This is a presentation I gave at the opening of the 2010 Branding Conference in South Africa. The 45 minutes allocated was too short to go into much detail so the presentation just touches on key issues in managing brands in turbulence, something that brand managers and strategists are going to have to get used to doing. Some of the slides require a talking head in front of them, but I hope that the general message of the presentation comes through. The use of a strategy canvas to develop a brand positioning is based on the excellent Blue Ocean Strategy work of W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. I also used Philip Kotler and John A. Caslione's Chaotics as a reference book.

1. managing brands in times of turbulence
fourth annual branding conference
johannesburg
26 - 27 may 2010
patrick collings
sagacite
by Ryan Gallagher

2. turbulence wasn’t confined to the recession
by alex e proimos

3. the world is facing increased
turbulence over the next
decade and beyond
Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World
released by the National Intelligence Council

4. all of which impacts on brands
which are also confronted with

5. relentless innovation

6. demand for results

7. and the realization that
past glories are just that

8. Disruptive Technology / Issues Impacted Industry
Rapid emergence of e-readers Media, publishing, advertising
Google TV / Hulu Television, advertising
Smartphone games Game developers
Car manufacturers / housing
Environment / climate change
developers
Volcanic ash cloud Airlines / video conferencing

9. turbulence is the new normality

10. “We postulate that turbulence, and
especially heightened turbulence, with its
consequent chaos, risk and uncertainty, is
now the normal conditions of industries,
markets and companies”
Philip Kotler
John A Caslione

11. what brands need to
do to prepare for and
survive, even prosper,
in turbulence
by kevin dooley

12. Maintaining the brand core
Changing one’s mindset
Reevaluating the brand positioning
Having a conversation

13. and to explain these concepts we are
going to look beyond the marketing toolkit

14. brand core is what
a brand does
by david prior

15. not to be confused with current offerings,
it is why the brand has those offerings

16. 3M To solve unsolved problems innovatively
To help leading corporations and
McKinsey & Company
governments be more successful
Merck To preserve and improve human life
To experience the joy of advancing and applying
Sony
technology for the benefit of the public

17. a brand’s core can be changed over
time but it must not be rushed and
never at time of heightened
turbulence

18. “Companies that enjoy enduring
success have core values and a core
purpose that remain fixed while their
business strategies and practices
endlessly adapt to a changing world”
Jim Collins
Jerry Porras

19. we need a new mindset
by maessive

20. one that accepts that we can’t predict the
future and should concentrate on being
flexible enough to successfully engage it, in
whatever form it may take

21. essentially need to jettison the
rationalistic mindset that there is one
correct long-term solution for a brand

22. central to many theories and
methodologies how build this “capacity
for uncertainty” is the concept of
scenario planning

23. borne out of military strategy
and effectively used by Shell to
deal with the oil crisis in the
1970s, scenario planning helps
us deal with uncertainty and
plot realistic alternative futures
photo by dirk ingo franke

24. scenarios allow us to see
beyond the headlights
photo by victor cavazzoni

25. uncertainty
forecast scenarios hope
now distance into the future

26. different approaches but generally

27. 1 enroll diverse, expert opinion within and
outside the organization. get senior buy-in.
2 identify the question that you want
answered and gather the information.
3 identify the drivers that influence events and
compose realistic plots for the scenarios.
4 engage in ongoing strategic conversations
and constantly test the scenarios.

28. scenarios are a lot like chess
image by edwin dalorzo

29. positioning a brand is relevant to
competitors and consumers in the market

30. turbulence tends to upset the positioning

31. blue ocean strategy is about positioning
image by somebody

32. introducing the strategy canvas
image by pedro ribeiro simões

33. strategy canvases are efficient ways of
defining the key aspects of a market
and identifying the positioning of
brands within the market

34. ranking
key factors

35. Strategy Canvas of US Wine Industry Late 90s
Price Terroir / Awards ATL Marketing Aging Heritage Wine Complexity Varietals
Premium Wines Budget Wines

36. four action framework

37. Which of the factors that the industry takes for
granted should be eliminated
Which factors should be reduced well below the
industry’s standard
Which factors should be raised well above the
industry’s standard
Which factors should be created that the
industry has never offered

38. image by brian auer

39. Eliminate Raise
Terroir and awards
Price versus budget wines
Aging qualities
Retail store involvement
Above-the-line marketing
Wine complexity Easy drinking
Wine range Ease of selection
Heritage Fun
Reduce Create

40. Strategy Canvas of [yellow tail]
Price ATL Marketing Heritage Varietals Ease of Selection
Terroir / Awards Aging Wine Complexity Easy Drinking Fun
Premium Wines Budget Wines yellow tail

41. Cirque du Soleil
image by whoalse

42. Strategy Canvas of Traditional Circuses
Price Animals Multiple Arenas Thrills & Danger
Stars Aisle Con. Fun Venue
Major Circuses Regional Circuses

43. Eliminate Raise
Star performers
Animal shows
Unique venue
Aisle concession sales
Multiple show arenas
Theme
Fun and humor Refined environment
Thrill and danger Multiple productions
Artistic music and dance
Reduce Create

44. Strategy Canvas of Cirque du Soleil
Price Animals Multiple Arenas Thrills & Danger Theme Multiple Production
Stars Aisle Fun Venue Re ned Artistic
Major Circuses Regional Circuses Cirque du Soleil

45. in times of
turbulence and
chaos, don’t
stop talking

46. your clients and your staff want to
hear from you and be reassured