Apple tops favourite brands survey whilst McDonalds most disliked

Customer service, brand 'attitude', and our sense of 'personal fit' with a brand, are the three most significant factors in deciding whether or not we like particular brands, according to the online survey carried out by Brand Strategy Guru in December. The survey also indicates that brand is more influential now than prior to the recession, and will become more important still over the next few years.

Apple was the stand-out brand winner in the survey, receiving almost three times as many votes as the next most popular brands, John Lewis and Waitrose, who were equal second in popularity. Innocent was third most popular. Participants were also asked to name their six most disliked brands, and the clear winners of the negative list were McDonalds and Tesco, with Ikea coming a close third. Ryanair, Ikea and Coca Cola were the only brands to appear both in the favourites list and the most disliked. Google and Amazon appeared just once each in the favourites list.
Banks did not do well in the survey. First Direct was the only bank to appear in favourites list, whereas the most disliked list featured Lloyds TSB, Virgin Money, RBS, UBS and HSBC.

Asked to describe what they liked about their favourite brands, participants cited factors including: quality, style, confidence, value, service, innovation, great experience, consistency and personality. When describing what made them put brands on their most-disliked list, participants cited: poor quality, unreliability, aggressive attitude, ubiquity, slick imaging with bad delivery, overselling, tackiness, small print, arrogance, unethical behaviour and untrustworthiness.

Here is what participants thought about the influence of brands on their purchasing decisions:

• 39% agreed that brand was a very strong influence, whilst 56% agreed brand was a moderate influence amongst other factors. Only 4% thought that brand was not a factor in their purchasing decisions.
• 74% of participants agreed that brand was more influential now than prior to the recession, whilst 26% thought it was less influential.
• 95% believed brand would become more important over the next few years, whilst just 4% thought it would become less important.
• 50% agreed that brand was a positive force, 45% said that brand was a neutral force, and just over 4% thought it was a negative force.

The online survey was completed by more than 40 marketing and creative industry professionals, as well as charity and business heads, and other professionals from various sectors. This survey confirms my belief that consumers are increasingly able to detect the subtle messages given off by the actual behaviour of big brands and that brand choice is a highly emotional decision.

Apple dominates the favourites list in the survey because its behaviour in terms of product design and quality matches up with its claims and its attitude. John Lewis and Waitrose come of this extraordinarily well too, standing apart from other retailers in terms of brand promise and fulfilment.

And I am not at all surprised to see people saying that brand is more important now than pre-recession or that it will become more so. Brand is the great distinguishing factor in the market place, but this survey underlines that brand is about what you 'are' not what you 'say'.

Book available for pre-order now

Build A Brand In 30 Days is now available to pre-order now on Amazon and elsewhere (including directly from me), and is officially available to buy from April 9th.

The superb cover-art by Scott Poulson of Norwich’s Special Design Studio exactly captures the spirit of the book, which is based on my belief that any thinking person can get to grips with and put into action the power of branding by following key steps.

You are the brand

In today’s world we are surrounded by brands of every shape, size and kind and they all use the secret rules of branding to get us to become interested in them, to learn to love them, to buy their goods and services, and even to become advocates for them – singing their praises to our friends and families.

Those secret rules of branding are not only powerful, they are also directly transferable to you as an individual. Treating yourself as a brand can help you build your career opportunities, help you to make more effective life decisions, guide you through challenging circumstances, improve your reputation and communication, and enhance your confidence.

The essential secret is that successful branding is about authentic story-telling. If you know how to develop and tell authentic and powerful brand stories about yourself then you can make dramatic changes in your own professional destiny. I know it works because I’ve done it.

It’s not about pretending to be something that you’re not - it’s about finding the authentic and compelling elements which make you different and appealing as a ‘personal brand’ and then using them effectively. And it’s not about changing superficial elements of appearance: but about developing a deep and powerful brand presence which could, literally, change your life.
My brand, The Brand Strategy Guru, was created rapidly and effectively and by following a few essential rules learned over years in the marketing and advertising industry.

The first thing to remember is that your personal brand is the sum total of everything that people know, believe, think, feel and imagine about you, whether it’s positive or negative, clear or fuzzy, accurate or misguided. Personal branding is what you as an individual mean to the world.
Here are my top tips to ‘brand yourself brilliant’...

