Branding.

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sure time is corroding. Values are correspondingly personal and are continually
negotiated in the eternal exchange of information between actors in the individual's
environment. Categorical truths are only for the narrow-minded. And if
a company's values are so broadly stated that we all can agree about them,
we might as well not have them. Communication is difference; everything
else is increasingly perceived as 'hot air'.
The little rational story wins
Hence, the conquering story is the little story about the product that makes a difference
compared to other products or really changes the buyer's possibili-ties.
The brands that have survived the change to the rational paradigm are those
that in their marketing have created a correspondence between performance
and story. Brands that have kept their internal logic from the turn of the millennium
and still are successful are, among others, Louis Poulsen, B&O, Avis (We
Try Harder) and Maersk (punctual diligence). Stories about value for money.
In this respect it marks a return to the old ideas about the product as the
hero (or the buyer as hero through the product). Though with the difference
that we increasingly are critical of the real and functional product advantages.
The spectacular staging of the consumer's needs, which we saw in the
past, is on the wane along with the emotional argument. Especially the new
generations on the labour market are very conscious about what requirements
they have - and how to fulfil them. The 80's mentality of our childhood
is still in fresh memory.
The old market structure in decline
Around the turn of the millennium most companies were set in a way of
thought that very much was historically based. Back then, the market structure
for most companies could be fit into a vertical model where the movement
was from producer to consumer (see page 7). The trend now is that
this market concept and the logic behind it are in decline.
The new successful companies increasingly dissolve the boundary between
'consumer' and 'producer' and organise their company like a network
based on a decisive will to create transparency and frictionless communication
possibilities. The movement is increasingly going from user to producer,
and all involved parties can follow the process.
VELUX IN 'THE RATIONAL
INDIVIDUALS' 2013
Our organisation is based on the
market structure of the new age.
Things increasingly revolve around
the customers. Their individual
product needs trigger our production
- and it is difficult to see
where the company begins and
ends. Customers, suppliers, producers,
and distributors are all
part of the same network. They
find each other through project
folders on the internet. The brand
of VELUX is today far better adapted
to the individual stakeholder
groups. Also for the employees,
which have optimal conditions for
individual development and working
from home.
We have always had Product
Power, but now we can set aside
far more resources for development
and optimisation of our core
products. For instance, new functional
windowpanes have seen the
light of day. They can do far more
than just insulate against heat and
cold - they can e.g. create energy
for the home through solar cells.
The ongoing developments constantly
vitalise the story of VELUX,
which now increasingly focuses
on the original basis: innovative
engineering
Mass customisation
At the same time far fewer standard products are produced and far fewer
fixed services are sold. Today nearly everything is produced directly from
the end-users desires and specifications. Mass customisation has truly replaced
mass production. The consumer is no longer a passive consumer, but an
active co-producer - a prosumer.
It becomes ever easier and cheaper to give the products you buy individual
characteristics. The general availability of print on demand technology
e.g. provides remarkable choices when buying a book. Should the book be in
small or large format? Hardcover or paperback? Printed on cheap or quality
paper? The bookstore has become a portal for all the book publishers of the
world, which in return no longer need to bother with printing. Many electronic
stores have also begun using 'gadget printers' that provide on-the-spot
production of e.g. mobile phones, remote controls and pocket calculators
according to the customer's specifications.
Branding has come full circle
In this way the history of branding has come full circle. With corporate branding
the focus was directed at the company after a period with the focus on the
product and the corporate brand (see page 5), but now we have come all the