Branding.

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22 veys show that most newly educated would like to stay in one company for a long time, and that they prefer companies that can function as safe greenhouses for their individual ambitions. Hence, in spite of the focus of earlier governments on entrepreneurship and innovation, there has been no significant growth in new companies. Entrepreneurialism can easily be exhibited in steady jobs, and the idea of self-management is losing support. This work form only leads to stress and frustration. At the same time there is continued focus on the companies' social sides. A good image and good marketing aren't enough. CSR (see page 7) is thus still a growing field and is still included in many companies' overall branding strategies. As a replacement for the death of the big stories (see page 6), the companies' stories collectively form a new culture- and society-bearing element. This increases the potential power of the companies, since the company's formal story about itself simultaneously determines an informal story about how the company perceives the surrounding world. Hence, companies attempt to create associations that reach beyond the individual brand and instead relate to the company's organisational practice. Branding in 'The Dream Goes On!' The idea of organising companies around easily understood, simplified and homogeneous values has continued from 2003 to today. Generally speaking, corporate branding is moving towards big monolithic brands with a single name and a single visual style. The idea is still to create a big story about the employees, the company and the world; to create a fixed point of reference and a strong culture. Hence, marketing, communication, organisational theory, and management are still combined in a holistic structure in many companies. One for all! At the same time, alliances between the stories are made more often than ever before; something that was heralded with the growing trend of co-branding even before the turn of the millennium. Simultaneously Endorsed Identity (page 7) becomes a far more pronounced strategy. It is a matter of creating synergy between the company's different brands. The particular product branding that dominated around the turn of the millennium in the shape of Branded Identity (page 7) is abandoned by most small and medium-sized companies. The trend is that companies neither can nor should hide behind the product. The company is the product. Only the really big conglomerates can maintain Branded Identity, primarily because the brands have critical mass and an organisation structure that makes them companies in and of themselves. LUNDBECK IN 'THE DREAM GOES ON' 2013 Lundbeck has become an employee-owned company with a transregional management structure. As a consequence, Lundbeck has been split up into smaller companies, determined by therapy traditions in the individual regions. Lundbeck's branding strategy is tied to the dream of the good life with a special focus on CSR and sympathetic actions. The traditional opinion-formers have evolved from being professional specialists to becoming family and friends, something that also influences the practical implementation of the branding strategy. Branding activities are no longer solely targeted at doctors and specialists, but are rather training programmes of shorter or longer duration, aimed at future opinionformers. These will typically be the care-minded persons of the family. Patient associations have now become the central stakeholders, and strategic alliances that ensure the feeling of community are central. Lundbeck has become the favoured company of the nuclear family Brands in the global superleague Branding thus works fine in extension of the logic of the turn of the millennium. For this reason we see more and more take-overs and alliances and get more and more heavyweights with economies of scale. It is a case of eat or be eaten. The global superleague is ruled by upwards of 1000 universal megabrands. The primary products for these conglomerates are the industrially produced and emotionally emphasised stories. They are communicated strategically and professionally to precisely selected segments. For the consumer, the stories are articulated in traditional lifestyle goods. Thus, designer sunglasses, brand scarves and luxury bags are still good products. The logic from The Dream Society is very much alive. The growth markets are the markets for opinions, love, friendship, authenticity, belonging, and care. Brand Extension and the logic of the fashion designer The global megabrands are ruled more and more by a 'logic of the fashion
