KEN BANKS’ BLOG MARCH 2020
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BACK TO BRANDING
SUPER BRANDING FOR THE SUPER BOWL!
It’s good to be back blogging again this month. After a couple months of fighting the after effects of 3 months of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, I pleased to be feeling great and to report that the first post-radiation PSA blood test showed the treatment is working!! Of course, now we have to worry about coronavirus/Covid 19, but branding must go on more than ever as our shopping patterns are drastically changed.
During my time away from the blog, another Super Bowl has come and gone and this year’s game proved to be quite an exciting one. Of course, the game each year seems to become more incidental as the media flocks to talk about the commercials (Are they worth $5 Million for :30 seconds?), the halftime show (once again a waste of time no matter how much you like J-Lo), the live radio coverage by every sports talk station in the country from radio row), a 4-hour pre-game show on Fox that was about 3 ½ hours too long, too many hamburger and hot dog bun specials in every food chain’s ads for a month before the game. However, I have made a tradition to review the best of the super spots in this blog for the past several years, but this year I will only highlight a couple that I think helped strengthen two already successful brands and, I believe, have been worth the gigantic investment in media time this year.
I have always maintained that a successful brand strategy takes time and consistency to develop, and that those hot shot products or services that take all their media budget to make themselves feel good by having a spot in the big game are wasting their money. A great brand is the result of building a relationship with your target customer and that “wiz-bam, thank you, ma’am!” spots on one expensive show are just that. Like a personal relationship, branding requires time and consistent, meaningful communication and interaction to be truly successful.
Here are a couple of brands that have taken the time and strategic effort to build a brand that resonates with their customers. They also stood out with great creativity on this year’s big game extravaganza.
GOOGLE. It’s not just a brand. It’s an action verb and now part of our everyday language. In the process, the company has produced revenues in 2019 of over $161 Billion and has become the go-go place for information on just about anything you want or need to know about. The company continues to grow with the addition of YouTube, now over $15 Billion in ad revenue and growing as its own online television network. It also is expanding Cloud which generates over $10 Billion in revenue. It just seems like yesterday, that I attended a conference in Phoenix where a futurist talked about this new company with a funny name, Google, as the first big name in search engines. Now it will generate over $100 Billion in search revenue. And there’s no stopping this growth as we depend on all of it’s units in our everyday work and personal lives. We’ve heard about how great it is to work at Google, with breakthrough policies and program that keeps its 10000+ employees loyal and motivated every day. With all that significant growth and the cutting-edge technology that keeps it moving forward, one would think that Google doesn’t need to do much branding. However, the company keeps its branding message on the personal reasons why Google plays an important part in the lives of people all over the world. The spot in the Super Bowl is a great example of how Google with all its services and technology helps keep the memories of a lifetime alive for just one person who cherishes his life with his wife, Harriet. This spot hits the sweet spot for those of us who are now threatened by the virus rampaging around the world, but it also says something about company that remembers that it helping customers make life a little easier to manage especially in tough times. Here’s the spot that ran on the big game which surely made a difference in all of us who cherish the past memories.
Click on this link to view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xSxXiHwMrg
JEEP. The original SUV stays true to its roots as it fights to maintain its share of the hottest market category in the auto industry. In my recent, trip to Walt Disney World, I couldn’t help notice as I took a photo shot of our parking lot row ID (memory aid) that looking down an entire row of some 50-75 vehicles that there was not one conventional sedan in the endless row of SUV’s and pickups. Jeep has always stayed close to its military roots and love of the wild (and not so wild) outdoors by keeping its design and features consistent even as it has added more models, sizes and features. With Cherokees, Laredos, Wranglers and more, Fiat Chrysler maintained that consistency in the brand with its new Jeep Gladiator, a four-door pickup ATV-like model. The vehicle is pretty interesting and the company further solidified its place in our memories with a creative spot featuring Bill Murray as he reprises his role in Ground Hog Day to demonstrate all the fun one can have conquering the winter outdoors in this new type of Jeep.
Click on this link to view this 90 second masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QgBRvMmWk4
These are terrific spots with break-through-the-clutter creativity that isn’t limited to just being on the Super Bowl. The spots ring true all year and every time I see them, I get the message and my relationship to these brands is enhanced. There’s no promotion. No sale event. No limited time only. Just a reach-out and grab-you-by- the heart creative message. Branding like this is truly Super.
I’ll add another comment here to wish you and your families good health and peace as we face the challenges of this virus that now threatens our lives and society. I’m praying for a quick resolution and for the expertise and leadership to help us find a solution. I hope you will join me in this as well.
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