Future Trends in Marketing Communication

Problem

What are the future trends in marketing communication?

Learning objectives

1) What are the current trends in marketing communication?
2) What are the future trends?
3) How does technology affect marketing communications? (future)

What are the trends in marketing communication?

- Digital marketing is evolving as fast as any other medium on our tablets, smartphones, Google Glass and beyond, including mobile and video marketing.

- Marketing will be personalized, customized, and adapted. Data will be essential, and as users, we’ll be paying with our data. Customers will be forming relationships with brands that are built on trust, and if a company breaks that trust, it will be very quickly viral and very quickly over. 

- By 2020, unauthorized targeting of consumers will essentially be useless. I, as a consumer, am going to choose who I want to hear from. I’m going to like things, or I won’t like them, and you will have to earn that from me.

- In the future, the “reason to buy” will be socially motivated. If a product is great and everybody loves it, it will sell. And you’re going to stop buying things from companies that don’t fit your values.

- Companies can collect all the data they want, but data alone will never be enough. You still need to
reach consumers on an emotional level. The bottom line for marketers will be that if a product or service isn’t humanized, it won’t sell — because buying something isn’t an intellectual process of saying “this could be useful”; it’s saying “I really want this.”

- Ad blocking will continue to grow

Global Ad Blocking Growth, source: smartinsights.com

How does technology affect marketing communications in future?

- due to internet everything is going to be faster. There will be tons and tons of information that consumers will have to deal with, therefore, it is going to be a hard job for marketers to create outstanding marketing messages.

- virtual reality drops people inside their favorite TV show, provides an on-the-ground preview of their next vacation, or puts them behind the wheel of their next car. Customer experience is priority number one and 3D technology will move from novelty to mainstream. Smart marketers will look for ways to bring their products to virtual life. (Newman, 2015)

1. Computing everywhere. Through the proliferation of mobile devices, buyers and salespeople can reach each other anywhere and anytime.

2. Advanced, pervasive, invisible analytics. By layering analytics seamlessly on top of linked data on customers, sales activities, and salespeople, companies can deliver the right decision assistance to the right salespeople and customers at the right time.

3. Context rich systems. Data and analytical insights can be tailored and targeted for the specific situations faced by customers and company personnel. The extreme customization aligns perfectly with how salespeople think and work.

4. Cloud Computing and

5. Software Defined Infrastructure: These enable fast deployment and at-will scaling of systems to keep up with ever-changing business, customer, and sales force needs.

Sources

Chrzanowska, N. (2016). 4 trends that will change your marketing communication in 2016. Retrieved from http://www.smartinsights.com/traffic-building-strategy/integrated-marketing-communications/4-trends-will-change-marketing-communication-2016/. Accessed: 27.04.2016.

Newman, D. (2015). The Top 10 Marketing Trends That Will Define 2016. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2015/11/03/the-top-10-marketing-trends-that-will-define-2016/#df250487d582. Accessed: 27.04.2016

Rousmaniere, D. (2013). A Futurist Looks at the Future of Marketing. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/05/a-futurist-looks-at-the-future. Accessed: 27.04.2016.

Zoltners, A. A., Sinha, P., & Lorimer, S. E. (2015). The Technology Trends That Matter to Sales Teams. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/05/the-technology-trends-that-matter-to-sales-teams. Accessed: 27.04.2016.

Creative idea and messages

Problem: How can a creative process lead to effective messaging?

Learning objectives:
1. What does a creative process consist of?
2. How to create appealing messages for target audience?
3. Examples

1. What does a creative process consist of?

The creative process consists of four steps:

1. Initiate

In this first step you recognize a need or opportunity and as questions that launch a focused creative process. For example, you review your catalogue and ask yourself if there are would be some sort of illustration or catchy headline that would make your catalouge more exciting.

2. Imagine

In the second step you generate imagination. Assembling a team and do some brainstorming will support you at this stage.

3. Invent

In this stage you take a closer look at some of the ideas you and your team imagined and choose a few best ones. Pick them and see how you can make them more practical an feasible for your campaign.

4. Implement

In this stage you put your creative ideas into practice.

