I was recently walking down a Grocery Store aisle looking for my favorite Kashi Crunchy Granola bars and as I was looking at all the different granola bars I realized something. They all look the same.
Each day more brands hit the shelf. However, there is less and less differentiation. In a world of competition more vicious then high school cheerleaders and heightened performance expectations that match gymnastic judges expectations, there has never been a more important time for brands to identify, carve out, and own a unique space in their target category. Yet, more brands are playing follow the leader rather than actually being a leader.
Though being a strong brand is something that only time can build, building a differentiated brand is not as complicated as some would lead you to believe.
First thing First, A brand is NOT a tagline, graphic standards or a logo. If that is what you constantly judge your campaigns against, then you are doing it all wrong.
A brand is a PROMISE, Who you are, what you do, what you say, and most of all how you say it to the consumer. Imagine Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign. It’s positioned as an internal struggle, a coach pushing you to be your best. Stopping the naysayers and just get out and do it with Nike’s support. Now, imagine the “Just Do It” campaign positioned coming out of your mom’s mouth or your boss’s mouth. Most consumers would definitely not “Just Do It”; instead they would do everything they could to avoid doing it. Connotation of your campaign is integral to your promise.
The second part of differentiation is the emotional benefits of your brand. Americans use brands for a number of things-features, benefits, but most of all emotional gratification. This is even more true of brand rejectors, whose brand choices are ironically designed to showcase their rejection of traditional brand values. Focusing on how your brand’s actions make its core customers feel-or the aspirational feeling you would like them to receive from interacting with your brand.
A great example of this is done with coupons. If you are pitching your brand with a coupon and a line saying “Times are hard, every penny counts” without realizing it, you have made your consumer feel like they “need” help, that they have “failed” in some way. However, if you pitch it as “Smart Ways to Save Money” then you are helping the consumer feel smart and leading them to believe that they are taking better care of their family by saving money.”
The third part of differentiation is what drives consumer perceptions. Consumer perception is two-thirds what a brand does, and one-third what a brand says. Meaning your companies walk will always mean more to a consumer then your talk. Performance will always trump awards. Your brand is only as good as the promises you keep. How well does “what you do” align with “what you say”? Timberland, Stonyfield Farm, Patagonia, and Cliff Bar are companies that understand how to walk the walk.
Most companies will come back with “We can’t afford to run campaigns of those magnitudes”. You don’t need a fifty million dollar advertising campaign to create a meaningful brand. Ben and Jerry’s, Burt’s Bees, and The Body Shop are just a few examples of brands whose growth was not fueled by advertising dollars but by making a unique promise to consumers and then keeping that promise.
Splashy Ad Campaigns filled with empty promises will never do well and often cause more harm. BP had a great and colorful campaign a few years back that sold a “better fuel, better world” idea but they didn’t follow thru with their promises and ended up pulling the campaign within three months of consumer entry.
To ensure differentiation of your brand, ask yourself “What does this do for the consumer”? Then ask yourself the following questions, What about this makes me special?, How does this make the consumer feel? And lastly but most important, Can I keep my promise?
