In markets cluttered with messages, brand owners have to find ever-new ways to foster loyalty
"The objective of strategy is a sustainable competitive advantage, which may come from any part of the organisation's operation. The market is the judge of this advantage. Brand strategy is the process whereby the offer is positioned in the consumer's mind to produce a perception of advantage." [Arnold, 1992]
Strategy is essentially a discipline of planning, of setting a course for the long term or to achieve a specific goal
Its origins lie in game theory and the military. The dictionary definition is 'the science and art of conducting a military campaign in its large scale and long term aspects'. It is mainly used to refer to corporate strategy and business strategy
It follows that differentiation is the key to competing in today's marketplace. Brand strategy therefore is a course of action to differentiate an organisation or product in stakeholders' minds
A brand's longevity and strength has to be built less on price and more on differentiation. In markets cluttered with messages, and where customers expect a certain level of quality of product and/or service, brand owners have to be constantly fresh and innovative in order to foster loyalty. Consider how Richard Branson has managed to stretch the Virgin brand into areas far beyond his original musical activities
Making Waves Communications has for many years worked with brands in developing and extending their reach; examples include Levis and Orange in Europe NRMA and PlayStation in Asia Pacific. Making Waves have been appointed by some of the world’s greatest companies to use our insight and experience to help shape the strategy of their brand. From complete re-branding exercises to long term planning of communication activity, we aren’t afraid to challenge a brand’s positioning and we are always seeing the bigger picture