In order to showcase the vast array of wedding services available in the Hills, the first annual ‘Adelaide Hills Weddings Weekend’ will be held on May 29th and 30th 2010. This event will be unique, in that 7 venues will each feature an assortment of wedding suppliers, enabling engaged couples to experience a variety of potential wedding venues, whilst planning their wedding down to the finest detail, if they so choose.

If you are planning a wedding, or know someone who is, the Adelaide Hills Weddings Weekend will provide a fantastic opportunity to experience the best wedding services that the region has to offer. Beyond that, it’s the perfect excuse to escape the city for a day or two, and enjoy the delectable food and wine that the Adelaide Hills is renowned for.

For more information, visit the Adelaide Hills Weddings website, which was designed and developed by our team here at Southern Xposure. Click here to see what Adelaide Hills Weddings had to say about working with us.

The qualification of Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) demonstrates a high level of knowledge, professionalism, proficiency and ethics in marketing, developed through extensive marketing experience and formal qualifications, as recognised by marketing peers. It also shows a commitment to ongoing professional development, in order to maintain competitive advantage in the field.

The Australian Marketing Institute defines CPM certification as ‘the peak professional benchmark for marketers’.

Unlike tertiary qualifications, CPM is recognition of both formal education and successful application of marketing knowledge and skills. Certified Practising Marketer:

• Defines excellence in the marketing profession, balancing practical experience and conceptual thinking.
• Advances your knowledge with continued leading professional development and networking.
• Promotes the profession of marketing by recognising only qualified practitioners of marketing.

Australian Marketing Institute

Laura’s marketing strategy development skills, which have helped many businesses in a diverse array of industries, led to her certification as a CPM.

For more information about the meaning of Certified Practising Marketer accreditation, visit AMI’s website.

Laura

My favourite brand

Allyson Lowbridge, Professional Marketing, Issue no. 1 2009 April – June

Walking my dog recently in the park, I spotted a lost iPod lying in the grass and immediately felt sorry for the owner, knowing how I’d feel in the same situation. There aren’t many brands that would elicit that kind of feeling, but my discovery in the park (and subsequent attempts to track down the owner) explains why Apple is my favourite brand.

Apple personifies that brand-building nirvana – when a brand triggers real emotional responses in consumers.

From my first epiphany with Apple in the mid 1990′s at Bankers Trust – when I visited our marketing design studio and compared the sleek, white Macs with my primordially ugly PC – to the recent and total dependence on my iPhone more than a decade later, Apple has always triggered great feelings for me.

Usually it’s delight, often amazement and sometimes, I have to say, personal satisfaction, especially when I convert someone to my favourite brand.

My partner was anti-Apple, but after months of quiet prodding about the innovations, quality and downright sexiness of the products, the real clincher was when iTunes changed its rules to allow people to share its music files. Now he’s a fan. Talk about brands building relationships.

There’s a gratifying element to the brand which is not just based on the synergy of fabulous form and function of the products.

There’s also a tribal vibe that underlies Apple. You either love or hate the concept of Apple and everything it stands for, and that says something about you.

Take the Apple store in Sydney’s George Street. You experience a real sensation of being in a hi-tech Disneyland when you walk in, and dealing with staff (who call themselves “Genius” on their business cards) is a refreshing brand touchpoint. There’s no question what their favourite brand is.

When a colleague took his faulty iPhone to be checked, it was cheerfully and without hesitation replaced with a new one. Now there’s viral marketing at its best.

Great service, great products and great emotional responses – a brand that conveys everything it represents in everything it does will always get my vote.

Brands such as Shrek, Bob the Builder or Hannah Montana are incredibly popular. This is not only because we can be confident that the child will like them (in the short-term), but because we aren’t offered much of an alternative. As a result, many parents find themselves constantly redecorating, replacing one fad with another as the child grows.

However, an investment in high quality, non-commercial children’s decor can benefit your child, and your purse, over the course of a child’s life.

Kiddylicious Decor has been established to provide fad-free decor and gifts for children. Managing Director of Kiddylicious Decor, Dianne Goldsmith, passionately believes that not only are commercially branded children’s products quickly out-grown, they have nothing unique or sentimental about them – which is why they are only ever ‘passing fads’.

“A child’s environment impacts their development as an individual” Dianne said, “I believe a child’s environment should be unique and personalised to foster creativity and help develop a strong sense of self”.

Kiddylicious Decor specialises in ‘things to inspire and cherish’… things to inspire a child’s imagination, and cherish beyond childhood. The product range includes children’s decor, gifts, furniture, manchester and homewares, for boys and girls, all ages and budgets.

SouthernXposure became involved at the early stages of Kiddylicious Decor’s development, providing marketing assistance and design consultancy. A Marketing Communication strategy was developed to define and articulate the business’ beliefs and values, determine the best way to reach the target market (including specific tactical suggestions) and the most prolific messages to communicate. This included development of the slogan ‘Things to inspire and cherish’, launch campaign tagline ‘The store your family’s been waiting for!’ and general copywriting.

Kiddylicious Decor is located at Jetty Road, Glenelg. For more information about Kiddylicious Decor, visit kiddylicious.com.au.

Dematec asked us to write the award submission required to enter the Small Business Champion Awards after completing the marketing strategy portion of our ‘Strategic Branding’ service. Having been selected as a finalist, Dematec are thrilled.

For more information about our work with Dematec Power, Automation & Robotics on our Dematec past and future projects page.

SouthernXposure was involved in the form of writing and typesetting the award submissions and selecting and coordinating support materials to accompany them.

Category award winners were announced at the AHA (Australian Hotel Association) SA Awards for Excellence on Wednesday 23rd July.

Congratulations to Scott, Gary and the team.