Recognition Marketing - 10 Characteristics Of A Great Brand

By David Miranda


Great brands.....

1. compete with themselves, not others for the hearts, minds, and wallets of customers.


2. are more curious, better informed, more agile and nimble, and less risk-averse than their competitors.


3. are customer-centric understanding that customer retention is the engine for customer acquisition.


4. understand that everything (both the formal and informal) communicates the brand to others.


5. understand that the status quo is the enemy of innovation.


6. compete on value not price.


7. are not "me-too" marketers


8. have a compelling brand "story" that clearly distinguishes it from all others


9. recruit and retain great marketing talent


10. can demand a premium for their products and/or services

Name Everyone You've Ever Met

Chances Are The List Is Small

By David Miranda

Our memory is generally good - but that not good. That's why we rely on Outlook, Rolodexes,photo albums, diaries, reunions, weddings, funerals, home movies, and various other tools, devices, and methods to help us remember and remind us of people we know.

From this group of everyone we've ever met or known, we all have a much shorter list that we can extemporaneously share. These are people, whether they we friends, family, or business colleagues that we have the most recent, frequent, or strongest ties with. Others, for one reason or another, have drifted away from your brain's short list - until, however, you are reminded by that unexpected phone call or email; spring cleaning of your Outlook or Rolodex, or attending that reunion, wedding, or funeral.

Such is the case with brands. Name every brand you've ever purchased. Chances are you will remember a short list, but have forgotten more than you've remembered. This is why brands need to advertise - to keep their brand top of mind with people with short memories. The brands that occupy top of "unaided brand recall" lists have a significant advantage over those that do not.

There are a gazillion brands out there, but only a few you will be able to recall without some help. Take this simple test and see how you:

Name three brands in each of the following categories:

1. bottled water
2. luggage
3. shoes
4. mobile phones
5. shampoo
6. SUV's
7. batteries
8. snack foods
9. fast food chain
10. online shopping sites

Considering the many to choose from, think why you made your choices.

It's probably because these brands advertised to you. Just like in personal relationships, unless one or both parties make and effort to engage, i.e. "stay in touch", they won't make the cut for your short list.

The lesson is this. Forget about your audience and you are relegated to dusty memory files in the back of people's minds. Keep your brand current or go the way of such once dominant brands as Pepsodent, RC Cola, Netscape, RCA, Atari, Motown, Timex, PF Flyers, TWA, Braniff, PanAm, etc.

Today preference is perishable in a world of uber-choice.

Great Brands Are Like Great Friends (Or Friends You'd Like To Have)

Or As Dale Carnegie Put It - How To Win Friends And Influence People

By David Miranda

The photo on the upper left is sign language for the word "friend". As a consumer (or a client), there are many brands who want to be your best friend - and they try very, very hard. Today alone, hundreds of millions of dollars have been earmarked to befriend you and your wallet. The solicitations are everywhere - on TV, the radio, newspapers, outdoor signs, the internet, your mailbox, in elevators, washrooms, on buses, flyers, by paid spokespersons, grocery carts, salespeople, brochures, airports, your mobile device, movie theaters, infomercials, powerpoints, etc. etc. Think for a moment. How many of these solicitations worked? How many of these brand "friends" did you open your wallet to? Chances are none, zip, nada. But no need to worry. They'll be at it again tomorrow. There are ways, however, to make all this effort a bit more productive. It's winning friends and influencing people along the way.

How should brands win friends and influence people? Let's start with some simple basics.

1. Friends are good listeners.
Do you listen to your audience? What are the problems that you can solve? What are the things important to them? What is it that you can deliver that can make their lives easier, better, more satisfying, more rewarding?
2. Friends are there when you need them.
How is good is your customer relationship management? Do you respond quickly enough? Are you empathetic to their situation?
3. Friends appreciate friends.
Do you recognize loyal patronage? Do you know when they stopped coming and why? Do you make an effort to win them back?"
4. Friends look out for each other.
Are you proactive with your customers or clients? Do you alert them of upcoming events or trends that could affect them positively or negatively? Do you put their friendship over your economic gain to insure their long term business?
5. Friends communicate regularly.
Do you have a formal process of communicating with your customers and clients - soliciting feedback on their continued satisfaction or suggestions; providing updates on new products and services; or welcoming testimonials and recommendations to others?

Winning friends and influencing people is not a daunting task, but it is one that requires commitment and perseverance - and it must start from the top. It's time to take a good, hard look in the mirror and see the reflection of your company to others.

I'm only telling you this as a friend.

It's About "Biz" Not "Buzz"!

Don't Confuse Brand Awareness With Brand Preference

By David Miranda

What do these "brands" have in common? - The Gap, GM, Ford, John Kerry, Dell, and Gateway. They rank high in brand awareness, but low in brand preference. Brand preference puts revenue in the register and votes in the ballot box.

