Vision - July/August 2008 - (Page 18)

Nokia, No. 5 on the overall/multi-sector Interbrand list, has “weathered quite well,” Marshall says, because it has reinforced its image among consumers with positive associations. The brand lagged for a short time because the company focused on building its low-end handset segment in emerging markets at the expense of U.S. and European markets. However he adds, Nokia rebounded because of a strong corporate image when it rounded out its product portfolio with higher-end products. Further, Nokia, as well as Sony (No. 25), with its partnership with Ericsson, and Apple (No. 33), with its iPhone, have all managed to focus on enlivening the user experience, according to Interbrand. In contrast, Motorola, at No. 77 on the Interbrand list, “kind of rises and falls with its product innovation capabilities,” Marshall says. “They had a great hit with the RAzR and built that space, and they haven’t quite found the next product,” Marshall says. Motorola lost eight percent of brand value last year, from its No. 69 position on the 2006 list. Samsung (No. 21) also has made great strides as a brand in the handset sector. Its image-changing strategy, Marshall says, has been deliberate as it moved from being a chip maker and behind the scenes “toward being a brand at the center of every home and in every hand”. Toward that end, Samsung’s strategy has involved downplaying its individual product brands, and typically using generic names for sharply designed products, in favor of building consumer mindshare and equity in its corporate brand. So far, the company has succeeded, Marshall says, pointing to what he says is Samsung’s second-place position in the handset market. But Samsung’s strategy is risky, Marshall cautions. “If you just bring the latest sexy Tips to Build 1 Focus on developing products 2 Aim to delight and engage the 3 4 5 that are easy to use. a Successful Brand 6 7 8 9 10 customer. Design products that appeal to a wide audience. Be aware of your message’s interpretations in foreign markets. Find out how your customers view your company and products; they might have a different perception than you think. Discover what your brand’s message should be to best appeal to your target customers. Consider acquiring a company in the target market or country to obtain the brand. Aim for a brand that elicits both an emotional as well as a rational response from people, not an “either/or”. Never make a claim that your company can’t deliver. Don’t say too much. Find a single point of difference and emphasize that. Top 10 Global CE Brands 1. Microsoft 2. IBM 3. Nokia 4. Intel 5. HP Source: Interbrand, 2007 6. Cisco 7. Google 8. Samsung 9. Sony 10. Dell design to market without bringing that engagement [with the consumer], you might be at risk of people switching once your products are leapfrogged,” he says. “They can find themselves quite vulnerable,” he says of Samsung, “whereas a company like Apple gets a bit of a break when they are launching a product because of the affinity that people have for the brand. Without the cover of a good corporate brand, you’re kind of at the mercy of your latest product.” Stand-outs One company not in the mobile phone sector that very successfully took the opposite approach—completely emphasizing its product while downplaying its corporate brand—was Nintendo with its Wii gaming system. The game-system maker added a whopping 18 percent to its brand value from 2006, leaping from the No. 51 spot that year to the No. 44 position in 2007. Nintendo’s move was bold because it nearly cloaked its popular corporate name. But doing so was important strategically to help the company attract a demographic beyond its core teenage male market. The Wii (as in “we”, a name chosen by Interbrand’s Tokyo office) aimed to deliver the message that the product was meant to be played together by the young and their grandparents alike. One company that has clear-cut branding strategies for both its corporate image as well as its products is Intel. The chip giant is No. 7 on Interbrand’s 2007 top-brands list, down from the No. 5 position and shy four percent of its branding value from 2006. The shortfall, according to Interbrand, was due to the failure of some of Intel’s sub-brands, such as the Viiv entertainment PC, to gain significant momentum. For years, Intel has had its processing muscle front and center in the minds of consumers with its product-centric “Intel Inside” branding, part of its cooperative marketing program with computer makers. In 2006, the company launched its “Leap Ahead” tagline to promote its corporate identity as it embarked on a new business strategy to highlight that it was more than just a chipmaker. The branding effort was aimed at showing that Intel also had its hand in software and other businesses that rounded out a more complete, integrated product offering. “Branding strategy really follows business strategy,” says Christine Vermes, Intel’s director of corporate brand marketing. “Leap Ahead” proclaims “our Intel brand promise. It’s as much a mantra as it is a call to action,” Vermes explains. www.ce.org 18 July/August 2008 http://www.ce.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vision - July/August 2008

Vision - July/August 2008 Contents Shapiro's Spectrum In This Issue The Economist C4 Trends Visionary Embracing Disrupting Technology Vaulting Ahead with Your Brand International Risk Stop Boomerang Products CEA Newsline Tech Speak Tech Policy Going Global Eye on Business Market Insider Just the Stats

Vision - July/August 2008

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