Consistency & Representation

Ok, I'm a fan of the Virgin brand. It's fun, versatile, adaptable and manages to stick to its brand concept...along those lines Virgin is planning to launch a range of 4-star quality hotels, for the high - end traveler, trust them to find an area in which there is scope for potential development..! 

Zippo Fragrance

Speaking of brand consistency, or in-consistency in this case Zippo is planning to extend into fragrances (say what?!). Zippo is known for its lighters, in fact there is an entire brand community based around the Zippo brand, so when they decided to expand into candle lighter's, it was not great but ... ok especially when compared to fragrances. Sure there are not gonna be any brand communities around the candle lighter (yes even if its themed), but fragrances are such a diversion from their core brand, which is about a certain culture & style. But maybe I'm being overly critical. If done correctly maybe the transfer of brand ideals would be successful, as it depends on the characteristics of their target market as well as how they identify with their brand, although if they are not careful, Zippo might just be the next Ed Hardy. 

ING's Charles

Brand representations, as I like to call it, is how people view your brand, which might not be the same thing as what companies intend to portray..so I'm not sure where ING was going with this....ING are a strong financial brand, and in Australia they decided to change their brand ambassador from Billy Connolly (the comedian), to a talking orangutan. Now if you're anything like me, my first question was why would you use a comedian to promote a financial product?? Sure, humor in advertisements is great, but who would take a comedian seriously especially when selling insurance! Sounds like a bad joke to me...so naturally my second question is why use an orangutan instead?..no matter how smart he may appear to be. If played correctly ING have the potential to develop him into brand mascot, which could be quite memorable. 

GAP - Old & New logo

Logos play a very important part of brand representation, as they are the one stop for brands to convey what they stand for to consumers. Recently GAP tried to redesign their logo, and i say try as the end result was quite dismal to say the least. The GAP logo is iconic and classic, it has stood the test of time and is easily recognizable, so why would you want to change it?? Especially since its not part of an overall re-branding campaign but an attempt to encourage customer involvement with the brand, by asking them to comment on the new brand and to go one step further by designing their own logo. Normally I would say increased engagement and participation by customers is brilliant, but the logo is one of the most important ways through which a company can represent itself so why leave it in the hands of people who may not understand what the company is all about? Although to be fair any one who would go through the trouble of designing a logo would have to be highly involved, but it also encourages others with not so favorable views to air what they think as well. 

Chevrolet in an aim to reposition their brand, or in other words to develop a strong position for themselves, are trying to find a niche for themselves in the market. In response, their campaign focuses on images from their old campaign, in an aim to remind people why they used to love Chevy so much...which is cute and nostalgic, but its a technique used more to reassure and support your existing customers rather than position yourself in the market. 

Branding is a tricky topic and its not easy getting it right. 

How green is the brand?

Lately there seems to be an increasing splurge of brands 'going green'..is this just another trend or are companies bowing to consumer pressure for environmentally sustainable alternatives..? or could it just be that these brands truly care for the environment??

The industry in which this is the latest (and long overdue topic) is the automotive one in which the buzz word is the 'Electric Car'. Currently the most hyped over is the Chevrolet 'Volt'and I say hyped with good reason...as I will explain shortly

The Volt does seem to be a nice little car, with plenty of options of hybrid or electric (depending on how green you're feeling that day), and while that's good as it can be adapted to any driving situation, it might be a little unfair to term it as an all electric car. But its the marketing of it that has me a bit ruffled. It seems Chevy are trying to legally apply the term 'range anxiety' for all their electric car rivals, now I'm not sure how smart this is, as it will adversely affect Volt as well, if its to be promoted as an 'all electric vehicle'...you can't get everything, but it does seem like they are winning all the awards...but then again you know what they say about expectations.. I for one can't wait to see the reactions of when the car finally releases.



Nissan's Cube

On the other had Kia's 'POP'; Nissan's 'Leaf"are competitors to the Volt. While Chevy aims to scare away customers from their competitors, Kia and Nissan on the other hand are trying to engage them. The POP concept while limited, seems edgy, cute and is able to build a personality for the car, in the way only Europeans can do. This may be able to engage young youthful consumers, while the Volt would appeal to older suburban families, especially when you consider the size, the Pop looks like an electric version of the Smart Car. Nissan's leaf on the other hand, is in tune with Nissan's overall branding concept of innovation, combined with its other offerings of the Cube, it depicts their dedication and commitment to re-inventing themselves to gain a better positioning.

