Brand Maturity Measurement

Branding Strategy Insider helps marketing oriented leaders and professionals like you define and grow brand value. BSI readers know, we regularly answer questions from marketing oriented leaders and professionals everywhere. Today we hear from Dan, a Chief Marketing Officer in Chicago, Illinois who asks this question about brand maturity models.

“Is there a maturity model for brands? I’m trying to assess where we are in the spectrum of brand maturity as an organization.”

Thanks for your question Dan. I am not aware of a formal model to assess brand maturity. However, I would like to answer your question in the following ways:

1. If a brand has customer meaning and value beyond specific product/service categories and is managed properly to change in its delivery as customer needs and market conditions change over time, it can potentially live forever.
2. Certainly newer brands have lower top-of-mind aided awareness within their product categories. Established brands have higher awareness. And, brands that are on the rise will experience significantly increased awareness over time.
3. One of the measures in our brand equity measurement system is “brand vitality.” This is a measure of whether a brand is perceived to be on the rise, static or in decline.
4. Whether brands possess personality traits such as “dated,” “traditional,” “boring,” “nostalgic,” “progressive,” “visionary,” etc. can also offer clues about a brand’s maturity, though mature brands can be progressive and visionary and newer brands can be traditional and boring.
5. Brands that have been around for a long time tend to have entrenched meanings in their customers’ minds. These entrenched meanings are usually very difficult to change quickly. This is less true for newer brands.

Regarding brand maturity as an organization, the following are signs of that:

1. The CEO takes ownership of the brand and is its vision crafter, teacher/evangelist and standards enforcer
2. All of the organization’s employees can consistently and accurately articulate the brand’s promise
3. The organization has a well thought through and rigorously applied brand identity system and standards
4. The organization has designed and successfully manages multiple customer touch points at which the brand’s promise is reinforced
5. The organization’s customers/members are attitudinally loyal to the brand and often recommend it to friends
6. The brand’s identity and tagline are widely recognized among its target audiences
7. Internal decisions, including budget decisions, are driven in part by whether the investment or action will help the organization deliver against its brand’s promise

We hope this is helpful Dan.

Do you have a question related to brand and growth strategy? Just Ask The Blake Project

The Blake Project’s brand equity measurement system is comprehensive, measuring each of the five drivers of customer brand insistence – awareness, relevant differentiation, value, accessibility and emotional connection – along with other factors such as brand vitality, brand loyalty, brand personality and brand associations. Contact us for more on brand equity measurement

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

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Lexus initiates global programme to encourage viewer participation

Lexus partners with UK based origami artist Coco Sato for its first instalment

The Lexus Creates initiative is a new content series from the luxury marque. This social-media-driven programme engages participants in activities that both inform and delight, with subjects related to the Lexus brand hallmarks of design and craftsmanship. This is accomplished with the help of a range of partners who, through their unique talents, inspire participants to create, whilst also elevating the value of their craft.

“Lexus often seeks unique ways to connect with its audience, beyond the automotive realm. The brand’s human-centric focus and dedication to craftsmanship provide a natural foundation from which to reach out and engage around topics that have already proven to be of interest to our audience. The Lexus Creates series is a perfect example,” said Brian Bolain, General Manager, Lexus International.

The first instalment in the series partners with UK-based origami artist/takumi Coco Sato to help bring the art, precision and creativity of origami to life. Starting with a cat, then a leaf, and then a more complex butterfly, the Lexus Creates series allows viewers to access the skills and teachings of Coco Sato.

Coco Sato is best known for translating traditional Japanese aesthetics into art forms with a uniquely modern edge. Using paper, fabric, food or simple electronics, she creates artworks and public origami installations.

Born in Tokyo and graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in London, her work is inspired by everyday life in her native Japan and her sincere desire to dissolve boundaries and foster understanding between different cultures.

Sato’s work alludes to an increasingly fast-paced and stressed-out world and explores the relationship between human interaction, technology, space and nature, and is motivated by a belief in the power of individuals coming together to make a statement, create a movement or bring about positive change. She shares her art and skills through social media and video tutorials and aims to encourage making things and thinking with your hands

In aligning with such an artist, Lexus hopes to help reinforce the value of creativity, the beauty communicated through these simple, timeless paper forms, and elevate the impact of the human-focused skills used to capture the emotion of Coco Sato’s work.

