Brand=Product: The Ultimate Win in Product Wars
Today we have hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of variants in products. Even a single company can release a multitude of product lines under different names. A consumer is naturally confused by this blast of products from every direction. This reduces the amount of brand loyalty towards certain types of products such as FMCGs (fast moving consumer goods) and even towards high end luxury goods such as perfumes, cars, and accessories (Nobody owns 3 Beemers, they would have an Audi or maybe a Jag somewhere in their garage). However, we find that some brands have managed to survive this product explosion by maintaining their names and reinventing it as a synonym for a particular product. The best examples of this are Kleenex, Roller Blades, Coke, Xerox (yes, Xerox is a brand, not a verb for photocopying), Scotch Tape, Fed-Ex, Band-Aid, Jell-O, Velcro, Q-Tip, etc. These have become household terms for an item or verb. Nobody uses tissue, they use a Kleenix. I doubt many people know the exact original word for things like band-aids or velcros, or even q-tips (the products itself are actually adhesive bandages, fabric hoop and loop fastener and cotton swabs, no wonder the brand names stuck!) It makes you wonder a couple of things. How did that happen Why don’t I know the original word? Who are the competitors and do we buy them? Well, the easiest way to accomplish this feat is obviously by being the first to do/make something. Xerox was one of the first companies to manufacture photo copiers. Another way to accomplish this (and more to the point, maintain this level) is by trade marking your name. For example, the name Frisbee, is a trade mark of the Wham-O Toy company. Post-it notes (3M), Jeep (Chrysler), Q-tips (Unilever), Wite-out (Bic Corporation), and Zip-Loc (SC Johnson) are some of the other common trade mark names. It helps if you patent your product in time to prevent anyone else from taking over the prestigious title of your product. You may not even bother trying to figure out the original name because obviously you don’t want to buy “fabric hoop and loop fastener” shoes for your kid; you want to buy Velcro shoes. One of the most important aspects of branding is simplicity. When you pick a name, make sure people can pronounce it, spell it (sometimes), and maybe even say it in their sleep. Yes, it is like a math formula. Why does everyone know that a2 + b2 = c2? Because since we were kids, we’ve been hearing, saying and using it to solve our grade school mathematical dilemmas. It is basically generations of proven success. Similarly, these brands become the identity of the product because of their proven success, repeated usage, and long life span. Now let me tell you about who stands against these household giants and how they cope. In the case of correction fluid (white out to you), some of Bic’s competitors are Liquid Paper, White Away, Pentel correction pen, Tipp-Ex, etc. (Sound familiar? I didn’t think so). Ziploc’s main competitors are Glad and Hefty. Kleenex’s main competitor is Puffs. These may not be unknown, but they are not what we consider as brand=product qualified. In product wars, a brand which can survive the years, the changing consumer behaviour, the latest trends and technology, and the competition will always win. The secret to this is setting your brand apart by whatever means necessary. Differentiate or Die! (Jack Trout, Consulting Genius)