It would have been a shame to see, Toyota's Prius (the original hybrid) not take advantage of all this hype on the electric car. They plan to expand its product offering, by making the Prius into a brand in itself and extend the range of cars available under it. This is a good move by them as, when competition increases, by extending the product offering you can appeal to a wider target audience and solidify your base against competition. This would work to Toyota's benefit, if in the case they decide to introduce an all electric vehicle, it would be easier to get customers to switch across , and this can be done within the Prius range itself.

Volvo has gone all out to show its commitment to the cause. What is considered to be a world's first, is a six month experiment is which a family will live in a climate smart green home in Sweeden and will drive a Vovlvo C30 Drive Electric Vehicle. This will not only generate media interest, its excellent combination of sponsorship and product placement which will allow Vovlo to test how the car will be used and maybe plan for the families of tomorrow...

Now to justify why I said hype is because, while the concept is great, and let's admit it we do need it, electric cars would need electricity which more often that not are generated by coal plants, so even if we were all to drive them, it would increase electric consumption, hence more coal burning...and how good is that really???

Also for the concept to be truly adopted there has to be major change in infrastructure by the government to support this, and this could take awhile. How many people would want to adopt it, when its use is quite limited? Maybe car manufacturers should lobby the government for more support?

Since I'm on a green run today, I thought it would be a good idea to examine other 'green' brands....

Ok firstly...fear advertising rarely if ever works....a classic example is the ad for 10:10 campaign i.e. if you don't cut back on your carbon emissions you will be blown up (yes that's right by a button) and this includes children as well...no one is safe! I'm not sure how this is supposed to connect and engage the audience. While the ad is quite disturbing to say the least, Fear makes people want to avoid the topic and run in the other direction, not to mention its not quite realistic...am I the only one who think this is not helping the cause?? Have a look at it here.

KFC has displayed its commitment through it re-usable (recyclable??) food packaging containers although an adoption of 100% would be preferable and the complete phase out of foam and paper would be excellent. 

Sun Chips (of Frito - Lay) have come out with bags which are 100% compostable, although a 'tad'noisy to say the least. While this was excellent, the noise proved to be its ultimate downfall, as it was too loud to be consumed publicly, so while the thought was great it is important to see if the product will be adopted before launch, and to understand how committed consumers are to the cause...but kudos for trying!! *two thumbs up* that they were willing to risk the ire of customers to make a green point. 

P&G's is another company that is hopping onto the green bandwagon by trying to make a positive difference. By encouraging people to recycle, educate themselves and other about the environment they can collect 'Green Stamps'which can be redeemed for merchandise via RecycleBank...if something's boring..why not make it fun? and learn something along the way? P&G's campaign not only shows its commitment but its helping to make a positive change by getting people to take an active part in changing how they think about the environment. 

Goldman Sachs tried to hop onto but fell off horribly from the green bandwagon....I'm not sure why they would try to appear green when they are facing a multitude of other branding crises, but by simply taking out an ad in the paper and saying you're green just does not cut it any more and neither does it generate any good feelings, people believe in positive outcomes and until this can be achieved, it is better to stay away from the green topic as it does more harm than good. 

So why is green marketing good and does it actually make a difference? While not many consumers would always think green while shopping, it does make a difference. If implemented correctly, with positive outcomes, the brand can engage with customers and create a shared meaning. Today branding is not about positioning but about relation, especially in the age of social media, its not enough just to tell people what you're about but to show them as well so as to create a platform through which to engage the customer and create a shared meaning.....

Brand Extensions

Consistency is not always the name of the game, Virgin being a prime example. Although the Vigrin brand did not make it into the top 100 of Interbrand's list, it does deserve a special mention. It is one of the most well known brands operating within various industries, and while its in-consistency might send other brand enthusiasts reeling, it's one of the few that has been able to successfully pull off brand extensions, which are different from their core. 

Recently Virgin announced the global expansion of their Virgin Hotels which they are developing for the high-end traveler. These 4 star hotels will be targeted for the luxury business traveler and will be currently located in North America. More details about the project can be found in Silverstein's article Branson's next move.

The reason for Virgin's success, while I touched on it before, is got to do with their positioning and overall image, which is not based on functionality, but rather emotions such as fun, excitement, daring etc.. which according to Branson appeal to their chosen consumer segment or as they are termed the 'creative class' who can relate to the values of the company....so in other words who does not like to have fun? therefore allowing Virgin to expand into any segment where this is probable. 

