Samsung 837 as Brand Experience

Samsung 837 opened in a hip area of New York City six months ago. Here's how the company describes this retail space on its website:

"This is Samsung 837, where technology and culture collide.
Located in the heart of the Meatpacking district in NYC, Samsung 837 combines art, fashion, technology, and sport in unprecedented ways. It’s not a store, but a new kind of place filled with ideas, experiences, and Samsung’s cutting edge devices."

Not a store. Samsung isn't selling any products at the 837 location. It's selling the Samsung brand experience--come in and experience its electronics and concepts, up close and personal. New product introductions? Yes, available to opinion leaders, influential early adopters, and potential customers who want to see and try the latest in personal or wearable tech.

Especially virtual reality. For the Olympics, Samsung 837 offered a special virtual reality feed of highlights in Rio, free to visitors. Also on the calendar are lots of events to attract visitors and keep Samsung 837 in the public eye.

Meanwhile, Samsung is fine-tuning its in-store strategies for selling through Best Buy and other retailers, to differentiate its brand and its products. 

Marketing Private Brands

Private brands--also known as private-label--are created or owned by retailers and other channel intermediaries.

Supermarkets are heavily into private brands, as are many general merchandise retailers like JC Penney (which owns Arizona, shown at right). Why? Because these are exclusive to the store and, just as important, they have higher profit margins.

Twenty years ago, an article in the Harvard Business Review said:

... private-label strength generally varies with economic conditions. That is, private-label market share generally goes up when the economy is suffering and down in stronger economic periods.

Today, however, the economy is strengthening and so are private brands. For example:

• Kohl's is seeking a turnaround based on private brands such as Sonoma, Croft & Barrow, and others that are or have been mainstays of its revenue base. However, how will this resonate with shoppers seeking well-known national brands?
• JC Penney is also putting more emphasis on private brands such as St. John's Bay and Arizona as it seeks a turnaround. In 2015, private brands accounted for 52% of Penney's sales--but by 2019, the marketing goal is to have private brands contribute 70% of Penney's sales.
• Target wants shoppers to prefer its private-label food products, marketed under brands such as Market Pantry and Simply Balanced.

Private brands are here to stay. The question is, how much emphasis is too much emphasis?

Apple Pay Competes in Contactless Payments

Apple Pay continues to expand its reach in the US and abroad. Above, Apple Pay is accepted in a New York vending machine, as contactless payments gain ground little by little.

According to Apple's CEO, Apple Pay accounts for 3 out of every 4 contactless pay transactions in the US. By the end of 2017, Apple Pay will be honored by an estimated 76% of US retailers.

The mobile payments world is not only highly competitive, it's still fluid as the technology evolves and consumer behavior evolves. Some consumers are trying Apple Pay but not adopting it as a payment habit.

So Apple Pay and its competitors continue to try to influence consumers' payment choices and brand preferences. Stay tuned.

Brands Pin, Pin, Pin on Pinterest

A growing number of brands are doing more on Pinterest to promote new products, cast a wider net, strengthen relationships with brand fans, and reinforce brand associations.

Pinterest, and its Promoted Pins, have attracted interest from L'Oreal, Burberry, La Mer, and other established brands.

• L'Oreal studied one of its Pinterest campaigns and find gains in new product awareness, message associations, and purchase intention. 
• Burberry is partnering with Pinterest for a personalized campaign starring its new Cat Lashes mascara.
• La Mer is seeking to stimulate Pinterest word-of-mouth for its skincare products.

Oh, and that old "Buy It" button? Goodbye--now Pinterest users can simply click to "add to bag" and shop their way across boards and platforms.

Marketing Nordstrom in Canada: Customers First

Based in Seattle, the upscale fashion specialty store Nordstrom sums up its marketing purpose this way:

Since 1901, we've been committed to providing our customers with the best possible service—and to improving it every day. 

Nordstrom has three full-service locations in Canada and three more on the way. First to open will be the new store at Toronto Eaton Centre in September, followed by the new store in Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

At left, one of the ads paving the way for these full-service store openings. You First is the message, reinforcing Nordstrom's marketing positioning and a key point of differentiation.

Nordstrom has a well-deserved reputation for service--which will help it compete in the increasingly crowded Canadian retail market. The company is also opening additional Nordstrom Rack stores with off-price/discount merchandise, adding to its strength in relatively affordable fashion.

U.S. Companies Feel Impact of Brexit

Five weeks ago, a U.K. referendum resulted in the forthcoming exit of the country from the European Union. The timetable isn't yet known, but the country is preparing plans for an orderly exit and the simultaneous negotiation of new trade pacts with European trading partners.

Across the pond, U.S. companies are feeling the impact of Brexit. First, the currency issue is changing profit and cost projections--because of the see-saw value of the pound sterling versus the U.S. dollar. When the value of the pound drops, the dollar is stronger, a concern for U.S. companies (like Carnival cruise lines) doing business in U.K. markets. Currency fluctuations change the cost of supplies purchased by U.S. firms from U.K. sources--uncertainty that affects not just the bottom line but the marketing plans for the remainder of 2016.

Multinational banks based in the U.S. are watching to see whether London will remain a financial center and gateway to Europe. All have contingency plans for dealing with the challenges if they decide to relocate for better access to European customers (commercial customers as well as consumers). Some mergers and acquisitions between U.K. firms and others outside the country are being postponed or taken off the table due to the uncertainties and the financial repercussions of Brexit. Airlines are reevaluating routes to and from (and within) U.K. destinations.

A lot of U.S. companies buy and sell in the U.K., and Brexit appears to be dampening the economic climate in Great Britain and beyond as firms try to determine a way forward during this transition period. Consumer confidence is down in the U.K. and the result is likely to be slower spending, which will hurt marketers that target consumers.

How will U.K. and international holiday spending be affected? What about "affordable luxuries" that tend to do well despite economic ups and downs? And global travel?