A Brand called MARBELLA

In 1954, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe converted his family farmhouse into the Marbella Club Hotel. And so, a brand was born. 

Prince Alfonso was a visionary who was enchanted by this particular spot of Southern Spain. The Marbella Club grew from just 19 bedrooms, one suite, a dining room and a bar to today’s total of 84 rooms, 34 suites, a spa, Beach Club Buffet, Grill, the MC Café and a golf course. In addition, the area around it received such great demand that it became known as the “Golden Mile” (a part of this having been named Bulevar Principe Alfonso Von Hohenlohe) and Marbella has evolved into a magnet for the exclusive. www.marbellaclub.com

Prince Alfonso’s vision of “Marbella” has withstood time. But it has also withstood the highs and lows of the tabloid coverage. As with any of the world’s top brands, barely a month goes by when the UK press does not report a controversy of some kind – the incidences of boom receive nearly as much attention as those occurrences of bust. Yet the truth is that through it all, an influx of luxury tourism continues to secure Marbella’s position as one of the world’s most desired locations.

Prince Alfonso’s utter enthusiasm for Marbella also aided many successful property deals for his elite associates. And over the years many other entrepreneurs have emulated his real estate prowess with a market of high profile clients. Nick Stuart founded Spanish Hot Properties 4 years ago and his passion for the area abounds. He says “Over recent years, people have started to come to Marbella looking for a country in crisis. Of course, in these economic times there are deals to be made, but as a comparison, you do not go to Mayfair seeking bargain basement properties. Marbella has a history that stems from the days of the Marbella Club. And there are still plenty of people who have an emotional link with the area, born from their own family backgrounds. Marbella has always attracted the rich and famous and so, this creates a self-fulfilling phenomenon. Of course, the climate (a full 4º warmer in winter than any other area of Spain) and the locals help – you could not wish for friendlier neighbours than the Andalucians”.
(Marbella Property)

The Marbella Arch was constructed 18 years ago, though is now the subject of controversy as it has been dismantled due to new road infrastructure.

Marbella’s popularity increased from the 60’s thanks to improvements in the infrastructure with motorways stretching as far as Alicante. In fact, as head of the Costa del Sol Promoters’ co-operative, Prince Alfonso himself lobbied the installation of improvements for the road systems, airports and water supply (also the conference and exhibition centre which spurred the growth of Torremolinos as a mass market holiday destination). Whilst local life did slow in the mid seventies due to the first large-scale recession, it gained rapid pace once again in the 80’s as property demand from Northern Europe outstripped supply. Requirement was further fuelled by an increase in the native Spanish market as the country began its evolution into one of Europe’s most modern. Málaga airport is still undergoing major renovations today and connects to over 60 destinations worldwide with approx 13 million passengers per annum.

Again Marbella demonstrated a brand strength that many top companies attempt to imitate in today’s business. Get the core appeal right, create a buzz and then make sure that the infrastructure works to maintain the demand. 

Ian Waudby has worked in Marbella since 1989 and has run the highly successful real estate development company, Crest Homes, for many years. In 2010 he joined forces with Spanish Hot Properties to make the most out of the evolving demands of the area. Throughout his experience Ian has witnessed the cyclical nature of the area first-hand. His company also boasts an impressive list of exclusive properties and a clientele including “A” list celebrities. He says, “The target market is always moving, but it is always there. When I started out in business here you had a strong retirement market, nowadays the younger “bling” market is much stronger.” Ian also adds that he believes that “the end of 2011 to end of 2013 will be the best “harvest” years for the opportunistic investor in Marbella”.

Whilst the savviest marketeers do indeed understand that the most successful products appeal to the heart, not the mind (source: businessweek.com) it is always a mistake to overlook the core science of what the product aims to achieve. Luckily this isn’t something that Marbella has ever had to worry about. The sunny weather is generally constant, the hotels, restaurants and beach clubs are glamorous  and the celebrities just keep coming…

Kyra Dawson in her article Brands of Emotion agrees … “If a name can evoke the security sensation of that phrase "satisfaction guaranteed", then you've got a winner.” We think that sums Marbella up quite nicely.

