It doesn’t take an election year to focus on the fact that you have to stand for something. In the U.S. nothing stiffens the resolve of a Democrat than a Republican telling them they are wrong. And vice versa. The hypothetical line is drawn and you must choose one side or the other.
The strongest brands stand for something bigger than the products that they sell, as we have seen in various examples of social movements. They stand in unity with the public sector, the populations united against a common enemy which is a social issue (such as child mortality, women’s equality, trachoma elimination).
Consumers have grown to distrust curated media and traditional marketing. They want to make their own decisions based on raw footage, real-time updates, and unfiltered livestreams. They don’t want the polished media release, the staged press conference and the practiced responses.
Branding Strategy Insider helps marketing oriented leaders and professionals like you define and grow brand value. BSI readers know, we regularly answer questions from marketing oriented leaders and professionals everywhere. Today we hear from Stefanie, a VP of Marketing in Frankfurt, Germany who asks this question about about the impact of discounts on brand equity.
To carry out a social mission at scale, brands must operate on a level higher than simply focusing on consumer behavior change linked to their products.
