Sir James Dyson, the knight of the 21st century vacuum, insists that branding is an outdated and ineffective idea. He says: “We’re only as good as our last product.”
This started a mild stir in the marketing world — after all, agencies are propelled by the energy and revenue perpetuated by branding exercises. Forbes countered with: “brand is really communities of people who share approximately the same values and like to feel they belong together.” Nike, Coke, Apple, Mazda… all have excellent brand communities.
But I don’t want to discount Sir James. Because without the running shoe, brown fizzy water, computer or car there is no appeal to the brand. I think Dyson has exposed the fallacy of brand being an ethereal instinct.
Brand starts with your product. It’s built on a strong benefit statement that catches the attention of your audience. You don’t build a brand around an icon — the icon is built for the product.
Let’s talk about non-profits for a minute.
World Vision, in Canada, has more than 500,000 families committed to sponsoring a child in a developing country. While they use an integrated platform to acquire new donors, their star is TV. They built their presence by selling their product (child sponsorship), not by producing brand based advertising. Their brand-direct approach has paid off… they raise over $400 million annually in Canada.
Attempting to build brand without a relevant product will end in a weakened brand. Brand strength comes from understanding your audience, building personality around your product and maintaining consistency around all aspects of story telling.
A young writer called the other day. She was a little frustrated because the designer for their team was constantly looking for new ways to present the graphics. She struggled to offer insight from the material she wrote. She also struggled to write “different”.
I think that’s an inherent struggle in marketing.
You see, writing differently and applying new creative approaches aren’t the point. A strong marketing team does not make decisions from artistic approaches — it makes decisions that line up with marketing success and maintain the brand fabric.
We had a client that insisted a marketing package use a rose coloured font. She loved that dusty rose colour. We tried to talk her out of it. First of all, it was a direct marketing piece sent largely to seniors. The rose colour made it almost unreadable. Secondly, the colour had no authority in their brand package. The package was an epic failure. Fortunately, we never have to do that again (for that client).
Choosing graphics, colours and copy because you LIKE them is courting disaster.
Kevin and I were challenged by World Vision to produce an acquisition package that would beat the leading package. Kevin design this horrible looking Valentine’s Day piece. Well, I thought it looked horrible. It seems hundreds of thousands of other women loved it — as it became our second top performing piece.
My preferences simply don’t count. The numbers count.
Brand, built into direct marketing principals, is hugely successful. Direct marketing is a disciplined marketing science designed to get results. Brand is purposefully positioned to build communities. Used together they are powerful marketing tools.
Archive for the ‘product development’ Category
Branding Renewed?
POSTED BY: Gayle
CATEGORY: advertising, brand advertising. interactive web. web development. new technology., brand development, design, direct marketing, fund raising, fundraising, marketing, non-profit marketing, passion, product development, writing
E-Reading
POSTED BY: Gayle
CATEGORY: advertising, brand development, design, marketing, product development, sales, technology
Almost everyone I know insists that they will never give up the paper back. The luxury of a tub full of bubbles, a glass of wine and a good book is etched into our brain and gives us images of ultimate relaxation.
When I won an e-reader in the early days, my friends were curious how I would respond. I read 2 to 4 books a week. I love fiction and learn many truths from the books I read. After all, the writer is the ruler of our society (Shelley — if you’re not into literature).
Barefoot is experimenting with new technology. We believe that the tablet represents significant changes in the way we work, play and relate. We can’t predict the crooked path the development of these changes will take, but we are doing all we can to open our minds to finding new ways to communicate.
So we have invested in a few of the new tablets. I have to agree with Amy Lee from HuffngtonPost who believes the e-reader is on its way out. The tablet is just a much better experience. I was a little worried about glare, but last weekend when the sun actually appeared for about 5 minutes I tried it out. It was great!
I think most of my conversations with associates, clients and friends have missed the mark.
In the 19th century we had the appearance of the novel. “Novel” meant a new way of presenting ideas. It was received with enthusiasm from the public and disdain by poets and academics. The paltry fiction of the likes George Eliot, Charles Dickens, the Brontes was considered romantic and trite.
For more than 200 years we have consumed popular fiction in the form of the novel, whether paperback or hard cover. For many people the touch of the book, turning pages, dog-earring pages, flipping to the best part, underlining and jotting notes in the margin remain the unique experience of the book. I admit, I always tucked a book in my brief case or bag. I love a hot bath, bubbles and a good book. But the “novel” is no longer novel.
I agree with Allen Weiner, VP of research at Gartner, who suggests: “More and more, reading is taking on a bigger definition. It’s expanding in terms of content– not just books, but newspapers and magazines. It implies the need for color, graphics, other forms of media.”
We are on the threshold of change. Digital technology opens a huge door to amazing reading experiences.
Like the innovative app on the iPad which lets the reader blow into the iPad’s accelerometer turning the blades on the wind turbine. Al Gore’s Our Choice takes on completely new dimensions and reading becomes a multi-sense experience.
