Opposites Attract: How to Get Your Brand Noticed in a Crowded Market Space

February 15, 2011 Leave a comment

It’s has long been said that opposites attract. She’s a Democrat, he’s a Republican. She’s an artist, he’s an accountant. She’s extroverted, he’s introverted. They seem to be opposite in nearly every way…but  they are oddly, perfect for each other.

Why are people attracted to individuals who are opposite? Because these opposite individuals have something they need and currently don’t have.

This is one of the primary reasons that people are attracted to a specific brand. What is the secret to some of today’s most successful brands? It’s simply of matter of being the opposite.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Five Guys is the fastest-growing chain in the nation, with both year-over-year sales growth and number of locations surpassing the 50% mark last year. Founder Jerry Murrell shares what makes this chain different than other fast food burger chains.

  • No drive thru’s: They don’t do drive thru’s because it would take too long. Why? There burgers are made to order and you can choose from 17 toppings.
  • Food prices fluctuate: They don’t base there price on anything but margins. They raise prices to reflect whatever their food costs are.
  • No breakfast: Your not going to get any breakfast or coffee from Five Guys. Perhaps you can go for an early morning hot dog? Other than hot dogs, all you are going to get from Five Guys is burgers and fries.
  • Value relationships more than the bottom line: Murrell says “ we’ve had many of the same vendors since 1986. And they’re not the cheapest by a long shot. We stick with what we like.”

MUJI

I’m not sure you can be more of an opposite brand than Japanese retailer MUJI whose name translates as “no label, quality goods”.

With every brand pushing their logo, MUJI took an opposite approach with its no-logo policy and became the ‘No-Brand’ brand. They now have stores across Asia, Europe, and made the move to the U.S. in 2008.

Pepsi

Pepsi was one of the first to adopt this opposite approach. With Coca-Cola being the long-time market leader, in 1963 Pepsi smartly became the opposite. They painted Coca-Cola as the cola your parents drank, with Pepsi being the cola for the young and the ‘young at heart’ – the Pepsi Generation.

This campaign made Pepsi a formidable competitor for Coca-Cola, taking their U.S. market share from the low teens in the early 1960’s to 32% in 1990.

How can you be opposite? As Mae Tse-Tung so aptly put it:

“The best defense is to be consistent and stand for something, whereas the best offense is to find contradictions and exploit them”.

Filed under Branding, Competition, Marketing, Positioning Tagged with , , , , , ,

Coca-Cola and Pepsi Need Each Other

December 9, 2009 Leave a comment

Talk about a tag team

Looking back over the past hundred years of the soda industry, one thing becomes very clear. Coke and Pepsi do not like each other; in fact, they hate each other. Rumor has it that a Pepsi employee would be fired on the spot for drinking a Coke. Talk about intense!

But this is not your ordinary competition; the cola wars have been all about smart competition. Though Coca-Cola and Pepsi are intense rivals, their aim has never been to put the other out of business. In fact, the two firms’ growth was not at the expense of each other, but rather the smaller players in the  market. (See figure below)

U.S. Market Share

This is how you want to compete. Coke and Pepsi could have competed on price, but they chose to compete on other aspects that create value, not diminish it. This strategy has helped to drastically increase the industry’s barriers to entry while also challenging both brands to continuously improve strategy and performance.

Filed under Branding, Competition, Marketing, Strategy Tagged with , , , , ,

Retro Branding Takes Customers Back in Time

September 28, 2009 Leave a comment

A couple weeks ago I had to pick some things up at Wal-Mart. While me and my friend were standing in line, I mentioned how I liked the retro packaging of Hershey’s candy bars. “They remind me of simpler times”, he said.

At that moment my eyes were opened to the fact that retro marketing is everywhere! Hershey’s bars, vintage cereal boxes, Pepsi-Cola Throwback; all that is old is new again. Why is this? Why in the era of iphones and HDTV are marketers trying to play on nostalgia and remind consumers of the past?

In tough times, retro marketing (or flashback branding as some like to call it) appeals to the consumer’s yearning for the comfort of the past. When they were happy. When life was simple. When their finances were secure. And when their family was safe.

For companies who have been around for a while, retro marketing can communicate the message of “Hey, we’ve been there for you through both good and bad times. We will ride this out together.” With the aging Baby Boomer population, expect retro marketing to become a mainstay tactic by marketers to invoke fond memories of the brand.

Filed under Branding, Marketing, Promotions Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Successfully Communicate Your Core Brand Message

August 29, 2009 Leave a comment

Coke and Pepsi
Apple and Microsoft
Target and Walmart

What do these brands have in common? They’re in the same industries, they hate each other, and…well that’s about it. Right?

There is also one other characteristic these fierce competitors share. They each have a fundamental and unwavering core brand message. A consistent message that communicates the essence of the brand, what it stands for and the its’ distinctive marketplace position. Most importantly, it communicates this message to the brand’s target market in a simple, relevant, and memorable manner.

Here are some questions to ask yourself that will help ensure that your brand message is as influential and differentiating as possible.

• Is your message as clear and simple as possible?
• How is your brand perceived in the marketplace? Are these perceptions aligned with reality?
• Is your message different from competitors? How does your message differentiate your brand from competitors?
• Is your core brand message attractive to your target audience? Is it relevant to their wants and needs?
• Does your message reflect the reality of your brand? Is it believable? Authentic?

Lets look at the core brand messages of Coke and Pepsi. Notice how the messages are simple, differentiate their brands, and appeal to their target audience.

Filed under Brand Message, Branding Tagged with , , , , ,

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