LOVEMARK S

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A message from Kevin Roberts
Four years ago we set in place our Inspirational Dream: to be revered as the hothouse for world-changing creative ideas. Peak Performance which is about transforming organisations with inspiration, and Lovemarks which is about transforming brands are two world-changing creative ideas. We will use Lovemarks to transform our clients businesses, brands and reputations. Our focus: To create and perpetuate Lovemarks. We have shared the concept of Lovemarks in articles, presentations, speeches and on-line. We have had thousands of responses from business people, marketers, consumers. People intuitively get it, they want it and they know what they want to do with it. As a Network we must embrace Lovemarks and take them as far as we can. Lovemarks are the way we can head up the value chain and launch ourselves into the world of Brand Navigation. LOVEMARKS. ACHIEVING OUR FOCUS offers insights, experiences, ideas, frameworks, stories, thinking and tools. You will find arguments to explain why so many brands are struggling. There are clear steps showing how Lovemarks can make a difference. There is no right way to do Lovemarks any more than there is a right way to fall in love. Your role: Immerse yourself in Lovemarks. Bring your own experience and feelings to it. Find what resonates locally. Then get out there and create Lovemarks.

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A C H I E V I N G O U R F O C U S

Over to you.

Kevin

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I warn you that what youre starting to read is full of loose ends and unanswered questions. It will not be neatly tied up at the end, everything resolved and satisfactorily explained. Not by me it wont, anyway. Because I cant say I really know what happened, or why, or just how it began, how it ended, or if it has ended; and Ive been right in the thick of it.

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers

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WHAT ARE LOVEMARKS?
The future beyond branding Putting the And back into brand From products to trademarks to brands to Lovemarks Love is all around

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C O N T E N T S

WHY LOVEMARKS?
Why Lovemarks matter to people Why Lovemarks are important to our clients What clients always ask about Lovemarks Why Lovemarks are good for business So what happened to good old brands?

GETTING STARTED
The Love/ Respect Axis Getting the measure of Lovemarks Where to now Measuring Lovemarks 5 steps to love A Lovemark diagnosis tool The Lovemarker: love from the insight out Lovemarks audit

Love Stories

Lovemark Resources

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"Lovemarks are brands that inspire loyalty beyond reason."

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W H A T A R E L O V E M A R K S ?

THE INSPIRATION OF LOVEMARKS

Lovemarks are a response to the mounting problems even the most successful brands find themselves up against.

Customer loyalty is being sorely tested. Proliferating products, lack of differentiation and the bombardment of information are turning brands into blands.

With Saatchi & Saatchi's expertise in emotional advertising, we were the obvious standard bearers who could take brands to the next stage of evolution.

Anyone who has been in love knows that it is the most powerful of emotions. Riding over the rational, love comes from passion, spirit and deep empathy. A relationship based on true love is an enduring one. It brings with it loyalty beyond reason and total commitment.

In exploring the power of great love affairs we came up with three key elements. Mystery, sensuality and intimacy. These three states are the heart of a loving relationship. Mystery to tantalise and draw people in, sensuality to create compelling experiences, and intimacy for the closeness we value after all.

We have always known that the rational mind was not the key to the two big customer moments: when they choose and when they use. Now, with Lovemarks we are able to unlock the hearts of customers. Once we have their hearts, their minds will surely follow.

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THE FUTURE BEYOND BRANDING
Darwin would have got it straight off. Fish to lizard. Monkey to man. Brand to Lovemark. Lovemarks are super-evolved brands. Brandings stairway to heaven. Lovemarks are super-evolved brands.

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Lovemarks are a game-breaking opportunity to reinvent branding.

Lovemarks deliver long-lasting, enduring connections between a company, its people, its brands and its customers.

Lovemarks belong to the people who love them.

Lovemarks are the ultimate premium profit generator.

Lovemarks inspire loyalty beyond reason.

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PUTTING THE AND BACK INTO BRAND

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Its time for Toyota to move from the most respected US car company to the most loved.
Don Esmond, Toyota USA

Lovemarks want it all. Forget the simplicity of either/or. In our complex world it has got to be and/and. Love and Respect. Heart and Mind. Emotion and Reason. Profit and Share. Local and Global. And, and, and

We must position our brands to connect with consumers emotionally and rationally. Understand how people feel about brands, as well as what they think about them.

Earning consumers Love and Respect creates life-long emotional connections with brands. These connections make brands both enduring and valuable. In other words: Lovemarks.

We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about and.
Sir Arthur Eddington, astrophysicist

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FROM PRODUCTS TO TRADEMARKS TO BRANDS TO LOVEMARKS
Over the last century business has taken a great journey. From Products to Trademarks to Brands to Lovemarks. Each step has brought the customer closer to ownership. Each step has made the customers voice more important. When they choose and when they use.

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PRODUCT

TRADEMARK

BRAND

LOVEMARK

Performance

Protection

Information

Relationship

Produced by Company Certified by Government Official Confirms an entity

Recognised by consumer

Loved by people

Rational

Personal

Emotional

Sums up a process

Presents a benefit

Inspires loyalty beyond reason

Delivers

Protects Graphic Form Authoritative Bureaucracy

Promises

Touches

Visual

Symbolic

Iconic

Function

Values

Spirit

Useful

Professional

Passionately creative

Manufacturer

Advertising agency

Ideas company

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LOVE IS ALL AROUND
Consumers own the Lovemark relationship. It is all about their perspective and how intensely they connect. There are no absolutes. The Lovemark in my mind may not be the Lovemark in yours. Everyone has their own set of values, passions, tastes, opinions and Lovemarks.

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The power of a great Lovemark is to create a community of passionate advocates. The commercial value of Lovemarks will come from consistently achieving the maximum intensity of connection across the maximum number of people.

Here are some brands people from around our network claim as their Lovemarks.

adidas Aveda Benetton Disney Gillette IKEA Lexus Nokia Pampers Shiseido Southwest Airlines Tower Records Virgin Group

Amazon Banana Republic The Body Shop The Economist Guinness Kipling Mont Blanc Olay Prt Manger The Simpsons Target Toyota Camry Vogue

Apple, iMac Bang & Olufsen Cheerios Fox Harley Davidson Lancme Muji Orange Saatchi & Saatchi Skechers Tide Toyota Yaris V.W.

Asda Ben & Jerrys Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf The Gap Heinz Levis Nikon Palm Pilot Saturn Sony Timberland Victorias Secret Yahoo!

Some may be surprising. Some you may disagree with. The most valuable thing to do right now is think of your own Lovemarks. Then think about why they are Lovemarks. What they mean to you, your family and your friends. What makes you buy them time after time? Why do you always keep a spare in the cupboard? What would life be like without them?

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WHY LOVEMARKS?
Brands are running out of juice. Even world famous brands like Coke, Disney and Nike are being squeezed at the margins and falling victim to commodification. Where once they stood alone is now a growing queue.

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W H Y L O V E M A R K S ?

Lovemarks are the future beyond brands. They are about new language, new tools, new focus, new realism. New attitude.

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WHY LOVEMARKS MATTER TO PEOPLE
To become a Lovemark you must follow the same path as a passionate love affair. Finding Seize my attention in the clutter of the attention economy and listen for what I truly desiresee me

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Desiring Create experiences that make me turn weak at the knees. Transform my desire into delight want me

Testing Delight me with the sensual, the mysterious and the intimatetouch me

Committing Inspire me to loyalty beyond reasonlove me

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WHY LOVEMARKS ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR CLIENTS

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The significance of emotion has been proven. People make decisions about what they buy emotionally. Purchasing is not a simple rational process. There is a growing disconnect between what we now know about the brain and how traditional marketing tries to connect with consumers.

Lovemarks have evolved from an understanding of the latest discoveries into how the mind works.

2 3 4 5

Love is the most valuable human emotion for creating sustainable, long-term relationships. Love is the only way to inspire people to become loyal beyond reason.

Lovemarks have evolved from a deep understanding of relationships with consumers.

