Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Superbrand me

The publication of Superbrands 2007 reveals the most valuable brands in the business world. But is it just a celebration of style over substance? David Mattin investigates

When a young Stanford business graduate called Phil Knight started selling trainers from the back of a van in 1964, he was driven by a big idea. “Sport is like rock ’n’ roll,” Knight said, “both are cultural forces. Both speak an international language. And both are about emotion.” The idea proved a good one; that little trainer company became Nike, the world’s largest supplier of sports equipment, with annual revenues of €11 billion. It’s one of the most potent examples of good marketing in the 20th century; a testament to the power of the brand.

Industry excellence

It’s a story that brand consultants everywhere have particular cause to remember this month. That’s because July saw the release of this year’s Superbrands directory (superbrands. org), a must-have book listing the world’s top 500 brands. Publication has become a highlight in the business calendar, as marketing gurus, consultants, advertising agencies, and PRs scramble to see who’s made the cut.

This year, as ever, relative newcomers – UK restaurant chain Wagamama, for example – sit alongside established giants such as Coca-Cola and Marks & Spencer. Critics, though, might wonder if all this adds up to a celebration of style over substance. In a world saturated by adverts and driven by image, have we let brand become more important than product? And in this world, what are European companies doing to win the brand war?

Since the Superbrands organisation was founded in 1995, it’s become a benchmark for industry excellence. Stephen Cheliotis is Chairman of the Superbrands Council: “To make it to the list a brand has to beat off thousands of competitors, so it really is a mark of distinction,” he says.

The selection process could hardly be more thorough. Researchers constantly feed information on upcoming and established brands – from nappies, to airlines, to electronics, to drinks – to the Superbrands organisation. This year that was narrowed down to a shortlist of 1,300 brands, then handed to the brand council – a team of independent experts drawn from marketing, media and business – who scored each of them on quality, reliability, and distinctiveness. The top half of that league table was fed into a YouGov poll, allowing consumers to have the final say on who makes the 500. “With Superbrands, the consumer is king,” says Cheliotis. “The council acts as a filter, but it’s a democratic list.”

What is a brand?

So the Superbrands directory is an accurate map of the brand terrain. But just what, exactly, does it measure? What is a brand, and how does it differ from a product?

“The word ‘brand’ and ‘reputation’ are interchangeable in many cases,” says Cheliotis. “When we think about a brand, we’re thinking about everything that a certain company represents. It’s not just a name or a logo; it means the quality of the product itself, experience with staff and customer service, the feeling we have towards the company. All that is encompassed by brand.”

But these days, isn’t brand success primarily about the right image, not the right product? Cheliotis thinks not: “Product quality is as important as ever,” he says. “Yes, image plays a part in branding. But you can’t sell an image if it bears no relation to a product. Volvo can’t suddenly start claiming to be the sexiest brand around, and BMW can’t claim to be the brand that’s all about safety.

In fact, brand gurus agree that we consumers are more sceptical and more difficult to reach than ever. Standard television and print adverts, say insiders, just don’t persuade like they used to. This is leading to a wave of new, more creative brand building.

Mobile telephone giant Nokia is a case in point; the Finnish organisation has become well known for live marketing experiences – often called “experiential” marketing – based on music. Their “Rock Up and Play” tent featured at numerous UK festivals in 2006, including Leeds, Reading and the Isle of Wight. It provided a stage at which any unsigned band could arrive and perform, associating the brand with openness, creativity and the new do-it-yourself music culture.

New generation

Aaron Shields is a partner at London-based agency Brand Instinct: “Today, we’re seeing a new generation of consumers raised on the ideas of interactivity and user-generated content,” he says. “They want a dialogue with brands; they don’t want to be shouted at by television adverts. Nokia have realised this better than most.”

In fact, in today’s fiercely competitive business environment, even brands that stretch back generations are searching for new ways to stay on top. Children’s toy manufacturers LEGO were founded in Denmark in 1932; so how have they kept their brand at the top of children’s Christmas lists, and achieved 2007 Superbrand status?

“There’s no doubt that the toy market now is more crowded than ever,” says UK marketing director Fiona Wright. “This Easter we faced 30 more advertising competitors than we did last Easter.

But we’re always looking to stand out to the consumer. Yes, the LEGO heritage helps, but we also keep a close eye on the trends that are capturing children’s imaginations. It’s not just a case of TV ads – you have to be more imaginative than that.”

The need to forge links with consumers has seen LEGO let core users become closely involved with the development of new products, as with its Mindstorms NXT robotics kit: “We’ll see more of that in the future,” says Wright. “Today, marketing is about building communities.”

Image isn’t everything

But is it possible today to build a superbrand without a corporate-sized marketing budget? Well, yes. This year, Asian-themed restaurant chain Wagamama has broken into the Superbrands directory. The first Wagamama opened in London in 1992, but now the company has over 50 outlets in the UK, and others in Holland, Denmark, and Belgium. The brand has achieved huge recognition among key 18-35 consumers, but marketing activity has been close to zero. How has Wagamama managed it?

