11 Brand and Marketing Trends for 2011

Author Ursula Le Guin wrote that “legends of prediction are common

throughout the whole Household of Man. Gods speak, spirits speak,

computers speak.” What Ms. Le Guin left out were consumers. Consumers

speak too. Volumes if you know how to read them.

Predictive loyalty metrics allow marketers to decipher consumers’

emotions, expectations, and imminent behaviors in the marketplace.

Happily, Brand Keys is an authority on customer loyalty. And, as real

loyalty metrics measure the direction and velocity of consumer values 12

to 18 months in advance of the marketplace, they allow us to identify

future trends with uncanny accuracy.

Having examined these measures in 4Q 2009, we offer  11 trends for

marketers in 2011. Interestingly, in symbolism and spiritualism, the

number 11 is said to possess qualities related to intuition, honesty,

understanding and, is also supposed to represent the ideal. The number

is said to provide both insight and inspiration. For marketers, these 11

trends will have direct consequences to the success – or failure – of

next year’s branding and marketing efforts.

1) Value is What the Consumer Says It Is

Excessive spending, even on sale items, will continue to be replaced by

a reason-to-buy at all. Only the consumer can tell you for sure. The

appearance of ubiquity will be trouble for brands with no authentic

meaning, whether high or low-end.

2) Brand, Meet Value

Brands will increasingly become a surrogate for “value.” What makes

goods and services valuable will increasingly be what s wrapped up in

the brand and what consumers believe the brand means.

3) Zappos-ification

Marketers will have to comprehend what really drives their categoy, know

what consumers really expect, and where to focus both process and brand

efforts. Yes, Zappos sells shoes, but their brand equity lies primarily

in the emotional driver of “service” – how they get shoes to customers

and accept returns.

4) Ethosnomics

Brands increasingly must stand for something beyond just rational items.

Brands can’t, however, just  ”stand for” the cause du jour. Doing what

others do, just because they’re doing it, won’t work very long or very

effectively. Corporate social responsibility efforts will need to be

believable, sustained, and engaging. Some of the strongest will come

from those brands that connect the public and the personal in today’s

financially-strained world.

5) Differentiation Can Be Emotional

Differentiation remains critical to brand success as the proliferation

of products and services available to consumers continues. While true

innovation does exist when it comes to the offerings available,

increasingly differentiation will come from what the brand offers

emotionally to consumers ¬especially as the ability of brands to mimic

and get “me-too” products to market quickens.

6) They’re Talking to Each Other Before Talking to the Brand

Social Networking and DIY media-exchange of information outside of the

brand space will increase as consumers become more comfortable with

their power to get the true story on products from total strangers.

Brands will need to drive positive feedback out in the virtual world

like never before, necessitating a deep understand of their categories.

7) Friendtelligence

Influence by friends will also increase. If consumers trust the

community, they will extend trust to the brand. Not just word-of-mouth,

but the right word-of-mouth is what matters. Look for more websites

using Facebook Connect to share information with the friends from those

sites while trying not to annoy anyone.

8) Putting the Brand Into Their Hands

It’s increasingly handheld technology that facilitates transactions.

Brands that make it hard to buy on the small screen will suffer. Watch

for promotions and coupons to continue to explode, especially if the

brand can customize that experience.

9) Prolifetition

Look for increased competition, and not just from traditional brands.

The internet changed the game from consumers feeling they had to know a

brand to even consider it. Ubiquitous awareness is replaced by strong

word of mouth and positive viral sharing. Knowing what drives a

category, what consumers really expect, and what creates loyalty, can

give you a meaningful advantage when entering new and uncharted

categories populated by strangers to your brand.

10) Exponential Expectations

Brands are barely keeping up with consumer expectations now. Every day

consumers adopt and devour the latest technologies and innovations, and

only hunger for more. As app technology becomes more entrenched, brands

will be expected to deliver in that space. Look for even more apps to

appear in 2011.

11) Engagement is Not a Fad

It’s the way today’s consumers do business. Period. Marketers will

continue to use engagement methods like the right platform; program;

message; and experience. But there is only one objective for the future:

Brand Engagement. Attaining real brand engagement is impossible using

out-dated awareness models.

Accommodating these trends will require changes on the parts of how

companies measure, manage, and market their brands. And, yes, change

can  sometimes be terrifying. But change is, more or less, another

chance. However, for brands that ignore these trends, it could very well

be their last.

Dr. Robert Passikoff

Founder, president

Brand Keys

www.BrandKeys.com

END