The Phases in Branding History

Entering the realm of branding through Senses:The Phases in Branding

History

Branding has passed through a number of phases over the years. The first phase, in
the 1950’s, saw a great emphasis being laid on the USP or the Unique Selling
Proposition. Highlighting one key feature of the brand almost always ensured that the
physical product, rather than the brand, was the core differentiator. By the 1960s
Emotional Selling Proposition (ESP) was adopted by some brands. Similar products
were perceived as different primarily because of an emotional attachment. Coke is a
case in point. The consumer tends to drink the various emotional associations, rather
than just a cola. This is why Coke’s attempt to introduce a better tasting drink
(proved by blind tests) failed and the company was forced to re-introduce the
old Cok e. During the 1980s the Organizational Selling Proposition (OSP) emerged.
The organization, which was behind the brand, used its distinctive philosophy as its
point of difference, in order to sell the brand. For many years Nike subscribed to this
form of branding. The strong internal spirit of the company was embodied in its
employees, who became the main ambassadors for the brand. Tata and Reliance are
two such Indian organizations which have leveraged their organizational brand equity
and thus successfully exist in diverse product categories such as tea and steel.

By the 1990s brands had attained enormous dimensions and the Brand Selling
Proposition (BSP) took over. Some brands have grown beyond the physical
dimensions of the product. Brands like Harry Potter, Pokemon, Mickey Mouse and
other Disney characters stepped outside their original product boards and could be
found on accessories, wallpapers, tooth brushes and clothes. These brands took on a
life of their own and enamouredthe consumer, acquiring the Midas touch which sold
almost all the products they touched.
The world of communication is evolving and today, interaction has become one of the
key catalysts, and this has forced marketers to constantly think out each and every
communication, evaluating and designing it for the increasingly aware and
demanding consumer. Today brands are moving towards the MSP or Me Selling
Proposition, where consumers are given ownership of the brands. Dell, with its
customized computers, was the first innovator in its field. Today technological
innovation has enabled apparel and sports brands like Nike and Levi’s to offer
customization for any of their models, exactly suited to the customer’s need and size,
by means of their websites. In India, we are sorely lagging behind and examples of
BSP, let alone MSP are few and far in between.

The Future of Branding: Holistic Branding

The evolution of branding to the MSP stage is a significant indicator of the fact that
brands have become interwoven, not only into the consumer’s lifestyle, but also into
his identity. MSP evolved from the need of the consumer for personalization.
However, the deeper need for identification has not yet been fully satisfied. Buying a
pair of jeans which ‘fit to the T’ is not enough; the jeans must have a desirable
personality, a reflection of who you think you are or want to be. As individuals get
increasingly isolated, they need stronger external reasons to believe. Strong brands
can provide the answer by moving into the realm of the HolisticSelling Proposition.
HSP brands are those that are not only built upon traditional characteristic
associations but also adopt religious characteristics by leveraging the concept of
sensory branding as a holistic way of spreading the news. Each holistic brand must
have its own identity, one that is conveyed in its every message, shape, symbol,
ritual, and tradition - just as sports teams and religion do today. It must be treated as
a complete individual, every facet of whose personality must find expression through
use of each of the human senses, and it must come across to the consumer as not
just an excellent product or service, but an individual with a desirable personality.
The Definition of Sensory Marketing: Appealing to the senses of the existing or the
prospective customer in such a manner that he/she feels strongly attached to the
brand and can recall the brand instantaneously.

Historical examples of Sensory Marketing

One of the oldest identified examples of including smell as part of the branding
experience was in 1973 when Singapore Airlines broke through the barriers of
traditional branding with their Singapore girl. The staff was styled right down to their
make-up, based on a specific palette designed to blend in with Singapore Airline’s
brand color scheme which was clearly defined in the company’s internal grooming
manual. However the sensory branding of the Singapore girl reached its peak in the
late 1990s when Singapore Airlines introduced an aroma by the name of Stefan
Florida Waters, which was specifically formulated to be used as the scent in the flight
attendants’ perfume; it was also blended into the hot towels served before take off
and generally suffused the interiors of every Singapore Airlines aircraft to create a
distinct brand experience, which was instantly identified by passengers every time
they boarded a Singapore Airlines flight. The patented aroma has since become a
unique and very distinct trademark of Singapore Airlines. It was a smell that had the
potential to kick-start a kaleidoscope of smooth comfortable memories - all reflecting
the Singapore Airlines brand. This is an example of how sensory branding can have a
subliminal effect on the mind to build a HSP. Can this be a lesson for the burgeoning
Indian airlines industry, with the likes of Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines heavily
investing in in-flight entertainment for the passengers as they strive hard to create
that ’different experience’ ?

