By Joanna Allen
Creative Director
Co-authored with Neil Edwards, Marketing Strategist with Savvy & Victor
Several years have passed since ‘No Logo’, Naomi Klein’s backlash against multinational corporations. In her book, Klein uncovered a public betrayal by many of the world’s most popular brands: Bill Gates became a global whipping boy, Nike's swoosh was equated with sweatshop labour and McDonald's arches turned into a synonym for childhood obesity. Little wonder that these brands found themselves re-evaluating how their inner ethos and working practices lived up to the customer proposition.
Since ‘No Logo’ we have seen some seismic shifts. McDonalds has addressed healthy eating issues by adding salads and other healthy foods to it's menu - interestingly, this shift in alignment has generated McDonalds a marked 13% increase in profits. Starbucks too has begun opening 'local' unbranded stores that not only invest in local produce but also, via poetry readings, acoustic music sessions and more of the same, in the immediate human community.
Business direction is now being moulded by brand strategies dictated by customer values not business values. The information age means there is no place to hide any actions, policies or values that run contrary to the core values of the consumer. Audiences are sophisticated and informed. They choose the brands they want a relationship with, not the other way round.
The important lesson in these case studies is that branding doesn’t have to mean greed and excess, nor, incidentally, does it have to have to be the exclusive domain of large corporations: it is only when we realise this that we can understand how important and positive it can be for any business.
Think of any well-known modern day brand and you will find an organisation behind it that has:
· A clear customer promise
· A well defined set of values
· An ‘all for one’ philosophy among the people who work there
· A strong
employee brand designed to attract and retain the best employees
· Consistent, well targeted and well designed
creative communications that inspire
There is nothing morally wrong in any of this, on the contrary. If the honesty exists; if the values of the business are properly aligned to those of the consumer and lived and breathed at every level within the organisation, then we create powerful businesses that can be a force for good.
An unfortunate consequence of the global downturn is that businesses – particularly smaller businesses - have become more inward looking. With the focus being on short-term cost-cutting and survival, ‘the brand’ as a concept is seen by many as too intangible and too esoteric to justify time and investment. How unfortunate and what a missed opportunity.
The truth is that building a brand doesn’t necessarily require significant investment: it needs vision, commitment and structure. A
brand strategy, fully embraced from the start and consistently nurtured throughout its life, can be the difference between average performance and stellar success.
To achieve all this isn’t easy, but the prize for those that go for it is a significant one.
If you would like to discuss your own brand development needs you can contact Joanna Allen on 01825 841174 or email her on jo@savvyandvictor.com
Savvy & Victor desks will be cleared this week as we make ready to move into new larger office and studio space in Uckfield, East Sussex.
