Not a time for following the herd
Posted by Pat Kierans on April 24, 2009 in Branding, Industry comments, Marketing with 0 CommentsOK, so we've all read the advice that extols the virtues of marketing your way out of recession 'Now is the time to grow share, not profit', 'brands that invest in marketing through the recession are the ones that will benefit most from the upturn', etc.
I happen to agree with these views but the marketing principle which I passionately believe in matters most in the current environment is 'Differentiation'. Even in non-recessionary times our brains are programmed to filter out the enormous amount of irrelevant information which we are bombarded with every day. This has been driven by the increasingly fragmented nature of the media landscape and by the 'cash-rich, time-poor' mindset that has become so prevalent in the noughties (How many of us would like to be cash-rich, time-poor today?)
But now that we are in recession, our cognitive systems will become even more discerning about the messages and information that we choose to absorb. This is why differentiation is now more important than ever.
Most businesses and brands have little difficulty in answering the questions about 'who we are' and 'what we do', but how many have a compelling answer for 'why does who we are and what we do matter?' And 'why should prospective clients or customers choose us ahead of our competitors?'
For a really good examples of brand differentiation look at MP3 players. There are more brands and models out there than you could wave a stick at, but then there is the Apple iPOD - enough said. Another good example is the motorcycle category. Motorcycles for most people represent freedom, the open road and the spirit of adventure. There are many brands that aspire to delivering on this emotional messaging but there is only one Harley-Davidson.
So, if your brand message is to cut through the clutter and be heard or seen, it will have to take account of the cognitive filtration system that's at work in the minds of all of your customers. It will not simply be enough to be informative, entertaining or even persuasive - you will have to be different, not for the sake of differentiation, but for the sake of relevance.
Pat Kierans is a strategic marketer with nearly 20 years’ experience – He believes passionately that for businesses to reach their true potential, they must embrace the “Brand Is King’ principle.Find out more at Pat Kierans's Profile. Don't forget to subscribe if you'd like to hear more!
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