I owe this post to two readers who wanted to know what branding is all about, sans the jargons and theories.
I believe that a brand is the personality of a product.
Take two soap boxes. Turn them around. Check out the ingredients. You will find an uncanny similarity between them. Yet, Camay is priced significantly higher than a Medimix. The personality of the product justifies this. You are paying extra, simply because you want to be a Camay user.
The personality is set at the beginning by the brand manager. And then, it is allowed to evolve with continuous monitoring. A lot of money is spent here because this sets the tone of the product in the market. It also provides the base for all communication strategies. The personality set is also sometimes called, the brand vision.
Brand Vision
The brand vision is very important because that decides when and where is the product going to travel. What sort of people are going to try the product and who does it want to hold on to.
Some brands make their presence felt among us. Some are so well integrated within our lives, that we do not realise their importance till they are gone. Here’s an attempt of my brand map based on usage from 6 am till 12 pm:
Some of the brands from above, exercise a lot of importance. I am very particular about my fila tracks, adidas shoes and nescafe. Others like post it and firefox have been integrated into my life to an extent where I will miss them if they are not available. The ones that are important are chosen by the user based on their personality. There has to be a fit. If I drive a Mercedes and drink the best wine, the Van Heusen would be replaced by probably Armani. This is the brand positioning that all brand managers aim to create.
Brand Positioning
Brand positioning is an impression of the product that brand managers want to establish. The impression / position is important as people use that as a tool to associate with the product.
Q: What do you eat for breakfast?
A: Quaker Oats all the time. I work out so hard everyday that this seems to be the best healthy morning food!
Thats the position that Quaker Oats wants to create and they did it. The trick here is to ensure no other oatmeal owns this position already. And, if they do, its time to work something bigger and better to throw the competitor off. Or find another position to occupy.
Q: What shampoo do you use? The hair looks great!
A: Its always been L’Oreal. It makes me feel so good.
L’Oreal with its “Because we’re worth it” rides on the feel factor.
Brand Vision and Positioning are two most important concepts that provide the basis for the subject. Thanks for the questions on branding. Keep them coming!
Awards, music topping the charts, talk of the town and a HUGE fan base. Lady Gaga has done it all. And, she’s just 23. For those, who do not follow her, here are some quick facts:
Twitter followers: 2.8 mn
Facebook : 5.2 mn fans
This woman gets social media and has managed to revolutionize the music industry. She has brought in a great business sense to it. She’s in constant touch with her fans, continuously updating them of her daily routine and gigs.
“Lady Gaga isn’t the music industry’s new Madonna. She’s the new business model”, says Forbes. Here’ s a question: Is this business model built to last? Is this a fad? Well this, sure has helped her land a job with Polaroid as the Creative Director and inventor of specialty products. She’ s a popular face now. People love her attitude. She gets to endorse fancy products.
And I think this is short-lived. Great business sense. But lack of passion. She’s the big thing now, because she’s different. Not her music. Classic case of how the product which is normal, being packaged great. Awesome communication strategy but where’s my benefit?
A business without any emotion driving it wont last long. Keeping in touch with fans and reaching out to them via social media, is in vain if your core product (music) does not reach out to people.
Its interesting to find out what will be left of Lady Gaga once the storm has calmed down. She’s still a very very rich and famous 23 year old. If paparazzi is what she’s after, well done!
My recent obsession has been brand archetyping. The basic idea behind brand archetypes is:
1. look at a brand in a social concept and
2. the set of patterns and ideas tend to repeat.
This becomes easier to understand how consumers connect with brands better. Harley falls under the non-conformist category. To achieve freedom through defiance and being a rebel are the characteristics. This is decided. The branding has been so strong that even a soft boy-next-door feels the strength while riding a Harley. The connection is known and evident. The question is, can all brands be placed under categories like this?
