Gong show for brand Britons.
Crucial to every brand owner is the heart and soul of a brand’s meaning. Central to that understanding is a brand’s capacity to reflect the mood and sensibilities of current social trends. Today’s brand values are very different to those of the past. To gain a glimpse of what those principles are, consider who and what ‘citizen UK’ votes as being worthy winners of this year's ‘Greatest Briton’ awards.
With notable exceptions such as Adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the first man to reach both the north and south poles by land, who won in the Sports category and Ricky Gervais who picked up the TV award, many awards were given to the ‘bad boys and girls’ of brand UK, rather than the more established ‘safe’ names. That meant that whilst ‘old school’ Brits such as Elton John settled for token nominations, ‘new school’ Brits such as Amy Winehouse grabbed the headlines.
Making the brand tag-lines
Much-admired guerilla marketing style artist, Banksy, also picked up a gong. Yet true to PR form, unlike his tag, he kept his ID under wraps. Banksy typifies today’s attitudes towards brands: ingenious irreverence, cynism and the consumer’s urge to make individual statements on society rather than bow to rigid hierarchies of the establishment. That’s one reason why the top award of ‘Greatest Briton’ almost went to Robbie Williams rather than the Queen, who only scraped through under 40% of the vote. (Third place went to Maggie Thatcher).
The anguish behind the celebrity face
Investing in rebellious and troubled celebrities pays dividends for today’s ‘street aware’ brands. Kate Moss earnt Top Shop over £3m in profits. The pull of her brand name is promises to offer similar rewards to the hairdressing world.
The best celebrities to endorse a product or service are not necessarily those who are simply rich and powerful. Just as a successful brand name has more depth than a simple logo, so a celebrity also needs a ‘back story’ to his or her own brand name. That’s why Katie Price did so well with her book, ‘Being Jordan’. As the title suggested, it wasn’t about the celebrity called, Jordan, but the person behind the celebrity and her ongoing struggle to balance life in the spot light with life at home. (She was recently awarded mother of the year).
In the past it was often said, “everyone has a book within them”. Today many Brits feel that the potential of a hidden celebrity in their own right lies within themselves. At the same time, they recognise their own human frailties and battles to make it in the world - just like many of the Great Brits featured in the award ceremony. Brands aligning themselves to such ‘Great Brits’ help personify these feelings.
£0 -£80,000,000
One Great Briton winner was the £80 million a year turnover Innocent Drinks started by advertising and management graduates. The company’s story of the possible flying in the face of the improbable is perfect for Brand UK. The company’s only brand perception problem may be if it is seen to have ‘sold out’ its innocence to the big bad corporate guys such as McDonald’s who soon will be stocking their brand. (We will wait and see).
Brit endorsements can go wrong for brands. Remember Jade Goody and her perfume? Even names like Naomi Campbell don’t guarantee instant success - as seen with her perfume range - Naomagic.
Off-the-shelf success
In terms of profits, the greatest Brits for any brand remain the ordinary man and woman astute enough to appreciate the superficial glamour behind the brand whilst recognising the value of a sincere product with depth and understanding of real needs. With the potential for anyone to become someone almost overnight, the old tried and trusted formula for selecting a person who exemplifies the best in Great Britons has been turned on its head. Brands used to spend months trying to figure out whom, in terms of star quality, their brands were most akin to. Nowadays marketers match stars to desirable consumers who ultimately decide who gets their vote and who becomes yesterday’s brand wanna-be left on the shelf.
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