Speaking of brand extensions, RIM have decided to enter into the world of tablet computers with a launch of their very own version, into an already crowded market. Is this a bid by RIM to support its brand by creating product extensions for wider appeal? Most likely the tablet would be purchased by existing Blackberry loyalists, and by hooking their customers on they would be following a similar path to Apple; and their creation of a fan base. This is quite a stretch for them, as most of their other competitors are technological companies who have previous experience in IT, unlike RIM for whom this would be a first, but while it is a stretch, playing devil's advocate one can argue that RIM stands for efficiency and effectiveness combined with innovation of mobile technology which is exactly what they will be achieving through the tablet. More information can be found in the article RIM readies answer to i-Pad (why is everything compared to the i-Pad??? a better differentiation is needed). 

Starbucks on the other hand is committed to protecting their trademark which involves suing other brands who copy their distinctive style, color and design of the logo, even if their small cafés who claim innocence. Although there is more to a brand than just its logo, like for Starbucks, its quality coffee, atmosphere etc. they are compelled to protect their rights. Always a tricky decision...what would you do?

Samsung as part of their promotion of the Galaxy Tab, have launched a YouTube video depicting the features of the product ... makes me wonder why couldn't Amazon do the same for the Kindle rather than changing their distribution strategy? 

On a final note Ford have released an app on the iPad to promote the 2011 Fiesta, which highlights the vehicle's features, connectivity and accessories. This is a rather dismal attempt by Ford, as the potential of social media is astounding, so by using it as as an online catalog is only a drop in the ocean.....when the limit is only your imagination.   

Re-branding...New logos and taglines do NOT count!

Re-branding seems to be the latest buzz word in the branding world, with companies such as Kodak, PwC, & Airbus all trying to re-vitalize their brands either through new logos, positioning or targeting new markets.

New Kodak logo

Let's start with Kodak who have decided to do all  the three above. In an effort to modernize the brand and promote their new camera feature (the share button-for photo sharing), Kodak has decided to connect with their chosen segment of young, social media savvy urban consumers, with their new tagline of 'So Kodak' and a planned a multimedia campaign (or an IMC to be specific) consisting of musicians: Drake, Pit Bull & Trey Songz in online, print & TV spots in an effort to build street cred. Quite a commendable effort to re-engage the consumer, and while the campaign is still to be released, a couple of questions pop into mind, namely:

1) Why are urban consumers their segment of choice? According to Kodak on their company blog they 'set trends for the larger population in areas of fashion, entertainment and music', aka they are the "Innovators" but you can easily argue that today almost everyone is socially connected, so wouldn't a more mass appeal be more strategic especially as Kodak's positioning has always been innovation for everyone; unless this segment is the most profitable for them.....?

2) Is street cred really that important for a brand such as Kodak?  Kodak to me is a family brand, a brand for everyone, to share, enjoy and record those 'Kodak moments', so by street cred do they really mean word of mouth?? and are urban channels the best way to accomplish this?
  
Which brings me to...

3) What's with their new tagline of 'So Kodak'?? To be honest I'm not entirely sure what the new positioning is trying to convey....was it adopted because it has already been used in songs by artists 100 Deep Phly Boyz and Blok- Breeze, leading to the belief that it might appeal to their chosen segment? I personally preferred the 'Kodak moment', and would have preferred re-launching a new strategy with the same tagline, which not only is historical in its own right but also conveys the brand's heritage.

 And finally the big one...

4) If they hope to target social - media savvy consumers...WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA NOT A #1 
    PRIORITY WITHIN THEIR CAMPAIGN????


Although to be fair, Kodak in all sincerity is trying to re-brand themselves as young, hip and still innovative which is backed by their new smart printing system PYNK, which is a new retail photo kiosk that  can create a fully assembled photo collage, a definite plus for the innovation! Check out Barry Silverstein's article Kodak touts innovations at Photokina

New PwC logo

Moving on next on the re-branding list is Pwc, who have decided to modernize their brand by changing the logo and shortening their company name to PwC, as its'commonly known as, for promotional purposes, which is great as they aim to appeal to their clients by sharing common ground. They launched an infomercial of sorts on YouTube about what their new brand is all about ... modernity, change and value. The video, which can be watched here, talks about how their customers are changing and how they are changing too and that change is good for everyone....too much of change? Well if you listen to the video and you're anything like me, you will not want to hear the words 'change' & 'value' again!! I know repeating a point usually gets the idea through...but there is a limit.....anyways, their overall message is that as part of their re-branding for modernity they intend to listen to their consumers, asses their needs and provide value in order to surprise and maybe delight their customers....which is all fantastic of course, but I'm a little wary as to if they plan on doing that now....WHAT WERE THEY DOING BEFORE??? 

Next on the list is Airbus which has released a new modern logo, which involves changing the font type to a more striking cutting sharper one, while keeping the iconic ball and color the same....the new logo looks great (while not very different), but I have just one thing to say...A NEW LOGO DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AS  RE-BRANDING!!! Airbus press release states that new logo is an effort by the company to rebrand itself but to what?? There has been no major change in the company's positioning or operational culture so to all effects the brand is still the same.

New logo                                           Old Logo

When a brand needs a boost it's always easy to say let's re-brand without fully appreciating the finer details of what its all about, its more than a logo and a positioning, it's about the way a company thinks, operates and promotes itself to the audience, changing your name and logo does not count. It is also one of the most riskiest strategies that a company can employ as it risks en-dangering your current segment and not only confusing customers but also destroying the brand's heritage. 

To take a page from Coca-Cola, the world's greatest brand and still #1, according to Interbrand's Best Global Brands of 2010, who in their entire history have successfully modernized the brand without having to re-brand, i.e. the brand image and principles have been retained regardless of changes in logo design, and product packaging. Therefore its always better to think what else can be done before resorting to re-branding. 

Brand: Follow-ups'

It's been awhile since I have posted, and therefore its an excellent time to take a review of what has been going on in the world of Brands...so let's take a quick look:

The I-Pad on top with the Kindle below

Amazon, to compete with the Nook & Sony's reader, has decided to alter its distribution strategy to include retail distribution. It turns out that consumers as part of their purchase behavior need to 'touch, feel and experience' the kindle before they reach a decision. This is a drastic change for the brand whose positioning has always been that of a successful online retailer, so by selling the kindle through alternate means it tarnishes the positioning by stating that the online channel is just not enough! Is it because of what the consumer wants? or is it an attempt to establish equal footing to be able to compete more effectively? All in all it seems that Amazon have begun to doubt their own capabilities.

But what about e-reader substitutes? While the big reader brands compete among themselves (a rather myopic view), an increasing number of  I-Pad 'killers' are being launched in the market, which boast the ability to read e-books and so much more...so why restrict yourself with an e-reader only? Apparently according to Amazon's ad it's cheaper and there's no glare...... ok.... I have nothing more to say...based on functionality only now that's a tough sell.

An i-Pad look alike?

The Samsung Galaxy pad is to be one such tablet, although it may need a more memorable positioning as most new tablets brag of being able to equalize if not more with the i-Pad. So besides originality in positioning, even its design and structure of the tablet and phone look quite similar to the i-Pad/Phone range. Plus by comparing yourself to Apple, you have to question what are the objectives of Samsung..are they better on functionality? Do they want to be more popular? or have the same sales/loyalty? click here to see the ad, while more originality would be nice, on the bright side the Galaxy does have a phone!!






Speaking of brand originality, the new Old Spice commercial has taken originality to the extreme. The new ad starring NFL star Ray Lewis leaves you wondering...what's going on??? While the previous advertisements with Isiah Mustafa had brand promise, clear message/positioning and a targeted audience, the new one leaves you wondering what exactly are Old Spice trying to say? So while its great to be original and think out of the box, sometimes its not good to stray too far.....Abe Sauer covers it beautifully in the article Old Spice: We're wild and craaaaazy guys



Brand dilution is always a risk in every venture undertaken by an organization, and Xerox might be facing that with its latest ad campaign where it combines a host of various other companies/brands and how Xerox is of benefit to them...the risk is that with all the other brands (Target, P&G, NY Mets), Xerox itself might get lost in all the clutter. It also turns out that they are moving away from a functional perspective (low cost printing solutions) to a value based one in which they provide various printing solutions.... to organizations...which I gather to be their primary consumer base.



On a final note, I came across a new viral campaign by Tipp-ex (the brand not the product), which heralds a new era for interactive social media, the ad which involves a hunter and a bear (be sure to choose an option towards the end), provides the viewer free reign  in determining the interaction of the main characters; quite an engaging endeavor (!!), but while having fun there's always a chance people will remember the ad and not the brand.

Brand Tidbits

Speaking of international campaigns,  Pepsi released a re-make of one of its more popular advertisements for Pepsi max, 'The Job Interview'. The original ad, The Job Interview, was first released during the super-bowl in '09 and till date is one of their more popular ads. It speaks about friendship, enjoying the moment, and celebrations all with 'no sugar', which in essence in the brand's positioning. A little similar to Coco-Cola with its celebrations theme? sure....and while not an entirely unique position, all is fair in the cola wars! 