The Need for Sensory Marketing:

Some really innovative brand research has been derived from Lindstrom and his
“Brand Sense” concept.
The constructs of his theory are that sensory branding:
1) Stimulates one’s relationship with the brand.
2) Allows emotional response to dominate one’s rationale thinking.
3) Offers different dimensions of a single brand.
4) Helps achieve a strong, positive, loyal bond between the brand and the consumer
so that the consumer will turn to the brand repeatedly.
5) Assists emotional engagement, so that there is a match between perception and
reality.
However, one must not be over-anxious to reach out to the consumer and end up
overwhelming him. There are some fundamental findings in consumer behavior
which marketers tend to ignore in their branding activities. Jack Trout, in his book,
“Differentiate or Die” talks about some self-evident yet important consumer behavior
laws. The human brain has certain limitations which can form impediments to the
creation of a holistic brand.
Minds Can’t Cope
The human mind is bombarded by a plethora of sensory messages each day and
cannot possibly interpret all of them. To illustrate this point, some statistics cited by
Trout are:
- An average American would have watched 140,000 TV commercials by the age of
18
- Printed knowledge doubles every four to five years
- Human beings tolerate constant daily electronic bombardment
- The World Wide Web grows by 1,000,000 pages each day!
Minds are restricted in their processing capabilities
The human mind follows the technique of selective perception and selective memory.
It only processes the most relevant information as there is a physiological limit to
processing stimuli. In a crowded category the message being conveyed to the
consumer needs to be dramatically different, in order to be able to cut through the
clutter.
Minds are insecure as they reflect the emotional insecurities of the consumer
This is because minds are both emotional and rational. Thus, deciphering purchase
decisions is quite difficult, as consumers sometimes even recall things or brand
associations that no longer exist! Thus, while devising the brand positioning strategy
one should consider the previous message layering activities. Only if the new value
proposition enhances and defines more distinctly the earlier proposition in the minds
of the intended audience, will the use of sensory marketing be really effective. If
messages cloud the perception of the brand in the mind of the consumer through non
synchronous associations, the end result of sensory marketing, a holistic brand
proposition, will not be achieved.

Sensory Marketing Already at work

Around the world, every industry from cell phones to automobiles is gradually
realizing the power of utilizing all the five senses when building a solid brand. The
smell of a new car is gratifying. It is an integral part of the experience of purchasing a
brand new car. The reality is that this smell comes in an aerosol container which is
sprayed into the cabin of the car as it leaves the factory floor. It lasts for about six
weeks. The BRAND sense study reports that a massive 86% of consumers in
the United States find the smell of a new car appealing as do 69% of the Europeans.
When Crayola, the international children’s stationery brand, decided to take their
product to the mammoth market of China, they were concerned about staying one
step ahead of local manufacturers, renowned for their exceptional copying skills. The
one thing that was hard to copy was the smell. So Crayola patented the
distinctly Crayola smell and made it part of their trademark.
The Nokia tune - installed on all Nokia mobile phones as they leave the factory has
created an awareness similar to the Intel Inside tune - with more than 100 million
consumers listening to the tune seven hours a year. There is only one difference
between Intel and Nokia: Intel paid millions of dollars to create this sound awareness
- Nokia paid zero. Kellogg’s trademarked crunchy sound and feel of eating cornflakes
was created in sound labs and patented in the same way that the company patents
its recipe and logo.
In India, not only cell phone makers, but service providers like Hutch have used their
patented tunes quite successfully. However, taste, smell, touch or sound is not
enough. For example with Hutch, even as they started their successful ad campaigns,
which talked about their extensive network, their network coverage took a beating.
This is bad for the brand and does not build the HSP of the brand.
Smell being given importance in washing powders like Rin Advanced is a good
example of sensory branding.

