The document discusses how companies can create a preference for their brand in specification-driven industries. It describes attending aviation conventions where companies showcase their products and services to attendees. The goal of these events is to create brand familiarity, which breeds customer trust and leads to brand preference. Successful companies understand that taking a strategic approach to promoting their brand through events and other means provides strength, stability, and growth for the business. A strong, familiar brand becomes an asset that occupies space in customers' minds.

1.
How to create a
preference for your brand
in a specification driven industry.

2.
P
icture in your mind the last aviation
convention you attended. Exhibit halls packed with
all sizes and configuration of displays emblazoned
with logos, large HD screens displaying the latest
.
product offerings and company representatives
reaching out to attendees that stroll through the
color-coded corridors carpeted like a runway

3.
W
hy do companies of all sizes
invest in these events?
To create a preference for their brand!
Some are successful, others not so much.

4.
T
he successful ones invest because they know
that taking a strategic approach to creating a
preference for their brand provides for strength,
stability, and growth for their company.

5.
A
strong brand is a company asset.
When customers are familiar with your brand,
the brand occupies a place in their mind.
Familiarity breeds trust.
Trust leads to brand preference.

6.
B
rand preference provides for:
Higher price points
Larger orders
New customers
The ability to weather the ups
and downs of business cycles

7.
G
ulfstream
Market leader in large cabin and
mid-size business jets.
Primary growth engine for both earnings
and revenue at General Dynamics
Revenues up 14% from fourth quarter 2012
Revenues up 17% from last year to $8 billion

8.
I
s Gulfstream just lucky?
No. Gulfstream understood the market need
for new long-range, fuel efficient business jets
after 5 years of a down market cycle.

9.
B
rand preference comes from
creating an emotional connection
with your customer.
Why is the emotional connection important?
Emotional connection complements
product feature and function.
Emotional connection adds
value to the brand.

10.
F
eature/Function benefits
are engineering driven.
Competitive advantage based on technology,
engineering or design is fleeting.
New technologies disrupt
traditional business models.
Preferred brands offer more than
feature, function & price.

11.
P
referred brands offer
memorable experiences.
It may be aspirational – “ramp presence”
It may be catering to a personal need –
“wireless inflight digital entertainment”
It makes the emotional
connect – “sports car
in the sky”

12.
P
uchasing decisions can be influenced
by the emotional connection
to the brand.
In the aviation industry, most branded products,
systems, or components have to meet a
specification or certification.

13.
S
ome manufacturers feel that if the
product meets specifications, there is
no need for additional marketing.
If that was the case, then many aviation
products would be viewed as a commodity
and the purchasing decision would be
based solely on price.

14.
H
owever,
leading
avia/on
brands
understand
the
value
of
the
user
experience
and
how
a
posi/ve
experience
influences
the
emo/onal
connec/on
with
the
brand.

15.
P
referred brands understand
what their customers consider
valuable.
Preferred brands take a holistic approach to
the customer experience.
They do not view it as an
individual pathway that
passes from department
to department.

16.
I
nstead, preferred brands know that
the customer journey is a winding path
in which all departments share in the
responsibility for a positive customer
experience.

17.
To learn more about brand
preference
and
to
achieve it,
how
please contact:
Bailey Burk
T>> +1 214.953.0494
E>> bailey.burk@wambam.com
Photo credit: SWA image http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualistimages/6137177888
Photo credit: NBAA2010_static display_www.ainonline.com