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Dai-Sensei

Becoming

How can we get consumers to choose us over the competition? This is a question businesses have been asking themselves since commerce began. But in times of economic instability this question takes on an even greater significance. It becomes more than a question of increasing profit margins, it is a question of survival. It is life or death.
As the dark clouds of economic hardship refuse to clear, the corporate worlds answer to this conundrum increasingly puts emphasis on the competition element of the question rather than the consumer part. Of course, brands have always looked to one another for, shall we say, inspiration. But in recent times it would seem brands are monitoring their competitors more closely than ever. They are living in fear, terrified of being left behind, or worse still being the first to break cover. As a result, for every step that is taken by one brand, a counter step is taken by their competitors to match it. They are turning themselves into brand doppelgngers ghostly doubles or lookalikes. We can see these brand doppelgngers across many categories from food, retail and beauty, through to consumer electronics and the automotive industry. Even the glamorous vacuum cleaning market has its fair share of them. More worryingly is how deeply engrained this copycat behaviour is across a number of consumer touch-points from marketing and advertising, through to products and packaging. My colleagues and I recently conducted a round of research for an alcohol brand in Eastern Europe. We were lucky enough to spend time with a number of bright young things aged between 22 30 who regularly attended all the major clubs and bars of their city. One reoccurring theme we found through our research was the indistinguishable nature of most of the big brands in their on-trade marketing. Our respondents frequently expressed disappointment in the lack of imagination and individuality

Times are tough in business, and many unsuccessfully attempt to navigate through the maelstrom by mirroring the competition. But, in a world where credibility is king, becoming dai-sensei could be the answer...
MARIEL BROWN Head of Trends at Seymourpowell
Confidential. Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

of many branded events. So similar were some marketing strategies that one group who had attended a sponsored event a few weeks prior to our meeting couldnt even remember who their corporate host was. This is the inherent danger that comes with being a brand doppelgnger. It appears that as brands attempt to play it safe, they are blurring the choices available in the market place. The trouble is that playing it safe isnt helping anyone; instead it creates an indistinct mulch of options. Its sucking the life out of brands, and more critically its turning the consumer off. Ultimately this is bad news for business. Perhaps the most notable example of this is the muchpublicised Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit, which finally reached court this summer. Here, Apple accuses Samsung of infringing on many of their copyrights including user interfaces, product and packaging designs. What is particularly interesting with this case isnt the drawn-out game of chess being played by two consumer electronics giants, but rather how connected the consumers are in the argument. The geek community (unlike the courts) were quick to pass their judgment. They sided with Apple. Barely hours after the story hit the headlines amateur photos of Apples iPhone 3GS placed next to Samsungs Galaxy S i900 flooded the web as perturbed individuals enthusiastically waded in with their own photographic evidence.

Its of little wonder consumers are frustrated and angered by brand doppelgngers especially when initiatives are more like me-too campaigns.
This reaction is a reminder of one dramatic change we have witnessed in recent years: Thanks to hyper-connectivity there is nowhere to hide for brands. Consumers are empowered like never before, they are talking to one another like never before, and perhaps more importantly thanks to the global recession and a loss of faith in governments, they are listening to one another even more intently. Brand integrity has taken on a critical new significance. McDonalds recently learned of this significance at their own cost: After witnessing the success many brands were having with forays into social media, McDonalds launched the hashtag #McDStories where customers could share their positive Maccy Ds experiences. But, instead of offering gleaming stories of marketing gold, it quickly spiralled into a PR disaster. Before it was hastily pulled, their Twitter campaign was inundated with sarcastic tweets, the most infamous of which involved diabetes and upset stomachs obviously far from what McDonalds were hoping for. So focused were they on getting on the social media bandwagon, they underestimated the power of the modernday beast they were dealing with. Worse still, this campaign was an uncomfortable fit for their brand. Consumers took this as insincere and hit back.

