Desigual - Barcelona

Desigual

The EADA business school was kind enough to host our meeting with popular Spanish brand Desigual. Desigual is a hugely successful company throughout Europe, and there has been considerable growth in sales and international expansion over the past 5 years. Thomas Meyer originally founded the brand from his experiences in Ibiza.      

The underlying theme behind the brand is to be unique. Their fundamental values include inspiring positive emotions, to share happiness and to dress people not bodies. This is clear in their radical clothing designs and brand collection, the values of the brand and the in-store experience. Each store is unique, and utilizes recycled materials as well as unique experiences such as a customization area, or fruit stand. The current concept store contains the ability for consumers to try products, place orders via iPads and have the goods delivered within 24 hours.

Marketing efforts of the brand are often unique and as such receive a lot of interest. One example is the “Kiss Marathon” where a party is held in a public location and people are encouraged to make-out with each other. While sales are not directly induced from this event, it gives life to the brand, and let’s potential consumers experience the brand’s philosophy. Desigual’s marketing efforts have shown they are open to trying new things in an attempt to be innovative.

All-in-all another great company visit, finished off with a visit to one of the newest Desigual stores.

Sonia & Luke

Paris City Summary

Paris City Summary

The team travelled to Paris after a quick last browse in Barcelona. We arrived Paris in the evening where the sky has turned dark yet the excited feeling of everyone was not hidden away.

Right after unloading our luggage, some of the team members followed Sean and Kristy to visit Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. It sits on the highest point in Montmartre. Montmartre is translated as ‘mountain of the martyr” named after the martyred bishop was beheaded in the fourth century. Bascilica du Sacre-Coeur was built 1875-1914. Before the church was completed, the Blessed Sacrament has been on display in a monstrance above the high altar and was being uninterrupted in the Basilica since 1885. Thus, all tourists and others are asked to dress appropriately when visiting the basilica and to observe silence as much as possible. Furthermore, the night view from the hill was spectacular despite of the bad weather. We could see the Paris City from Montmartre and a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower light show.

Ting, Emily, Calre S, & Talia

2012 MMSP Farewell from Paris

The 2012 MMSP has finished up in Paris on Monday.  Some of the group has stayed on in Paris, some have gone back to Italy, some are exploring Amsterdam and Europe in a bit more detail.  About half of the group has flown back to Melbourne and back to the warmer weather.

 Our farewell dinner in Paris was at le Chartier, a very French type of restaurant, the group was in fine form and ready to let their hair down. After dinner we headed to a local bar where we had an awards ceremony, prizes and plenty of speechs.  After nearly 2 1/2 weeks of travelling together, everyone has become great buddies and no one will foget the MMSP Program.

Sean & I have had a great time with such an amazing bunch of people, its been a pleasure. We look forward to seeing you all on presentation day in March.

Until then safe travels,

Kristy & Sean

L'Oreal & McCann - Paris

Experience. Truth. Values.

The final MMSP company visit was one of insight and discovery, covering areas all members of the group had great interest in. From the visits in London and Barcelona, the group carried high expectations for Paris and was pleased to have these fulfilled. 

The McCann Worldgroup of France extended their hospitality to us with a spread of refreshments, as we were most welcomed by managing director Jerome Guilbert. McCann Worldgroup is a global marketing communications company that work on transforming markets and building a brand experience for their clients. We were most grateful to have three presentations delivered to us from McCann; McCann Erickson Worldwide, a leading advertising agency network, MRM Worldwide, who focus on the digital communications element of the business and L'Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company. 

‘Truth well told’ was the stimulus behind McCann’s vision, and through the watching of numerous advertisements the group were able to grow an understanding about how this concepts is used in the advertising world. Case studies included; L’Oreal, Nespresso and the French Department of Health.

Eric, the chief strategist from MRM Paris was next to present, shifting the group’s focus to the digital world. Eric discussed the importance of relationship building with clients and how the many channels of digital are used to address consumers from numerous contact points. The main notion is to build a brand that is useful, acquiring, interacting and retaining.

