Fighting The Credit Crunch By Driving Brand Value Through Consumer-Enticing Promotions, Value-Added Activities & Retail-Focused Pricing

08.30 Registration And Coffee

09.00 Chair’s Opening Remarks

Tom Fishburne, Head of Marketing, method

Driving Tangible Value For Consumers And Maintaining Volume By Gaining An Understanding Of Customer Behaviour Within Today’s Economic Downturn

09.10 Identifying The True Impact Of The Credit Crunch On Consumer Spend: How Can Brands Survive In Challenging Economic Times?
• Analysing the reality of the impact the credit crunch is going to have on basket spend and therefore brand profit
• Identifying where in all likelihood consumers’ disposable income will shift from and to: what are consumers going to be spending their money on?
• Assessing the effect of today’s price wars on consumers, and how brands and retailers can drive value in today's tough economic climate

Speaker details to be confirmed shortly

Category Case Study
09.50 Effectively Inflating Category Value And Volume Despite Economic Pressures: Understanding Consumer Perceptions Of ‘Value’ And The Effect Of Costs On Brand Loyalty
• Gain an insight into how today’s consumers perceive ‘value’: is today more about price than brand strength?
• Exploring cost versus brand value: how can brands that have established themselves on brand strength and engagement now compete with value offerings and promotions?
• Identifying effective means of inflating brand and category value despite the impact of economic pressures

Rob Sutton, Marketing Director
Pomegreat 

Launching Effective Pricing And Promotions That Provide Clear Cost Value For Consumers Whilst Maintaining Your Brand Value

10.25  Which Promotions And Pricing Strategies Do Consumers Buy Into? Exploring Successful Means Of Counteracting The Reduced Consumer Spend Being Experienced In The Current Economic Climate
• Exploring how to effectively counteract price increases through promotional offers that encourage today’s price and value-savvy consumer to buy
• Identifying which promotions consumers perceive as the best value offerings: is half price taking precedence over multi-buys as consumers look to gain value without the extra spend?
• Examining whether promotions are part of a long-term marketing strategy, or simply a short-term boost to sales

Lucy Gleeson, Business Insight and Strategy Manager
McDonald's 

11.05 Refreshments And Informal Networking Break

11.35 Exploring How To Effectively Utilise Pricing Whilst Maintaining Value In Business And Brands
• Understanding consumer perceptions of pricing: do consumers understand the impact the credit crunch is having on prices, and does this make a difference to the way you position your brand?
• Identifying how to apply an understanding of the current consumer focus on ‘value’ to your product pricing
• Assessing how pricing strategies can effectively be used as a tool within business to maintain category value despite the impact of current economic pressures

Simon Maclean, Category Strategy Controller
Mars Snackfood UK

Driving Profit Through Added Value: Exploring How You Can Incentivise Consumers To Buy Through Non Price-Led Brand Qualities

12.10 Less For More, Or More For Less? Exploring How Design Drives Brand Value...More Or Less
• The game of same: identifying how commoditisation destroys value, and how design helps to preserve it
• Understanding what shoppers actually want - to buy quickly, happily and confidently - and how to deliver this
• New purchasers or more frequent purchasing? Should you change your design approach to suit your consumers?
• Compelling reasons to choose your brand: exploring insights into design effectiveness and value generation from award-winning case studies

Andrew Knowles, CEO
jones knowles ritchie

12.40 Lunch And Informal Networking

Facilitated Brainstorm Panel
Providing Non Price-Led Value For Consumers: Create Value Without Discounting
Join brand and manufacturers examining how you can tailor your promotions to provide value for consumers that isn’t necessarily price-driven but based on issues including:

13.50 Ethics & Green:
Will consumers continue to spend on ethical and environmental concerns: can the strength of morals overcome price - arguably the most powerful influence on consumer purchases?

Tom Fishburne, Head of Marketing, method

14.10 Britishness:
Exploring how to convince consumers to buy British: what, aside from price, can you do to leverage Britishness and outline its value so that consumers and retailers accept the premium?

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, CEO
The Black Farmer

Exploring How To Successfully Balance Price Increases With Decreased Consumer Spend To Entice Consumers, Work With Retailers And Maintain Profit Margins

Delegate-Driven Brainstorm
14.30 Exploring The Rise Of Discount And Value Brands: Delivering Value, Maintaining Margins
In round tables, take this chance to bounce ideas and assess how discount and value brands work in terms of reducing costs and driving profits. How could you apply some of these methods to your business or brand? Brainstorm top points that you can take back to the office.
Focus on key areas including:
• Supply chain and suppliers
• Marketing  / overhead costs
• Cost/ profit margins

15.00 Afternoon Refreshments And Informal Networking

Retail / Manufacturer Insights And Panel: 2 Part Session
Managing Increased Prices And Overcoming The Challenge Of Passing On Costs: How Can Brands And Retailers Work Together Most Effectively To Ensure Recognition Of Brand Value And Minimised Profit Damage?

Part 1:
Hear top-level brands and retailers provide insights for 10 minutes each on their views of the current economic situation.
15.30 Deborah Robinson, Director of Food Retail Marketing
The Co-operative Food
15.40 Sarah McCartney, Head of Brand Publications
Lush 
15.50 Giles Brook, Commercial Director
Innocent Drinks

Part 2:
16.00 Insights will be followed by a frank and honest panel discussion between the previous speakers, discussing the most current issues around price inflation, passing on costs and working together throughout the supply chain, including:
• Exploring realistically how manufacturers, retailers, and consumers are taking today’s price increases on within the credit crunch
• Identifying what brands and manufacturers can do to work with retailers to offer their services as a fairly-priced supplier without drastically losing profit
• Are retailers putting pressure on suppliers to reduce costs, or are they looking to work more creatively with them to improve product value?
• Exploring how you can manage your suppliers and your customers in the current economic climate to ensure a good relationship: is it about being open and honest about the whole situation re: price increases?

Panellists include:
Giles Brook, Commercial Director, Innocent Drinks
Deborah Robinson, Director of Food Retail Marketing, The Co-operative Group
Sarah McCartney, Head of Brand Publications, Lush

16.40 Chair’s Closing Remarks And Close Of Conference

Click here to subscribe to Marketing.