Redefining Your Brand

Say you’re the CMO of a company that’s become a “me too” in your industry sector. You’re doing all the things everybody else is—you’re hitting all the touch-points, marketing like crazy, so on and so on, but you’ve kinda blended into the mix, you’re just another option. What can you do?

Look around.

See how other companies in other industries have tackled the same malaise. How did they jumpstart their marketing efforts—increase awareness, and more importantly sales?

Smart companies are constantly redefining their brands. It’s a matter of survival—evolve or die a slow death. And don’t take your time either, or your competition will quickly counter and leap ahead. Place your stake in the sand and forge ahead.

Two companies come to mind that have recently gone through this transition—one close to home, our client Posadas Hotelera, and the other—GM.

Posadas Hotelera has some beautiful boutique-sized hotels in Cancun and Cozumel. And although most hotels in those areas are All Inclusive, these hotels were not—until now. So here’s the situation—award-winning boutique-sized hotels that offer unique experiences, have state-of-the-art spas, and celebrity chef restaurants—now at an All Inclusive price. Obviously, it’s a completely different experience then you would normally get in an All Inclusive Resort—thousands of rooms, buffet style dining, and “group” activities.

So how to differentiate?

Raise the bar and set a new standard. We’re redefining All Inclusive as a more upscale experience—in our language and in our visual presentation. Our price-point is competitive, but what you get in return is far and away, better than anything you’ll get at one of those other “All Inclusive” getaways. We’ve focused on the experience, the lifestyle, the essence—we’ve toned down the mega-shots of the hotels and the typical imagery. A new look, a new feel—All Inclusive, Redefined.

GM on the other hand, has had to look at itself and assess its portfolio in order to return to a profitable company. Over the last two years, GM has been bailed out by the government, retired two brands—Oldsmobile and Pontiac, and gone through an IPO. They’re finally on the upswing and are redefining their position in the marketplace.

How are they different?

GM has reformulated its offering—smaller cars and trucks, alternative powered vehicles. They’re looking ahead instead of living in the past. They looked at where the American car industry had been (see http://www.chevyrunsdeep.com), where it went wrong, and are repositioning and redefining where the industry’s going—a much needed shakeup.

So CMOs, these are turbulent times. You and your brand can’t stand still, competition is tighter than ever before and there’s someone on your tail waiting to pounce. Save the brand—save yourself. It’s the new landscape we live in–Redefined.

 

How Do We Create Advertising That Works

CMOs are consistently under pressure to show the value of their advertising spends. Is it working? What are the results? Show me the numbers!

Now, more than ever, agencies are feeling the pressure, too. They have to perform. They have to create Advertising That Works. Or else!

How?

First, you have to be able to get to the right data about the customer/target.

When we look at the vast mountains of digital data available today, unfortunately, most of it is anonymous.  So, any agency worth their salt has to have their own data gathering resource. They can’t rely on their clients to provide them with beautifully culled information that they can go off and develop campaigns around.

Most marketing departments can’t even get to the data they’d like to have. Never have—more than likely—never will.

As noted in numerous advertising industry publications over the last six months, the new wave in the advertising world will be agencies that have their own proprietary technologies. This will help them create true Advertising That Works.

Second, now that you’ve got the data, you need analytics experts on hand to sift through the data and generate real insights.

With so many analytics tools out there these days, most data analysts have to have a few in their knowledge toolbox.  And as we all are very aware, the tools are only as good as the data that’s put into them. So if they’re not calibrated to disseminate specific information, and not built specifically for the challenge, then they can only output substandard data.

Third—and finally—you need creatives that eat these data insights for breakfast.

They hunger for information—and they’re looking for Top Quality stuff. It allows us creative types to come up with the concepts and campaigns that are more relevant. So whether it’s test results, offline purchase patterns, or online click activity, we need spot-on insights to generate top-drawer results.

For examples of the kind of results you should be seeing, check out our recent blog entries on The Power of Personalization, or The Benefits of Email Testing.