Customer focus has become a clich but it reveals a profound truth. As Pocter & Gamble says, The consumer is boss.

Lovemarks have evolved from the real needs of people, not the clients brand managers.

Every business is constantly threatened by commodification. It is the reality every one of your clients faces. Differentiation is the only defence and long-term differentiation can only be achieved through highly-evolved emotional relationships.

Lovemarks have evolved from a unique perspective on emotion in relationships.

Rapid imitation by competitors slashes the value of incremental improvements. Businesses need to be fast, flexible and responsive.

Lovemarks have evolved without rules and formulas but with a robust framework of ideas, insights and tools. They are responsive, not regimented.

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WHAT CLIENTS ALWAYS ASK ABOUT LOVEMARKS
How do we know when we have a Lovemark?
Only your customers can tell you so you have to be listening to them.

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Who decides when we are a Lovemark?

Your customers do.

How do they decide?

There is no single moment of truth. As with any great relationship a Lovemark evolves out of a long-term commitment built on Respect and Love.

What is the difference between a Lovemark and a great brand?

Great brands are hugely respected, they perform brilliantly and they are trusted. Their reputations are outstanding. Lovemarks have all this, as well as deep emotional connections with customers through mystery, sensuality and intimacy

How do you know if we are losing Lovemark status?

The same way you know when friends start to drift. They dont smile when they see you and they dont call any more.

Does a Lovemark need to have all the Lovemarker characteristics?

Not every one, but it needs to rate very high across both Respect and Love.

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Can one Lovemark be better than another?
No. Love is an absolute. One Lovemark can only be different from another.

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Can anyone judge a Lovemark?

Yes. Lovemarks are always personal.

Can there be more than one Lovemark in a category?

Yes. Lovemarks respond to customers not to how business categorises the world.

Has any brand, experience or product the potential to be a Lovemark?

Yes. If people can love it, it can be a Lovemark.

Do products or services that are bad for people still have Lovemark potential?

No. To be a Lovemark you must first have high Respect. Without Respect you wont get anywhere near.

Can companies with poor corporate reputations still be Lovemarks?

No. Lovemarks need to be both Respected and Loved.

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Do Lovemarks last forever?
Lovemarks are the result of a commitment to a long-time relationship maybe theyll last forever.

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How can you confirm something is still a Lovemark?

Ask customers if they could imagine life without it.

What are the advantages of being a Lovemark?

Devoted customers, sustained premium pricing, stronger sales and inspired staff.

Can you forgive a Lovemark for doing something very bad?

Sometimes. But you will not forgive them all the time and you may not forgive them for doing something very, very bad. Lovemarks live in the real world.

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WHY LOVEMARKS ARE GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Lovemarks provide tangible solutions for the four fundamental challenges facing brands today. Lovemarks stand out in a commodified world

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Today traditional business advantages have been demoted from competitive differentiators to table-stakes. In a world where everyone comes in first equal, nobody wins.

Competitive space has shrunk to the dreaded -er words. Quicker, cleaner, shinier, smoother, tastier, whiter, bigger and, worst of all, cheaper.

When you cant differentiate yourself by something uniquely important to your customers, you have been commodified. Its happening to travel agencies right now. Suddenly we care more about cost than service.

Lovemarks offer emotional differentiation. Lovemarks dont rely on the ers. We find ways to make deep emotional connections that make the ers irrelevant.

Lovemarks were made for our networked society

Its becoming easier and easier to communicate with more and more people. Ours is a networked society.

The old-time idea of word of mouth has been transformed into advocacy. People have become determined advocates for and against brands and companies.

There is nowhere left to hide. Customers know almost everything and they tell each other what they know. Todays mistakes are made in public.

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Lovemarks are ideally suited to todays networked world where attitudes and opinions spread like a virus. Valuable business relationships reflect the best human ones: intimate, truthful, engaging.

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If it looks good, youll see it. If it sounds good youll hear it. If it is marketed right, youll buy it, but if its real, youll feel it.
Kid Rock, musician

Lovemark relationships trump transactions

For years now marketing people have been using the language of life-time value Customer Relationship Management, retention, customer loyalty, relationships not transactions.

But customer loyalty is now often no more than habit. Customer focus a clich. The drive to grow returns has been at the expense of the very relationships that offered protection from competition and focused many points of contact.

Lovemarks put the customer at the heart. Our job? To be passionately engaged by what people desire so we can transform it into delight.

Remember Herb Kelleher of Southwestern Airlines the airline that love built. A prescient man. Herb saw that the future of branding was in relationships not transactions. His airline is the only one to have earned a profit every year for the last 28 years.

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Lovemarks command a premium The growing pressure to deliver more for less, not more for more. Much of food retail has given up the fight to be genuinely distinctive. For them the decades-long erosion of price premiums is complete. Everyday Low Pricing their fate. Smaller, cheaper deader.

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A C Nielsen estimates that 40% of all packaged goods purchased by volume in the U.S. are made on some kind of value-based offer.

You cant build long-term relationships on bribery and manipulation.

Lovemarks maintain a premium position based on deep emotional connection and empathy.

Analysis has shown that those brands that habitually trade on price discounts manoeuvre themselves into tight corners; they lose permission to raise prices, and are expected to discount further when competitors do. They lose the benefit of the doubt.
(McKinsey Quarterly 1998 no. 3 Davey/Childs/Carlotti).

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SO WHAT HAPPENED TO GOOD OLD BRANDS?
Over the last few years, brands have had a rough ride.

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The word brand is over-used, sterile and unimaginative.

Michael Eisner, CEO, Disney

Over-use syndrome. Brands played the same tune for too many years. Brands have to stand for everything from how you answer the phone to the logo on the invoices. Brands to blands.

Intense competition. The number of brands exploded in the 1990s in a fight for attention and ever-diminishing market share.

Metric mania. Brands were captured by the research vampires. They exchanged insight for volume and sank under the weight of data without meaning for consumers or for clients.

Obsession with category. Brands ignored customers desires in favour of their own needs.

Rationalisation of brand management. Brand management hardened into a pseudo-science obsessed by consistency at all costs.

Aversion to risk. Brands fell victim to a creeping conservatism and distrust of new ideas as the discipline matured.

How could things have gotten so out of hand?

Don Corelone in The Godfather

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Lovemarks are more than just a justification for great advertising. They are more even than helping businesses face the challenges of a commodity-driven competitive environment. They are a means by which to navigate a brand.

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G E T T I N G S T A R T E D

In the following pages are inspiration generators and ideas to help you start thinking about Lovemarks and how to navigate brands to Lovemark status.

How and when you use these is up to you.

But remember, Lovemarks are not an absolute. There are no right or wrong answers. There are no high scores, just ways to build stronger more enduring relationships between brands and consumers.

With insights from these resources, Lovemarks can give you a focus on what is best for a brand, what is missing and what needs to be done.

Lovemarks can take you beyond servicing an account or managing a brand. They are the essence of Brand Navigation.

Brand Navigation makes it easier to sell in and protect our best work. It gives us the means of framing success for our clients.

As Brand Navigators, we can move up our clients value chain. Unless we do this we cannot transform our clients businesses. Lovemarks are our key to the boardrooms and the offices of CEOs.

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THE LOVE/RESPECT AXIS
The Love/Respect Axis is a classic example of Saatchi & Saatchis and/and strategy. emotional relationships. LOVEMARKS. ACHIEVING OUR FOCUS is mostly about the Love dimension. After all, we have been doing Respect for decades, and we do it so much better.

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Lovemarks use the Respect we have already built up with our clients as the foundation for creating newly

The Love/Respect Axis helps you track the Love and the Respect of any brand, product, person, service, in fact, anything at all. This simple insight has become a fast, intuitive reality check.

BRAND
HIGH RESPECT, LOW LOVE

Respect

n
LOVEMARK
HIGH RESPECT, HIGH LOVE

Love

PRODUCT
LOW RESPECT, LOW LOVE

FAD
HIGH LOVE, LOW RESPECT

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THE QUADRANTS
Low Respect and Low Love - Products Commodities. Public Utilities. Low value transactions. Essential but going nowhere. Zero brand heat. The predominant sentiment indifference.