A creative brief should include the following steps:

1. Background/ Overview

2. Objective

3. Target audience

4. Focus

5. Reasons why

6. Also: what else might help the creative team? 

7. Schedule

2. How to create appealing messages for target audience?

emotional vs. rational appeal:
emotional:
Relates to the customers' social needs for purchsing. Many motives for purchasing decisions are emotional.

rational:

Focus on the consumer’s practical and functional need for the product or service and emphasize features of a product or service and/or benefits or reasons for owning or using a particular brand.

Consumer purchase decisions are often made on the basis of both emotional and rational motives, and attention must be given to both elements in developing effective advertising.


- use creative storytelling- Ask your customers how they would like to receive content
- Triggered emails
- What your competition isn’t doing
- Don’t just network — host an event
- Referral rewards
- Simplify
- Make it musical/visual --> appeal to all senses

- multisensual marketing

 

Examples:

Case Study BMW:

Companies should not underestimate the power of the composition of different senses. BMW connects sound and visual elements/ colors. The following video is an acoustical decoding of the pleasure/joy associations (dark grey) and the actual sound of BMW (light grey).

Multi sensory marketing: The following video is one example of how a supermarket/retailer used sensory branding and achieved a 400% increase in sales using multisensory marketing and social influences:

more creative marketing campaigns at:
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/creative-marketing-ad-campaigns/

Sources:

AD Cracker. 2016. Sample Creative Brief 2016 for advertising and design projects. URL: http://www.adcracker.com/brief/Sample_Creative_Brief.htm. Accessed: 10.04.2016

DeJesus, N. 2007. How to make your advertising appeal to consumers. URL: http://adsoftheworld.com/blog/ndejesus/2007/apr/10/how_to_make_your_advertising_appeal_to_consumers. Accessed: 11.04.2016

Gunelius, S. 2010. 10 Common and Effective Emotional Triggers. URL: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/205240article. Accessed: 11.04.2016

Hiam, A. 2016. Marketing: Managing the Creative Process - For Dummies. URL: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/marketing-managing-the-creative-process.html. Accessed: 10.04.2016

Howell, J. 2014. 7 Creative Marketing Ideas To Make Your Small Business Stand Out! URL: http://www.steamfeed.com/7-creative-marketing-ideas-make-small-business-stand/.Accessed: 09.04.2016

Spiegel, B. (n.d.). 6 ways to improve the creative process. URL: https://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2433447/6-ways-to-improve-the-creative-process. Accessed: 11.04.2016

Media agencies

Learning objectives:

1. What do media agencies do?
2. What stages are involved in media planning?
3. How to optimize media expenditure?

Problem: How to optimize media expenditure?

1. What do media agencies do?

Definition: 

According to cambridge dictonary a media agency is a company that advises companies on how and where to ​advertise and on how to present a postitive picture of themselves to the ​public: Many ​firms use a media agency to represent their brands online.

Role of a media agency:

A media agency (or media planner) is responsible for the strategic recommendation of media activities for your campaign. After receiving a brief from the client, the planning process involves analysing the audience objectives and balancing the reach, frequency and costs of media options to deliver a detailed media plan that maximises advertising exposure and impact.

Planning should demonstrate a coordinated approach to different media and illustrate the thinking behind the proposed approach. Media planners work closely with advertising agencies to ensure the client's advertising budget is well spent, as well as adhering to the overall campaign strategy. (Source: NSW Strategic Communications)

2. Media Planning

Media Planningc is the expertise to ensure that our clients' messages appear in the right place and at the right time to ensure they reach the correct target group. (Source: MediaCom)

Planning process:

Media agencies receive briefs from their clients. They can be tasked to do many different things, help launch a new camera, drive sales of a brand extension or change perceptions of a brand operating in a sensitive industry, for example.

The next step for a media agency is to seek to understand more about the people it needs to influence. 

A media agency will also research how the target group consumes and uses media, both traditional and social media.

The media agency will then work closely with the client and the brand's other agencies, if appropriate, to develop an idea and a media plan that media buyers and/or content creators can then implement. (Source: MediaCom, 2014)

According to Carr (2006) there are five steps of media planning:
Step 1: Capture the market share you "should own". Insert yourself into the marketplace by being present 

Step 2: Merchandise the product or service. Make sure that your prospective customer clearly understands what your product has to offer by manipulating its features and benefits to position against those of your competitors.
Step 3: Eliminate confusion. Capture incremental revenue by eliminating "confused customers" through usability testing and site optimization.
Step 4: Create intangible benefits through branding. Create perceived value, brand personality and other intangible benefits.
Step 5: Retain customers and create fans by crafting the experience. Get to know your customer and their friends by supporting their needs and facilitating their experience with your product or service.

