Making brands more distinctive

Well, as predicted the much anticipated cuts are here to stay and a fact of life that we all have to deal with. Mr Cameron and his coalition chums keep talking about how the private sector is going to be the shining star and will be the driving force of the recovery. That’s all well and good, but if sales are down, budgets are tight and there’s not much to say then what do you do? Panic and change your offering? In my mind, the answer is clear: Stick to what you do best and say the same thing but in an innovative and inventive way.

How many of us are presented everyday with a ‘new’ product or service that is fundamentally the same? It’s an age old dilemma; customers want consistency but there’s a perception that audiences get bored easily, so we have to continually reinvent our products and services. This all too often results in an inherently, un-exciting or reengineered waste of time. I firmly believe that you should only be reinventing the wheel if it fails to meet the current or emerging needs of your customers. However, this kind of thinking can send shudders down the spines of many as it leaves the problem of having nothing to talk about. And so the cycle begins again as the easy option appears to be getting back on the treadmill of irrelevant product development.

Don’t get me wrong, strategic and well thought out innovation is hugely important, but when it’s used solely as leverage for communications then it’s misplaced. It’s our job in agency land as talented and creative experts to support our clients by suggesting new ways to communicate rather than relying on a client’s own product development programme. So… our mantra for these times … forget about tweaking your product and just keep re-inventing how to communicate with verve, passion and originality. This will naturally lead you to inventive, challenging or witty communications that will continue to deliver eager and willing customers.