Black Marketing Business Coach

Irresistible brands
step-by-step approach
http://www.danherman.com

Dan Herman, Unfair Advantage Creators, Israel

et me introduce you to our logic of strategy development. First, consider a simplified model of the process by which brands deliver service to marketers who create them. Look at the left-hand side of the diagram and follow the arrows of causality. What are we saying? We employ various branding means (this is the Branding Level) that achieve a combined effect upon the consumer according to our strategy (this is the Psychological Level). The result is that the consumer wants to behave in a certain manner (this is the Behavioural Level) that, not accidentally, achieves our marketing goals (and this, of course, is the Marketing Level).

Working backwards - reaching goals

Give a moment of thought to the charts right hand side, vis-avis the left hand that we have just discussed. This is the backwards analysis from the marketing goals all the way to the branding means. We begin with our marketing goals, on the Marketing Level. Marketing goals are defined solely in terms of sales measures (revenue dollars, units sold and customer counts - all according to relevance). Sometimes goals are specified in relative terms such as market share, penetration rate and customer share. Thats absolutely it. Any other goal does not fall under the category of marketing goals. Positioning, for example, is not a marketing goal but a means. Entering this or that distribution channel is not a marketing goal but a means. Do not get confused. We ask what should happen for the marketing goals to be realized. Marketing goals are attained by consumers actions. Therefore, according to our marketing strategy, we ask ourselves who exactly are the consumers we have reason to believe will be buying what we intend to sell, why we spot a potential in this group in particular (why would they buy) and what exactly is it that we expect them to be doing differently from what they are doing now (or from whatever other behaviour option they may choose). That is what we call the Behavioural Level. Now, having understood and determined who should do what, its the time to wonder and ponder - why are they not already, at this time, behaving like we want them to? Or, alternately, what might prevent them in the future to behave that way? What should they know, grasp, envision? What should they feel? What kind of psychological process must they undergo? That is the Psychological Level. Both the Brand Strategy and the Branding Strategy are derived from the insights gained in this stage of the analysis. Finally, we examine what means of branding in our arsenal we should apply, and how will we have to use them, in order to trigger the psychological processes we seek. That is the Branding Level. How brands deliver service to their creators The marketing level
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Backwards analysis from marketing goals to branding means How can the marketing goals be attained? The target behaviour of the target consumers What psychological process will make the target behaviour likely to occur? What means of branding will evoke the necessary psychological processes
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The behavioural level

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The psychological level

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The branding level

Two major products are the outcomes of this process: the Brand Strategy and the Branding Strategy. The Brand Strategy is the brands promise to its consumers that we had discussed earlier. The brands promise, as you have already seen, does not only consist of the benefit we promise in order to arouse anticipations leading to desire. The promise, in the Means-End way of formulating it (fact > meaning > benefit), portrays the product as the source of that specific benefit. We want our target consumers to embrace our promise and form a belief. Thus, our product will become, in their eyes, a means by which they can attain the promised benefit. The moment such an attribution is conceived and the anticipation is evoked, is the precise moment at which our brand is, in fact, created. Not one second earlier. Only then the motivation to buy the brand will be in action, followed by a behavioural tendency. The brand strategy is the foundation of this motivation. The Branding Strategy, otherwise known as The Presentation Style, determines the manner by which the promise will be presented to the consumers in order to maximize the chance that they will adopt the suggested belief. An in-depth understanding of the consumers expected state of mind, when

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exposed to the brands promise, lies at the basis of this decision. The presentation style is not a creative approach but rather a strategic directive, complemental to the promise. These two strategic directives, the culmination of the brands strategists work, guide both the choice of branding means that comprise the branding mix, and the ways by which they are applied. They provide guidance to the managers in charge of planning and executing the brands actualization plan, as well as to the brands dramatist and to the entire team of professionals involved in creating and realizing the plan.

Partnership
change? What is the meaning of the desired motivational change? How do you effectuate the conversion from the present motivational situation to the desired one? 9. Diagnosing the consumers psychological and communicational accessibility: To what extent are our potential customers open-minded and interested? What are the difficulties we should expect during the change-making process? 10. Choosing the presentation style - that is - the Branding Strategy: How should we operate in order to increase the likelihood that our promise will become their belief?

