When we teach marketing, we are never satisfied with the textbook treatment of branding. While textbook authors have laudable definitions and real-world examples, branding is not really a static concept. So we were pleased to discover an excellent article from
Fortune magazine, titled
“10 Breakaway Brands.” The article explains how leading
brands like eBay, Geico, Robitussin, iPod, Viking, and others decided to cut traditional marketing hype and use simple credible promises to connect with customers as simple allies in a complicated world. For example, Viking concentrates on lifestyle, cooking schools and travel rather than product feature/benefits. Dove positioned itself as the advocate of ordinary girls and women. "Today it's all about trust, community and creating a dialogue with your customer that shares real knowledge," says Hayes Roth, chief marketing officer for Landor Associates, a brand and designing consult firm in San Francisco.
Fortune based their selection on a Landor study of 9000 consumers evaluating 2500 brands across 56 different metrics.
Photo Credit: USA Today
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