"Satire is a lesson, parody is a game." - Vladimir Nabokov
Update: It looks like the video has been removed from YouTube. But I did locate it here: http://tinyurl.com/5zjxx8 Lesson: The Internet is like plutonium. It's forever.
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Does advertising add value?
That's not a complete question, is it? Add value to what and for whom, right? Surely you know that advertising adds value to organizations and their brands. If not, study the rise and rise of brands like Nike, Coke, Tide, and Boniva, to name a few.
"But," you quip, channeling Robert Stephens, founder of Geek Squad. "Isn't advertising a tax you pay for unremarkable thinking?" Not always. Toyota, Southwest Airlines and Apple are the most remarkable "thinkers" in their respective industries. So what's up with all of their advertising? Don't be fooled by the noise in the blogosphere. Advertising isn't simply a tool for commodity products trying to appear special. It's also a technique that smart organizations use to add value for their customers.
The latest issue of BusinessWeek magazine has an interesting piece, "Why Avon Is Going Hollywood," exploring the company's investment in celebrity tie-ins. According to Avon's global brand President Geralyn R. Breig, "In market after market, we found that we were meeting women's needs in quality, variety, and innovation. Where we fell short was in the image of the brand." Umm . . . not really.
It is not the "image of the brand" that's lacking in this case. Women don't have a problem with the "image" of Avon products, leadership or sales representatives. What's lacking is women's image of themselves as purchasers and users of the Avon brand. Do you see the difference? Avon is using celebrities to enhance the aesthetic experience, the "feeling" of being an Avon customer, by associating the brand with good-looking, likable celebrities like Reese Witherspoon.
Most organizations get this wrong. They believe that their image is what creates the brand bond. "Me. me, me," they shout. "Look at me!" But it's simply not true. Sure, transactional brands - brands selected for a single-minded purpose - are all about their images. For instance, a celebrity like Reese, is chosen by Avon primarily for her . . . celebrity, so that Avon can use that celebrity for its purposes. But that's the extent of their "relationship."
Most celebrity brands are transactional brands. They're all about creating attention for themselves and transferring it to their customers. Most are really not that interested in their customers beyond that transactional arrangement (that's why "difficult" celebrities continue to command top dollar). Unless, of course, they're selling something associated with their own brands and are therefore rightly concerned about negative word-of-mouth. Think Oprah and Martha and Rachel Ray.
On the other hand, brands that create passionate, repeat customers are process brands. They are acutely aware of, and totally focused on, the customer's process; her feelings before, during, and after the purchase. If you're a transactional brand, you should use advertising, pr and strategic media relationships to shine a light on brand you. But if you're a process brand, that light should be turned away from you to create a warm glow on where the value of your brand truly lies.
Laughter is the best medicine.
Oil prices are at record highs, the housing market is imploding, the threat of recession is looming large, and the U.S. presidential race is about ready to explode onto the media scene and overwhelm our senses, and sensibilities. So what should you do about it? Conserve energy, manage your risks, be passionate about how you can help improve people's lives, turn off your TV, and don't take yourself - or life - too damn seriously. Regarding that last sentiment, this recent JibJab production may help. It sure made me laugh. P.S. Are you wondering how to do viral video? Watch the video all the way to the end and you'll learn how (here's the link).
Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!
Perhaps I should give up.
Talk about an uphill struggle. Two steps forward, one step back. I've been writing and speaking about an enlightened concept of "brand" as an expectation of receiving a certain feeling by way of an experience for close to ten years (five of them on this blog). And no matter how frequently nor how loud I rant that said experience must be an increasingly valuable one in order to generate repeat business and word-of-mouth and that "branding" is the process of adding said value over time, I continue to run up against stuff like this written by "branding experts." Here's an excerpt from Laura Ries latest post:
"A brand is the special mark or identifying design owned by a rancher. Branding occurs when an owner’s branding iron is heated to red hot in a fire and is pressed against the side of the animal. Not a particularly pleasurable process for the animal but essential for the rancher. In the marketplace, brands and branding are as essential as they are on the ranch. Without a brand, consumers would have difficulty differentiating one product from another. But while any company can put a mark on the side of a package, that doesn’t make the mark a powerful brand. Brands are only powerful when you can burn that same mark into the mind of the consumer as well. Ouch! Burning the consumer’s mind is the key detail many companies miss. They think branding is putting their name and logo on the package. But that is only half the answer. Making a branding iron is the easy part. Holding the consumer down and burning that brand into the mind is the hard part (emphasis mine).
What a wonderful metaphor: Customers as passive, image-consuming creatures with the intelligence of domesticated ungulates. Comments like that, along with erroneous commentary about Wal-Mart's critical "branding" blunder in redesigning its logo, are what continue to confuse executives and give branding its bad name and marginal reputation.
Her post is nothing out of the ordinary. I run into hundreds of examples of misguided thinking and desperate "branding" tactics each and every day. And rather than post them all here, I'm simply going to take a step back and reflect on my mission, and direct you to journalist and author of Obsessive Branding Disorder, Lucas Conley. Here's a link to his blog: http://blog.lucasconley.com. Perhaps looking into a mirror will help.
Happy 232nd birthday America!
............
I love how it came out. I think you will too!
My first, and most
popular, book "Sandbox Wisdom" has been republished as a gift book by
Simple Truths. It's filled with beautiful illustrations and
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impression.
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Also, the nice folks at Simple Truths are running a very special offer in celebration of the 4th of July. Starting today, and until midnight on July 9th, you can get "Great Quotes from Great Leaders" for only $10.00, including the DVD movie! Simple Truth's regular price is $19.95, so you're receiving a 50% discount. Stock up, as they make terrific gifts for friends, family and customers.
Of course, some of the leaders featured in this beautiful book, and the four minute inspirational movie, are the Founding Fathers of our great country. So turn up your speakers to enjoy some beautiful music, great photographs, and the wisdom of some of the leaders that have helped to shape our history. Just click on this link, then click "Watch This Movie," and don't forget to share it with friends, family and co-workers. Enjoy!
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