Let the brand evoke your senses

Came across an article on FastCompany - Smell This Tag: Olfactory Street Art

Scent is intrinsically tied to memory, and chances are the smell of grass in an underground subway stop would not only be a respite from the urban drag, but evoke memories that would be impossible to recreate with everyday spray paint.

Won't it be great if the so called retail theater were truly a sensory experience with all senses - Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Taste & Touch... truly 'stimulated'?

Let's enable the shopper & the consumer to live vicariously through our brands!

Integrating culture into the brand's message

Fabulous ad, hits the IDEA home!!!



Venky, thanks for posting the link.

Mental Floss - 18 Memorable Ad Questions

Interesting tag lines & slogans posted on Mental Floss, the comments have equally interesting additions...

1. Got milk?

2. Have you driven a Ford lately?

3. Can you hear me now?

4. Where do you want to go today?

5. Do you… Yahoo!?

6. Does she or doesn’t she?

7. Where’s the beef?

8. How do you spell relief?

9. Is it live, or is it Memorex?

10. This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?

11. Aren’t you glad you use Dial? Don’t you wish everyone did?

12. Did somebody say McDonalds?

13. What would you do for a Klondike bar?

14. How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie-Roll center of a Tootsie-Pop?

15. Doesn’t your dog deserve ALPO?

16. Fun anyone?

17. Wassup?!

18. Pardon me. Do you have any Grey Poupon?

from some of the comments posted to the blog...

American Express - Do You Know Me?
Sam Adams - Do you love beer?
What kind of man reads Playboy?
Why Ask Why? (Bud ‘Dry’)
What can Brown do for you?
Do you believe in magic? (McDonald’s)
Are you in good hands?
What’s in YOUR wallet?
Have you played Atari today?
Have you seen my XR-7?
What do you want on your Tombstone?
Southwest Airlines: wanna get away?
Who do you want to be today?
Are those Bugle Boy jeans you’re wearing?
Pepto-Bismol - Do you mind if we talk about…(whispered) diarrhea?
Do you Canoe?
Amex - What will you do?
Mom, do you ever get that…not so fresh feeling?
Do you know where your children are?

Underdog brands

Brands that start small as underdogs and evolve into a leader, how are they to handle the change in position?

Past couple elections around the world over the last year got me thinking about a challenge where a political party 'The brand', that played the role of an underdog one that was in minority, represented for the little guy suddenly wins elections and gets to the decision table grows in size and looses its identity as a small meek entity. Real life examples are the guerrilla organization, characterized as a terror group is now a legit party in power in Palestine. Barak Obama is running some of this same risk, promising nimble response to some of the economic problems is not running ever bigger size that slows things down, including lobbyists from every economic corner in the US into his government that he fought against.

What is a brand that has evolved from David into the Goliath to do? How is the brand to continue a successful relationship with its core consumers? Can the brand stay relevant to the cause? Do principles of creative destruction apply to such a scenario?

Mythology MUST influence brand strategy

This is ABSOLUTELY THE MOST FASCINATING AND VISIONARY IDEA in retailing! Cheers to Mr. Biyani and his team for their bold and ever so bohemian stance. For a developing country like India religion is a a very strong element of who the people are.

"You need science to validate art. But without art, science has no meaning. As CEO, you must keep Kama (creative spirit) and Yama (control) in proper and constant balance in your firm."

Greek mythology (which Western management gurus and motivational speakers heavily borrow from) won't work in India for two reasons: first, Greek myths center on a single character and adulate individual heroism (Heracles, Odysseus, Achilles, etc). Second, they promote absolute values (good vs. bad). But Hindu myths like Ramayana are cast with multiple heroes and imbued with relative values (e.g., Hinduism considers a bad action acceptable if animated by a good intention). In the highly diverse and complex Indian society, internal and external marketing stories won't sink in unless they embody "collective heroism" and non-Manichean values.

1. "Whole brain" marketing and communication techniques that combine both art (gut feeling, sociology, and even mythology) and science (analytics, business processes) are key for shaping new markets and keeping employees engaged.
2. As Western companies go after global markets that are increasingly complex and diverse , US and European firms must adopt and adapt stories from Indian mythology to inspire and engage customers and employees

A very interesting and engaging management conversation for sure and given Future Group's success in India, as a marketer I thinking an equally engaging marketing strategy!

