The buzz about the new intersection of branding
and marketing, especially multichannel marketing,
has generated a lot of reaction lately. To quote one
agency head honcho, will “the insipid grasp of marketing
science” denude branding of all creativity and
big ideas? Or, to paraphrase the concerns of some
leading direct marketers, will “branding gone stupid”
destroy marketing efforts where the only thing
that should count is ROI?
What’s new is that sophisticated practitioners
of both see an exciting synergy, given the power of
branding to trigger response when married to innovative
marketing. Branding people are embracing key
performance indicators (KPIs) and accountability like
never before. Marketers are harnessing the power of
branding to connect emotionally, project credibility
and create powerful relationships.
With this shift, being left behind are the
direct marketers who think branding is just a matter
of logos. Joining them on the other side are the
brand people who have thought direct marketing is
déclassé, practiced by people imprisoned in an “ugly
sells” mentality.
Out-of-control branding?
Yes, there’s branding gone wild out there (see
the September 28, 2006, issue of Denny Hatch’s
Business Common Sense. And there are still marketers who
shortsightedly trash or ignore the brand for a one-off
ROI hit. But the real winners today are the branding
and marketing geniuses that leverage the natural
synergy between brilliant branding and brilliant
marketing to achieve profitable growth.
Elaine O’Gorman, vice president of strategy
for Atlanta-based e-mail service provider Silverpop,
emphasizes the importance of brand recognition in email
open and response rates. “Depending on which
study you read, you have between 1.5 and 6 seconds
for someone to look at your e-mail, recognize that it’s
from your company and make a decision on whether
or not they want to hear from you,” says O’Gorman.
“Having consistent elements, especially in the upper
left-hand corner [where people generally start to
read], so that you can achieve that recognition as
soon as possible, is absolutely key.” Moreover, the
e-mail must achieve “100 percent recognition in the
preview pane,” she says.
Presenting the results of a study on what works
in online ads (both static and animated), Phil Sawyer,
senior VP of the Starch Communications division
of The GfK Group, states branding comes first: You
have about three seconds to catch a viewer’s interest,
so don’t attempt subtlety. The research shows the
brand should be the first item a person sees.
Redefining the branding connection
In a 2001 AIGA “Experience Design” seminar
in a session on Brand Strategists, Chris Chalk of
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners defined a brand as:
- a business tool
- a relationship
- a belief system
That seems as good a modern definition as any
out there.
In a recent interview on branding and professional
associations, Tim McCreight of the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) described
the brand as a set of triggers, a wholistic expression
of its meaning and the emotional connections that
it creates. At AIChE, brand strategy has energized
new member acquisition efforts, while rebranding
of the website and inaugurating new electronicbased
services along with innovative messaging
to younger engineers have been foundations for
growth. The commitment to consistent branding
has also contributed to greater marketing productivity
and efficiencies.
Heritage brands prove relevant
Karen Rice-Gardiner, director of Creative Services,
Marketing Services for the National Geographic
Society, likes this definition: “A brand is the promise
of what you’ll get.”
As cochair of the brand design steering committee,
Rice-Gardiner helped guide the first major
branding effort in 110 years for the society at a time
when it was on the verge of exponential growth with
worldwide television channels and local-language editions
of the magazine in every major language in the
world. Plus there was a worldwide licensing launch
for apparel, optics, home furnishings, toys, accessories,
etc., in big box retail outlets.
The society has experienced spectacular successes
as this heritage brand broadens the ways it reaches out
to people. According to Rice-Gardiner, a product’s
medium influences the particular image choices and
messaging, but the medium does not change the overarching
brand communication strategy.
New brands: Win with smartness and precision
Blue Casa Communications is a white-hot new
California brand, one that grew to be the fourth
largest home telephone company in the state in two
short years. To Don Oas, CEO, brands today have
to be “more and more precise” to respond to disintermediation
and increasingly savvy consumers.
Blue Casa’s brand strategy was built on “counterpunching”—
developing a brand based on everything
consumers hate about doing business with the
big telecoms. Consumers told them everything they
needed in order to be successful. Oas sums it up: Be
friendly. Be simple. Err on the side of the consumer.
Think long term vs. short term. Do everything to
prevent customer loss.
At Blue Casa, brilliant branding
was followed by commitment to the disciplines of
database marketing and direct mail that had built the
business. Unwavering commitment to testing helps
to constantly refine knowledge of the markets the
brand serves. Unwavering commitment to the brand
promise permeates every message.
Nothing is static
While someone recently wrote, “Innovation is the
new black,” what’s really exciting about the innovation,
experimentation and discussion swirling
around now is witnessing brand creativity informed
by marketing science and vice versa. It’s all about
real-world workable solutions that bring together the
creative and analytical disciplines.
Recommended resources
For more about
Experience Design
and the Experience
Design community:
www.aiga.org/
content.cfm?Alias=
experiencedesign
Lovemarks: the future
beyond brands, by
Kevin Roberts, $27.50,
PowerHouse Books.
It tells the evolutionary
story of products,
trademarks and
brands. Roberts, CEO
Worldwide of Saatchi
& Saatchi, relates the
inspiration behind the
idea and shows that
by building respect
and inspiring love,
business can move the
world. Roberts’ new
book, The Lovemarks
Effect: Winning in the
Consumer Revolution,
follows up. For more
info, go to www.lovemarks.com.
Left Brain Marketing,
by Eric Schmitt of
Forrester Research
Big Idea, $299. Three technology
trends—media
fragmentation,
addressability and
interactivity—are
converging on the
world of marketing
and advertising. In the
new era of “left brain
marketing,” analytical
strategies grounded
in deep audience
knowledge will rise
to predominance.
Creative will remain
essential but will
play a smaller, more
sophisticated role.
The looming transformation
of TV into an
addressable medium
marks the inflection
point in the shift.
