Blog : Marketing

Planet 50-50: The greatest emerging economy the world has ever seen
Anna Russell

Planet 50-50: The greatest emerging economy the world has ever seen

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day. I hesitate over the word ‘celebrate,’ as while progress has been made, the statistics show women are falling woefully short. According to the World Economic Forum we are 117 years from global gender parity, meaning it will be 2133 before true equality.

While this gobsmacking statistic is depressing and hard to take, I do feel a slight sense of optimism. That optimism is based upon the sheer force of economics. The fact is women are not just good for business, they’re great. As you will see from the following graphic, women are arguably the largest emerging economy the world has ever seen. And, let’s face it what business would want to miss out on what could be the greatest competitive advantage ever?

So, today on International Women’s Day please take a moment to acknowledge the enormous potential of women in, and for, business.

#PledgeForParity

International Womens Day - the biggest emerging economy

Zoolander 2: How to be really, really, really ridiculously good at marketing
Emma Paul

Zoolander 2: How to be really, really, really ridiculously good at marketing

I’ve always been a huge fan of the movie Zoolander. As a cynical teenager, I loved how it politely poked fun at the worlds of marketing, fashion and celebrity – industries I now work closely with and within.

Released in 2001, Zoolander was ahead of its time, parodying the vacuous ‘Blue Steeliness’ of the fashion industry; the embellished language of advertising (‘wetness is the essence of beauty’) and the superficiality of celebrity culture…but doing so with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek.

Fifteen years on, the world Derek Zoolander inhabits is more relevant than ever, thanks to the exponential growth of the internet and social media. Naturally, I’m excited about the sequel, but I’ve become even more engaged with the movie thanks to its ingenious marketing campaign.

Zoolander 2 takes a unique approach on movie marketing; rather than be confined to the traditional platforms of relentless press junkets and photo shopped billboards, the strategy goes far beyond this, utilising its fashion plot and iconic male model protagonists, to engage with and become a part of the world it has been politely parodying for the past decade and a half.

Zoolander 1Zoolander 2Zoolander-3

The Zoolander 2 campaign launched, like any big fashion brand, at Paris Fashion Week. Zoolander and Hansel were the grand finale at Valentino’s AW15 catwalk show, dressed in their signature eccentric garments and perfect pouts, they walked the runway and gave insiders an exclusive look at what everyone would be talking about next season.

Since then, Zoolander 2 has continued to be marketed like a highly anticipated fashion collection, spearheaded by two of the world’s most famous male models. Indeed Derek and Hansel are to Zoolander 2, what Kate Moss was to Calvin Klein and Cara Delevingne was to Burberry.

The strategy runs throughout the film’s marketing materials from radio ads to its promotional posters. The clever posters take on the guise of a fragrance advertisement and the movie’s premiere doubled as a fashion show.

Just like any catwalk starlet with a collection to promote, Derek Zoolander has been popping up on the front covers of fashion magazines for the past few months – from Vogue to Esquire. Casting aside my suspension of disbelief – this is the equivalent of King Kong on the cover of National Geographic or Gordon Gekko on the Financial Times…but it works, and the fashion world is embracing Zoolander and its eponymous character, as one of its own.

I’m a fan, so I’ll be seeing the sequel regardless, but it’s also reassuring to know that the fashion world has given its seal of approval and confirmed that Zoolander 2 is ‘so hot right now’.

Love, Emojis and Heroes – What’s Rockin’ 2016
Hilary Joiner

Love, Emojis and Heroes – What’s Rockin’ 2016

2016 is the year of the consumer. Through all platforms, across all trends, the customer is claiming back their mind and their body and is in full control of their media space. So adapt or die.

Digital comes of age. It’s still the media juggernaut, but this year we’re digging deeper into the analytical matrix.

The consumption of digital content is through apps and is fully mobile. Our desire for portability and our rejection of always digesting information in real time is set to continue, so we must continually maximize content to match and strive to work out where, how and when.

What’s new this year is the way we’re evaluating our digital data and its impact on strategy, which aims to make social more viable and valuable. Businesses want ROI and so ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ aren’t enough. Although they demonstrate awareness, in 2016 we’re looking for love.

Creative virility is super for vanity, but advocacy now reigns supreme. Excellent consumer experience converts consumers to brand activists and thus maximises social connectivity. The focus is on follow through, so perpetuating the circle of client happiness and truth. Even our beloved emojis, (now used more than not) are to be scrutinized for the data they can yield. (Insert happy face with wrinkles, drinking a nice Riesling).

Content will see a further move away from static to video. Interactivity will keep your customers clicking in the appropriate direction. Understanding the right degree of personalization and making content relevant is crucial too. Know your platforms, be ready to pounce on the new. But the big technological trend that will impact content is virtual reality, already popping up on Facebook and YouTube with the emergence of 360 Video.

It’s an Olympic year, so sport and our pursuit of a healthy lifestyle are on the podium. Keep up with the gurus and influencers in this spectrum; the frontrunners will be worth their weight in gold. And let’s not forget there’s an American election in November so corporate and financial businesses should be on high alert with their spin on this.

Creativity, our stalwart, is always about the story leading the customer through the media jungle, entertaining and delighting them on the way and delivering them a happy ending. A campaign with a conscience is a seasonal vogue, but if there’s one thing that’s always in style, it’s an honest to goodness, strategically grounded, fantastic idea.

Our affection of all things seventies has been turbo boosted into the stratosphere with the sad death of David Bowie. As music is fashion and fashion is music and Bowie’s creative brilliance is the embodiment of both, never has he been so culturally pertinent. See his genius penetrate through both artistic mediums and long may it continue.

And that’s it, health and prosperity (with a bit of strategy, innovation, creativity and integration) for 2016 from Stripe HQ.