The Hindu Business Line : For piece of mindspace

IN their seminal book on branding, Brand Leadership, authors David Aaker and Dr Erich Joachimsthaler, refer to research done way back in 1965 when a P&G product manager could reach 80 per cent of 18- to 49-year-old women with three 60-second commercials. Today, they say, that manager would require 97 prime-time commercials to achieve the same result. Media and market fragmentation has made the communication task very difficult. And, connecting with the consumer, too, is no longer merely advertising-led.

Cut to a contemporary scenario. The book dwells on how P&G today generates deep consumer insight through research, which then feeds its media plans. P&G researchers, for example, sometimes spend a whole day at people's homes in order to get deeper insights into their use of products. They have asked respondents to wear a microphone and discuss their problems and reactions as they go about their normal activities.

Levi's follows shoppers around stores with a tape recorder, while Microsoft, says Dr Joachimsthaler, actually shadowed office workers to see their work patterns before developing its new Office Suite.

Looking for such insights and connects with the consumer is going to become increasingly important. Points out Mr S. Ramachander, former Director, IFMR, and consultant: "The consumer has a wider choice, is more wary of con games and has a healthy post-modern scepticism about the whole process of selling."

As a city-based marketing consultant points out: "Fundamentally, the brand needs to answer the WIFM (what's in it for me?) question in customers minds. So that's the hygiene factor for the customer to consider and begin a relationship with your brand."

Today, connecting with the consumer has become a great priority now for a number of reasons:

So far even marketing professionals had not take seriously the well-worn truth that all `marketing is dialogue.'

Consumers had taken the marketer to be smarter, more savvy and competent. Now it is no longer true. Consumers are well-informed about products and services and willing to fight for their rights.

Connecting and sensitivity had always been important to thorough professionals but only to get the "right" product, packaging, image, position and advertising. But, these are all uni-directional; now it is a question of a dynamic interplay.

The march of information communication technology has taken the possibilities of interactivity to a new level. The medium allows consumers to interact on a real-time basis so now there are many more `moments of truth.'

Mr M.S. Banga, HLL's Chairman and now part of Unilever's apex management committee, has some powerful insights to offer on consumer attitudes and branding. As he points out in a recent article, there is an explosion of choices of products that have seemingly subtle differences between one and the other that they are often not perceptible to consumers. Mr Banga calls it the "tyranny of sameness."

So how do brands break out of this vicious spiral? The answer he says, ironically enough, lies in much stronger, more powerful iconic branding. And, to build iconic brands, Mr Banga says they must engage with consumers in a 360-degree approach. It is vital that brands go beyond television to engage with consumers and touch them in unexpected and myriad ways " in ways that bring to bear the idea that the brand stands for with meaning."

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