10 steps to an irresistible brand

My methodology of crafting brand strategies, defines ten steps on the yellow brick road to an irresistible brand, each complete with its own tools, and all composing a comprehensive and well structured work process. Using my ten not so easy, but sure-fire steps, you can create truly amazing brands. 1. The marketing scenario: your marketing strategy in a nutshell. The marketing scenario helps you summarize your marketing strategy in just four sentences (and while youre at it, make sure that youve got one). It is also the transition point from seeing things from the point of view of the marketer to understanding the consumers perspective. 2. What kind of brand are you about to develop? Some basic choices and definitions. What is it exactly that you are going to brand? Is it a product or service? Is it a product line? A company? There are more options than you ever thought possible. So, when in doubt, how do you choose? Is your brand a stand-alone or a part of an architecture of brands? And if it is a part of an architecture, then what? Is it a longterm brand or a short term-brand? 3. The ripeness of will analysis: are your target consumers ready for what you are about to offer them? What do they want right now and what are the implications for your branding process? 4. Understanding your target consumers motivation in the before situation (that is, before they are exposed to your branding efforts). Why do they behave in the present as they do (rather than as you want them to)? What might prevent them from behaving in the manner consistent with your marketing plan? 5. Characterizing of the required brands promise: What kind of motivation do you need to instill in your target consumers, in order to effect the desired behavioural change? In what way will the brand be instrumental? What level of branding (out of the seven options) will be appropriate? 6. Bringing out and examining optional promises: Which promises (of the Means-End kind) could you make to your target consumers? 7. Choosing the brands promise - that is - the Brand Strategy: All aspects being considered, which one of the alternatives that you came up with will be the most attractive, motivating and believable brand promise? 8. The before and after analysis: What kind of mental shift is necessary in order to achieve the desired psychological

How will the branding means achieve the marketing goals?

The diagram on page 54 is not just a model depicting a chain of causality. It is also a working tool that will help you evaluate your strategy and your plan of action. Once you have finished the work process, established your Brand Strategy and Branding Strategy, and put together your branding mix, you could then apply this tool to perform a plausibility test, a procedure which requires more than a little intellectual integrity. A bit of intelligent consumer research could make the test even more effective. Go by the diagram: The branding mix - could it reasonably effect the desired psychological processes? Will they affect a large enough share of our target consumer? The psychological processes - would they motivate the desired target behaviour? The target behaviour, if executed by a large enough proportion of the target consumer - will it realize the marketing goals? A convincing causal sequence between the four levels indicates that our branding efforts are on track to effectiveness. It helps ensure that the branding actions taken will, in fact, achieve our marketing goals. You can at least know that there is sound logic in your branding process. Research will minimize the level of uncertainty and reinforce your conclusions. This continuum of branding effectiveness also serves to check the coordination between the activities of the marketing team on the one hand, performing on the marketing level, and on the other hand - the activities of the people creating the brands drama and executing it in all five dimensions of brand realization, working on the level of experiential, psychological and social effects. At this stage you must be asking yourselves, what is an irresistible brand? I will explain. This term is derived from my point of view about the objectives of branding. The goal of a branding process is not just to be preferred over competitors. Intentions should be much more ambitious than that. The objective is to make at least a nucleus of your target consumers strongly feel that there is absolutely no other brand that could substitute for yours, and that any other brand would be a terrible compromise, unworthy of consideration. Fascination. Lure. Craving. An impulse purchase. Thats what Im going for when I develop a brand. Note: Dan Herman, PhD, creates unique success formulas for companies and brands.