The article Lexus initiates global programme to encourage viewer participation appeared first on World Branding Forum.

1-800-Flowers.com announces collaboration with Jason Wu

1-800-Flowers.com, a floral and gifting brand, announced it has collaborated with global design talent, Jason Wu, to release an exclusive assortment of modern and elegant bouquets. The Jason Wu for Wild Beauty collection, which is now available nationwide, features on-trend arrangements that embody the designer’s signature aesthetic of femininity and sophistication.

Behind-the-scenes content, specially designed ‘thank you’ notes and the ability to preview select bouquets in 3D will allow customers to have an immersive digital experience as they are introduced to the new collection. This marks Jason Wu’s first collaboration with a floral and gifting brand.

“Jason Wu is one of the world’s most renowned fashion designers and we are thrilled to collaborate with him on this truly original collection, which reflects his unique point of view in floral design and bouquet presentation,” said Valerie Ghitelman, Vice President, Product Development and Design, 1-800-Flowers.com.

“We are excited to not only share these beautifully crafted arrangements with our customers but to engage them with distinctive content that provides insights into Jason’s design influences and more.”

“Playing a role in the intimate decision of what one chooses to wear each day is such an important part of what I do,” said Jason Wu. “To extend this concept to the graceful details people bring into their homes is an honour. This collection with 1-800-Flowers.com is especially meaningful to me because of my lifelong love of flowers. Floral elements continuously inspire me and have been a consistent theme throughout my entire career. I’m thrilled to celebrate the beauty of flowers in this new and special way.”

Jason’s design influences, such as modern femininity and refined style, are reflected throughout the entire Jason Wu for Wild Beauty collection. Chic, gathered arrangements include freshly cut flowers – such as roses, sunflowers, gerbera daisies, thistle, aster and mini calla lilies, amongst others – that are grown with love at select eco-friendly, sustainable farms.

Each bouquet, which includes a mix of textures and florals unique to the season, arrives wrapped in white kraft paper and is nestled inside a signature gift box. Customers can also opt to order a galvanised flower pail to showcase their arrangement.

The article 1-800-Flowers.com announces collaboration with Jason Wu appeared first on World Branding Forum.

Drybar welcomes Liz Williams as its first female CEO

Drybar Holdings LLC, the leading hair styling service specialising in blowouts, announces Liz Williams will join the company as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Williams brings extensive experience and a proven track record in worldwide brand development, digital marketing, multi-unit operations, and franchising.

“I am so thrilled to welcome Liz, our first female CEO, into the Drybar family,” said Alli Webb, Founder of Drybar. “After ten fulfilling and successful years in business, she will help usher in a new era for the brand and expand upon our vision both in the US and internationally.”

“We are excited to welcome a visionary leader like Liz to the Drybar family at this pivotal moment as we reopen our shops,” said Michael Landau, chair of Drybar’s board. “Liz is a results-oriented leader with a history of partnering with team members and franchisees to deliver amazing consumer experiences and growth.” Williams will oversee Drybar’s 140+ retail shops, which include corporate and franchise-operated locations.

“Drybar has created a category and cult brand with passionate and loyal consumers; I am very excited and honoured to be joining the Drybar family at such a pivotal time in the Company’s history,” said Liz Williams.

“I look forward to guiding the organisation as we reopen our shops safely for our customers and team members whilst also leading Drybar through the next phase of growth. I plan to partner with all of our stakeholders to enhance our customer experiences whilst continuing a culture of innovation as we expand across the US and the world.”

Williams joins Drybar from Yum Brands where she most recently served as President, Taco Bell International with responsibility for brand strategy, growth and performance of the business across 30 countries. In this role, Williams strengthened the business model and accelerated development. Under Williams’ leadership, Taco Bell entered new markets such as Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand and also formed strategic master franchise agreements in Spain, Brazil, and India.