...playing it safe isnt helping anyone... Its sucking the life out of brands, and more critically its turning the consumer off.
Confidential. Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

Its of little wonder consumers are frustrated and angered by brand doppelgngers especially when initiatives are more like me-too campaigns. Its akin to turning up to an AC/DC gig to find theyve instead been replaced with AC/DShe, their allfemale tribute act. There is a reason AC/DC sell out stadiums and their tribute act struggle to fill pubs. People crave originality. Strangely, if you speak to brands they often say their aim is to stand out, but their focus is generally on small incremental changes. They say they want innovation but often what they end up with is something that is new for the sake of being new without taking any real steps forward. Richard Seymour, one of the founders of design and innovation company Seymourpowell (and my boss), describes this as the confusion between the new and the better. He says, This semantic separation of better from new is critically important in any form of new product development. The former is a path to self-sustaining excellence and brand reputation. The latter is a method of occasionally refreshing your product line-up without necessarily establishing strong brand equities and longevity. One has a mid to long-term direction; one hasnt, necessarily. What further muddies the water are the giant leaps being made in technology. Social media and viral marketing are proving to be a distracting sirens call that has sent many brands

heads spinning (as we saw with McDonalds and their Twitter campaign). Add to this the perpetual sideways glancing at the competition, and it is no surprise that many businesses are experiencing a rather painful crick in their neck.

As we move through this time of great flux people are craving stability, things they can put their trust in... there is a strong desire for credibility and integrity.
So how can brands break free of this unhealthy downward spiral? How can they plot a course to successfully navigate through these tumultuous times and direct them towards a brighter and better future? The Japanese notion of dai-sensei could offer some answers. Lets begin by breaking down its meaning. Sen, meaning before, and Sei, meaning to be born, directly combines to make Sensei which means one who is born before another. The term has many nuances but generally it is used to imply a master or a teacher, and shows respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or skill. When this is prefixed by the word Dai, which means great or large, it can be literally translated as grand master. The term is often used to describe the top sensei, someone who is held in great esteem a guiding light for others. If we apply the notion of becoming a dai-sensei to brands it would have less to do with mirroring the competition and more

If we apply the notion of becoming a dai-sensei to brands it would have less to do with mirroring the competition and more to do with leading it.
Confidential. Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

to do with leading it. Its ambitious. It demands a fundamental shift towards the exceptional. The inherent honour of dai-sensei may seem from another world and another time, yet it has a powerful resonance today: As we move through this time of great flux people are craving stability, things they can put their trust in. As weve seen above, there is a strong desire for credibility and integrity. These times of austerity have forced people to recalibrate their value systems; people are investing more in experiences and less in material objects. Average products and services will no longer cut the mustard; instead we need to offer the unique and outstanding.

designed handset. Voters cited the models stunning looks, smart ergonomics and commended it in particular for bringing something new to the market. Incidentally, the smartphone to take second prize in this poll was Samsungs attractive Galaxy S3 (which, by the way, looks nothing like an iPhone). The Lumias warm reception shows us that brands will do well if they can develop a deep understanding of who they themselves are, and release crafted and well-considered products that represent this unique character. This brings us onto perhaps the key element of the dai-sensei concept that of wisdom. We are in a period of accelerated change and so making a wise choice is vital. Never before in human history have we had access to so much information. To individuals this is exciting, but to brands it can be seriously distracting and paralysing. It becomes a giant magnetic field messing with many of their internal compasses. Instead of watching the competition and obsessing over social media, brands should have their eyes firmly fixed on real human needs and desires. They need to get to the truth of who they are and rediscover what they can offer people that will make their lives better. Instead of asking, How can we get consumers to choose us over the competition? They should think more like the Japanese dai-sensei and ask, What can we do that will be of value to people and the world? It is only by striving for the sublime that they can become the grand masters of their categories.

...brands will do well if they can develop a deep understanding of who they themselves are, and release crafted and wellconsidered products that represent this unique character.
Promising examples of dai-sensei thinking can be seen in Nokias new iPhone rivals, the Lumia 800 and 900. With its release Nokia have made a bold move that shows the world its intentions; they are setting their own course for the future rather than this being dictated by the rest of the mobile phone gang. The Nokia Lumia has been described as breathing new life into the mobile device market thanks to its distinctive design and high level of manufacturing finish. The release is helping Nokia regain territory it has struggled to hold onto in recent years - it even recently topped a Swiss online poll for the most beautifully
Confidential. Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

To find out more please contact Tim Duncan - tim.duncan@seymourpowell.com

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