After a break for lunch, Marion, the McCann manager for L’Oreal, gave the final presentation. L’Oreal, although seen as a brand of glamour, sophistication and innovation has seen to many years of transformation, to ensure this brand image has been kept constant from past, present to future. The group learnt that as the aspirations of women, and their perception of beauty changes so too does the L’Oreal ideals. A marketing concept has hence been carried out to make the science of the brand more sensational, ensure the spokespeople are self fulfilled personalities, to provide depth and authenticity and to give a narration through advertisements that is enriched and engaging. Through these concepts L’Oreal has been able to express their vision flawlessly and build a brand territory that leads the cosmetics and beauty industry worldwide. 

To complete the day, the group was fortunate enough to be invited to the L'Oreal factory in Paris, where a guided tour was undertaken. After a presentation into the behind the scenes of the company, the group dressed in lab coats and hairnets and walked through the factory. It was most interesting to see the products at their beginning stages of life, especially after previously learning at the McCann presentation that quality and superiority is key to the L’Oreal success.

Emily & Clare S

London City & Social Summary

Well London swang like the pendulums do. Bobby’s rode on bicycles 2 by 2. With visits to Westminster Abbey and the tower of Big Ben. Kristy’s cheeks were rosy like those of little children.

Jet lag set in on our first day in London with one member of the group(IAIN!) sleeping for an unbelievable 18hours straight!! While others discovered the delights of a certain stage show, one of Zac and Lukes’ personal favourites, Cirque du Solei. The next morning though, refreshed and enthused we travelled to Marks and Spencer and were wowed by an amazing presentation on their market leading approach to sustainability. After an illegal photo outside the building and a quick ‘trip’ down the stairs by Kristy, we travelled to JC Decaux the outdoor advertising company. There we learnt about innovations in the field from the newest in public toilet technology to interactive bus shelters that dispense coupons. With night drawing upon us most of the group ended up having a Mexican fiesta in Soho and ate tacos all night long….

Arsenal was our next destination, arguably one of the most amazing stadiums we had ever seen. We toured VIP areas and the players change rooms and of course asked lots of questions. Our last visit of London was to Westfield where we were given a fully personalized and very detailed tour of the huge centre. Learning about every aspect of the services they offer to their consumer. That night most hit the Pubs for a true local London experience.

Our last day in London was a free day, the weather cold but that did not stop some fearless explorers in the group hopping on an open air bus ride for 3 hours touring the sights of London. We single handily improved the British economy with all our shopping, Lilly fell in love with Selfridges and that night Alisha fell in love with Jersey Shore (sorry I mean Jersey Boys).

Then it was off to the airport eagerly anticipating the next leg of our journey but with all of us wishing, like the wise words of the waifs that we were in London still. To be continued…..

Aimee & Rob

JC Decaux - London

JC Decaux

As we travelled the major highways making our way to JC Decaux, we were able to observe a number of billboards created the outdoor advertising company providing a preview of what was to come. Upon arrival we were given a tour of the outdoor show room, displaying their range of outdoor furniture and advertising tools. It was helpful to witness physical examples of their products and innovations before hearing about the ideas behind them from Cassie, the communications manager, and Lucy, the insight executive from the JC Decaux research team.

JC Decaux was first created by Jean Claude Decaux in France, it now exists in over 50 countries in 5 continents. Their two main initiatives involve providing Public Services to Local Councils, in the form of bus shelters, bins and public conveniences, which also serve as a means for their second main function, outdoor advertising. Within the UK, they have expanded their portfolio by acquiring and rejuvenating public phone boxes, creating a new platform they now refer to as StreetTalk which is popular for advertising targeted at youthful demographics. They also provide clients the ability to utilise digital advertising which allows for greater creativity and the ability for update their platforms and material with much shorter lead times. Examples included the use of live tweets in a campaign implanted by Europcar and the domination of one of London’s main railway stations by Land Rover who utilise e-motion technology featuring images of their cars circulating the digital screens surrounding the station. Such technological developments have seen the need for JC Decaux to reconsider their marketing approach, as they look towards selling directly to brand creatives, who can better understand the value of their new platforms, and bypassing the media agents they have traditionally worked with. Following the presentation and witnessing the innovative technologies of JC Decaux, it became evident that Melbourne’s outdoor furniture and advertising landscape is outdated, underutilised and has great potential for rejuventation.

