In your book, you refer to McDonald's
as an enduring brand? In terms of maintaining its brand, can
you comment on how McDonald's has handled the most recent "Supersize
Me" movie and various lawsuits against it?
I
mention McDonald's as an enduring brand since it maintains
a high degree of consistency across cultural borders, yet
has adapted to certain cultural and nutritional trends over
time. Regarding the movie and lawsuits you mention, McDonald's
food can be a local craving or familiar taste to a global
traveler—but I wouldn't suggest making a steady diet
of any single menu. I leave the lawsuit to the lawyers.
Can you explain what happened to the Levi's brand? This once
strong brand seems to have nearly vanished. What happened
to bring this about?
There have been brands in this state before. They are either
in hibernation, ready to reemerge, or true funeral planning
is in order. Levi's is culturally imprinted in a specific
way for an entire generation, and you need to be true to that
imprint. The Levi's brand will likely live on in cultural
consciousness of that generation for some time. Let's wait
and see if Levi's can leverage that cultural imprint to awaken
and reemerge stronger.
What is your response to the charge that brands are simply
fooling an unsuspecting public that there is value in something
where none exists?
When brands are at their best, they help guide us and reduce
the marketplace clutter of making yet another decision from
scratch. Chris Beaumont of Grey Global Group says (and I agree)
"brands do one thing well—they simplify choice!"
Discerning customers use brands as a shortcut to simplify
their lives and return to experiences they know and trust.
If you were to identify the three most important aspects of
brandscendence, what would they be?
Three elements interact to create brandscendence: relevance,
context and mutual benefit. Relevance is the transcendent
core idea, the reason the brand exists, and doesn't change
much over time. Context frames where and when the brand exists
and helps the brand adapt to new circumstances. Relevance
and context work together to make the brand work for customers
and constituents. Mutual benefit is a multiplier effect. When
mutual benefit is perceived, trust is built—trust that
can overcome problems when they emerge.
What are the top mistakes in branding? How can communicators
avoid these traps?
Let's just talk about one—and it's a pretty big one.
The allure of choosing an unusual or contrived name for a
company, product or service, which would take the income of
a small nation to make it known and relevant in the minds
of customers. I would work to choose and deploy names that
are easily understood on first contact. A current favorite
is "Invisalign"—clear braces for teeth. It's
a name that instantly conveys meaning in the context of dentistry.
What do you hope that readers will get from your book?
Enduring brands evolve over time, and managing them is a
journey, not a destination. Brands go through very distinct
stages of growth and maturity that customers can sense and
value. The principles of branding work well and have applications
far beyond the commercial world.
Can you identify some branding trends that communicators should
keep in mind as they consider the branding of their company?
First, let's note that brand consistency is harder to achieve
and more important than following trends in creating an enduring
brand. A brand has to be known for something and adaptable
to endure over time. That said, more of the rich metaphors
to describe how brands thrive and survive will increasingly
come from life sciences and the study of cultures. Brands
don't just exist, they behave.
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