Global Digital Marketing & Retail by Alex 41
Global Digital Marketing & Retail by Alex 41
Inspiration from across the world for retail enthusiasts, e-commerce professionals, marketing lovers and technology fans. Welcome back! I summarized some great links again, I stumbled upon this week.
In this edition I have write about Ryanair’s social media strategy and how this is Re-Thinking. A topic on a crossborder expansion via a data driven method -including a free prioritization template-. News on how Ikea lokalizes their campaigns and brand identity, a highly interesting read on “The UNIT” a possible new payment system and when you NOT listen to your customers. That and more in the newsletter below!
✈️Ryanair: changed social media strategy instead of the product
I have followed Ryanair for years and am a big fan of their strategy and vision. They are completely different from legacy airlines. I always try to view strategies from multiple angles, which is why this is such a compelling case.
They changed their social media strategy a few years ago. Instead of changing their product or services, as most companies will think about first, they changed their social strategy. I think a smart and great move, but I am sure not an easy one to take.
This came to mind when I saw a social post just a few days ago, after Rishi Sunak called for new elections in the pouring rain.
Key Aspects of Ryanairs (new) Social strategy that Changed their brand perception:
Humorous and Witty Content: Ryanair's social media channels, particularly Twitter and TikTok, became known for their irreverent, witty posts and memes. This includes humorous responses to customer inquiries and complaints, often using pop culture references and current events to stay relevant and engaging
Freedom and Flexibility: The social media team operates with minimal approval processes, allowing them to quickly produce and post reactive content. Essential if you want to be witty and fast in reply’s
Engagement with Trends: Ryanair's strategy includes "newsjacking" – leveraging current events and trending topics to create engaging content.
Humanized Content: On platforms like TikTok, Ryanair uses simple, humoristic effects, such as the popular "plane face" filter, to create relatable and entertaining content. This strategy has contributed to a strong and loyal following by making the brand feel more accessible and personable (Socialinsider).
Risk and Controversy: Ryanair is not afraid to be provocative, sometimes even courting controversy with its posts. While this can occasionally backfire, it often results in high engagement and keeps the brand in conversations.
Details:
https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/ryanair-social-media-strategy/
https://www.freniklabs.com/ryanairs-unconventional-social-media-marketing-wins-fans-and-ruffles-feathers/
https://www.socialchain.com/social-minds/insights/nothing-is-off-the-table-the-four-freedoms-of-ryanairs-disruptive-social-strategy/
https://segmentify.com/blog/ryanair-social-media-strategy/
➡️➡️I think it is great that at Ryanair they think so creatively, including the CEO. It reminded me of this news post already from 2015 (before they changed their social strategy), but so funny🤣
Time is money for O’Leary. He didn’t like waiting at traffic congestion between Ryanair’s Dublin airport headquarters to his home at Mullingar. So he bought a private car, paid £4,000 for its taxi license and equipped it with a taxi meter so that he could legally to use Dublin’s bus lanes.
https://officechai.com/stories/ryanair-ceo-taxi/
➡️➡️And this captcha, which I once took a screenshot of, emphasizes their “We are the cheapest” proposition. That’s brand creativity.🤣
🗺️Data-based prioritization method for international expansion
My hobby and passion is cross-cultural communication, marketing, and e-commerce. So I read a lot about it, and sometimes you find these very valuable posts that go beyond the standard localization story. This is such a post. It includes a country score model that essentially assesses the success of change in a country. And it’s available for download free! Check it out!
You can localize your product pretty cheaply into 10 languages. But just because it’s available somewhere, doesn’t mean you’ll drive market success. MOST companies I speak with have found themselves 12 months later staring at localized products with sagging metrics and no idea why.
Details: Market prioritization template:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YO7QA5hKuYSvSyFvwGTdN37efUYW9F6pt365Ey6QHCI/edit#gid=0
Read the whole article, including explanation of the market prioritization template, here on substack:
🏡Ikea: how Ikea balances globally consistent brand messaging with locally playful comms
The Drum has an article on Ikea’s localization. Great read if you are working in an international organization to see how they combine local and global efforts. For example, local teams can push back on ads provided by the global team, not relevant to their markets or culture.
“Ikea wants to keep one brand identity which is playful, inclusive, simple but we believe there is a lot of value in giving space for different minds and different countries to evolve the brand,” she explains.
She says there is always a tension of how to be as global as possible but as local as needed but describes it as a “healthy” tension. “We have a mix of everything; as I say, we play the full piano. Ikea has external and internal agencies, big agencies, small agencies, global and local teams and that requires extra effort on syncing.”
Details:
UnPaywalled: https://archive.is/dBa25
📌5 practices that give Scrum an undeserved bad reputation
SCRUM, my eyes opened I think around 2015 or so, when I first started working in a SCRUMBAN way. I loved it and still do. But at the same time, it is also not easy to set up. This blog post helps you to avoid pitfalls. I recognize quite a few of them, so worth a read if you are into SCRUM.
Details:
Unpaywalled: https://archive.is/HRmAX#selection-317.0-317.56
Original: https://medium.com/@WJAgeling/5-practices-that-give-scrum-an-undeserved-bad-reputation-78e2282bbed5
🪙The Coming of BRICS+ Decentralized Monetary Ecosystem
I tend to follow a lot of news on cross-border e-commerce and payments. There are a few initiatives that can really revolutionize cross-border payments and e-commerce. One of them might be the BRICS+ decentralized monetary ecosystem. This article dives (partly) into that.
They refer to “The Unit” named to reflect its role as a standardized measure for international transactions. So “The Unit” it is not a currency, it is a system, a system designed to streamline global trade. The advantage is that it is anchored in gold (40%) and a basket of BRICS+ currencies (60%). This provides a stable value, reducing dependency on any single national currency.
No wonder the institutional possibilities are quite enticing – as the Unit can be used for accounting and settlement for BRICS+; payment and pricing for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU); or as a reserve currency for Sub-Saharan Africa.
That means the Unit has all it takes to be on the table as a serious subject discussed by BRICS+ and eventually be adopted as early as in 2025.
Details:
https://informationclearinghouse.blog/2024/05/23/de-dollarization-bombshell/12/
🇩🇩🇩Project Starline: 3D video calling is coming
I often criticize Google, but this is really a cool project that will add value for many! Project Starline: 3D video calling is now closer than ever. Check it out:
📘Book: Online Brand Identity: Lessons from Joris Merks-Benjaminsen's
This book is also part of my collection: Online Brand Identity by Joris Merks-Benjaminsen, published in 2017. During that time, many brands were still developing robust omnichannel strategies. Despite advancements, many brands continue to grapple with establishing a cohesive online brand identity. Here is a two-page excerpt from the book focusing on the concept that "A brand is the sum of all experiences."
Details:
https://www.amazon.com/Online-brand-identity-ultimate-designing/dp/9024420806
🙃Another one in the category: sometimes you need to think differently
Which one of you guys are going to go through your marketing courses? And the lessons it teaches you is to ignore your customers? Well, sometimes you have to ignore your customers. And the reason for that is because they don't know about the nature of your business". NVIDIA CEO
That’s it for this edition. Hope you enjoyed reading!
Greetings,