meat and dairy these relationships can be challenging.”

The first rule of war is ‘know your enemy’. Ross (online retail consultancy eCommera) states that “[Retailers] need to be smart and apply more than standard retail thinking.” Ross claims that the way Amazon measures performance is radically different to tradition retail methods; perhaps there is something to be learnt from the e-giant. Think Differently.

And the moral of the story is, retail will suffer at the hands of the e-world and e-giants alike if they don’t adopt a value led approach over just pricing, and if they don’t invest in harnessing the positive truths within their brands to create believable differentiation over the online giants such as Amazon.

Have your say on the topic and add more to the list if you wish.

A DG Markt report stated ‘parasitic’ own-label products which copy existing brands, should be stamped out, recommending tougher financial sanctions from specialised intellectual property (IP) judges.

Copycat brands are own-brand products that feed off the brand equity of established brands, generally mimicking the market leader and most prevalent in the ambient grocery and healthy and beauty, including energy drinks, cereal and hair care products.

The proposal to the British Government will occur in May. BBG (British Brands Group) has been lobbying for brand owners to be able to take civil action. Retailers have been accused of confusing consumers into thinking they are buying branded goods.

BBG Director John Noble said: 

"Retailers who mimic brand packaging have no need to do so. It is blatant free riding that does their shoppers no favour."

This could over time inhibit own-label progress, which in the UK is far more established than anywhere else in Europe, with many UK consumers trusting own-label brands more so than their branded rivals, could this become the tipping point back into the favour of brands we know and some of us love.

DG Markt has compared legislation across 27 EU member states and has called for consistency in the rules. In Germany, for example, copycat brands are almost non-existent because of stricter laws whereas in the UK action can only be taken after trademark infringement. The UK IP Office is producing an in-depth report on the matter due to be released in May.

The likelihood of it happening seems in favour of the brand owners however, legislation is most likely to happen at a European level. Sahira Khwaja, a partner at the law firm which conducted research for DG Markt, says that legislation could be on the table in Europe as early as the summer but it depends on the political will of the EU presidency.

If BBG get their way, brand owners who find a parasite of their brand, could be able to bring civil action against the copycat and claim significant damages.

Overall the ramification for retailers could be pretty severe especially on reputation and financial costs, a Shore Capital analyst Clive Black believes that this could freeze own-label progress and said “Don’t forget though that some of the most advanced product development is within chilled and fresh food, which is private label dominated and where the UK is world leading,” Private label accounts for around 45-60% of UK superstores’ food offer.

This is defiantly a topic to keep an ear out for; the long-term affects to retailers and brand owners could be significant, changing the current retail environment to swing in favour of brand owners.

Tell us your thoughts on the topic; we’d love to hear them.

British Street Food awards were created by Independent Food writer Richard Johnson in 2010.  He was always amazed by the quality and diversity of street food in countries he had visited. Coming back to the UK, he was disappointed with the same old bag of fish and chips, Mr Whippy and some crusty sausage from a rusty handcart.

The awards saw a new generation of street foodies, who are focused on changing our British street food vibe from a monotone to a full concerto of flavours.

Richard Johnson writing in The Independent states:

“Street food, in many ways, is better than restaurant food. For a start, it's cheap and fresh – rather than left standing on a hot plate till a sniffy waiter deigns to pick it up– but it's also all about offering the kind of food we want to eat, not some received notion of "good food"”

We can follow British street food back to the 12^th century where shopkeepers would sell hot sheep’s feet. Street food steadily began to climb the status ladder through the centuries, from just being acceptable for the working class, to the emergence of farmers markets making it acceptable for the middle class. Now, street food is coming back with a premium edge and shows you don’t need to sit in a fancy restaurant trying to decipher what the description of the food is to enjoy the best of what Britain has to offer.

Want a great overview of global street food?  Checkout this tasty info graphic.

If you liked this, why not give our Food & Drink Market Insight paper a read