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2003 BRANDWORKS UNIVERSITY SPEAKERS: (click each name to view a summary of the remarks or scroll down) REVELATIONS THAT WILL MAKE YOU RETHINK HOW YOU DEFINE AND LEVERAGE YOUR BRAND ›› Marsha Lindsay, President and CEO of Lindsay, Stone & Briggs Wendy Gordon, partner, Acacia Avenue, London, visiting professor at Birmingham Business School and author of two books including Brains and Brands – Rethinking the Consumer in Light of Scientific Fact BRAND AS MENTAL CONCEPT PLATFORM ›› Jan Rijkenberg, BSUR Concepting, Amsterdam, and author of the business best-seller Concepting Jon Howard-Spink, Planning Director, Mustoes, London and founding partner of the Oven, Mustoes’ sister-brand consultancy WHERE TO FIND YOUR NEXT BRANDING OPPORTUNITY — THE NATION’S CHANGING CONSUMER TRENDS ›› Timothy Ressmeyer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) WHERE TO FIND THE NEXT BRANDING OPPORTUNITY? AT THE FRINGES OF SOCIETY ›› Ryan Mathews, cultural futurist and coauthor of the widely acclaimed book, The Deviant’s Advantage: How Fringe Ideas Create Mass Markets THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SHOPPING: HOW AND WHY DO CONSUMERS BUY? ›› Tom Moseman, Senior Vice President of Envirosell HOW AND WHY CONSUMPTION DRIVES US ›› Jim Twitchell, Professor at the University of Florida and author of Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in America ADVERTISING AND THE MIND OF THE CONSUMER: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T AND WHY ›› Dr. Max Sutherland, marketing psychologist, columnist and independent consultant practicing in the U.S. and Australia THINK EMOTIONALLY – HOW TO MAKE NEUROLOGICALLY EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING ›› Erik du Plessis, CEO of Millward Brown, South Africa Robert Heath, Managing Director of The Value Creation Company, London, and author of The Hidden Power of Advertising: How Low Involvement Processing Influences the Way We Choose Brands GETTING INSIDE THE CONSUMER’S HEAD: HOW NIKE DOES IT – AND APPLIES WHAT IT FINDS ›› Mary Slayton, Nike’s Director of Global Consumer Insights and Brand Planning REVELATIONS THAT WILL MAKE YOU RETHINK HOW YOU DEFINE AND LEVERAGE YOUR BRAND Marsha Lindsay, president and CEO of Lindsay, Stone & Briggs. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Brand Management, London, has taught the MBA-level course on strategic brand management at the University of Wisconsin business school, and is a past member of the executive committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Traditionally, American marketers have been biased toward a rational exposition of a product’s functionality – the unique selling proposition – and have given too little weight to the power of emotions to build competitive advantage, according to Marsha Lindsay, president and CEO of Lindsay, Stone & Briggs. Research shows:
In sum, branding is innate in us all, a function of human information processing developed from caveman times to help us classify and recall information. It is based more on sensory and visual data than on words. It is based on relevance and differentiation as applied to pattern recognition. So don’t ask what your USP should be. Ask what meaning or purpose your brand fulfills for your customer. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers THE MENTAL WORLD OF BRANDS Wendy Gordon, partner, Acacia Avenue, London, visiting professor at Birmingham Business School and author of two books including Brains and Brands – Rethinking the Consumer in Light of Scientific Fact “What people say is not what they do,” Wendy Gordon told her Brandworks University audience. “Ordinary people struggle to articulate their feelings about brands. Words have different meanings for different people. There is no objective truth.” That’s not existential philosophy; it’s the foundation of branding science, said Gordon. Brand building is based on emotions and feelings that we can’t see or measure. But with the help of MRI scans, neuroscience is starting to understand how brands are communicated, stored and recalled in the brain. Emotional coding rather than reasoned argument determines whether or not we take notice of a brand message. That’s why much about brand representation is beyond consciousness. It is not even available to introspection. That challenges our assumptions that what people tell us in research about how they perceive a brand is “the truth.” Instead, recall is only as effective as the cue given. Research itself activates brand associations that may not be active in real life and may bear no relationship to behavior. Instead of relying on one technique, Gordon recommends what she calls “brickolage.” That is, employing several methods for exploring the unarticulated or unconscious beliefs people hold and then scanning all the findings for meaningful patterns and insights. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers BRAND AS MENTAL CONCEPT PLATFORM Jan Rijkenberg, cofounder of BSUR Concepting, Amsterdam, and the author of the business best-seller Concepting Like a prophet crying in the marketing wilderness, Jan Rijkenberg believes the end is near. The end is near for the unique selling proposition as defined by Ted Bates in the 1950s. The end is near for cosmetic product innovations, the constant and futile repositioning of companies and brands, and even for marketing to targeted consumer groups. In their place must rise a new paradigm: the Concept Brand. In traditional branding, marketers start with the product and then add values to the product later, he told Brandworks University participants. Concepting starts with the values, then adds products. A concept brand isn’t based on a specific product or product category. It’s not dependent on superior product performance or even identification with a particular lifestyle. All of those attributes can be quickly copied by competitors. Instead, a concept brand