Brand marketing is a powerful tool for setting a company -or product -apart from the pack.
Powerful brands such as Saturn, Starbucks [SBUX], Microsoft [MSFT], Coke [KO], Advil, Viagra and Disney stand out as leaders in their category. These brands tap into customers' emotions, affecting the way they feel about the products. They have succeeded in communicating the "soul" of the brand -and have become embedded in the hearts and minds of their key audiences.
Healthcare PR programs -through science, opinion leaders and third-party groups - have been successful in building credibility and advocacy for their brands. But the bar has been raised. We can no longer focus only on the factual. We must foster the emotional connection between the brand and its audiences.
In healthcare, many companies have favored promoting product brands over the company brand. Now, they are deciding whether to actively market their corporate brand in addition to their products. Will positive consumer opinion of the corporate brand enhance the marketing efforts that support their products?
Historically, Johnson & Johnson [JNJ] has succeeded in strengthening its corporate brand by featuring it on a broad array of products. While it has been one of the few healthcare companies to do this, the trend may be shifting as pharmaceutical companies see the value of marketing the corporate name to provide a competitive edge for their products.
Going Beyond Media Impressions
At Edelman, we have developed a PR process called Edelman BrandC.A.R.E.T that is designed to build, sustain, and sometimes even change a brand's image. The process addresses the rational and emotional aspects of brand building, and maximizes the value PR brings to the marketing mix. It is an approach that establishes a brand as a meaningful part of a consumer's life -something advertising alone cannot do. The process can be applied to a company's or product's brands.
The core C.A.R.E components are an acronym for establishing credibility, advocacy, relationships and experiences with your target audience:
Credibility: Whether satirized in movies such as "Wag the Dog" or debated on news channels everywhere, credibility is at the forefront of today's popular consciousness. Credibility is critical, and product marketers must use it to develop believable, relevant message points and a positive brand reputation.
As part of the process to build credibility for a brand, some important questions to consider are: How credible is the brand now? What might happen tomorrow to affect the brand's credibility
Advocacy: Using traditional advocates, such as celebrities or opinion leaders, and non-traditional advocates, including loyal users and company employees, can be effective ways to distinguish and enhance brand image. Consider the impact on the brand when a jogger finishes a run and says, "I need my Advil."
As you consider the importance of "brand champions," ask yourself, Who are the brand's advocates? What are they saying? How do you attract more advocates?
Relationships: A brand that consistently delivers what it promises, simplifies the user's life and fosters an emotional connection that will create lasting relationships. A case in point is Butterball Turkey when every Thanksgiving, the Butterball Turkey Line helps holiday chefs turn out flawless dinners. In the case of Claritin, its website provides customized health information for allergy sufferers year-round.
To develop meaningful relationships, marketers must delve into key issues: How would you describe the brand's relationship with its audiences? Is the brand cultivating long-term loyalty among its constituents?
Experiences: In a frenetic and competitive marketplace, where brands fight not only for shelf space, but also for mind share, brands must expand their reach by providing multiple "encounters." Every encounter can enhance or detract from a consumer's brand experience, including those that occur when a person is not buying or using a product.
What experiences are your audiences having with the brand, and where are these experiences happening? At home? In the store? On the pages of a magazine? In places not typically associated with the brand? When creating an experience between a brand and a customer, consider characteristics such as fun, uniqueness, worth, and education.
Looking Ahead
Consumers have become active participants in their own healthcare which provides excellent opportunities for healthcare communicators. Most pharmaceutical companies have adjusted their distribution methods to address industry changes, but have lagged in adjusting their marketing communications.
As consumers access information and make treatment decisions, their brand loyalty will grow. This will stimulate the need for brands -both corporate and product -that speak to the hearts and minds of consumers.
Nancy Turett is president of the healthcare and consumer division of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide. She can be reached at 212/704-8195 or [email protected]
Mitch Markson is executive VP and general manager, marketing innovations at Edelman.