The re-make of the ad, is quite similar except with one little twist...it's in Hindi! The ad, The Job \Interview - Remade was designed to capture with the same principles but for the Indian market. Reaction for this is quite mixed. Some like it, because its no similar and it's a safe bet that the market will be able to understand the message, but for other's they feel its nothing new, and does not spark any further interest. 

I am likely to side with the latter. Sure, the ads fun, provides the same message, positions the brand in the same way and on the grounds that both markets are quite similar then the word will certainly get across. But, in today's world, it's quite safe to assume that most of the Indian market have probably seen the western equivalent, and for them this ad will be familiar territory, so it might not break through the clutter to get the market's attention and convey the message across.

In other news, Nissan is finally replacing its 'Shift' tagline to 'Innovation for all'. I say finally because, I for one never really liked 'Shift'. It seemed functional at best, and did not convey any extra meaning...I always wondered Shift...what??? Now their new tagline on the other hand, shows some promise. It not only is a position/promise in one but also talks about the future for the company. This new tagline was unveiled along with the fact that they will be the first to unveil a full blown electric vehicle to the US market, hopefully propelling Nissan higher than its no. 3 position. This is a timely launch as the product is innovative and suits the new promise of the brand. 

For more: Nissan Innovation for All Campaign.aspx

Brands Revisited

Earlier on I had mentioned about the competition between Amazon's Kindle & Barnes & Noble's (B&N) Nook, which it turns out is still going strong. Not only have both competitors reduced their prices in a bid to gain customers, but B&N have put their bricks -and- mortar to good use, i.e. creating a 'nook'  where customers can 'experience' the Nook before they buy it, in other making the product so much more tangible, which is far from Amazon can do. By doing so, they are not only making good use of their store space, but engaging their market with good customer service and connecting with them on a personal level, while Amazon is little more than a click away.  Competition is still fierce, with both products having a wide array of features, but again let's not forget the iPad. Nook vs Kindle-The e-Reader Battle

I had recently also spoke about the use of celebrities to promote products, it's a tried and tested method, which has led China to jump on the celebrity bandwagon. Ok, I'll admit celebrity endorsements in China is not a new thing, but it's a new trend to have western celebrities endorse Chinese products in the home market. Japan has been doing it for years, but with China this is new and a reflection of it's open markets where for once they are actually importing a product - "celebrities". This is always a tricky choice as trying to decide which celebrity is the right one for your product and if it will be recognized by the target market. This is always a challenge and yet so much more on an international scale. You have also have to question whether this 'star' fits with the culture of the country. Celebrities Find Endorsement in China

Old Spice... A Social Media success story!

In my period of quiet (!) reflection, I have been contemplating on my recent post about P&G, and I realize I have been a little unfair, hasty and maybe even harsh on my critique of  their social media campaign.

While they may be new to non-celebrity brand ambassadors, their re-launch of the 'Old Spice' via a social media blitz was an astounding success. It's never easy to re-launch an old brand, especially to a new demographic with entirely different values, kudos to P&G for a bold step in the right direction... it would have been quite unfortunate to see such a memorable brand die out, considering having grown up with, my dad being an avid user of the product. 

The campaign itself is innovative, and takes bold steps by actually addressing the decision maker, 'the woman', and also potential purchaser even though the end consumer 'the man' is entirely different. It not only recognizes the buyer decision making process, but it also adds value and appeals to the customer/end user. 

And the best part is, it invites people to send in their questions via twitter etc, and in reply creates a whole new short clip on you-tube. IMC...definitely! successful??? It's an A* in my books, and its not a surprise to find out that Forbes has short-listed it as one of the most richest and engaging social media campaigns. 

The others can be viewed at  Forbes picks top social media campaigns

While I may not be it's ideal target market, it has certainly got my Attention & Interest and I am delighted! 

Why has it succeeded? It has certainly taken the principles of social media to heart. It engages the consumer on a personal level, makes them feel valued by answering to their most basic needs, while augmenting it by appealing to the self-esteem needs in  Maslow's hierarchy, if I was to get theoretical. It not only allows the viewer to partake, but its co-creation at its finest with the company and customer working together to create a product/brand which creates value for everyone. The ultimate win-win situation, in which the customer feels  appreciated, with their needs being addressed, while the company gets to promote its product and highlight its brand. 