invites customers to create their own mental worlds by incorporating parts of the concept brand’s vision and core values. We are slowly moving from materialism to mentalism he said. Why hammer product features if consumers want mental things? ‹‹ back to the list of speakers BRAND AS ARCHETYPE Jon Howard-Spink, Planning Director, Mustoes, London and founding partner of the Oven, Mustoes’ sister-brand consultancy “At the heart of every great brand is a compelling story built around an emotive character or personality,” says Jon Howard-Spink. “When you have a great story, you have a great brand.” But brands are difficult to define with words, he warned Brandworks University participants. “Because we all use the same words, we think we’re talking about the same thing, but we’re not. The way to competitive advantage includes a change from using words to using stories. “Stories are where facts and feelings meet.” Howard-Spink doesn’t have just any story in mind, however. “We can learn a lot from the world of myths and legends. Archetypes are fundamental stories that are understandable in basically the same way by everyone in the world.” Sagas like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and Harry Potter draw much of their power from their archetypal characters. If you understand your brand’s archetype, you understand your brand’s voice, how your brand should behave and how customers relate to the brand. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers WHERE TO FIND YOUR NEXT BRANDING OPPORTUNITY — THE NATION’S CHANGING CONSUMER TRENDS Timothy Ressmeyer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) If brand associations are best triggered by subconscious emotional cues, then success goes to those who dig deep to understand what motivates their audience. Timothy Ressmeyer outlined two areas worthy of a deeper dig right now. The Hispanic population in the U.S. grew 58 percent from 1990 to 2000, faster than any other major ethnic group and far faster than the national average. The Hispanic population is predicted to reach 42 million by 2007. Currently only 3.2 percent of corporate advertising spending is targeted to Hispanics, he said. “More needs to happen.” It’s a mistake to think about the pharmaceutical market, natural foods, nutritional supplements and lifestyle choices as separate, he said. The same consumer is making choices in all of those categories. “People want to look good, be good and feel good.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers WHERE TO FIND THE NEXT BRANDING OPPORTUNITY? AT THE FRINGES OF SOCIETY! Ryan Mathews, a cultural futurist and coauthor of the widely acclaimed book, The Deviant’s Advantage: How Fringe Ideas Create Mass Markets Want to catch the next big trend before it gets hot? Chances are, you’re already too late, according to Ryan Mathews, president of Black Monk Consulting. All social trends, product concepts, fashions and even artistic and scientific movements start on what Mathews calls the Fringe. Ideas then pass through a series of well-defined stages of acceptance and assimilation before they eventually enter the mass market. “The Fringe is populated by people who have very strange ideas in their heads. They are pure, raw and authentic with no compromises. Think about the last person you saw preaching on the sidewalk.” A few ideas from the Fringe eventually move on to the next stage, which Mathews calls the Edge. “Ideas on the Edge have a following, an audience of true believers. They modify the idea to make it acceptable. Cool hunters inhabit this zone.” The paradox is “if the trend spotters know about it, it’s over, at least in terms of being a true innovation,” said Mathews. Markets can be made at any point along the process, Mathews said. But brands that seem to grow with phenomenal speed, such as eBay, CNN and Orange, often get their power from Fringe and Edge ideas. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SHOPPING: HOW AND WHY DO CONSUMERS BUY? Tom Moseman, an anthropologist and senior vice president of the international retail consultancy Envirosell If you haven’t watched people shop, you may not really understand who is buying and what subconscious factors influence their decisions, according to Tom Moseman. Shopping is an emotional experience that affects how people perceive your brand. The subconscious cues in the retail environment – whether intentional or not – can strengthen or weaken the customer’s response to your brand. Demographic and cultural changes mean marketers can’t communicate as they have in the past. Families today come in many descriptions. Communicators have to adjust their explicit messages and subconscious cues to keep pace. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW AND WHY CONSUMPTION DRIVES US Jim Twitchell, Professor of English at the University of Florida and author of numerous books, including Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in America Would you like to always compete solely on price? Or would you like to be a storyteller? Those are your only choices in a world where product differentiation is both rare and fleeting, according to Jim Twitchell. “We’re forced to tell stories that illustrate our differentiation or we’re forced to compete on price.” Successful brands tell the stories people want to buy, said Twitchell. “Stories carry meaning. Stories carry emotion. We want emotion. That’s why people buy what they buy. The problem isn’t that we’re too materialistic. We’re not materialistic enough. We want to buy an epiphany. We want the sensation of being there that comes at the end of a powerful story. What’s the emotional story of Las Vegas? I will be lucky. What’s the church’s emotional story? I’ll be saved.” “Water is a completely irrational product,” Twitchell said. “Evian is a perfectly irrational object. In taste tests, people actually prefer Manhattan tap water. Taste lives between the ears, not on the palate.