{"id":1170,"date":"2024-01-07T16:16:32","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T12:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/?p=1170"},"modified":"2024-01-07T16:22:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T12:22:31","slug":"a-knead-for-improved-business-cases-and-better-brand-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/07\/a-knead-for-improved-business-cases-and-better-brand-management\/","title":{"rendered":"A knead for improved business cases and better brand management"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I was skimming through <a href=\"https:\/\/interbrand.com\/thinking\/best-global-brands-2023-report-download\/?utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=283450421&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--RAK76GkrPBRd9QFidCCBMk7stl5R01FJnZCk6Jxv6kOz_ZS0FkuhDZ3qfwjsy0XZUQprPcGbx0TdOQx5N0PhgU_90pA&amp;utm_content=283450421&amp;utm_source=hs_email\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Interbrand&#8217;s Best Global Brands 2023 report<\/em><\/span><\/a> for a nuanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges shaping the global brand landscape at what appears to be a critical juncture.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/gonzalo-bruj%C3%B3-a4b5138\/\">Gonzalo Brujo<\/a>, Global CEO, Interbrand<\/em><\/span> has observed there that the total value of the Best Global Brands increased by just 5.7% in 2023\u2014a significant drop from the 16% surge observed in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The observations based on conversations with the global C-Suite is a common feeling of pressure for brands to play it safe, driving a wave of incrementalism and conservatism for most.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Look at the landscape today and there\u2019s almost no part of the marketing challenge today that isn\u2019t about <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>desire for immediate return<\/em><\/span>. You have six seconds to make someone care. That\u2019s a really hard job. It is highly apparent that ever mounting pressure to demonstrate immediate and measurable returns has shifted the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>marketing needle<\/em><\/span> firmly in the direction of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>performance tactics<\/em><\/span>. We seem to have lost sight of the benefit of broad reach and communal experience- the experience of creative and messaging that moves people and brings them together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We used to have these huge cultural moments when people came together and experienced events collectively. We don&#8217;t have that common ground anymore and thats a big lever that is missing for brands.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>So what is bringing in this era of incrementalism?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The erosion in value and the stifled growth of 5.7% compared to 16% the year before can be evaluated in context. The main observable reason for this decline is a widespread incremental brand management approach, focused on protecting the core. Most brands made no significant gain or losses in strength or value, nor did they make notable moves.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But look closer, and against this backdrop a small set of brands stands out, showing above average brand value growth- the usual suspects like <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Amazon, Apple, Lego, Disney, Microsoft, Ferrari, Netflix <\/em><\/span>etc.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What these brands share is, a bit of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>strangeness<\/em><\/span>. They don\u2019t fall into traditional categories and sectors, defined by products or services. It\u2019s increasingly hard to describe <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Amazon<\/em><\/span> as a retailer at a time when it is pours millions into entertainment productions; similarly, consumer hardware is where <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Apple<\/em> <\/span>comes from, but certainly not all it is today.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If categories fall short of making sense of the current situation, things become clearer if we <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>shift our perspective<\/em><\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>from inside out to outside in<\/em><\/span> \u2013 and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>rather than focus on what these brands do, question what they help people do<\/em><\/span>. To bring in the element of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>arena thinking<\/em><\/span>, these are brands that help us <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Thrive, Play, Express, Move, Dwell<\/em><\/span> etc, vying for the same time, money and attention, and addressing the same fundamental motivation \u2013 or \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/09\/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be-done\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>job to be done<\/em><\/span><\/a>\u2019, to use <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Clayton Christensen\u2019s<\/em><\/span> term.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you want to transform your industry, look at someone else. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ideou.com\/blogs\/inspiration\/activity-explore-analogous-inspiration\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Analogous inspiration<\/em><\/span> <\/a>anyone? Because the best ideas and thinking are coming from outside your core industry- ask camera manufacturers what the mobile phone industry did to them. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Airbnb<\/em> <\/span>should have been an <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Hilton, IHG<\/em><\/span> or <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Marriott<\/em><\/span> play, but look who got it in the zeitgeist. Thinking in terms of arenas rather than categories is a powerful antidote against competitive blind spots. While traditional diversification hinges on competences and assets \u2013 \u2018if we do this, we might do that too\u2019, arena-based growth starts from relationships \u2013 \u2018if you feel good about us, here\u2019s what else we might help you do.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The most progressive brands became providers of all round experiences \u2013 not just products or services. At a time when consumer electronics was zigging away from retail spaces, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/ae\/store\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Apple Store<\/em><\/span><\/a> zagged, creating <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>a shrine that was about attraction rather than transaction. <\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today, as we face extreme turbulence and volatility, some of the most influential brands have become acts of leadership \u2013 doing things right, yes, but also doing the right thing. At a time of declining trust in traditional sources of authority, brands are expected to take stances \u2013 walking the talk and talking the walk. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2019\/sep\/16\/nikes-dream-crazy-advert-starring-colin-kaepernick-wins-emmy\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Nike\u2019s Kaepernick campaign<\/em> <\/span><\/a>remains a memorable illustration of showing leadership whilst reinforcing the bond with Nike\u2019s key target audiences.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1172\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Brand-and-Consumer-Awareness.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"725\" height=\"948\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>These brands stand out by blending in, because people measure the entire experience by how much it adds to their lives and how little it disrupts it. To create relevance and shift expectation, we need to ask if we are doing better and different. Are clutter and conformity obscuring your codes \u2013 or are you distinctly memorable?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Brand as an asset for strength and growth is under leveraged across the board, which is paradoxical because in today\u2019s world it\u2019s harder and harder to cut through the noise and fragmentation. Unless you are resorting &amp; acting on <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>arena thinking<\/em><\/span> and an approach that combines the three lenses of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>human truths, economics<\/em><\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>experience<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; I was skimming through Interbrand&#8217;s Best Global Brands 2023 report for a nuanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges shaping the global brand landscape at what appears to be a critical juncture. &nbsp; Gonzalo Brujo, Global CEO, Interbrand has observed there that the total value of the Best Global Brands increased by just 5.7% &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/07\/a-knead-for-improved-business-cases-and-better-brand-management\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;A knead for improved business cases and better brand management&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1170"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1173,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions\/1173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}