1. Understand clearly what brand is and what brand isn’t
   Brand isn’t your logo (although your logo is an expression of your brand). Brand is what you mean.
2. Decide what exactly you are trying to achieve
   Unless you have clarity of ambition you can’t have clarity of brand.
3. Turn personal ambition into personal brand strategy
   Once you know what you ‘want’, work out and write down what you need to achieve in order to obtain it.
4. Establish your personal brand values (the things you won’t compromise)
   The best brands in the world are built on distinctive but very solid values, sometimes just one value. Volvo for example is built entirely on the value of ‘safety’.
5. Put your personal brand in context
   Creating a personal brand is at least in part dependent on understanding the context of other people’s brands. You won’t win by being exactly like everybody else.
6. Choose your enemies
   Often the most effective way to develop a distinctive personal brand is to identify those people to whom you don’t want to appeal.
7. Use your imagination
   Brilliant brands use metaphor, imagination and even myth to engage our human spirit. It takes courage, not money, to use the power of imagination in your personal brand.
8. Find your brand DNA
   Brands, like people themselves, are unique: or at least they should be if they want to succeed. Work out what’s really DISTINCTIVE, COMPELLING, AUTHENTIC and RELEVANT about your personal brand.
9. Understand brand ‘positioning’ and create your unique place to stand
   Positioning (your special place in the hearts and minds of your ‘audience’) is relative. Think about what position you want to adopt relative to others.
10. Create the narrative
    Story is king! You need to create the authentic, meaningful and compelling story of your brand which will be irresistible to your audience.
11. Bring your personal brand to life
    Not just your logo or your website, but the way you dress, the way you talk on the phone, the speed at which you answer emails, all tell a story about your personal brand.
12. Brand consistency: get every aspect right, all the time
    Nothing fails more loudly than a brand that is inconsistent: promising one thing and delivering another.
13. Build your personal brand tribe
    Treat your early supporters well and keep them informed and engaged. They will be the first members of your ‘tribe’ and will champion your cause to others.
14. Know what to do when your brand gets things wrong
    Every brand lets down its customers now and again. The important thing is how you respond.
15. Do not limit your ambitions
    Faint heart doesn’t make great brands. Be bolder than you feel.
16. Review constantly
    Brand ‘nurture’ never stops. Never be afraid to develop and change, and never be stingy about investing in your personal brand.

Book now for Build A Brand In 30 Days open course: May 11, central London

Devised specially to accompany the book Build A Brand In 30 Days, this half-day intensive programme offers:
* A thorough and practical grounding in brand and branding
* Content-rich learning you can put into practice immediately.
* A clear path to developing a brand that is distinctive, compelling, authentic and sustainable.
* Understanding and skills in crucial brand elements including: purpose, values, naming, positioning, customer experience, narrative and more.

This unique short course brings brand and branding powerfully to life for marketers and non-marketers alike, whether you're an entrepreneur or part of a larger organisation.

All delegates receive a copy of my Build A Brand In 30 Days book plus an exclusive DVD of my TV series The Brand Effect.

To book: call today on +44 (0)1603 305800, or email info@brandstrategyguru.com (Max 60 delegates).

Standard Price: £195 per person plus VAT (£165 for charities, students and sole-traders).

Date: Tuesday May 11th, 2010 from 9.00am to 1.00pm

Venue: London's coolest location Wallacespace St. Pancras.

Includes: Course notes, book and DVD, plus a superb networking breakfast and lunch.

The power of the big idea

When I started working with the little Norfolk seaside resort of Hemsby & Newport a few months ago, a number of people questioned whether it was possible to turn around the reputation of a little-known resort in a short time, with any sort of real impact. But with virtually no budget and from a relatively unpromising start, this little resort has achieved a remarkable change in its profile and brand image.

Focusing on Hemsby’s Viking origins we created a new positioning line and logo, which is now featured on the resort’s village sign. The logo itself and the idea of the Vikings being the first people to have fun on the beach at Hemsby has achieved widespread media coverage. From the Eastern Daily Press and the Great Yarmouth Mercury through to Anglia TV, BBC Radio, even London’s Metro newspaper, the Hemsby Viking has been everywhere.

Our plans for a unique three day Viking and Scandinavian Festival in Hemsby are now firmly in place (June 18, 19 and 20) and this has won the resort still more coverage, which will build as the date approaches. With Viking re-enactments, Abba tribute acts and Scandinavian arts, crafts and more, the festival will be a real first for Norfolk.

