Why It Matters: Branding Iron

In the latest edition of Why It Matters, Hoag Levins interviews William Jeanes, the co-author of the new book Branding Iron. Jeanes is the former editor of Car And Driver. Branding Iron looks at the identity problems plaguing the U.S. auto industry.

Here’s a snip-it from the interview that I found the most interesting:

“In your book you say ‘the car business spends more on consumer research than any endeavor other than politics. Much of its research is syndicated and available to everyone – buyers studies, shopper studies, consumer satisfaction index, etc.’ And what that makes me wonder is that if all the car companies are creating brand identities based on exactly the same study data, how can any of them expect to have products that stand out from each other.”

Jeanes argues that courage is what’s missing. The courage to say that we’re all playing in a ‘me too’ environment and failing to connect with consumers in a meaningful way. You can hear more on the AdAge/Why It Matters site.

It sounds like the U.S. auto industry is more of a commodity industry than many execs care to admit. A sign that you’re in a commodity industry, when prices and financing options are the key points in your commercial. Another sign, a loss of your consumer advocates and repeat buyers. Jeanes says that a brand is a promise wrapped in an experience. In other words, advertising does not equal successful brand building.

Many people may want to blame market research and a dysfunctional addiction to research... and for the most part that’s fair. Research, like computer programs, is a garbage in, garbage out endgame. What are you doing to ensure that you are asking the right questions and segmenting your market in meaningful ways? What are doing to cultivate and ground a unique symbolic identity?