۱۳۹۹ دی ۱۶, سهشنبه
Differentiation
From product to brand management
Differentiation strategies have evolved from a focus on the product and its benefits to a focus on the brand and its meanings. This process of displacement began more than two decades ago, but changes in the context and the factors mentioned above have intensified it.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find differentiation elements based on product attributes and maintain them over time, it is even more so.
The brand and its meanings are the axis of the new differentiation strategies . The big difference is that if before the usual thing was to think about a product, develop it, prepare a marketing plan and in the end ask yourself: what brand do we put on it? Today the process must be the reverse: first you have to ask yourself what is the value essential that inspires our brand ?, and from this define the products that conceptually fit into said territory of meaning.
From promises to experiences in brand management
Today, the experiences that revolve around the product are as or more important than the product itself to establish a differentiation on which to base a sustainable competitive advantage.
A very practical way of defining what a brand is is as “the promise of an experience” .
If we understand it this way, its managers must have the capacity and the necessary powers not only to define the promise as I have mentioned before, but also to influence the factors that are necessary to guarantee that the promise is fulfilled and that the company is capable of generate the desired experience with your product or service (and everything that surrounds you) in your customers.
This obviously requires coordinating many aspects and influencing a large number of elements and people over which brand managers often do not have hierarchical authority, so they must exercise their best skills to influence and involve everyone in the project.
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, says companies should reverse the balance between promise and experience. From “overpromise and underdeliver” (which is what most companies do), he suggests moving on to “underpromise and overdeliver”.
From notoriety to relevance
Acquiring notoriety has been a priority objective in brand management for decades , and advertising its main instrument. However, in the new context, it is relevance that makes a brand valuable. Consequently, the construction of brands does not depend so much on the advertising investment capacity but on the ability to achieve relevance among the public of interest . Which can sometimes be more difficult, since notoriety is bought, but relevance has to be earned.
A brand is relevant when it connects with the desires, needs and aspirations of the target audience. When it makes life easier for them and is part of their identity as individuals. When continually surprises. When you have a clear and attractive vision and personality. When it can be said that if it disappeared, it would leave a significant gap between its fans (according to some studies, less than a third of the brands would pass this test).
From transactions to relationships
The challenge today is not only to generate transactions, but to build and maintain relationships. Therefore, to compete successfully it is not enough to have a good marketing plan, but also to develop a branding strategy that allows building a brand capable of attracting, generating and developing links with the public of interest (not just customers! ), in a process that begins long before the sale and does not end with it.
Unlike what has been done so far, companies are beginning to put greater efforts into retention, to avoid the effect of the "leaky bucket", an expression that refers to the wasted effort and the extra cost involved in prioritizing customer acquisition versus retention, not just for a particular company, but for an entire industry.
From commercial communication to conversations around content
It is evident, and much has already been said, that communication is no longer one-way and that it is necessary to establish authentic conversations with people (I am reluctant to call them consumers!). This forces companies to have a real disposition towards dialogue (which is not so common) and of course a great capacity to listen, which is increasingly being done by companies thanks to the new digital tools that exist for this. Not feeling heard is one of the main reasons why someone changes brand ... and partner also by the way;).
The content phenomenon is here to stay, it is not a passing fad, although as happens with some phenomena that are talked about so much, they wear out before they come of age. Indeed, the concept of “branded content” is still diffuse. Branded content is often used to refer to a camouflaged variant of a viral campaign, product placement, or sponsorship, when it is something else. First of all, what we call branded content should rather be called “people's content”, since it is not about talking about what the brand wants, but about what people are interested in. Of course, do it according to the identity and purpose of the brand , in the key that defines its strategic concept and its personality as a brand.
Through content, brands establish dialogue and build relationships with people, sometimes being the host and other times just another guest. That is why content is a key way to build relevance for the brand and to associate the brand with a meaningful territory.
From controlling to co-managing
Managers must accept that they do not have control of the brand management entirely in their hands. Brands belong to customers and the community as well as to companies, to the point that they have in their hands a decisive capacity for intervention to determine their success or failure. This requires new ways of working through systems of co-management and co-creation , that is, of power and shared creation. Heineken, P&G or Nivea are making important efforts in co-creation with clients for the generation of new products.
If companies really want to connect with people, they have to be willing to give them some control of their brands. People are willing to make brands their own (more than ever), to get involved, to collaborate, but in return they demand that companies not disappoint them, surprise them, take them into account and of course be honest and authentic .
From image to culture
Not only, but especially in service companies, it is essential to project the brand inward before doing it outward. In relation to what has been said in several of the previous points, causing an experience is the result of work carried out by people. And generating content is a job done by people. So these should be the first to be seduced by the brand and impregnate with its magic.
Zappos is a prominent example. It is one of the five best valued companies to work for in the USA and has very unique practices, for example in its process of attracting talent. Those who want to work in the company must access a network in which they interact with the people in the organization and it is these who decide, or at least decisively influence, whether or not that person is hired. The Zappos brand promise is based on offering an exceptional service (Powered by service). And it really does, thanks of course to the involvement of all the people in your organization, who are highly identified with your brand.
Surely, the 7 aspects that I have highlighted in this article (which as we have seen are closely related) do not reflect everything that is happening, but they do illustrate the enormous paradigm shift that occurs in the way we must manage brands in the new context.
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