Simplified Marketing Gains Power Among Brand Consumers

Simplified Marketing

Simplified Marketing

In this Inc. piece on the 10 most compelling ad campaigns of the decade…. Simplicity is key. Simplicity is everything. Simplicity is the key to success. But the critical question is ‘what’ should brands aim to simplify? Is it how brands are marketed? Is it about the positioning platforms that are identified? Is it about the brand’s purpose and values? Or is it about a brand’s whole identity?
Most (if not all) of the above questions are interrelated. You cannot have a simple purpose and then follow it up with complicated positioning platforms and also adopt ambiguous marketing (both strategic and tactical). Simplicity will be a common thread that will run through all the above questions. So it should be a perfectly feasible exercise to have simple brand purpose and values, adopt positioning platforms that are simple to comprehend and design marketing strategies that get the brand message across in a simple way. But it is important to infuse ‘simplicity’ as a principle through the whole process, because otherwise it becomes an inefficient and wasteful exercise.

The most powerful and enduring brands adopt simplicity as a core driver of their strategy. From the likes of Nike (“Just Do It”) to Audi (“Vorsprung dutch Technik”), brands that have been able to endure and compete in changing times, use simplicity as a driving force.

This article from 2010 illustrates how Gary Rodkin did it when he became the CEO of ConAgra Foods. In sum, he broke down and transformed the whole organisational structure so that resources, time and commitment get focused on brands with high value and potential.

Also, simplicity does not need to be boring. This is a typical misapprehension among brand owners. There is a fear (akin to that of death) that if we do not use fancy words or visuals or employ elaborate marketing stunts or confuse the hell out of consumers, our brand will fail. Well, with attention spans reduced to less than that of a goldfish, good luck with all of these.
Simplicity does not need to be boring. This is especially important to keep in mind because brands now have specific “millennial” strategies (and some of them also have Chief Millennial Officer). UK based drinks manufacturer Innocent, have this to say about the “simplicity = boring” conundrum.

In Siegel + Gale’s Global Simplicity Index 2015, supermarket chain Aldi took the top rank, followed by Google, then by another supermarket Lidl, then Netflix and McDonald’s to round out the Top 5. Why are supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl at the top, when we generally associate supermarkets with product and brand proliferation, confusing advertising, equally confusing promotions and discounts and generally irritating store layouts? How did Google and Netflix reach the top of the simplicity ladder, with the complex algorithms driving their products and the use of complex technology as a platform for the brand to stand on?

According to the research conducted by Siegel + Gale to arrive at the rankings, Aldi and Lidl’s simplicity was driven by a combination of their brand and store experience – straightforward advertising, uncomplicated promotions / discounts, focused product / brand stocking and uncomplicated store layouts (that are easily navigable).

Why is Google and Netflix up there? The reason is simple – no brouhaha around the brand purpose and its delivery. Google has made a profound and transformative change to our lives through its products and it continues to push boundaries. Google Search defines online search and SEO strategy, Chrome is increasingly emerging as a more viable alternative to Explorer, Google+ is being reinvigorated, massive investments and focus on self-driving cars etc. With all this the brand’s purpose hasn’t changed. The product interfaces are simple and easy to use. It has ventured beyond its original goal of “organising the world’s information”, but has stayed true to using technology to advance the way we live.

Netflix is another success story based on simplicity. The brand proposition is simple – Find anything that you want to watch anywhere. Their “Originals” programming series has been a huge hit. The brand has transformed the way we watch video content and has the potential to disrupt the role of TV as primary purveyors of video. They have spurred Amazon to take a serious look into video streaming and original programming.

The important question to ask is if brands like Google and Netflix who operate at the forefront of advanced technology and brands like Aldi and Lidl who stock hundreds of products in their stores can get the “simplicity” equation right, why can’t other brands?

We can link complexity to a muddled set of brand values or purpose, succumbing to competitive pressures or the sheer inability to communicate a brand’s true essence.

If a brand has absolute clarity on why it has taken birth, then simplicity is a defining characteristic of that state of being.”

Another factor that adds layers of complexity to a brand’s positioning and communication is the desire to experiment with multiple media platforms without ascertaining brand fit, target consumer and effectiveness. It is undoubtedly difficult to communicate the simplicity of your brand if the media channels range from a 60″ TV ad to a rolling video in a social media feed to a 10″ video that self-destructs to a glossy centre spread in a lifestyle magazine. More touch points you have in your brand’s distribution and marketing channels, harder it is to maintain and convey simplicity.

This article from VentureBeat outlines in detail how marketing strategy has become more and more complicated over time.

Brands should start off simple and remain on the path of simplicity. This is defined by the choice of colours, images, words, video, audio and overall communication of a brand’s marketing and advertising strategy. It is also defined by a brand’s intention to communicate in a clear simple manner. It is also characterised by a brand’s desire to stay true to its course and vision.

Under Armour’s strategy to establish itself in golf follows some of the above principles.

In the Inc. piece on the 10 most compelling ad campaigns of the decade, there is a clear thread that defines simplicity. Do not adopt or use flashy advertising elements. From Burberry’s “Art of the Trench” to Red Bull’s “Stratos”, each campaign epitomises the core of the brand. It links to what I earlier mentioned about having uncomplicated brand purpose. If your purpose is clear, whatever you create or do to communicate the purpose will have simplicity.

The biggest challenge that brands face today is about getting irrelevant. Consumers do not understand their brand choices anymore as they are bewildered. They receive too many marketing message than they can handle. There is too much of branded content and influencer marketing going on. There are too many screens of varying sizes that try to capture our attention. We have a constant desire for swiping, clicking, zooming, sharing and buzzing. We stumble on stairs and escalators, we almost get run over on the road and we slowdown the masses behind us through our dedication to our screens. We need simplicity. We need brands to tell us what benefit they are providing at what price, and without the T&Cs, the asterisks, the small print, advertising lingo and meaningless grovel.

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Sandeep Das

Independent consultant with deep domain expertise in brand positioning / repositioning, brand equity mapping, portfolio optimisation, brand architecture, consumer insights, category & market analysis and brand health / KPIs. More than 14 years of experience in managing and delivering on strategic client responsibilities in the consumer insights and brand strategy space. Experience working in both Asia and Europe with significant exposure and involvement in global client engagements. Deep understanding of the intricacies / challenges / complexities of managing global multi-functional teams, strong cross cultural understanding, in-depth experience in implementation of both global and local strategy programmes and achieving balance between local vs. global strategic needs. Strong believer in actionability of strategies. Believes in active dissemination of processes / outcomes / insights / recommendations across organisational structures. Has strong preference for sharp strategic outcomes over long-winded presentations. Understands the importance of change but also its potential disruptive impact.

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