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High Respect and Low Love - Brands Traditionally building brands has been about building Respect. Now Respect is table-stakes and this is where most major brands are stuck. Great products, extraordinary R&D, solid customer research. All fixed on the -er words. Newer, brighter, stronger, bolder. Table-stakes all of them.

So turn to the Love Dimension: the right-hand side of the Love/Respect Axis.

Low Respect and High Love - Fads Fads, trends, infatuations. Love without Respect can be intense, but transient. Last months gotta-haves. Next months has-beens. The Furby. The Spice Girls and Survivor. Always remember that sometimes an infatuation can lead to a deep enduring relationship. Not always, but sometimes. If a passionately earned brand can earn Respect, it can become a Lovemark. Playstation has done it. Sega has not.

High Respect and High Love - Lovemarks This is where the breakthroughs are. Here we can create deep connections with customers by building on Respect, but igniting Love. The power of this combination inspires loyalty beyond reason.

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WHEN TO USE THE LOVE/RESPECT AXIS
Engage your clients in a focused conversation on where they believe their brand sits now and what they need to do to move to the top right-hand corner. Use this discussion as a benchmark. Revisit it as a regular assessment of successes, progress and future strategy.

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Locate competitor brands on the Axis and evaluate your clients position in relation to the competition. The Axis can become a regular element of your competitive analysis.

Present the case histories of brands outside your clients market to analyse how they have created a position in one of the four quadrants.

HOW TO USE THE LOVE/RESPECT AXIS

The Axis is a locator. It maps levels of love with levels of respect. The fundamental insight. No respect. No Lovemark.

Examine each quadrant in turn. Saving the Lovemark quadrant for last usually works best. Experiment using the order Products, Brands, Fads and then Lovemarks has worked well.

Locate products, services or brands on the Axis and discuss how they can be moved to the top right-hand corner. Lovemark status.

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GETTING THE MEASURE OF LOVEMARKS
Determining where a brand sits on the Love/Respect Axis, will require a combination of common sense, comparison, intuition and investigation. Remember Lovemarks are owned by people. It is people who determine where it is positioned on the Love/Respect Axis.

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A Q U I C K G U I D E

The following pages have been developed by the Worldwide Planning Board, as a quick guide to assist you in plotting a brand on the Love/Respect Axis.

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PUTTING THE LOVE/RESPECT AXIS INTO PRACTICE
Picture This: You are sitting in the boardroom having just taken your client through a presentation, which included a bit on the theory of Lovemarks.

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L o w a n d b e h o l d i t a l l m a k e s s e n s e . He understands. He is interested. His head is nodding. He doesnt want to be a mere brand he wants to be a Lovemark. He wants action. H e w a n t s t o be loved.

And then he asks: So where do we currently sit on the Axis and how can you move us from a brand to a Lovemark.

Many of us have been asked this question in the last year or so. And many of us have replied by pointing sheepishly at the Axis and giving them our rationale as to why X marks the spot. We pull out the Lovemarker and go through the motions. Problem is, our clients want more. Its a starting point, but filling in the form isnt enough to give them confidence in the conclusions. They want more than gut and intuition. They want reason. They want facts. They want us to put our hands on our hearts with confidence and say this is where you are and this is how we are going to make the world fall in love with you.

In the perfect world, a world of endless time and bagsful of money, you could do a proper brand analysis. And for those of you with time and money we are working on a fail proof model. But as many of you have experienced time and money are not always readily available. Sometimes we need to make decisions based on what we can gather to fuel our understanding as quickly as possible.

The good news is there has been a lot written on the subject of love and respect. There are certain well-documented truths about both love and respect that can help you build an instant foundation for your rationale.

You may find that some of the following suggestions work. And some dont. You may find some easy to do. And others quite impossible. You many find you need more time for some, than for others. So choose accordingly. And if you have any other suggestions feel free to share.

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TRUTH: LOVE IS AN ADDICTION
True love is addictive. Once you have found it, you wont want to give it up. One of the easiest ways of determining the degree of love in a relationship is to simply take a break. If you can find a replacement quite easily chances are there isnt a lot of love happening!

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To determine how far along the love Axis you might be, start by finding as many users of your brand as possible. People in the office, friends, relatives. If they are regular users they qualify. Dont make this too difficult on yourself by looking for exact age, sex and income requirements. Remember time is of the essence. If they are regular users they should count for something.

Then ask them to live without the product for as much time as you can spare. Obviously the longer the time period the better the feedback.

When time is starting to run out return the product to them. And watch their reaction. What you are looking for is:

Elation or indifference upon return Degree of inconvenience caused Ease of substitution Qualities missed most the rational qualities support your respect story. The more emotional ones demonstrate love.

No, it is not statistically sound but it will give you some inclinations of where the brand might currently sit.

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TRUTH: IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING YOULL DEFEND IT (EVEN BEYOND REASON)
Now we may not want to die for a brand but true love is worth fighting for. And a sure way to find out if your users love your brand is to pick a fight with them. Find as many regular users of your brand as possible. And rip your clients brand apart. Tell them all the reasons why you think the product is ordinary do whatever it takes to completely deface what your client has built to date.

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A more direct, and potentially less defacing approach, is to challenge the user. As your target reaches for your brand of deodorant simply approach her and say (obviously with permission from the store manager): Im sorry Maam, you cant have this brand as we are taking it off the shelf can you pick another?.

If she says fine Ill take that one, then chances are you are somewhere down on the left hand side.

If she replies but none of them work as well or something along those lines, then maybe you are closer to the upper left hand quadrant.

But if she whaps you over the head with her purse, grabs the deodorant and then calls for the store manager then you might even have a Lovemark on your hands.

By making consumers defend their brand you can determine the degree to which they respect it and unconditionally love it. And while you may not make any friends at least you will have a good story to tell.

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TRUTH: THERE ARE NO WORDS FOR LOVE

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Lily Tomlin

If love is the answer, can you rephrase the question?

True love is something you feel inside, much more than you can describe through words. It simply happens between two people. Its something you see in their gestures, their body language, the expressions they pass between them.

So instead of pulling together a group of people and asking them to tell you their degree of love why not just watch them.

It makes sense, and it is also easier, cheaper and quicker.

Go to the supermarket or the store and watch them buy your product. Are they grabbing for it instantly or are they stopping, looking, comparing.

Convince the store manager to let you change its position on the shelf. Will people search for it? Do they care that it has gone missing? Will they take the time to ask?

A simple, fast approach that may give you some clues as to whether it sits on the left or the right hand side of the love Axis.

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TRUTH: THE FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD

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Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.

Albert Einstein

In determining the degree of respect that your brand has take a look at the leader of the company. If he or she commands little respect there is a likelihood it may be reflected onto the brand.

We should never forget the power of those who work within a company to set the course in becoming a Lovemark. These people probably spend more of their day with the product or the brand than they do with their own families. If they are not buying into the vision and the mission of the company then chances are you will be lacking in both the respect and the love aspects.

If your employees dont believe in your leaders vision, then chances are you are not en route to creating a Lovemark and are either down in the right hand quadrant or in the extreme upper left hand quadrant.

TRUTH: IN LOVE, THERE ARE NO CHOICES

Making people choose between two brands is not a bad way of assessing the degree to which they both love and respect your brand vs. the competition.

You can either do this in a focus group facility or better yet, get permission to do it in a store.

If you could only live with Toyota or Nissan for the rest of your life which would you choose? If you could only have Nike or adidas which would you choose?

Obviously the more people you can speak to the better. Again this does not have to be difficult. Send five people from your office out to the street for one hour and you may be surprised by what you learn. Its quick. Its cheap. And it can be insightful.

In the end, with a small amount of effort, assessing the degree of commitment your users have to the brand may give you some clues as to where it lies on the Love/Respect Axis.