For those of you who have not seen it yet (!!)...have a look at it here: Old Spice - The man your man could smell like

And if your interested in seeing the response videos, they are grouped up here: Old Spice responses, the whole 185 of them...quite an commendable effort. 

Now, on a personal note, I would like my many (here's being hopeful) and dedicated (ok pushing it a little) readers to feel free to comment on any of my posts. It's all about engaging, sharing, and learning and I'm keen to know what you'll think. 

Changing face of Brand Ambassadors?

Following the topic of brand ambassadorship, Gillette 'the best a man can get, has launched a new promotion campaign for its razor the Gillette Fusion ProGlide. as part of the campaign two college students won the ultimate summer job by winning the rights to promote Gillette (and $25,000!) by travelling around the U.S. to sporting events and public venues and setting up a mobile sink, proceeding to invite male passer by's to 'try' the product. Their stories are then promoted by blogging, tweeting and YouTube(ing).

This has been a first for parent company Proctor & Gamble as it steers away from its usual strict branding guidelines into the unchartered territory of social media. Another big first for them is the use of two normal males to promote their product which is a big diversion from their usual celebrity ambassadors. The reason they stated for it, is that it helps them connect with their target market, especially a more younger, socially aware demographic. It also helps improve the product's credibility as its being promoted by 'ordinary people'. By using social media they are slowly learning to give up control (gasp!), and allow their users (real men) to share their own experiences and create brand meaning. 

While this may be a first for P&G, it sounds strikingly familiar to Dove's campaign for real beauty by their main competitor Unilever, which was launched a few years back. 

While similar, you have to question whether this promotion affects the image Gillette has been building up over the years. They have always promoted their razors  using celebrities who are extremely successful in their chosen sport, and by extensions this success would be transferred to the endorsed product, in the hope that the common man will emulate their 'heroes'. But now using average college students and promoting the product on the street is a radical shift from a position of prestige, class and style to what seems a desperate appeal to the target market to buy the product. The image of the razor has changed from an aspirational one to that of simple functionality, where they are trying to push the product rather than create a demand for it. 

So are now common people the new brand ambassadors? Or is it a reflection of P&G's declining ambassadorship list with Tiger Woods & Thierry Henry no longer promoting Gillette due to their deteriorating public image? Are celebrity ambassadors just to difficult to maintain with the product's image and values?    

More about Gillette's new promotion can be read in Silverstein's article  "Gillette's razor guys", fans turned ambassadors 

The latest Gillette ad now only using Federer can be viewed here Gillette taps Federer's sensitive side 

Speaking of Federer there is a viral video going around of him striking off a bottles of a man's head with a tennis serve? Freaky? yes? Accurate definitely! True? hmm.......

This video was posted by Gillette on YouTube, and while people are questioning its authenticity you have to admit that Federer cannot affect his own brand image by allowing a 'false' trick to run around, especially knowing Gillette's reputation for ditching celebrities with negative images. While certainly a marketing ploy, its motives have to be analysed, maybe its' to prove that Federer, their last clean guy, still has what it takes? Or to increase his brand image and by extension this will rub off on the Gillette brand as well? Will wait and see...

To see the amazing shot check out Federer cheap shot or marketing ploy? 

Brand Ambassador or Brand Dilution?

Celebrity endorsements are not a new promotion strategy, in fact they have been used ever since marketers realised popular people are (good?) role models and many people follow their example, so logically it's safe to deduce that if popular people consume a particular product then everyone who follows them will do the same....

Aishwarya Rai is Brand Ambassador
for Longines watches 

Of course celebrity endorsements have come much further than that. Now the marketer has to first determine the meaning of the brand, find the right celebrity who's values represent the brand, and who the target market can relate to before they sign them up to endorse the product. At least I hope that is what brand/ marketing managers do. 

But it seems that not everyone seems to be following this formula. India, which has one of the largest and fastest growing consumer markets, still follows the old school ideas of celebrity endorsement which means getting the most popular film stars/cricketers/singing sensations to act as brand ambassadors for their product, regardless to whether they share any link to the product being promoted or to the market they are trying to appeal to. 

Of course this has brand managers frustrated as best, as they spell dire consequences of brand dilution, brand erosion and loss of brand meaning, especially as very few celebrities really support what they are promoting. In fact, some may promote as many as 15+ products in one year. For many stars this is an excellent way of not only increasing their public profile but also raking in the big bucks, as there is a lot of money within the business, and they can't wait to get their hands on another endorsement...and it doesn't hurt their own brand image as well, as the adage goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity!