One would argue that in order for a person to buy (or vote for) something or someone, one would first have to be aware of it. True, but that is only half the story. Awareness must be converted to preference or no sale, no vote.

In marketing today, creating "buzz" seems all the rage. Various and sundry marketing tactics are employed to do just that, e.g. social networking sites, blogs, guerrilla marketing. Typical response to buzz is "okay, now that you've got my attention, why should I buy what you're selling?" More often than not, there is no compelling reason. Ask The Gap, GM, Ford, or Mr. Kerry.

Better yet, ask The Cartoon Network. They recently employed a guerrilla marketing campaign to promote a new show by deploying electronic signs throughout some major markets. The campaign in Boston was a disaster as police and homeland security shut down major traffic arteries in the city because they thought these devices were dangerous. The result - bad publicity; apologies from Turner Broadcasting; a $2 million reimbursement to the city and the resignation of the CEO of the Cartoon Network.

Brand awareness? Yep. Brand preference? Nope.

It is high time that marketers put "buzz" into perspective. Will it create "biz"? Do we have a compelling reason for people to buy once they have been "buzzed"?

It's time to "get bizzy".

Brand Architecture Of Identity - A Disciplined Methodology For Success

At Story Of Eight Forces That Can Make Or Break A Brand

By David Miranda

I learned many years ago that the old adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is not true. I had the pleasure some time ago to meet my friend, Bill Ryan, the founder of Mandala, a San-Francisco-based consulting firm. He is a fascinating individual whose bio, among other things, includes a stint as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation trained by the Maharashi Yogi, himself. Bill moved on to the business world and was a major architect in developing the Yahoo! brand. Bill believes that each company has a story to tell, but it must first follow vision and strategy. (I highly recommend anyone contact Bill for his unique perspectives and invaluable guidance of "getting your story right".)

As a brand marketer, I was curious about the techniques and methodology he employed. He shared with me what he calls, The Architecture of Identity (A of I). He taught this old dog "some new tricks". The A of I, a mandala of which was created by Bill's Mandala is included here, is a unique way to develop and nurture a brand. It is premised on the notion that a brand is the result of two dimensions of eight forces. The first dimension includes the three core forces - vision, positioning, and voice. This dimension can best be described as "How the brand is seen from the inside of the enterprise" by its internal stakeholders from grassroots to the boardroom.
The second dimension includes the five marketplace, or external forces including market relevance, product/service superiority, ecosystem integration, management and culture, and finally sustainability. In simple terms, this is how the marketplace perceives the brand.

The Architecture Of Identity is a discipline to ensure that these two dimensions are in sync and, if they are, provides the greatest opportunities for success. So with proper credit to my friend, Mr. Ryan, the following summarizes the Architecture Of Identity.

Core Forces - How The Brand Is Perceived Internally

Vision – This is the brand's unique reason for existing – the core insights responsible for the brand's creation combined with new sparks of genius that continue driving it forward. Vision should be heroic, but simple. The vision statement for The Coca-Cola Company, for example, is "To have our products available within an arm's length of desire."

Positioning – The optimum desired brand position, both in people's minds and in the competitive landscape, that provides the best opportunity for success. As in racing, competitors continually vie for positions at the start and during the race that give them the best chances for winning. For brands, as in racing, people pay attention to the front runners. It should be noted that a brand should not confuse size (revenue, number of locations, etc) with brand positioning. The largest brands, for example, are not necessarily the most innovative or the most consumer-centric. Southwest Airlines is not the largest airline, but it is perceived by air travelers as having the best customer service by U.S. air travelers. Apple is not the largest technology company, but it is considered the most innovative brand.

Voice – The brand's personality, i.e., the attributes it desires to project in the marketplace. This is what marketers most often refer to as “brand attributes.” This is not just "what a brand says"; it is also "how a brand says it." Brands are like people. Each has its own unique personality traits. Think of Nike (Just Do It!); Gatorade (Is It In You?); MasterCard (There Are Some Things Money Can't Buy); and BMW (The Ultimate Driving Machine). These tag lines are synonymous with the personality of their brands. Now name their major competitors and their respective tag lines.

Marketplace Forces - How The Brand Is Perceived Externally (In The Marketplace)

Market Relevance – the market’s actual acknowledgement and recognition of the brand versus what was intended by the brand (vision, positioning, voice). Once a brand has lost its perceived relevance in the marketplace, it is all but impossible to regain it. The examples are many. Perrier was once the leading bottled water sold in the U.S. Pontiac and Taurus are being retired. Remember PanAm, TWA, and Atari?

