Posts tagged brands
The Blurring of Heineken
Apr 27th
Let me start upfront that I hate Heineken marketing (or at least what I perceive they are doing) for maybe the last 5 years ago or so. This became top of mind to me when the agency I was at tried to push its way into the Heineken Light review.
First. I am sure all the numbers pointed toward Heineken starting to offer a Light beer (and I also admit I think it is a fine tasting beer … maybe the best light beer on the market).
Second. I think it was a crappy idea for Heineken character (or brand … whatever you want to call it) to offer a light beer (not that it didn’t create an opportunity for them but for “the import of imports” to be Light didn’t seem right).
Third. With the introduction of a light beer product I thought they still had an opportunity to “de-Americanize” the main Heineken product (which is something I still believe they need to do). I will explain this one later on.
There you go.
So let’s talk about why I am grumpy every time I see some type of Heineken advertising or marketing.
It looks like Budweiser or Bud Light or Miller Lite (I can’t tell them apart) advertising. Or any American brand (excepting maybe Coors who I love the strategy they are on just wish they had executed on that strategy differently). Separately, the only domestic beer I believe understands their key loyal audience and communicates directly to them is Sam Adams.
Anyway.
Here’s the deal. Heineken isn’t an American beer (not technically). Heineken became the best import beer in America because it was a great tasting high end imported beer. And don’t tell me it’s the green bottle because Little Kings and Rolling Rock were and are in green bottles (bet that’s the first and last time you will ever see Heineken and Little Kings in the same sentence).
But somewhere along the way some marketing type (who was probably under pressure to increase sales) started thinking … “hey, we can access more of the American mainstream market if … well … we start acting more American.”
Geez. I hope he/she/it got fired.
I can only imagine that presentation had whiz bang charts and graphs with lots of lines pointing upwards (on the right hand side of the chart except when in Chinese). Look. I don’t mind American humor and a lot of it is really funny (just not in beer advertising lately). But Heineken didn’t build its position in the marketplace by being mainstream American.
They built it by being an elitist European snob. Oh. And elitist European snob beers can charge more.
I love these types of discussions because brands like Heineken should be the easiest brands to revitalize if you pushed the brand managers out of the way.
Stop looking American. Stop using American humor. Remind people of the reason why Heineken was so special in the beginning. In fact, how cool would it be if Heineken did a campaign that said “whoa, we needed to stop doing that American humor crap, sorry, it was a mistake, we aren’t Bud Light and we forgot that for awhile … but then we sat around drinking our own beer and remembered what crap Bud Light is. Ok. Here is who we are …”
Well. That would certainly be refreshing (no pun intended).
So. Let me net this down cause I think Heineken could kick some ass:
- Tone. I am not against using humor but if they are going to use humor, use Belgian/Netherlands type humor (I assume it has to do with dikes and pot and things like that).
- Attitude. Be elitist because it is an elite import. Ok. Some asshole is going to start pointing out research numbers about how beer drinking consumers cannot tell the difference between beers anymore and they are cynical about imports and … well … all that bullshit. Look. If I believed numbers I wouldn’t have even applied to graduate school. Numbers can tell you whatever you want them to tell you (if you have enough of them to rub together). Being snobbish is what got them into the position to freak out when someone came along and started challenging them and they knee jerked into fighting back by trying to “fit in.” Plus. I do love to see numbers that point out that people are cynical about something you really are. Then the challenge is easy. Figure out how to tell them who you really are so they believe it. Awesome in its simplicity.
- Advertising for original Heineken. This is one situation where advertising can make a huge difference. I sometimes believe advertising is asked to do some things that are impossible to do. In this case I believe advertising can make a huge difference for Heineken (mostly because I do believe their non-Light product does taste great and does taste different than most bland American beer).
- Positioning. Make Heineken Light the American beer. Maybe you don’t tell the public but internally call a spade a spade. “We had to make a Light beer because Americans prefer it but here in pot smoking Amsterdam we only drink the real stuff. Maybe the French would like a light beer too but not us.” Hey look. Heineken Light, taste wise and look wise (the bottle), can compete against any full bodied American beer out there as well as kick any domestic Light beer’s ass even with its bottle cap tied behind its back.
That’s it. So. Do I think I am smarter than anyone who has been thinking and working with Heineken? Nope. But I do wonder if they let some numbers and the craving for sales tell them some things that led them astray. And maybe this will enlighten them to the way to success.
Thoughts on taglines or descriptor lines
Feb 17th
First. I believe the amount of time people spend on developing or thinking of taglines is nuts. Yes. They are important but in the scheme of things I would envision if you are analyzing your time (or people’s time in general) by billable hour, the amount of time invested in this type of thing is … well … not a good investment.
Second. Here is why I think the time invested is out of whack. In general, here are the guidelines for developing a brand line.