23 designer'. Trend spotting is of crucial importance. Signals from subcultures and interest groups are thus very rapidly implemented in both products and communication. This is a bubble-up effect. Trends that used to be underground phenomena are commercialised and made mainstream. At the same time it is still imperative to be able to transform the signals to products that are affordable to normal consumers, exactly as was the case for the big fashion houses, which around the turn of the millennium not just sold Haute Couture, but primarily based their earnings on off-the-rack clothes and heavy production of perfumes, sunglasses and bags. For this reason more companies today than before base their earnings on business that is derived from their core services or core products. Brand Extension is a key word. It is a matter of capitalising on your strong relationship with the consumers by making new products or services. The product is subject to the relationship, and of course Mercedes Benz can sell luxury television sets to rich people around the globe. For this reason B&O is soon going to face competition from an unexpected direction, it is rumoured. Distribution Power Intense work is still being done about influencing the consumer at the moment of purchase. Hence the efforts of creating power through branding of the work is supplemented with efforts of creating power through distribution. For this reason more and more brands have their own in-store shops in department stores or create universes of sensation in the shape of stores that only sell one brand, the so-called single brand stores. The logic of the theme park is gaining ground, not just in the retail trade. It is e.g. no longer uncommon to buy your new car directly at the assembly plant in Germany where the family spends an entertaining day - and in the end drive home in their brand new car. That the links between producer and customer in this way are derailed is a growing trend. Push logic and ad creep The traditional vertical market system is retained for most companies (see page 7). Most marketing takes place in a 'push logic' where the customer is stimulated to consume by emotional advertising based on our dreams of community, togetherness and happiness. The advertisement noise hasn't reduced since the turn of the millennium, and it gets ever harder to penetrate with a message. For this reason the communication modes are constantly being developed and refined. The sceptics cry warnings of advertising's gradual and stealthy entrance into all spheres of our society: ad creep. 'Wildposting' (posters on scaffolding and buildings). Internet banners and spam mails. 'On-hold advertising' (commercials in the phone while you wait). Hidden advertising in movies and TV series. Ads projected onto sidewalks and ads in the bottom of golf holes. It was a spectacular sight when Coca-Cola recently projected their logo onto the full moon with a powerful red laser - but it was too much for the majority. People like to be seduced, not raped. VELUX IN 'THE DREAM GOES ON' 2013 We still work from a corporate branding logic where customers and employees are involved in a common mission: better homes for people. The story of the company's beginnings is still a driving force: "We are daylight engineers" was the message in a sales letter from 1945. Our values remain the same: 'mutual respect' and 'due care with the resources'. For this reason we keep both environmental and social accounts. The overall expression is communicated strategically and consistently through the general VELUX brand. The customers seek inspiration in daylight centres that combine sensual experiences and exhibition of daylight-related home products. We are involved from the beginning to the end. The home contributes to describing the family's value community. We do all we can to create the optimum setting. Daylight and fresh air create increased wellbeing; the more, the better. Nature comes into the home - and the home comes out into the nature with more and more windows on the slanted roof Branding is management Next to the brand super league there still is an undergrowth of strong national and regional brands. There is plenty of room, and more and more companies learn the tactics from the big ones. Everything can be branded. So the local, emotionally emphasised stories are actively cultivated, as are stories directed narrowly at a specific group of people, e.g. the employees of a company. More and more companies have acknowledged that branding isn't something just for the marketing department; that the responsibility for branding lies with the CEO and the managers. And that a consistent brand
Page 2 and 3: Contents: Part I: Branding. The sym
Page 4 and 5: 4 Part I Branding. The symbol as ar
Page 6 and 7: 6 The brand as corporate metaphor T
Page 8 and 9: 8 Two central uncertainties for bra
Page 10 and 11: 10 and adventure. Services that ver
Page 12: 12 The precise future to come may n
Page 15 and 16: 15 1. Create and Brand Yourself Lif
Page 17 and 18: 17 ability of the individual and on
Page 19 and 20: 19 personal and the unique. All thi
Page 21: 21 extended family. However, we are
Page 25 and 26: 25 moving from being a citizen to b
Page 27 and 28: 27 sure time is corroding. Values a
Page 29 and 30: 29 4. The Logic of Great Solutions
Page 31 and 32: 31 tools, it has become possible to
Page 33 and 34: 33 Personal branding on the wane Th
Page 35 and 36: 35 H. Lundbeck A/S (2003) Lundbeck

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