3. How to optimize media expenditure?

According to Quigley (2014) there are 3 ways of how to optimize your marketing expenditure:
1. Test new marketing opportunities in order to stay up to date
2. Get engaged: connect to your customer
3. The proof is the data: by wisely using data a company can access a deep pool of potential consumers

Sources: 

Cambridge Dictionary. 2014. media agency Bedeutung im Cambridge Englisch Wörterbuch. URL: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/de/worterbuch/englisch/media-agency. Accessed: 05.04.2016.

Carr, R. 2006. 5 Strategic Media Planning Steps. URL: http://www.imediaconnection.com/articles/ported-articles/red-dot-articles/2006/sep/5-strategic-media-planning-steps/. Accessed: 06.04.2016.
MA webtechnologies. 2015. Online Media Buying Company - paid media services. URL: http://www.mawebtechnologies.com/onlinemediabuying.php. Accessed: 05.04.2016.

MediaCom. 2014. How does a media agency work? URL: http://www.mediacomedinburgh.com/en/what-we-do/our-industry/media-agencies/how-does-a-media-agency-work.aspx. Accessed: 05.04.2016.

MediaCom. 2014. Media planning. URL: http://www.mediacomedinburgh.com/en/what-we-do/our-industry/media-planning.aspx. Accessed: 05.04.2016.

NSW Strategic Communications. n.d. Role of advertising & media agencies - Planning a campaign. URL: http://www.advertising.nsw.gov.au/advertising/planning-campaign/advertising-and-media-agencies. Accessed: 05.04.2016.

Quigley, P. 2014. 3 Ways to Optimize Ad Spend. URL: http://www.dmnews.com/marketing-strategy/3-ways-to-optimize-ad-spend/article/349707/. Accessed: 06.04.2016.

Social Media

Problem: How to create an effective and measurable Social Media Plan?

Learning objectives:
1. How to make a Social Media plan?
2. How to implement a Social Media plan?
3. How to measure a Social Media plan?

1. How to make a Social Media plan?

Definition:

A social media marketing plan is the summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve for your business using social networks. This plan should include an audit of where your accounts are today, goals for where you want them to be in the near future, and all the tools you want to use to get there.

There are 6 steps:

1. Set your social media goals --> SMART goals

2. Conduct a social media audit

3. Create/ improve your social media accounts

4. Get social media inspiration from industry leaders, competitors, clients

5. Create a content plan and editorial calendar

6. Test, evaluate and adjust your social media marketing plan

Overview about different social media channels and their usage. Source: Frankly Communications 2014.

In order to find the right social media platform that suits the purpose of you company it is essential to know the advantages and disadvantages of each platform. This illustrations compares the most used social media channels according to their users and advantages/ disadvantes.

Choosing the right social media platform. Source: accion.org

According to accion, the first step is to identify the target audience. Afterwards, the goals need to be set. One goal of course is to increase sales but there are goals that are more related to social media in particular such as driving brand recognition or increasing customer support. The last step is to find your audience. Which means to find out which social media platform they use and how active they are.

2. How to implement a Social Media plan?

Social Media Strategy, source: Smiciklas 2013

3. How to measure a Social Media plan?

There are many different tools that can measure the outcome of a firm's social media activities. In the following I will present a few of these tools:

• Facebook insights: provides access to daily active users, monthly active users, daily new likes, daily interactions (comments, posts, likes), geographic location of your visitors, etc.
• Google analytics: provides rich insights into your site traffic and marketing effectiveness for free. Allows you to create better-targeted ads, measures your engagement goals.
• YouTube insights: shows detailed statistics about your audience. Helps to analyze your marketing efforts and to determine how to optimize your campaigns.
• Twtrland: runs reports, discover the top influencers, analyzes your Twitter activities
• Likealyzer.com: Analyzes your Facebook page and gives you advice about how to optimize it
• socialbakers.com

Keywords: Strategy, Channels, target group, measurement, tracking, platforms

Sources:

Accion. 2015. Choosing the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business. URL: http://us.accion.org/business-resources/articles-videos/choosing-right-social-media-platform-your-business. Accessed: 14.03.2016.

