Complex Brands aren’t Hijackable
As brand marketers, especially those of us trying to market something during this changing times, we must be aware and open to the idea of a hijacked or overtaken brand. It might sound negative because of our negative mental connotation of a hijack, but in reality this might mean “fabulous business” if managed correctly.
There are many sides to a hijacked brand and to architect it one must take in consideration ALL of the aspects of it; but one variable that I consider to be of utter importance (if not the most important one) is the UNDERSTANDABLE factor.
IMO, brands must be simple enough for regular consumers (like you and me) to understand them. Now, this doesn’t mean that the brand must be so easy and dull that anyone will get into it. It means that the brand needs to be simple, understandable, and relevant to the early market’s life, that THEY will be in the know and comprehension, and so a takeover will be easier and better.
For example, several years ago Microsoft was perhaps the most mentioned brand in the computer industry; today this might not be so true. Apple arrived with a bang! One that was heard loud and clear by those that Apple wanted. They did a magnificent job in seeding the brand. The brand was so ‘transparent’ to the early market that they knew what it could bring into their lives. They didn’t just understand how the computers worked, but they comprehended the (hidden to the rest of us) meaning of the “Apple Lifestyle”. Microsoft, no doubt, failed to do this in the same simple and catchy way, and so they now are in the middle of huge constant re-branding efforts.
So…when trying to construct a brand that will be successful longterm, ask yourself what your brand really means? what it stands for? do you get it?…Make a test in your own office and friends’ circle that belong to the market you’d be going for…do they get it?