Here’s a great presentation on brand archetypes put together by Jon Howard
Here is an excellent slide show put together by Abhishek on Avatar and digital marketing. Taking instances from the movie, he has very clearly put forth lessons to be learnt in the digital marketing space. There are 15 lessons in all. Three are my personal favorites, and I swear by them.
Vodafone. Try this. Ask ten people what they remember about Vodafone. The zoozoos seem to have taken precedence from the pug. I would attribute 70% of their success to their viral campaigns. They did everything right. Excellent mix of online and offline communication.
Of course, Vodafone budget is not for everybody. So here’s another lesson for small budget social media clients -
Lesson #1:
Brands that are handicapped by small marketing budgets, Welcome to social media!
Ever heard of the small Italian cafe in Limerick. The one that serves great Italian home-food. This little cafe has employed social media to reach out. When your business is small, there’s little or no scope to grab media attention. This is when social media comes into the picture.
What began as an accident has actually turned into a big business move. Some of the outposts that they use include twitter, facebook and blogging. With campaign ideas like “Italian Facebook Cookalong”, its a little wonder that they have more than 2000 friends. To get more people involved, they post happy faces of their customers enjoying the food. Also, a great way to share recipe secrets, possible menu comments and more.
Lesson #13:
When marketing online, choose media vehicles that bond with your customers.
Be fancy only if you are meant to be fancy. There’s no point in trying to be someone you are not. The brand personality cannot change. There’s a lot to learn from Walmart’s failed facebook campaign. When the brand is all about affordability and discounts, their fb page screamed style. Brand truth once formulated cannot be changed.
There are 12 other lessons that are equally inspiring and interesting. Thanks Abhishek for this wonderful presentation. Looking forward to more!
Here’s a thought. If Nike decided to remove the swoosh from the outside and engrave it on the inside, would you still buy a pair?
I owe this thought to a friend of mine, who called two days ago. He wanted my take on consumer insights about shoes in the Indian market. Lets take Nike for an example. Quality is, of course the most important criterion. The swoosh, in Nike, is extremely important and has a lot of emotions attached to it. But, here’s something more! A pair of Nike with the swoosh on the outside is 10 times more likely to be purchased than a similar pair, offering equal levels of comfort with the swoosh engraved on the inside. With more than 50 responses, I have listed below a couple of points that became full fledged discussions (Thank you guys!)
Q: If Nike decided to remove the swoosh from the outside and engrave it on the inside, would you still buy a pair?
Respondent 8: Hey! They charge me a lot and Im paying premium for the swoosh. It better be on the outside.
Analysis – During the entire conversation, there was no mention of the product attribute at all. Has the visual identity taken over core characteristics? Also, is the premium paid for the swoosh or for brand promise (which is definitely beyond a coolness quotient). The brand Nike can be associated with world class quality. Now, this seems to be taken for granted. Vanity sure is important. But, at the cost of what?
Respondent 15: This is similar to you paying your one year salary on a Louis Vuitton bag. Would you buy the bag without LV logo?
Analysis – Good point. But I still think Nike and LV are poles apart. I wear my Nike shoes to the gym every morning because they are so comfortable. My size 3 feet dont hurt when I run with them. The main purpose is not for other people to notice. Au contraire, I carry my Louis Vuitton for people to notice and talk about. Vanity is the main purpose here. If I was to use it as a bag, I would carry it everywhere. My LV is reserved only for parties where I want to show off.
Respondent 18: Comfort reduces my dissonance, but the swoosh is for people to see and relate.
Analysis – For all the non-MBA-jargon-folks (respect!) the dissonance referred to here, is called post purchase cognitive dissonance. This is the “have I spent too much?”, “Is it worth it?” syndrome that remains in the head after purchase. Product attributes like comfort (“Of course they are worth it. They are so comfortable, it was a great buy”) help reduce the dissonance. Personally, this response is my favorite. We have now come to the level of looking at the core product attribute as a reason to feel good and not a reason to buy!
Respondent 34: I am buying Nike for the product, not for the swoosh.
