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Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius

2010 Branding Challenge – Don’t Let Them Say ‘So What’

The first decade of the 21st century is coming to a close, so I thought it would be a good time to think about, I mean really think about, your brand message, image, promise and positioning as we begin 2010.  To do so, consider the brand kiss of death.

What’s the brand kiss of death?  Simple …

When a brand name is mentioned, the common consumer reaction is to think, “so what?”  And asking “so what?” about your brand, is the brand kiss of death.

In other words, you never want anyone to think, “so what” after they hear your brand name or any kind of messaging related to your brand.  Your goal for 2010 should be this: make sure that your brand image, message, promise and position is so clear that no one ever has to ask “so what?”

Let’s take a step back and consider why people ask “so what” after hearing about a brand, product, etc.  It’s actually very simple.  People want to know “What’s In It For Me?” (WIIFM) if they take out their hard-earned money and choose your brand, product, etc.

I talk about the WIIFM concept a lot in my book about copywriting, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps.  In short, the concept tells us that no one cares about you.  They care about what your brand, product, service, etc. can do for them.  They want to know how it make their lives easier or help them.  If they don’t know what’s in it for them if they choose your brand or product, then they’ll ask “so what?” when they hear about it.

And that’s what you don’t want to happen.

So I challenge you in 2010 to create a strategic goal in 2010 to ensure no one asks “so what” about your brand before the year is out.  Do you think you can do it?

Free Product Placement – It Might Be Easier than You Think

American_AirlinesRaising brand awareness through entertainment marketing and product placement in movies and on television can bring significant exposure, but it can also cost a significant amount.

But what if you look at product placement from the movie and television studios’ perspectives?  Sometimes, studios pay companies to use their products, brand names, locations, and so on in movies.  How can you make their need work to your advantage?

Consider the movie Up in the Air starring George Clooney.  According to The New York Times, the movie’s studio team wanted to use real airline and hotel brands and locations to add authenticity to the movie.  Normally, the producers would need to find money in the movie’s budget to pay for access to locations such as airplanes, airport terminals, hotel lobbies, hotel rooms, and so on.  But for Up in the Air both American Airlines and Hilton Hotels offered their brand names and locations for free.

Not only that, but American Airlines and Hilton Hotels also created their own marketing campaigns that tied into the movie.  It’s a win-win situation for all sides.  The movie’s studio and the audience get the authenticity they need and want, and American Airlines and Hilton Hotels get a lot of free brand advertising because the movie has been well-reviewed and garnered a lot of buzz, including six Golden Globe nominations.

The trick is to match your brand to entertainment opportunities that put your brand in a positive light and allow you to create an integrated marketing plan that goes further than simple product placement.

For the American Airlines  and Up in the Air deal, entertainment public relations agency Rogers & Cowan did the negotiating.  Is this the first step in a new way of handling product placement?  Or is it a one-shot deal?  What do you think?

Sounds like an amazing opportunity for brands if you ask me.

Images: Flickr

Most Popular Google Searches in 2009 Unveil Opportunities for Brand Marketing

Each year, Google produces a report (the Google Zeitgeist) that provides an overview of the top rising and falling search terms in a variety of categories and in a variety of regions throughout the world (as well as globally).  The most popular Google searches in 2009 were predominantly related to entertainment and breaking news, but there are some trends that brand strategists can take away from the statistics to help create marketing plans for 2010 and beyond.

First, take a look at the top 5 fastest rising searches on Google in 2009 globally:

  1. michael jackson
  2. facebook
  3. tuenti
  4. twitter
  5. sanalika

Compare those to the top 5 fastest rising searches on Google in the United States in 2009:

  1. twitter
  2. michael jackson
  3. facebook
  4. hulu
  5. hi5

Notice something in common between these two lists?

How about the fact that two of the fastest rising searches globally and three of the fastest rising searches in the United States were for social networking and microblogging sites (Facebook, Twitter and hi5)? And Hulu, which offers streaming video of television shows and movies as well as from sites like MySpace and Facebook, also made an appearance on the top five fastest rising searches in the United States in 2009.

So what does this tell us?

The opportunities for brands to connect with consumers through social networking are vast and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  The fact that people are still searching for information about sites like Twitter and Facebook tells us that there is still growing interest in the social Web among an audience of social networking and microblogging novices.

In short, if there was any doubt in your mind that you should be investing in promoting your brand and building relationships with consumers through social networking, microblogging, content sharing, and so on, then let Google search trends seal the deal for you.  In other words, if all the statistics from research studies that show the opportunity to connect with consumers via the social Web haven’t convinced you or your executives to shift part of your budget to social media marketing, then let actual Google searches prove it to you.

The social Web represents the biggest opportunity to connect with consumers, build brand loyalty, and generate word-of-mouth marketing.  It’s a dream come true for marketers, but just as marketers struggled to find ways to connect with consumers through new media introduced generations ago, we struggle to find the best ways to connect with and motivate consumers to action through the new social media of the 21st century.

It’s an exciting time to be a marketer.  Sure we face a lot of challenges, particularly in terms of changing existing mindsets and shifting investments from traditional to new media, but there truly has never been a more exciting time to be a marketer in our lifetimes than today.

Here’s to an exciting and successful 2010!  See you on the social Web!

Economic Considerations, Value and Store Brands will Dominate Purchase Trends in 2010

store_brandA new report by Nielsen Business Media identifies consumer purchasing trends in the U.S. in 2010, and as you might assume, the fallout from a weakened economy is expected to continue to have an effect in purchasing in the coming year.