LePage, E. 2014. How To Create A Social Media Marketing Plan In 6 Steps. URL: https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/. Accessed: 14.03.2016.

Smiciklas, M. 2013. 8 Step Social Media Strategy. URL: https://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/8-step-social-media-strategy-infographic/. Accessed: 17.03.2016

Socialbrite.org. (n.d.). 10 free metrics tools for actionable analytics. URL: http://socialbrite.s3.amazonaws.com/10-free-metrics-tools.pdf. Accessed: 14.03.2016.

Communication Plan

Problem: How to create an effective marketing communication plan?

Learning objectives:

1. What are different marketing communication models?
2. When to use which model and why?
3. How to implement and measure the outcome of marketing communications?

1. and 2. What are different marketing communication models and when to use which one?

•  AIDA model

The AIDA model

• Dagmar model
• first proposed by Russell Colley in 1961
• goal of advertising was to communicate, not to sell specifically
• steps that consumer needs to go through to buy a product
• these steps have become basic criteria for advertising objectives and goals
• 4 stages:
• 1) AWARENESS: In this stage, the customer becomes aware of the product. 
• 2) COMPREHENSION: The customer is aware of the product characteristics and its uses. He is also familiar with the brand name and brand logo. 
• 3) CONVICTION: This stage refers to the emotional decision of preferring one brand to another. 
• 4) ACTION: In this stage, the purchase is made




• Heightened appreciation model
• helps to create an advertising strategy
• suggests to identify an important attribute of the product
• consumer should be convinced about the importance of that attribute 

• Advertising exposure model
• explains the effet of advertising and marketing communication on brand building

Advertising Exposure Model by David Aaker

• Model of Joyee

Model of Joyee

• concentrates on three areas: Advertising, purchsing bahaviour and consumer attitudes
• assumes that there is a continous cycle of event in these areas
• one change in one area affects the other areas

• Levidge and Steiner Model

Levidge and Steiner Model

• suggests that there are 6 steps
• the job of the advertiser is to encourage the customer to go through all six steps to purchase the product 

Comparison of different models

3. How to measure the outcome of marketing communications?

3 ways of measuring your marketing communication outcome:

1. set a baseline

2. Periodic feedback

3. reporting

Sources: 

Blogspot. 2008. MODELS OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION: DAGMAR MODEL. URL: http://marketingcommunicationmodels.blogspot.fi/2008/07/dagmar-model.html. Accessed: 09.03.2016

Blogspot. 2008. MODELS OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION: HEIGHTENED APPRECIATION MODEL. URL: http://marketingcommunicationmodels.blogspot.fi/2008/07/heightened-appreciation-model-helps.html. Accessed: 09.03.2016

Hanlon, A. 2013. The AIDA Model - Smart Insights Digital Marketing Advice. URL: http://www.smartinsights.com/traffic-building-strategy/offer-and-message-development/aida-model/. Accessed: 10.03.2016

Investing Answers. 2016. DAGMAR Definition & Example. URL: http://www.investinganswers.com/financial-dictionary/businesses-corporations/dagmar-4767. Accessed: 10.03.2016

Learn Marketing. n.d.. Hierarchy of Effects Model. URL: http://www.learnmarketing.net/hierarchy_of_effects_model.html. Accessed: 10.03.2016

Mishra, P. 2013. David Aaker’s Ad Exposure Model. URL: http://de.slideshare.net/pratikshyamishra1/david-aakers-ad-exposure-model-aquaguard. Accessed: 09.03.2016

Santarcangelo, M. 2012. Three ways to measure effective communication. URL: http://securitycatalyst.com/three-ways-effectively-communicating-value-can-be-measured/. Accessed: 09.03.2016

Brand Strategy

Problem: How companies create brand strategy?

Learning objectives
1. What are different brand architecture strategies?
2. When and why to use different brand architecture models? Theory
3. Practical examples, no Pepsi or Red Cross.

