As previously mentioned, the first (but certainly not the last) Cello Conference was held in London on 11th June. The theme was ‘Creating Consumer Chemistry’ and the focus was on joint Cello / client presented case studies showcasing the work of five Cello companies. This included our very own Giles Lury discussing ‘Smarter Marketing’.

For those who couldn’t make it, or to revisit the day, the video below gives a flavour of the different speeches and presenters. Watch this space for details of the 2010 Cello Conference…

Now that I have your attention, I’ll add the caveat ‘online’ to the title. Paypal has just released an online retail survey that shows men outspending women in every category except groceries and clothes. Whilst this is no surprise in techie/gadget sectors men also outspend women on online health and beauty products.

Are men afraid to be seen carrying multivitamins, moisturiser or touche eclat in their shopping baskets? Is there a real opportunity for FMCG brands to target blokes through the internet, getting us to consume new products without bruising our sense of machismo?

For me, yes and yes. I am hardly the most caveman of chaps but I’d happily not feel the urge to hide the few grooming products I do buy under piles of steak and beer as I do my weekly shop. And who knows, maybe I’d branch out and try something I’d never buy in a store (I’ve always been a tad curious about face packs!) so long as I could find a good hiding place for it in the bathroom cabinet!

With male grooming products set to sell $21.7bn globally in 2009 and hit $25bn by 2011 the relative anonymity of the online retail opportunity should not be overlooked for products men would never consider buying face-to-face.

Fake Viagra anyone?

Yet again we have had the honour to contribute to a set of articles published in The Grocer in the last couple of weeks.

Alex Waters, director of Capabilities, comments in last week’s article “Can new campaign resolve the binge drinking problem?” written by Nicolette Allan and Richard Ford (25th July 2009). The article discusses whether the latest campaign against binge drinking (which will favour subtle persuasion over scare tactics) will work. For an extract of what Alex has to say please see below and the full article can be found on The Grocer’s website.

The week before, our director of Closeness, Anna Eggleton, comments in an article written by James Ball entitled “Clear Skies for Brands; Heavy Clouds for Own Label” (18th July 2009) discussing the performance of the 150 top UK’s food and drink manufacturers in the current economic climate. The piece examines which companies are rising to the challenge – versus own label and smaller branded companies that are struggling. Anna advices that middling brands have to out-think their bigger rivals, as they can’t outspend them. She adds that planning a riskier but well-targeted campaign is better than spreading a small pot of money thinly. Please find Anna’s full comments below, and for the entire article please click here.

And all good things come in threes: Richard Oldham, director of Innovation comments in the article “It’s not for men” written by Nicolette Allen on 27th of July. Nicolette questions brands such as beer and pizza, that have traditionally been the preserve of men, being targeted at women. Please see Richard’s thoughts below – the complete article can be found here.