DBS 553

STRATEGIC BRAND
MANAGEMENT

Future Brands
By
Paul Olola D65/68454/2013

Overview
Brands shape how we see

and
relate to the world by amplifying
cultures, Influencing perceptions
and creating new norms.

As the world changes, so does the

role and the manifestation of
brands in it.

In this presentation, the goal is to

challenge ourselves to fathom the
future of brands.

We start by looking at the

evolution of marketing from

yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The evolution of marketing

Implication 2030
From Offer to Interactivity

As we move into the future. It is

evidently clear that the role of
advertising will shrink and no
longer become the primary tool
for branding.

It will instead serve as a channel

for driving transactions with
customers.

The future of brands is becoming

highly interactive.

Delivering products and services

that customers want will involve
engaging them to suggest what
they prefer. This will imply that
social media and social content
inevitably brings social
branding.

Brands understand that they do

not own a one way channel
straight into the customers
heart, it is a both way channel.

Organizations are no longer

spending time drawing

strategies on how to approach
the market with new offers,
products and services.

Implications 2030
From Stability to Adaptation
Through the democratization of

The only competitive edge brands are

going to have in future will be highly based
on creative execution.

In the development of systems, new

applications .Web services are based on
open source platforms e.g. word press for
bloggers, magneto for e-commerce
amongst others.

The democratization of technology will

drive change which will make staying ahead
harder and harder.

Tomorrow brands are all about adaptation,

brands that spend time protecting existing
products will be passed by smaller, more
agile and innovative brands. Brands that
change will stand the test of time.

Brands should instead focus on building

fans through creative execution on how
they package their products and services,
how they communicate and entertain their
customers.

They should focus on values that make

customers talk about their brand in a
positive way.

technology, companies like Nokia, Ericson

and Motorola are getting beaten by Apple,
Google and Microsoft.

From monopoly to creative

execution

From positioning to perceived brand

position

Transparency is the customers perceived

view of a brand, this implies that during the
customer decision making journey their point
of view will be primarily based on what other
people say about the brand as opposed to
what the organization is saying about its own
brand.

Organizations can spend as much money as

they want to position their brand through
traditional media, but failure to engage in
conversations, distributed marketing,
applications and contents, the brand will be
positioned through the voices of millions of
people online who are not paid to position
your brand the way you want.

Organizations should stop spending money on

traditional media and think about a shift to
digital presence.

From control to transparency

Brands cannot simply ignore conversations

taking place about them anymore. They are
starting to speed up the process of replying
to customers.

The always -On Brand-

Through social media, the

internet and mobile devices,
brands are always on and
not only tied to just one product.

Digital consumer and brand interactions

Increasingly, the first interaction
with brands is made digitally with
human or personal interactions coming
second. This implies that:
The end of information monopolies.
The shift from an industrial to a
digital information age is changing
the relationship between consumers
and brands.
Customers sit at the center of their
social networks and information
webs, into and around which all
things swirl including brands.
Customers are moving from trusting
companies, brands and governments
to trusting people who are in their
social network.

Brands becoming verbs, not nouns

Brands need to find active roles to play in

the constantly agitating environment and
generate a stream of innovations that connect
with the passions of their communities

To remain relevant tomorrow, get into

the conversation today

Branding today is about creating a brand

platform in a creative and modest manner for
customers to be aware of its presence
through application of traditional advertising
in classical media channels.
Branding tomorrow will about knowing who
you are, what your brand stands for and start
experimenting innovation, partnerships,
entertainment and above all involving the
potential audience as part of your product
development.

Implications 2030..ctd
From product development to
customer based innovations

From customers to followers

In the pursuit of new customers,

Brands like threadless found online in

threadless.com are selling online Tshirts made by their customers.

Yamaha is already trying out fan
based industrial designs for its
motorbikes and in other industries,
Dell and Starbucks often ask their
customers what shall we do?
These are done in the open with the
aim of reaching out and delivering
tools that let customers create
organizations future products and
services.

organizations like banks, car dealers,

insurance and many more have made
brand switching easy via phone call
and all details are handled and entire
processes brought to an end.
Future brands respect their
customers for what they are
temporary followers that will stay
as long as their relations with the
organizations are good.
Brands like Nike hold high respect to
their customers and are not ready to
compromise their relations. Nike
recently terminated its endorsement
with Pacquiao due to derogatory
statements

From structural bindings to

Today, trust exists more in horizontal relationships than

in vertical relationships. Consumers believe one another more

than they believe in companies. The rise of social media is
simply a reflection of the migration of consumers trusts from
companies to other consumers.(Kotler et al, 2010)

Organizations like Banks and Telecommunications frequently speak of how to bind

customers to their products and services. Future brands are built on

relationships, trusts and loyalty whereby if an organizations offerings are poor,
then they expect poor relationships with customers and vice-versa.