1. What are different brand architecture strategies?

Brand architecture is defined as the logical, strategic and relational structure for all brands in the portfolio. A key concept of brand architecture strategy is that customers relate to brands at different levels — for example, a corporate (or master brand), endorsed brands, house of brands and branded house. This allows an organization to create a brand portfolio that appeals to distinct segments or needs states. (EquiBrand, 2015)

Master Brand (branded house)
A branded house refers to a company that uses a branding strategy in which the brand is equivalent to the company itself. 

For example: a company such as Virgin. The company is diversified into everything from music to mobile, but all of its brands are under the Virgin name: Virgin Mobile, Virgin Air, Virgin Records etc. This brand architecture strategy is also known as a logo-linked brand or master brand – the name and branding is consistent across all segments of the company. (Stuart)

House of Brands

A house of brands refers to a branding strategy in which a parent company is home to multiple distinct brands. In a house of brands, the individual brands are more widely recognized than the overarching brand. With a house of brands, while consumers may recognize the name of the company, the various sub-brands generally are better known. Each individual brand has its own unique identity, while the brand identity of the parent company is virtually invisible to the consumer. (Zideate)

Endorsed Brand
Brands are combined in such a way that one is designed to work in concert with the other.

Hybrid

Is a mix of architecture types. One main brand with themes and elements that carry throughout the branding for several sub brands. For example, Marriott has brands like Courtyard and Fairfield Inn under its main brand, and the Marriott branding appears (in a minimal way) on the logos etc. for most of the sub brands.

Branded house vs. House of brands

2. When and why to use different brand architecture models?

A number of factors need to be considered in developing and evaluating alternatives. There is no one-size-fits all solution or magic formula for defining the appropriate brand architecture or brand portfolio structure. Brand architecture recommendations should be informed by the following three question areas: Financial resources – how many brands can the organization afford to support?

Customer “bandwidth” – how many brands can customers understand?

Strategic decisions – do special circumstances (partnerships, etc.) dictate tighter or looser brand linkages? (EquiBrand Consulting)

Smaller organizations that are still focusing on gaining market share need to choose the architecture that will help them grow the fastest. If a smaller company has a product or service that they would like to introduce into their existing structure, it is usually a good idea to create a sub-category of their existing brand rather that creating a new brand for that product or service. This makes a “Branded House” architecture an excellent choice. (In the image, 2015)


8 steps of creating the right brand architecture:
1. know your audience
2. be clear about your business vision
3. evaluate the equity in your existing brands
4. Assess the value of co-branded relationships
5. Determine the available marketing budget
6. understand legal or tax implications
7. develop a plan and timeline to introduce your brand architecture
8. create a decision tree to maintain your brand architecture (Grace, 2016)

  Branded house

· More efficient to communicate and manage; enables a more cost-effective means of announcing      new companies and product launches

· Streamlines decision-making for company structure and growth
· Any new addition to the company portfolio automatically gains a level of acceptance and  importance because of the public’s previous identification with the parent brand
· Simplifies messaging to employees, customers, analysts, agents, and distributors
· Better aligns organization internally and externally
· A combined entity is perceived to have more staying power, suggests strength, and is just easier to  remember and recognize
· Customers buy products and services more on attributes of company, rather than just relying on  product attributes
· Strong corporate brands have been proven to better preempt competition/defend market share, and  to also improve loyalty indicators (there are brand studies that show investing in a corporate brand  can improve shareholder value)

House of brands

· Each brand is free to fight its battles on its own terms, unfettered by the meaning of the parent brand
· Can leverage equity (but only if there has been some investment in building it previously)
· Can impact customer retention (again, only if investment in brand exists)
· Reseller/agents may prefer this approach so that they can sell their own brand label
· May shield the corporate name in the event of problems or negative news and divestiture issues

3. Practical examples

example Branded House

example Endorsed Brand

example House of brands

Key words

Brand architecture, Brand strategies, Brand management, Collaboration, Brand guidelines

Sources

Aaker, D. A., Joachimsthaler, E., & Simon & Schuster. 2002. Brand leadership. London: Simon & Schuster.

Equibrand Consulting. 2015. Brand Architecture Strategy. URL: http://equibrandconsulting.com/services/brand-consultant/brand-architecture/strategy. Accessed: 02 March 2016.

Grace, J. K. 2016. 8 Key Steps to Creating the Optimal Brand Architecture. URL: http://www.brand-taxi.com/optimal-brand-architecture/. Accessed 03 March 2016.