If you would like to learn more about how to create a brand that can withstand the test of time, contact Pudding Creative.

What is "good" website content?

… well, the proof is in the Panda...

Pudding Creative could most definitely be accused of repetition when it comes to the words “we have a publishing background, don’t you know?” But we hold a high regard for the old disciplines of print publishing where one mistake could have a detrimental effect on a very large, not to mention expensive, print-run.

There was a time when every page of a magazine was first sent to bromide proof, then produced as 4-colour film and only printed to page once the colour cromalin proof had been fully approved. But then just 3 letters – PDF – replaced this long-winded process. And now, time has moved on so much that the “mag” has been largely replaced by 1 sole letter – “e”.

Of course, the concept of magazines and publications of all types has further progressed with the evolution of the Internet and, most notably, the blog. The blog, which was crowned as a noun in its own right in 1999, provided individuals with a voice. The writer no longer needed to await invitation from the supreme Editor. By 2004 the “blog” was even being used on a worldwide scale by businesses and politicians. And, of course, it was not overlooked that this rather convenient new tool was also helping companies to make their way up the search engine listings.

There are many different options for the business or the individual to use when publishing their updates. Forbes has created a list of their top 11 with Wordpress being number one www.forbes.com

As you will guess, with so many formats, there is obviously a lot of demand. And rapidly the power of the blog rolled into overall website content with more and more website templates being made available for minimal cost to the users. But whereas all traditional print publishing was proofed, proofed and then… well, proofed a little more, there is little to zero proofing involved in what is published within the World Wide Web.

Well, until now…

It seems that Google (the undisputed force of law and online order) has had enough of their cyberspace being littered with substandard content. And so they have introduced “Google Panda”. googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/
Google Panda is a new algorithm that has been designed by the rather clever ‘bots to help people find more high quality sites when searching the web. And one of the first points that they like to make is that it is the client who is the reader, not the search engine.

As Rand Fishkin, CEO of SEOmoz and Will Critchlow, founder of Distilled, discuss in their “Whiteboard Friday”, these new Panda algorithms are based on real human responses to website content.
www.seomoz.org
“…people don't think this is high enough quality. This isn't going to get past the Panda filter. You're in jeopardy", says Rand.
They continue by explaining that the oh-so clever Google can actually evaluate a website content in terms of reliability, trust and authority. And so, perhaps, the days of churnalism are over.

1. churnalism
Term coined by author Nick Davies to describe poor practices of modern day journalists who "churn" or recycle news stories off the wire or Internet without appropriate critical investigation.

But that begs the question, what is good website content?
SEO mastermind Paul Lopez of Solar Internet and owner of celebritiesinmarbella.com says that it comes down to just 2 basic rules…

“Rule 1 for good website copy is to write good quality content without thinking keywords or search engines. Research your subject and write as if it were a normal article. You don't want to bombard your visitors with keywords and the chances are that if you are trying to write for the search engines it will be bad quality and not a good user experience.
Rule 2 is never just copy content. There are a few reasons for this but the main point is that the search engines don't like duplicate content and the latest panda update is very much focused on quality content. If you want to figure in the search engines then write your own copy. Show the search engines, and your visitors that YOU are the authority on your subject.”

Lisa Richards, Editor of www.resource-magazine.com also agrees that “content farming” is detrimental to the standards of the World Wide Web. This focus on producing words that satisfy the algorithms set by search engines (rather than the subject matter itself) often produces confusing articles with little factual relevance. She notes, “the appeal of high visitor numbers is proving more alluring than high quality. I’ve seen journalists and PRs garnering editorial support from bloggers by rewarding responses or offering freebies rather than actually looking to the quality of their own work”.