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers ADVERTISING AND THE MIND OF THE CONSUMER: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T AND WHY Dr. Max Sutherland, a marketing psychologist, columnist and independent consultant practicing in the U.S. and Australia Ever since the first ad was created, people have tried and often failed to measure effectiveness. Max Sutherland, Ph.D., coauthor of Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer: What Works, What Doesn’t and Why, believes the problem is that we keep looking for simple answers to a complex question. We too often look for heavyweight persuasion, the Australian author and consultant told Brandworks University participants. “But most ad effects fall well short of persuasion. We should be measuring more subtle effects that are less obvious but are more characteristic of the way advertising really works on the brain.” Sutherland illustrated his point with the case of a marketer who found no drop-off in sales when he stopped advertising. He might have concluded that the ads weren’t doing anything but deeper research found a more subtle effect. Although total sales held steady, the lack of advertising led to the erosion of “brand loyal” consumers into mere “habitual buyers,” who were vulnerable to being switched by competitors. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers THINK EMOTIONALLY – HOW TO MAKE NEUROLOGICALLY EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING Erik du Plessis, CEO of Millward Brown, South Africa Erik du Plessis is a research guru who believes advertising has to touch the emotions, not just give logical reasons to buy. “The rule of nature – of evolution really – is react first, then think,” du Plessis told his Brandworks University audience. “Be emotive, then rationalize.” Our distant hominid ancestors who stopped to think before reacting to subtle cues in their dangerous environment got eaten by something and didn’t pass on their genes. Advertisers who approach consumers solely with reason rather than emotion are likely to follow their caveman ancestors into extinction, he warned. Far from interfering with rational decision making, a lack of emotional content can interfere with reason. “Emotion tags the interpretation as something we like or don’t like, enjoy or don’t enjoy.” Du Plessis and fellow Brandworks University speaker Robert Heath advocate very different models of how people perceive advertising messages. Heath believes most learning is subliminal and doesn’t require active attention. Du Plessis argued that gaining the consumer’s active attention is a critical first step for any marketing message, and that likability opens the door to active learning, which he believes results in more effective communications. “Attention is what advertising is about. You’re an idiot not to create likable advertising.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers THE HIDDEN POWER OF ADVERTISING: HOW LOW INVOLVEMENT PROCESSING INFLUENCES THE WAY WE CHOOSE BRANDS Robert Heath is managing director of The Value Creation Company, London, and author of The Hidden Power of Advertising: How Low Involvement Processing Influences the Way We Choose Brands Attention – Interest – Decision – Action. If you didn’t learn the AIDA model in school, you must have been sleeping in marketing class. Robert Heath hopes you enjoyed your nap. Research into information processing now shows the model is wrong. “For more than 100 years, most ad creative work has been focused on achieving the highest possible levels of attention and supporting claims with rational, persuasive proof,” he told Brandworks University attendees. “But new revelations show that advertising can change your opinion of a brand even when you cannot remember seeing it.” Heath instead advocates a Low Attention Processing model, which exploits implicit or subconscious learning, which he claims is more durable, has a higher capacity and can be acquired independent of attention. Traditional research, which measures spontaneous awareness and recall, is likely to underestimate the effectiveness of ads that exploit low attention processing, Heath said. He argued that marketers should create communications that work in both a rational, high-attention, environment, and also contain cues and associations that are effective in low attention conditions. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers GETTING INSIDE THE CONSUMER’S HEAD: HOW NIKE DOES IT – AND APPLIES WHAT IT FINDS Mary Slayton, Nike’s director of global consumer insights and brand planning “Nike is a practical case study of everything we’ve learned at this Brandworks University,” said Mary Slayton. “Storytelling. Concept branding. Metaphors. Archetypes. Nike has done all those things.” So, what’s the secret behind the Swoosh? According to Slayton, there isn’t one. But Nike does have five advantages: Sport: “Sport is an unbelievable emotional trigger for just about everyone. Sport is a metaphor for life. It allows Nike to tap into every human emotion and need – frustration, exhilaration, the need to belong, to achieve, to be recognized. Performance: The brand is guided by performance. Most people think of Nike as a marketing company, but Nike’s brand promise is “athletic performance.” Shoes: The connection to shoes is visceral, magical and often irrational. Shoes, like cars, are a reflection of who we are. Teens: We’re fortunate enough to serve teens. That’s where the energy lies. Culture: To understand Nike, you have to understand the founder, Phil Knight. Like Phil, Nike has confidence to be true to itself. Nike only strays when it self-consciously worries about what others think. It’s at its best when it stands for something. Nike’s corporate mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. And if you have a body, you are an athlete.” The Nike brand provides people with meaning, not just shoes. |
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