Three of the 2010 consumer purchasing trends in the U.S. can be directly related to brand strategy:

1. The economy

Economic considerations won’t go away in 2010.  Instead, consumers have become savvier shoppers in recent years thanks to the weak economy.  In 2010, consumers might start to see an end to the recessionary tunnel, but they won’t give up their savvy ways when it comes to spending anytime soon.  Discount brands and brands that make consumers feel good about spending their money will gain market share while brands that represent more frivolous spending will have a harder time retaining or gaining market share.

2. Value

After living through a recession, consumers in the U.S. expect more value for their dollar than ever.  Brands that push the value proposition (whether they’re luxury or discount brands) and live up to consumer expectations based on those value propositions will prevail.

3. Store brands

Generic brands and store brands will continue to grow, again, as a result of recent economic conditions, which prompted consumers to try these lower cost alternatives and in many cases realize that they’re just as good or better than more expensive, branded alternatives.

In short, we might be over the worst part of the economic struggles the U.S. and much of the world have faced in recent years, but consumer purchasing habits won’t revert back to the way they were before overnight.  Brands that recognize that and communicate messages of value, frugality, and trust will be better positioned than their competitors in 2010.

You can read a more detailed overview of the study (including results and predictions for Canada) here.  The full analysis is available for download here.

What are your predictions for consumer purchasing behavior in 2010?  What do you think about the predictions from Nielsen’s analysis?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Image: Flickr

The Importance of Relationship Branding and Marketing in Building Loyalty

I love it when I’m contacted to speak at an event about relationship branding and marketing.  It’s one of my favorite subjects.  I suppose that’s why I wrote books about two successful relationship brands, Harry Potter and Playboy.

Today, I read about the results of the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study on eMarketer’s Web site, which was all about the importance of building brand loyalty through relationship marketing.  Naturally, I was intrigued and took a moment to check out the study results.  Check out the chart below from the study which show the attitudes of U.S. new media users towards companies and brands that they’re able to interact with via new media from September 2009:

emarketer_relationship_marketing_brand_loyalty

Nearly three-quarters of respondents have a more positive impression of a company or brand after interacting with them via new media and nearly three-quarters feel stronger connections with those companies and brands.  That’s a big percentage.

There is no doubt that social media presents a significant opportunity to businesses and brands to engage consumers, interact with them and develop relationships with them, which can lead to brand loyalty, advocacy, and word-of-mouth marketing.  The days of competing on the basis of the 4 Ps are over.  In the 21st century, savvy consumers need more than a competitive price, and brands need more than traditional advertising to get noticed and be remembered by consumers who move faster than ever before.

However, the key to social media marketing success is a willingness to give up control of the online conversation so relationships can develop.  Brands have to speak with consumers, not at them.  Are you ready to do that for your brand?  Or is the more appropriate question, “are your executives willing to let you do that for your brand?”  That’s where the gap continues to exist.

Next time you’re heading into a meeting with the C-Suites, take along this chart and show them that consumers truly do value social media interaction.  At the very least, it’s a step in the right direction, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get an approval on your next social media marketing initiative.

Microsoft was Most Talked About Brand in 2009 on the Social Web

microsoft_buildingMicrosoft has been investing a lot of manpower and money into turning its struggling brand around and making it a powerhouse again.  With brands like Apple and Google beating Microsoft in terms of innovation and creativity, Microsoft has done its best to keep up with the release of its Bing search engine and “I’m a PC” commercials in 2009.  It looks like some of those efforts are working.

According to a study by Zeta Interactive for BrandWeek, Microsoft was the most talked about brand on blogs, Facebook and Twitter in 2009.  Google and Apple came in 2nd and 4th place, respectively, on the list of the top 10 most talked about brands on blogs, Facebook and Twitter in 2009.  You can see the top 10 below:

  1. Microsoft: 375,661 online posts with 83% positive and 17% negative
  2. Google: 361,344 online posts with 82% positive and 18% negative
  3. Amazon.com: 282,668 online posts with 88% positive and 12% negative
  4. Apple: 241,879 online posts with 75% positive and 25% negative
  5. Target: 208,848 online posts with 78% positive and 22% negative
  6. Honda: 195,845 online posts with 82% positive and 18% negative
  7. Sony: 209,955 online posts with 71% positive and 29% negative
  8. Blackberry: 117,641 online posts with 92% positive and 8% negative
  9. Nike: 121,188 online posts with 89% positive and 11% negative
  10. Walmart: 108,988 online posts with 90% positive and 10% negative

It’s interesting to note that Blackberry had the highest tonal rating with 92% of online posts written about the brand carrying a positive tone and only 8% carrying a negative tone.  On the flip side, Sony had the worst tonal rating of the top 10 brands with only 71% of online posts written about that brand carrying a positive tone and 29% being negative.

Also interesting is the fact that only one automotive manufacturer made the top 10 list (Honda) and three discount retailers made the top 10 (Amazon.com, Target and Walmart).  It can be assumed that the struggles of American car companies and the economic recession drove the number of online posts about these companies and brands up in 2009.

While this study isn’t enough to bet the farm on, so to speak, it does provide a high-level picture of the online buzz about brands across the social Web.  There is no way to ignore the social Web in terms of brand building anymore, and brands that focus on leveraging its broad reach and power are generating a loud online buzz, which is predominantly positive.  A social media marketing plan is simply a strategic imperative in 2010.

Your thoughts?

Image: Flickr