Content Farming can be a thankless task

Of course, the actual words contained within a website are only part of the battle when considering an “authentic” website. Rand reminds us that appearance is equally important.
“A lot of this comes down to design, and authority is really branding familiarity. Have I heard of this site? Does it seem legitimate? So I might get to a great blog like StuntDouble.com, and I might think to myself, I'm not very familiar with the world of web marketing. I haven't heard of StuntDouble, so I don't recognize him as an authority, but yeah, I would probably trust SEO information from this site. It looks good, seems authentic, the provider's decent.”

Companies have been known to work very hard to create a reputable brand name in the real world, only to throw all that hard effort away with a substandard appearance online. It is important to remember that your brand is the sum of your staff, your services and all of your marketing initiatives – and that includes your website. So, make sure that it receives equal time and effort.

Pudding Creative can help you to achieve a high quality website presence with solid content and an irresistible style. 
Contact us for a free consultation on how we can improve your business.
Tel: +34 667714346 
Email: hello@puddingcreative.com 
Web: www.puddingcreative.com
“Like” us at www.facebook.com/puddingcreative

PUDD FILE: INTERNATIONAL BRANDING - The power of the BILLBOARD and other printed marketing ideas

Following a period of super exciting digital presentation work this summer, we at Pudding are delighted to also be working on a series of printed material and signage including billboard designs to support a rebranding campaign and we thought we would share a few of the images that we have collected as part of our design studies. Just goes to show that old school style printed advertising is still very much at the forefront of international marketing and design for many brand giants.  Here's a selection of our favourites which both deliver an incredibly powerful message and a few smiles.

Brilliant use of the limits of a given billboard space by Formula Toothpaste

Billboards can have a life after dark - Eskom

Not to be confined by the extents of  a billboard  - love the shoelace touch! by Woodland

Frame it...from one of the world's leading brands PSP - one of a series of ingenious roadside advertising campaigns

And frame it again... here promoting the regeneration of  an dying art form - the handwritten letter from Eesti Post
- we say long live the post!

and when a roadside billboard is just not enough,  build yourself a bridge...Adidas

...or if you can't have a billboard at all,  why not use your building instead? who said size doesn't matter?  

...very subtle advertising from Heineken on this construction site - look closely

...and the not so subtle ....from Abercrombie & Fitch - what can i say?

but if you don't have a billboard,  a building or a construction site, all is not lost (advert by Ché)

There are many unexpected opportunities for printed marketing campaigns even in this digital age - all you need is a little out of the box thinking and you can transform some of the most unexpected places into a dynamic advertising hubs
(Bus shelter promotion for Real Hiphop.com.br)

If you'd like to know more about our current projects and our unusual range of branding, creative design and marketing services,  please drop us an email here CONTACT US or give us a call on +34 667 714 346 and we'd love to say hello. Thank You!
compilation by Pudding Creative

Guey, the way forward in Marbella

Güey Restaurant & Skybar in Nueva Andalucia, Marbella (comfortably close to the hustle and bustle of Puerto Banús) plays venue to so many personal and professional events in Southern Spain that it has become a permanent fixture in the PuddingCreative calendar. For a start, it is the Mecca of the professional networker having regularly played host to Tweet Marbella, the Costa Business Club and the Women in Business. But it also embraces the international culture of its cosmopolitan location with a range of lively Swedish, Mexican, Spanish and English themed evenings

But what is it that makes Güey so irresistible? According to their website it is a repertoire of fresh, creative cuisine. Favourites include sushi, pumpkin soup with langostinos and honey glazed lamb ribs. But the fine dining experience tells only a small part of the story. One of the reasons that it is so perfect for social events of any type, is the vibrant ambience combined with a large, split-level, open-plan floor space. The more formal restaurant leads easily into the contemporary cocktail skybar that flows onwards to the terrace which provides a tropical atmosphere in which to enjoy a multitude of nightcaps. Of course, the flexible layout means that any evening can also be arranged in reverse, with one (or more) aperitifs enjoyed amongst the chic landscaping at the rear of the venue and onwards for dinner.

