Working in so called emerging
markets you get used to having to defend the business logic of brand
development but I was particularly ‘challenged ‘ when a prospective client
indicated that developing a brand was like ‘paying for air!’. I had to admit
some sympathy with his view given the typical associations of hot air and
bullshit with branding. New markets and developed markets still experience the
traditional selling of brands by creative agencies peddling branding as a
visual ‘packaging’ image exercise based on TV and billboard advertising
campaigns. Media advertising groups, design and communication agencies still
feel they are the sole arbiters and developers of ‘things to do with branding’
for their clients.
Unfortunately, these vested
interests are having a major drag effect on the evolution of branding being
seen as a central business activity and ethos. I’ve never had the mindset that
branding had to be a marketing-led proposition. Having come from the outside
discipline of architecture it seemed obvious that the ‘b’ word involved, by
definition, everything a company does in line with what it says. Changes in
consumer awareness, the transparency of the internet and general empowerment of
customers to influence brands, rather than just be influenced by them has
changed the rules.
We are told customers are more canny,
but I wonder sometimes? While I may preach this I get depressed listening to
people still convincing themselves their favourite brand is really different
from a competitor brand that appears to do just the same. I’m still trying to
figure out the real differences between Tesco and Sainsbury’s for example –
frankly both can be as satisfying or disappointing in equal measures, as
competent efficient UK supermarket offers, but dinner party conversations still betray emotional
status conscious attributes. Everyone would like to shop at Waitrose but is
there such a difference? Or is it the image that still really ultimately
counts? Such is the power of emotion over logic – the magic of branding, and
maybe I am kidding myself we are past the stage of being convinced by just
clever brand image building.
The good news is we are now in an
interesting era where the real brand experience is the increasingly vital
component in creating the brands’ reputation – successfully delivering the
promise. Today’s ‘new values’ now mean ideally a first choice company, and the offer
should have values that synchronize with their users and audiences. But we are still a long way off from understanding
branding in the wider sense. There are excellent books and papers on the need
for branding to be embraced as an integral company management philosophy. However
the vested interests of so-called branding agencies still target the belief of
clients that a cosmetic makeover of an existing brand or a magical name and
brand identity for a new brand will solve their business problems. Visual brand
manifestations and carefully designed media communications, formats and
environments clearly play a key role and are immediate tangible results of
investment in ‘air’. The obvious danger is that is stops there and the client
feels they can tick the branding box.
So here’s the crunch for me – I know
what I’m selling to clients is important. As a strategic branding and design
consultancy our mission is to help them successfully differentiate their
operations in a competitive market by aligning the image, media, offer,
experience and people. But I do recognize we are part of the success matrix.
That’s why the development of collaborations between different professional
expertise is vital to ensure companywide functions are effectively synchronized
to create best value.
We work with some clients who still
see branding as just an identity, format design and brand book and the
challenge for us is to create a real brand strategy with defined and agreed business
attributes – vision and values that can be used as a real catalyst for
management and employee mindset change as well as defining their market
differentiation. We do this as strategic consultants but it’s scary when you
realise the carefully agreed words and imagery are not always understood to be
real ‘guideline’ criteria for company actions and behaviour – a starting point for internal brand culture
development to make these values and aims relevant and motivating for
management and employees.
We believe in what we do but we have
a long way to go if the starting point for many clients is still just a brand
media package. Perhaps the concept of ‘paying for air’ is not so wrong if we
can convince our clients that without air you die. There is a growing
realisation that branding is not a ‘nice to have’ company or offer profile
exercise but an increasingly essential component for business survival in a competitive
market. Maybe we can market our services as a real life support system worth
paying for... ...
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