Rob Meyerson's presentation to Le Club des étudiants français de Shanghai in October, 2010. Covers general branding concepts, benefits of sound brand strategy, challenges specific to China, and thoughts on what brands are capable of. The presentation was given in English and followed by Q&A. Will post a link to a blog post about the presentation.
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About Branding
1. about brands*
* a presentation by: rob meyerson
senior brand consultant
labbrand, shanghai
prepared for: le club des étudiants
français de shanghai
2. je m’appelle rob meyerson. je ne parle
pas francais mais je veux vous remercier
d’etre venu ce soir. je vais vous parler
des strategies de branding et de
marketing et j’espere au vous passere un
bon moment.
merci a tous.
bonjour!
rob meyerson, 2010 2
8. tangible and intangible attributes
“a brand is a living entity—and it is
enriched or undermined
cumulatively over time, the product
of a thousand small gestures.”
michael eisner, former ceo, disney
rob meyerson, 2010 8
11. branding ≠ just products
“what we sell is the ability for a 43-
year-old accountant to dress in
black leather, ride through small
towns and have people be afraid of
him.”
harley-davidson executive
results-based leadership
14. so what is branding?
“stop concerning yourself with the
symbol and start thinking about
what you want them to know about
you. who you are and why you
matter is the only thing that ever
matters about your business. and
your brand is simply a tool to tell
that story.”
sasha strauss, founder, innovation protocol
rob meyerson, 2010 14
22. brands have value
“if this business were split up, i
would give you the land and bricks
and mortar, and i would take the
brands and trade marks, and i
would fare better than you.”
john stuart, former ceo, quaker (circa 1900)
rob meyerson, 2010 23
24. the inferiority complex
“until recently, asian consumers—in
particular asian managers—had
what i refer to as an inferiority
complex about asia. as long as all
the brands came from the western
world they were deemed to be
much better.”
martin roll, author, asian brand strategy
rob meyerson, 2010 25
25.
26. the conformity challenge
“in asia, a lot of clients do what’s
right for their boss, not for their
customers. if it’s different, [they
say,] ‘you mean it’s never been
done before? why? i don’t want to
do it.’”
rob campbell, head of planning, wieden+kennedy shanghai
rob meyerson, 2010 27
stop me if you have questions. kevin asked me to try the french, but…
american = monolingual, capitalist, friendly, ambitious, cocky, loud…
you have perceptions about me because I’m american. this is like branding.
brands have logos. each has a story. does anyone know apple logo story? not about logo, but what it conjures…
brands have leaders. many people were relieved when these two came into power (or returned to power). what does it say about apple or USA? do you think this is branding?
products. what do they say about your brand? america’s main export is culture (movies, music, etc.)
it’s really about the ideas that all these stand for. think different is a tagline, but also a mantra. very hard to wrap all the ideas up into a word or phrase, but this is what we try to do.
define brand by what it’s not. twitter background. designer got $6. huge believer in design, but because of what it can commnicate. branding is more than making things pretty. (twitter is unique.)
name the product? guess? no need to show it in the ads…it’s about a feeling; idea. freedom, rebellion. people get this brand tattooed on themselves?
anyone ever seen a starbucks ad? they got huge w/o traditional advertising. one of world’s most successful brands. coffee any good? it’s about “third place.” indulgence. experience.
story about alan getting upset at starbucks. employee ran after him with this. thousand small gestures.
could use different words, but same point. twitter is one-of-a-kind (new idea). harley makes itself relevant to bikers. starbucks is dependable…not for coffee, but experience (comfort when traveling). a brand’s job is to hit all three…not just for logo, etc., but the whole company. the idea. if successful…
benefits of doing this well. (relevance of apple brand)
barriers to entry. remember this when we talk about problems in asia.
great ad. expresses idea clearly. but really love that it’s in employee handbook. available online. makes me want to work there.
another example. anyone know who this is? brand goes deeper than advertising. chicken/egg.
brands are valuable. louis vuitton (21 B USD). notice not all consumer brands…B2B. all over world. Coke…unique? the idea is unique. it’s an original. relevant. coke market cap = 142B.
I’m not an expert (one year) but know people who are
a few clear trends
changing with national pride/confidence
this has led to copycatting (perception)
changing also; starbucks won case in 2006
potential for rapid proliferation of brands, then consolidation (banks, auto, airline)
but differentiation is key to building strong brands…this needs to be overcome.
parity = equivalent, similar, same
china still seen as having major quality issues…this is lowest rung on “ladder.” needs to be overcome.
“already serious and recognizable” - Interbrand
Being more interactive with customers. Nike Chalk Bot. Cancer survivor. Tour de France- send in messages (Lance Armstrong connection) Emotional, physical connection.
The Japanese translation of Kit Kat—Kitto Katsu means "surely win“. There is a tradition of sending students good luck wishes before they take tough higher education entrance exams. So Nestle partnered with Japan's post office to create "Kit Kat Mail," a post card-like product sold only at the post office that could be mailed to students as an edible good luck charm.
collaboration and interaction --- no more “if we build it, they will come,” no more yelling. in china, this is still in debate.
Built business model around brand idea. Customer loyalty.
$1 for tapwater at restaurant (normally free). proceeds go to UNICEF to buy clean water for people who need it.
T Mobile- mobile service provider. Video to leave them on. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQ1MzUwMzQw.htm
"Life's for sharing. T-Mobile."l