BRANDS HAVE PACE
ALL BRANDS are moveable feasts, moving at a pace, be that sluggish or speedy. Brands are in perpetual motion and have overtaken traditional positioning. Attaining real-time engagement is to the fore in today’s marketing world. Movements are relative to stakeholders, partners, employees, customers, competitors and suppliers. Successful brands are those that can align pace with the demands of these varied publics.
Additionally, brands inviting success nowadays demonstrate stability, state-of-the-art qualities and close involvement with issues of importance to the outside world. There are many pitfalls along the way. Economic uncertainties, culture changes and strong competitors are typical challenges.
The first of the success factors, stability, is long-term. It demands unrelenting concentration on product or service development, continued improvements in customer support and strong relations with other publics. Then the brand can be seen to be strong enough for the long haul.
CUTTING-EDGE
A recent study by a set of industry leaders that included global telecommunications mover Huawei revealed a close correlation between cutting-edge brands and those that have earned dedicated following in the marketplace.
Of those viewed as being cutting-edge, almost two-thirds of interviewees said that they had a positive social impact and provided worthwhile experiences.
Consumers expect brands to be active on issues, intervening strongly and adding social value. Having an authentic voice and showing commitment to core purposes will help cement popularity. It is not just about products and services.
Nonetheless, brand managers have to face up to the reality that relations with customers are prone to uneasy dynamics. Social media platforms in particular make it easy for criticisms to spread like wildfire. Customers have considerable power and will take you to task for any mistakes. This makes it crucial to deal with the downs as well as the ups, reacting quickly and as openly as is feasible if things are starting to go wrong.
POSITIVE BALANCE
Brand movers are those that have discovered a positive balance between emotion and rational thought. They are ready and willing to keep moving forward and search out whatever is coming next. There will be scant support for those that can do little more than defend positions.
Better by far to be a game changer, primarily through aligning motion with the needs and desires of all. These are the movers with a dedication to attract business through high levels of experience and engagement. They offer benefits linked to accessibility.
The survivors will be those focused on how to turn motion into an advantage. They’ll remain ready at all times to push their brands in the direction of marketplace leadership. That demands new ways of thinking about brands.
Otherwise, they may have to suffer the consequences of becoming irrelevant in this rapidly changing world. Nothing in marketing can be regarded as static.
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