Brand Rules! - brand management - Excerpt

Chief Executive, The, July, 2001 by David F. D'Alessandro, Michelle Owens

Excerpted from Brand Warfare: 10 Rules for Building the Killer Brand

Twenty or 30 years ago big brands ruled business: CBS, NBC, and ABC controlled television; Sears dominated retailing to the middle class. AT&T owned telecom, and the U.S. Postal Service owned the mail delivery business.

Three very important events intervened. First, consumers' attitudes changed. Everything from Vietnam to Watergate to the Exxon Valdez disaster taught consumers that big institutions were not to be trusted.

Second, it now costs a fraction of what it once did to launch a new brand. Jeff Bezos got Amazon.com off the ground with $300,000 of his parents' retirement savings. Technology has made it easier than ever for upstart companies to get onto the field.

Third, thanks to the Internet, consumers are no longer limited to what their local retailers are willing to stock. No matter what the consumer is searching for, a half-hour of online comparison shopping will turn him or her into a walking, talking Consumer Reports.

The impact of this triumvirate can be summed up by the first rule of brand warfare:

1. It's the Brand, Stupid

How do you compete, then, in a world in which consumers have infinite knowledge and choice? Segue to rule No. 2.

2. Consumers Need Good Brands as much as Much as Good Brands Need Them

A lot of people think they don't pay attention to brands. I like to ask these "brand-immune" types to imagine they need to buy a washing machine, a car, or maybe underwear. Then I ask them what they would buy and how they'd choose it. Almost infallibly, I hear a big brand name, followed by the statement of belief that the brand makes a good product.

Ultimately, people not only prefer good brands to weak ones, they actually need them. The more brands consumers have to choose from, the more they need to cling to one good brand. The plethora of choice otherwise leads to exhaustion.

Good brands do three highly significant things for stressed-out consumers: They save time. They project the right message. They provide an identity.

3. A Great Message Is Like a Bucking Bronco--Once You're On, Don't Let Go

The best brands, like the most interesting people, have a keen sense of self. You have to understand what your brand means not only within your offices, but out in the world, where the consumers are.

How aware are people of your brand? What is your brand known for? Is it about trust? Price? Diligence? Thoroughness? What is it about? What do people dislike about your brand? In fact, what do people dislike about your industry? What about the people who distribute your brand? How do consumers feel about them?

Once you've figured it out, stick with it. Ultimately, a strong brand message is like a bucking bronco. It's not going to stand still for a second--it has to change with the times and the competition--but once you've managed to get on top of it, you don't want to let go. Hang on and ride that message to the applause of the crowd as long and as stylishly as you can.

4. If You Want Great Advertising, Fight for It

Today's consumers are almost immune to commercial messages. Only the most distinctive advertising gets through to them. Unfortunately, most advertising is a series of personality-free cliches.

Advertising is the most artistic of all corporate endeavors. The best thing you can do is establish the conditions that allow for greatness. For the brand builder, that means, first, understand what your brand stands for and convey it to the creative people who will write and design your advertising. And then, give them the freedom to express it.

The most common thing clients do to destroy their own advertising is to allow little minds to improve it. A lot of people who know nothing somehow feel completely qualified to override the ideas of people who spend their lives writing, designing, casting, and directing advertising.

Want memorable advertising? Be a great client. Don't interfere unnecessarily, and don't let anyone else interfere. Protect the creatives, and you'll soon have the best copywriters and art directors in the world clamoring to work for you, and great work will follow.

5. When It Comes to Sponsorships, a Sucker's Born Every 30 Seconds

Sponsorships bring your consumers something they might not have otherwise seen: a sporting event, a concert, the performance of an athlete. The transfer of emotion from an event or person to the sponsor is often called a "halo effect," and many big and powerful brands got that way because they managed to snag such halos.

However, sponsorships are essentially risky. The biggest mistake you can make is to assume that the event organizers, television network, or celebrities involved have the same aims and interests you do. In fact, their goals may be diametrically opposed to yours. The potential halo effect is also a potential horn effect.

The first step is to make sure you're getting in for the right reasons. Many--maybe even most--sponsors don't. Second, make sure that when you give away your marketing dollars you demand some influence in return. Down the road, because of scandal or over-commercialization, you may find yourself having to protect not just your brand, but also the event itself--and you want to have the power to do that.