Sucessful Brand Strategy (PDF)

You and Your Business are
Brands!!!

WHAT IS A BRAND?

There Are No Such Things As
Commodity Markets, Only
Commodity Marketers.

IN THE WORDS OF
CHARLES REVSON,
FOUNDER OF REVLON
• “In the factories we make
cosmetics…”
• “At the counters we sell hope.”

What is Your Equivalent of
Selling Hope?
That’s the definition of your brand!

Your Equivalent of “Selling
• Clear
• Distinct
• Desirable
Hope” Must Be…

My Definition…
A brand is a promise to the
consumer to deliver a
particular desired experience
each and every time;
A brand is a relationship
between company and
customer;
A brand only resides in the
customer’s mind;
Brand loyalty implies owning
the relationship to the
exclusion of competitors.

My Definition…
�It is the sum of the good, the
bad, the ugly, and the offstrategy.
�Brands are sponges for
content, images, and fleeting
feelings.
�You cannot entirely control a
brand.
�At best you can only guide and
influence it.
�It is more than a physical
product.

My Definition…
• It is defined by…
– Your best and worst product or
service.
– Award-winning and terrible ads.
– A great employee and your worst
hire.
– Your customer service desk
personnel and the music you
hear as you shop the store.
– Your “dazzling graphics” website
which is not customer friendly.
– A finely worded CEO
pronouncement and every
derisory consumer comment.

Brands as Assets
Kraft was purchased for
more than $13 billion, more
than 600% over its book
value and far beyond the
worth of any balance sheet
item representing bricks and
mortar.

� Name
“This is a brand…”
� Mark, symbol, icon
� Promises we
make to the buyer
� Core values
� A relationship
between the buyer
and seller
� The “moment of
truth”

Brand Recognition Without the
Brand Name!

Additional Leading CPG
Brands

�“Brands Are The Single
Most Important Asset
Any Manufacturer Has
In Today’s Selling
Environment. It Is
Increasingly Clear That
Manufacturers That
Invest In Their Brands
And Cultivate Their
Equity Will Be Here In
The Future. Those
Manufacturers That
Don’t, Will Not.”

The Brand as a Relationship
• Consumers offer their trust and loyalty
• …With the implicit understanding that the
brand will behave in certain ways
• …And will provide them benefits
• …Through consistent product performance
• …And through appropriate pricing,
promotion, and distribution programs and
actions

The “Final Frontier”
• According to Dave Nelson,
food industry analyst for
Credit Suisse First Boston,
“the meat case is the final
frontier of branding in the food
industry”
• In the 1997 “Branded Beef
Study,” 61% of respondents
indicated they would be
motivated by a trusted brand,
one that delivers quality
consistently

Branding is NOT a Panacea
• The brand is only as good as the quality
of the product.
• A “label” is NOT necessarily a “brand.”
• Success requires product innovation:
– Consumer friendly products that provide
solutions to consumers’ meal problems.
• Success requires effective marketing:
– Get the message out, consistently!

The challenge for all brands is t hat
t hey have a clear, dist inct , and
desirable image t hat mat t ers t o t he
cust omers and t ruly different iat es
t hem from t he rest . A company’ s
brand is t he primary source of it s
compet it ive advant age and a
valuable st rat egic asset .

Non-Traditional Thoughts on
Branding
• Branding is Story Telling.
• Goal: Become a Club People Want to Belong
To.
• Think of Your Brand as a Country With Its
Own Language, Rituals, and Customs.
• Branding is an Intimate Dance with
Consumers.
• Use Words and Pictures.
• Think of _______ as Free. Customers are
Paying for the Experience. What experience
are you providing?

Man cannot live by White Chocolate Apricot bread alone, but from
what we hear, many have genuinely considered it.
It might be our creativity: eatZi's has dreamed up over 35 different and
tantalizing varieties to suit every taste and meal companion.
It could be our artisan bakers, who rise every day (sorry) to lovingly
knead, shape and bake the fruits – and cheeses, nuts, whole grains
and imported flours – of their labors.
Or it could be our special stone hearth bread ovens, where the world’s
most heavenly crust and fresh-baked fragrances emerge several times
a day, to the strains of, “Hot olive oil boules, coming up!” or, “Getcher
three-chili cheese bread!”
Experience eatZi’s bread today. The staff of life, taken up a few
notches.