On the topic of celebrity brands, many stars have refused to fade away after their 15 mins were up, coming with a range of products created by themselves or collaboratively with others, to keep themselves in the spotlight. Brand extensions of themselves? Abe Sauer covers it in Reality Star Brands: A Report Card

But the future may not be all that bleak, a shining example of successful brand extensions (or unsuccessful brand dilution) is Virgin. Richard Branson, has dabbled in everything from transportation, to banking, to telecommunications, even gaming, and spacetravel! A stunning example of a company who has taken product diversification to the max, it is truly a brand manager's best and worst nightmare, truly let it deserve the title of 'Elastic Brand'. Their secret to success? Is it Richard Branson? If i had to hazard a guess i would say it was the strong brand value and what it represents to the people. 'Virgin' is all about taking a chance, and finding opportunities in industries where's there's scope of improvement and jumping right in (but I'm sure there's more to that story!). For the latest of Virgin's ventures check out Barry Silverstein's The Elastic Brand: Virgin expands in every direction.

Privacy infringed by Google?

Here's a follow up thought to yesterday's post. Companies following you to your home is just a step up from them stalking you online.

Isn't is just annoying how they manage to target ads to what you search for online? or when you visit sites such as ebay or Amazon, product suggestions are based on your search history?

The amount of personal information you leave behind online is staggering, and its a sobering thought what can be accomplished when all this information can be collected and analysed, it might reveal your distinctive personality, shopping behavior, your hobbies, interests, if you got a new job, just lost one, your medical history, star sign everything.

Just providing targeted ads while you surf is just the tip of the iceberg of what can be accomplished, especially by imaginative and zealous organizations, the sky's the limit!

This is increasingly true as our online behavior becomes more predictable and consolidated. We use Google as our primary search engine, Gmail for our e-mail, Gtalk to IM, Google Chrome to browse etc. as we grow more dependent on a single company (let's be fair Google are taking over the internet and are better than most), Google in return is able to collect massive amounts of information about us, which its then able to provide to companies, in the form of Google Analytics, for free!!

Google now are even planning to capture a large chunk of the social media market, see Another piece to Google's social puzzle As there are no industry watchdogs to ensure fair play in the online world...are we looking at the next big brother??

Whatever happened to the power is in the hands of the consumer?

Promotions or Privacy Invasions?

Advertising & promotional gimmicks are nothing new especially it is increasingly difficult to get the consumer's attention. 

Unilever launched a new promotion in Brazil for their new stain fighting OMO, in which there are 50 boxes hidden across 35 cities, one of which can be a lucky winner....nothing new? Well each of these boxes have a GPS tracker through which Unilever can track the purchase right to the house of the consumer, so that they can shop up at your home to congratulate you if you turn out to be the lucky one.

An expensive promotion for sure, but spooky? Definitely! not to mention invasion of privacy and maybe even the violation of privacy laws in some countries. Has technology, or multi-nationals, gone too far?

It just seems like a promotion by Uniliver to better understand the demographics of their consumer market, as well as to identify the innovators (of sorts) who are first to try their new product and their background, information while limited can be used in the future for other products. 

For more information: Unilever follows you home via GPS

How far will companies go for promotion? Check out this innovative advert by McDonald's in Switzerland:

McFries Pedestrian Crossing

Before I sign out here's a little update on Blackberry. It seems for RIM the situation is steadily deteriorating with more countries jumping on the 'banning bandwagon' with US and Canadian governments starting talks with a number of governments to ease their fears. Here's hoping for RIM and all Blackberry loyalists.

The death of the book?

Barnes & Nobles has decided to explore selling the brand, as a unfortunate symptom of changing consumer preferences towards e-books and other digital media. So does that mean the death knell is ringing for the good old book?

Let's hope not....while consumer preferences are changing, there is still a significant number of people who patronize the old book. Sure it's big, and bulky and sometimes a nuisance to carry around, but there's nothing  like leafing through its pages to get the story, unlike the cold unimaginative reader...yes i'm a fan of the book. But unfortunately demand is not the same, especially as there are other retail channels from whom people can purchase books, including stores such as Target, Kmart etc. for whom books are a small margin of the overall products they sell therefore they can recover their losses, and let's not forget a multitude of online retailers such as Amazon, Book Depository etc, so it's not difficult to see how a retail chain whose main product offering is the provision of books will find it difficult to survive. 