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Competitive strategies
Based on Sun Tzus The Art of War (app. 500 B.C.)
Vadim Kotelnikov
The difference between a warrior and an ordinary person is that the warrior sees everything as a challenge while an ordinary person sees everything as a blessing or a curse. - Carlos Castaneda Gary Gagliardy, Americas leading authority on using Sun Tzus methods in modern competition, writes: Before I discovered The Art of War, I tried starting two businesses. The first consumed money for almost two years before we closed it down. The second fell apart and was sold within a year. After I started studying and using Sun Tzus methods, the next business that I started went on to become one of the Inc. 500 fastest growing privately owned businesses in America. (Gagliardi, 2002)

2,500 years old, still young

The Sun Tzus The Art of War is one of the worlds best books on strategy and competition. It was written in app. 500 B.C. For over twenty-five hundred years, it helped its readers find competitive advantage using the secrets of Sun Tzu. Its competitive methods work extremely well. The Art of War, the first of the military classic, offers a distinct philosophy on how to discover the path to success. This philosophy works in any competitive environment where people find themselves contesting with one another for a specific goal. Today, many leading business schools around the world teach their students how to create a competitive advantage by applying the methods of Sun Tzu.

The four skills

The five elements that define a competitor also create the four skills, for those define the competitors interaction with the competitive environment: Knowing: The ability to get hard information. Vision: The ability to foresee the future. Action: The ability to move or stay where we are. Positioning: The ability to use the ground to find success. These skills define your external competence in the competitive world.

Todays success story

Sun Tzus The Art of War provided a strong basis for the Positioning School of strategic management. This school was the dominant view of strategy formulation in the 1980s.

Sun Tzus five elements for comparing competitive position

Elements Philosophy Business Meaning Organizational Culture and Mission Description A competitor with a strong philosophy is a strong competitor. A clear philosophy makes decision-making easier. Understanding your competitors philosophy allows you to predict them. Trends over time that are beyond your control. You must foresee these changes to adjust to them. It is both where you fight and what you fight for. The ground is the basis of all competition because that is what people are fighting about. Competitors are distinguished by the position they hold on the ground. You can and must chose the ground over which you battle. Your choice of ground is a key aspect of your success. The success of the competitive unit depends on five qualities its leader possesses: bravery, intelligence, strictness, trust in and care about people. Methods have five qualities to make them effective: systems, organization, learning, support, and standards.

Heaven Ground

Business Environment Business Space (Marketplace)

Leader

Leader

Methods

Organization, Systems, and Processes

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Business Coach Excerpts from The Art of War

Field position Know your enemy and know yourself - your victory will be painless. Know the weather and the field - your victory will be complete. Planning an attack The best policy is to attack while the enemy is still planning. The next best is to disrupt alliances. The next best is to attack the opposing army. The worst is to attack the enemys cities. Weakness and strength When you form your strategy, know the strengths and weaknesses of your plan. When you execute, know how to manage both action and inaction. When you take a position, know the deadly and the winning grounds. When you battle, know when you have too many of too few men. Adaptability Do not trust that the enemy isnt coming. Trust on your readiness to meet him. Do not trust that the enemy wont attack. Rely only on your ability to pick a place that the enemy cant attack. Armed conflict Seeking armed conflict can be disastrous. Because of this, a

Marketing

detour can be the shortest path. Because of this, problems can become opportunities. Use an indirect route as your highway. Use the search for advantage to guide you. You must know the detour that most directly accomplishes your plan. Do not let any of your potential enemies know of what you are planning. Still, you must not hesitate to form alliances. You must know the lay of the land. You must know where the obstructions are. You must know where the marshes are. If you dont, you cannot move the army. You must use local guides. If you dont, you cant take advantage of the terrain.

AsemConnect
This web site serves as a meeting place on the Internet for businesses from the 26 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) partners, and a platform for their efforts to promote business and trade between their countries. The ASEM partners include 10 Asian (Brunei Darussalam, China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam) and 15 European (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) countries. AsemConnect provides links to national home pages, each of which in turn provides links to business directories and business services in their country. These business directory sites provide useful country-specific information and opportunities with regard to venture capital, investment, trade and marketing. This is designed for promoting businesses and forging partnerships among Asian and European enterprises. For more information, contact: AsemConnect E-mail: soosan@edb.gov.sg Web: http://www.asemconnect.com.sg

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