Creating Passion Brands – Getting to the Heart of Branding
Volume 19, Number 2 Article by M S Balaji and Sanjit Kumar Roy June, 2007
Creating Passion Brands – Getting to the Heart of Branding : By Helen Edwards and Derek Day, Kogan Page India, 2006, pp 244, P :
The drabness of consumer led brands is the central theme of this book. The authors Edwards and Day stress the fact that the excessive consumer-centric focus of many brands has resulted in their losing their distinctness and image. By constantly changing to the whims of the consumers, they sacrifice their authenticity, distinctness and pride and join the ranks of other characterless and indentityless brands competing for the attention of an increasingly uninterested public. The authors propose a solution for this – creating passion brands; brands that have something important to say about the consumer’s modern life, act out of deeply held beliefs and stay vibrant in an ever changing world. Some examples of passion brands cited by the authors are Innocent Drinks, Google, Camphor shoes, and co-operative food retail stores.
The book consists of thirteen chapters organised into two parts. The first part deals with the understanding of what passion brands are; while the latter part is about the process of building and maintaining passion brands. One of the most insightful observations made by the authors in the book is about the excessive use of focus groups in contemporary brand management practice. They note that about 85% of the marketing’s total qualitative budget is spent on focus groups. This is in spite of the availability of numerous alternative forms of qualitative research techniques. Some of the relatively less used qualitative techniques are ethnography lite, depthnography, co-operative inquiry, discourse groups, video diaries and accompanied shopping trips. But it is the ease and low cost that drives the use of focus groups more often than other qualitative methods. The authors also emphasise the risks involved if brand strategies are based purely on ‘consumer insight’. This limits the company’s creativity to the imagination of an average consumer and results in blunting the innovative edge of the company as it remains in the consumer’s comfort zone. Thus many apparently healthy brands are in trouble as ‘the current brand management practices with their unquestioning devotion to the consumer’s commands are leading brands on a road to nowhere’. The authors suggest a more holistic way of utilising the various qualitative techniques with a better understanding of the way consumers lead their lives.
Passion brands, according to the authors, are those with active belief and confidence rooted in capability, which stay vibrant in the ever-changing world. Unilever is cited as a company possessing the above characteristics particularly in their laundry segment. While its competitors in the market are focusing on more and more whiteness, Unilever communicates that ‘dirt is good’. Other brands identified by the authors in the category of passion brands are Samsung, Mercedes, Sony, Virgin and Nike.
The second part of the book embarks on the journey of creation and maintenance of passion brands. The methodology consists of two distinct phases: an analytical phase, in which all aspects of the brand and environment are studied; and a more creative phase, which uses the analysis to crystallise brand belief and generate passion brands. The authors use the trampoline model, with capability, ideology, consumer and environment as its four corners, to analyse the brand and its environment. The point of intersection of these four corners is called the ‘passion point’, a kind of sweet spot that brands need to focus their efforts on to become passion brands. The analysis of the four corners of the model is a journey to the four corners of the brand-world. The authors state that the process of creating a passion brand is complex, but there is no reason why it cannot be done. It is a journey with the power to confront, incite and shock but, like any journey of discovery is not without its pleasant surprises either. A number of important points are made by the authors. For instance, they believe that someone senior should own the project; team involvement is essential for key stages; cross-discipline teams are better; a neutral moderator can overcome hierarchy; outsiders will broaden the perspective; creatives and mavens need to be identified; it is necessary to be clear on roles and responsibilities; build internal support through involvement and lastly be tough on timing. These procedures are more commonly associated with new product development than with brands. This demonstrates the authors’ holistic approach to brand management.
The authors’ view is that the only way to engage, impress, excite, and inspire the customers is through the brand itself. It is through contact with the brand that consumers perceive its meaning, its difference, its value, and above all its passion. For the brand to be powerful, six guiding principles are laid down as follows: get the order right; understand, inspire and encourage the employees; remember that everything communicates; make at least one big symbolic gesture; be consistent and cohesive; and link measurement to action. These guidelines will aid in the journey of brands from identity to reality.
Creating Passion Brands is based on extensive research on a host of belief led brands and is a compelling book aimed at CEOs, marketing professionals and MBA students. Unlike many business books is written in an engaging style and is very realistic. At the same time, it is an elegantly argued book with a genuinely fresh point of view. The book is a must read for both academicians and practitioners.
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