The VP of Kobo, Chapters’ version of Kindle, is pretty clear that Chapters fully anticipates the Kobo device to be outdated quickly. Even though millions of people purchased the device in the past 12 months, they anticipate new generations will quickly change the landscape.
How will we, as advertising professionals, use the ability to produce content that engages many different sense and allows our audience to participate?
Historically, advertising has been in the control of the audience. Traditional media tactics like space ads, outdoor media, TV, video, brochures, magazines and mail all are created and controlled by the marketing team. The audience is is passive, not contributing to the experience.
We have a lot to learn about the new form of reading. Right now the reading experience on the tablet is still novel…. it will take time for the experience to be “normal.”
I admit, I am hesitant to take the Playbook into the bath — I use my Kobo for that! But I am delighted by the options the tablet gives me. This weekend I “read” stories to a couple of young friends (4 and 6 years old). After every chapter there was a simple, interactive game that was aligned with the story sequence. It was great!
We will never forfeit the delight of a good story. Digital tool just open new doors and encourage new ideas.
falling in love
POSTED BY: Gayle
CATEGORY: Uncategorized, advertising, communication, dialogue, fund raising, fundraising, interactive, marketing, non-profit marketing, product development, raising funds, research, twitter
Fully cognitive this title will bring a rash of spam, I fling caution to the wind…. So here’s the thing, research suggests that engaging with social media produces oxytocin, the hormone produced when you fall in love. Oxytocin creates feeling of love, trust and generosity.
BUT, here’s where it get interesting for marketers, social networking actually increases the levels of oxytocin in our blood.
I’m guessing that Health Canada is not going to look kindly on our using oxytocin in scratch and sniff in direct response print material, but I am curious on how marketers can use social networking to increase purchases, donations and engagement in brand.
It’s not news that purchasing (and donating) decisions are not all made intellectually. Many are made because of the purchaser has seen pleasing images of the product. Consider this comment I read recently in a blog: “If it doesn’t taste good, why buy it?” The author pointed out that advertising impacted people’s choices. I’m old enough to see that. Suddenly yams, which my grandmother excluded from our diets because they were the food of the poor, are beginning to crowd the potato market. Kale, often a staple in regions of high poverty, is showing up on high priced menus.
What happened?
Suddenly the palates of North Americans woke to the wonder of yams and kale? I don’t think so. But advertising and placement tweaked our taste buds into associating these foods with pleasure, find dining and image. Savvy marketers understand their audience and carefully craft their message to address their unique audience needs.
Wonder Bread, in the 50’s, appealed to new technology (made from batter not dough) and body strength: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiX8UKClaPM . In 2010, they played up the winter games AND the + factor of adding whole wheat while retaining the (guilty?) pleasure of white bread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqverHrP8L4&feature=related . Same product, new audience, updated approach… because they understood their product, their audience and today’s culture.
Traditional advertising, like the Wonder Bread commercials, are well executed and the marketing knowledge is well researched. But social networks and digital is still a space of discovery. While some select marketers have gained measurable success, we have not fully realized the potential of the internet, web sales or brand equity in social spaces.
I’m looking for your ideas on how social networking impacted your marketing.
To read the full article on the power of oxycotin go to http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/147/doctor-love.html?page=0%2C0
Product offers
POSTED BY: Gayle
CATEGORY: brand development, marketing, product development, sales
As I started this email, I was going to glibly say that companies with hard core products — like RIM, COKE and NIKE — have little trouble articulating their product offers.
But then I stopped.
That’s a trap service companies, non-profits and government organizations easily fall into.
Defining your product is one of the most difficult tasks you have. Even when you have a distinct product, you are tempted to walk away from the benefit statements and lapse into your competitor’s territory.
We just challenged Ashley, one of our team writers, to develop SEM campaigns for Barefoot. OK, she works for us. She has daily contact with clients. She sits through a project meeting overview weekly. She told me that it was difficult to define what Barefoot does.
So I need to take a quick look in the mirror.
What do we do?
Defining our product is a challenge we face every day. Successfully defining our product will lead us to greater success.
In 1947 Bob Pierce came face to face with the desperate need of orphan children. He thought, “If every American family would adopt one child their needs would be met — for just pennies a day.” Child sponsorship was born out of the need, spurred by an idea, developed into a product.
Our challenge is to understand our services, funding needs and to create a product that makes sense to the needs we are trying to fill and to our audience.
Last week one of my client’s admin team spent the morning creating a personalized card because one donor wanted to send pigs overseas. The program of the organization did not include an agricultural or micorfinance program in that region. The staff team was simply meeting the needs of the specific donor. That’s like a RIM sales member going to Telus and selling them a Palm. Yes, World Vision’s sheep and goats and pigs are tremendously successful — but that is the product they are selling. Simply copying the product does little for your own program. While the Palm Treo and BB Curve have overlapping purposes — they are clearly different products. AND the marketing teams are always looking for differentiation to set their product apart.
While borrowing ideas is the strength of all communications and marketing — borrowing without understanding your product or without clear differentiation empowers your competitors.
Every day I challenge myself to think about the product I am marketing.
