Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

286 BRAND RELEVANCE
Maine, Sam Adams from Boston, Gallo wines from California,
and Robert Mondavi wine from Napa County are just a few
examples. In each case the association with a region bolsters the
authenticity, and others without that association have a higher
hurdle to overcome.
Developing Visible Credibility
The fi rm needs to be seen as capable of delivering behind the
compelling benefi t or benefi ts. Credibility can come from a
good track record in the marketplace. Even more impressive,
however, is when assets, competencies, and strategies are visible
to customers. These represent real substance and can be hard to
copy. Kirin convincingly was able to show that it owned a complex
and expensive production process for Kirin Ichiban. Saturn
was able to showcase its Springhill plant, the workers, and its
dealer showrooms to demonstrate the quality and the culture of
the fi rm. Best Buy has the very visible Geek Squad, and Dryer ’ s
has the Slow Churned technology.
Visible operations that support a value proposition can also
provide credibility. When a customer learns about the distinctive
operations of Zara and H & M that allowed each to deliver
fresh fashions into stores, its claims of having a fresh assortment
every week gains some substance. Dell became the dominant
direct seller of computers for a decade with its build - to - order
system that allowed the fi rm to offer the latest technology
while still having low costs and a high level of customer contact.
The delivery system reinforced customer ’ s decisions to buy
direct from Dell. FedEx created an operations - driven innovation
that allowed them to track packages, a benefi t so novel and
compelling that it defi ned a subcategory.
Becoming a Moving Target
When a brand has a signifi cant innovation that provides a benefi
t or benefi ts that get market traction, a competitor will likely