And wherever in Güey you find yourself seated, you still get to enjoy cool tunes played live by a choice of artists, selected each month – generally a blend of modern jazz and soul that complements the ultra stylish surrounds.

But none of this mentions one of Güey’s most exclusive features which is located below the floorboards of the restaurant area with only one portal window providing a sneak preview to something very special. Güey offers a unique underground wine-tasting cellar that provides connoisseurs with a choice of tipples from Spain, France, California, Australia, South Africa and Chile. 

Not many venues proffer a setting that can equally accommodate the needs of a couple seeking a romantic evening or a large group celebration. This ability comes from a talented branding team, including event manager, Johnnie B, who has brought his experience from some of the coolest restaurants and bars of New York and adapted it to suit the desires of the local market on the Costa del Sol.

Johnnie B runs a series of new and interesting events throughout the seasons that maintain Güey’s fresh buzz (including many opportunities to savour some of the 50 different varieties of tequila). And so, it should be of no surprise that Friday 5th August will see the Mr. and Miss Málaga Pageant, 2011. The glamourous affair, which will attract nearly 250 people, will consist of the perfect combination of fine bodies and fine food (a . All provided for just 59€.

This is a venue that has been perfected by those who love good food, good drink and good company. And so do we! – Güey Restaurant & Skybar receives our highest recommendation...


For more information on the
Mr. and Miss Málaga Pageant, 2011

Gala Dinner

Friday 5th August, 2011

9pm til late

contact Nicky at nicky@gueybanus.com

Restaurante Güey,  Plaza de las Orquiedeas,
4, 29660 Nueva Andalucía, Marbella

Reservations:  + 34 952 929 250


All Güey events can be viewed on the Güey website www.gueybanus.com




If your business is in need of a little brand innovation, then contact Pudding Creative for a unique marketing and design campaign that suits your budget.

Top tips from Marketing Savant

10 THINGS PROFESSIONALS NEED TO BUILD THEIR PERSONAL BRAND

We're always happy to share some sound and sensible advice from industry experts. Here's a great summary of how to Build Your Personal Brand from Marketing Savant (brought to our attention by Marketing & Social Media Strategist, Suzette Greer)...

Whether you're currently in the hunt for a new opportunity, seeking a place on a local board or looking to grow your new business, having a personal brand that's approachable and accessible through the digital realm is an essential. Let's start with the 10 basics every young professional needs to master to be effective in the realm of personal branding. 

To read the full article see Marketing Savant

Pudding's Sunday Design Supplement: AN ODE TO RAFAEL NADAL

Rafael Nadal may not have been crowned today’s champion, but he'll always be a winner in our eyes. His worthy performance at Wimbledon personifies our dual nationalistic pride – a love of the World’s best tennis tournament which epitomizes all that is English combined with Spain’s pride and joy, one of the World’s biggest hitting players.

Rafael Nadal always seems to be both likeable and humble – not forgetting to mention the fact that he possesses an intense talent unmatched in his era. In short, we love him. And here’s some soundbites from the great man… oh, and if you’re not at all into tennis, take a look anyway ‘cause, well, what can we say, the camera does love him!

"And on the tennis courts, maybe on the outside I look fearless, but on the inside, I'm scared. There's not one player in the world who isn't nervous before matches. Especially important matches."

"The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move, to run, and to control that pressure."

“I always wanted to be honest with myself and to those who have had faith in me,”

"To be honest, I haven`t felt at my best since this tournament began. I didn`t feel good with the court or the balls. But those are excuses. You have to accept when you don`t play well and somebody else does"

“I am a little bit more famous now, but I have [some change] in my life. I live in the same place. I have the same friends.”

 

What do Domino’s, The Body Shop and Amazon have in common?

A recession busting spirit

            … and a good dose of marketing innovation

An economic recession is obviously a difficult time for all. Most of us will simply be trying to hang on in there until times are less turbulent. However, there are some broad shouldered companies with a spark of entrepreneurial excellence that show the rest of us that it is actually possible to not only survive but thrive during the downturn.

