Let your brand do the talking

Branding class blog

[redretina]

Paula Deen's Leadership REbranding

She lost her show on Food Network, closed her flagship restaurant in Georgia, cried on TV a few times and boarded on her celebrity reflexion cruise early this year!

Mrs. Deen seems to have suffered enough for her bad interview when she (very badly coached and supported by her manager) inadvertently assumed her fault on a racist comment. 

After being scrutinized by any kind of media existent on planet earth, she decided (or a better business advisor decided for her) to rebrand herself: from southern cook to business woman. Hooray!

In fact Paula Deen Ventures received an investment of approximately $100 million from a PE firm* to help transform the old Deen's model, which consisted in her selling the individual as a brand to a new one in which she will own a company holding the ownership and control over products in partnerships with big houses of brands. Maybe Deen will still be alive after the long slow cooking process.

Last but not least, have you ever heard those racist comments by very well known celebrities? Are they top of mind when comes to racist comments? Not really...

Mel Gibson: "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." - telling a policeman during his 2006 DUI arrest 

John Meyer: In a candid interview with Rolling Stone in 2010, he admitted, "My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a f*ckin' David Duke cock."

Jay-Z: Back in 2010, the hip-hop superstar allegedly banned "white people" into the VIP section at his Brit Awards after party in London.

Sources: Wall Street Journal - Private Equity Firm refers to Najafi Cos.

More: http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-were-caught-being-racist

[redretina]

Co-destruction - Use of competitor's brand to reinforce own brand

Very bold at least was the "prank" that DHL used to put Fedex (and other competitors) on spot, turning Fedex packages into DHL's slogan "DHL is faster". 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeSaMNz9YWY

In reality DHL's commercial was an advertising competition, technically non supported by DHL. Free of liabilities, DHL could enjoy a rising popularity for the brand, almost 6 mi viewers on Youtube and ovation on social media and TV. 

[redretina]

Fido says no

The famous water proof Burberry trench coat has been recently available to your best friend: Fido. Isn't great? Not really...

  Yes, we love our furry friends! But a whole pet line is the ultimate red light to imprint the over exposure the brand has been facing alongside the last decade.

The Burberry famous plaid Tartan has been replicated in so many different settings that the aura of exclusivity vanished. In 2010, the Guardian published a study on the most copied designer labels, and there it was: Burberry top of the list, ahead of Gucci and Louis Vuitton. 

Numerous licenses, fake copies, and over exposure led to market saturation a deep enough hole to water down the brand. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: extend the brand value beyond the product, creating a Burberry experience to re-connect customers to the brand or create new connections. A baby step in the right direction is the new campaign Burberry Kisses, worth a quick look - after all Mother's day is right around the corner ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRiZMVEIhas

[redretina]

Like grandma, like granddaughter?

One of my most vivid memories of my grandma was her devotion to that little blue canister ever present on her dressing table...

My beautiful grandma, a proud german World War II immigrant, religiously applying the white paste from the blue canister on her face every day before going to bed - a ritual we performed together for many years until I became a big girl and stopped spending summer vacations with her.

The blue canister: Nivea Creme - which logo has been basically the same during almost a century, although the product and packaging have been completely overhauled.

Evidently, Nivea is an example of success in managing and evolving the brand in both manifold* dimensions: 

Temporal: the product now has a broader approach "natural beauty" for several product lines, appealing to many different segments and cultures (multinational). Initially the brand targeted lower-mid income white european females looking for a one stop moisturizer

Multiple Constituencies: Nivea has been constantly addressing relevant topics (ex: natural beauty, gender equality, etc.) to appeal to an even broader public and relate to their daily concerns (example: Nivea stress test)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhkS4Ez4nu8

I can easily find (at the nearest CVS) the blue old fashion canister every time I want to remember the smell of my good summer vacations days, but I do love Nivea's makeup remover better ;)

* Brand Manifold - more at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/viewing-brands-in-multiple-dimensions/

[redretina]

What your beer says about your personality

What is your favorite beer? Would you chose Corona or Heineken? 

Associate a person's "go to beer" with a set of traits might not only be a matter of taste but also (and more importantly) an accurate way of categorize a person state of mind. According to research from Mindset Media there are distinct psychographic profile for each loyal beer drinker, here highlighting Corona and Heineken:

Corona "Where’s the party?" is probably an oft-asked question by Corona and Corona Light drinkers. They are busy and energetic people who are also extremely extroverted. They’re people persons who seek out the company of others whether in a group or just one-to-one. Corona drinkers do more and see more people in one day than most people see in a week. But the life-of-the-party Corona drinkers also have an altruistic side; they care deeply about other people and see themselves as giving and warm.

Corona drinkers are 91% more likely than average to buy recycled products and 38% more likely to own three or more flat-screen TVs.

Heineken There’s a slang term that could sum up Heineken drinkers: posers. These self-assured people believe they are exceptional, get low scores on modesty and high scores on self-esteem. They love their brand badges—a role the distinctive green glass bottle may play—and in fact, this group is attracted to luxury products in general. They are also energetic and dynamic and enjoy being both the center of attention and in the middle of the action.

People who choose Heineken as their favorite beer are 58% more likely to have American Express cards, 45% more likely to be early adopters of new mobile phones, and 29% more likely to drive sports cars.

- See more at: http://www.kegworks.com/blog/2009/11/06/what-your-beer-says-about-you-part-2/#sthash.DbCp1C2l.dpuf

[redretina]

Brand power - US losers of the year!

Very interesting how a recent study published by BrandPower created a ratio to measure Brand Power.According to the study the higher the ratio size (familiarity) divided by quality (favorability) the weaker is the brand.

Here is the top ten "worst brands" or "brands with huge credibility issues":

1. General Electric: 69.4

2. Toyota: 65.7

3. Best Buy: 48.8

4. BP: 42.5

5. Smith & Wesson: 34

6. AIG: 13.3

7. Lennar: 2.1

8. Cummins Inc: 1.6

9. PPL Corporation:1.1

10. Unum: 0.8

Taking a quick look at the list, the gut feeling will likely tell us that makes sense. In fact those companies are facing considerable marketing challenges and will have obstacles ahead this coming year. 

Time to rebrand to reconquer, perhaps a more aggressive Black&Decker overhauling style?

[redretina]

First post

#mitbranding

#mitsloanbranding