The face of change will always stay elusive. For change is the only thing that remains constant! There is no face to change. This becomes a virtue to marketing strategist who becomes brand sensitive. Ironic as it may sound, branding is about the ability to withstand changes to stay its promise be it for innovations or fashion. Understanding improvements for your brands do not necessarily lend to change for it is the promise that remains the same. Let us take for example brands that have withstood time and innovations, brands like channel. They have improved their dress bags over decades always to remain amongst the top selling brand with their essential promise to stay fashionable, durable and expensive (product positioning). Levis over the decades remained the very seemingly same pair of jeans but with product improvements be it for its zippers, low or high waist variance or colors but never leaving its promise for durability. While there are products that are overrun by innovations such like Xerox and Kodak, should they have been vigilant towards change, they may have stayed the market and the brand promising delivering quality towards innovations on their products. The problem was complacency which took the better of its management to lose their edge in the marketplace.
Let us not confuse the business model and the marketing strategies required of brands to stay the market. There will always remain the brilliance brands require of their marketers. To stay a profit center also requires the entrepreneurship of the brand custodian. Timing, positioning, advertising will always be a priority for brands however and whatever the promise becomes or to remain static, this needs to be delivered with consistency and without excuse. Let us look at the example of Apple which today does not necessarily deliver its computer gadgets but the innovation it sustains to date. Branding does not necessarily mean to lead the market nor to be top of mind other than the delivery of the brand promise. It is not about good, better or best – branding is not a contest but an ensemble of deliveries promised to its consumers or market. Change and your product line or services may be susceptible to time and innovations but the sincerity of the delivery of the promise will always need to remain the same. This is how brands stand the test of time. I am not sure what the great San Miguel Corporation delivers other than its major shares of the beer market and once food now that they have diversified outside their core competence – and should SMC even have a brand deliverable other than its popularity to date. Is it the product quality of whatever product line presented? The business model has remained sound thru the decades for sure but what exactly does SMC, the brand stand for?
Brands are required to have a brand promise because without it – it cannot stay the brand!
© 2024. Harry Tambuatco. All rights reserved.
