3RD QUARTER 2018
How Disruption
Can Fuel Brand
Growth
Every brand has the power to disrupt business as
usual provided it has a clear idea of what will make
the most difference given its status and context. Too
many brands give up the opportunity for growth by
assuming that differentiation is impossible. Established
brands should learn from the disruptors that are
changing our world and create a little disruption of
their own to drive growth. But to effectively identify
and manage opportunities for disruption, it’s important
to understand exactly how people think, feel and
behave in relation to a brand. Marketers need up-to-
the-minute information on how potential customers
view their brand and its activities to have the
confidence they need to disrupt and grow brand value.
Kantar Millward Brown proposes some strategies that
can take to disrupt and drive growth:
Get out of the Comfort Zone
Disruptive brands are seen to be extremely different
from their competition and so too are the brands
that grow over time. In both cases difference is what
provides a brand the opportunity to disrupt. Any
brand can be disruptive, provided it has the courage
to do something different and meaningful. Established
brands should never stop trying to identify the next
big innovation, but, in established categories, even
relatively small changes can enhance the consumer
experience and add significant value to customers’
lives, in turn growing the value of the brand.
But disruption does not have to be a ‘thing.’ Simply
changing the way a brand communicates with potential
customers can allow them to see the brand with fresh
eyes and unlock new growth potential. Adidas, Subaru
and Snickers have each reaped significant benefit from
changing their communication strategy and connecting
with consumers in a new and different way.
Know What Needs to Change
The challenge for a well-differentiated brand is to
identify what will make it more salient and meaningful
to potential consumers. In China, research for a new
smart TV brand identified that it was perceived as
different from the competition but the brand was
underperforming on Meaning and Salience. Kantar
Millward Brown recommended that the brand focus
on its advanced technology. This
Feature
provided the best opportunity for the brand to impact
willingness to buy while also helping to improve quality
perceptions. The client acted on the advice and the
new campaign drove a 42% increase in market share.
Know Who Values Your Brand
When it comes to profit, the biggest disruptive growth
opportunity may come from targeting the right
customers, and then curating perceptions of meaning
and difference to drive up the brand’s perceived
value. Subaru’s path to growth in the US began by
identifying driver types willing to pay a premium for all-
wheel-drive cars, and creating ads that would appeal
to each group. But by 2005, most major competitors
offered an all-wheel-drive option and Subaru needed
to change its strategy. The ‘Love. It’s what makes a
Subaru, a Subaru.’ campaign was introduced in 2006,
along with a program to improve the dealer experience
and expand the dealer network. The emotionally based
advertising focused on longevity, safety, versatility
and adventure. But the stories were as much about
the owner and their family and pets as they were
about the cars. This unique approach has helped grow
perceived differentiation, meaning, market share and,
most importantly, it helped make Subaru one of the
most profitable automotive brands in the US.
Knowing what needs to change, both in terms of
behaviors and attitudes, is important if a brand truly
wants to disrupt. That objective then informs what
types of marketing activity are most likely to make a
difference and what needs to be measured to judge
success.
Use Consumer Insight to Inspire
Disruption
Bringing together multiple data sources, both
behavioral and attitudinal, is fundamental to identifying
the best growth opportunities. Changing consumer
perceptions is not the only path to growth. For
example, the Clear shampoo brand increased its
e-commerce sales in Japan by 171% by switching from
a B2C model to a B2B model. The brand, which ranked
12 th in its category by consumer purchase intent,
faced a major challenge if it was to grow by traditional
consumer marketing.
Clear’s solution was to change the playing field. Rather
than selling direct to retailers for consumers, the
brand promoted its Headgear Cover Plan, encouraging
businesses to supply Clear shampoo to employees
required to wear protective headgear in the workplace.
In this case, instead of data simply confirming the size
of the problem it acted as a catalyst to inspire a whole
new approach to how the brand was sold.
PHILIPPINE RETAILING
Invest to Make a Difference
Simply spending more will not produce disruptive
returns. A great creative idea that fits the brand and
the opportunity will be the best way for many brands
to disrupt the status quo. And while marketers are
hostage to the product innovation cycle, the impact of
a new creative approach may come faster.
A strong, creative campaign will leverage spend
to create far more impact. And whatever form an
execution takes, effective creative development and
testing before launch can ensure it is likely to achieve
the desired objectives.
It is also important for marketers to scale their
budget according to the task at hand. Far too many
marketing initiatives fail simply because too little
is invested to ensure campaign success. Research
designed to understand the relative impact of different
media channels, when combined with reach and cost
data, can help shape cost-effective integrated media
campaigns that leverage a great creative idea to best
effect.
Learn Fast to Achieve Better Returns
A brand can have a great product or idea and in-
market execution can still fail to disrupt.
Marketers need to behave as if they are in perpetual
beta, which means fast feedback is essential so
they can quickly identify opportunities to course
correct. Even the most optimistic marketers want
quick reassurance that their campaign is a winner.
Sophisticated analysis of search and social data,
combined with timely survey data, can quickly identify
if a campaign is on track for success.
Continuously improve your marketing
effectiveness
Today’s success is an opportunity to improve current
marketing effectiveness while looking for the next
disruptive growth opportunity. But to do so, marketers
must measure what is happening to the brand and
the consumer response in-market. Existing studies of
brand and advertising performance provide the data to
optimize future spend. Analysis of previous campaigns
can help identify which media channels are most
productive by brand, category and country, improve
digital ROI or bridge the ostensible gap between
behavior and attitudes to gain a holistic understanding
of brand growth.
(Kantar Millward Brown, 2018)
View the full report here: http://www.millwardbrown.
com/brandguidance/branddisruption/
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