The PR Man, BBC Radio Solent and the Year of the Brand

Does radio love the PR man? I think so, as I was invited back to BBC Radio Solent last week to debate the power of brands, advertising and the Cadbury’s ‘eyebrow’ advert. This was indeed an opportune moment to air my views and discuss on live radio the importance of strengthening your brand in a depressed market.

Whilst BBC Radio Solent’s Jon Cuthill was asking can a really kooky advert that doesn’t actually mention chocolate sell more chocolate, my thought process was delving deeper than just a TV ad.

The reason the Cadbury’s ‘eyebrow’ advert strikes a chord with us in this recession is because it entertains us, it makes us laugh, it makes us smile, it’s a perfect example of effective non-verbal communication, empathetically engaging us with not a word spoken and it takes us out of our current predicament for just a few minutes - and at a time when we may not have much disposable income, it’s not actually asking us to spend any money. But of course the rub is we actually will spend 50p on a chocolate bar, not because we have been told to ‘buy chocolate from Cadbury’s’ but because when we need to buy a bar, we reward the feeling the advert gave us. This is called brand loyalty.

The fact that Glass and a Half Productions who made the advert have discovered a formula that goes viral to millions of viewers on the Internet is another matter. More of that another time.

With this in mind, what Cadbury’s have done is very clever and it links to one of my current views. I am calling 2009 the Year of The Brand, for a number of reasons. Let me explain why.

In a recession the brands that stand the test of time get noticed. Just think of some of the iconic brands that are dispersing from our high streets and how sad that makes us feel. Woolworth has been with all of us in our growing years. OK, who will admit to stealing from the Pick & Mix as a schoolboy? Yes, I thought so. Me too.

During the Second World War many companies, products and brands failed. But those that stuck to the task in hand of advertising to us and providing products to us survived. Brands like Hovis, OXO, Bovril, etc. You might argue that advertising wasn’t as sophisticated then, but in the 1940s it was certainly effective, and clear winners were born.

As Great Britain went through the Second World War which was a terrible time for all, those brands that persevered were rewarded. They were mainly non rationed products, but they actually survived and thrived. And why were we loyal to them? Well, because in our darkest hour of need, when all around was crumbling, doom, gloom and disaster, there was Hovis, OXO and Bovril. They comforted us, they revived us, they went through the war with us, they survived with us and we thanked them for it. That’s called brand loyalty.

Going back to the Cadbury’s ‘eyebrow’ advert, why is this a stroke of genius?

• In tough times all businesses need to strengthen their brands, to ensure they are visible to the consumer, to maintain market share and to retain customer loyalty.

• All businesses need to seek new ways of reaching audiences. Cadbury’s have done this with the ‘eyebrow’ advert and the gorilla playing the drums advert, because they both went viral. Just look on YouTube and type in ‘Cadbury’s Adverts’. Now do the maths. Millions upon millions of hits and not an advertising $ spent on this new way of distributing the message, as we did it for them!!

• They focused on advertising with a new ROI (return on investment). The fact that this advert went viral meant that the cost of distribution was very low. OK, there were production costs and the cost of an initial advertising campaign, but after that promotion via the Internet was free, improving ROI.

• Cadbury’s has had its knockers regarding this advert, saying the brand has been damaged. I don’t think so. In this case, if a brand makes its success based on humour – don’t change it.

• In a recession we don’t want reminding about what’s happening out there, we want cheering up. Cadbury’s achieved this.

So what can we learn from all this? And how will it help your business?

• Invest in key areas of your business. In the last recession, those who didn’t failed.

• In this dark time, continue to promote your brand.

• Whilst using traditional ways of appealing to your target audiences, don’t be afraid to try new ideas. Like this email e-newsletter from BlackChilli.

• If you need to cut budgets, don’t cut your promotional budget.

• If you want your prospective clients to be attracted to you, deliver comforting messages. Rather than ‘hard sell’ think of solving problems, delivering solutions, wise words, views on the market and above all be helpful.

• Your clients may be hurting too, so offer to support them and ensure they don’t go to a competitor.

• Understand the problems your clients face in their particular industries. Be a source of comfort and help them. Learn how to match your products to solve their problems.

• Do all the above, and you will become a trusted and valued business ally, someone your clients can’t do without.