Brands Still Matter - Just Not Like They Used To

“Do brands still matter” was the title of an Advertising Week panel this morning aimed at establishing whether or not other elements should take precedence over brand image when it comes to a marketing campaign. The verdict? Brands do still matter, they just matter in a different way than they used to.

The panel opened up with a clever video, the latest in Adobe’s Do You Know What Your Marketing Is Doing? series. The ad centered on a rocket launch which kept getting delayed for various reasons: the sponsor wanted a bigger logo the rocket, they needed a hashtag, the mission was switched to Pluto because search data found Mars wasn’t trending, and budget constraints caused the launch to be moved back to Q4.

Colin Mitchell, worldwide head of planning at Ogilvy & Mather, pointed out that this video illustrated the hyper-awareness of today’s consumer, a relatively recent phenomenon brought on by the Internet and the subsequent rise of social media, mobile devices, and data availability. As consumers increasingly know more, they’ve also come to expect more in terms of personalized experiences and relevant targeting.

“Brands have never been more fragile,” said Mitchell, who led the panel discussion. “The reason is simple – consumers are supremely well-informed and far more likely to investigate the real value of products, rather than rely on logos.”

According to Ogilvy research – in which the agency surveyed 2,000 mid to high-income consumers from various demographics in four different countries – brands still matter to 53 percent of British, 57 percent of American, 83 percent of Mexican, and 88 percent of Chinese consumers. However, now their image takes a backseat to things like customer service and charitable endeavors.

“It’s like an archaeological dig in a way,” said Mitchell. “The things people worried about from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s – like image – are still very important, but they are now being supplanted by these new drivers of brands mattering, like service attributes.”

Coca-Cola has been around for nearly 130 years, in part because the brand has been careful to evolve with the culture. According to Jennifer Healan, group director of integrated marketing content at Coca-Cola, the soft drink brand has stood the test of time by being “a part of people’s moments over time,” pointing out that today’s moments are more likely to have digital components. Android research from last year found that 93 million selfies are taken per day, a statistic that fits in with the now-iconic Share a Coke campaign.

“Think about the personal connection you have with a brand, it inspired you to find your name and also the names of the people you care about,” said Healan. “It became something very personal, and people took it upon themselves to share.”

Hope Cowan, a creative agency partner for Facebook, said connectivity is another aspect of modern marketing that brands have to master. As the premier social media platform, Facebook is all about connecting. Yet Cowan said it goes beyond having a friends list and birthday reminders. The platform’s Safety Check, for example, allows people to connect with their loved ones by checking in and letting them know they’re safe after a tragedy, like the massive earthquake that hit Nepal in April. 

Healan added, “As people evolve, what’s important to them also evolves, but it comes back to the core of connecting. We’re part of people’s moments and they post them on Facebook – it’s a great example of connectivity.”