Brand Leadership - 5 Global Cases from the best brands By Dan Pankraz

YOUTH EXAMPLES

1. Nike SB (skateboard)

Being authentic

2. Red Bull vs. the followers

Creating culture

Leadership Successes

3 . Levi's vs. Diesel

Ignoring reality

4. Absolut vs. Grey Goose

Resting on your laurels

5. Burger King vs. itself

Getting back to the core

Leadership Stumbles

LEADERSHIP

SUCCESS

STORIES

BEING AUTHENTIC Tapping into trendsetters

INNOVATORS EARLY ADOPTERS EARLY MAJORITY LATE MAJORITY LAGGARDS BRAND CORE To maintain its leadership, Nike realised it had to do more than battle Adidas in the shops and on TV

INNOVATORS EARLY ADOPTERS EARLY MAJORITY LATE MAJORITY LAGGARDS BRAND CORE TREND- SETTING VANGUARD To get ahead of Adidas right from the starting line, Nike went into skating

“ The jocks who used to beat me up for skating wore Nikes. And now Nike wants in with skaters? Uh-uh. It’s not going to happen .”

-- Moish Brennan, skater, quoted in AdBusters

To break into the insular skate culture Nike had to make a meaningful, credible contribution

Nike SB launched exclusively in hardcore skate-shops: skater-owned, skater-run

Signalling a real commitment to skate culture Also keeping the brand out of the hands of poseurs

Top skaters were given signature lines to design Made the brand credible Gave consumers a taste of what it’s like to be their heroes

Generated buzz Increased premium credentials Other designs come from people like hipster artist Jeremy Fish and toymaker Kidrobot

Kept the brand consistently fresh and ahead of the curve Generated a sense of exclusivity All designs are limited editions: they’ve produced 150 SB Dunk editions in 5 years, none in mass quantities

Online community with over 200,000 active posts and hundreds of diehard fanatics

Rewarded passion with insider access Fed the flames

When SB released an ultra-limited edition called the pigeon in 2005, sneakerheads actually rioted in their press to lay claim to a pair (which now go for $2000)

Status symbols Cult-like devotion

A small brand with a big impact

When the competition heats up, get a head start and go to the source of leadership: trendsetting culture

To make an authentic contribution to this culture:

Do not steal, mimic, or bastardize the culture

Do partner with credible people to create something new

Do not get greedy with volume – exclusivity is everything

Do reward the passionate few to keep them passionate

CREATING CULTURE DON’T BORROW FROM IT

Energy

Premium

Grown-up

International

Mysterious

Bad for you in a good way

Ingredients

First, the big guys scrambled to get in on the game…

Red Bull refused to follow suit, as it’s not as credible – and wouldn’t create the distance they needed

Clubs: Energy to party all night Adventure (Felix Baumgartner Base jumper) Energy to go hard

Aspiring DJs are given an opportunity across continental and cultural boundaries to work with and learn from prominent music trendsetters

Every year, Red Bull throws a 24 hour party to encourage a diverse range of creative types to share their energy.

Why do people need energy at clubs? To dance. Red Bull has set up classes to teach street dancing.

The only competition like it in the world: A test of real-life wings

Really the only competition like it in the world. Do you have wings ?

Red Bull is committed to bringing fast, intense F1 racing to the States – but recognises that US audiences won’t pay attention until their country has a great driver. So Red Bull is creating that driver at their F1 school.

The final sporting frontier in America? Soccer. And Red Bull now owns one of the best teams in the country.

When the competition heats up, don’t fight them on the same turf – create your own turf:

Contribute to the culture you live in

“ Walking the walk” to bring your comms promise to life

Creating a clean space to own

LEADERSHIP

STUMBLES

Levi’s once created its category and led youth culture

It still maintains thought leadership – but its market dominance has been smashed

Because the reality of the brand no longer matches what the brand communicates…

… While the competition’s reality and image are synched

Levi’s invented jeans – and the meaning behind them

A pioneering brand for rebels & iconoclasts: The embodiment of effortless cool

The same products that peaked in the 80s, aimed at the same (ageing) consumers

Consumers don’t want to buy jeans – they want to buy a lifestyle that expresses who they are

But Levi’s portfolio is limited: 85% of its sales come from jeans

How rebellious and cool is the experience of sorting through a giant mess at Sears or Bi-Lo?