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TRUTH: RESPECT IS SOMETHING YOU EARN THROUGH WHAT YOU DO, NOT WHAT YOU SAY

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Actions speak louder than words.

Theodore Roosevelt

You cant simply ask someone to give you respect and get it. You have to show them you deserve it. The same applies to a brand. If your brand has any amount of respect you should be able to list the actions that have earned it.

Does it have a long lasting heritage survival against all odds? Has it overcome hardship? Is it a leader of the category and an instigator of change? Does it command attention? Is it in demand? Does it have premium positioning on the shelf? Do people talk about it? Is its value important or lasting or short lived?

The more you can list the more respect it likely has. The key is to be honest with yourself about what the brand has accomplished and not get confused with what you want it to accomplish in the future.

Finally, in doing so measure this against what has been promised to the users of the brand and what in reality has been delivered. Only then can you get a reality check on what you think you deserve and what youve truly earned.

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TRUTH: THE FEW SAY MORE THAN THE MASSES
Often when we conduct research we feel we need to hear from enough people to make the results statistically valid. Problem is when you start listening to the masses it all becomes a loud roar making it difficult to focus.

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The few, will often say more. In most categories, with most brands it is often true that 20% of the users drive 80% of the sales.

Those 20% probably have a higher likelihood of telling you more about your brand than the average user. So why not save yourself some time and talk to the people who know the brand better than you do.

TRUTH: SOMETIMES THE MOST OBVIOUS SOLUTION IS THE BEST ONE

Finally, the Love/Respect Axis is pretty simple to understand. And while there are many statistically significant ways in which to plot your brand on the Axis you could just ask your users where they would plot it.

Ask the first 50 people you meet on the street that are users of the brand. Average it out and presto X marks the spot.

The more people you can ask the more robust your analysis. The more time you have, the more you can dig into why theyve plotted it where theyve plotted it.

Simple. But good.

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IN SUMMARY There is no right or wrong way to assess where your brand currently resides on the Love/Respect Axis. But there are a lot of known truths about both love and respect that you can apply to both your assessment of the Lovemarker and ultimately to your rationale.

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LOVE FROM THE INSIGHT OUT

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T H E L O V E M A R K E R

Anything will give up its secrets as long as you love it enough.

George Washington Carver, chemist

The Lovemarker is a framework that allows you to examine the dimensions of mystery, sensuality and intimacy of any product, service or brand meaningful to your client.

It is designed as an insight generator to help uncover how your consumers currently view your brand. How intense, deep and enduring their relationship is and where you may be able to turn up the heat.

LOVE - 13 dimensions of emotional connection.

RESPECT - 13 dimensions of rational connection.

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THE LOVEMARKER IN A NUTSHELL
LOVE
Mystery Great Stories Past, Present, Future Taps into dreams Myths and Icons Inspiration Sensuality Sound Vision Smell Touch Taste Intimacy Commitment Empathy Passion Performance Innovation Quality Service Identity Value Trust Reliability Honesty Ease Openness Security Reputation Leadership Responsibility Efficiency

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RESPECT

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THE LOVEMARKER EXPANDED
Mystery A relationship that reveals everything has nothing more to offer. Great Stories: Lovemarks thrive on the ancient human urge to trade stories and memories around the campfire. Story-telling opens up new meanings and connections. Past, Present, Future: Deep relationships come from shared histories and experiences. They are at the heart of long-term relationships. Taps into Dreams: Dreams emerge from our deepest emotions and create action. Action, in turn inspires dreams. Myths and Icons: Mickey Mouse is a loved mythical character, but so is Nelson Mandela. Icons give Lovemarks focus, myths bring dreams to life. Inspiration: Every love affair needs moments of wonder.

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Sensuality Emotional relationships demand on the senses being engaged. The senses are the portals to our emotions.

Sound: We sold a beer in South America on a simple sound the ssssh of a cap coming off a bottle. Sales went through the roof. Vision: Design is the single most important element of any product or service. Pump out as much content as you like. Were still in an attention economy, and only design will create that vital second of recognition. Smell: Nothing is more memorable than a smell. Human beings can detect over ten thousand of them thats a lot of possibilities! Touch: Theres more passion and emotion in I kiss football than in all the mountains of information that surround the sport. Taste: Taste is largely social. People rarely choose to eat alone.

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Intimacy Being close enough and knowing someone well enough to satisfy their desires before they become needs.

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Commitment: The promise for the long haul. Empathy: For any relationship empathy is the glue. It is what transforms a crush into a life-long love affair. Passion: The beating heart of Lovemarks. Passion is the fuel of motivation. It makes us take action. And then weds us to the result. It is the emotional beat of a Lovemark.

HOW TO USE THE LOVEMARKER

Over the last three years Kevin has used the Lovemarker to show audiences how to gain insights into their brands and customers.

As an insight generator, the Lovemarker is a stimulus tool. There is no absolute right or wrong way to use it.

It is designed to help identify how consumers connect with a brand and where areas of opportunity exist to strengthen future connections.

Check out www.lovemarks.com for Kevins Lovemarkers - Lego, Bacardi, Bill Clinton, Italy, Microsoft, Coke, Tide and the automobile.

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By now you should recognise that the Lovemarks philosophy is not absolute. It is a guiding philosophy to help navigate brands to a position in consumers hearts. A position where Loyal beyond reason exists.

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W H E R E T O N O W

Success in achieving Lovemarks status for your brands is, as much about how you do as what you do.

The overriding insight is that as emotional beings, building long lasting enduring connections with people means building people skills. Recognising how people interact, respond, learn and bond. Appreciating that humans act intuitively and rationally.

And that no two people are alike. Hence when it comes to commencing your journey from brand to Lovemark, dont look for an absolute answer, there is no step by step guide. There is only belief. Belief that, there is a better way. Belief that emotion is important. Belief that, you can transform the brand for which you are responsible to a Lovemark.

In the following pages there are a number of differing approaches for brand navigation.

Theres a section on Measuring Lovemarks in the future, 5 steps to love, A summary of a Lovemarks brand diagnosis paper (full details are available on the Brain) even a Lovemarks audit.

All differing views on how to set about the journey of creating Lovemarks. You may feel some are more appropriate for you, your situation, your brands than others. Thats ok.

Use your intuition to select, which you feel will be most valuable for your individual journey. You may use all or part of them, you may even create your own approach using the Lovemarker. These are a guide to help get you thinking about how to navigate your brands to Lovemarks. There will be more to come as we continue exploring and investigating the Lovemarks philosophy. Just remember there is no right or wrong way to create Lovemarks, like theres no right or wrong way to fall in love. Theres just passion, commitment and belief.

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MEASURING LOVEMARKS IN THE FUTURE
In determining a more robust measure for Lovemarks the WWPB are examining methodology for the appropriate Qualitative + Quantitative research. How do you measure love?

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M E A S U R I N G L O V E M A R K S

Its an almost impossible question, yet we need to find robust ways both of establishing to what degree a brand is a Lovemark and, perhaps more importantly, what progress a brand is making towards becoming a Lovemark.

For Lovemarks to really fly we must find alternative ways of testing, evaluating and measuring. Lovemarks and the transformational ideas that help build them will always be disadvantaged by existing methodologies because they measure the rational rather than the emotional, yet the need for measurement isnt going to disappear.

Whilst it is possible to develop some broad generalities about what creates love and respect, the truth is that these things will tend to vary greatly depending on what sort of a brand we are talking about. Just as there are many different kinds of love, there are many different kinds of Lovemark. What makes a car loved and respected is likely to differ widely from what makes a perfume loved and respected. Maybe a perfume doesnt even need to be respected to be a Lovemark.

There is currently a great deal of effort being put into developing a truly robust methodology. What follows is our thinking so far.

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Qualitative
Start by finding a group of people for whom the brand is a Lovemark, people who say that they only ever buy that brand, that other brands just arent quite the same, who feel that somehow life would be a little less sweet if they had to live without it.

