Living the Brand through Branding

  Christmas is coming!  These days I have been catching up on the display network through hands-on courses and a digital marketing leadership course called the 'Squared Online'. A course that covers 5 modules over a span of 5 months, it is certified by Google and helps traditional marketers to gain better insights on the digital aspects of marketing. In one of the modules that talks about programmatic marketing and display network, we had to come up with a few designs that we hope to propose for a display campaign serving a chosen brand. I thought of Coca Cola's latest version of Coke- Coke Zero Sugar. This product, despite being a slight twist from its regular Coke, actually embodies the brand's understanding of today's consumers- the healthier beings.  Not yet an expert in digital ads but I would like to offer my perspectives on how ads can be made more efficient to achieve its main purpose of grabbing eyeballs. Using the STDC (See-Think-Do-Care) framework to unde...

Today, I came across an article that struck a chord with me so deeply that I just have to write about it-" Management by Objective ". By definition, it is a strategic management model that aims to improve an organisation's performance by defining the clear objectives to be agreed by both the management and the employees. Sounds commonsensical but it is something that is so underestimated in many companies today. In quite a few companies I have been to, which I shall not name, have unmeasurable 'goals' that made all employees run about carrying out their day-to-day work without knowing the exact purpose or where that would lead them to. "Because we have been doing this way" One of the common issues in companies that have long histories and loyal staff is that, they are set in deep routines for the work processes that carry them from one stage to the next and before they even realise, the job is done. Smooth operations are indeed highly valued in an...

Welcome back, brand enthusiasts! Today, I am going to talk about future growth for one of my favourite coffee brands - Starbucks. First, let us take a closer look at its existing strategies that have been effectively put in place till date. (1) Extension Strategies Extension strategies can be classified into 4 types; (i) line extension, (ii) brand extension, (iii) concept extension and (iv) co-branding. (i) Line-extension: Monthly New Drinks Almost every month, Starbucks launches at least two seasonal drinks with flavours that sound really tasty and exciting to attract regular customers for repeated visits. It is effectively also a vertical line-extension to increase the average spending as the seasonal beverages are generally priced higher than its average selection. For example, their normal coffee   costs between S$6-8 while their festive/seasonal flavours cost between S$8-10.  (ii) Product Brand-extension: Tea For the longest time, Starbucks has b...

Hi Brand Enthusiasts,  Welcome back to my blog! In this post, I want to talk about managing a brand's reputation through the example of Samsung.  Since many years ago, Samsung has been the worthy rival against Apple for the market share of mobile phones. Many conversations revolved which is better; android or iOS with the two brands being the significant representations for the two interfaces. On multiple occasions with the recent one in 2019, Samsung actually beat Apple in taking the lead as the top smartphone manufacturer. Their success has a lot to do with the customers and is not by chance without any hiccup. Image: pcworld.com How Consumers Play a Part in a Brand's Reputation When we take a look at Samsung's 'The Next Big Thing is Already Here' campaign that became a hit in 2011, it clearly shows that it addresses the 'pain point' of the customers. The reason why many resonated with the Samsung ad was because they hate the long ...

Welcome back, brand enthusiasts! Integrated marketing communications (IMC) and brand orientation are two important concepts to ensure that a brand message gets communicated widely, consistently and effectively. In this post, let us look at how these two concepts are interrelated through the case example of Nikon , a camera brand from Japan that has global presence. IMC and Brand Orientation An advertisement, press release or a social media post are some output channels of Marketing Communications. IMC means a strategic network of communication across the entire marketing mix involving the 7Ps (Product, Place, Price, Promotion, People, Physical Environment and Process).  IMC can be seen as the combined effort of a brand-oriented organisation that communicates the brand message from internal to external stakeholders. According to Bridson & Evans (2004: 403-411), 'Brand Orientation' refers to the degree to which the organisation values brands and its practices are...