Comments on: why branding is dead

By: studio2f

studio2f — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 20:10:13 +0000

Reading Assignments

There’s a couple of memes I’ve been following for the last month or so that some one may find interesting.

By: communicatrix

communicatrix — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 09:10:52 +0000

“Drive, drive, drive; branding, branding, branding.”

Back in the go-go ‘80s, my art director and I made silk purses out of some serious sow’s ear assignments and so were let into the inner sanctum: pitching spots for the second pool of a wildly successful TV campaign

By: Aaron Dignan

Aaron Dignan — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 01:52:09 +0000

The funny thing about this argument is that it is irrelevant what we think. “Brand” is a word that represents a nebulous concept, like “personality.” Is it possible for personalities to be dead, out of style, or unimportant? Of course not. If there are people, there are personalities. That’s how we navigate our social universe. For brands to be dead, so must businesses die. Even then, we still remember the personality of Enron.
As for “branding,” you could compare that to self-improvement. Can you truly say that human beings should stop trying to improve their personality or their chosen way of viewing and interacting with the world? OF COURSE NOT. The fact is that branding is this same activity applied to business: who are we? who do we want to be? what’s important to us?
College students can do this over beers at the local pub. Businesses may need to sit down with an engaging consultant (therapist) and talk it out a bit.
Where does all this brand anger come from anyway???
A

By: AdPulp

AdPulp — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 23:40:02 +0000

Lovemarks, Godmarks…What’s The Dif?

It’s Sunday in Chicago. Good day for a sermon. “The primary job of an advertiser is not to communicate benefit, but to communicate conviction. Benefit is secondary. Benefit is a product of conviction, not vice versa. Whatever you manufacture, somebody…

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 09:04:31 +0000

Hugh:
I take issue with point #6: “I generally find people who like using the word “Brand” a lot are assholes“
After working in this industry for too many years, it’s been my experience that 97% of people in marketing and advertising are flaming assholes and nearly all of them like using the word “Brand.”

By: MarkN

MarkN — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 12:18:20 +0000

Maybe branding is dying because it doesnt generate enough ROI to justify it relative to the ROI associated with other existing and emerging alternatives such as enhancing product quality, improving customer support or conversationalizing the company.

By: Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 05:31:05 +0000

Word to #3 and #6

By: Dave Young

Dave Young — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 21:02:57 +0000

Great post. Great comments. Sorry I’m so late to the party.
I’ve always told my clients to forget what everyone else says about “branding”. Our goal is simple: Be the company that people think of first and feel best about when the need for your product or service arises.
We can achieve this position in as many minds as the budget allows. HOWEVER, You had better not let them down when they try your stuff or you’ll be at the top of the list with a big red line through your name.
All the other crap about brands is the lipstick on the pig.
Nice meeting you Hugh.

By: tom norian

tom norian — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 06:14:45 +0000

OK, so its the product, not the brand.
But the products need a name and packaging.
The appearance of many products are vital elments to them. A good restraunts presentation of its food is almost as much a part of the dining experience as the taste of the food.(But you need both)
And to get somebody to try teomehing you need to get in front of them. You need a retailer to trust you to shelf space…which might be based part on proven history of high enough quality and logistical abilty to provide them, and part based on there peception of the desire of customers to have the product. If a consumer goes to a store and aren’t offered something they expected the store suffers.
If a person defines a brand as “loyalty” perhaps there isn’t nearly a premium like there used to be. But if you define brand as “reputation” I think you’ve still got something important.
You need a good “reputation” but generally “reputaion” these days is a current not a historical perception. The perception of the product can’t stray far from its actual quality, but a quality product that carry’s a poor perception won’t get very far.
I think a Brand these days has more to do with “looking qualified” rather than “looking superior”.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 03:58:06 +0000

It just seems to me like you’re talking about BAD branding, not branding in general. Consumers are getting smarter about the products they buy, so they see through misleading and hollow branding. The effectiveness of bad branding IS on the decline.
A good brand is just an outward manifestation of the core values and mission statement of a good, focused company. As long as the company knows what their core values are, the brand can never NOT exist. It flows out effortlessly in every decision the company makes based on their values.
Word of mouth and bottom up marketing may be the best way to capture a market, but does that mean companies should never attempt to communicate to their customers? If you are wary about companies trying to take part in a conversation about their own products then the problem is more a general mistrust in corporate America over their lies and misuse of branding, rather than with branding as a concept.

By: Thor

Thor — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:09:29 +0000

There used to be an economy that favoured one type of product for each purpose, sealed and approved by the government.
There was no point in becoming like the capitalist adversary and endorse a free market.
Well, this economy did not succeed. Instead we have to live in a world were the best ideas have a chance of being discovered by consumers.
Oh by the way, they distinguish themselves with little logos that summarize their attributes,utilitarian and emotional, which are either appealing or not. But that is up to the individual consumer to decide.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 07:56:22 +0000

I was born and raised in the US but now work and live in Colombia S.A
When I go to the store here I see a lot of things I have never herd of so when I see something like Coke I buy it, I know what it is and what it taste like.
Branding is still an important part of any business.
Thats why you make a logo and give your business a name.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:59:10 +0000

“Hugh’s real error is to think marketing is selling.“
Heh. As if.

By: Stephen Newton

Stephen Newton — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:57:12 +0000

Hugh’s real error is to think marketing is selling. The difference is that marketed brands are already created in collaboration with the consumer.

By: Stephen Newton

Stephen Newton — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:56:47 +0000

Hugh’s real error is to think marketing is selling. The difference is that marketed brands are already created in collaboration with the consumer.