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Whether through groups or depth interviews, get them to talk about how they feel about the brand:

How they first came across the brand What it meant to them then What it means to them now When they use it and how How it makes them feel What they would miss if it disappeared How they would feel if it disappeared What they would substitute for it

Much of this sort of information wont be accessed simply by asking direct questions, you will need to use projective techniques. There are a whole range of different things to try. For a complete set of useful techniques see Detonating Bubbles and Balloons.

One that works really well is the Reverse Interview. To do this, get the person to put themselves in the position of the brand and interview them about their relationship with the person. For example, Kate might be put in the position of Ms Salomon, and be interviewed about her relationship with Kate - when Kate met her, how they got to know each other, when they meet, how Kate feels about having Ms Salomon around, how she feels when they have to say good-bye, how she keeps in touch etc. Essentially the sort of questions you might ask someone about their relationship with another person. This can uncover aspects of the relationship that people arent even consciously aware of. In this instance, there was a certain amount of jealousy in the relationship because while Kate loved the brand, she felt other people had a closer relationship with it than she did, and that the brand would prefer to spend time with them rather than with her!

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Also ask questions about the elements contained in the Lovemarker: What stories do they know about the brand or people who use it? What does it smell/feel/look/sound/taste like? How committed are they to it, and how committed do they feel it is to them? How does it perform on the Respect dimensions? What are the most important things about the brand to them?

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Then go through the same exercise with a group of people who use the brand, but for whom the brand is not a Lovemark. This means they buy substitute brands quite happily, wouldnt miss the brand particularly if it disappeared. If possible pick people who match the first group in terms of the relevant demographics but whose attitude to the brand is different.

What are the major differences between the two groups? How do they feel differently about the brand? How do they talk differently about it? How do they use it differently? What are the major differences in the relationship they have with the brand?

The aim is to be able to generate a series of dimensions that differentiate between people for whom the brand is a Lovemark and people for whom it is not.

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Quantitative
The aims here are: Establish for what proportion of users the brand is a Lovemark Establish what proportion of brand sales they account for Be able to estimate the sales value of increasing the number of users for whom the brand is a Lovemark Provide information on critical dimensions on which the brand needs to improve

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The next stage is to try to put some numbers against the qualitative framework that has been developed.

In theory this should be as simple as asking people how much they agree or disagree with statements based on the key Lovemark dimensions found in qualitative research. In reality, this is problematic because responses to emotionally based questions in a quantitative setting tend to be muted, unsurprising given the rational, task oriented environment in which this type of research is conducted.

The biggest challenge is to develop a quantitative framework that accurately reflects what people say in qualitative research. Our findings so far are that whilst people are quite happy to talk in emotional terms in a group or depth interview environment, it is difficult to get the same emotional response in a quantitative environment. Just as we use projective techniques in qualitative to get beneath peoples rational responses, we need to find alternative ways to elicit emotional response in quantitative.

At the moment, we are exploring the use of visuals and story completion, we will keep you up-dated on our progress.

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a relationship based on romance, convenience, friendship, dependency and so forth. Now you have to get moving. You have to get your brand pointed in the right direction. You need to be able to put your hand on your heart and tell your client with confidence that you know how to turn a mere brand into a Lovemark.

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5 S T E P S T O L O V E

All right, you know where you sit on the Love/Respect Axis. You know if your brand and their users are in

But before you read one more word, you must know that this is not fail proof. If it was, we wouldnt be sitting here writing documents on how to get your brands closer to becoming Lovemarks. Instead, we would be sitting in our red velvet offices, somewhere in Paris or Italy, running the worlds largest love service. Guaranteed commitment. Guaranteed trust. Guaranteed passion. Guaranteed love beyond all reason. All for just one low price.

But were not. Were here.

Love isnt something that you can simply conjure up in a bottle. It takes time to create and effort to sustain. It takes understanding, kindness, patience and forgiveness.

What we can do is help you get your brand on the right path to becoming a Lovemark, allowing you to pull together a business plan for your client that goes beyond a singular point in time and the issues they currently face and instead, enables you to begin navigating the course that your brand needs to take in order to become a Lovemark.

What we have done is created a 5-stage process that should point you in the right direction. Plot the course. Navigate the brand to Lovemark territory. You will notice that the 5 stages are not simple steps but require a lot of intuition, common sense and above all else, simplicity.

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Forget What You Think You Know
In plotting a course towards love, the first thing you need to do is stop looking back over your shoulder at what has already been done. All the relationships you have had in the past. You need to look forward. At the horizon. At the upper right hand corner of the Love/Respect Axis. You need to forget what you think you know and go out and discover what you dont even know you dont know.

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S T E P 1

In the Book Of Tao, Winnie the Pooh, told us that:

To fill your head with information is to be knowledgeable. To empty it is to be wise.

Love is wise. It goes beyond reason to a place in your heart that lets you feel what cant be picked up, turned over and assessed. Love isnt rational but pure unfiltered, untested, unpredictable emotion.

As you begin to navigate your brand into Lovemark territory, forget what has been done in the past. And discover how you can touch your consumers like they have never been touched before.

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Have A Plan
The most basic fundamental of navigation is that you have to know where you are and equally important, where you want to go. Simply put, you need to know what you want. The same is true when it comes to finding love. Or creating a Lovemark. If you dont know what you want, you may find yourself wandering aimlessly, happy at times, hurt and frustrated at others. Far too many brands are left to wander. Left to react to market situations and competitive initiatives.

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S T E P 2

In plotting a course to love, you need know what you expect from this relationship. Or in business terms what is the objective. What is the key measurement that will determine whether you are successful or not.

Think about it in terms of the next meal you cook. When you get hungry you dont just sit in the kitchen and hope a plate of spaghetti bolognaise magically appears on the table. Youre hungry, so you need to do something about it. You think about what your stomach is looking for, how much time you have, whether you have the right ingredients available. Then you get up off your chair and get to work. Your objective is to make yourself a great dinner. The same is true when it comes to creating a Lovemark.

Just wanting love is not the same as seeking it. And if you want a Lovemark you have to seek it.

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Get Off Your Soap Box
Do you really know your brand? Before you answer that question think about it. Do you really know your brand? Not just what your client has told you about it, not just what you have read about it. Do you really know what the essence of your brand is?

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S T E P 3

Often we know our brands only in the perfect sense. Stronger, whiter, faster, cleaner, brighter, prettier, smarter. Or at least that is what we are told. Thats what the clients brief was. Its what the engineers told us. Its what we read in the research report. But no one is perfect. No product is perfect. There is always someone better and the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. As a result, ranting and raving to potential customers about why they should love you will only turn them off. Most simply wont believe you. You need to find a stronger connection with your buyers than your mere good looks, pearly white teeth, great smelling hair, fast car and muscular build.

Love springs out of honesty. Love isnt perfect, so dont pretend that it is. And until you face up to why people may not want to fall in love with you, you wont discover why they will.

Figure out what is wrong with your brand or your product. Dont be precious. Take the time to determine why people might not like you. The reasons why they might ultimately reject you. The reasons why you might just not survive. Love is open and honest not pretentious and assumptive.

What you are looking for is the Key Issue. The one barrier, that if you can find a way to overcome it, you will create a transformation. Bringing you one step closer to becoming a Lovemark.

The bottom line is, you want to be a partner with someone and that means finding out what you can do for them, not just what you can offer them.

And in being true to yourself you will find a relationship with your customer whereby they are true to you. Sometimes beyond reason.

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Discover All The Things You Dont Know You Dont Know
Love is about discovery. Its about finding things deep inside yourself that you didnt know existed. Things that stir up emotions and make you get all nervous inside. Things that make your knees go weak and your heart go KABOOM.

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S T E P 4

True love isnt about what you know its about what you never dreamed possible.

If you want your customer to fall in love with your brand you have to dig deep. You need to find an emotional connection with them that takes them by surprise. That is either so true and meaningful they cant help but sit up and take notice. Or that simply releases an emotion in them so strong that it takes them by surprise. It shocks them, makes them laugh or even cry.

