UPDATED: The anti wind tunnel marketing movement, by Charles Wigley

THE ANTI WIND-TUNNEL

MARKETING MOVEMENT!

FLOWTHE PROVOCATIONSOME EXAMPLES

POSSIBLE REASONS WHYTEN EARLY SOLUTIONS

FLOWTHE PROVOCATIONSOME EXAMPLES

POSSIBLE REASONS WHYTEN EARLY SOLUTIONS

‘STAR IN A REASONABLY PRICED CAR’

THE PROVOCATION HERE IS THAT WE HAVE DONE EXACTLY THE SAME TO

OUR INDUSTRY

THE PROVOCATION

WE TALK DIFFERENTIATION

THE PROVOCATION

WE TALK DIFFERENTIATION i

BUT PRODUCE SAMENESS

THE SAME AESTHETICS

THE SAME SCENARIOS…

THE SAME CONVENTIONS

THE SAME BENEFITS

THE SAME CONTENT AND TOOLS

WHY?

BECAUSE OF TWO RELATED REASONS

1. WE ALL FOLLOW THE SAME PROCESS – ONE THAT STARTS WITH CONSUMER INSIGHT

AND ENDS WITH CONSUMER VALIDATION

2. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN TO ASK THE KEYQUESTION ‘IS IT DIFFERENT?’

BECAUSE OF TWO RELATED REASONS

1. WE ALL FOLLOW THE SAME PROCESS – ONE THAT STARTS WITH CONSUMER INSIGHT

AND ENDS WITH CONSUMER VALIDATION

2. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN TO ASK THE KEYQUESTION ‘IS IT DIFFERENT?’

GLOBALISATION

AND THE PROFESSIONALISATIONOF MARKETING

HAS LED TO CODIFICATION OF ‘BEST PRACTICE’

CONSUMER GROUPS – INSIGHT

DISCOVERY

STRATEGIC & CREATIVE

DEVELOPMENT

CONSUMER GROUPS – CREATIVE TESTING

CONSUMER SURVEY – CREATIVE TESTING

AND ONE MODEL OF CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

WE NOW INHABIT A WORLD IN WHICH MOST BRANDS, IN MOST CATEGORIES, APPROACH MOST PROBLEMS BY ASKING

THE SAME PEOPLE THE SAME QUESTIONSIN THE SAME WAY

BECAUSE OF TWO RELATED REASONS

1. WE ALL FOLLOW THE SAME PROCESS – ONE THAT STARTS WITH CONSUMER INSIGHT

AND ENDS WITH CONSUMER VALIDATION

2. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN TO ASK THE KEYQUESTION ‘IS IT DIFFERENT?’

THE KEY ELEMENTS OF BRAND COMMUNICATION

TRUE

DIFFERENT

RELEVANT

THE CURRENT ‘BEST PRACTICE’ FOCUS

TRUE

DIFFERENT

RELEVANT

FLOWTHE PROVOCATIONSOME EXAMPLES

POSSIBLE REASONS WHYTEN EARLY SOLUTIONS

U BY KOTEX KIA

TESCO MOBILEDAGENS INDUSTRI

FLOWTHE PROVOCATIONSOME EXAMPLES

POSSIBLE REASONS WHYTEN EARLY SOLUTIONS

IT ALL SEEMS TO MAKE

SUCH GOOD SENSE

USP ESP

LEADS TO A NATURAL FOCUS ON CONSUMER

UNDERSTANDING

USP ESP

AFTER ALL, ISN’T

MARKETING ALL ABOUT…

“Satisfying the wants, needs and

desires of consumers”

SO OBVIOUSLY THE HOLY GRAIL IS A BREAKTHROUGH

‘CONSUMER INSIGHT’

BUT THERE’S ALSO A

PROBLEM

EVERYONE’S USING THE SAME ‘BEST

PRACTICE’ PROCESS

WITH ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PRODUCTS,

TARGET AUDIENCES, MODELS AND RESEARCHERS

THE RESULT IS NOT SURPRISING –

IT’S WHAT WE SAW EARLIER

TRYING TO DIFFERENTIATE IN THIS PROCESS FEELS LIKE YOU’RE DANCING ON A PIN HEAD

WHICH ISN’T REALLY DIFFERENTIATION AT

ALL

BECAUSE WE ARE ONLY FOCUSING ON ONE PART OF

THE EQUATION

TRUE

DIFFERENT

RELEVANT

BUT DOES ANY OF

THIS MATTER BUSINESS

WISE?