Analysis – Very very few people are on this side. One of them replied, “As long as the shoe meets my exacting standards, I dont care. I still know it is a pair of Nike.” This set hunt for brand experience and attributes. They go beyond the face value and brand loyalists can be carved out of this lot.
What about you? If Nike decided to remove the swoosh from the outside and engrave it on the inside, would you still buy a pair?
Recently, I reviewed the Windows 7 ad here. Going cute seemed so wrong for a brand as powerful as Microsoft. But, here’s an ad that brought tears to my eyes. Words have to be coined, to describe something so pathetic.
The story opens with an average looking Indian woman in a typical bollywood setting. Her hair flying all over the place, she stands in the middle of a road that leads nowhere. Our hero (one of the wannabe tough/rough “dude”) drives past in a flashy car and stops while the woman asks for a lift. She gestures to him and says “ME”, he checks out her laptop (and its pink), replies “Me for you”. She gets into the car and they drive away. This is one of the four incidents that are shown in the ad. I assure you, the other three are worse than this.
In case you are still guessing the product, save it! This is a laptop called “ME” (I swear) manufactured by HCL. In case you are still staring at the screen in disbelief, do check it out.
You are Club Mahindra. There’s an unbelievable offer you are looking to sell. Target Audience = 35+
If your communication plan is tailor made for this audience alone, it wont work. Let me rephrase that. If you have no communication plan talking to age 8 to 14, it’s a recipe for disaster. Almost 70% of purchasing decisions are taken by elders following advice of their children. This is now become universal.
Parents believe that in this fast paced techno world, their kids keep themselves up-to-date with everything. And they mature much faster too. Makes a lot more sense to take their advice on purchases.
Marketing sense
Here are two very distinct audiences. The communication message must be suited to both audiences. Not only the message, the tools of communication, collaterals and mode needs to be different and customized. Here is a visual depiction of where the tweens exert maximum influence.
Getting people to come into contact with the brand has been a chase. Tweens exert a lot of influence in this phase. They are constantly looking for information. Catching their attention and holding on to it long enough for them to influence the TG is the task. If you are selling computers, tweens can get the TG to your store. Beyond that, it depends on other factors like technical details, product strength, benefits, price to make the sale.
Club Mahindra – A case study
Lets take Club Mahindra as a case study. I have received some fantastic offers from them. These offers are good enough to bind us and let them plan my holidays for the next 10 years. But their communication is cold. It does not reflect the holiday spirit. None of the collaterals reflect fun and vacation in spite of their tag line – fun family forever. Check out their site. The strongest message on the site is “The happiest family holidays.” This is written in plain words but the feel is missing. In fact, even in their stalls at expos and at their office, they do not engage the tweens. A play area is NOT engagement. This age group possesses the power to bring the TG to Club Mahindra’s office and in some cases, even influence the purchase.
What they should do, is change the tone of communication and add some life to it. Get in touch with these tweens at schools and plant the idea of a family vacation. Support with a collateral that talks about different things a tween can do in a holiday. All this should be done in addition to the normal routes. Sales will definitely increase.
The power of tweens is not to be underestimated. Next time, dont forget this lot. They are high-powered, influential and network a lot. 2TZ4JW8MZ2GG
A world class five star luxury hotel with everything working in their favour. They have an extremely strong brand presence built worldwide. A good clientèle and great business.
The problem:
Food & Beverages. A hotel of this repute was not attracting numbers as much as its counterparts. The pub and restaurant were doing bad. The room revenue was at par with its competitors but low profits in F&B can hit hard. With no way out, it was assumed to be a lack-of-advertising problem.
The real problem:
Lack of advertising as a problem seemed unreal. Louis Vuitton does not require mass advertising regularly. Unnecessary spend will dilute the brand image. So, I put this hotel through the litmus test.
Litmus test 1: The product
The food was cooked to perfection. The spread was huge and served well. It was absolutely clean. Ingredients can be customised. Cuisine was never boring as it ran on daily themes. The price was at par with the competitors and in fact priced a little lower too. Put together, it was a great deal.
