Brand ownership: Who's in control?

"Your brand is not what you say it is, it's what Google says it is"

This is a quote from Marina Willer, Creative Director at Wolff Olins, at an event earlier this week. It's certainly a conversation starter. It tackles the question of brand ownership head-on. Does a company own a brand? Or their audience? It's a fascinating topic!

For me, it's quite clear. As a business you create a brand. But that brand exists - comes to life - in the minds of your audience. There's a simple exercise you can go through to demonstrate that principle...

Think of a brand or business that you really hate. It could be a bank (always high on the list at the moment). It could be BT (a regular favourite for #Fail on Twitter). It could just be a supplier that let you down. High on my list at the moment is Ryanair, following a mix up with our holiday flights - and that's before we even get to the airport.

Now think about how you feel about that business, and what you've said to friends and colleagues about them. Do you think that is how that business wants to be viewed? Do you think that is the response they're looking for? Probably not. What can they do to change your opinion? If you saw an advert for them , or read a piece of their literature would it change your opinion? Probably not.

They're not in control of how you perceive their brand. They can't control your attitude or opinion of their brand. They can influence, but they can't control.

So what does that mean for business? Is brand extinct? Has it lost its value?

I don't think so. Word of mouth has always been there (and remember, it works both ways, positive and negative). All the internet does is accelerate the spread of the conversation, and increase the reach of it. It doesn't matter what scale you work at - global, national , regional, local. People talk about your business. People define your brand. Face-to-face and online, with friends and complete strangers. It's happening all around you. As a business there are two questions to ask yourself:
1/ Do we know what people are saying about us?
2/ Are we taking all the opportunities we have to influence that conversation?

If you're interested in the answers to those questions, you might be interested in our seminar: Unlock the value of your brand. We have two events scheduled, the first in June and then another in July. If you'd like to join us, do click on a link. It would be good to see you.

Past, present and future

I read an article about Pret A Manger in Marketing Week last week, and it raised an interesting issue: How the past can impact the future, unless you take some action in the present.



Pret A Manger is a chain of sandwich shops (240 outlets), and for a time they were part-owned by McDonalds. Now they're not (for the past 3 years), but it's proving difficult to get rid of the legacy. So they're about to embark on communication campaign to change that perception.

I came across a similar story in conversation with an organisation that are local to us in the south west. They haven't been tarnished by an association with a global purveyor of junk food, but they have got a legacy that they are struggling to leave behind. Their audience has two perceptions of the organisation - one relating to a geographic location, the other to an activity they were associated with (which wasn't a core business activity). They are no longer involved in either, but the perception remains, 4 years later, and it's restricting their ability to move the organisation forward.

Two very different stories, but a similar impact and outcome. Past perceptions restricting the ability for an organisation to move forward.

It's not so hard for it to happen. There are lots of situations where it might occur:
• It could be the skills or experience you're associated with; your skills and experience move on, client perceptions don't.
• It could be your geographic reach; your services spread further afield, but customer perception doesn't follow.
• It could be negative associations your new audience has of previous clients or suppliers. You've left them behind, but the negative perceptions have followed you.

So take a look at your business, and ask yourself:
• Does your audience really understand who you are now?
• Or is their perception stuck in the past?
• And what impact will that have on your future?

If you don't like the answers to those questions, you might be interested in joining us at one of our seminars: Unlock the value of your brand.

Or you can email jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk or call 01392 248107.

Brand tip: Plan it, THEN do it

A company wants to see results. Whatever the business activity, there should be some tangible sign of progress. And the sooner the better. But short-term results don't always bring long-term benefit.

Brand communication activity is no different. When a company has made a decision to DO something, they want to DO it. As fast as possible. Whether it's updating the logo, creating new literature or developing the website. The problem is, that in those circumstances, they don't always DO the right thing. That's why planning is so important. A clear strategy is often the difference between success and failure.

So to increase the success of your brand communication, here is a simple 5 step guide to planning your brand communication:
1/ Who are you talking to? (Identify your audience. Be specific)
2/ What do you want them to do? (How do you want them to react? Buy more product? Buy more often?)
2/ What do they need to know, to react in that way? (What's your message? What's the benefit they want from your product or service?)
4/ What is the best channel to communicate that message? (Is it via your website? Is it through networking?)
5/ What do you want to achieve as an outcome of this activity? (If it's an increase in sales, is it the number customers, or the total value? Again, be specific).
Now you can go and do it!

As you can imagine, this does take longer, but it's worth it. All the time, energy and budget you invest in the project is more likely to bring the outcome you want. And if something is not working, you can identify what it is, and change it.

If you'd like to know more about developing a strategy, and then putting it into action, we'd be happy to have a chat. Call us on 01392 248107 or email jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk.