Survival of the fittest
We work with some pretty cool brands, brands that have been around for years, furnishing our high streets, houses and minds. All these iconic brands we can name in a flash with just a peep of their logo or a word from their slogans.
These guys need celebrating and applauding. It’s tough out there. It’s pretty easy to get in the mix but it takes real hard work (and strategy), #stamina #marketinggenius to stick around.
And we are quite a picky bunch. Tastes change, desires increase and competition builds daily with new concepts, companies and brands continuously joining the party. One would presume that to be a leading brand with staying power you have to be the best of the best – that’s not always true. A brand has so many different dimensions. Take Marmite, which is a brand proudly, promoting itself as hated. Marketing genius. You either love it or hate it and just for their sheer confidence in putting this spin on it, I for one am in the first camp.
We kick started our great brands week with a nod to Levi’s (who have recently just begun advertising with Leisurejobs). 501 jeans took many of us through our childhood and their TV ad campaigns were always unique, certainly well remembered and often risky. 162 years on Levi Strauss & Co are a brand that stands out boldly, commanding the highest share of the global jeans market.
(Join the team: Levi's jobs)
So it seems it’s the survival of the fittest, albeit the cleverest; and in the world of digital marketing, these channels are getting more intelligent and demands from customers greater. Evolving is key too – to stand still, is really to set yourself up for a fall. One can not be static in an ever changing world. Brands are getting cleverer all the time, unique in their story telling and promotional techniques. Audiences tell us what they want, and to comply is a success story. Competition is high, it is not for the faint hearted.
In the retail world alone, online purchasing behaviour has certainly shifted the power of the high street. We have seen over recent years the demise of Blockbusters, Woolworths and most recently BHS. The landscape is changing.
So to survive, utilising some of Leisurejobs very own clients*
There needs to be demand for the brand/product/service - but that is the basic principle of survival. To stand the test of time, you don’t only need market opportunity, you need resources – and people who walk the talk. Apples’ Steve Jobs perfected this well, almost becoming the brand himself.
Tiffany & Co, starting in 1836 has weathered the storm, and remarkably have stayed true to the ‘little blue box’ which is what they have become known and loved for. This brand has become synonymous with a little blue ribboned box – simple, classic yet effective. Their adverts are always gentle, with a bias to the romantics out there; heart felt stories are being told and embracing us in this ‘warm hug like’ approach.
Harrods, well there is ‘only one Harrods’ after all. That’s the way they pitched it and that’s the way it is eternally perceived in the market place. A retail experience set a little apart from anyone else. A simple slogan used over years says everything they need to tell us as potential consumers.
(Join the team: Harrods jobs )
We interact with brands on a daily basis; they bombard us. To have the staying power, we need to engage with the brand. Today we are emotionally tied into our brands – to touch our hearts is a whole new marketing strategy. More and more brands tell a story, pulling us in. John Lewis scores highly here, pulling at our heartstrings with a scheduled Christmas ad campaign. Highly emotive, engaging and always talked about – even if disliked, you’re still talking about them.
If a brand can impact you in a positive way, that is one way of nudging yourself to the ‘staying’ list. Nike+ very cleverly doesn’t just pin billboards with a ‘buy our trainer, we can turn you into a successful runner’, they appealed to their customers claiming their trainers actually helps make you a better runner. They know how to build a meaningful brand.
An external report lists the below 10 brands as the most positive brands. The brands have been claimed to ‘impact’ people’s lives, focussing on outcomes, not outputs.
Ikea, Google, Nestle, Danone, Leroy Merlin, Samsung, Microsoft, Sony, Unilver and Leisurejobs.com – just kidding no 10 is Bimbo.
And talking of outcomes – starting a new job found on Leisurejobs.com has to be the best outcome for any Leisurejobber. This could be why we ourselves have been around a while!
*Clients that have worked with Leisurejobs, even if not currently advertising.