Product/Service Superiority – the criteria for evaluation of the brand, e.g., leading in quality, performance, functionality, innovation, expertise, etc. In the marketplace, the advantage lies with those brands who consistently demonstrate their leadership in providing the best price/value; are the most innovative; and demonstrate their expertise supporting their brands with consumers and partners. To be perceived the best creates considerable and expensive barriers-to-entry for potential insurgents.

Ecosystem Integration – how the brand integrates into the marketplace with consumers, with partners, with distribution channels, with technology platforms, and with media channels. Successful brands must take a holistic view of the landscape. A leading brand, for example, is worthless if does not have distribution and "shelf space". A leading brand cannot achieve its potential if it does not extend itself to emerging media channels and technology platforms.

Management and Culture – the perception of the brand's leadership, innovation, competency, credibility, values, and integrity. Take Apple, for example. Apple was the creation of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Mr. Jobs, considered the company's visionary and creator of the brand's unique culture, was forced out of the company he founded. Without his leadership, Apple floundered. His return has marked one of the great turnarounds in American business. The iPod has created a business and pop culture phenonmenon that has changed, forever, how people consume music. Apple stock has soared since his return.

Sustainability – the brand's ability to successfully compete in spite of strong competition, economic conditions, or other potentially disruptive conditions. The ability to persevere and succeed is the characteristic of a strong brand. New insurgents are entering the marketplace every day threatening incumbents. Incumbents must agressively deal with these insurgents or risk becoming irrelevant. Microsoft, for example, was slow to respond to Google and Yahoo. AOL was slow to respond to MySpace and Facebook. Large media and entertainment companies were slow to respond to iPod and YouTube. Sustainability of brands demands proactively dealing with opportunities and threats of insurgents.

In summary, this is a dynamic process that requires relentless oversight in order to make adjustments as required by market conditions. What is your brand's story? If you need help, contact Bill.

Thank you, Bill, for sharing your story with me.

Mandala and Architecture Of Identity are used by permission of Mandala-VSS.

Today's Marketing - Engaging Or Annoying The Consumer?

Cutting Through The Noise And Clutter With More Noise and Clutter

By David Miranda

The cartoon character Pogo said, "We have seen the enemy and it is us."

Most marketers, or their agencies, suggest that marketing success is the ability to "cut through the noise and clutter" that plagues the marketplace by engaging the consumer with a compelling brand message. To communicate this compelling brand message they then contribute to the ubiquitious noise and clutter. For consumers there appears no refuge from the barrage.

Television programming is rife with commercials. Terrestial radio is comprised of ads interrupted by programming. In print, journalistic content is losing ground to advertising. Mailboxes, both traditional and digital, are filled with unsolicited solicitations. Web pages are framed with online ads including the dreaded pop-up or ambush varieties. Out-of-home ads are pervasive - highways, trains, buses, airports, malls, sports venues, washrooms, and elevators. The mobile phone, blogs, and social networking sites represent new media targeted for ad dollars.

What's the result? Believe it or not, the consumer is harder-to-reach than ever, according to marketers. Consumers have retaliated to the onslaught with do-not-call lists, TIVO, spam filters, and ad blockers, and the like. They have immunized themselves from noise and clutter that surrounds them.

Is there a solution for marketers? Yes, how about starting by employing the marketing Golden Rule, i.e. market unto others as you would have them market unto you." A brand cannot successfully engage a consumer by annoying them, just like an individual cannot engage another by seemingly stalking them. In the latter example, the result will be unanswered calls or communication or in extreme cases, restraining orders, the equivalent of a do-not-call list.

Stamp out noise and clutter, engage.

Does Your Brand Have Cult Status?

Creating The Ultimate Consumer Engagement

By David Miranda

cult –noun

1. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers.
2. the object of such devotion.
3. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
4. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

Some of our most successful brands are those that have achieved a cult status in society such as Starbucks, Nike, Volkswagen, and Apple to name a few. Consumer loyalty for these brands has achieved enviable status by their competitors beyond coffee, sportswear, automobile, and technology. They have become cultural icons that inspire emotional engagement. This cult status is reinforced in all aspects of their marketing. They understand their brand identity; develop and execute a precise brand strategy that includes both functional (tangible) and emotional (intangible) benefits. The following chart illustrates what each marketing person in the organization should utilize to ensure a one-mindedness throughout the enterprise.

Starbucks, for example, sells coffee (the tangible benefit) but also markets its locations as the "third place to socialize" after the workplace and home (the intangible). Nike sells sportswear (tangible) but also markets athletic ideals as in "Just Do It" (the intangible) which is reinforced with sports icons such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, etc.

The benefits of achieved brand cult status are considerable - strong brand loyalty and word-of-mouth, price premiums and higher margins, and strategic competitive advantage, to name a few.

As clutter and noise continue to muffle marketing messages, it is critical to clearly define the brand's identity, strategy, and its functional and emotional benefits in pursuing the ultimate goal of achieving brand cult status.