Too many iconic brands?

The dictionary defines ‘icon’ as an image, symbol or picture, usually of a sacred or religious subject. So perhaps the most significant aspect is that iconic brands have appropriated some kind of universal value, or universal stereotype, deeper than just a transient meaning. By that definition there is a limit to how many ‘iconic’ brands the world can accommodate – a point that forms part of the argument of our lead story in this issue on the future of global brands. (It is also a point examined in Jeremy Bullmore’s Chopping Block.) As the authors put it: “There will be too many brands chasing too few possibilities for iconic brands to dominate consumer relationships as they have in years past.” The argument that leads up to this and other important conclusions traces the differing models of global branding from the simple export model to today’s much more complex model, in which consumers in individual countries have much more influence in how the brand is marketed.

The understanding and usage of social media is as confused as it is pervasive. David Taylor looks at the narrow use of social media – as a communication vehicle – and suggests that brand owners are wasting their money. Brand conversations take place offline, not online. On the basis of Taylor’s research, the findings are compelling and coincide with the extensively researched findings from the work of Keller Fay, described in Speaker’s Corner by Mark Earls.

Yet, a longer-term and broader view of social business is explored by Mahesh Enjeti, who sees the whole area of social software and social networks, as well as social media, as a route to re-energising, if not reinventing, the marketing role. Basing his thinking on several significant multinational studies among CEOs and CMOs, he concludes that companies are increasingly incorporating social tools into their business. This, he argues, presents a golden opportunity for marketers to grasp in order to move more centrally into the business and avoid what appears to be happening in many companies – marketers becoming trapped in communication silos.

 

The idea that organisational culture is at the root of many problems (the BBC, police and banking to name a few) seems widely acknowledged. A way of understanding culture is brilliantly illustrated by Gill Ereaut, who uses a charity case history to show how culture is expressed through the language people use. Dissecting this language through forensic linguistic analysis reveals barriers to growth and points the way to solutions for more effective marketing.