Prior to this role, Williams was the Taco Bell Global CFO, leading Finance, Strategy, Information Technology, and eCommerce, where she was responsible for all financial elements of the US$11b/£8.6b business. Whilst at Taco Bell, Williams delivered eight years of industry-leading sales, profit, unit, and brand growth. She also spent a year at Yum, leading corporate strategy for the office of the CEO.

Before joining Yum, Williams spent six years with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a Principal in the Consumer and Retail practices in US and Asian markets. Prior to that, she spent seven years at Dell Computer in various finance, brand marketing, and corporate sales positions. Williams serves as a board member for Stitch Fix (SFIX), a leading online personal styling service. Williams received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas Business Honors Programme and her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

The article Drybar welcomes Liz Williams as its first female CEO appeared first on World Branding Forum.

The Brand Naming Process: Analyzing The Competitive Landscape

An analysis of competitor’s names is a critical step in the naming process, yet it’s commonly skipped or poorly executed. Here’s how to do it right.

Purpose At Work: How Fidelity Charitable Makes Giving Easy and Effective

This article is part of the 2020 Social Innovation Summit series, which highlights some of the world’s most astounding philanthropists, impactful companies, foundations and entrepreneurs. This year’s gathering will be held virtually from June 2nd to June 4th. The high-level event will feature free workshops, keynote speakers and breakout sessions with leaders like Rosario Dawson, […]

The post Purpose At Work: How Fidelity Charitable Makes Giving Easy and Effective appeared first on We First Branding.

How To Counter Direct-To-Consumer Threats

Since 2015, the string of veteran retailers like Diesel, Gymboree, Rockport, Brookstone, Payless and others that have filed for bankruptcy, or folded into the sunset, has become a grim infographic.

Sprung from pioneers like eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba, the new direct-to-consumer (DTC) model that feeds enterprises like Warby Parker, Casper mattress, Taylor Stitch, Freshly, Porter Road and others to come, meets consumers face to face on their smartphones and laptops.

The most adept DTC marketers watch their screens in real time, doing A/B tests on the run — the striped shirt versus solid colors, lipstick versus brushes, naked pink versus YInMn blue. They are running BOGOs versus discount codes, pushing for signups and spreading their learning across a spectrum of real time hooks.

Instead of thinking from quarter to quarter or week to week, DTC marketers think moment to moment. Because consumers are shopping moment to moment.

Time has collapsed and a single hesitation can be fatal.

Because of lower marketing costs for newbies entering established markets thanks to a “free” Internet, new DTC contenders have risen in consumer packaged goods, fashion, beauty, home furnishings and virtually every category. Even sleepy categories like mattresses and eyewear got a wakeup call that has turned into a fire alarm. Some traditional brands have burned to the ground.

Direct-to-consumer also threatens shopping malls, as consumers conduct their retail therapy online. (At our house, especially during COVID shutdown, it’s easy to judge stress levels by the number of Amazon and FedEx packages piled at the front door.)

To understand what’s really happening, it’s time to look at the Mother of direct-to-consumer, Amazon dot com. “[Everything] Amazon is doing is data-driven,” writes Cheryl Wischhover in a Vox article. “When they make a decision around the structure of a detail page or the structure of the browsing experience on the site, that’s all been A/B tested.”

“They’re doing 10 different versions, testing, and picking the one that resonates the most with consumers,” says John Ghiorso, founder and CEO of Orca Pacific, a consulting company for companies wanting to sell successfully on Amazon. This has ultimately led to Amazon creating its own products in some verticals, adding to the notion that Brands are dead.

But companies without customers are not Brands, they are simply companies on the shill. Without story, generic products on their own are meaningless. (In traditional terms, Amazon itself is building a house of brands.)

Old habits die hard. Advertising is a cult and it is difficult to get your head out of traditional marketing norms. But when 90% of consumers today view advertising messages as 100% lies, it’s time to reconsider.

The Five-Star Revolution

Without question, everything leans toward feeding five-star reviews. (Do you spend $10 million on a Super Bowl spot? Or $10 million building customer reviews? Don’t ask your advertising agency.)

