Rainbows. I love them.
No, I’m not talking about the kids television show featuring such characters as George, Zippy, Bungle, Rod, Jane and Freddie plus the host who ended up stacking shelves at his local Tesco – I’m talking about this type …
And why do I love them?
Well to me, they have a magical appeal – they signify hope, positivity and a belief that everything is going to be alright.
Without doubt this all stems from my childhood where a rainbow would inform me the rain that had kept me indoors was finally going and I should get ready to go out – be it riding my bike through the big puddles, going to the park and getting a wet bum playing on the swings or simply getting my trainers and pants filthy as I play football with my friends on the muddy sports fields.
And while I haven’t ridden a bike, gone or a swing or played footie for quite a while – when I see a rainbow it brings back a warm feeling – a sense all is OK or is going to be OK and a moment of inner peace.
Mad isn’t it.
The thing is, great brands/ideas/people should effect people in a similar way. They should impact you from the inside-out … making you ‘feel’ something that positively affects your mood, your attitude, your mind, even if it is just for a split second.
For me, a great brand is one that attracts people regardless of heritage, distribution, price or innovation … and yet so many people think it’s simply something that has a recognisable look or logo – which is probably why so many ‘re-launch’ every 12 months.
God that sort of thing pisses me off …
They go on about how ad agencies aren’t responsible with money and then spend obscene amounts of cash every 12 months in the hope that their completely new positioning will change their market success even though in the ‘real World’, it’s just more of the same old bland bollocks they’ve been peddling for years.
Think about brands like Apple, Virgin, Tesco, NIKE. W&K … all contemporary, relevant and exciting brands and yet they don’t ’relaunch’ every year.
Infact they stand for pretty much the same thing they’ve always stood for which means the masses actually believe in them … trust them … fuck, LIKE them … which in these days of greater choice and information is possibly one of the most important advantages any corporation can have for maximising their chance of prosperity.
Maybe I’m daft, but I think it is quite easy to develop engaging brand ideas and as far as I am concerned, the basic rules are …
1 Develop an idea that is consumer focused [but based on a company truth – preferably attitudinal], means something [rather than just being corporate drivel] and engages culture rather than just the category.
2 Stick by that idea. For decades!
[Sure, you still have to ensure the expression is relevant and resonant to changing time, but you don’t change what you stand for every 2 minutes as part of yet another ‘Brand Relaunch’]
3 Keep track of what is going on in your category and your consumers lives so you can exploit or defend any situation
4 Don’t let your idea become diluted by mediocrity
5 Engage, enthuse, entertain, interest be fresh and honest in all your communication with society
[From your ads to your packaging to your promotions]
6 Live what you say, say what you live
OK … so there’s going to be other things you should/could do to make your brand mean more than just the category … but given we are in changing times with more and more cynical [yet informed] consumers, it’s time brands stood for something rather than continually tried to represent whatever it is they think the consumer wants to hear.
It’s about attracting, not chasing … sure we have to sell things … but to paraphrase David Ogilvy, the consumer is not stupid, the consumer is your wife / husband / partner / child / friend / lover / parent / grandparent / colleague! [Delete as appropriate]
PS: I arrive in Cannes tomorrow which is why this post has sod all to do with the ego-fest. Expect ‘character assassination’s from around Wednesday, ha!