Successful branding examples
We live in a world of content overload and creating interactive content is not just tough, it’s extremely challenging!
The challenge for many business people is to make what they do ‘sexy’! To make people want whatever they are selling.
Today content creators have to be storytellers. Relating a story that sells is a dream or creates an emotional reaction in the listener or viewer is always going to work better than a shopping list of features. But not all interactive content is created equal. If you work in a boring industry, you will agree that turning something mundane into a heart-warming story is pretty challenging.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 93% of business organisations rely on content marketing for brand building and demand generation. With 87% of buyers stating that digital content has a large impact on their purchasing decisions this year, it’s clear that content marketing is on the ups.
So who did it really well? Let’s take a look at which brands have rocked the ‘content marketing’ boat.
Here’s our list of brands who have made a difference in content marketing.
Competitive Advertising
This Halloween ad was made by Belgium-based ad agency Buzz in a Box.
Pepsi Cola celebrated Halloween with an ad displaying a can of Pepsi in a red “Cola-Coca” cape. Directly mentioning your competitor in an ad is a bit risky, but this daring creation from Pepsi’s Belgium ad agency is pure genius. The ad went viral and got a lot of attention on Facebook and Twitter.
Related article: The importance of Branding
Anchoring Effect
Image source: imore.com
In marketing, there is a term called “Anchored Effect”. This is a form of cognitive bias that causes people to focus on the first available piece of information (the “anchor”) presented to them when making decisions.
Apple has used it to its advantage for I-products sales. In 2016, iPhone 7 was released. The pricing for different models was as below:
- 32GB – $649
- 128GB -$749
- 256GB – $849
Given three choices, the 128 GB model will definitely outsell the other two models. This is how they put the ‘anchoring effect’ to good use.
- Apple expected not to sell 256 GB models in great numbers, but they placed it there any way to create a price ceiling. (the power of three in sales strategy)
- 32GB model priced at $649 is the anchor point.
- If you consider price, the 128GB seems a bargain in the comparison to the 32GB model. If you think of it, you can get 4 times as much memory for just paying an additional $100.
A common marketing rule says – “How do you sell a $2000 watch? By placing it next to $12000 watch”. It’s basically the same principle.
Lifestyle Brand Advertising
image source: marlborocowboy.wordpress.com
Prior to the 1950s cigarette advertising was all about statistics. Educating their consumer about the supposed safety of cigarettes including advice from a ‘real’ doctor reciting a yawn fest of statistics.
Then came the “Marlboro man”.
IT simply showcases the lifestyle of a cowboy riding free in mountains and lighting a Marlboro cigarette. That’s it! No stats. No graphs.
And in just one year, they went from just having 1% market share to being in the top 4 cigarette brands in US market.
Marlboro sure knew its audience and hit them right in the emotions. People began to associate Marlboro with raw strength and robustness.
Fast forward to 2018, lifestyle advertising has become the most famous kind of advertising.
Unique branding
For years, Taco Bell has been known as the leader in cheap Tex-Mex food in Mexico and has held the largest market share for fast food Mexican restaurants. Then came Chipotle with a game-changer focusing on quality, not price.
Chipotle is a company focused on non-traditional advertising, choosing to channel its marketing effort into creating unique branding. They were able to differentiate their brand from Taco Bell by using clever jokes on their soda cups and incorporating their brand into the hip urban atmosphere frequented by their customer.
Taco Bell
Image source: lovehateadvertising.wordpress.com
Chipotle
Image source: Pinterest.com.au
Why Branding Matters?
“If you’re not innovating, you’re evaporating…”
Positive identity or brand helps shape consumer perceptions and subsequently, decision-making behavior. Every aspect of your company says something about who you are and what you have to offer.
Good branding has never been more important as it allows a company to set itself apart from the competition and define its mission for both its customers and employees.
Good branding focuses on “why” a company does what it does. If your company can present a solid case for why you are doing what you do, then your customer base is more likely to pay top dollar for it.
If you want your brand to be successful, it’s essential that you understand exactly what your customers and prospects want from you as a business. Work out what this is and you will cement your place in the hearts and minds of your team, your customers and potential clients.
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