Getting User reviews impacts everything. Not just product quality, but distribution, doorstep delivery, customer service, and follow ups to make sure customers are happy and (then) nudging your happiest customers to take time to review you.

Following these customer moments is more motivating than tapping conventional customer experience. While convention has been to push product into the pipeline and watch it go, for most companies these days that process isn’t going far enough.

And none of this means flipping your $10 million advertising budget over to Influencers.

Instead, getting terrific reviews might mean fine-tuning your CRM, putting more empathetic hires on your sales floor, updating your packaging, or deep diving into the analytics that influence any and all of these decisions.

One approach is to focus on zealots and potential zealots. Your zealots will inform what’s sticky for them. Potential zealots are the low hanging fruit who can reveal friction points. These two cadres can tighten your focus and reap timely results.

“The people who know how bring together their brand’s true promise with their products in a seamless experience are the ones that win in DTC,” says Peter Sena at Digital Surgeons. “Ultimately the way it comes together is because of Brand. If I can buy it on Amazon, I have no reason to buy direct. The only differentiator is experience.”

Which means that, if direct-to-consumer is hitting you hard, the fundamental reason is you.

IRL (in real life) experiences have become shoddy. Tons of intentional marketing can be derailed by surly or disgruntled floor staff. Brilliant examples of community have risen, been celebrated and then put on autopilot. Just ask Sears.

Brick And Mortar Retail Lives On

But store retailing is by no means over and done.

Japanese shoppers, for example, look forward to the attentive customer service found in their bricks and mortar. So online selling is not catching on for Japanese consumers as rapidly as in the U.S. In fact, there is even a Tower Records (remember them?) selling vinyl records in Tokyo.

South Korean luxury department store The Hyundai, is also upping its game. They asked London-based Universal Everything to invent a series of video artworks for a 30-metre-high LED video wall covering the Hyundai facade in Seoul.

Luxury retailers know they must enthrall, transform and upsell what online shopping cannot provide — a multisensory experience that stimulates and excites shoppers. And brings them back.

One thing is certain: Friction points are personal, omnidirectional and moody. There is no universal solution. Performance marketing with all of its acquisition/retention/resurrection tactics is in your face, annoying and sometimes even unthinking.

Another part of this might be mindset. Direct-to-consumer is more startup, more entrepreneurial minded — these aren’t just keystrokes, they are new companies with new technologies and fresh philosophies. More Tim Ferris than Jim Collins. The go go go entrepreneur is agile, proactive and seeks partnerships, workarounds and intentionally builds to break things. The new world is thinking in terms of bit torrents, the old world is thinking in terms of sales meetings.

Managers, manage. They slog through the heavy burden of hierarchies, existing channels, existing relationships while twisting the handles of pre-existing thinking.

The old is massively disadvantaged by the new.

In the end, these interactions are merely reflective of the changes in consumer habits, IRL changes that anyone who wakes to the slurry of emails, Facebook, Instagram feeds and Amazon Prime (good morning, Alexa!).

The very best companies will design and build an ecosystem that meets their consumer at every possible touch point. They will be online and on the street. They will be multi-channel, multi-sensory and multidirectional. If they survive long enough to try it out.

CUT TO: A small room in a faraway place that could be Bucharest, Dublin, or Trinidad. Wall-mounted computer monitors cover real-time IRL. The screens are panoramic, filled with graphs, charts, streaming numbers, sentiment analyses, click rates, blended data, hot and cool zones. Artificial intelligence and learning engines are both active. Each monitor has its own human, operatives wander between screens. The room is a tumult, voices intent, feverish, shouting numbers. Fingers work keypads. At the back of the room, in a darkened corner, a woman surveils the scene from her leather chair, an oversized iPad on her lap. Her slim fingers shuffle charts across screen geographies. Her head snaps to attention as she looks up and stares at a screen. Her eyes seek outcomes. She barks an order. The room responds. She smiles, reassured. Success. Her face glows as she looks back down at her iPad and moves on. The future is already here.

Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by: Patrick Hanlon, Author of Primal Branding

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Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

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