And now Hemsby has announced its biggest brand idea to date: the vision for a dramatic and exciting Eden of the East to be created on the former Pontins holiday park site in the resort. Pontins closed at the end of the 2008 season, crippling the resort’s holiday businesses. It was that blow which prompted the traders of the town to think about whether brand and big ideas could change their fortunes.

Now the local media, travel media and even the national media have begun to talk and write about the Hemsby Eden of the East project as you can see on this BBC site.

At the moment it’s a vision. An idea. But it’s a big idea, and sometimes, for brands of real ambition, only a big idea will do.

A High Street stalwart

Department store John Lewis declared the best Christmas sales in its 146-year history earlier this month. Achieving these figures despite the lingering recession is testament to the success of John Lewis’ business model – where all employees (or partners) have a stake in the company profits – but also the strength of its brand.
A commentator in The Times attributed John Lewis’ steady success in a turbulent market to its old fashioned adherence to solid British values: fair play – think of that famous brand slogan ‘never knowingly undersold’ - reliability and quality. A few years ago the department store seemed very quaint but now the nation is growing tired of crass commercialism. In these uncertain times, the stores are reassuring and their service retains those qualities of professionalism, dedication and expertise that are becoming all too scarce in today’s retail world.

Place your bets

Bets are on for the first brand to appear in UK soap operas if product placement bans for British television are relaxed as expected. Bookmaker Paddy Power has placed McDonalds as the 2/1 favourite to be the first fast food brand to appear in Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale or Hollyoaks. Burger King is a close second favourite at odds of 9/4 followed by Subway at 5/1 and Pizza Hut at 6/1.

Power to the people

Empowering the customer has become a fashionable brand strategy and now supermarket chain Asda has unveiled a new long-term strategy based around this 'democratic consumerism.' In engaging with its shoppers by asking them help choose new product lines and offer business ideas, the supermarket hopes to increase trust and inspire greater consumer loyalty.
The company is to build on its existing Pulse of the Nation shopper panel of 18,000 people to ask their views on the design of upcoming George clothing ranges plus new food and household lines. In-store marketing opportunities include highlighting the ranges chosen by its customers with tags saying ‘Chosen By You'.
Another initiative is the ‘Bright Ideas' cash-reward scheme, offering participants up to 5% of any money saved by the retailer if their idea is put into practice. A third development gives consumers unprecedented access to Asda's business and employees with key staff posting updates on an ‘Aisle Spy' blog and web-cams streaming live images from Asda HQ to increase transparency and trust.

Wanted dead or alive

The brand for a dead celebrity can sometimes be more valuable than when they were alive. Michael Jackson was the dead celebrity brand of 2009 in the wake of his untimely death and reggae legend Bob Marley could soon be the richest dead celebrity to date with a new marketing deal that could see his earnings top $1 billion in the next 3 years.
The latest icon to receive a posthumous comeback is martial arts star Bruce Lee, who died in 1973 just a week before the release of his first Hollywood film, Enter the Dragon. Interest in Bruce Lee skyrocketed after his death; the film became a cult classic and Lee made Time Magazine's list of ‘the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.’
Despite his status as a popular culture icon, marketing has generated only a few million dollars a year so far. That's why his daughter Shannon Lee has spent a decade packaging the Bruce Lee brand into ‘a more saleable concept,’ which is now ready for relaunch.
There’s a new official Bruce Lee website has with information about the man and his legacy, plus videos, pictures, a blog - and a store. Shannon Lee has also regained control of licensing rights for the Bruce Lee brand from Universal Studios and engaged a company to handle personality rights, which include the actor's name, signature, and likeness. Shannon would also like to see a feature film about her father made, and is working on developing a Bruce Lee museum.
For some celebrities, it seems their brand is strong enough to make millions from beyond the grave.

Love is in the air

Love looks like being the branding theme of 2010 – Blackberry, Suburu and Honda are all asking consumers to love their brands in their latest campaigns. They are only the newest additions to the love craze - McDonald's 'I'm Lovin' It' campaign was introduced in 2003 and is still running today.
However, the use of the love theme may not be a long-lasting relationship – the word is becoming so prevalent that it could easily cause a lack of differentiation in a brand category. Well, they say love is a fickle thing...

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