What makes a great BRAND?
Despite what marketing people passionately believe most
people don’t think about brands, they just get on with their lives. The coffee
they buy, the supermarket they go to and petrol station they visit happen
almost by accident. In Britain today we are too busy to think through these
everyday inconsequential purchases, focused on saving time, not forgetting something
or rushing from place to place on a tight deadline. So do brands matter and if so why
and how?
Consumer Choice
Let’s start with the basics, the consumer has choices, endless
choices if they choose to use them, but in many everyday cases as in my
examples above, the consumer sacrifices those choices for simple expedience. The
inability to see (or value) brand differentiation, between Starbucks and Costa,
between Tesco and Morrisons between BP and Shell, and yet they each fight for
space in consumers minds through tiny differences which if we stop and think
about do actually exist and we the consumer do actively value.
So much more than First Impressions
So in today’s Britain, what is important about a brand? Is it
the halo effect, the first impression, like the smile on the front of a car or
is it something more, something deeper and more tangible? Ask the owners of
Sunny D (the 90's orange juice lookalike) and you will find that the halo effect does not last if your brand is
not true to itself and to its consumers. Customers have to believe in a brand,
it must tell the truth, be transparent and honest if it is to be successful.
Gerald Ratner (former MD of Ratners the jewellers who said about his products "because it's total crap") also found out that in today’s world everyone must truly believe in
the brand, not just the marketing department but the whole company has to believe it and
most importantly practice the brands beliefs.
Being clear and precise is also important in the company’s
messages for a brand to succeed, a strong undiluted brand message must enthuse internally
but must also consistently connect with customers through touch points, look at
Innocent, Dorset Cereals or Apple as classic examples of touch point. They also
demonstrate a clear story delivered with passion about who they are what they
do and why they matter. This focused and consistent message is not just a
marketing message but an ingrained set of values which consumers buy into with
passion. These brands not only position themselves as premium players in their
fields and earn more but they also continuously find new ways to spread their key
messages to customers, they have a clear brand strategy to achieve it.
Everyone Lives the Brand
Another vital aspect of any brand success is that the people
within that brand demonstrate what they preach, they live that lifestyle,
support that brand and contribute to its success. It is their lifestyle, it is
a part of the way they and their brand do business.
Great brands go beyond the brand to understand its real
value to existing customers but also to tomorrow’s
customers. Whether it is a family run local
shop or a global supermarket chain great brands position themselves so they develop
and hold a market position to develop long-term success.
Great brands also develop their own uniqueness, not just the
product or service but the whole package is how we do it around here. There
needs to be not only consistency but the brand hand writing and value on how
they do it. The best brands always develop singular simple signals for
customers, cutting through jargon to create clarity without patronisation.
For brands to succeed in today’s global markets these golden rules have
never been more important as consumers have never had so much information, but
if you follow these simple rules of brand success you can develop and maintain a
great brand.
If you want to develop your company's brand and are looking for
some advice on developing your company, its marketing, its sustainable
competitive advantage then contact us at Cowden to see how we can assist you, or read more about us in
this blog or at Cowden.
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planning and implementation business which works in partnership with
customers to grow and develop their business, contact us to learn more.