Retailers may be waking up to the difference between Shoppers & Consumers?

Someone is warming up to the SHOPPERS while keeping the CONSUMER equity... ITS NEVER TOO LATE! Interesting article in the WSJ this morning - Teen Stores Cater to the Ones With Money

Retailers Keep Parents in Mind

• Wide aisles so that parents with strollers can easily navigate the store
• Longer display tables with items folded neatly and stacked in size order to facilitate browsing
• Wholesome imaging behind the counter to project a family-friendly brand
• Bright lighting so that parents can easily see the merchandise (also, not pictures, but a moderate level of music, which is lowered around back-to-school times when the company knows it will have more parents in the stores)
• More cash registers in the middle of the store to help parents make purchases faster

One thing to remember, Moms and Dads are the ones that pay for the shopping and they DESERVE the respect, they need to be PLEASED as much as the consumer!

PKN goes viral

A very interesting MIN-MAX concept in communicating (Minimum content, Maximum Impact), 20 slides x 20 seconds per slide. The concept is amazing drives you to the brink of creativity and forces diligence by including only those visuals that are absolutely needed.

Pecha Kucha - is Japanese for chit-chat (WIKI about the idea)

Everyone needs an elevator pitch, PK is the elevator pitch or a one pager for the communicator!

What is Neuromarketing?

From FastCompany - Neuromarketing Hope and Hype

Neuromarketing is the practice of using technology to measure brain activity in consumer subjects in order to inform the development of products and communications--really to inform the brand's 4Ps. The premise is that consumer buying decisions are made in split seconds in the subconscious, emotional part of the brain and that by understanding what we like, don't like, want, fear, are bored by, etc. as indicated by our brain's reactions to brand stimuli, marketers can design products and communications to better meet "unmet" market needs, connect and drive "the buy".

It is commonly accepted that traditional market research is flawed because consumers don't know, can't articulate, or will even lie in a focus group about their purchase motivations. Neuromarketing research removes subjectivity and ambiguity by going right to measuring observable brain behavior. Respondent attention level, emotional engagement and memory storage are common metrics.

Who else but Walter Landor...

"Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind."

- Walter Landor

Wells Fargo - Brand Gaps!!

It is a scary world when you have to talk to a service brand where the ingredients of the brand (the very people that make up the brand) say things like "I don't know what he/she may have said... ", Finger pointing and Evasive talk for those people who represent the brand is a poor reflection on the brand whether it is the CEO speaking or the Janitor!

Had a terrible experience with Wells Fargo... As a consumer I am doing business with Wells Fargo (the service brand) and not the individual I am on the phone with or across the counter from a representative of Wells Fargo, and I don't care if it is Joe Anybody? I expect the same integrity, commitment and service from the rank and file as I do with the first individual I run into that represents the brand to me, 'the consumer'.

Here are a few tid-bits:

• Employees representing the service side of a brand MUST OWN UP!
• The fault of an individual element of a brand is a FAULT ON THE PART OF THE BRAND!
• Everyone that works for the enterprise (service brand) IS THE BRAND!
• Every employee of the organization, every individual acting on behalf of the organization IS THE BRAND!
  
• Sales is a continuous process, FAIL ME ONCE AND YOU LOSE THE CONSUMER FOREVER!

Is anything permanent?

This is a very philosophical question "Is anything permanent?" and I believe there are some things that can be. I was thinking about this recently during an engagement, a typical brand strategy project and why a brand deserves to exist and thrive. In a cluttered world why should a product that does roughly the same thing as many others even survive?

I started with first principle...
- What do products need to survive? Customers.
- What attracts customers? Brands.
- Why brands? Brands give people a reason beyond a product
- What kind of a reason? A unique thought, a special place in the mind, an unequivocal emotion!

So in essence as long as emotions exist products survive. Said differently things can be permanent as long as the unique emotion is tied and implicitly associated with the brand the products will last.

A classic example are empires like India, China, Rome, Egypt, etc. came and went but religions and philosophies like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, etc. have out lasted generations. Abstract concepts outlive time and space!