Litmus test 2: Serviscape
You enter the restaurant, take your seat and are handed a menu that is filled with delicacies. They have taken care of all your needs. The time taken to cook your meal after you order can be spent by reading books, listening to the live band or just enjoy the beautiful ambience of the lake.
This is one place you would want to bring your VIP clients for any important business opportunities and your family for a special meal. It just cant go wrong.
Litmus test 3: Brand experience
The difference between serviscape and brand experience is very similar to the smile that is evident on the lips and never reaches the eye. This client had a problem with the brand experience. The guidelines followed are in line with the International standards and yet there seems to be a problem. We have all the requirements, but there is something missing that can be felt.
The books to read while the meal is being cooked were there. But the topics listed do not match the up-scale taste. I would love to read a P.G. Wodehouse in a 5 star hotel, definitely not an Archie comic.
The live band plays exquisite music, but not according to the theme. Listening to country on an Arabian night feels wrong.
Menu is good. Menu cards are not. Design appeal was missing.
The Brand Experience
There is a brand vision. The brand experience needs to be consistent with the vision. If you are upscale and believe in “world-class service”, every little thing including curtain cloth will matter. The customer comes in contact with many moments-of-truth during his experience. Even a slight variation from the vision will result in low overall experience value. This can hamper the image.
The Starbucks Experience brings this out very well. They offer not just coffee. They offer an experience. Today, the product can be duplicated, experiences cannot. In fact, aligning it to the brand core is mandatory and probably the most important task.
Imagine a social system with a new kid-on-the-bloc. He has a new style with new things to say. People love the style. This builds his popularity. But, once his secret is out, many people copy his style and in fact do a better job of it. This is the story of Orkut.
True. Orkut brought social media to the masses. It paved way for a whole new world of possibilities. For a very long time it enjoyed the first movers’ advantage. But down the line, the image was lost. It became a platform for random comments.
Orkut had no strong bodies swearing by it.
Brand Facebook
A fun place. Here, you learn, read, share, have fun, begin a conversation, discuss, play games, voice your opinion, and more. It gives you more control. This is your page and you can control it by taking customisation a step higher than orkut.
New Orkut vs Facebook
Where Orkut really missed out was in commercialisation. However great the product may be, if you dont have strong influencers, it just wont work. Individuals can be influencers only to a certain extent. For a product like a social networking site, strong corporations can be influencers. This is where Facebook scored over Orkut. Corporations like Vodafone with their Zoozoo fan page acted as very strong influencers.
On the design aspect, it looks like they have tried hard to copy facebook. A very bad attempt though. There is a complete lack of smoothness and its not user friendly. It looks cluttered and very amateurish.
There is a lot of hype around the new Orkut, but I still see the same crowd hanging around there. Facebook people are staying put. The initial curiosity phase is over.
My vote definitely goes for Facebook. What about you?
Everybody s talking about going digital. There are digital agencies springing up suddenly. Everything is going online and the consumer is spending much more time on the net. Logical solution = catch him on the net. There is an emphasis on use of social media to catch the consumer’s attention.
So, the questions:
Will one of these digital media companies be the next JWT or Ogilvy?
Is the world of communication making use of technology to better its service or are we re-looking at communication completely?
Clients say:
They are not sold. Communication online is a fantastic idea but not without the support of traditional advertising. They are more secure letting the old timers handle their brand. Online media is a great support system, but definitely not as a standalone. They believe that the social media and digital people are technologically sound but not so much on the branding front. Developing and strategising for a brand requires experience. They look at the digital media guys as people who provide ideas and take forward the concept devised by strategists. They lack the experience and expertise to become the strategists themselves. This is one reason why digital companies cannot take over advertising companies yet.
Can an Airtel or a Vodafone completely stop their outdoor and broadcast media and focus only on online media?
Litmus test 3: Brand experience