The Six Sensory Steps to create an HSP

Building a holistic brand through sensory marketing can help the organization
uncover the hidden aspects of its present proposition or explore new possibilities,
thus increasing brand loyalty by deepening existing relationships. Lindstrom has
outlined “Six Sensory Steps” to achieve a HSP

1. Sensory Audit
The consumer’s relationship with a brand can be established firmly through use of
the five senses; the more the sensory components, the stronger the foundation of the
brand. Thus, the strength of the brand’s associations can be understood through a
sensory audit which assesses the brand’s leveraging of sensory touch points. This
involves examining a brand’s stimuli, enhancement, and bonding capabilities.
An example of the Barista Coffee Shops can be taken to illustrate a Sensory Audit:
Visual - Unique logo on doors, cups, menu cards and merchandise, as well as use of
the color orange extensively in the decor
Visual/Auditory - Uniform and customer centric approach like friendly, generally
young waiters and contemporary music.
Visual/Auditory/Touch - Interior aesthetics comfortable chairs or sofas, colors(orange
and brown), wall hangings, music.
Smell/Taste - Distinct aroma of freshly ground coffee.
Here, an important concept is that of “smashability” which simply means how
independent each sensory aspect is and what is its ability to stand on its own? The
best brands will have elements that exist in their own right, and recognition can be
triggered by one element on its own. In the above example, if you removed the
fragrance from “Barista” cafes, would you still know the brand? One of the most
trusted brands in India,Dettol, is easily identifiable by its distinct smell.

2. Brand Staging
Brand Staging is the step in which the brand is communicated to the consumers
through all media, making use of the outcomes of the brand audit stage. It is in this
stage that one design the sensory marketing strategy for the brand.

3. Brand Drama
Brand Drama is the stage when one breathe life into the brand strategy by intending
to create an emotional bond with the consumers by convincing them to believe facts
about a brand which are beyond the bare reality. There is a fundamental tenet of
drama theory which forms the heart of every drama: there is somebody (evoking
empathy in the audience) who desires very badly, something which is difficult
(although not impossible) to achieve. Brand drama being an outcome of brand
strategy reflects this tenet, as the best brand strategies suggest a way for the
consumer to achieve something that he wants badly and that was not readily
available beforehand.

4. Brand Signature
The most significant step is the Brand Signature which consists of those elements
which when combined will provide a unique combination for the brand. Here, the
process actually ties up with the objectives of a traditional branding exercise which
will consist of elements which provide sensory signals to the customer. Thus visual
signals such as colors, images and logos are a primary part of the brand signature
which are supplemented by sound, touch, smell and taste signals.

5. Implementation
Implementation is the execution stage when all the planning culminates into
communication in the actual environment of the business. At this point, it is very
important to take care of each and every cue down to the minutest detail, as it a HSP
that is to be delivered, and this cannot be done without achieving cohesion in the
complete brand package

6. Evaluation
Evaluation is the last stage in the process wherein the behavior and attitude of the
customers towards the brand is observed and evaluated so as to see how accurate
and effective the sensory marketing strategy is.
In India, even as premium brands and international brands struggle to create an MSP
for themselves, because of slow evolution in the area of branding as well as logistical
issues, including inadequate market development, HSP might just be the next
frontier. Companies like Kellogg, Nokia and Singapore Airlines have shown that
sensory marketing need not necessarily be an expensive affair. In fact, if companies
think that when they offer the customer more for the same amount of money they
are over-delivering, they are merely being lulled by a false sense of assurance. If
they offer 25% more juice for the same price they think they are over-delivering.
However, they forget that the consumer knows that they are giving him that extra
juice; hence they are merely delivering what they are promising. It’s not really over-
delivering. Smart brands should do more than that. They should build a surprise.
It is now upto Indian brands to decide whether they want to continue to tread the
worn out path of promotions and mediocre brand equity through dated marketing
techniques, or whether they think that the Indian market is ready for a complete
branding experience, a real surprise.
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