In the image. 2015. Branded House vs. house of brands vs. house blend. URL: intheimage.com/blog/branding/branded-house-vs-house-of-brands-vs-house-blend. Accessed: 02 March 2016.

Stuart, E. 2016. Building Brand Value: With Brand Architecture Strategy. URL: https://vtldesign.com/brand-development/building-brand-value-why-you-need-a-brand-architecture-strategy/. Accessed 02 March 2016.

Wegman, J. 2011. Should You Be a Branded House, or a House of Brands? URL: http://www.martinoflynn.com/blog/2011/04/28/should-you-be-a-branded-house-or-a-house-of-brands/. Accessed 03 March 2016.

Zideate. (2016). House of Brands. Retrieved from https://www.zideate.com/definition/35/house-of-brands

Visual Brand Identity

PROBLEM: How to build and maintain visual brand identity across different channels?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. How to design and implement visual brand identity?
2. How to communicate brand identity through the visual elements?
3. How to take cultural difference into consideration when designing visual brand identity?

1. How to design and implement visual brand identity?

Podner (2015, p. 120) quotes Marguelies (1977, 66) when defining Corporate visual identity. According to them, a corporate visual identity makes a company visible, tangible and recognizable. Furthermore, it defines a contextual framework for the contents that a company communicates. Short: Visual identity is the sum of all the ways a company chooses to identify itself to all its publics.

In addition, visual identity includes elements that are not only visual, but can also be perceived with other senses, such as a typical sound, smell or feel, which can be used to communicate a company's story.

Four functions of visual identity:

1. Provides visibility and recognition

2. Reminds people that company exists

3. Important for forming a first impression

4. Achieves uniformity

Rules to design visual identity:

1. Simple

2. Unique

3. Aesthetically durable

When changing or creating a new visual identity it is advisory to follow three steps:

1. Set goals based on the strategic aims of the company

2. Overview of communication tools and elements

3. Take the (new) visual identity into practice: promote with communication campaign

Source: Podner, K. 2015

Brand elements

2. How to communicate brand identity through the visual elements?

- 1. Create a strong Logo and use it widely:  Logo and its usage, tagline, typography, color palette, iconography 

- 2. Create brand standards for marketing materials
- 3. Publish and promote a style guide: develop guidelines that members of company can relate to. Example of Coca Cola Zero Style Guide: http://www.kathrin-pyplatz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/styleguide-coca-cola.pdf 

- Harmonization can be achieved by bringing all of the elements together

Source: http://thebrandgals.com/infographic-friday-branding-guidelines/

good example of visual branding: Heineken http://de.scribd.com/doc/69182524/Heineken-Identidad-Visual-Corporativa#scribd 

3. How to consider cultural difference when designing visual brand identity? 

- Color is probably the most important element of the brand because it improves brand recognition by up to 80%, it highlights important information, makes an impression that is 39% more memorable, and it increases comprehension by as much as 73%.

- However, you have to consider cultural differences when deciding on the color. For example, white in China means Death and mourning whereas in Western cultures it stands for Brides, angels, good people, hospitals, doctors and peace. see more: http://webdesign.about.com/od/colorcharts/l/bl_colorculture.htm 

- More cultural differences:

- Eye contact: Western: positive; Eastern: rude and makes people feel uncomfortable

- Symbols and signs

- Metaphors 

- Music

- Numbers (lucky numbers)

- Gestures

Examples of companies not considering different cultures:

When Gerber (baby food brand of Nestlé) started selling their products in Africa they used the same packaging as in the USA (see picture). Later they found out that in Africa companies put pictures on their packages of what is inside the package, since most people cannot read.

When Puffs tissues tried to introduce its product, they were quick to learn that `Puff`in Germany is the term for a whorehouse.

See more examples: http://www.campaignasia.com/BlogEntry/359532,Cultural+blunders+Brands+gone+wrong.aspx

Key words:

Brand identity, Culture, Target Group, Design, Logo, visual elements, touchpoints, Message, reputation 

Sources: 

Kunigis, A. 2016. How to Create a Strong Visual Brand – The Hartford. URL: http://www.thehartford.com/business-playbook/in-depth/building-strong-visual-branding. Accessed 18 February 2016.

