Lipton is a well-known brand that promises decent tea. but Lipton had a problem. As DDB Hong Kong describes, “Lipton approached us with a problem: no one was reading their brand guidelines. However, when was the last time anyone got excited by brand guidelines? … We created something completely unheard of — brand guidelines that are actually fun and engaging.”
How did DDB Hong Kong do it? They created an iPhone app and gave every Lipton brand manager in the Asia Pacific region an iPhone. The “Lipton Millionaire” app included an interactive version of the “Lipton Voice” brand guidelines to study and a game which challenged Lipton brand managers about their knowledge of the Lipton brand and allowed them to compete against each other in a virtual game to win one million dollars in virtual sales.
According to DDB Hong Kong, knowledge of the Lipton brand is at an all-time high and excitement and belief in the brand promise from the most powerful brand advocates — employees — is undoubtedly higher, too.
You can check out the Lipton Millionaire video here or check it out on the Lipton Millionaire website.
What do you think? Would an iPhone app help your brand managers better understand your brand guidelines or help turn them into powerful brand advocates? It worked for Lipton. It’s unfortunate that the effort only involved brand managers. While they certainly need to understand the brand guidelines, all employees should be educated about the brand and why guidelines are important. Afterall, an employee doesn’t have to be a brand manager to be a powerful brand advocate. Give them the chance to learn, embrace, and believe in your brand, and they just might advocate it for you.
Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