“The best form of advertising is word of mouth,” says marketing co-ordinator Ingrid Williamson. “So for us, it’s always been about getting our restaurants right, and then letting word spread.”

Williamson pins the success of the Wagamama brand on the restaurant’s establishment of a new kind of dining experience; one that dovetails with the lifestyle of young, urban professionals: “Wagamama has created a certain kind of restaurant experience, and stuck with it. Our restaurants are simple and informal. The kitchen is open, and there’s no music. You’ll sit at large bench tables with other customers. You can stroll in any time, and get fresh, healthy, tasty food, fast. It’s a model that has changed dining habits. And our customers tell their friends.”

Proof, then, that even in today’s media-driven business world, image isn’t everything. But it will still go a long way. Just ask Phil Knight.

FR Marque-moi

La sortie en juillet de l’annuaire des Grandes Marques (superbrands.org) est un événement dans le calendrier du secteur du marketing, ce livre incontournable reprenant la liste des 500 marques les plus prestigieuses dans le monde. Mais les voix de la critique commencent à s’élever et se demandent si cette consécration ne fait pas une apologie du style plus que du contenu. Dans une époque saturée par la publicité et par le pouvoir de l’image, n’avons-nous pas accordé trop de place à la marque au mépris du produit?

“Les termes ‘marque’ et ‘réputation’ sont interchangeables dans la plupart des cas,” explique Setphen Cheliotis, Président du Conseil des Grandes Marques. “Lorsque l’on pense à une marque, on pense aussi à la compagnie qui se trouve derrière et à ce qu’elle représente. Ce n’est pas seulement un nom ou un logo, c’est tout ce qui l’entoure.”

Il faut ajouter à cela que les gourous des marques s’accordent pour dire que nous, les consommateurs, sommes de plus en plus sceptiques et plus difficiles à atteindre que jamais. Selon les initiés, la publicité télévisuelle et imprimée n’arrive plus à persuader comme avant, ce qui conduit à une vague de construction de nouvelles marques, plus créatives. Dans ce domaine, le géant de la téléphonie mobile Nokia est un exemple; l’organisation finlandaise a bâti sa réputation sur des expériences marketing actives – souvent appelé marketing “expérimental” – basées sur la musique.

Il est toutefois toujours possible de construire une grande marque sans un budget de marketing astronomique. La chaîne de restaurants asiatiques, Wagamama, le prouve en faisant une entrée remarquée dans l’annuaire des Grandes Marques. Avec des filiales au Royaume- Uni, en Hollande, au Danemark et en Belgique, la marque a réussi à acquérir une grande notoriété avec des actions de marketing réduites au minimum. “La meilleure forme de publicité est le ‘bouche à oreille’,” confirme la coordinatrice du marketing Ingrid Williamson. “Pour nous, il a toujours été plus essentiel de nous focaliser sur la qualité de nos restaurants, pour ensuite laisser l’information circuler.”

NL Supermerken

In juli verscheen de nieuwe Superbrandslijst (www.superbrands.org), met ‘s werelds 500 grootste merken. De publicatie is een van de hoogtepunten in het marketingjaar. Critici vragen zich echter af of stijl het niet opnieuw haalt van inhoud. Is onze wereld niet te veel in de ban van reclame en imago? Zijn merken belangrijker geworden dan producten?

“In veel gevallen zijn ‘merk’ en ‘reputatie’ onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden”, aldus Stephen Cheliotis, voorzitter van de Superbrands-raad. “Als we aan een merk denken, denken we meteen ook aan alles waar een bedrijf voor staat. Het gaat niet enkel meer om een naam of logo, maar om alles wat het merk vertegenwoordigt.”

Merkgoeroes zijn het erover eens: consumenten zijn sceptischer en ontoegankelijker dan ooit. Klassieke tvspotjes en gedrukte advertenties hebben volgens ingewijden veel van hun overtuigingskracht verloren. Dat leidt tot nieuwe, creatievere vormen van merkontwikkeling. Gsm-reus Nokia is een mooi voorbeeld. Het Finse bedrijf staat bekend om zijn livemarketingevenementen – vaak “experiential” marketing genoemd – gebaseerd op muziek.

Toch hoef je voor een supermerk nog steeds geen groot marketingbudget te hebben. Dat bewijst restaurantketen Wagamama, die zijn plaatsje in de Superbrands-lijst veroverde. Het bedrijf heeft vestigingen in het VK, Nederland, Denemarken en België en verwierf grote naamsbekendheid zonder noemenswaardige marketingactiviteit. “De beste vorm van reclame is mondtot-mondreclame”, vertelt marketingcoördinatrice Ingrid Williamson. “Voor ons komt het erop neer voor goede restaurants te zorgen en de boodschap te verspreiden.”

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