THE COST EFFICIENCIES OF REAL BRAND DIFFERENTIATION ARE NOTABLE LARGELY BY THEIR ABSENCE

YES

AND IT ALL BECOMES A GAME OF RESOURCE – HE OR SHE WITH THE BIGGEST MEDIA BUDGET/ DISTRIBUTION NETWORK/SALES TEAM WINS

FLOWTHE PROVOCATIONSOME EXAMPLES

POSSIBLE REASONS WHYTEN EARLY SOLUTIONS

INTERESTING THE BRANDS WE ALL

USE AS REFERENCE POINTS IN

PRESENTATIONS

ALL EXHIBIT A COMMON CHARACTERISTIC: BRAND

LEADERSHIP RATHER THAN JUST CONSUMER FOLLOWERSHIP

SOLUTION 1: A COMMITMENT TO INSIGHT FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES?

?

Brand Insight

Communications Insight

Consumer Insight

Category Insight

Product Insight

INSIGHT BASED THINKING – BUT NOT SOLELY CONSUMER

INSIGHT BASED

SOLUTION 2: ESPECIALLY BRAND INSIGHT?

“What is the single most important part of the marketing mix that is essential to ensure a better chance of success in the marketplace? … it is ownership of a point of view”

Siddarth Banerjee – Regional Marketing Director,Category Development Unilever Asia

Marketing Magazine 2010These are his personal views and may not represent

those of his organisation

CONVENTION BRANDS

VSCONVICTION

BRANDS

“The few brands that are growing in worth are not just differentiated, but

highly energised – they have ‘Energised differentiation’… they are characterised

by:Vision

Innovation

Dynamism” John Gerzema & Ed Lebar‘The Brand Bubble’

SOLUTION 3: MAKE ‘IS IT DIFFERENT ’ THE FIRST QUESTION IN EVERYTHING WE DO?

LET’S HIGHLIGHT A DIFFERENT ELEMENT

TRUE

DIFFERENT

RELEVANT

SOLUTION 4: RECOGNISE THAT NOT ALL CONSUMERS ARE CREATED EQUAL?

LEADERSFOLLOWERS

THE REST

“Followers are cheaper but less

valuable”Jim Carroll

BBH London

SOLUTION 5: TEST IN THE MARKET, NOT THE TEST TUBE?

Top

Botto

m3%

5%

15%

30%

50%

30%

15%

5%

3%Persuasion Credibility New

NewsBrandAppeal

BrandDifference

Action Standards:

Achieved?:

Relevance

50%

50%

50%50%

50%

Top

Botto

m

Enjoyment BrandingActiveEngagement

3%

5%

15%

30%

50%

30%

15%

5%

3%

ParentBrand

FullBrandName

50%

GAMERS AND RETAILERS DO IT SO WHY CAN’T WE?

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REGIONAL TEST

MARKET?

SOLUTION 6: LOOK TO THE FUTURE, NOT THE PAST

SOLUTION 7: HURRY UP?

THE 40/70 RULE‘Don’t take action if you

onlyhave enough information togive you less than 40% chance of being right. But don’t wait until you have enough facts to be 100% sure, because by thenit is almost always too late. Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range , go with your gut.’

Gen (Ret) Colin Powell, Secretary of State

SOLUTION 8: VALUE INEXPERIENCE AS MUCH AS EXPERIENCE?

“I know you’ve got experience in the baked

goods and bread category .. but do you

have any in sliced bread?”Account Man at interview with potential

new boss (New York Circa 1972)

SOLUTION 9: PUT JUDGEMENT BACK INTO THE JOB SPEC ?

“I love this work. It’s on brief, on brand and really

engaging.

Let’s move straight to research.” Client - Anon

SOLUTION 10: RE-STRUCTURE THE CORPORATION?

SINGLE BRANDCOMPANIES

MULTI-BRANDCORPORATIONSV

S.

MITCHELL & WEBBIS ADVERTISING SEXIST?