Get out of the board room

Brand building does not happen in isolation.

In an isolated environment brand building would have been a different ball game. The clutter free space would resemble the board room and hence decision making on brand building would be easier.

The biggest challenge in brand building decision making is to have the ability to view a situation from the consumer's perspective. A very simple rule. But violated most of the times. One must remember that brand communication is always targetted at minds which are far less complicated and complex as compared to managers deciding for the brand.

So how does one get into the consumer's shoes?

Well, it is possible to step in there without having to take a single step. After all who is he?

So why do we step out of our own shoes during moments of high responsibilities. Perhaps we are trying to hard. We are trying to do more justice, trying to be more evaluative, trying to be more sincere, trying to do more for the brand in question. The more we try to do more the farther we get from our own soul.

Think of the last time you played any game. Your game would have been on track till the moment you got conscious about your gamesmanship. The moment reflex got replaced by logic performance had to slip. A similar force holds sway over the mind in the decision making board room. Too much of logic outweighs intuition.

Selling decisions are a function of various factors such as product, differentiation, ingredients, company heritage, service quality and so on. However buying decision is a simpler process.The buyer is driven a lot more by intuition and the heart than by reason and logic. There is nothing more true in a product parity world that we live in.

This brings me on to the next instance. How often while writing a brief the marketing manager struggles to find the ever elusive differentiator which is never there in the first place. Then begins the efforts of creating a forced differentiator. The rational benefit being supposedly identified, the advertising agency is summoned to create communication. And at times the Agency is even instructed to come up with the strategy.

The reality is that there is no compelling rational benefit in today's landscape most of the times.

So what does one do??

The answer lies in stepping back into your own shoes. Think about it. Do you analyse everything you buy? The answer is a NO. We buy most of the times at the behest of our heart. What will you choose between Dish TV and Tata Sky. What will be the deciding factor? Will it be price? Will it be service? or will it be the style and tone of communication or some thing else? I would like to believe that communication will play a key role in your buying decision. In a parity world the heart will always rule over the mind. Perceptions will deliver. The world of functional differentiation and rational benefits will be reduced to ashes. Always remember the consumer is you. How do you buy? What kind of analysis you do? Consider all the decision making parameters that you tick. Think about this while making your decision.

Certain rules you could follow -

1) Be brief and focussed.

2) Minimal is maximum. ( Time and attention span is limited)

3)Say the samething for a very long time. There is no truth bigger than consistency in branding.

4) Remember we are seeking a share of the consumer's mind and it is not your competition alone contending for the grey matter. Your competition is lot greater than you think in your board room.

5) Decide on the various sacrifices that you will make on behalf of your brand. Nothing to be disappointed. After all you are making the sacrifice only from active communication. Nobody says you should not have a list of virtues. But don't play them all at the centre stage.

6)Pay attention to tone and manner of your communication.

7) Ensure no compromise in execution. Bollywood and sports have spoilt the consumer. Compromise on execution and regret from there on.

8) Always look for disruption. It could be in the look, the casting, the music or create a disrupting element. Disruption in communication is headed to be a big word in the days to come. Disruption is the only strategy for defeating clutter.