But books are not the only ones to suffer the same way with the traditional newspaper heading down the same path. People prefer to read their news online, and media companies have come to terms with it. Rupert Murdoch, the media baron, himself commented on how emerging technologies are now the future for the media industry, especially devices such as the iPad, through which customers are willing to pay for their news apps. For more information you can see: Murdoch hails iPad as game changer

But why stop there, with the multitude of media channels available, consumers have already started hearing books (audio books), so why not news as well? News podcasts could be the way to go. 

BlackBerry Torch: Save the day?

Will the Blackberry Torch light the way for RIM's salvation? With its release the 'iPhone' killer is purported to put the BlackBerry back into the game with all the latest bells and whistles that would make it more competitive in the smart phone segments. But is this enough?

RIM (Research In Motion), may be good at researching new technology, but as life cycles shorten for technologically innovative products then, it needs to release new products more often if it hopes to compete with other smart phones, especially with Google & Windows getting in on the market. As of now the new Torch will not be able to convert any customers, although it stands a fairly good chance of luring new customers who want to get in on the BlackBerry bandwagon. The only segment who will truly be happy will be Blackberry loyalists who will finally be able to have a shiny new gadget that will allow them to be on par with iPhone and Android users. 

With Blackberry on fire with their encrypted software and now even Saudi Arabia threating to join the ban, RIM is in desperate need of new strategies that will carry them through this difficult period. 

Bans & Price Wars ... the never-ending battle

It's a black day for BlackBerry in the U.A.E with a ban being issued on all related BlackBerry services due to security concerns. This is a bold move taken by the U.A.E, as while other countries (India for one) have expressed concerns, they took it one step further.
This will definitely shake up the mobile market in the U.A.E., as since its introduction the BB has made significant inroads into the business and consumer markets which were previously dominated by popular brands such as Nokia & Sony Ericsson etc, which would definitely take this opportunity to regain their previously lost market share. This could also signal the introduction of the iPhone which has yet to make a dent in this middle-eastern market.
This ban also affects business travellers transiting through U.A.E, and while it is inconvenient it can definitely hamper the image of the country as the latest hub for business development.
So is this going to be a step forward or backward for U.A.E's image? Will other countries take the leap? How will competitors and BlackBerry react? Got to wait and see..so watch this space!
More details can be found in Silverstein's article Other brands gain on BlackBerry's ban in the UAE.

Speaking of competitive measures, Barnes & Nobles's (Nook) & Amazon's (Kindle) are engaged in fierce battle in the e-reader market, which has taken a turn towards a price war (c'mon we know that's not going to work in the long run), you have to wonder about the other substitutes available, such as the iPad, which also boasts the ability of being an e-book reader among a plethora of other available applications, and while both readers have impressive qualifications, will they stand a chance against newer media channels which target the attention fragmented consumer? So is this war  really necessary?? I guess we just wait to find out who in the end has the largest Nook!

Mad Men: Ad Men

No branding blog would be complete without a discussion of the popular show 'Mad Men', which revolves around the crazy world of ad men on Madison Avenue in the 60's.

Just the other day i was catching up on some of the earlier episodes and I marveled at the fact at how they so casually applied branding principles in their advertising at a time when these theories were still being named and developed by academia. While not questioning the accuracy of Mad Men...you have to wonder about the use of branding (marketing) theory in a popular show and if academics and practitioners in reality are all that far apart??

Going back to Mad Men, its fascinating to watch the creation and development of an ad campaign, with all the glamor and alcohol, which still capturing the brand essence of the product. Although similar principles (maybe without the alcohol?) are applied today for advertisements with less than half the air time, Rex Whisman's article Beyond Mad Men comes to mind in which he states that while definitely alluring Mad Men principles are outdated in today's fast paced world in which the consumer market is changing fast, and media they use as well.

A definite must read, the article reinforces the importance of having solid brand roots, which is what sustains a brand and not just glitzy advertising.

Mad Men is must watch show not only for branding and advertising fanatics (like me!) but also for those who just love good entertainment!

Brand New....Blog

Hello!

Yes..it's another blog! An exciting new venture by 'me' into the treacherous waters of social media.
It's about a fascinating and intriguing topic, which has enthralled people worldwide....any guesses??

That's right....the POWER OF BRANDS!

I've always been fascinated by brands, especially how people view them, experience them and most importantly the way they make them feel. Last semester I attended a course on Branding, which gave me some real structure to my interest and which is the true inspiration for me to start this blog.

Through this i hope to discuss how news/stories in the media and company actions can affect the brand image of the company and how others may view them.

so..hang on....it's going to be an enthralling adventure!