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The digital and branding disorder - Oxford Freshmarket | A case study


Key elements, such as internal market research (including analysis from social-media touchpoints), and the financials of the company, are missing, aren't included. Therefore, this document cannot be viewed as a strategic plan for the company. However, this document will indicate areas in which the marketing may be improved or changed to benefit the company in terms of sales growth and exposure. 

There are two areas in which Oxford Freshmarket has difficulty − it is brand uniqueness and its weak digital presence. 

The digital issue 

In brief, Oxford Freshmarket's digital presence is derisory. There is a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and some advertising on other websites. In all, there seems to be no focus on digital, and what is there is, is not connected to form an effective marketing strategy.

The trend has been for a while now to move towards digital. International companies are far ahead of South Africa in this transition. However, local companies are only now starting to implement digital marketing strategies to enhance the experience for their customers. 

My suggestion would be to step up the company's digital marketing to ensure that it can keep up with its competitors. Digital marketing should focus on the following: 


Website – the website should be expanded and improved. An e-commerce section should be presented, adding social links and techniques to drive traffic to the site, such as SEO and content marketing. 

Mobile – with more than 50% of the population accessing the Internet via their smartphones, it is essential that a website be mobile-friendly. Additionally, the site should be able to load fast to avoid high churn rates. 

Email – A properly segmented database should be available, allowing marketing material to be emailed to niche markets. Promotional material should be included, together with social-awareness campaigns the company engages, or products that the customer normally buys. 

Social – Currently, there are Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Twitter account @oxfordfreshmrkt is dead − it died in 2014 after just 2 tweets. The Facebook account, although having 9,495 likes, might be even more problematic. This is because most of the followers come from PPC efforts rather than from organic growth. This analysis is because engagement is low for followers, with most engagement limited to likes ranging from 1 – 20 and hardly any comments. Here, the space on which customers may comment and engage with Oxford is the review page. Comments made are mostly negative, ranging from poor customer service to false advertising.  The latter may be overcome; however, this requires a shift in how management views customer services, providing relevant and accurate content.  Therefore, a more conversational style, enticing photos of the product, and discourse aligned with Facebook's best practice will enhance engagement. In addition, 2 other platforms have not been explored – one will allow higher ratings on Google, and the other, a different market segment. 

SEO – As mentioned above, it seems from the website that social SEO has been neglected in favor of PPC marketing. Although the latter may grow numbers quickly, the relevance of those numbers remains the question. A proper social-media listening tool could supply the answers. However, it seems that such a tool has not yet been applied.

PPC – Paid marketing on Google and Facebook for campaigns.  

Branding issue 

You need to ask: Oxford offers low prices, but am I, as a customer, willing to tell other people that I shop at that store? If the customer is not proud of his shopping experience, there is a problem with the brand value. 

In addition, the brand seems to be mentioned variously – Oxford, Oxford Freshmarket, oxfordfreshmrk, etc. 

What is confusing is what the brand aims at being. It comes across as a mix between Spar and Makro. Also, aspects that promote the Oxford brand more favorably than its competitors are not clear. Rather, the brand seems to be a weak imitation based on other brands. A clearer brand identity and a neatly described philosophy are needed.  

In short, what has been mentioned above are merely highlights of the issues relating to the company's digital and traditional marketing. With some effort, such issues may be corrected, and the brand capital of the company fostered, thus increasing its prospects. This will translate to a company worth more in rands.

My personal strengths are in digital marketing and brand identity, which I feel will benefit the company. However, my skills aren't limited to these, nor are the problems and challenges associated with this emerging brand. 

The information in this document is purely educational and does not reflect anything on any party or persons. 


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