Five leading consumer trends for 2009 from Mintel

From Mintel's news posting, are the five leading consumer trends Mintel identified for the rest of 2009 - TRUST, CONTROL, SIMPLICITY, PLAYFULNESS, TRADING UP/DOWN/OVER

Trust
Trust is a paramount concern in 2009, as banks, food manufacturers and government officials suffer from losing people’s trust. In the US, 66% of adults say they have less trust in financial services companies because of recent economic developments. Food companies are at risk too: six in 10 Americans worry about food safety.

In the UK, loss of trust in financial institutions is understandable, but brands are also fighting to establish themselves as trustworthy. Trust is key to keeping customer loyalty because people are seeking out cheaper private label options: Mintel research shows 39% of Brits on a budget look to switch to private label.

Control
When the financial bottom dropped out last year, already-choosy consumers found another reason to grasp for control—security. A Mintel survey of US mass affluent adults shows two in five saying they intend to permanently spend less and decrease their reliance on credit cards, thus increasing control over their finances. Likewise, in the UK, as many as 6 million Brits (13%) intend to increase their savings in the next year or so, while a further 3 million people (6%) who are not current savers intend to start saving soon.

“We see new values taking hold as people adapt to today’s tighter economy. Conservative and pragmatic are in; excess is out. Consumers feel pessimistic about the future, so they’re taking cautious steps to ensure their safety and happiness now,” comments Harry Foster.

Playfulness
Despite negative feelings about the economy and pressure to cut back, people still want to enjoy themselves. In the US, three in five people say they traveled domestically in the past year; but to save money, more travelers visit friends or family, spend time looking for travel bargains or choose cheap transportation.

Additionally, helping people achieve the balance between necessity and pleasure, global manufacturers have been releasing quirky, light-hearted new products*. Today, playfulness offers people a way to escape, engage and build relationships with brands.

Simplicity
In work and play alike, consumers around the world continue seeking simplicity. More than two-thirds of Americans recently told Mintel they’ve been simplifying their lives over the past six months, while nearly nine in 10 think there is “too much emphasis on material things in our society.”

Manufacturers have followed suit globally, launching more products that appease people’s desire for clear functionality, clean ingredient labels and simple packaging. Restaurants, too, have caught onto this trend by offering all-inclusive meal deals that tell people exactly what they’ll get for their money.

Trading down, up and over
Trying to save where they can, consumers continue trading down across spending opportunities. Eight in 10 Americans say they’re cooking at home more now, while a full 52% admit to spending less at restaurants this year than last. Meanwhile, some 54% of Brits are buying more food on special offers, while more than a third (36%) are trading down to budget private label brands.

With so much trading down, however, many consumers also trade up in some instances to reward themselves. Small luxuries such as fine chocolate or perfume are a common treat, while other shoppers purchase gourmet food at the grocery store because it’s still more affordable than eating out.

Mintel analyzes consumer trends annually, pinpointing those with the greatest impact on behavior and beliefs. Watch for Mintel’s 2010 trend predictions later this year.

Generation gaps in selling

I had a conversation recently about sellers and consumers. Sellers usually end up being older (age) and the buyers range across generations. The gap is addressed on consumer packaged brands through brand architecture in order to adapt positioning by generation but service brands have a tough time. Mainly because concepts of brand architecture driven strategy has not crystallized in the sector compounded by the success metrics that are more often focused on revenues versus sustained long term profits

Here are some examples we discussed. Grocery stores want more and more guests to visit even if it is for a minuscule share of requirements, which means could be simply cherry picking. Restaurants want patrons to visit and eat without realizing the life time value may be marginal. Private schools want to attract families even if they are high maintenance resulting in a lot of nonproductive time investment on the part of the teachers and the administrative staff.

The truth is who does not what growth? Even if it is just revenues that may not be profitable long term? Patrons, guests and consumers don't have a label that would help institutions filter them out, so how is an organization to evaluate its customers fit? Organizations have addressed these opportunities over time some have been strategic while others have learnt through mistakes. here is what has worked...

Leadership is critical because an organization needs to be able to walk away from business if there is not strategic long term benefit! Instituting a consumer and customer centricity in the brand is a must and lastly Measurement of the cost of acquiring and maintaining a customer and consumer.