Farewell Industrial Brand Management.
Welcome To The Era Of Behavior Economics.
Mikko Kaijansinkko is W.Steinmann’s Strategy Director
I went to see the final concert of Nightwish’s globe-spanning, two-year Dark Passion Play tour. Musical qualities can always be debated but no one can deny that this concert with its snow effects, rain effects, confetti, indoor fireworks, bombs and flames was truly a spectacle. A worshiping event of epic proportions, where true believers had a chance to reinforce their faith – and buy some t-shirts as well.
Talk about consumer engagement.
Rock acts have intuitively used methods of progressive marketing for years without anybody telling them to do so, or giving brand consultation. The brightest and the most successful bands have always known that to reach the audiences long term, they need to be in touch with them not repeatedly but constantly and engage in a dialogue. Numerous bands state this dialogue being also a driving force of the band artistically – and surely financially as well.
To create spectacles you need both actors and an audience. This is why brands need to take heed from rock bands about staging the spectacles (even in the true situationist sense of the word). Marketers need learn how to form relationships between audience members mediated by brands.
Wouldn’t you want your brand to be the next rock star of its category? How about having loyal worshipping on a daily basis? Why not create an ever-evolving dialogue beyond mere seasonal campaigning?
Konsta Klemetti works as a Creative at W.Steinmann
You are faster, stronger and more skillful than the opponent in front of you. How come the overtaking can be so difficult? The easy way is just to take the follower’s seat, stay behind the leader and accept your placing in the race. Almost just as easy is to make a specious attempt to overtake, which at the end of the day costs you an even bigger gap to leader than before.
Leading takes courage. It requires the proper driving line at the right time, in order to pass the competition. Overtaking is usually done during two or three curves. Therefore you need to plan beforehand your next steps to be done, after getting side by side with your rival. Without this you lose the lead and the feeling of happyness which leading delivers.
How should we exit the curve the economy has brought us? First you need the plan how to exit the curve accelerating faster than competition. It’s also important to visualize the time and direction of next turn, because without it you might slip aside from the optimal line of drive.
Progressive marketing helps to overtake
Progressive marketing plans the overtaking in sequences. It doesn’t believe in one curve overtaking campaigns, during which you throw yourself into to curve eyes half closed and wish for the best, without thinking what’s up next. Progressive marketing plans the overtaking and next steps to achieve sustainable lead.
The most important is to find the right time for overtaking and to decide to execute the overtaking plan to gain momentum. Without determination and will, we don’t gain the leader position. Overtaking is done in curves. Plan your exit.
Mikko Kaijansinkko is the strategy director of W.Steinmann, and drives Formula Kart in Team Mountain Dew in Fossiili Series of Helsinki
This is it, the start of rising progressive marketing. Progressive marketing is the future, where accelerated success is being created through continuous development. Sounds like Kaizen, doesn’t it.
Unlike its musical cousin, progressive marketing doesn’t strive for complexity or want to be fancier or smarter than it is or doesn’t have ongoing experimentation as purpose of its existence. Having said that, adding a hint of Pink Floyd to marketing can’t be thoroughly bad idea.
When do we want people to think about us? How about every day. The starting point of progressive marketing is remarkable product. Without remarkable product, sustainable growth is out of our reach. The next step is to create a brand platform, based on the remarkability of the product, which can support the future collection of meaningful brand ideas and experiences. This is the only way to achieve long-term growth.
In order to create something new, we must first give something up. Like Seth Godin has said, freely quoting: ”Vince Lombardi was wrong saying winners never quit. Winners are those who will quit the insignificant things at the right time.”
It’s time to give up [’This is the way it has always been done’] wish marketing in which the illusion of power of a single campaign is blindly believed. Cyclical campaigning is history, everyday continuous progressive marketing is the future. Are you in attention or intention business? Do you fall for yelling brand claims or does action based brands make you tick more?
Mikko Kaijansinkko works as W.Steinmann’s Strategy Director