Three approaches to brands
These are three bits from a presentation I’m preparing on different approaches to brands. They’re metaphoric illustrations, each one describing a certain type of brand model. (I now have ten comparative approaches and need to whittle them down to five.)
While I compare and contrast these in my presentation as if they were exclusive approaches, in the real world most brands tend to be a blend of several.
Brands light the way
The metaphor of illumination seems to find its way into all of the approaches, in one form or another. How it is used depends to some extent on whether the brand approach assumes a passive customer, to be captured and contained, or a proactive customer to be teamed with and freed from old constraints. Much of this depends on how the brand agenda is structured.
The Mushroom Theory of Brands
Keep customers in the dark and feed them ads. Sell them brands as flashlights.
The Beacon Theory of Brands
Illuminate yourself. Draw customers to your beam. Sell them concrete shoes so they can’t wander off.
The Enlightened Theory of Brands
Erase darkness with the brand. Teach customers to see. Sell them tools to journey forth.
Admittedly, I’m partial to the last approach. It elevates brands from company sales pitch to customer enabler, and (to my mind) opens doors to many market opportunities that the other brand approaches ignore. It certainly prepares a brand to benefit from customer initiative and innovation.
Although I make frequent sacrifices at the altar of our beloved patron saint, I reserve a top spot in the Brand Pantheon for Prometheus, too. Brand builders are light-givers. Channel him, and you won’t go wrong.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:00 am
That works very well. I like your approach on these brand archetypes. Would love to see how they all can be placed in one model. Thinking of several axes: profit focus vs. purpose focus and intrinsic value vs. ????
January 28th, 2008 at 5:58 am
You have a very interesting way of putting things into perspective. I’m also a bit of an art lover so I’m pretty sure many people will appreciate you explaining brands using a different approach. It also makes the concepts easier to understand.
January 28th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Raimo,
In the good old 2 X 2 matrix model, I find things work best when the axes are directly related to the customer. If brands are “all about the customer” then customers should be the measure. Brands that 1) create customers and 2) innovate should be up there in the top right square.
Brian