Brand Management

Ask anyone who has even a passing interest in New Orleans brass bands and they will tell you they know of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Ask pretty much anyone else, and you’re likely to get a shrug of the shoulders were you to mention their band name. You see, fame’s a funny thing really isn’t it. We all know of the type of fame you see in your Pacino’s, Beckham’s, and Beyonce’s of the world. But what’s easily forgotten is that there is a different type of fame – what we might call ‘niche fame’.

Clearly, products and services link to our feelings and behaviors. But just how tight are these linkages, and how important are they to marketers?

Mercedes canceled its subscription service, Mercedes Collection. The two-year old pilot offering fee-based access to 30 different models, insurance, roadside assistance and maintenance had about 100 participants. Mercedes Collection gave people a car-driving option other than a purchase or a lease.

Brand revitalization requires finding and satisfying a new, important customer need. Brand success requires being the best at something relevant and differentiated. It means never taking your eye off of changing customer needs.

The chart shown above is an evolution of one that I helped create at Kantar. It is my attempt to summarize as clearly and simply as possible the process by which people choose between brands based on their intuitive and deliberative thinking. I would love to hear your thoughts about it, good, bad, or indifferent. But first, let me lay out my thinking behind the chart.