Char and Adriana

EADA Business School - Barcelona

EADA Business School

Following our quick visit to the fresh food market on Las Rumblas, our bus driver Jose dropped us at the EADA Business School in central Barcelona. Here we met with one of Sean's academic colleagues, Alexis  Mavrommatis, who was represents the  EADA Business School and hosting our visit.

Alexis played a brief presentation that provided us with an overview of career development programs available to the 6,000 students EADA educate annually. The Spanish Institution believe that ‘learning is achieved by doing’ and the 200+ professors currently employed place a strong focus on active participation whether it be in their Innovation Centre, Retail Management Centre or Center for Corporate Sustainability Impact.

Since its establishment in 1957, EADA has achieved exponential success. Today it is considered one of the top 27 business schools in Europe and its MBA program was ranked 84^th by The Financial Times in 2011. Along with a host of other industry awards and collaborations, EADA appears to have a strong presence in the professional development and training sector on an international scale.

Iain & Brigitte 

Marks & Spencer - London

Marks & Spencer 

Mark’s & Spencer is the iconic UK brand.  Recently it focuses on sustainabaility and making the earth a better place. Our company visit was hosted by Adam Edelman, the leader of M&S’s relatively new campaign, “Plan A”. Edelman explained that Plan A was decided 5 years ago, which was inspired by the CEO. Plan A was based upon the fact that M&S was doing a lot of work that is good to the environment, however, the company is not being rewarded/acknowledged for it. Hence, the M&S board decided to take matters further display their sustainability efforts, and make a distinct effort to clean its act up.  

Plan A has well and truly reaped in the benefits, aiding M&S’s brand image dramatically, strengthening the consumers trust in the brand and even helping other companies move towards cleaner productivity. Today, M&S’s target is to be 100% sustainable by 2015, a target which is definitely achievable, considering the fact that M&S’s sustainability have definitely saved the company tens of millions and sales have increased as well. Overall, a very inspiring presentation, one would expect M&S to exceed new boundaries and become the most influential company in terms of sustainability somewhere in the near future.

On a side note, M&S definitely treated us like royalty, providing a more than satisfying fruit and sandwich for lunch. After the enjoyable lunch, a number of us certainly developed a unique loyalty to the m&s brand.

Zac & Sabrina

Arsenal Football Club - London

Arsenal 

We visited the English Premier League football team Arsenal on 13^th January, after arriving at the stadium we were greeted by Angus Kinnear, Arsenal’s Marketing Manager, and walked took the overpass at which point we first laid eyes on the truly impressive home ground to Arsenal July 2006.  Angus spoke with us about how they engaged with their membership in order to show the greatest Arsenal players and also, used the land on which their old stadium stood to sell to Arsenal supporters and create revenue and further engagement with their membership base. 

Once out of the London cold we were shown to the Diamond Club section in the members section of the stadium.  The Diamond Club is one of the most sought after tickets in Arsenals membership offering.  To join the Diamond Club one must commit to 35 years of membership (roughly 1 million pounds) and must be invited.  At this point, Angus spoke with us about how Arsenal segments its membership to maximize the return on investment through the stadium and differing levels of membership.

We were subsequently taken through the player’s, coach’s and media areas to see how each area has been branded to intimidate opposition but also to add to the prestige of the Arsenal brand.  Angus also spoke further on additional revenue streams such as guided tours and their impressive souvenir shop.  Arsenal attract sponsorship, but restrict the number of sponsors in order to provide existing sponsors with the impact they require.

Finally, Angus spoke about community involvement, helping local groups and supporters in order foster better relations, but also to convert kids to the Arsenal brand, but also the many opportunities available come the Olympics.

Robert & Aimee

Hong Kong - City and Social Summary

Once upon a time in a foreign land far far away, 26 brave explorers and their two fearless leaders embarked on a magical journey across a land now known as Hong Kong. Their first mission was to find food and with the sound advice of Alpha Sean, they set upon their second treacherous journey by boat through still and unmoving waters. What awaited them left many speechless. It was as the adventurers looked up at the bright lights of Jumbos the floating restaurant, they knew they had fulfilled their mission. Drunken flaming prawns and Peaking duck lined the tables and the adventurers left Jumbos very satisfied.

