08.30
[A version of this post was first published on FutureBrand's FBlog.]
FutureBrand Singapore is a regional hub, meaning we service clients not only domestically but also in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. That means a fair bit of travel for most of us, although sadly it’s all too often the kind of travel that involves less time site-seeing, meeting people and getting to know local cultures and more time on planes and in airports. (And in cities like Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok, a lot of time on the ground is spent in traffic.) But even with all the running around, there’s still plenty to see, do and photograph. Here are ten photos from around Southeast Asia—mostly shot from my phone, while on the go—all demonstrating some aspect of brand strategy. Check out the slideshow first and then read more about each photo/idea below.
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06.29
[This post was originally published on FutureBrand's FBlog.]
Recent IPOs from LinkedIn, Groupon and Pandora have all eyes on the “social media” industry. While that label may be useful in contrasting from more traditional brick-and-mortar businesses or the dotcom darlings of the early 2000s, it does the companies it refers to a disservice by failing to recognize diversity within the group. Facebook, Groupon, Twitter, LinkedIn—while they all allow us to connect with each other online, they are otherwise quite different businesses. (In fact, doesn’t it feel a little funny to refer to Twitter as a “business” at all?)
The success of LinkedIn is based on a simple tenet of brand strategy, and something that Facebook, Twitter and even Google mostly lack. Namely, LinkedIn has a niche.
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04.21
[This post was originally published on FutureBrand's FBlog.]
Once upon a time, before the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry roamed (infested?) our airwaves, a startup television channel named MTV used to play music videos. And not just from 3 AM to 8 AM, as seems to be the case today. A look at MTV’s current programming schedule shows just how much has changed since “Video Killed the Radio Star.” While the focus on teenage viewers is abundantly clear—with shows like “When I was 17,” “16 and Pregnant,” and “That 70s Show”—there are few clues for unfamiliar viewers as to exactly what that big “M” stands for. In fact, MTV officially dropped the line “Music Television” from their logo last year.
I offer this MTV parable only as counter-example to
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04.18
Dear Pizza Hut,
The money you spent on this ad (concept, production, media) might have been better spent trying to invent a time machine to go back in time and name your restaurant something besides “Pizza Hut.” (Note: that won’t work for your China operations, since time travel has been outlawed there.) And no, dropping “Pizza” from the name now, after 50+ years, will not have the same effect. Alternatively, you could’ve spent the money trying to improve your pizza, like Domino’s did. Or you could’ve used it to run ads that focus on a strength we already associate with your brand, like pizza for families (not frat houses), or the in-restaurant dining experience (brick walls, arcade-game tables, and pitchers of icy root beer).
Because all this ad does is a) remind me that your pizza was never really that great, b) show that you’re not focused on improving the pizza, and c) make me think you probably set a similarly low bar for all this other food.
Hut’s Chicken Steak? Clearly, the naming troubles run deep.
Sincerely,
Rob
10.19
As a brand strategist, I’m sometimes asked to name a few favorite brands. While companies like Apple and Starbucks seem to show up in every branding presentation and book (not to mention my own blog posts), the truth is that my interest in these brands is more detached and academic than emotional or personal. I am professionally impressed by how often these marketing machines seem to be “right.” But perhaps it’s precisely because I’m so keenly aware of their marketing activities that Apple and Starbucks rarely have the power to move me—to connect with me beyond a clinical curiosity.
One brand that has made me sit up and take notice is REI, the American chain of outdoor and adventure sports equipment retail stores. To my knowledge, the company does not yet do business in China, and my affinity for the brand may partly be a case of “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But REI, seemingly without a massive marketing budget or a paradigm-shifting retail strategy, has built a powerful brand through at least three basics of brand strategy:
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05.05
I know it’s unfair for me to pick on a book based on a one-paragraph summary, but I was perusing the Ries & Ries site and noticed these sentences describing Al Ries’s Focus.
How do you build a brand? You narrow the focus. Nokia narrowed its focus to cellphones and became the world’s No. 1 cellphone brand. Federal Express narrowed its focus to overnight deliveries and became one of the world’s leading cargo carriers. Southwest narrowed its focus to coach service only and became America’s most profitable airline. Dell narrowed its focus to direct sales only and became the world’s leading PC manufacturer.
Let’s examine the examples of “focus” Ries provides here:
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