Online Branding, Kids Branding and Brand Building - MartinLindstrom.com http://martinlindstrom.com Don’t blame you if you think there aren't any more start-ups left -- but there are. Now, more than ever, you can establish the brand you've dreamed of. It's cheap. It's easy to harness communications channels. Consumers are keenly attentive to anything new. Cheap?How can you establish a dream brand if you're not equipped with a wallet as heavy as Coca-Cola's and a communications network as expansive as AOL Time Warner's?? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Big Brand Zero Bucks.pdf Optimizing budget When a customer complains about your product, service, guarantee, or Web site, it's not always because the quality was lousy. It may have been because you didn't manage that customer's expectations. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Word Of Mouth.pdf Optimizing sales We've all done it. We've entered a store planning to purchase a single item -- a set of bags for the vacuum cleaner or perhaps some tomato paste. Then, before you know it, we're at the checkout with vacuum cleaner bags, a new vacuum cleaner, extension cords, optional attachments, an extra two-year warrantee, and maybe some tomato paste. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Webogram Power.pdf Optimizing sales Recently I was in a Copenhagen taxi, heading for the citys airport. My co-passenger was a lady who carried a fancy bag. A very nice bag, Im sure, but what interested me was the combination of brands it represented. The bag was produced by Samsonite. No surprise there, as Samsonite is the worlds largest luggage manufacturer. This Samsonite bag also represented Philippe Starck, a designer known for his work with furniture who, in this case, had designed the bag for Samsonite. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Unorthodox Brand Alliances.pdf Brand alliances In the good old days, recognition was something customers were able to establish with their favoured stores over time. I'm sure you know the feeling. It's that special warm feeling you get when you're remembered by name, and by your usual purchase, when you enter a store. Well, being remembered is still common today -- on the Web, that is. The personal touch has been transferred to the Web and, sure, the old trick gets some of us. But does it really inspire customer loyalty? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Unity Fraternity Loyalty.pdf Useful techniques Did you know that close to 80 per cent of all brands purchased by parents – is controlled by their children? You may be surprised to learn that a whopping 67 per cent of all car purchases is also determined by the children of the home – not by the parents. Tweens (8- 14 year-olds) are an increasingly powerful and smart consumer group which last year alone spent and influenced an astounding €1.88 trillion. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Tweenspeak.pdf Contextual branding P2P marketing is hardly a new phenomenon, however it is a phenomena that is about to be leveraged to unprecedented heights using our next generation of kids. During my "BRANDchild" research, one of the brands that impressed me most was U.S.-based Jones Soda. The product itself is hardly different from any other soda. What distinguishes it from the pack is it's created a persona that draws kids to it like a magnet. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Turn Customers into Marketers.pdf Optimizing sales Sorry, but this is for your own good. Open wide. Say, "Uniqueness, consistency, consumer focus." Well, say what you like, so long as you use your brand's distinctive voice, use terms that are recognizably your brands, and speak from your customer's point of view. I'm checking how well you handle your online brand presence. Thing is, if you're stuck with the same thing all day, every day, you tend not to notice the obvious. You don't see the forest for the trees. This exercise may be both obvious and painful. In the end, you'll agree that by facing up to the examination, you'll help yourself help your brand. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Three Step Brand Check Up.pdf Optimizing sales Situation placement creates a brand image in the consumer's mind around an initial product, and then builds follow-up products around the constructed notion. The technique makes brands the raison d'être of those follow-up products. Your product becomes the hero, enhancing a story rather than simply appearing as an added element without any effect on the plot, as is the function of product placement. But how do you engineer this for your own brand? How do you secure space for your brand in a computer game? How do you manage to have your brand featured in a popular song or placed centre stage in a hit movie? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/The Situation Placement Game.pdf Product placement I have some figures at my fingertips I think will astound you. Did you know a full 67 per cent of families buying a new car base their purchasing decision on advice given by their children -- who are too young to drive? That 62 percent of mobile phones and 65 percent of clothing brands are bought by parents under the influence of their kids' opinions? We're not talking only about American kids, but kids across the globe, in countries as diverse as India, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Turkey, Germany, Thailand and Denmark. The power this young generation wields over their parents has been shown to be nothing less than mind blowing. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/The Real Decision Makers.pdf Online strategy At a British Airways counter recently, I noticed an elegantly attired man trying to squeeze his over-large hand luggage into one of those luggage size-indicator frames. The man gave up trying to make the bag fit, and abandoned his reading of the lengthy note of legal caution above the frame. He directed his anger at the check-in staff whose manner was as frosty and ill humoured as that of the signage. No natural repartee; no human connection. This has been replaced by the corporate standard. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/The living brand manual.pdf Brand vision Over the years, promotional tools have become oft-used weapons in the brand marketer's arsenal, employed by thousands of brands to attract and retain customers. Last year alone, more than 20 percent of total marketing expenditure went to promotional activities. Analysts predict that, by 2003, 50 to 70 percent of Internet marketing budgets will be spent on promotions. One of the major benefits of running promotions has been the window such efforts can open on consumer behaviour. Brand builders can monitor the effect of promotions by soliciting action from consumers -- getting them to complete coupons, enter competitions, return product labels, you name it. The response to these gimmicks then stands as a clear indicator of the success or otherwise of a campaign. Compare the measurability of this strategy with that of, say, pure TV advertising, which affords brand builders scant consumer analysis in the short term. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Stop Guessing.pdf Optimizing budget Some years a go a British real-estate chain decided to go the totally reverse way when selling houses and apartments. We all know the usual real-estate jargon using words like breathtaking, stunning and exquisite in every sentence when describing even the most miserable apartment using sentences like: “This stunning apartment, presenting an excusive panorama view of a breathtaking backyard in the central city is a must see…” The interesting fact is that we all know the description hardly reflected the reality but only some real estates fascinating writing talent. Well this real-estate agency went the totally opposite way by describing the reality as it was … yes you read it right – as it is! http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Tell the truth.pdf Optimizing sales Back in 1915 Earl R. Dean, who was working at the Root Glass Company, was given a brief to design a bottle, which firstly could be recognized in the dark. And then, even if broken, a person could tell at first glance what it was. Taking his inspiration from the pod of the cocoa bean, Dean produced a bottle with ridged contours. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. This led to the Coca-Cola Company’s contourization strategy, which used the shape to emphasize the very brand. The bottle he designed was the classic Coke bottle, which has become one of the most famous glass icons ever. The bottle is still in service, still recognizable, and been passing the smash test for every generation over the last 80 years. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Smashing your brand.pdf Brand alliances Can your navigation survive being smashed? It is an interesting exercise, which removes a logo-fixated mindset and brings you closer to a philosophy valuing all elements that create the brand that it is. Ask any Nokia user and they’ll agree that one of the primary reason why they love their Nokia is not because of all its features, better reach or battery time – its something as simple – yet important as the navigation. Once you’ve used the Nokia cell phone a couple of times you’re hooked on the Nokia way of navigating. In fact most Nokia users loyalty with the brand is not with the brand but with the navigation making you wonder how important less traditional branding components like the navigation in fact is to generate a loyal audience. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Smash your navigation.pdf Wireless strategy It's a familiar phenomenon: the biggest brands, like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, spending hundreds of millions of dollars in brand building and brand maintenance. Daily, we're inundated with TV, radio and print messages that account for much of that brand building investment. Americans see close to 30,000 TV commercials a year, on average. Let's think about this for a moment. "Watch" doesn't necessarily mean, "see." Not every marketing campaign benefits from reflexively pouring millions of dollars into TV advertising. You shouldn't despair if your own marketing budget comes in at a couple of hundred thousand dollars...or less. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Small Spending - Big Branding.pdf Optimizing budget Last week we spoke about how product placement has turned into become situation placement – the question is however 'How in earth do you create such plan'. How do you secure space in a computer game, manage to be mentioned in a song or shown in a movie? That’s what this week's article is all about. Before even considering going along this track you need to consider what you want to get out of it. In contract to traditional “above the line” marketing – it’s almost impossible to measure the effect of this approach – at least on a short-term basis. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/The Situation placement Part 2.pdf Product placement Most marketing plans appeal to only two senses: sight and hearing. Why so limited? How come almost all marketing and brand building concentrate on two senses when we know appealing to all five is likely to double brand awareness and strengthen the impression a brand leaves on its audience? Several surveys document our olfactory sense as probably the most impressionable and responsive of the five senses. Smells invoke memories and appeal directly to feelings without first being filtered and analysed by the brain, which is how the remaining four senses are processed. We all recognize and are emotionally stimulated by, say, the scent of freshly cut grass, brackish sea air, or the perfume of roses. I'm convinced any car lover drinks in the smell of a new car. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Sensory Branding.pdf Wireless strategy Before you can tell people what you want them to think about you, you must know clearly who you are. A quick review of most corporate sites reveals a disappointing lack of unique brand visions and distinctive corporate identities. Though some company executives devote time to thinking about and defining who they are and where they want to go, the vast majority seems to come up with impotent copy-and-paste statements, redolent with empty clichés and nebulous objectives. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/See Your Brand Vision.pdf Brand vision The days where branding was all about big budgets and doubtful return on investments is long gone. Even though the big brand image campaign still might work – its harder and harder for any company justifying the big investments they require leading to alternative ways of building and maintaining brands – like ROI Branding. Let me check up the health of your brand – from a ROI point of view – ensuring that you haven’t overseen three of the most effective alternative ways of building brands. Team up… http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/ROI Branding.pdf Optimizing sales My father always said not to talk about religion, politics and money. So right here and now I’m going to break the first rule by revealing some of my most fascinating revelations by placing branding in dare I say, a religious context. How can a brand hope to achieve the ultimate? Just two weeks ago, on the streets of Tokyo I got the answer. Walking down the road were two girls dressed from top to toe in Hello Kitty items. Nothing was left “unbranded”. Apart from their dresses, shoes and handbags, they had Hello Kitty nails and Hello Kitty earrings, and Hello Kitty phones. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Religious_branding.pdf Brand vision If I scroll through your media plan I’m sure it will contain all the usual and well-known media options, TV and Radio ads, the print ads and the outdoor. We’ve all picked these options for years well in fact decades because we knew you would never be fired on choosing them. Just like an IT guy wouldn’t be fired for installing an IBM solution for your company. But soon these days are long gone – soon you will be fired to choose these options. Today the size of the computer gaming market is double of the revenue generated by the movie industry. ACNielsen predicts the movie industry will be one third of the computer gaming industry within only four years leaving me wondering where the enormous power once placed in the hands of Hollywood is about to go. Is it about to go online? And if it is – where are you? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Playing the Brand game.pdf Gaming box Imagine you went down to your local bank, the one just around the corner, to discuss retirement plans. Imagine you did so because you'd been receiving letters from your bank manager for the past 21 years. He's a great guy. He knows you and your family's finances better than you do yourself. I agree - let's stop right there. It's too far-fetched. I can't imagine it, either. First of all, you probably never receive real letters from your bank anymore. Second, there's no longer a bank just around the corner. Third, your bank manager has evaporated and been supplanted by a call centre. That call centre makes anonymity into a fine art by adding that special, impersonal touch. Every time you call and put in the requisite time on hold, you eventually speak with some new person who deals inadequately with your apparently stupid questions and who ensures everything you discuss is forgotten the minute you hang up. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Phishing for Brand Value.pdf New technologies Is perfect branding really the best way of building brands? Up until recently this might have been true. Asking Martha Stewart fans they would have agreed with me. Year after year the ever-perfect Martha have been dishing up one perfect decoration advice after another. And yes they were really perfect – but repeating this session decade after decade made one mistake look so much more dramatic than if the brand Martha would have conducted mistakes, purposely or not, through the years just like us “ordinary” human beings. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Perfect Brand.pdf Generating traffic For most manufacturers this initially would sound like a nightmare – but is it? Recently I checked into The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. Knowing the brand your expectations are by default tuned to the highest level – still I’ve time after time managed to be surprised. When I wished to access music in my room, I was told that the CD library didn’t exist in this particular hotel. The apologetic concierge however asked me out of curiosity which CD’s I was looking for. Listing all my favourite names I hang up wondering the reason for this curiosity. 20 minutes later the bell rang on my door. The same person as I’ve been speaking with over the phone handed over a bag with three CD’s purchased by the hotel, all matching my name – and given as a gift to me. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Over deliver.pdf Optimizing sales Have you ever hears about a brand rejecting customers? Probably not – every brand we know are desperate to attract more customers - and the customers know it – so when finally a brand follows the opposite trend, there might be something in it. Some years ago I developed the concept for a relaunch of the Pepsi website. The big question was – how do you create a website which goal is to promote a sticky soft drink – which at the same time had to be cool, relevant and make you drink even more? As easy as it might sound for some – just as difficult it is – without abusing the usual advertising solutions like games, screensavers and music news. It’s kind of overdone – and hardly builds the brand…well unless you happen to be in the gaming or music industry. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Opinionated branding.pdf Gaming box What do United Airlines and Starbucks coffee have in common? Take one of United's U.S. flights, and you'll find out. On every domestic flight, you're no longer served coffee. You're served Starbucks coffee. In fact, the deal between the two companies requires flight attendants to say "Starbucks Coffee" when offering in-flight beverages. What we're seeing is the trend toward brand alliances. Brands that are mutually complementary team up with each other and with their partners' brand missions. A quick look at several major U.S. supermarkets reveals they offer Starbucks coffee. Starbucks cafés are situated in the stores. Starbucks analysed its traffic flow and concluded people are in the mood for a cup of something while waiting around. Successfully selling coffee to such customers optimises revenue flow for both the coffee chain and host establishments. Thus, brand alliances are born that benefit both the consumer and the bottom line. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Online Dating For Brands.pdf Brand alliances We're spending more and more on marketing and securing fewer and fewer results. Last year, marketing budgets increased 7 percent. But effectiveness decreased 2 percent! We need something else. Fancier TV spots, snappier graphics, and more frequent e-mail won't do the trick. Something's missing. Let's step back and think about who we are: sentient beings. Do we make the most of the five senses? How can we strategically use them to build brands? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Now Hear This.pdf Optimizing budget Imagine you were offered a choice to purchase two different cars. Nothing was said about the cars, not even the price. The only information you have would be the country of origin. The first car is produced in Turkey – the second in Switzerland. Which one would you choose? Most people wouldn't hesitate. They'd select the Swiss car, because Switzerland has established a reputation for products that are high quality, precise, secure and of good design. A country brand is everything. It's a factor in attracting tourists, trade agreements and consumers' perception that earns respect. This respect extends to its citizens, and the way they are treated the world over. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Made in.pdf Brand alliances A quick quiz: What do toothpaste, toothbrushes, chocolate, CDs, hair gel, building blocks, games, calendars, films, chewing gum, cups, and... (could I forget?) four books have in common? You guessed right. Harry Potter! I'm sure neither J.K. Rowling nor any of the rest of us expected Harry Potter to become, within only four short years, one of the most sought-after kids' brands ever, competing head to head with venerable names such as Disney, Nintendo, and Sony. The amazing and positive fact is that a book, for the first time in over a decade, has managed to become the key attraction for kids all over the Western world, despite the competing presence of computer games, the Internet, interactive television, and mobile phones. But a shadow is looming, one that's likely to cast a pall over the amazing brand story. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Is Harry Committing Suiside.pdf Wireless strategy Some years ago, an Australian takeout pizza place used the Internet in an attempt to boost sales. Traffic was slow. Hardly anyone visited the site. The need for an increase in traffic was urgent. If traditional online media planning had been used, banners and links would have been purchased and the URL added to the shop's phone-book entry. It might even have invested in some traditional ads. The pizza place went a different route. Instead of spreading money between off- and online ads, it spent the entire budget on radio. The spots were simple but extremely effective. So effective, the restaurant's increased business caused most of the local competition to shut down. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/How to rip out the competition in one go.pdf Generating traffic Last week I discussed the value of real life branding — the important role staff play as branding channels themselves and the importance of carefully considering how your company can identify new, smart and cost-effective branding opportunities — in creating your brand’s clear point of difference. Here now is a story that exemplifies the value of “real life branding”. Two or three years ago, in the Mediterranean Turkish city of Antalya, a luxury resort was being built. It so happened that the biggest economic crisis in Turkish history struck, making it difficult for such an enterprise to kick off. Just as the hotel was being prepared for its grand opening, the Russian submarine, the “Kursk”, sank in the northern Arctic Sea. Its entire crew perished, as I’m sure you remember. Anxious to offer help in the wake of this tragedy, the CEO of the hotel company contacted the Russian Embassy and arranged one-week vacations for the families of the lost submariners. A TV channel learned of the gesture and produced a story about it. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/goodwill - Goodthinking.pdf Viral branding Social values redolent of the '50s, '60s, and even '70s are quietly being readopted by brands. These values are becoming more strongly expressed in the communications of brands plugged into the trend. Why is this happening? How can you leverage this? Why is simple. As the global community endures crisis after crisis -- the SARS epidemic, an ever-present threat of political instability, shadows of war, and continual damage to already fragile economies -- humans long for stability. We're united in a need for something we can trust, rely on, and think about with joy. Aside from the macro situation of global instability, there's the micro situation of individual uncertainty. Close to 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. The strong family unit celebrated in earlier decades' wholesome sitcoms and movies seems an anachronism. Nostalgia encourages parents and kids alike to think about the past in romantic terms. The past is an icon of stability. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Good Old Fashioned Online Brands.pdf Innovating techniques Marketing isn’t what it used to be. In 2003, advertising spending across the world increased on average by 3.6% - however the returns from that spend decreased by 3.4%. Not a surprising fact considering that the average consumer who’s reached the ripe old age of 65 in Britain would have been exposed to at least one million television commercials. And the number in the U.S. and Australia is even higher. When you stop and do the sums, this equates to watching television commercials for eight hours every day, seven days a week for a mind-boggling three years! Given the low return on advertising investment, we are forced to conclude that advertising, as we know it, no longer works. Something new is required. I’m suggesting three new pathways. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Future of Marketing.pdf Gaming box Have you ever noticed the way you head straight for your usual brand on the supermarket shelf, without even considering the others? It’s almost like default behaviour. In fact, you might even know that a change in brand might for one reason or another be even better, but have dismissed it with a what-the-heck sort of shrug and decided to deal with it next time… I would claim that a lot of brand loyalty is due to laziness and a why-bother attitude. This then becomes a brand’s greatest ally. The lack of solid and trustworthy inspiration at the moment the purchase decision is made, still keeps last-minute brand changes to a minimum – well that’s until now. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Fake Branding.pdf Product placement A couple days ago, I was in a Scandinavian airplane on my way Los Angeles. Ignoring the airline food, I noticed a cute little branding experiment on the tray. A small notice was printed on an item. It declared, "Pepper has been called the gift of the East." (I overlooked the fact "gift" means poison in my native Danish.) The statement aptly communicates the airline's Scandinavian values: among them the Northern European delight in thoughtful detail, appropriate explanation, and historical attribution. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Emotional Ties.pdf Optimizing sales I'll bet you've called some corporation, been connected to the call centre, and been put on hold. After what seems like hours of waiting, you're told your call is very important. You're a very valuable customer. All this adulation is expressed by some automated voice. Great consolation! Not. Once you are finally connected with a live person, you realize the operator has no authority. Next, you're transferred; put on hold, flattered again by that automated voice, connected, and transferred again. Finally, you hang up, no better off than you were an hour ago when the phone odyssey began. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Do You Provide Customer Disservice.pdf Brand vision Five years ago, you were likely to be asked, "What's your Internet strategy?" Today's question is, "What's your channel strategy?" If within 30 seconds you can summon up a reasonably sound answer to this question, forget about reading the remainder of this article. If you can't, reading on might be worth the effort. One of today's realities is that new communications media are hitting the market every year. I don't need to name the plethora of choices already on consumers' plates -- the Internet, the personal digital assistant (PDA), WebTV, the wireless application protocol (WAP) phone -- all of which appeared within the last decade. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Cross Channel Branding.pdf Wireless strategy Some years ago, an Australian takeout pizza place used an untraditional channel in an attempt to boost sales. Traffic was slow. Hardly anyone visited the site. The need for an increase in traffic was urgent. If traditional media planning had been used, print ads or direct mail would have been purchased and the phone number added to the shop's phone-book entry. It might even have invested in some online ads. The pizza place went a different route. Instead of spreading money between off- and online ads, it spent the entire budget on radio. The spots were simple but extremely effective. So effective, the restaurant's increased business caused most of the local competition to shut down. How'd it do it? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Creative Thinking is Required.pdf Optimizing sales Imagine that I told you of a product that I knew nearly nothing about. I didn't know what its price was, what any of its unique features were, or even what type of product it was. But I did know the product's country of origin… Let's say the product is from Switzerland. Now what would your impression of this product be? Even though this is a hypothetical scenario, I bet that you'd be able to tell me something about the mystery product's price, its quality, and the reputation it most likely enjoys. Such assumptions would be inspired by the preconceptions you, as a consumer, hold about the country in question. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Country of Origin as a Branding Statement.pdf Wireless strategy While the whole world was celebrating New Years Eve one country had another point on the agenda – to leverage those pressures seconds after the clock had turned twelve to brand it self. Australia among many countries has developed a highly sophisticated branding program with one focus – to attract the world’s eyes on their beautiful country. Turning in some eyes the disadvantage of being on the other side of the world – far away from Europe and the U.S. – the country has ever since 2000 spend tons of millions of dollars establish a fire work – which conveniently is leveraging the time zones and is beamed to the rest of the world in time for the news reports and all the chaos when the time is reaching twelve in Europe and the U.S. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Country Branding.pdf Optimizing sales When I first surfed the Net, some six years ago, I clicked on every banner ad that came before me. I reckon this was, not so much because I was in desperate need for home loan advice, fly fishing equipment or wedding dresses, but because I was curious to see what a banner ad was all about. I can promise you, I'm not curious any longer! But I am still curious about ads that appear in logical contexts. In these cases, the advertising message makes sense and, piquing my curiosity because of this fact, encourages me to revert to my earlier discovery-oriented behaviour. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Contextual Branding.pdf Wireless strategy How many times did you hear the name "Evian" in the news last week? The stories in which you heard the name mentioned weren't about the brand Evian but the G8 summit held in Evian, France. Coincidence? Who knows? But one thing's for sure. The concept of product placement is expanding, and use of new contexts is climbing. Get ready for a fascinating new marketing ploy that makes use of the most unexpected places: situation placement. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Center Stage Branding.pdf Product placement Back in 1915, Earl R. Dean, who was working at the Root Glass Company, was asked to design a bottle. The brief required that Mr Dean produce a design which could not only be recognized in the dark, but which, even broken into many pieces, could be identified at a glance. Taking his inspiration from the pod of the cocoa bean, Dean produced a bottle with ridged contours. And the design he came up with fulfilled the brief beyond all expectations. The Coca-Cola Company’s distinctive bottle had been born and the contours that defined it became synonymous with the brand. The contouring became a design strategy, which spoke for Coca-Cola’s identity, and the bottle became a design icon. Still in service and still recognizable, the bottle has been passing the dark test and the smash test for over 80 years. This design story is revealing from a brand-building perspective because, in theory, all brand identifiers and vehicles should be able to pass these sorts of tests. Let’s consider this proposition in the most literal of terms. If you removed the logo from your brand identifiers and vehicles – livery, stationary, products, vehicles, signage, and so on - would people still recognize those items as being representatives of your brand? Let’s look at your packaging. What’s left once the logo disappears. Copy: would it speak for your brand? Colours: would they invoke recognition of your brand? How about your design – graphics, font, spacing – would they convey your brand’s identity? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand your navigation.pdf Wireless strategy As the international financial downturn continues, so does the test of branding. I’m sure you’d agree with me that the easiest strategy for securing a couple more customers is to reduce the price of your product or service. But, needless to say, this is also a strategy, which will damage your brand, weakening it in the eyes of consumers. As soon as the economy starts looking up, your discounted brand will be cast aside in favour of those perceived to be market-leaders. Your competitors will generate customer loyalty and you’ll lose the custom you thought you’d harnessed. So, no matter how tempting the price-reducing strategy might seem, don’t adopt it. The world of branding offers you a lot of other survival strategies, based both on rationality and emotion. Here are a couple of hints to help you generate sales in the hard times and to even bond your brand more strongly to your customers. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand survival.pdf Optimizing sales Some might ask them selves what went wrong when Heinz released a new ketchup – not in the traditional red colour – but in blue! The official statement from the company stated that the release of this new blue Heinz ketchup was a move to secure attention among a younger audience – but is this really what kids want? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand republic.pdf Securing attention Will the recent alliance between Proctor and Gamble and Gillette succeed? Well some years ago, the American Marketing Association produced a study with an interesting result. In a consumer survey on co-branding, 80 percent of respondents said they would be likely to buy a digital-imaging product co-branded by Sony and Eastman Kodak. However, only 20 percent of respondents claimed they would buy the product if it were branded by Kodak alone, and only 20 percent said they would buy the product if it carried only the Sony brand. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand plus brand.pdf Brand alliances As the Far East seems to move closer and closer to the west, and its two billion people open their wallets to brands, it might be valuable to seek some inspiration from oriental culture. At least, from one part of the Far East, which is as culturally diverse as Europe’s thirty-plus countries are, and as varied as the cultures of North America’s states. For western brands that are about to hit any part of Asia, you need a culturally aware Asian brand strategy to avoid a negative response to the culture shock you and your brand might experience. Even if you have no plans to enter Asian markets, there’s lots to learn from comparing culturally derived attitudes which all have lessons for brands and business. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand inspirations from the Far East.pdf Brand vision Recently – well it feels like that – a dear friend of mine, Tim Pethick approached me with a great idea. Well he felt it was great I – to be perfectly frank – felt it was rather trivia. The idea was to develop another juice brand. If you happen to live in Australia you would know one thing – that is that Australia hardly need another juice brand – in fact if you happen to visit any major grocery store they display at least 10 meters of juice in the fridge – minimum. Another juice brand I said and looked rather sceptical – yes he answered knowing what my feedback already would turn out to be. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand Different.pdf Optimizing budget Ever heard of a brand that rejects customers? Probably not. Brands are uniformly desperate to attract them. So why would a brand take the opposite approach? Some years ago, I developed the concept for the Pepsi Web site's relaunch. I was challenged by the big question, how do you create a Web site for promoting sticky soda? The site had to be cool and relevant; it had to make visitors drink more soda than they already did. Given Pepsi's prominence, the task might appear easy. Yet without abusing the usual solutions, such as games, screensavers, and music news, it wasn't. Those hackneyed techniques were, even back then, so overdone they weren't suited to brand building unless the brand was in the gaming or music industries. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand Building not Bland Building.pdf Useful techniques I'll bet that, more than once in your career, you've pondered the risk of teaming up with some other brand in a co-branding deal. The deal probably looked good; the conditions were perfect; but the brand... would it damage your own? It would be an exaggeration to claim that a number of studies have examined co-branding. But, luckily enough, I've managed to get hold of one study that might help us shed light on the issue. The Journal of Consumer Marketing published the study I’m referring to in 2000. It reveals a lot of interesting data and highlights facts of which we are possibly instinctively aware -- by confirming them empirically. The study was based on potato chips and dips. By offering various combinations, the tests helped the research team determine how human beings value brand alliances. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Brand Alliances Put to the Test.pdf Optimizing sales You can’t avoid them – the blogs. They’re so plentiful that the opinions they offer are forming part of news reports. Given the evident potency of blogs, therefore, the question is should blogs remain within their current sphere of influence, helping individuals to share their personal opinions on with the world, or should they be adopted by brands as communication tools? The fact is that the marriage between blogs and brands is no longer a vision. Personality brands, like Seth Godin or Tom Peters, already blog the net. And brands like Weight watchers, LEGO, Apple or Harley Davidson already appear on a frequent basis, not on behalf of their brand-builders, but promoted by their fans. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Blogs.pdf Brand vision You may be surprised to learn that close to 80 per cent of all brands purchased by parents is controlled by their offspring. But what will undoubtedly startle you are the figures that show a whopping 67 per cent of all car purchases is also determined by the children of the home – and not by the parents. Tweens (8- 14 year olds) are an increasingly powerful and smart consumer group, which in 2002 alone, spent and influenced an astounding €1.88 trillion. Did you know that an average British kid between 8 and 13 years of age is exposed to 22,000 television commercials a year? In fact these kids are exposed to more than 300,000 commercial messages each year if we include radio, television, print ads, billboards, and the Internet. These figures are from project BRANDchild – the world’s largest study on tweens and their relationship with brands. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/BANDchild.pdf Wireless strategy Let's discuss a product category that's excruciatingly boring: rolling bearings and seals. I want to look at SKF, one of the world's largest manufacturers of rolling bearings and seals. I don't know about you, but I couldn't think of a less sexy and uninspiring product line. If you didn't know this business or the brand, you'd think (when you visited SKF's site) you'd arrived at the wrong URL. SKF not only tells you about the company's support of one of the world's largest rock shows and how SKF products help their clients make delicious biscuits, it also has a special postcard section. The SKF postcard facility allows you to download cute love letters or birthday postcards that you can send to your friends. For example, one of the postcards illustrates a couple who have just been married and are now kissing each other. The text reads, "We reduce friction to help you move the world forward." Another postcard bears two hearts created with an assemblage of rolling bearings. The title on this one reads, http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/B2Branding.pdf Wireless strategy Disney, Kellogg's, and Gillette are three completely different brands with one commonality. Over the past decade, they've established a branded language, whether they know it or not. In my latest book, we found 74 percent of today's consumers associate the word "crunch" with Kellogg's. Another 59 percent consider the word "masculine" and Gillette as one and the same. Americans formed the strongest association of masculinity to Gillette, by an astounding 84 percent. Disney scored higher in purloined language than any other brand. This brand welcomes you to its kingdom of fantasy, dreams, promises, and magic. If you've stayed at a Disney resort, taken a Disney cruise, or eaten in a Disney restaurant, it doesn't take long to hear "cast members" greeting guests with, "Have a magical day!" http://www.martinlindstrom.com/pdf/articles/Absolut Branded Language.pdf Brand vision MEXICO CITY, MEXICO In this BRANDflash, Martin Lindstrom explores the world’s most celebrated “branded” ritual -the Corona ritual. But did you know that the ritual which has turned Corona into one of the world’s best-selling beers doesn’t come from Mexico? Click here to view Martin Lindstrom`s BRANDflash on the famous Sacher torte and how it has created its own following. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__8 Video Blog Learn about Nestlé’s fascinating KitKat strategy in Japan. It has turned the well-known chocolate bar into a unique “good luck” symbol – used by millions of Japanese people every day! http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__9 Video Blog Is it possible to brand something as ordinary as a fish? In this BRANDflash, Martin Lindstrom travels to the world’s largest fishmarket - in Tokyo - to explore a fascinating story about a very special branding experiment. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__10 Video Blog LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM Is it possible to build a brand for next to nothing? A small London café has managed to do just that. Puccino’s uses storytelling to build its brand in a highly innovative way. Join Martin Lindstrom in the United Kingdom to see how Puccino’s has been building its brand with takeaway cups, sugar packets and even toilet signs - a technique that has made Puccino’s a London attraction. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__11 Video Blog THE STRATOSPHERE Did you know that the aroma on Singapore Airlines’ aircraft is a trademark of the brand? So are the uniforms, and even the make-up worn by the flight attendants. Join Martin Lindstrom 28,000 feet above the earth in this week’s blog about Singapore Airlines. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__14 Video Blog KARACHI, PAKISTAN When Proctor and Gamble and Saatchi and Saatchi joined forces to expand Safeguard’s share of the soap market in Pakistan, they prompted a revolution in kids’ attitudes to handwashing all over the country. Join Martin Lindstrom and Commander Safeguard to discover a powerful brand character at work with a growing brand and a countryful of fans. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__15 Video Blog MUNICH, GERMANY When Allianz built the massive stadium in Munich that hosted the 2006 World Cup, they did more than develop a distinctive arena. They made a brand statement using shape, a shape that is echoed throughout the company’s many touchpoints with customers around the world. This week Martin Lindstrom examines the branded shape - one way of making powerful links between brands and customers that is free of the logo. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__16 Video Blog FRANKFURT, GERMANY Finding a point of difference in an industry as fiercely competitive as the passenger airline industry is no small achievement. Yet Lufthansa has managed to do just that by being innovative and introducing a dramatically different service to their repertoire. Check in with Martin Lindstrom as he visits Lufthansa in Frankfurt. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__17 Video Blog AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND Patriotism and horticulture form an unlikely alliance in the history of the carrot. This ubiquitous root vegetable hasn’t always been the color we know today. Dutch horticulturalists of the 17th and 18th centuries hybridized several breeds to achieve the now characteristic orange. Join Martin Lindstrom in Amsterdam as he uncovers a little-known branding exercise that honored the country’s royal House of Orange. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__18 Video Blog VIENNA, AUSTRIA From the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Martin Lindstrom reports on the value of branded rituals. Since 1832, the Sacher Torte, a distinctive chocolate cake, much-copied but rarely replicated, has been synonymous with Vienna, and this tradition has become a key component in the branding of the elegant Hotel Sacher. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__19 Video Blog FLORIDA, U.S.A. Martin Lindstrom visits Miami and reflects on a brand extension success story. The great fashion house, Versace, is moving its brand into a product category that’s not only increasing its ’smashability’, but building it as a sensory brand. Visit Palazzo Versace, a hotel where you can see, hear, feel, smell and taste the Versace brand. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__20 Video Blog CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA Join Martin Lindstrom as he discusses the role of branding in enhancing the reputations of whole countries. Colombia is embarking on its mission to shake off a reputation as kidnap capital and renew international perceptions of the South American republic. Hollywood could be a key ally in the renaissance of the Colombia brand. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__21 Video Blog BARCELONA, SPAIN The curative properties of the waters of Solan de Cabras have been praised since ancient times. These days, Solan de Cabras is a prestige brand that’s leading the bottled water market. Yet, as restorative as the contents may be, it’s the bottle design that is winning consumer preference. Join Martin Lindstrom in Barcelona and discover why it pays to invest in design. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__22 Video Blog BARCELONA, SPAIN With 2,600 retail outlets worldwide, the Spanish Zara fashion chain is one of the world’s largest. And its crucial point of difference lies in speed to market. Join Martin Lindstrom in Barcelona to discover how this giant meets market needs - in an instant. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__23 Video Blog LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND The Swiss Alps have inspired skiers, painters, poets and…confectioners. But there’s more than the replication of the mountains’ shape to consider in the Swiss Toblerone. A tradition of precision, reliability and quality is implied in the ‘Swiss-made’ tagline, an asset which the century-old Swiss Brand Board protects through strict regulation. Join Martin Lindstrom in Switzerland to discover the power, and perils, of Country of Origin Branding. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__25 Video Blog VEVEY, SWITZERLAND Nestle is the only brand to enjoy representation in every country in the world. Martin Lindstrom joins Nestle’s Vice President for Coffee and Beverages at the company’s headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, to talk about the balancing act that is required to manage a global brand through multiple local contexts. Consultation is key. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__26 Video Blog LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM The World’s Favourite Airline and the Flying Kangaroo are sharing more than sister airline status lately. Both British Airways and Qantas have been weathering the storms of consumer disapproval. At Heathrow, and in Sydney, Martin Lindstrom examines how not to handle PR disasters. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__27 Video Blog BELGRADE, SERBIA It all started in the small German city of Braunschweig. A ‘flashmob’ descended on a local McDonald’s, an event caught on camera and viewed around the world through YouTube.com. Join Martin Lindstrom as he interviews Bane Knezevic, President Western Division - McDonald’s Europe and President and CEO - McDonald’s Germany, to learn how McDonald’s Germany is making the most of consumer power by playing the game – and building the brand at the same time. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__28 Video Blog BELGRADE, SERBIA: Martin Lindstrom interviews Vojin Dordevic, the President and Founder of SIandSI group, which is setting new design standards with the packaging for its water and vodka products. Quality alone is no longer enough, according to Dordevic, whose Vertical Vodka has won a gold medal for design. The interview touches on the rising success of Eastern European, Asian and Middle East brands whose focus on innovation and adaptiveness offers a serious challenge to Western brands and brand-builders. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__29 Video Blog TOKYO, JAPAN: Kidzania, a theme park concept from Mexico, gives kids a fun sneak preview of adult life. Brands are clamoring to be part of this mini world - a world in which kids play as they learn and learn as they play. Want to be a doctor? You can join the team in the Johnson and Johnson Hospital. Try your hand at working in the miniature Mosburger bar. Or join your junior colleagues at the ANA check-in counter. Join Martin Lindstrom as he introduces you to a whole new, scaled-down branding environment. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__30 Video Blog JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA: In 1982, Mr Price appeared on the South African fashion market, bringing with it productive staff relationships and unconventional brand-building approaches. The discount retailer adopted a red cap as an icon, and soon the useful item was a ubiquitous presence at sporting events and shopping centres all over the country. The Mr Price red cap has become an icon for the retail chain which now has 700 stores across Africa. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__32 Video Blog TOKYO, JAPAN: RanKing RanQueen manifests the power of instant branding by stocking Japan’s number 1 ranking product, in countless product categories. Using statistics gathered daily, the store’s stocks change frequently, in response to the changing popularity of consumer products. The concept not only feeds the consumer’s predilection for constant newness and frequent change - it demonstrates the importance of meeting those demands immediately. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__33 Video Blog MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Paris, London, New York City - cities that have come to be associated with luxury. To these havens you can now add Moscow and Shanghai. Eastern Europe’s and Asia’s emerging markets are brand conscious and luxury hungry. Join Martin Lindstrom in one of these lucrative markets and discover how the zenith of luxury is being overtaken by the promise of exclusivity. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__34 Video Blog CHICAGO, U.S.A.: Apple’s concept stores have been spreading across the United States, reinforcing the brand’s identity, bringing the Apple world closer to its devotees, and gathering newcomers to the faith. Apple is one brand that uses religious branding to powerful effect, an approach evident in its myriad expressions: the concept stores are on a monumental scale; their cathedralesque proportions are diffused with light that resembles that of sacred buildings across faiths; icons have become symbols of the brand which transcend the literalness of the logo and evoke instant brand recognition in the marketplace; and the sense of mystery is infused throughout the brand’s every evolutionary step and communication. Join Martin Lindstrom as he reveals the power of religious branding through a brilliant exponent of the approach. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__35 Video Blog SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: When American Express launched its exclusive gold card, everyone had to have it. To recover the exclusivity that AMEX was after, the platinum card was launched. The new strategy was met with the same old response – everyone wanted one. Next came the now ubiquitous black card, followed by the latest attempt to harness the highest of high-end consumer markets: the titanium card. In the relatively small Australian market, once again the product has overreached its ambitions and, consequently, failed in the effort to maintain the exclusivity of a luxury product. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__38 Video Blog HONG KONG, CHINA: Join Martin Lindstrom as he discusses brand rituals with Bacardi’s Robert Ferniss-Roe, VP Bacardi Global Brands. Martini, the premium European aperitif brand, was always taken ‘on the rocks’, in the style of whisky. Later, its association with James Bond imported the notion of ‘the Martini’ to a mass audience as the American cocktail of the same name. Now Bacardi manages the double-edged sword of the Martini ritual made famous by 007. Click here to view Martin Lindstrom`s BRANDflash on the famous Corona Beer ritual. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__39 Video Blog HONK KONG, CHINA: In part two of Martin Lindstrom’s conversation with Robert Ferniss-Roe, VP Bacardi Global Brands, we discover more evidence of the power of brand alliances. The discussion covers the fascinating story of the Bacardi-Coke ritual, and underlines the importance of observing consumer-brand interaction. Monitor consumer brand use and you’ll see surprising branding allegiances: potential partnerships which extend beyond your product category and bring the magic of surprise to your brand. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__40 Video Blog Hong Kong, China: The Chinese market represents huge opportunities for brands. Like the Russian market, Chinese consumers especially love foreign luxury brands, while spurning homegrown brands. Conversely, one Chinese brand is winning the regard of Western consumers. Shanghai Tang is a clothing brand that’s carving a unique niche in the European shopping scene, with a branded color and fresh scent that combine to give the brand a distinctive signature. Take a look at the huge Chinese market and see if your brand can find a valuable home in the high-pressure, high-competition markets of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and cities all over the People’s Republic. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__41 Video Blog Guatemala City, Guatemala: Martin Lindstrom meets Don Schultz to examine the relationship between offline and online media. Clicks and mortar channels work in opposite ways - one pushing information out to consumers, the other drawing information from them. Few organizations have married the two to achieve interaction and dialogue. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__44 Video Blog NEW YORK, U.S.A.: How do you launch and build a new brand in the hyper-competitive North American market? This week, Martin Lindstrom talks to the GlaxoSmithKline team behind the pharmaceutical giant’s revolutionary over-the-counter weight loss product. The Alli story is about the aim to partner consumers in gradual, realistic weight loss. Alli’s brand-building has been advised by this principle and, as a result, it speaks to the market with honesty and is well-differentiated from competitors in the field. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__45 Video Blog Copenhagen, Denmark: This week Martin Lindstrom talks to the CEO and founder of GoViral, the team who dveloped the media plan that achieved the phenomenal word-of-mouth success of Quicksilver’s viral marketing success, ‘Dynamite Surfing’. Viewed by more than 20 million people online around the world, the video exemplifies brand engagement in the digital world. As Jimmy Maymann reinforces, these days the consumer is in the driver’s seat – and can skip ads at will. To maintain effective branding, ads have to be intriguing enough to get talked about. Click here to view Martin Lindstrom`s BRANDflash on McDonald`s viral brand campaign. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__46 Video Blog Monaco: This week Martin Lindstrom talks with Scott Ratzan, Johnson and Johnson’s Vice President, Pharmaceuticals and Global Health, about the future of brand building in the pharmaceutical industry. In a highly regulated environment, pharmaceutical companies build their brands within the confines of a range of complex parameters - professional, ethical, legal and economic. The challenge for the future is to make the best use of emerging technologies to continue to build emotional bonds with consumers, bonds which continue to benefit from the legacy of sensory ties with, for example, Johnson and Johnson’s baby powder scent. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__48 Video Blog LISBOA, PORTUGAL: Until 2005, the EU prevented non-European brands from leveraging the power of their unique geographical indications. So, for example, while Champagne brands enjoyed the protection and promotion of GI laws in Europe and around the world, prohibiting sparkling wines not from the Champagne region from identifying themselves as champagne, oranges from Califiornia, say, could not be promoted using their GI in Europe. After successful legal challenges from the US and Australia, products entering the European market can now leverage their GI under the same rules as EU brands. Join Martin Lindstrom and examine the potential for GI inherent in your branding. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__49 Video Blog AMERICAN GIRL PLACE, U.S.A.: All sized just right for its young visitors, American Girl Place’s mini cafe, cinema and hair salon are part of a dream-come-true experience. Like all great brands, American Girl Place engages its consumers through stories - stories that are attached to every product, every aspect of the store, and every transaction. Join Martin Lindstrom for a glimpse of the never-ending and all-embracing American Girl story that makes the brand truly live. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__50 Video Blog LIMA, PERU: When the Italian company Loro Piana, suppliers of cashmere and luxury woollen fabrics, met the vicuna, they did more than rebuild the population of an endangered species. The smallest of the Camelid family, to which the llama belongs, the vicuna produces the world’s finest and most expensive wool. Teaming with local partners, a consortium won the rights to this valuable harvest, bringing income to the Peruvian government and a valuable new brand to the shelves of luxury clothiers around the world. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__51 Video Blog New York City, U.S.A.: What could Apple, Wholefoods and Harry Potter possibly have in common? Brilliant products release strategies, that’s what! And the name of the game is mystique. Join Martin Lindstrom in New York City to reflect on the virtues of releasing a book at one minute past midnight, of offering non-plastic eco-friendly bags and of limiting acquisition of a new iPhone to a 24-hour period. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__52 Video Blog NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.: Enter the world of Abercrombie and Fitch and you enter the world of on-the-edge branding. Or is that off-the-edge branding? In 2003, the fashion chain’s catalog was banned three weeks after release. Its scantily clad models offended one too many morality gurus. Well, that hasn’t stopped the brand from articulating its key differentiator. Abercrombie and Fitch stores reflect a nightclub atmosphere - blinds on the display windows refute the retail store’s impulse to display merchandise and branded sounds and smells inside the store underline the near-to-naked image of the sales staff and mannequins. Intrigued? Join Martin Lindstrom in NYC and rediscover the power of sex to sell. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__53 Video Blog NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.: What’s your brand’s plan for supporting the environment? Google, Wal-Mart and Hearst Corporation are just three examples of brands that have made a commitment to being environmentally friendly. Carbon-neutral office buildings, solar energy and public transport all play parts in these companies’ everyday operations and, incidentally, in building the brands. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__54 Video Blog ATLANTA, U.S.A.: When Coca-Cola weathered a product scandal in Belgium, the company learned a lot about how not to handle a brand crisis. Slow to respond, it was three weeks before Coca-Cola’s website offered any account of itself. Consumers were outraged by the apparent disregard expressed by the company’s inaction. So, when twin crises occurred for Coca-Cola and Pepsi in India, the brand giants joined forces expeditiously and persuaded Bollywood heroes to advocate for the products’ quality. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__56 Video Blog SAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A.: When the telecommunications company, Orange, made its foray into North America, it made a colorful entrance. Rather than adopting conventional means to advertise its presence, the brand offered college and university students the chance to have their cars repainted in the company’s trademark color. This and other brands have built success on their ability to stand out from the crowd. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__57 Video Blog MILAN, ITALY: In one of the world’s fashion capitals, Martin Lindstrom examines the art of brand extension. Bulgari, the great jewelry and luxury fashion goods house, has extended its brand into the hotel and resort category. With Bulgari hotels already established in Milan and Bali, there are two more planned for Paris and UAE. Versace and Armani have also made their marks in the luxury hotel business, and Ferrari, has demonstrated extreme brand stretching by releasing a branded laptop. But how far can you stretch a brand? Click here to learn about Versace’s foray into the luxury hotel business. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__58 Video Blog ATHENS, GREECE: The Olympics are a celebration of global unity through sport, but they also unite the world in a common understanding of the branding elements that signify the Games. Internationally, the ancient heritage of the Olympiad is comprehended in the Olympic flame. Its progress across continents results, not only in the spellbinding lighting ceremony that opens every Games, but in reinforcing the Olympic brand. Articulated through the iconic rings, expressed in well-honed rituals, and strengthened by an ever-growing wealth of stories, the Olympic brand is a paragon of marketing. Click here for a completely different angle on branded rituals. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__59 Video Blog SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL: Natura is a rapidly growing and well respected Brazilian company with a commitment to creating and selling personal care products and services that ’promote well-being and being well’. Its 20% annual domestic growth - and 44% annual international growth - has something to do with the brand’s values. Natura makes environmental awareness a core responsibility and demonstrates its commitment through initiatives that are designed to make minimum impact on the earth. Natura is also a brand that manifests the power of word-of-mouth promotion, enjoying enviable brand loyalty in Brazil and around the world. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__64 Video Blog ATLANTA, U.S.A.: The bottled water industry is facing a watershed moment. How will it respond to growing numbers of regulatory bodies’ demands that its product be labelled for what it is - tap water? PWS stands for ’public water source’. Regulators are demanding that this be cited explicitly as the source of bottled water in place of the natural sources which brands often imply. Join Martin Lindstrom in Atlanta where he discusses whether the emperor has been discovered to be wearing no clothes. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__65 Video Blog MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION: this week Martin Lindstrom examines a paradox. Does global branding still exist in a world that’s been made smaller than ever through the power of the Internet and instant communications? Ironically, no. The world’s cultures are not becoming homogenized. Instead, local branding is becoming an ever stronger presence in global branding strategies. The musical hit ’Mamma Mia’, attracting the biggest audiences ever, all over the world, illustrates the importance of observing cultural variations and localising global brands. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__66 Video Blog PARIS, FRANCE: Could it be that today’s generation of kids is losing touch with their imaginiative? Are hours spent in passive recreation, on computer games or in front of TV decreasing creativity? BootB is a concept to counter any such trend. An online marketplace that brings clients and creators together, www.BootB.com enables clients to post briefs and creative people all over the world, of all ages, in all cultures, amateur and professional, to answer them. Join Martin Lindstrom in conversation with BootB founder, Pier Bancale, and discover how BootB heralds new ideas and opportunities for creative people, clients and brands. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__67 Video Blog PARIS, FRANCE: On the Champs Elysee, Martin Lindstrom encounters a Nespresso cafe - one of many that have sprung up around the world over the past couple of years. The concept aims to convince consumers that the Nespresso coffee experience at home is as fulfilling as the coffee experience in an atmospheric cafe. Many FMCGs face this same challenge: how to extend the sensory experience which adds value to the product in the retail environment into consumers’ homes. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__68 Video Blog PARIS, FRANCE and PONDICHERRY, INDIA: Louis Vuitton’s reputation is built on its Parisian origins and the romance of European craftsmanship. But will the brand dilute its value when it moves its production facilities from Europe to India? Will the brand’s shoes retain their claim to have been ’made in Italy’, when they are manufactured in India? Will Louis Vuitton watches retain their cachet if they are ’made in India’ rather than in Switzerland? Join Martin Lindstrom in Paris and Pondicherry to ponder the perils of strategies that might not match core brand values. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__69 Video Blog COPENHAGEN, DENMARK: Jyske Bank has achieved the impossible, doubling its customer base in just 12 months. This small company has redefined banking by turning abstract financial advice into concrete products. With equality being a central tenet of the brand’s philosophy, the redesigned interiors, furniture, accessories and tangible banking products all reflect this core value. The differentiation is in the detail, and the details create an environment of welcome, equality and empowerment for customers. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__70 Video Blog MUMBAI, INDIA: The brands of the Indian sub-continent are growing as international presences. But profit is not necessarily the key driver of family-run companies in the region. The Hinduja Group of companies is an example of the family-run business philosophy - one that inculcates inherited values into the culture of the workplace and into succeeding generations of management, brining the human touch to business and brand-building. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__71 Video Blog MUMBAI, INDIA: Lijjat Papad bread is known throughout India. This bread is not mass-produced by a commercial bakery. It’s baked by thousands of women, a network of ’sisters’, in their own homes. Every day, Lijjat Papad trucks visit these countless cottage bakers to collect and deliver the staple to millions of mom-and-pop stores across India. An example of micro branding, Lijjat Papad has grown through word of mouth - consumer loyalty earnt without spending a cent on marketing. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__72 Video Blog SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: This week, Martin Lindstrom examines the power of combining ordinary ingredients in unusual ways to create a brand with a difference. Three brands – a boutique ice cream from Victoria in Australia, an Australian and a UK juice company – are examples of brands that have made their marks, not only be offering unusual and high quality products, but by presenting them in the context of intriguing stories. Captivating and persuasive, the branded story wins consumer loyalty and carves a place in popular culture. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__74 Video Blog New York City, U.S.A.: Think New York City and you think Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square...and yellow cabs. The cabs are as emblematic of the Big Apple as any number of its iconic landmarks. Yet they’re about to undergo a name change. Join Martin Lindstrom as he examines brand evolution and the dilemma of change. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__75 Video Blog NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.: The two-dimensional print ad has taken a leap into five-dimensional existence. Join Martin Lindstrom in conversation with Americhip’s Tim Clegg to discover how brands are expressing core messages through multi-sensory means, in the press. A sophisticated combination of paper engineering, expert assembly, audio chip technology and scent infusion defines the vanguard of even more startling developments that Clegg forecasts for print advertising. We’re just a few steps away from the print ad becoming a wireless interface with other technology. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__77 Video Blog NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.: Wal-Mart, like many commercial giants, is responsible for a sizable carbon footprint. But the company is actively addressing it. Using an inside-out strategy, Wal-Mart is engaging every employee, supplier and customer in the mission to achieve a sustainable relationship with a healthy environment. But how do you motivate behavioral changes across a massive supply chain and throughout an employee population of 1.3 million? Join Martin Lindstrom in discussion with Adam Werbach of Actnow, the company that’s helping Wal-Mart achieve its aims for an environmentally friendly and sustainable future. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__79 Video Blog San Francisco, U.S.A.: In the interests of protecting the consumer, legislators introduce regulations to control or ban advertising in certain arenas. The tobacco industry springs to mind as one industry that is faced with advertising restrictions. Now, in California, banks and credit card companies are banned from advertising in college or university environments, potentially cutting the finance industry off from its future customers. But, like all regulations, the ban simply offers companies an obstacle to surmount creatively. The irony is, advertising bans stimulate marketing creativity and increase consumer engagement. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__82 Video Blog Tokyo, Japan: A tonic for our stressed society? Or an outlet for a simple pleasure? Mugen Puchipuchi is a toy that provides endless bubble-wrap-popping satisfaction. ’Puchipuchi’ is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a popping sound, and the toy is designed to look and feel like the material that inspired it. Who knows? This simple innovation that may prelude endless iterations and even follow the Tamagotchi path of success, now in its 14th version. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__83 Video Blog NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.: Christmas is a time for special treats, and Proctor and Gamble have come up with a promotional concept that will delight many a marketer and consumer. For the second year running, Charmin toilet paper has sponsored 20 public toilets in New York City. Decorated with Charmin graphics, hosted by Charmin characters, wired with Charmin sounds and music and scented with the toilet paper’s perfume, the Charmin toilets offer visitors more than a convenient haven. A visit to the Charmin bathroom is a festive diversion – and an opportunity for the brand to saturate a captive audience with its multi-sensory message. Already the Charmin convenience is becoming a well-liked part of the Christmas visit to the city, and Proctor and Gamble, no doubt, hope to revive the ritual annually for many years to come. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__85 Video Blog BOGOTA, COLOMBIA: Famed for its coffee, Colombia is home to Juan Valdez, a fictitious character who personifies the country’s hard working coffee farmers. Juan is integral to Colombia’s National Federation of Coffee Growers, representing the values and dedication of Colombia’s ‘caficultores’. And he lends his name and personality to the nationwide café concept ’Juan Valdez’ that has also made inroads into Central America, Mexico, the United States and Spain. The brand is built on the story of the affable Juan - the symbol of 100% authentic, fresh Colombian coffee. Juan has so far muscled Starbucks out of the picture. But will giant distribution capability finally overcome the Juan Valdez asset – an excellent coffee experience? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__88 Video Blog TOKYO, JAPAN: Brand attention to environmental responsibility is often claimed, but how deeply does the consumer trust it? Do eco-friendly brands convince consumers that they are contributing to global warming solutions, or do they inspire the canny consumer’s skepticism? Neal’s Yard Remedies are building green credentials on a 38-year long trade in alternative and homeopathic remedies. Now, in Japan, where consumers have, for a decade or more, been encouraged by some personal care products to reuse and recycle shampoo containers, for example, Neal’s Yard is operating in a CO2 friendly green building, making a statement and being heard. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__89 Video Blog TOKYO, JAPAN: Lawson is one example of a brand that’s seizing the micro targeting opportunity and thriving on it. As powerful in the offline as in the online environment, well targeted marketing optimizes brand exposure, encourages word-of-mouth promotion amongst like-minded consumers, and rapidly builds consumer loyalty. Lawson’s plans to open several hundred more stores over the coming year confirm the rise of the micro targeting trend – one which is proving itself to be an effective brand-building approach. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__90 Video Blog SINGAPORE: Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton is about to execute a radical brand migration - to TV. Never before has the premium brand advertised on the mass medium of television. Will this commercial context, shared with household products and sitcoms, dilute the Louis Vuitton mystique? Or is it possible for a brand to work for the mass as well as luxury markets? Join Martin Lindstrom in Singapore to consider whether LV’s bid for the giant Asia Pacific market will backfire or launch a whole new brand life. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__91 Video Blog MIAMI, U.S.A.: Water is a leader in the FMCG category for reinvention. Beverage companies astound us with innovations on the most fundamental of all products. Now, China is using water as a means of reinventing itself. San Benedetto water gives the impression of being from Italy, or perhaps even southern Switzerland. But this is to disguise the fact that the product is of Chinese manufacture. This is just one example – there are many brands spinning out of China that leverage other countries of origin as branding statements. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__92 Video Blog SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: In the old days, motorists got their car engines started by turning a crank shaft on the front of the vehicle. The hole necessitated by the crank shaft sat right in the middle of where manufacturers attached the motor car’s model name or number. It was this functional fact that led Peugot to construct all its model numbers with a zero between two other integers. And it is this naming structure that remains so recognizably the property of Peugot today. Join Martin Lindstrom as he discusses the importance of establishing and owning your brand’s distinctive naming conventions. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__93 Video Blog NYC, U.S.A.: One current exhibition at New York City’s MoMA reveals a key lesson for marketers. Using screens, it displays the telephone traffic in and out of the city, showing that nearly all incoming calls, from all over the world, are made to suit NYC’s business hours. The airline industry observes phone traffic to develop schedules and plan routes. Destinations with the greatest incoming phone traffic are likely to be profitable destinations for airlines. This is what bench marketing is all about: observing another industry’s success and failures to help you think outside the box about your own brand and business planning. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__94 Video Blog Seattle, U.S.A.: In 1976 a small Seattle café laid the foundations for a coffee empire. By 2008, Starbucks has grown from its single store location to being a multinational presence: more than 15,500 stores in 44 countries. Starbucks’ success was built on a key differentiator. It made coffee drinking a sensory experience. Ironically, as Martin Lindstrom’s BRAND sense research revealed, Starbucks lost its hold on the crucial sensory touchpoint: the inviting smell of fresh coffee. Join Martin Lindstrom to discover how one brand lost its senses, and what it’s doing to regain them. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__95 Video Blog Los Angeles, U.S.A.: Is crude language just a cheap way of getting attention? If so, it works. TV ads are increasingly writing vulgarisms into their scripts and indicating their presence with the universally recognizable beep. Such ads achieve several million downloads and the apparent approbation of the amused consumer. But the beep is about more than getting attention. It’s an expression of the taboo. Humans are attracted to what they are not allowed, whether that prohibition has to do with exclusivity, regulation or social acceptability. And it’s a manifestation of our need for the real. A brand’s authenticity – its relevance to real life and, particularly in the MSP generation, to my life – is fundamental to its success and longevity. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__97 Video Blog London, UK: The Me Selling Proposition describes the future of branding. But it blurs the line of brand ownership between brand custodians and consumers – a line which requires skilful management to maintain good brand relations while preserving brand ownership rights. JK Rowling, along with Warner Brothers, is now defending not only the Harry Potter brand but the good will that she has built along with it. Having welcomed consumer interaction with the brand, where should the limitations on fans’ activities with it be drawn? The JK Rowling and WB vs RDR Books offers a new lesson in brand management and leads Martin Lindstrom to suggest that the expression “create MSP brand rules” be added to everyone’s brand-building lexicon. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__98 Video Blog Switzerland and Thailand: Luxury brands, like Rolex and Versace, have long been the targets of copy cat manufacturing. Detailed copies of Rolex watches are available for open sale in street markets around the world. What can be done to protect brand integrity and values from brand pirates? Trademarking offers the best avenue for brand protection, and is being backed by systems to authenticate consumer products. But will such measures secure brand integrity against opportunistic copycats? http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__99 Video Blog Mexico City, Mexico: Join Martin Lindstrom at the original Kidzania. The mini grown-up world for kids is also a smash hit in Tokyo (take a look at the “Big brands, little world” BRAND flash), but Mexico City is its birth place. Built to kid scale, Kidzania mirrors real world pizza joints, hamburger restaurants, hospitals, dental surgeries and radio stations. Every “outlet” is sponsored by a household brand name - kids get to make their own pizzas at a scaled-down Dominoes; they dispatch parcels in a realistic mini DHL environment; they look after newborns in the Johnson and Johnson sponsored “clinic”. With an emphasis on experience and fun, Kidzania encourages brands to provide opportunities for meeting kids on the kids’ terms. The branding is indirect, but it builds fun memories that are bound to stay with Kidzania visitors forever. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__100 Video Blog Oslo, Norway: Voss water is a product that exemplifies the brand growth that’s possible through careful strategy and outstanding creativity. The brand-building budget for Voss was, like Norway’s population, small. But by targeting an affluent global market, developing an enticing story around the brand, and investing in beautiful package design, Voss has made its way onto the high profile tables of celebrities and celebrity events. Just like Armani in the 50s, no red carpet event will be without the brand. Leveraging ‘country of origin’ as a branding statement, Voss has communicated a story of its origin – a clean, pure product from the unspoiled waters of Norway. http://www.martinlindstrom.com/site_files/main_content/blog_player.php/id__102 Video Blog