However, their journey was not all fun and games. Hard work lay ahead of the pack, as their fearless leaders took them to  Disneyland. After being thrown from huge heights and breaking many a speed barrier, the adventurers left exhausted and reminiscent of their childhoods.

With the wise words of the great philosopher O.R. Bradley in mind, the adventurers decided to take a "Divide and Conquer" approach to ensure their mark was firmly stamped on the foreign land. Bargains were found at the Temple Market, and Adventurer Sonia bough herself an entirely new uniform finally preparing herself for her two week journey.

Day Two and Three saw fierce encounters were marketing tribes, namely DDB Worldwide and Jack Morton. The adventurers were educated on how these tribes exist in such culturally diverse climates, adding to their already highly superior skill sets.

Even with the challenges that presented them through the harsh climate and language barriers, the adventurers conquered Hong Kong. And as Alpha Kristy began to chant, her loyal followers prepared themselves for the next leg of their journey.

To be continued...

Olivia, Belinda, Alisha, Manavi & Simone

Prato City & Social Summary

Prato City Summary: Hannah, Claire, Diane, Carly

After a long flight and an even longer wait at Italian immigration we arrived at Pisa airport.  It was agreed that after a 6am wakeup and tiring flight that we would bypass the leaning tower for our first genuine Italian meal. After check-in at the Art Hotel in Prato the group went their separate ways for dinner- some choosing to stay in Prato and others venturing into the nearby city of Florence. 

The next morning the group headed to our first and only company visit of Italy- Monash Prato. Following this, we headed back to the hotel, all arriving back at different times as Sean and a few others decided to take the ‘scenic route’. The afternoon began with a walking tour of the beautiful city of Florence; highlights included the impressive Duomo, the replica of the ‘David’ statue, and the picturesque Ponte Vecchio. Everyone was impressed by the traditional Italian architecture and awed by the history held within the medieval walls.  Following this, most of the group enjoyed some sort of shopping experience – whether it be at the leather markets, the gold shops or the traditional Italian fashion labels.

 Most of the group ate, drank and celebrated our final night in Florence. Most of us indulging in pre dinner dinner, dinner, after dinner dinner and dessert. It has to be said that the food and wine was definitely a focal point. Our 48 hours in Florence was well spent, everyone thoroughly enjoyed our express Italian adventure and are already planning to return.

Italy

After a very early start the group left London and headed to Italy.  We flew over alot of snow covered mountains and landed in Pisa, Italy in the early afternoon.  There was a long waiting time in customs and this meant we had to change our plans for the afternoon. So the group headed directly to the hotel and after an initial incorrect hotel stop we arrived at the Art Hotel Milano.  Tomorrow we meet with Monash Prato Centre and we will talk to them about the "Monash" brand and the challenges they have faced entering into a foreign market.  We will then head into Florence for our rescheduled walking tour.  It is very cold in Prato and currently on approx 2 degrees, with an overnight low of -5.  More updates later on and photos to come.

London

The group has had a very interesting time in London.  We have met with four very different companies  all of which focus on different aspects of marketing.

The companies are as follows and thier focus is listed.

Marks & Spencer - Sustainability
Arsenal Football Club - Branding
JC Decaux - Outdoor advertising
Westfield Stratford - Branding and in store design

The group has an opportunity at each of the companies to ask questions which are relvant to their assignment topic.