The only way to do that however, is to go beyond the obvious. This is an important step in the process as this is the point in time where you will either offer them more of the same or find a stronger point of connection than all their other suitors.

Take a look at the toolbox. There are a ton of great ideas in there to get you beyond what you think you know to all the things you never dreamed to be true.

But be warned. Finding the point of connection, the moment of spark, is only the beginning.

Because this is where love becomes hard work.

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Rise To The Challenge
takes to make this relationship work. You will know what will get your customers sitting up and taking notice. You will know how to capture their hearts.

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S T E P 5

If youve done steps 1 to 4, by the time you get here you will feel it. You will know. You will know what it

You will know, because youve taken the time to look hard at yourself. Youve taken the time to dig deep beyond the obvious.

You will feel it.

The most important thing we can say now is dont chicken out. Dont go backwards. Dont let reason override what you know in your heart is true.

Rise to the challenge. And enjoy it.

Often here at Saatchi & Saatchi we get to this stage. We have a huge, big, audacious challenge written down on a piece of paper. The challenge brief. One we know will get consumers to sit up and take notice of the brand in a light they have never seen before. One we know that if we can overcome we will be that much closer to becoming a Lovemark.

And then we get scared. We get to the edge, but step back because we are afraid of falling. We look at an idea and say fantastic but the client wont buy it. Or maybe we should research it to be sure.

We let reason override what we know in our hearts will move us into Lovemark territory.

To create a Lovemark you have to go to the edge. You have to be afraid of falling. Love isnt easy. But if you know what you want, if you are true to yourself and what you can deliver you wont fall. Because you know what your customer needs from you.

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The Final Ingredient
Five stages. Five steps. For you to follow. 1: Forget what you know 2: Have a plan 3: Get off your soapbox 4: Discover what you dont know you dont know 5: Rise to the challenge

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And finally, have fun. Enjoy it.

This is where we contradict everything we have said before. Love, while it is hard, is also one of the most pleasurable experiences we have as human beings.

Love shouldnt be about completing one step, checking it off and then going on to the next. It should just happen, because you love the feeling it leaves you with. You wake up every morning wanting more.

Consumers fall in love with brands because they enjoy them. They love waking up every morning and being able to feel it, play with it, hear it, smell it, taste it. Brands become Lovemarks not just because they are good products, meeting all of the criteria that they need to make them useful. They are Lovemarks because they connect both rationally AND emotionally with their users.

If you wake up every morning dreading the process, squinching up your face, over thinking, rationalising it, relying on groups and statistics to measure the degree of love you are trying to create you wont create a Lovemark. Youll create a monster.

So enjoy it. Have fun. Dont try and rationalise your feelings or measure your progress.

And above all else remember; that love happens because we let it.

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A Summary
A Lovemark diagnosis tool has been developed for assessing a given brands position exclusively in brand better experience with. It should be seen as an appraisal tool for the current status of the brand and its competitors in the eyes of consumers, providing indicators of the reasons for its position.

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A D I A G N O S I S T O O L

to consumer markets. It can only be used for brands that the target group at least has knowledge of, still

However, other studies will always have to complement the findings of the Lovemarks in order to be able to develop a successful communication strategy and creative solutions to move the brand towards the ideal Lovemark position. On the other hand, it is also an excellent tracking tool to assess the development of the brand over time.

The Lovemark diagnosis tool is the first step on the road to becoming a Lovemark.

The second step is the Lovemark Issue Analysis. Here the purpose is to analyse in depth the reasons for the results from the Lovemark diagnosis, to collect the necessary knowledge about the market, the brands customers and competitors, and to discuss business issues and the strategic challenges together with the client.

The methodology consists of qualitative research and the Lovemark workshop where consumer insights and brand values are discussed and strategic scenarios developed. The outcome of this second step is qualification of knowledge, identification of relevant and essential insights, and the rediscovery of brand values. This leads to the third step, the Lovemark strategy. The purpose is to develop a strategy for the brand to reach Lovemark status ie. building the strongest possible relationship between the most important customers and the brand in an efficient way.

Detailed explanation of the Lovemark Diagnosis Tool can be found on the Brain.

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LOVEMARKS AUDIT
In evaluating your clients current status in regard to the Lovemarks philosophy you may find the following assessment guidelines useful.

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L O V E M A R K S A U D I T

These have been used successfully on Toyota in building a picture of their position in the Australian market, and have been pivotal in navigating the brand.

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CUSTOMER UNDERSTANDING
WHO LOVES YOU? A LOVEMARK ACTS FROM AN INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING OF CUSTOMER NEEDS AND DESIRES.

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Research has headed in the wrong direction. It looked for the deviations and steered us to the average. The ordinary. It believed in perfect customer data. But using traditional research to track emotion is like using a ruler to take your temperature. We must get back to real life and real people. There are no guarantees. Two decimal points do not make it true. We are in danger of being exactly wrong, rather than approximately right. Forget what people know and what they say. We need to understand what they feel. What makes them laugh or cry or yawn as Dylan Thomas tells us. Research is now venturing into the complex world of emotions and relationships. Consumers are in fact living, individual people. To understand their lives we need profound knowledge and deep empathy. We need to open up to the Is and the Es: I - for Ideas, Intuition, Imagination, Insights, Instinct, Inspiration. E - for Enchantment, Energy, Empathy, Excitement and Emotion.

ONE WORD EQUITY

FEELGOOD

A LOVEMARK CAPTURES ITS EMOTIONAL ESSENCE IN A SINGLE WORD.

People are made up of many complex and conflicting emotions. So are brands. For the two to connect we need to focus with One Word Equities. A way to connect customers directly with the emotional dimensions of a product or service. A way to inspire great creative work. A way to simplify the bewildering complexity of global markets. Distill the essence of a product or service or idea into just one word. And use this perfect word as the core of the brands positioning everywhere. A single defining word that captures the heart of a brand or vehicle. One Word Equities focus everyone in the communications mix. The company, the brand, the model can talk with one distinct emotional voice around the world. And yet have as many local interpretations as are needed.

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ATTENTION
INFORMATION OVERLOAD A LOVEMARK SURGES THROUGH THE CLUTTER WITH IDEAS, EMOTIONS AND EXPERIENCES.

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Welcome to the Attention Economy. The thousands. TV channels, movies, radio stations and newspapers. More than 18,000 magazines published in the U.S. alone. The billions. More than two billion web pages, 15 billion catalogues, 225 billion pages of editorial magazine content plus billions of phone calls, faxes and e-mails. And the trillions. 1.6 trillion pieces of paper circulate through U.S. offices each year. People are overwhelmed by the choices they face. Human attention is the principal currency of our Attention Economy. Whoever you are. Wherever you are. The job today is to compete for attention and win. Attention is a rare resource of great value. You can capture it with emotion and ideas. But too much information too fast and you drown it. Whats left to know in a relationship that reveals everything all at once? The focus is on making consistent emotional connections with customers. And making sure the back-up information is readily available for people when they need it.

EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
PEOPLE THINK WITH EMOTION.

A LOVEMARK ACTS ON THE FACT THAT HUMAN BEINGS MAKE THEIR DECISIONS EMOTIONALLY.

People act on instinct, intuition and empathy. Facts, figures, performance statistics and comparisons kick in after the decision is made. They are more about rationalisation than rationality. Drawing conclusions rather than taking action.

Science has proved it: human beings think with emotion. If the emotion centres of our brain are damaged in some way, we dont just lose the ability to laugh or cry. We also lose the ability to make decisions. Our reason must have emotion to drive it. Emotion leads to action while reason leads only to conclusions.

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Today people expect a different relationship with the brands they choose, and its a difference more marked in young and affluent people. They want more than the performance er benefits: fast-er, long-er, bright-er, loud-er. They now need brands to have meaning at a much deeper emotional level. To represent their value systems. To be part of their identity. To represent them. We have to transform what consumers know and trust into what they can emotionally connect with. What they can love.

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LOCAL CONNECTIONS
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

A LOVEMARK KEEPS RELATIONSHIPS ALIVE WITH INSIGHTS FROM THE LOCAL.