- If the company/brand name is more aspirational/inspirational, or less descriptive, like Nike’s company name, err on the side of aiming for a more descriptive tagline telling people what the company offers or does (like Nike’s original line of “superior performance athletic shoes”).
- If the company/brand name is more descriptive of the product/service that is being offered then the tagline can assume a more aspirational feel & direction.
- The exception: when a company has achieved such a strong awareness that it has achieved a brand status, meaning that people know what the company actually does/offers, a tagline can take on more of an aspirational aspect (use Nike as an example when it shifted to “Just do IT” after they had attained 90+% awareness).
Third. The main rule of the road for descriptor/tagline development:
When the logo/name of company and tagline are stand-alone, make sure people can tell you exactly what that company does or offers. In other words, don’t be tricky or creative and lose an opportunity to be clear about who and what you are. And this is REALLY important when you come out of the starting blocks. Look. You can always change later. Upfront be clear. Making people guess (and you don’t have enough money to answer their guessing) is a silly investment.
Why? Anything other than meeting that main rule translates into having to invest a lot of money, and time effort, to educate people.
There you go. All these “inspirational taglines” and such are kinda silly. Do other things to inspire people. Plus. I am also a believer that a tagline can change. Almost as often as you would like (as long as it stays in the same sphere of character). There you go. Tagline 101.
Nothing is Indispensable (Especially a Brand)
Jan 26th
Illustrator Harry Grant Dart’s vision of the increasingly aggressive and intrusive character of advertising in turn-of-the-century America appeared in a 1909 issue of Life. During this period, the growth of mass production and mass marketing changed the way consumer goods were bought and sold. Information about products now came not from those who made or sold them, but from persuasive advertisements trying to create brand recognition and brand loyalty. Advertisements moved out of separate sections in the back of magazines, as the newest periodicals featured full-page ads and depended upon advertising, rather than subscriptions, for their revenue. Coordinated advertising campaigns using billboards, store displays, and electric signs, became common.
I am not sure if this is a rant or a diatribe. But. I read something the other day about making brands indispensable.
Okay. Let’s talk about indispensable. Sure. Many great traditions dictate some “indispensable” actions. Getting married and diamonds. New Years Eve and alcohol. Love and flowers. Emotional traditions are the strongest links to indispensable. Functional indispensables? Water. Food. And beer (to college kids).
An indispensable brand? (harrumph. Bet you haven’t seen that in awhile)
To ever believe you can make your brand indispensable to me is arrogant. You can make it useful. You can intertwine it in a positive way into the lives of people. You can even make people emotional about it. Indispensable? To the wacky few maybe (yeah. We have all seen that guy who only buys Coke apparel and products for his family every Christmas. And maybe the pez connoisseur.) But don’t be fooled by these fanatical few. You love ‘em as a manufacturer (oops, brand). But you can’t build a brand around them. In fact in some cases you hesitate to make too big deal about them.
Brands become “brands” because a certain group of people have deigned to anoint your product as such. And the most loyal of this group are probably “head over heels in like” with you. I purposefully use like here. In today’s world “brand love” is not a common thing (maybe in the 50’s when people had fewer choices and no internet to create educational doubt). The best it seems to get resides “in like.” What that means is the brand is not even close to being indispensable; rather it is always one mistake away from “I like you but I want to date other people.”
So how do you remain “a head over heels in like brand”?
First and foremost. Usefulness. Yup. Pretty functional but pretty essential. But let’s be clear. The moment your brand does not meet use expectations it has become dispensable. That is why I made this first and foremost.
Second. Equal emotional engagement, i.e., do you like me as much as I like you? True brands have emotional things attached to the functional usefulness. To make it an ongoing relationship both sides have to communicate the emotion. Buyers do it with dollars and displaying your logo. Sellers do it…well…with whatever may match the emotional relationship. Here is what I mean (let me be a guy for a moment). While I could give “things” to someone I date all the time nothing trumps a good “hey. I love you” in words. Does that mean all gifts (i.e., loyalty programs, promotions, etc.) are unnecessary? Nope. It’s balance. Sellers need some balance to maintain the emotional aspect of the relationship.
Hey. If you read any of my other stuff you will see a strong thread of “dreamer” (or belief in aspirational) objectives in my belief infrastructure. I like thinking big. I like dreaming. And believe it has value in organizational management. I just struggle with “indispensable.”
Just a last thought on this. I do think of brands as marriages. In the courting phase I believe it is unhealthy for one to try and make themselves look indispensable in seeking a long term relationship. In addition I also tend to believe if one partner purposefully seeks to be indispensable in a relationship it is unhealthy. Great marriages are some give and take. Some communication. Some respect. And the understanding that you are “right” for each other. And I also believe the moment one partner feels indispensable things are out of whack. But, hey, I am no Dr. Phil. And I am no “Brand Expert.” This is just my opinion.