When funds are tight, cuts across the board are clearly essential. We all need to be A) sensible and B) realistic but O2’s recent survey of long-established, recession surviving companies, tells us that we should be careful where the snips are made. The feedback was unanimous that a careful attention to cashflow is key. An appreciation of customer loyalty and a determined attitude are also important. But perhaps the most surprising advice was to dedicate time and resources to good marketing campaigns. “In an increasingly competitive arena, customers need to hear about your product so maintaining marketing spend is a must.” Source; telegraph

Domino’s Pizza provides a good example of how to make a market u-turn. In 2009, the world’s largest pizza chain launched an international campaign to overhaul their recipes, inviting consumer feedback via their website and through social media. It was a brave mood when the $33.5 billion industry was badly suffering in response to the recession, hampered further by some especially bad YouTube publicity – but it paid off! Domino's Pizza is now widely acknowledged as the global pizza delivery giant with a revenue of over $389.2 million.

Dame Anita Roddick has become an icon of entrepreneurial strength having developed the The Body Shop brand throughout the years of the 1980’s recession and even managing to take it public in 1984 (when so many other companies were still licking their wounds from drastic economics). And she achieved it with a good dose of cunning (the green brand colour being a strategic choice as it acted as a good camouflage to the mouldy walls of the aging premises) combined with innovative marketing choices. Anita “self-financed” new shops with her identifiable logo in a time when everyone else was shutting down. And she actively promoted an idea that was not only fresh, but fitting for the newly environmentally-aware times. "A two-for-one sale no other cosmetic company could ever hope to match: buy a bottle of 'natural' lotion and get social justice for free," says Anita.

And, hark still those remaining cynics because it is possible to achieve these marketing heights in today’s competitive world. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, and has grown from an online bookstore to become the largest online shop in the world. They have survived the .com bubble bursting and now prosper where others are falling foul. In part their recent success can be attributed to the Amazon kindle which has also been supported by an array of press activity and creative adverts (just google it and you’ll be overwhelmed with YouTube options). The result of all this hard work? Amazon remains number 1 of the eBook market with 41.5% (1.14m).

"There are two ways to extend a business. Take inventory of what you're good at and extend out from your skills. Or determine what your customers need and work backward, even if it requires learning new skills. Kindle is an example of working backward." says Jeff, also adding "What's dangerous is not to evolve".

Pudding Creative knows that to succeed in any market you must possess a fine share of energy, creativity and individuality. Please contact us to learn more about how our branded designs and presentations can help you to climb the market ladder.
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PUDDING'S SUNDAY DESIGN SUPPLEMENT

As a follow up to our blog about Hoover the brand, we felt it was only right to recognise their competition as it's not often the common vaccuum cleaner receives any recognition and within the new glamorous world of product placement reaching us subliminally via TV and cinema,  its probably unlikely that they will get much of a look in there either. 
So these are the guys that we feel,  really manage to stand out from the crowd in the big bad world of household branding and deserve a sunday supplement style mention from pudding.  

1st PLACE :  Hoover 

With a century of market reign and its use as an accredited verb in the English dictionary, and even applied by competitors' products to refer to their own product,  makes Hoover the outright and well deserved winner. 

'To vacuum is to hoover'...

 there's no contest!

