Brand – Art or Science
Posted by Jason Dunstone on August 19th, 2007 at 1:07pm
The annual week of marketing related speakers this year focuses on the centrepiece of marketing – brands. Marketing Week 2007 posses the question ‘Managing Brands – Art or Science?’ A bit of a silly question, but one that may even beat last year’s record attendance of 800 marketing boffins.
Saying that the choice is one or the other is quite ludicrous. If we think of some big brands that may jump immediately to mind – such as Google, Coca Cola and McDonalds – I’m sure that their marketing strategists aren’t so black and white. One thing that you can guarantee is that the consumer is the primary consideration. The oracle is to get inside the minds of consumers. What do they want, think and do?
Once the ‘understand the consumers’ box is ticked, the next step for successful brands is sure to be to pull in a few creative thinkers to do their magic. They are likely to have a metaphorical painting of ‘the consumer’ and think ‘how can we make them love this brand or to love it more?’
They may think and think, throw a few abysmal ideas in the bin, pitch the idea to senior management and, with finders crossed, have the budget is approved for the new campaign, logo or clever marketing strategy. It is also most probable that throughout the creative process that the successful brands will talk to their consumers.
For those who will attend sessions during Marketing Week, please don’t overlook the importance of consumers. As marketers we are not painting pictures for the MCA in Sydney, making art-house movies or choreographing modern dance. There is no question of the importance of imagination and a bit of calculated risk in managing brilliant brands. But, make sure you do this with your consumers as the point of focus. It’s not solely about being cool and artistic. Managing successful brands is about engaging consumers, sparking emotions, standing out from the crowd and ultimately empowering them to action.
Posted in Insight
