Brands, Characteristics and Relationships

I've tried to be a student of good brand management in my twenty years of marketing, positioning, selling and consulting. I try to read broadly on the subjects and stay in tune with the times and remain progressive in my thinking. Along the way, I've met some really smart, talented managers and most of them have been more than willing to share their best practices. Over these two decades, one voice has had the greatest influence on my thinking. No, it's not Al Ries, Jack Trout or Harry Beckwith - though they have been influential. His name is Chuck Jarvie. If you know much about P&G in the 60's and 70's or Dr. Pepper in the 80's, you know Chuck. Quite simply, he knows more about consumer marketing and brand management than anyone I've ever met and he has a gift for succinctly communicating the principles. With all of the excitement, confusion and hyperbole about Social Media Marketing today, I thought now would be a great time to review the basics as taught to me by Mr. Jarvie.

All brands have certain characteristics. No matter what the industry, these fundamentals do not vary. Only the tactics and culture vary. If your brand doesn't have all five, you might be offering "branded" products/services, but you don't command brand position. According to Chuck, here are the five essential characteristic of a brand:

1) A brand is easily identified and understood through its Unique Selling Proposition. Consumers know it and can easily and quickly summarize it.

2) A brand has true, measurable performance attributes. Consumers can tell you the actual benefits they derive from the brand.

3) A brand is price in-elastic. Its core customer is willing to pay a premium to obtain the benefits it offers.

4) A brand is long-standing and progressive. A brand is never a fad. It stays relevant to its customer through stability and is kept in tune with the times.

5) A brand maintains and ensures its value through a definite and sensitive consumer feedback system. This CFS anticipates shifts in consumer desires and satisfies needs in a proactive - not reactive - manner.

According to Chuck, most brand failures or products that fail to achieve brand status are a function of not having the consumer relationship right from the beginning. Or, in some cases, the brands that lose their status do so as a result of not maintaining and nurturing a "partnership" with their consumers. So, what is SMM if not a great new technology that allows us to communicate on a personal level with consumers - nurturing the "partnership" and deepening the consumer relationship with the brand? I'm not denying that the technology is new, exciting and powerful. I'm a big believer in SMM and actively engage in its use. However, the arrival of SMM does not change the fundamentals of marketing or communications. Brand management principles don't vary, they just adopt the technology that allows them to do a better job of staying in touch and progressive.