Levi’s was communicating like a leader, but it wasn’t behaving like a leader in the world Bogan Dad jeans Bogan Mum jeans

Like Levi’s, Diesel has a strongly-defined brand

Unlike Levi’s, however, that brand is expressed and paid off at every touchpoint

Work that captures the spirit of the brand: Cheeky rebellion

Jeans with the same quirky, stylish touches as the ads that sell them

Tops

Outerwear

Shoes

Glasses

Jewelry

Watches

Bags

Even a hotel

Diesel’s not just a denim brand: It’s a lifestyle brand

A brand that’s equally built on its hangtags and salesforce

Style lab may be a tiny business, but it creates a steady stream of ideas and excitement

The Heidies digital campaign organically positioned the brand as cutting edge

Diesel’s leadership in one area is amplified by its leadership in others

Diesel’s through-the-line integrity has turned like-minded consumers into evangelists

Ultimately, product really is king

No matter how great your communications

Leadership must be maintained at every consumer touchpoint

Leadership in one place can’t compensate for lapses elsewhere

Negative perceptions of your consumer can erode a youth brand as surely as negative brand perceptions

A well-integrated product portfolio is often more powerful than the sum of its parts

Because it creates a badgeable lifestyle

Absolut took a moribund category and injected it with fresh life

Taking the lead on all fronts, from product design to communications

It became part of pop culture – and then it became ubiquitous and coasted

And was ultimately overthrown by a competitive set that learned from the leader and topped it

The swill for alcoholic Russian peasants The cocktail of choice for urban sophisticates

Harsh, nearly toxic Pure

From the evil empire From the most attractive country in the world

Cheap, foreign & old-fashioned Premium, relevant & contemporary

The usual spirits clutter Absolut Breakthrough

Consumers collected the ads, made statements with them, and created their own

It activated lazily The campaign became tired & expected It failed to innovate first First Second

Absolut was everywhere – and that meant it was in places where it shouldn’t be, and in the hands of consumers who shouldn’t have it

One brand in particular rose to the challenge: Grey Goose

Instead, it attacked where Absolut was most vulnerable Uninspired Creative work

But the price difference made Grey Goose appear more premium $35 $28 Spirits experts acknowledge that all vodkas taste the same

In an image-driven category, who wouldn’t want to be seen drinking the best? A premium vodka must taste better, right?

No longer just top shelf, it was bottle service

Music Film series Publishing Golf TV

25% volume growth year on year between 06-07

Once lost, leadership can be very difficult to regain

Complacency can undermine a leader as surely as a failure

Winning formulas are ultimately just that: formulaic

In fast moving categories, the leader has to move faster

A leader brand’s weaknesses in one area will be exploited by the competition

In image categories, ubiquity may drive short term sales, but it can be deadly in the long term

Gatekeeping is vitally important

Burger King is a classic rise & fall leadership story with the promise of redemption

Its fall is an important cautionary tale

And its return helps us understand how to stay on track

Teen target

Grilled burgers

Custom made

Cheeky attitude

Food-focused experience

Family target

Fried burgers

Pre-made

Kiddie attitude

Fun-focused experience

Burger king McDonald’s vs. A successful #2 brand built on a compelling core

An explosion that proved difficult to control: A cancer of success 1982: 3,500 franchises Founded in 1954 1967: 247 franchises

Source: Burger King Case study, warc, 2005 Focus Focus Focus “ The brand had become schizophrenic with its targeting.”

“ The brand lacked a consistent personality and identity.”

“ Npd had become filled with products that lacked relevance to consumers.” “ The environment had become sterile and corporate, lacking any humanity or sense of fun.”

1. 2. 3. 2001 1. 2. 3. 2002 +2% +11% -21% Source: BusinessWeek, warc

Burger King could have tried to reinvent itself once more to fit with the times… … Instead, however, the brand returned to its core

“ Superfans”: young men aged 18 – 34 who average 18% of customers but 49% of sales

Unapologetically bigger, juicier (and unhealthier) burgers

An in-store overhaul to connect in all the details “ Everything from the restaurants' signs to the employee uniforms…. All those things are branded experiences, and are being reworked." – Alex Bogusky

“ When McDonald's tries to get hip, they show us kids playing basketball on rollerblades. BK's stuff is just far more subversive – [which] its cynical consumers appreciate.” -- Slate.Com Work that’s not afraid to polarise in order to engage with its target