Big Ideal = Brand Purpose

A few months ago, I came across The Big Ideal presentation by Ogilvy Group UK. I thoroughly liked the presentation as it talks about brands finding and maximizing their Big Ideal!

The Big Ideal is an overarching aspirational thought that guides the decisions of an organization. In my case, I often refer to the Big Ideal as Brand Purpose!

Here are a few examples of brands and their Brand Purpose/Big Ideal:

The presentation talks about how great brands have big ideals! And it states that when big ideals are present ideas flow more easily. I completely agree with this statement! When there is purpose, their is motivation and focus - the organization knows what its mission is, making it easier to make decisions.

Also, Ogilvy's presentation talks about how the most successful companies tend to be the least profit-oriented, as they have big ideals to focus on instead:

This makes sense because when you have a higher purpose, you become more motivated to make the world a better place, rather than, only, focusing on the bottom line. This allows the organization to focus on its users. And by doing so, you are consistently meeting their needs which creates satisfaction, trust and loyalty; therefore, stimulating higher profits because people are willing to spend more on your products and remain repeat purchases!

Like the presentation says: "Big Ideals Make Business Sense"!

Thank you Ogilvy for a great presentation and for helping your clients find and/or maximize their brand purpose!

If you would like to check out The Big Ideal presentation you can find it here.

If it ain't broke, don't change it!

This week I'm in Arizona celebrating my birthday and enjoying some much needed dry heat! And every time I'm here, I have to find an In-n-Out Burger! I'm not a big fast food eater, but I do enjoy a good cheeseburger & fries at In-n-Out! Maybe it's because I'm partial to companies who are true to their brand - and In-n-Out is one of those brands!

In-n-Out celebrated its 60th Birthday last year, and for the past 60 years, it has barely changed! It has stuck to its purpose of providing "Quality you can taste"! This has stemmed from the organization's philosophy to:

"Give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling clean environment."

And it is through the consistent execution of this philosophy, that it has been able to grow a strong following of devoted customers!

What I like most about In-n-Out, is that rather than trying to be something it isn't, like McDonald's is desperately trying to do, it has continued to be, strictly, a burger place with good quality ingredients! When people think of a good quality fast food burger, they know where to go - In-n-Out, because that's what it specializes in. I mean look at its menu versus McDonald's - In-n-Out has a simple and focused selection:

All of these images are from Flickr.com, and it was funny to read the comments from each. Those who were looking at the In-n-Out menu were talking about how every time they see the menu, they begin to salivate and crave an In-n-Out burger and "fresh cut fries". But when people were talking about McDonald's menu, there were comments that first noted how unhealthy their food was, and secondly, how there are too many options to be able to make a selection!

This is a clear indication that In-n-Out's dedication to good quality fast food, and the fact that it has remained privately held by the original founding family, has allowed them to make the necessary trade-offs to stay true to who they are, while satisfying its customers needs. Where as McDonald's, although extremely successful, is struggling to create a clear and meaningful brand perception amongst its customers. They seem unwilling to make any trade-offs to help define who they are.

McDonald's idea of fair market share is 100%, hence the extensive and overwhelming menu. Where as In-n-Out has made a conscious decision to focus on the quality of its food, rather than gaining maximum market share. And it is this decision that has allowed the organization to become a specialist within its market and earn loyal customers!

Here is another example of In-n-Out living its purpose that I enjoy:
This is In-n-Out's fries container, and once you finish eating your yummy fries, you have an opportunity to learn how they come from freshly cut potatoes (which you may have seen being done behind the counter) that are cooked in 100% trans-fat free, cholesterol-free vegetable oil, and it's been done this way since 1948!! This is a great example of a successful & consistent combination of messaging and actions!

Thank you In-n-Out Burger for being you! And I'm sure I will see you at least one more time while I'm in Arizona!!!

Branding for a Seamless World

Note: Image from OFF=ON Trendwatching Report

I believe in approaching all brand initiatives holistically - meaning what one business group does must be consistent with how the other groups act within an organization. For instance, when working on my clients' digital marketing initiatives, it's imperative we consider how these activities can be translated to the offline world.

In fact, there was a trend featured on Trendwatching.com, called OFF=ON, which alludes to the idea that we are seeing the online world transfer into the offline world. When I was reading this, I was thinking, "Of course, especially for brands!"

Take for example Google Maps - the experience is now moving to the offline world by indicating people's favorite places first online, with it's memorable markers, then offline with those markers appearing at the noted locations:

People do not consciously recognize when they are going from, for example, an online H&M shopping experience to walking into an H&M store on Oxford Street in London, to reading a friend's comment on her amazing new H&M top on Twitter. To this person a brand is one organization, which, to them, is not managed by multiple business groups with varying business drivers. We live in a seamless world, so our organizations need to act seamlessly with consistent messages and actions, ideally based on the brand purpose.

In this year's Interbrand Best Global Brands report there is an article discussing this very topic - living in a seamless world. It talks about how digital has eliminated our traditional barriers of time & space (products & stores), and now people have more access to more information, people, opinions, etc. than ever before. This has altered people's expectations towards brands. They expect there to be complete transparency between them and all brands!

To give organizations confidence to offer this level of transparency, it is important to have purpose and meaning providing the organization with a focused direction. The purpose helps organizations make the necessary trade-offs to ensure they stay on point and maintain a consistent brand perception in their customers' eyes - after all brands can no longer control the conversation - they can only influence it!

Interbrand offered 3 new rules for building a brand in this seamless world:

1. Have Purpose: Like myself, Interbrand encourages organizations to know what they offer society, not just the economy, as consumers wish to associate themselves with brands they share values with and can believe in. It mentions that purpose allows brands the ability to engage with its consumer beyond, just, its products and services.
2. Be prepared to talk a lot about what you are working on, not just what you make: Consumers are hungry to get involved. They are tired of being talked at. Rather, they want a 2-way dialogue with brands. They want to offer their opinion. What a great way to learn and evolve by listening & engaging with your customers!
3. Embrace co-creation: Organizations need to maximize their ability to stimulate or join non-linear dialogues to share opinions & information with customers - who knows they may be have thought of something completely new, exciting & on-brand for your organization. Just look at what has emerged from the MyStarbucksIdea.com in its first year: those amazing (and I mean amazing) splash sticks, the Starbucks VIP cards, the ability to get a free coffee when you buy a bag of coffee beans, and free coffee for Gold Card members on their birthday!

Similar to what Umair Haque says in his Constructive Capitalism presentation, our economy is centered on interactions. So, lets maximize these interactions through the seamless world by building brands that stand for something, more than the bottom line to motivate both their employees & customers.

Having a brand purpose will better prepare an organization to influence its reputation, and ensure each business unit is acting in unison, so that when a consumer is engaging with a brand on any medium, whether it's online or offline, the brand experience remains consistent and memorable!