Mooij, M. K. 2014. Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes(4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Podnar, K. 2015. Corporate communication: A marketing viewpoint. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Xerox. 2009. 5 Steps to Consistent, Effective Brand Communications Using Color. URL: http://www.office.xerox.com/latest/XOGFL-18U.PDF. Accessed: 17 February 2016.

Brand identity and brand image

Problem: How to communicate brand identity/ image?

Learning objectives:

  1. What is the difference between brand identity and brand image?

         2. Compare different brand identity models

         3. How do brand identity and brand image affect business?

1. What is the difference between brand identity and brand image?

According to Argenti (2013, p. 72) “a company’s identity is the actual manifestation of the company’s reality as conveyed through the organization’s name, logo, motto, brands, products, services, buildings, stationery, uniforms, and all other tangible pieces of evidence created by the organization and communicated to all of its various constituencies.

A company’s image on the other hand “is a reflection of an organization’s identity as seen from the viewpoint of its constituencies (Argenti, 2013, p. 73).

Corporate image: Mental picture that pops up at the customer's mind when they hear the name of a. It is a composite psychological impression that continually changes with the firm's circumstances, media coverage, performance, pronouncements, etc. Similar to a firm's reputation or goodwill, it is the public perception of the firm rather than a reflection of its actual state or position. Unlike corporate identity, it is fluid and can change overnight from positive to negative to neutral. 

2. Compare different brand identity models

Brand Identity planning model (Aaker. 1996, p.79)

According to Aaker (1996) a firm should consider its brand as: 1. a product, 2. an organization, 3. a person, and 4. a symbol. The goal of those perspectives is to help to consider different brand elements and patterns that can help clarify, enrich, and differentiate an identity. Not every brand has to use all perspectives, however, it is advisory to consider them all. 

Customer-Based Brand Equity (Keller, K.L. 2013)

Keller suggests in order to build a strong brand, you must shape it how customers think and feel about your product. You have to build the right type of experiences around your brand, so that customers have specific, positive thoughts, feelings, beliefs, opinions, and perceptions about it.

When you have strong brand equity, your customers will buy more from you, they will recommend you to other people, they are more loyal, and you're less likely to lose them to competitors.

The model illustrates the four steps that you need to follow to build strong brand equity.

4- Dimensions of Branding (Gad. 2001)

Functional dimension: Perceived benefit of product or service

Mental dimension: The ability to create insight or guidance for the individual

Spiritual dimension: perception of higher purpose in society, or your industry individually, locally or globally.

Social dimension: The ability to create a social context for a group.

3. How do brand identity and brand image affect business?

- the more confidence customers put in the brand, the more likely they are willing to pay a high price for it --> profit/ sales increase

- can create customer loyalty and satisfaction

- but: a negative brand image can lead to loss of customers

Key words:

brand identity, brand image, customer experience, international branding, emotional bond, brand recognition, reputation

Sources:

Aaker, David. 1996. Building Strong Brands. New York: The Free Press.

Argenti, P. A. 2013. Corporate communication (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Business dictionary. 2016. Corporate image. URL: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/corporate-image.html#ixzz3za0kGz40. Accessed: 8 February 2016

Cornelissen, J. 2011. Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications

Gad, Thomas: 4D Branding: Cracking the Code of the Network Economy, Prentice Hall, 2001

Keller, K. L. 2013. Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity. Boston: Pearson.


Mindtools. 2016. Keller's Brand Equity Model - Strategy Tools. URL: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/keller-brand-equity-model.htm. Accessed 11 February 2016.

Integrated Marketing Communication

Problem: How can companies create an integrated marketing communication system?

Learning objectives:

1.    What is IMC about and how does it work in practice? Name a few examples.

·     Who is in charge of, what do you coordinate in, IMC and how?

2.    How can a company synchronize communication tools/channels to give a consistent message?

3.    What are common mistakes in IMC? Give a few examples.

1. What is IMC about and how does it work in practice? 

According to the American Marketing Association, integrated marketing communications is "a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time."

IMC is basically about putting all marketing campaigns in all different channels used under one consistent message that the receiver automatically connects to your brand.

