8 Guaranteed Ways To Kill Your Brand

As important as it is to work a strategy to develop a successful brand, it is important to know avoid the pot holes along the way. This was an interesting article from this morning's MediaPost, cant say I agree with everything 100% but it is not a bad start.

Here are some of the key points.

Myth #1 - Follow the leader

NB - You cannot fail for following the leader! Game Theory has proved the best fail proof strategy is "Monkey see monkey do"

Myth #2 - Better safe than sorry

NB - Test, Test, Test then Act! Better safe than fool hardy.

Myth #3 - Recessions are bad times to introduce new brands

Myth #4 - National brands are dead

Myth #5 - Value = price

Myth #6 - More SKUs = more market share

Myth #7 - Consumers are marketers

NB - Start with listening to Consumers, but marketer holds the controls

Myth #8 - The answers lie in research

NB - Start with research and end with research! Focus on the right questions not just right answers.

Brand Magic

The article is no new news but a sheer reinforcement of concepts but the ideas are certainly on target. Top lines from the article:

1. Understand the "right brain" of your category.

Marketers always have a deep understanding of their category's "left brain," the numbers and functional benefits. The "right brain" attributes often are unexplored. What visual, sensorial and emotional benefits can your brand deliver and own that work together with your product's attributes to create an unbreakable bond that turns your consumers into brand enthusiasts?

2. Understand the sensorial and emotional palette of your audience.

A lot of research is still left-brain, Q&A-focused. To unveil the magic in your brand, using highly right-brained projective techniques like image sorts, drawing and writing can get at the more elusive sensorial and emotional attributes that are important to your consumer and relevant, meaningful and inspiring in your category.

3. Create a Visual Position.

Brand positions are often created in words, although people primarily experience brands visually. But ... a brand's packaging, advertising and overall presence in the world starts with visual symbolism, not words. And unlike our pets at home, who have heightened senses of smell and hearing, humans are primarily sight-driven. Seventy percent of our sense receptors are in our eyes, and 80% of what we learn about the world comes to us visually, yet most brands do not have a visual position that brings the written positioning and story to life.

Terminologies catching-up with Concepts

I was at the breakfast table and thinking of an ice breaking phrase for a conversation when I stumbled upon the thought of how terminology and concepts are out of sync. May be even a phase lag where terminology is playing catch-up with concepts!

Here is a classic example "Automobile", as an equipment and term enabled consumers to be 'mobile' without much physical exertion. For a few years now we don't even need to physically travel to be 'mobile' to get from Point A to Point B, participate in dialog, interact broadly beyond just sound. Devices like Mobile-Phones, Networking devices enable us to be in a new place ethereally in a matter of seconds and in many times multiple places simultaneously at the same time.

This gap creates the space for brands to establish metaphors and emotions for consumers to visualize and imagine the possibilities? The more vivid the images and greater the relevance the greater the likelihood of resonance!

You've got to love the simplicity!

Venky (Rao), Thanks again for the shot...

Plan-Act-Prepare

Interesting article on Realities of idea diffusion and consumer idea adoption based on concepts from Moore's, Crossing the Chasm & Godin's 'Purple Cow', published by Beakdal.

Here are some real life examples from the article:

Car industry:

One example is the car industry, and companies like General Motors. If they had embraced this plan 5-10 years ago, then they would not have gone bankrupt.

Of course, there are always special cases, where you are creating niche products that go against the norm. But, they too have to change with the times. Even Ferrari is looking into creating more fuel-efficient cars. And cars like the 2010 Fisker Karma are showing the way.

"Web design" (which we need another word for)

The same goes for web design. Instead of a traditional website, your plan should now be to move your content to where people are. While doing that, you should embrace the social world and use your website as a hub (do this now, not tomorrow).

You should also still support the ‘old world' of websites and blogs. But, you should no longer spend any more time creating traditional websites.

Marketing & PR:

It is the same with marketing and PR. Plan for social news. Do social networks, support TV & magazines, and ignore print catalogs?

Fair versus Equal

Back to the debate of tangibles? Yes, ofcourse!

I know not a lot of people have patience for this math mumbo-jumbo but here is where I was going with the concept. Brand and particularly in the service sector incentivize customers through promotions either to attract or retain them various strategies (popularly refered to as CRM-Customer Relationship Management, a glorified way of nurturing your customer). Even the best laid plans are often abused, the least attractive shoppers often endup with maximum gains and the loyalists miss the cream.

In a debate between fair and equal, the rewards are established fairly from the opint of view of the marketer but redeemed fairly from the point of view of the customer and consumer. Fair is intangible and is obviously a function of the point of view where as equality is tangible and independent of points of view.

So the fnudamental question in my mind was should a brand pursue fairness and run the risk of some very happy customers or equality and averaged happiness across the entire customer base? One option is to establish and offer equality through baseline brand attributes of service, quality, assortment while fairness in community causes. As for the rewards, let the experience be a reward in itself?

'The Daily Prophet' from Harry Potter in real life???

This could be ground breaking for the traditional print media & communication world, video-in-print ads in select copies of "Entertainment Weekly".

• The first-ever video advertisement will be published in a traditional paper magazine in September
• Americhip, the developer of video-in-print (multi-sensory marketing), has also created magazine technology that appeals to various senses, including smell.
  

Fascinating piece in the BBC interview on - YouTube