No one has ever met a global consumer. They dont exist. People live in the local. And they love it there. They define themselves by their differences. Differences in local stories, local relationships, local needs, local passions. Think global, act local is back-to-front. Act local, go global is the real answer. Thinking is table stakes. Action is the key. Great ideas come from somewhere, somewhere local. They get and keep their juice by knowing what they stand for. Anyone who wants to be successful in international markets has to come to grips with the local. Your own local and the local of your customers. Winners recognise the essence of the local idea and then get it across the world fastest. To build emotional connections with people you have to understand whats local in their experience as well as global in their aspiration. Local people read brand body language the best. For international companies this means adjusting to local tastes and still creating scale economies in production, distribution, marketing and R&D. This can only be done by taking the bottom-up route rather than imposing ideas top-down. This tension between global integration and local differentiation is fantastic fuel for growth and innovation.

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CUSTOMER OWNERSHIP
YOU DONT OWN A LOVEMARK YOUR CUSTOMERS DO. A LOVEMARK IS ONLY A LOVEMARK WHEN ITS CUSTOMERS SAY SO.

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Lovemarks dont belong to companies. They belong to the people. Only customers have the power to give Lovemark status. Or to take it back. They know intuitively what fits and what does not. Where the brand can stretch, and where it cant. Toyota knew this when they created the Lexus division. The Coca-Cola Corporation learnt the hard way with its disastrous launch of New Coke. It turned out not to be the taste customers were protective of (most of them couldnt tell the difference) but the idea of meddling with their classic. (Think too about Nissan and Datsun). Once people take you to their hearts you have to take special care. They may name their children after their Lexus (meet Isabella Alexus - born in a Lexus!), tell Outback stories about their Hilux, legends about their LandCruiser or chat at dinner parties about their Lexus. But they expect you to play your part in return. You need to match up to the metaphors that surround you, the stories that describe you, the memories you evoke and the futures you inspire.

DISTINCTIVE
KNOWING WHO YOU REALLY ARE IS WHAT SETS YOU APART.

A LOVEMARK IS DISTINCTIVE AND EASILY RECOGNISED.

To stand out from the competition you need icons, symbols, stories and aspirations you can be proud of. Your identity must speak directly to the hopes and dreams of customers. Once being a trademark was enough to stand out from the crowd. Later you had to be a brand to get recognition and respect. In todays Attention Economy brands themselves are becoming commodities. Distinctions eroding. Claims blurring.

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No one will reveal themselves to a blank corporate mask. Show customers your faces. Open up your hearts. To do this you need to know who you really are. A clear sense of identity expressed through your name, symbol, logo or mythic character is essential for this new age. They help to cut through the clutter and propel your brand into the hearts and minds of consumers. People keep an icon like Mickey Mouse, Nikes swoosh, or the Pillsbury Dough Boy close. An emotional shorthand to the dreams, desires and aspirations built up through countless experiences.

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TRANSPARENCY
THERE IS NO PLACE TO HIDE.

A LOVEMARK CONNECTS THE COMPANY WITH ITS PEOPLE AND ITS BRANDS.

Everyone knows everything. You do it, they know about it. And when anything goes wrong, they expect fast action. Johnson and Johnson got it right. They immediately withdrew the pain killer Tylenol from U.S. shelves when there were threats the product had been poisoned. Your company can no longer hide behind its brands. A company and its brands are inextricably meshed together. Reputation is beyond valuing. Credibility priceless. People want to trust the brand they have chosen. But they demand you remain true to your ideals and aspirations. Take Prius. Solid evidence of Toyotas commitment to limiting the cars impact on the earth. In our newly unsafe and uncertain world, both actions and motives are equally important. There is no room for opportunism. Being trusted and being honest are paramount. Now more than ever, brands and companies need to focus on customers, not on themselves. Empathising with peoples deepest needs and fears is the best way to turn consumer advocates into advocates for your brands.

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TOTAL EXPERIENCE
ENGAGE THE SENSES. A LOVEMARK DESIGNS COMPELLING AND SENSUOUS EXPERIENCE AT EVERY POINT IT TOUCHES PEOPLE.

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Human beings experience the world through the five senses: hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. They are our portals to the emotions. The senses create every thought and feeling. In any emotional relationship the senses are engaged. Sensuality is a fundamental of the human condition. Performance has become table-stakes. Customers simply expect the fries to be crisp. Beer to be cold. Cars to start every time. How products look is not enough. Great design puts together superb function with sensuality. Dont stop at how a product looks; how does it feel? Weve moved from hard-core design to soft-touch sensuality. You need to shape every touch-point with your customers. For all the gains of the digital world we still live in physical bodies. Bodies that crave stimulation and comfort. Bodies that retain physical memories. We need to work from the body out, rather than the metal in. Put the five senses in the drivers seat.

NURTURE THE FUTURE

THE TRUE VALUE OF LOYALTY.

A LOVEMARK FOSTERS LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH CONSTANT ATTENTION.

Its been happening for decades. The shift in power to consumers. Understanding the role of youth and women. To build value you now need relationships and transactions, emotion and information, heart and mind. The goal is to head from market share (getting customers) to life-time share (keeping customers). Loyal customers protect you from ever more vociferous and critical consumer lobbies. They enable you to escape commodity status and sustain premium pricing, win greater sales and increase profitability. We all seek relationships to give meaning to our lives - relationships with people, pets, the things we own and yes, with brands. What may begin as a simple transaction can turn into the ultimate relationship - love. You make the most money from customers who have already committed to you. Frequent, loyal users. To protect them from competing choices they need to feel you understand and value them. They need to feel they are special to you. Intimate moments create the deepest bonds. A long-term love affair is more valuable than a regular transaction.

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LOVE STORIES
These Love Stories show how insights can be developed from exploring each of the elements that makes up a Lovemark. Not all Lovemarks will be strong in each element. Check out categories that are not part of your clients make-up, and you may come up with new insights you would otherwise miss.

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L O V E S T O R I E S

As for Respect Stories - we have all been telling them for decades. Dig into your own experience and find the ones that will mean most to your client.

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Great Stories
Zippo Zippo is the official lighter of the US Army, Navy. It has been alongside American fighting men and women since World War I. During that time, Zippo has seen some action and generated some great stories. Battered Zippos have stood between mens hearts and death and guided choppers to the wounded. They have been lovingly engraved with the arms of battalions and the prayers of soldiers. Zippo understand that these stories fuel the imagination. They have become a deep and highly valued emotional connection between the Zippo and its customers.

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M Y S T E R Y

Joe Boxer Joe Boxer tells stories to infuse his now famous boxer shorts with character and charm. His first marketing campaign resulted in the U.S. Secret Service confiscating 1,000 pairs of shorts silk-screened with $100 bills. Boxer, it transpired, had violated forgery laws. Joe Boxers Chairman, Nicholas Graham, knows the power of stories and never tires of creating them. Better than most, he understand the special power of a great story lightened with humour. He grabbed column inches and won the hearts of anyone who likes a laugh by purchasing the English title Lord of Balls.

Past, Present and Future

Harley-Davidson In the mid-1980s, the famed motorcycle company took a wrong turn. It ignored its past and began to attach the Harley-Davidson name to anything with an engine. At one stage there was even a ride-on Harley-Davidson lawn-mower! The results were dismal. The company went to the wall. It was only after a last-minute bid to buy back publicly held stock and return the company to its roots, that their fortunes revived. Harley-Davidson escaped brand annihilation by focusing on something only they could claim a past rich in values and meaning.

Today, Harley-Davidson has wrapped itself in its own lore and history. But they also keep very tight tabs on what is happening right now in their world. With websites and mail-outs, the company records and packages the many Harley-Davidson Riders meets, picnics and parties drawing on family as much as the outlaw spirit to keep the brand fresh.

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adidas In New Zealand there is no other symbol that carries the emotional power of the black jersey of the All Blacks the national rugby team.

