BrandDigital | BrandSimple: The Blog

A couple of months ago I wrote about Ford’s new Bold Moves branding campaign. I lauded the company for taking the initial steps required to revive its brand after years of tepid performance. Among the initiatives I cited was the introduction of the hybrid Ford Escape, a vehicle both fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. I suggested that a really bold move for Ford would be an offer to replace New York City’s entire gas-guzzling, emission-spewing taxi fleet with these green vehicles – a public relations branding signal that would be good for Ford’s brand and great for the planet. While Ford was in no position to do so at the time, it seems that my suggestion was not all that preposterous. It appears New York City’s mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, has a similar idea. In fact, he’d like to see all New York City cabs replaced with hybrid vehicles within the next five years as part of his PlaNYC which calls for reducing greenhouse emissions in the Big Apple 30 percent by the year 2030. In response to the challenge, Yahoo! immediately donated 10 Ford Escapes to get things rolling. While Ford may not have been in a position to do so a few months ago, I’d say there’s never been a better time than now for them to take the position of change agent in the quest to slow global warming. New York City’s environmental plan is far more extensive than that of any other major city. Converting its fleet of 13,000 yellow cabs to green would send a very strong signal to the world. Ford, by playing a significant role in this effort, would send, in turn, a very strong branding signal. A signal that would be an extremely hard one to equal in its category.

The second annual Brandz™ Top 100 Most Powerful Brands ranking was just published by Millward Brown Optimor and it’s an incredibly valuable read. I like it a lot for a few reasons. First, it’s got a rock-solid foundation having been built on consumer insight data from Data Monitor and financial data from Bloomberg. Second, it ranks both consumer and corporate brands as measured by their dollar value. And third, I like it because it confirms that what I talk about in BrandSimple is built on rock-solid branding principles. What’s not to like, as my relatives would say.

It came as no surprise to me that the top-ranking brands in the Brandz study are those based on crisp, clear, simple ideas –the underlying premise of BrandSimple. Google, for example, up 77% over last year, is based on the simple idea that the smartest kid in your class – the one with all the answers - is sitting right on your desktop. Apple, another winner, is up 55%. Ask anyone which brand is responsible for creating the coolest, user-friendliest technology and you’ll know why this is so. Target, whose simple idea is making cheap chic is up 88% versus last year. And Best Buy, up a whopping 113%, proves that the simple, “Geeky” idea of a retailer who helps consumers understand how to actually use the technology they purchase is pretty smart.

While all of the above brands are, indeed, based on simple ideas, these ideas are also relevantly different from what the competition promises. Another topic I address in BrandSimple and something reflected in a few of the brand rankings. For example, Dell promises to “make it my way.” Different, yes, but I’m not sure how relevant this is to consumers anymore, which is, perhaps, why Dell is down 24%. Intel, too, has lost value over last year – 26%. The brand, which once differentiated itself by representing faster, more powerful chip capacity, isn’t differentiating itself quite as well these days. “Intel Inside” seems to have strayed. Even Microsoft has lost over 10% in valuation, perhaps related to the too-little-too-late launch of Zune, or maybe just because it’s difficult to differentiate a brand on sheer size.

Back to the upside, however, it’s interesting to see that a number of the winning brands were those that leveraged major market trends effectively, demonstrating that brands are listening to what consumers have to say. Brands that delivered on the promise of social responsibility, especially with regard to environmental issues, did very well. BP, by addressing the climate change with alternative fuels, rose in valuation. Toyota, too, benefited from its environmental stance. Food brands that showed a concern for healthier eating also gained in value, most prominently McDonald’s. As the only brand ranking that combines consumer insight data with hard financial data, the Millward Brown Brandz study is a significant piece of data in and of itself. It’s an interesting and telling read for anyone who wants to know what makes some brands more powerful than others. It’s rock solid.

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As investors line up with bids for Chrysler, I’d like to offer a bit of advice from a brand perspective. While the company has many fine autos on its assembly lines, I’d hazard a guess that there are few consumers who could tell you exactly what the Chrysler brand stands for. Mention that Chrysler is introducing a new model and ask people what they expect it to look like, who it might appeal to, and how it would drive, and you’d most likely get a blank stare. Blank stares are not good when it comes to branding.

The first rule of building a successful brand is to simply and crisply define what you want it to represent in the minds of consumers. If you can’t clearly define what makes your brand different, you’re never going to have a brand that’s worth more than an “Oh yeah. I think my uncle owned one of those.”

Second, once the new owners of DaimlerChrysler establish a differentiated meaning for the Chrysler brand, they’ve got to focus relentlessly on bringing it to life. The way Chrysler automobiles are engineered, the way they drive, the way they look. This means being ruthless about examining the entire portfolio of current offerings and determining which deliver on the Chrysler brand and which don’t. While PT Cruiser, Sebring, Town and Country, and Crossfire are all nice cars with nice names, nice doesn’t win in the brand game. If these sub-brands don’t have what it takes to drive home the Chrysler name they’re not worth having on the lot. Those who bid for Chrysler must be willing to put every dollar behind defining and supporting the Chrysler name, and the Chrysler name only.

While this advice is a lot easier to offer up than it is to achieve, it’s essential that those reaching for their checkbooks take heed. Before considering a bid for Chrylser, they must figure out what they’re going to do with it once they own it. The most powerful brands on the planet succeed because they stand for something different and relevant. Just as all the advertising in the world can’t help a brand with an identity crisis neither can the deepest investment wallet. Spend - and brand - wisely.

With all the news surrounding Ford bringing back the Taurus, and AT&T doing away with the Cingular name, I wrote an article that appeared on Brandweek’s site last week.

I love Bold Moves; the Ford Motor Company’s new branding initiative. Not because it’s a classic BrandSimple idea — the kind of smart branding story I use to illustrate the points in my book. I love it because it’s a great idea in general. BrandSimple explains why simple, relevant ideas build successful brands. In short, when a brand is based on something simple to understand, the people inside a brand organization “get it,” which means they can do all the things necessary to bring the brand to life. This, in turn, means consumers can “get” what the brand stands for and, equally important, have good reason to believe in it. I get Bold Moves. Consumers can get BoldMoves. It’s an idea that’s simple to understand and the company’s using it to drive all the right moves, inside and out.

Not that Ford asked, but I have a bold (if not downright brazen) branding idea. It came to me while I was stuck in one of the few Ford Hybrid Escape cabs in midtown Manhattan traffic the other day.

What would happen if somehow Ford could replace all New York City taxicabs (For those of you who don’t visit NYC that often, my guess is that 95 percent of the cabs on the street are made by Ford) with Ford Hybrid Escapes? I know it’s a wild proposition, but thinking about it is sort of fun. It would be the ultimate bold move. Ford could announce how much fuel it was saving hard-working cabbies every month. Between tourists and movers and shakers, NY cab riders are probably a nice target. Ford could measure the improved air quality in New York on a regular basis as a means of maintaining noise on the airwaves. The initiative would create tons of good will with anyone who cares about the environment (all of us, I hope). It would set an example for all car manufacturers that bold moves are required to change perceptions about the industry. And, it might even prompt other taxi-dependent cities to take similar action. Yes, I know it would be expensive and maybe logistically impossible to really do. And, yes I know I should spend more time walking to work instead of daydreaming in taxis. But, just imagine the buzz it would create. That, to borrow boldly from another well-known BrandSimple brand, would be priceless. Just a wild idea.