In IMC the following four elements are essential:

Consistency Make sure you are always sending out the same message throughout different channels/ campaigns
Coherence Be aware of your entire communication process through different channels. All information should be a part of your overall strategy to ensure alignment.
Continuity As well as coordinating messages to be consistent and coherent, you must also keep in mind that every channel needs to be monitored – and this should be done on a regular basis to keep up continuity.
Complementary Lastly, you need to think of how your communication effort come together, so that when the complementary synergy you create overall can exceed any effort. (Friis, 2010)

example: Snickers- You are not you when you're hungry.

• Coherence. While the execution changed across different media and markets, the central theme and strapline remained the same as it was relevant for markets worldwide. 
• Consistency. The consistency of the message worked well across multiple regional campaigns and media. These consistent messages allowed the effectiveness of the central proposition remain intact across markets and regional campaigns. 
• Continuity. The launched in the US with a Superbowl ad featuring Golden Girls actress, Betty White in 2010, and yet six years later the creative execution of the campaign remains intact. 
• Complementary. The effectiveness of the central proposition and the global campaigns adherence to the first Three Cs mean that when combined you have a long-running, multi-channel, multi-million campaign, the constituent parts of which ensure that 
• Effectiveness. According to Effie.org activity in the first three months of the campaign in the US helped to grow sales by 13.4%, there was an 18,000% increases in Snickers searches on YouTube, over 5million online views and over 400million incremental and unpaid media impressions. (Heaton, 2014)

1.1. Who is in charge of IMC and what do you coordinate in IMC?

Corporate communication as an integrated framework for
 managing communication (Cornelissen, 2011. p. 25)

This framework shows that there are various people from public relations and marketing communication disciplines in the coordination and decision-making of corporate communication. Each of these disciplines might be used separately, however, it is more common that organizations manage them together from a holistic organizational or corporate perspective with the company's reputation and overall strategy in mind. In many companies the responsible person for corporate communication has been promoted to a higher position in the organization's hierarchical structure. Sometimes the senior communication director even became a member of the organization's management team. These higher positions enable communication directors to coordinate communication from a strategic level and, therefore, maintain and protect the company's reputation with its stakeholders. 

2. How can a company synchronize communication tools/ channels to give a consistent message?

Nowadays many companies combine various communication departments together to one department in order that knowledge and skills of experts are shared and corporate communication is seen as an autonomous and significant function within the organization. Some of the communication departments might still be separated, but the main idea is to combine most of the departments into one single department in order to make sure that communication can be strategically managed from a central corporate perspective. Large companies even locate their corporate communication department at a high level, vertically within the organization. This means that staff of corporate communication directly report to the CEO and the executive board. This vertical structure divides each organization's primary tasks into smaller subtasks and activities. However, these vertical specializations require horizontal coordination. Horizontal structures combine tasks of basic functions (such as HR, finance, marketing and communication). Horizontal structures also enable companies to respond fast to emergent issues, provide control and ensure that consistent messages are sent throughout all communication channels. (Cornelissen, 2011, p. 25-29)

The organization of corporate communication
at Siemens (Cornelissen, 2011, p. 27)

In order to be able to coordinate all tools and channels the organization needs to carefully plan its marketing campaigns.

IMC marketing plan 

This plan is a coordination of all promotional messages for a product or service to ensure consistency at every customer contact point. 

3. What are common mistakes in IMC?

1. creating wrong content (confusing message)
2. Translation without localisation- take local slang and culture into consideration
3. making promises you cannot keep
4. not knowing your customer
5. not monitoring and measuring your campaign

Keywords: 

SP, PR, Integrated marketing communication, advertising, communication tools, integrated elements, common goal, publicity, marketing plan, mistakes

Sources: 

• American Marketing Association. 2016. Dictionary. URL: https://www.ama.org/resources/Pages/Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=I. Accessed: 2 February 2016.
• Cornelissen, J. 2011. Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
• Friis, M. 2010, November 1. Making an Integrated Marketing Communication Effort | Mindjumpers. URL: http://www.mindjumpers.com/blog/2010/11/integrated-marketing-com/. Accessed 2 February 2016.
• Heaton, A. (2014). Three examples of integrated campaigns - Smart Insights Digital Marketing Advice. URL: http://www.smartinsights.com/traffic-building-strategy/integrated-marketing-communications/three-examples-integrated-campaigns/. Accessed 3 February 2016.
• Stockmeyer J. 2012. An Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications. URL: http://www.johnstockmyer.com/enmu/452ch1.pdf Accesed 3 February 2016.