Experience Matters

Is your Brand a rebellious Teenager?

Ever since P&G declared “The Consumer is Boss” a few years ago, industry pundits have dedicated a great number of keynotes addresses and op ed pieces discussing how Consumers Really “own” brands.

Industry thought leaders wax philosophical about how companies should stop talking to consumers altogether and only listen. That companies should let go of their brands and stop trying to own or manage them.

I have a slightly different take on the situation. I believe that the reality lies somewhere in-between one of complete ownership by company and complete ownership by consumer. I believe the paradigm that is most applicable is one of parenthood. I know… It sounds crazy… But hang with me a moment while I explain….

 Just as a child has parents, a brand also has parents. The mother is the company that puts the brand into market. The father is the agency or agencies that assist the parent company in launching (giving birth) to the brand. Just as a mother and father each contribute DNA that defines the physical, emotional and intellectual basics of a child, a parent company and its agencies define the DNA (equity, visual identify, functional benefits, etc). Who a child becomes is not entirely defined by its DNA. A child is strongly influenced by its environment (e.g Friend, Family, Socioeconomic situation ect.). A brand is similarly influence by external factors.

When a child is first born the vast majority of the influence that shapes that child is provided by the parents. With a brand, the parent company develops and deploys the launch campaign that communicates “who” the brand is and “what” the product is as it enters the world. The key is that once the brand enters the world it ceases to be completely within the “control” of the parent company. It is an entity or being in and of itself. The parent company dictates the product, but the brand is a construct that exists in the mind of each individual consumer who comes in contact with the brand. A product is a set of functional attributes that are more or less clear to even the casual observer. The brand is an idea that is collectively developed by all those individuals who come in contact with it.

As a child gets older, the number of people that influence and shape the child grows. The child’s extended family and friends begin to play a role in shaping the child. The role of parents are critical, but attenuating. By the time the child reaches high school, peers and teachers often have an influence on par with parents. Similarly, as brands spend more time in market, the role of consumer WOM, competitive messaging, retailers, etc. begin to having an increasing impact on the existence. Net, the parent company never stops influencing the child, but the parents impact attenuates over time. So it is with the company that “owns” the brand.

All this said, as individuals grow and mature they continue to be influenced by their parents. Often times this influence can be substantial. What should be clear is that the relationship is one of influence, not one of control. It is natural and normal for a parent to continue to have a strong point-of-view and a level of influence as to how their child should develop and what their child should ‘be when they grow up’, it is just not within their control. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the world to define a brand.

So what should companies do? Be good parents. Keep influencing the child (launch campaigns, upgrade the product, etc). But realize that your child has an entire portion of its life that is beyond your control, or for that matter your influence. All you can do as a parent is give your child the best foundation possible, send it into the world and hope that it calls you occasionally and comes home for the holidays.