| In the media crazy world in which we live, when Nike | | | | The advertising was more effective simply because |
| presents a new tag line, or Mr. | | | | it was more memorable. Imbue |
| Potato Head rises from pop culture purgatory to | | | | an advertisement with human traits, and consumers |
| represent a modern version of the | | | | are more apt to remember it. It |
| Jolly Green Giant, advertising becomes big news. In | | | | worked because we were able to tell a better |
| the dog-eat-dog world of fast | | | | story.Is USP the Answer?But is USP a cornerstone |
| food, the business community clamors to snatch | | | | for stealing share? I think not. It is the antithesis of |
| small gems of marketing wisdom.How does this help | | | | brand |
| us steal share? Does it work? Has the game | | | | objectives. Purchases are not intellectual activities. |
| changed? Years ago, | | | | They ARE emotional ones. Few |
| brand was loosely defined as a "promise to the | | | | consumers walk the market aisles armed with the |
| consumer of a perceived value." | | | | latest copy of Consumer Reports. |
| Corporations have spent billions of dollars building | | | | No one picks the products or services they |
| brands, books have been | | | | consume as a result of a "T" chart, neatly |
| written, and articles have been published. Marketing | | | | plotted with the pros and cons of purchasing. And |
| experts told us that brand was | | | | this brings me back to the |
| the most important discipline in today's advertising | | | | beginning.This is why Nike is still news. Is the Nike |
| arena. Yet customers have | | | | athletic shoe better than its branded |
| spent years telling us that brand was not | | | | competitors? Is it worth four times the cost of its |
| working.Traditional BrandingIf traditional branding | | | | generic copycat? Does it make you |
| worked in the manner in which it was designed, you | | | | run faster, jump higher, and land a multi-million dollar |
| would | | | | place on a NBA roster? I |
| expect that there would be a sizable discrepancy in | | | | think we can all say that it is none of the above. |
| price between generic and | | | | Consumers pay a market multiple |
| branded products. You would also expect to see | | | | of FOUR to have the logo on their shoes. Nike is |
| robust margins in branded | | | | confident that they will do the same |
| products and a distinct consumer preference for the | | | | for anything else they decide to brand.If you want |
| promise of value that the brand | | | | to steal share, your brand must recognize that every |
| delivers. However, what we see is great similarity in | | | | purchase a |
| products, and hardly a national | | | | consumer makes, no matter how small, holds within |
| brand exists that is not competing in the arena of | | | | its nucleus the DNA of self- |
| price.Consider the history of the brand story. It | | | | description. In this complicated and crowded world, |
| started as a means of product identity and | | | | where social and cultural |
| differentiation. It did not take a rocket scientist to | | | | identifications have been dashed on the rocks, real |
| understand the basics. If the | | | | brandface is recognizable and |
| consumer had a good experience with a product or | | | | indisputable. Show me myself, not as I am but as I |
| service, then he/she might look | | | | wish to be and I will buy it every |
| for that same brand the next time he/she needed it. | | | | time. In fact, I will feel incomplete without it once I |
| Brand managers understood | | | | know it exists. In the face of a |
| the need for consistency of look and feel. It made | | | | crowded marketplace, it pushes the competition |
| life easier and made sense of | | | | under.REAL brand BRANDS the customer, not the |
| choice.But the marketplace was not nearly so | | | | product. It actively tells the customer |
| crowded in those days. When David Ogilvy | | | | who they are when they use it. Does it work? Ask |
| helped make Hathaway a respected brand, it | | | | Nike.Tom Dougherty |
| competed with a small group of other | | | | CEO, Senior Strategist at Stealing Share, Inc. Tom |
| national brands, and an even smaller group of generic | | | | began his strategic marketing and |
| no-name shirt | | | | branding career in Saudi Arabia working for the |
| manufacturers. Agencies at the time discovered that | | | | internationally acclaimed Saatchi & |
| if you created a brand image | | | | Saatchi. His brand manager at the time referred to |
| for products, sales increased.The Crowded | | | | Tom as a "marketing genius," |
| MarketEnter the creative revolution of the 60's - a | | | | and Tom demonstrated his talents to clients such as |
| time when advertising for inanimate | | | | Ariel detergent, Pampers and |
| objects started with an infusion of human attributes. | | | | many other brands throughout the Middle East and |
| If the creative team thought of | | | | Northern Africa. After his time |
| the product in human terms (modern, forward | | | | overseas, Tom returned to the US where he |
| thinking, etc.), the advertising | | | | worked for brand |
| seemed more effective.Soon the market became | | | | agencies in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, |
| more crowded as more messages and choices vied | | | | DC. He continued to prove |
| for the | | | | himself as a unique and strategic brand builder for |
| consumer's mindset. Unique Selling Proposition (USP) | | | | global companies. Tom has led |
| was incorporated into the | | | | efforts for brands such as Procter & Gamble, |
| mix. Couple human attributes with the latest in | | | | Kimberly Clark, Fairmont Hotels, |
| product benefit and branding, as we | | | | Coldwell Banker, Homewood Suites (of Hilton), |
| now know it, was launched.Brand worked but not | | | | Tetley Tea, Lexus, Sovereign Bank, |
| because of the human attributes called desired brand | | | | and McCormick to name a few. |
| image. | | | | |