I was lucky enough to visit the village of Stapleford on Monday to join the crowds watching Le Tour! My first encounter was with a lovely couple that live in Stapleford, giving us advice on the best place to park. So friendly! Being part of a marketing company, I was most interested in all the branding, logos and original business ideas of the day. These are the ones that stuck in my mind (because the first step is awareness, right?)
Stapleford Rose Pub
They had a Hog Roast for the day (sorry Jo Riches I didn’t take note whether there was a vegetarian option!), plenty of staff and a fabulous balloon artist making the most amazing head creations.
Clearly they were well prepared for the Tour de France and the increase in trade. (Planning, tick!)
Hill.co.uk
They had a corporate family event at the Stapleford Rose. Somehow my nine year old son snuck in and participated in the Rollapaluza roller racing children’s time trials. (His score was beaten by a girl, mother secretly pleased!)
The Hill.co.uk staff were dressed in branded lycra cycle gear and were a very friendly happy bunch. It looks like a great place to work! (Company culture, tick!)
It also prompted me to look them up online when I got back home and it turns out they are “one of the UK’s top house builders”. I’d never heard of them before so now I know!
Street vendors
Yes we now own some more British flags. (Pester power, tick!)
Cambridgeshire Police
They were visible and really friendly. Normally the Police get such a hard time that I had to mention them here. They have a very well established brand of dealing with naughty people and it’s just as important for them to have good PR as it is for companies as it’s all about gaining trust! Social media has become a big part of this – they can be found @CambsCops – showing how valuable this tool can be.
The Caravan
Being a Tour de France novice, it was also my first experience of the Caravan, a really fast carnival procession throwing gifts (sweets, Frisbees, drawstring bags etc).
Other caravan highlights included:
- Giant Fruit Shoot bottles
- Giant Nijntjies (Miffies , Dick Bruna)
- Nuffield Health Centre Float
- Skoda ( so many Skoda vehicles)
What I witnessed on the day was the effective use of people and events (jumping on their bandwagon) to increase brand awareness and communicate brand values, whilst having a good time.
My family and I had a wonderful day and all the above businesses and brands helped contribute to that.
___________________________________________________