On the Corner of Your Life
In the restaurant. On the go. Pick up or delivery, catering
at the office or entertaining at home. Morning, noon and
night. Whenever you want it, wherever you want it, when
you're hungry for something good, Corner Bakery Cafe
is the perfect place to go. Let us help you Feed the Day!

• You have a social life,
• a business life,
• a family life,
• a love life.
• Now there is an environment dedicated to
your food life.
• It's about choices.
• You can have comfort food, healthy food,
lots of food or just a snack.
• The 600-seat foodlife hinges on the credo
"eat the world."

How Does It Work?
•Customers are given a food "credit" card
to use at each kiosk.
•Use the card to order your food and
present it to the cashier when you are
finished with your meal.
• This one-stop payment system allows for
convenient grazing at the various kiosks.

Experience the fun!
At Build-A-Bear Workshop® you personally experience
the joy of creating your very own teddy bear or other
stuffed animal! You will find a wide range of furry friends
to choose from with a vast assortment of outfits and
accessories to match any personality!

What Unique Experience Are
You Providing????

25 Strategic Points of
Differentiation (SPOD)
Set Your Brand Apart From Your
Competitors

SPODs
1. Have The Freshest Products
2. Have The Greatest Variety Of Products
3. Be The Low Price Leader
4. Be Price Competitive
5. Be The Easiest To Shop

SPODs
6. Be The Most Community Involved
7. Be The Cleanest, Most Sanitary
8. Have The Highest Quality Products
9. Have The Most Knowledgeable Staff
10.Be The Best Place To Work

SPODs
11.Be The Most Kid-Friendly
12.Be The Most Savy Niche Marketer
13.Have The Fastest, Most Efficient Checkout
14.Be The Most Fun (Treasure Hunt)
15.Be The Friendliest Place In Town

SPODs
16.Have The Most Convenient Location
17.Have The Greatest Selection Of Services
18.Be The Most Cost-Conscious
19.Be The Most Technologically Advanced
20.Be The Most Unique And Creative Operator

SPODs
21.Be The Best Meal Marketer (Food Service)
22.Have The Most Personalized Service
23.Have The Strongest Signature Items
24.Be The Most Socially Responsible And
Environmentally Friendly
25.Be The Most Promotionally Exciting

SPODs
• Most organizations have one convincing
SPOD and two “maybes.”
• Three SPODs needed for “survival”
• Four to five to “thrive.”
• Keys: Selecting & Executing

Selecting
1. Convene a group of your most involved,
dedicated and wisest associates.
2. For each SPOD ask the following:
1. Is being the “ _______ -est” something we
really want to achieve?
2. Is being the “ _______ -est” something our
customers want?
3. Are we physically, financially, and
intellectually capable of achieving the “
_______ -est”?

Selecting
3. If a SPOD receives three “yeses” it
qualifies as a potential top 5.
4. Compare each respondent’s top 5
5. Develop the group consensus of the top 5
most relevant SPODs
6. Develop & Implement a plan for each.

“What keeps me awake at night are the
intangibles. It’s the intangibles that are
the hardest thing for a competitor to
imitate. The spirit of the company is
the most difficult to emulate. So, my
biggest concern is that somehow
through inattention, through
misunderstanding, we lose the culture,
the spirit. That is our most competitive
asset.”
Herb Kelleher
Founder, Southwest Airlines

Remember: Think Like a
Brand and Act Like a Retailer

‘Doing the
right thing at
the right time
under
pressure will
yield the
right result’
Thank You & Good Luck!

Dr. Richard J. George
rgeorge@sju.edu
Professor of Food
Marketing
IFDA/Gerald E. Peck Fellow
Haub School of Business
Saint Joseph’s University
www.rjgeorge.com