Westfield Stratford - London

 Friday afternoon we were lucky enough to be invited to have a company visit with one of the largest urban shopping centres in Europe; Westfield in Stratford.
It started off as a very different type of visit to what we were used to, with a tour from the centre concierge Daniel. The tour began in the central arcade where we were able to see and interact with the ‘totems’ that Westfield use for in-centre advertising, mall guides and to promote up and coming events. An interesting feature was the ‘find my car’ feature that could be very successful in Australia.
We were then taken through to chestnut plaza- the outdoor shopping area- and we began to realize how big the centre actually was. It became obvious the importance Westfield placed on digital screens, after sighting a large outdoor screen (made by JCDecaux!) as well as two large screens inside that continually swiveled. Daniel highlighted that Westfield was located closely to the Olympic stadium and village, and spoke of the opportunities represented by the 2012 Olympics. He also mentioned the importance of staff who were able to speak and understand a variety of different languages in order to appropriately cater for the influx of tourists during this period. This was followed by a more lighthearted moment of the visit- Daniel’s demonstration of the mobility scooters. Whilst very informative, it did cause a few giggles throughout the group (one unnamed group member in particular!). The tour finished in the food court and was followed by a Q&A session with the centre's PR and community manager; Samantha. Samantha reinforced how important experiential marketing was to the centre – especially in a country that has a huge drive for Internet shopping. In order to attract customers, the centre has to be able to offer the customers an experience that they could not get anywhere else. Examples of methods used to do this are the Justin Beiber concert or the Twilight Movie Premiere. Sam also spoke about the importance of community involvement and interaction for the centres success. Westfield in Stratford is located in the borough of Newham in East London, which is one of the poorest boroughs in London. It is a very ethnically diverse area with over 90 languages spoken. In order to have community support for the centre, Westfield worked with the community prior to opening, continually hosts events to engage the community (e.g. Christmas choirs from local schools, or the ‘bridge’ festival) and heavily encourage retailers to recruit locally. In fact, of the 10,000 jobs the centre created, 2,000 are held by local residents. Sam emphasized how important community support was in the centre's success and believed it made the brand much stronger. The Westfield company visit was very entertaining and informative, and will no doubt be remembered by the group.

By Hannah

Jack Morton - Hong Kong

Our first company visit to Jack Morton in Hong Kong set a high standard for the rest of the trip. First we met Jeremy from Weber Shandwick who captured our attention with the Smirnoff exchange initiate. Their goal was to raise awareness that they are the number one vodka brand that they achieved by creating a huge moon party.

Apart from Smirnoff, it was interesting to see that many well known brands such as MasterCard, coca cola and Johnny walker were all marketed by Jack Morton.

 Next we met Clara from Future brand who presented to us the process of business strategy which leads to brand strategy, followed by brand personality. She spoke to us about positioning, brand creation, launching the brand and brand measurement.

Lastly we met Guy Parsonage, Managing Director, Jack Morton who spoke of the truly global network that the company has become. He also briefly spoke about the cement of technology and it's affect on advertising. He showed us an interactive advert on television that you could engage with your mobile phone. It was the first of its kind.

They are offering an internship that would be a great opportunity for anyone to gain experience and further their career.

By Diane & Belinda

London

The team is currently in London, with our first company visits today.  We are meeting with the Mark & Spencer team this morning and then JC Decaux later this afternoon.  Both visits will be very interesting and will focus on sustainability and advertising.  London is cold but not too freezing.  Some of the team last night had a "English Pub" meal after a great day of sight seeing in beautiful London.

Hong Kong

The team successfully arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday and we have already had a jam packed couple of first days.  Our first night we had the group "Welcome Dinner" at the famous floating restaurant "Jumbos". With amazing views of the harbour we had a great dinner and a  memorable first night. After dinner some of the students headed to the local night markets for some shopping.  The next day we all headed to Disneyland, the day was perfect with temperatures in the low 20's.  Most people rode the "Space Mountain" & "Toy Story Car" ride and we all survived!!!  We are all looking forward to the exciting week ahead.
Stay tuned for the regular updates,

The MMSP 2012 Team

Final Countdown.....

Hi Everyone,

Its not long now until we leave on our awesome journey infact only 4 more sleeps. 
This is the blog you need to follow.  So i need everyone to "follow" or be a "member" of this blog.

Last minute reminders:
Warm winter woolies and your wine, certificates and toothbrush :).

See you all bright and early on Saturday morning at the airport.

Kristy & Sean

Welcome

Hi Everyone,Thank you for attending the learning day on Monday and I hope you all enjoyed the day. Sean & I were so impressed you all got your assignment topics sorted so quickly, WELL DONE and hope that you had made some progress with them.Welcome to our blog for the program, this is where we will be loading up photos from the trip, company reviews and also city & social summaries when we are away. Your friends and family back home can follow us whilst we are away and also we will link you own blogs to this as well.