In the wake of the global economic crisis, corporations are discovering a world that has changed fundamentally from the one they used to flourish in. The new who, what, when, where, why and how of consumers, competition and markets means that the innovation environment has evolved…again.
Added Value, the global brand development and marketing insight consultancy, has announced the appointment of Bart Michels as Head of Global Clients, a new role which sits on the Executive Group Board. Read more…
In its Global CMO Study, that was published recently, IBM underscores three main topics:
- The empowerment of consumers, who are now in control of the business relationship
- Delivering customer value, and how an organization’s behavior is as impactful as the products/services it provides
- The accountability of Marketing to the business
The next time you’re in a supermarket, standing at the front of a crowded aisle, ask yourself this, how different are all these brands really?
Let’s take bottled water. How many different promises (or propositions) can you use to sell water? It’s refreshing, it’s hydrating, it’s healthy, it’s sometimes tasty, and it’s good for your body, your brain, even the world. It’s sourced from places far more beautiful than where you live and sometimes it’s fizzy. Actually, that’s a pretty impressive list of different ways to sell something which many of us take for granted. The website “finewaters.com” which claims to be the definitive resource on bottled water, says there are 150 water brands in the UK alone. All of these brands use one or more of these 8 promises in their marketing. Read more…
Growing without a stink
As the economic might of China grows, so too does the ambition of Chinese brands to expand internationally. In fact, several Chinese brands have already started to gain traction in the West. Successful examples include Haier, a white goods manufacturer, and Lenova and Huawei, who offer computer and communication solutions.
A noticeable feature of first wave of successful Chinese brands abroad is a distinct lack of “Chinese-ness”. There is nothing in the brands’ imagery that clearly marks them as “made in China” or culturally recognizable as Chinese. Read more…
