If you want to survive, you must understand this marketing miracle

What lives on when people die?

What persuades people to pay more for something that is no better than alternatives – and sometimes worse?

What makes otherwise sane business-people spend millions for no seemingly sane reason?

What should always be in the back of your mind every time you send out a message or make a business decision?

One word answers all these questions.

The brand.

Managers come and go. Factories may move from one country to another. Products change. And yes, people do die.

But the brand can live on forever. People will pay a lot more just for a brand and what it says about the buyer – even though they know it is no better than the unbranded alternative.

It is like a business safety net. If you have a strong brand people forgive your mistakes. You can live off the “fat” of your brand for years without even advertising.

Here’s an example of a brand that’s been around since before you were born.

That commercial is over 60 years old. But the brand is still around – stronger than ever with many profitable variations on the original.

Your true long-term business objective should revolve around building the brand.

Yet this is something marketers talk about all the time – and much of the talk is rubbish.

Would you like to know how to build a brand, and what it can do for you?

I have a friend who knows more about this, and can explain it more clearly and entertainingly than anyone I know.


His name is James Hammond and he wrote an excellent book on the subject for the Sunday Times business books series which is currently being reprinted. He explains the secrets of the brand better than anyone I know.

And you may be amazed to know that I know a bit myself. For 8 years I was on the board of Superbrands and have actually run seminars in several countries on the subject. And I’ve helped firms like Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, IBM and American Express

I am planning an event on this in Spring on How to Build a Brand, probably in conjunction with a university here.

Would you like to know more? Would you like to see James talking about this?

Just reply to me, Drayton@Draytonbird.com saying “Brand” and I will keep in touch.

About the Author

In 2003, the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing.

He has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands. These include American Express, Audi, Bentley, British Airways, Cisco, Columbia Business School, Deutsche Post, Ford, IBM, McKinsey, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nestle, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever, Visa and Volkswagen.

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

He was a main board member of the Ogilvy Group, a founding member of the Superbrands Organisation, one of the first eight Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Direct Marketing and one of the first three people named to the Hall of Fame of the Direct Marketing Association of India. He has also been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Caples Organisation in New York and Early To Rise in Florida.

2 Comments

  1. Glyn

    Great ad with wonderful hypnotic language:
    it 'creams' your skin – whatever that means
    use it like soap but it's revolutionary – it's soap
    two blessings in one – wow that's deep

    Nice Complex Equivalence:
    it's a different shape therefore it's a revolution in face cleaning

    And good use of the main three Representational Systems:
    it looks different
    feel the cream
    smell the creamy fragrance

    Those people certainly knew how to sell!

    And what's with the latest confused.com tv ad?
    animate your branding, add a nice Queen track (Somebody to Love) and don't tell anyone what you do.
    They used to be the biggest comparison site brand. Now my wife (and many others I suspect) thinks they are a dating site.

    To use a couple of expressions I seem to remember Drayton using; The Curse of Assumptions (that everyone knows what they do) meets Creative Wank.

    Bring on the Meerkats.

  2. Glyn, I said the exact same thing. I assumed they were looking at a product extension into dating, seemed the only rational explanation for that massively wasted media budget. Collective head hanging in shame exercise is due…

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