Knowledge
Here you’ll find an evolving library of insights collected from our own realm of experience in brand research and analysis, brand strategy, visual identity and design, creative brand development and management. As well as clever ideas picked up from branding colleagues around the world. You also have access to a wealth of B2B branding and marketing expertise at our sister agency’s B2B blog.
Don’t believe what customers say.
They’re lying.
They don’t mean to lie, of course. It’s simply that, when asked, customers most often say what they think they’re expected to say. Or something that seems smart and rational.
Perhaps you’ve conducted classic market research. Perhaps your salespeople have compiled a list of the top reasons your customers give for their purchase decisions. Unfortunately there’s a big risk you got the wrong answers.
Partly, it’s because the emotional triggers that induce people to act — those “gut feelings” — are difficult to put into words. Partly it’s because when asked for reasons, people believe they need to be reasonable. Yet, their real decisions may be based on prestige or exciting customer appreciation events. Things professionals, especially, won’t directly admit.
So if you can’t rely on traditional market surveys, how can you know what brand associations drive sales? What is it that really makes customers buy more and pay more? The answers lie in a unique way of asking, as well as statistical analysis of the answers correlated to what drives volume or price premium.
Learn more in the original article series (in English and Swedish) at our sister agency Pyramid Communication’s B2B blog.
How important is price?
Fråga aldrig vad dina kunder tycker. De ljuger.
The not-so-secret code to why some brands succeed where others don’t
The Golden Circle. The Law of Diffusion of Innovation. These are certainly “ideas worth spreading.” We hope, by now, you’ve had a chance to see this brilliant, now classic TED Talk by Simon Sinek. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t include it in our Knowledge library. (Actually, we’re a bit jealous of those of you who’ll experience it for the first time.) We believe this is required (and often) watching for anyone who intends to effect action or change in the world. In other words, everyone involved in branding.
How is your external brand communication affecting your employees?
When we say “employer branding” most people immediately think of internal communication or recruitment ads. Yet, have you considered how advertising and brand communication targeted towards consumers affects your employees’ or potential employees’ perception of your brand?
Brand research PhD Niklas Bondesson and Associate Professor and author Sara Rosengren are conducting exciting research in this often overlooked area of employer branding. In an insightful article posted on The Brand-Man Blog, they introduce some of the questions companies need to consider. A highly recommended read. (Swedish source article)
What really drives sales in B2C?
What happens when you go beyond the reasonable answers people give for their purchase decisions to the emotional triggers they may not even realize matter so much? You gain a treasure-trove of information to help you communicate relevant revenue-driving brand value.
A meta study based on results from 20 different brand analyses, mainly conducted in Sweden, for approximately 100 different brands, reveals the five most revenue-driving brand associations in B2C:
- Feeling of quality
- Reliability
- Prestige
- Reputation
- Meets basic needs
These may not surprise you. But further down the list are more interesting price vs. volume associations. Important differences depending on whether your main challenge is to gain or defend market share (volume) or to justify why your goods or services cost more than competitors’ (price premium).
Learn more in the original article (in Swedish) at our sister agency Pyramid Communication’s B2B blog.