{"id":3792,"date":"2012-03-28T20:34:31","date_gmt":"2012-03-29T00:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/herculiz.com\/dev\/?p=3792"},"modified":"2018-10-18T20:14:17","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T20:14:17","slug":"navigating-the-brand-jungle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/advertising\/navigating-the-brand-jungle\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating the Brand Jungle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Is branding getting harder? Every generation of marketers probably thinks it\u2019s got the biggest challenges (just ask the perpetually scowling Don Draper of Mad Men fame).<\/p>\n

But while I believe these are very exciting times for marketers, it does seem like we are in midst of some unique challenges that require not new thinking\u2026but a more diligent adherence to the fundamentals that have always made brands strong.<\/p>\n

I discussed this in more detail on a webinar in partnership with a Getty Images.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>This was an informative event with lots of insight from experts and contributions from webinar participants. I urge you to watch for further events like this to stay up to date on branding and marketing industry news.<\/p>\n

You can catch the entire presentation\u00a0HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below is a recap of what I see as the top challenges and some strategies to navigate through them (with or without the Don Draper martinis).<\/p>\n

3 Top Branding Challenges\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

#1 Cutting Through the Increasing Clutter<\/strong>
\nAdvertising and messaging clutter is not a new issue, but it\u2019s one that\u2019s getting worse. Why is this? There has been a shift from mass media to a greater number of more targeted channels. However, since most consumers still view multiple channels, this means that they see more messages. The average HH has 300 channels vs. 61 in 2000. Also new technologies mean that consumers are exposed to messages on new devices- like smart phones and tablets. Lastly many retail stores, have decided that more merchandise means more chances to get consumers attention and share of wallet so they are increasing the number of in-store displays and have even raised shelf heights to cram in more<\/p>\n

The irony that brands like Apple and Target, which have stuck to a more streamlined, visually curated and consistent presentation are outpacing their more \u201cmanic\u201d competition.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the implication for Brands? It seems that shouting louder is not the solution. Brands need to be smarter (consistent, choiceful and distinctive) about visual presentation \u2013to both get noticed AND be remembered.<\/p>\n

#2 Confidence Has Been Shaken And Consumers Are Taking Back the Brand<\/strong>
\nThis has been a difficult few years for consumer confidence. The financial crisis and the misdeeds of a few high profile brands has led to a general decrease in consumer\u2019s trust in big brands, big business and big government. At the same time, the growth of social media has meant that advice and opinions from friends and other consumers is easier than ever to access and user generated content is becoming the go to source for information in many categories. In fact, 51% of consumers rank user-generated content as the most trusted source of brand and product information (compared to only roughly 6% who say that ads are the most trusted source). Brands that have taken a more transparent and interactive approach and invited consumers in to the conversation seem to be making strides to re-gaining this trust and standing out. Doritos consumer generated ads for the 2012 Super Bowl were declared the \u201cwinner\u201d both in terms of consumer buzz and creativity. The rapid rise of Pinterest, an online pin board, is effectively turning consumers in to magazine editors and taste-makers a la Anna Wintour overnight.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the implication of this for visual branding? The important thing for marketers is to be part of the consumer conversation but still maintain a level of brand consistency and quality that helps re-build trust, navigate the sea of available information (both true and false) and facilitate choice.<\/p>\n

#3 Brands Are Becoming More Local And More Global\u2026At The Same Time<\/strong>
\nThere has been a shift towards a grass roots movement where consumers are attempting to take control of their own destinies \u2013 occupying Wall Street and Main streets all over the country. There has been a shift to a desire for more local content and goods as it is often viewed as more authentic and relevant to consumers. AOL\u2019s The Patch hyper local news sites tripled traffic in 2011, in an industry where traditional newspapers are continuing to decline. Business Week recently reported 130 cities now host \u201cBuy Local\u201d groups up from 41 in 2006. At the same time there is an increasing connection with other communities across the globe particularly among Millennial. Among this generation \u201cWe\u201d as they are sometimes called, 54% of US Millennial believe they have more in common with young adults in other countries than older generations in the US. Just look at the meteoric global rise of One Direction a boy band that originated from the X Factor in the UK and through the power of social media has gained fans all over the world in record time. In fact One Direction became the first British group in history to debut at number one in the US.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the implication of this for visual branding? Branders need to make sure that products feel both locally relevant and globally accessible. This means choosing imagery that feels personal but still maintains a consistent feel across territories. It also means having the right systems in place to be able to easily access the content both locally and globally, often with diverse and autonomous teams.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my point of view. What\u2019s your twist?<\/p>\n

Is your brand facing and navigating these challenges?<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0Brand School\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>program will give you actionable steps and strategies that you can use to navigate branding and marketing challenges. \u00a0Receive\u00a0more information about the next semester\u00a0and receive\u00a0free brand-building tools and tips<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>when you\u00a0join our mailing list<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Please also join us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for more insight and discussion on branding.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“The value I received from my investment was incredible and I have no doubt that it will continue to pay dividends to me.”<\/em> \u00a0–\u00a0Lynn Stull, Owner Arts2Thrive<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is branding getting harder? Every generation of marketers probably thinks it\u2019s got the biggest challenges (just ask the perpetually scowling Don Draper of Mad Men fame). But while I believe these are very exciting times for marketers, it does seem like we are in midst of some unique challenges that require not new thinking\u2026but a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,21,22,24,30,68,148],"tags":[59,40,41,240,60,241,45,242,52,243,54],"class_list":{"0":"post-3792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-advertising","7":"category-brand-culture","8":"category-brand-experience","9":"category-brand-implementation","10":"category-brand-strategy","11":"category-global-campaigns","12":"category-verbal-identity","13":"tag-advertising-2","14":"tag-brand","15":"tag-brand-building","16":"tag-brand-challenges","17":"tag-brand-school","18":"tag-brand-solutions","19":"tag-brandtwist","20":"tag-don-draper","21":"tag-julie-cottineau","22":"tag-mad-men","23":"tag-marketing"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16443,"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3792\/revisions\/16443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}