By Ahsan Ali Chaudhri

The process of branding was developed to

protect products from failure

Now Brands themselves are in trouble If the product fails , its the brand thats at

fault
Consumers make buying decisions around the

perception of the brand rather than the reality of the product

 If a product is good, it will succeed Brands are more likely to succeed than fail

Big companies will always have brand success

Strong brands are built on advertising If its something new, its going to sell

 NEW COKE

Pepsi Crystal ( In pursuit of Purity)

Pepsi AM RJ Reynolds Smokeless Cigarettes

Harley Davidson Perfume

Heinz All Natural Cleaning Vinegar Virgin Cola

BIC Underwear
Cosmopolitan Yoghurt

 Ponds Toothpaste Kelloggs in India ( Culture Failure) Hallmark in France Planet Hollywood Pears Soap(tired) Polaroid Yardley cosmetics Colgate Kitchen Entrees

BT Cellnet to O2
Kmart

 Concentrate on the brands perception

Dont clone your rivals

Feel the love Brands have love marks

not trademark Dont be scared to U- turn

 Dont assume that gaps should always be

filled Dont re -launch a failed product

Pepsi AM:

Discussion:

 Dont confuse consumers with Research

Confused Positioning
Remember that there is no such thing as

a certain success

 Focus on your brand values

Dont deviate from your core

customers Remember to keep it tight Confused POSITIONING

 Stick to what your customers Know

Expand within the limits of your brand

perception Adopt a niche strategy

Case : Caterpillar (Discussion)

 Strong brands depend on exploiting

competitors weaknesses Distribution is everything When Coca Cola entered in INDIA they bought Thums UP. Have a core brand
Pakistani Brand Gourmet (Discussion)

 Unrelated product category is dangerous

Vague Positioning
Think from the customers perspective Brands are bigger than products

 Do your Homework

Dont underestimate local competitors

The society is much stronger than any

brand , company or product Dont try to make consumers strangers to their culture

 Brands need to acknowledge cultural

differences. Even Mc Donalds vary their products for different markets Localization of products

 Big egos , Weak Brand

Company expanded too quickly , soon 80

restaurants worldwide Attracted once only visitors Celebrity isnt enough Word of mouth is crucial in food sector The theme should be tied to the core product , rather than an abstract notion of Holly-wood

 Longest running brands since 1789

Every brand has its time: Pears soap was

a historical success, but the product became incompatible with contemporary trends and tastes Ovaltine is 106 years old brand

 It was founded in 1937

Share value slipped from US $60 in 1997

to 28cents in 2002. Be quick to Anticipate Stay Relevant Be Creative Be essential

 It was founded in London in 1770

Now bought by Wella

Brands must try to change over time Historical brands carry historical

baggage

 BT Cellnet announced in 2001 that it was

getting rid of its brand name in favour of a new international identity Dont Overlap Brand identities: When BT set up different mobile business with different names such as Cellnet and Genie, it created consumer confusion Brand names cant be undone overnight

 One of the United States largest chain of

discount stores Spend US $2 billion in overhaul to improve stores and distribution system Realize that price gimmicks wont win long term customers Dont Neglect advertising Be better than the competition

 Positioning is a key of success

Brand Positioning starts with establishing a

frame of reference, which signals to consumers the goal they can expect to achieve by using a brand Singapore Airlines Vs Malaysian Airlines Nivea gentle& protective entered into the Deodorants category with clear positioning d0 stop- odor Dove soap with moisturizing lotion moved into dishwashing liquid and flop

 Companies sometimes try to build brand awareness

before establishing a clear brand positioning Dot.com crash Companies often promote attributes that consumers dont care about Companies invest too heavily in points of difference that can easily be copied ( competitive Advantage) Companies leave their position while responding competition Companies think that they can Reposition

Excellence
Innovation Anticipation