Future Brand Values

In the new world, customers will be

looking for brands where information

flows free and whatever brands do
will become transparent. Ideas,
intelligence and innovations will play a
role in making brands prosper.

Loyalty will no longer be based on

structural bindings and price,

tomorrows customer will value
sustainability, freedom of choice and
humbleness as enshrined in Kenyas
consumer protection Act.

Whatever brands do, they should

expect a global competitor to be in a

position to deliver products and
services from anywhere in the world.
This is due to globalization and greater
openness of markets.

Today people in Kenya are using mobile

phones, tablets, laptops, handbags and
shoes bought from Hong Kong, USA
online and shipped from abroad.

Future brands that will translate

changes on how people consume

information will win big, while those
that will strive to protect their brands
will loose.

Shift to value driven marketing

Marketers need to identify the anxieties

and desires of the consumers in order to
target their minds, hearts, and spirits.
In the globalization paradox, the generic
anxiety and desire of the consumers is to
make their society and the world at large a
better, perhaps even an ideal place to live.
Companies that intend to be icons should
share the same dream with consumers and
make a difference.
Some companies are making a difference by
means of corporate philanthropy for a
social or environmental cause.
A values-based matrix should be
introduced where, on one axis, the company
strives to occupy the minds, hearts, and
spirits of current and future customers.
The other axis takes into account the
companys mission, vision, and values while
delivering performance and satisfaction to
the customers at the product level is
essential, at the highest level, a brand ought
to be seen as realizing emotional aspirations
and practicing compassion in some form.
It must not only promise profitability and
return ability to current and future
shareholders, but also Sustainability. It
must also become a brand that is better,
different, and that makes a difference to
current and future employees.

To get BRAND LOVE tomorrow, get into the CONVERSATION today

Branding tomorrow is about innovating your brand and knowing what customers think of
your brand.

Interacting with customers enables organizations know if they love it, hate it, miss it or
what they want done differently.

The first step to keeping on top of the game is getting into the conversation. There is no
need to wait even if customers are not talking about your brand, get in there and learn.

Automize your intelligence information

The key to becoming a successful brand

is engaging in conversations. However,
the challenge is knowing where people
who talk about your brand are.

Social media monitoring tools can be

used in brand tracking online to know
manage and monitor the brand
performance.

Conversations of brands over Facebook

amongst other social media platforms can
be tracked using RSS Feed.

Facebook users can access its own RSS

Feed upon subscription. Using it involves
just clicking on the Globe icon, scroll
down to SEE ALL and click it. Click RSS
and finally subscribe to bookmark it.

For example lets take an Academic

institution like The Technical University
of Kenya that is a leader in Tourism,
Travel and Hospitality Studies with an
active Facebook account.

To track conversations over Facebook

about The Technical University of
Kenyas Hospitality, Tourism and Travel
programs, this demonstration is followed.

Digital Brand Tracking

Get into the Discussion

Once you know where people are

discussing your brand and who they

are, get accompanied to various
online tools where there is frequent
discussions.

Getting into the conversation is not just

about spying on the word, it should be
precedence to brands digital presence.

Websites, online campaigns, digital events,

webinars, digital communities and groups,
branded pictures and content should be used
to generate brand awareness digitally.

With good Search Engine Optimization,

usage of leading sites like Picasa, Youtube,
Vimeo and flicker, usage of widgets and
constantly updating your communications or
branded images are key tools to favorable
brand equity in the future.

Do not forget to get into

blogs and
answer questions that are relevant to
your brand.

They may include ; tweeter,

Facebook, yahoo forums and various

blogs related to your offerings.

It is via these tools that real time

customer engagement can take place

with the aim of building relationships
that will further to trust.

 Lastly, create brand advertising and communications that matter

are entertaining.

to people and

Entertaining
communication
that matter to
the target
audience

References

Allan, K., Rajendra, K., & Robert, W., (1994). Journal of Marketing Research :
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Issue on Brand Management, pp. 149 158.
Keller, K.L., (2003). Strategic Brand Management : Building, measuring and
managing brand equity (2nd ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall International Inc.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K.L., (2012). Marketing Management (14th ed.) New Jersey :
Cerebellum Press.
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G., (2012). Principles of Marketing (14th ed.) New
Jersey : Prentice Hall International Inc.
Kruger, R., & Stumpf, A., (2013). Brand Growth Barriers : Identify, Understand
& Overcome them. Berlin : New York : Springer.
Kumar, V., Aaker, A., & Day, G., (2002). Essentials of Marketing Research (2nd
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(Just to mention but a few)