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When adidas, as part of a huge sponsorship, wanted to include their logo on the hallowed jersey it was hard to see how the real owners of the All Black brand, the New Zealand rugby public, could be convinced.

By bringing the past and present together a Saatchi & Saatchi campaign convinced New Zealand that adidas was part of the future. The television spot featured a line-up of All Black captains all the way back to the 1947 captain Charlie Saxton. One by one the captains changed their old jerseys for the new one. The music? Bless em all. The campaign, and its tag line The legacy is more intimidating than any opposition won the hearts of New Zealanders and a place on the jersey for adidas.

Taps Into Dreams

Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch is a venerable financial institution. They operate in a sector characterised by rationality and a decided lack of emotional exuberance. Merrill Lynch broke with this tradition with a marketing strategy that overtly played to peoples desire for riches. Rather than only target other financial institutions, Merrill Lynch looks as well to the small investor offering them the chance to reap the benefits of careful investments.

Merrill Lynchs branding literally taps into peoples dreams of wealth.

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Lancme Lancme trades on the dream of millions of women to look like a movie-star. By connecting their and with the ageless dream of transformation and beauty.

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products with some of the planets most beautiful faces, Lancme associates itself with identity and hope,

Nike No one taps into dreams better than Nike. Their advertising often uses imagined scenarios told with dream-like visuals. Visions of victory, of the winners dais or just of beating ones personal best. The stuff dreams are made of. Whether its Air Jordan defying gravity or a lone woman pounding the highway, Nike promises to help you reach your dreams.

Myths and Icons

Mickey Mouse Walt Disney once famously said Always remember that this whole thing was started by a mouse. Mickey Mouse has become one of the best-known icons in the world. Disney himself was so protective of this little guy and his companions in the Disney line-up, that he insisted no child visiting Disneyland could ever see two of the same character at the same time. A maze of tunnels and hidden doorways riddles Disneyland so that all the Mickeys, Minnies and Goofys can appear and re-appear on schedule. Disney understood that his unwavering belief in his icons was what made his company loved the world over.

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Inspiration
British Telecom British Telecoms convinced its customers that Its good to talk by focusing on inspiration. Using icons like scientist Steven Hawkings and monuments to human achievement like the International Space Station, BT inspired people to action. To pick up the phone and talk.

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Team New Zealand The Team New Zealand Americas Cup yachting syndicate is a source of inspiration and pride to all Kiwis. The small island country beat the Americans to win the Cup, and then defeated everybody else to hold onto it. The marriage of technology, the sea and the will to win inspired a nation. The Family of Five main sponsors of the 2000 campaign enjoyed a strong association with the inspirational sailing team. The result was that those companies themselves became, for many New Zealanders, a source of pride and inspiration.

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Sound, Vision, Smell, Touch, Taste
Harley-Davidson The Harley-Davidson sound of a Harley was considered so unique and valuable that Harley-Davidson attempted to trademark it.

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S E N S U A L I T Y

Lexus Lexus understands what people want to hear when they buy a luxury car. When the Lexus was developed a significant investment was made in giving weight to the sound of the door closing.

The Dyson Great design can raise the most mundane object from indifference to desire. Who would have thought that before the funky Dyson appeared on the scene that anyone would know the name of someone who designed a vacuum cleaner? And even if they did, that they would also crave to own one!

The same logic has come even further down the market where people often know who designed their wastepaper basket (Karim Rashid).

The automobile Cars sell on smell. Ask any salesperson. The smell of new leather even in a second-hand sale often tips the deal. House-sellers know this too. The fragrance of freshly baked cookies wafting through the rooms creates a sense of comfort and home.

Lego Named by Fortune magazine as Toy of the 20th century. The Lego brick is all about touch. The scale for small hands. The raised surfaces. The smoothness. It feels the way it looks. Stand on it in the dark in bare feet, you know its Lego.

Apple Apple took a quantum leap into taste. Named the iMac range after fruit flavours like Tangerine, and marketed them with the one word YUM!

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Commitment
The Red Cross and Red Crescent The Red Cross and Red Crescent Organisations save an uncountable number of lives a year. No other organisation is as committed to people in need. Their symbols are universally recognised and universally respected. When the Red Cross come knocking at your door for a donation, you know the money is going to go where it is needed. Deeds not words, people not politics.

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I N T I M A C Y

Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart make a public commitment to do everything in their power to source and supply the cheapest possible goods. Wal-Mart make good on their commitment to the best value available. The low cost sites and the low cost interiors show customers how much money is being spent. The low cost of the goods is testimony to how much money is being saved.

Sympathy

Camry Toyota understood that not all car owners want to be the centre of attention. People who believe you can still be in love and not kiss in the street. As a result Camry owners have fallen in love with a car that doesnt stand out from the crowd a car that knows love can be a private experience.

Tesco When Tesco noticed that many of its female shoppers were pregnant, it did something about it. To save them the long walk from their cars to the stores and back, they put in pregnant-only parks close to the entrance. Impressed by this empathy, pregnant women would drive long distances to walk a short one.

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Passion
Swatch Before Swatch the mid-price watch was pretty much a commodity. Swatch changed all that by creating a range of watches and a brand that people felt passionate about. People owned them, swapped them and collected them and the mid-range Swatch became an object of fierce desire. A mark of the passion people felt about swatches can be seen in the fanatical collecting of rare editions and intense swapping of the ever-varied Swatch watch faces.

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Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines are passionate about passion. So much so their ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange is LUV. Their first advertisement mentioned the word Love eighteen times and their home airfield is none other than, Love Field, Dallas. Southwest love to fly and they are passionate about sharing that love with their passengers. They are a low-budget airline, but by focussing and maintaining a passion internally, they have become Americas most admired and successful airline. Fortune Magazine found Southwest the most admired airline in the world in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. They also list Southwest as one of the worlds most admired companies, period.

Burton Snowboarders are a passionate lot. Mostly young, marketing savvy and resolutely disloyal to most brands, snowboarders hold a special place in their hearts for Burton Snowboards and its founder, Jake Burton. Snowboarders are passionate about Burton because Burton is passionate about snowboarding. Jake Burton virtually invented the sport and his commitment to it, to its people and to its values make him the Godfather of snowboarding. The brand is built around this commitment and as a result, a breed of consumers who seldom love brands, love Burton.

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MORE ON LOVEMARKS
Where to look for all there is on Lovemarks

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L O V E M A R K R E S O U R C E S

THE SAATCHI & SAATCHI BRAIN KR on the Brain All the speeches, multi media KR, Kevi-awards MADE IN SAATCHI & SAATCHI Where Lovemarks fit into the business

TOYOTA CREATING AND PERPETUATING LOVEMARKS LOVEMARKS AUDIT

www.lovemarks.com public face of Lovemarks KR speeches, Loveprofiler, Lovemarks Gallery, media www.saatchikevin.com KR speeches, public research reports, media, community Connecting the Dots: S&S Toolkit to Becoming an Ideas Company
(Worldwide Planning Board)

The Nest: Nurturing great ideas

(Worldwide Planning Board)

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www.lovemarks.com The public home of Lovemarks. Here are all Kevins Lovemark presentations, media about Lovemarks and a straightforward introduction to how they work. Lovemarks.com also has the Loveprofiler so your clients can put their businesses and brands through a quick Lovemarks quiz.

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www.saatchikevin.com Kevins site on the Internet. All his public presentations are here along with biographical material, reader feedback and media. Everything you need to know about our CEO, his opinions, life and attitudes.

KR on The Brain The complete story. All of Kevins speeches to clients and potential clients along with video clips and Lovemarks resources.

Books and Articles

Ackerman, Diane. A Natural History of Love 1994 Ackerman, Diane. A Natural History of the Senses 1990 Colvin, Geoffrey. The L Word Fortune 9 November 2001 Evans, Dylan. Emotion: The Science of Sentiment, 2001 Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point Sanders, Tim. Love is the Killer App Fast Company February 2002 www.fastcompany.com/online/55/love.html Zeldin, Theodore. An Intimate History of Humanity, 1998