2ND PLACE : Dyson's revolutionary rollerball & bagless cyclone innovations, dominate the current UK market with   profits  over  £100 million. www.dyson.com

  

3RD PLACE :  Henry the hoover-  1980's iconic appliance by Numatic International which has sold over 6 million units. Now available in George & Hetty, or alternate colours and most recently, a fully-functioning executive desk gadget.  www.henry-hoover.com

  

4TH PLACE : Rideable Vacuum Cleaner by Kristina Andersson. A fabulously designed  concept prototype which triggered overwhelming international responses leading to the market demanding for it to be manufactured.   we'll see...   www.yankodesign.com

5TH PLACE :  The leading brand of gorgeously slick automatic robot vacuum cleaner.  www.roomba.com

6TH PLACE :  Dirt Devil - despite holding only a tiny market share,  exceptional marketing has made this brand a houshold name  www.dirtdevil.com

...and an extra SPECIAL AWARD  goes to : Noo Noo - the 5^th member of the Teletubbies. Awarded on behalf of all mothers, for introducing the need for vacuuming into our children's lives from the very earliest age. Thank you Tubbies!   www.teletubbies.com

Thanks for reading ,  we hope that it made you smile!  If you'd like any

further information about our services,    

please contact us at : www.puddingcreative.com

PUDD FILE : LA SALA – Super chic bar restaurant – Puerto Banus, Marbella

La Sala in Puerto Banus brings you ‘the ultimate social and dining experience, day and night’ (or so their website states) so we went to check them out. And you know what...we think they're right!

Now this is a super chic bar-restaurant definitely worth a look. Located adjacent to the bull ring, by the Kristina Szekley's offices, you cant miss the umbrella-ed timber deck as you drive past, or of course if you're visiting the Saturday market, you’re right next door. Handy! 

The most notable spot to see or be seen, is now the front deck of La Sala which has soft seating, bar stool dining and café style tables. This terrace benefits from sunshine all day until about 6pm (lovely!) so you can enjoy a long lunch and then relax and spend an afternoon in tanning and people-watching heaven. But despite the exquisite level of 'all round beauty' there is no pretence or feeling of clique from either staff or clientele,  which equals a good atmosphere and a wide mix of customers coming to eat and drink.

La Sala, opened at the end of last summer (2010) with two very well attended launch parties (one Spanish,  one International). The owners set out to become one of ‘the’ places to be seen in for a drink and it certainly appears that they are achieving that,  and also in equal measures in the restaurant as bookings need to be made several days in advance, most of the time. Although, they are still maintaining the ability to provide a high quality and an efficient service which is a tough combination to make work.  The key is most likely the intelligent floorplan which creates a good choice of areas set around a central contemporary bar from which to survey the whole room. This enables different atmospheres to sit comfortably side by side,  inside and outside, simultaneiously or privately.

And at the heart of this establishment and the true success of the venue, is the open plan glass kitchen,  where you can watch as your meal is prepared by the La Sala chefs.  The menu is varied, contemporary, clean and fresh including both international and Spanish cuisine. Our meal was served promptly and with a great deal of care afforded in the presentation even during what was a completely full service. Super Tasty!   .

Besides the fact that you can spend an afternoon lounging in the sunshine or spend the night sipping a nice glass of wine at one of La Sala’s events, you really can call this a restaurant.  The food is not secondary to the image and there's a great menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for a surprisingly good price and if that’s not enough – they offer free valet parking and they have the most gorgeous waiters (and waitresses) that I have ever seen!!!  x

PUDD rating: 10 / 10

Location	Calle Belmonte, 29660 Marbella, Spain
Hours	Mon - Thurs: 10:00 - 02:00 Fri - Sat: 10:00 - 03:00 Sun: 10:00 - 02:00

Parking

Valet

Phone	(+34) 952 814 145
Website	http://www.lasalabanus.com

The bar & restaurant industry is relying more and more upon their social media advertising and working on establishing a connection with their brand or chain by building a “fan base” on facebook and posting updates and invitations about up and coming events or offers, reaching customers instantly and at very little cost,  but most importantly (as La Sala, Marbella is doing) building up tbrand loyalty in the local area. This is great era of keeping in touch,  so give them a ‘like’ to receive updates 

of their regular music gigs or themed events – follow on facebook.  facebook.com/La-Sala-Puerto-Banus

 

The PUDD FILES are written by Pudding Creative, Marbella based Brand Design & Marketing company specialising in the property industry.  www.puddingcreative.com