The pitch: Stop shouting and avoid the black hole of mediocrity

By JENEAL ROHRBACK

As the late, great, advertising guru David Ogilvy once said: "Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith and perseverance to create a brand".

In retailing, the results of short-term promotional activity - shouting about discounts, slashed prices, and claims of being the cheapest - are immediate.

That approach "sort of" works. But it trains customers to buy on price instead of brand. They will simply go to whoever is cheapest on the day - hardly the best definition of customer loyalty.

What's more, customers can see through the shouting.

People want more than one-dimensional ads that talk about price. They want to believe good things about what they like, and bad things about what they don't.

So what if we stopped shouting? What if retail were to focus more on the brand? On values and personality?

Would we see some long-term effects starting to happen, like customer loyalty and profits that aren't just for that month, but for years? Yes. Absolutely!

We only have to consider the success of those who have single-mindedly pursued big thinking and focused on an original idea or attitude - Virgin Airlines, Starbucks, The Body Shop, Ikea and Tesco for example.

And here at home Hallensteins is an example of a brand that has got it sussed.

At their Albany branch they've made their catchline 'It's good to be a guy' really come to life with an in-store, Serville barber (no appointment necessary), a PlayStation, and Sky Sport and Juice TV beaming in.

So what can retail learn from those brands?

Firstly we have to ask ourselves whether we're saying anything single-minded about our brand, or are we trying to be all things to all people?

The point being, if we're reasonably good at most things and best at nothing, we're just like everyone else and we will end up disappearing into a black hole of mediocrity.

Stop copying your neighbour. Do something different. I want the retailer that I patronise to be different - to be like me. To stand for something.

And if possible combine rational with emotional appeal. Emotions are where long-term, deep-seated connections get made and where brands become truly owned by people.

Once we've worked out what that brand stands for, then it's time to focus on bringing the brand idea to life and to start connecting with customers.

It's time to explore all the possible points of contact between the brand and customers and to involve the brand in their lives. To create interplay between different messages and media to intensify the brand idea.

And remember that it's all the little things that make the difference.

As another industry guru, Jeremy Bullmore, puts it: "We believe consumers build brands the way that birds build nests, from scraps and straws they chance upon."

Ultimately, it is about understanding who we are - our "brand" - who we are talking to, and talking to them in a way that is relevant to them.

David Ogilvy concluded that "Deals don't build the kind of indestructible image which is the only thing that can make your brand part of the fabric of life".

So stop shouting - it's about speaking from the heart, the head and the soul. And having the brand above the door that connects to the people we're talking to.


* Jeneal Rohrback is creative director at Singleton Ogilvy & Mather. Email Jeneal

* The Pitch is a forum for those working in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications. We welcome lively and topical 500-word contributions.
Email The Pitch.