A genuine brand delivers superior value for consumers at every stage of the customer life-cycle; from the time they first become aware of the brand, through purchase and post purchase, until ideally they become advocates for the brand and enthusiastically recommend it to others.

so how is the formula work?

At the most basic level, people need their physiological needs met; things like air, food and water. In marketing, products and services that could be categorized this way serve pure functional needs and don’t carry with them strong brand affiliations. An example may be non-brand packaged meat. It gets the job done but no one will be talking about it at your next cocktail party.

Next most important thing to people is the need to feel safe with their choice. people motivated by this need choose products that help them feel protected somehow. Perhaps it’s a status quo choice, going along with the crowd based on the perception that there is safety in numbers. Any product that aggressively promotes the fact that it is the best seller in its category in effect is capitalizing on people’s need to feel safe by doing what everybody else is doing.
People choosing brands to satisfy their need to feel safe generally aren’t motivated to share that fact with other people. Either the product is so mainstream that there isn’t much point in talking about it,  the consumer will consider it “their little thing” and don’t expect others to have the exact same need as theirs, so they tend to be somewhat private about it. ( Osman's Yeni Rakı is a good example..)

Here it goes to somehow different  part ofthe formula..

the need for love and social acceptance.
This need manifests itself in family and friendship connections, or any number of other affiliations with social groups from church to sports teams to clubs. This need influences consumers’ buying decision when they are attracted to brands that connect them to a group of like-minded individuals.
People waiting at the Apple store queue for 10 hours?


After the need for belonging comes the need for respect from others and self-esteem. People work hard in their professions to gain recognition and status among their peers and increase their sense of self-worth. Of course their material possessions can serve as status symbols. While many people justify purchasing luxury brands because they are of higher quality, often the motivating factor is the need to get respect from others. Expensive automobiles fulfill this need quite well because of their high exposure to other people. Consumers will go out of their way to brag about the brands they love or own. They have a need to convince others that their preference is the best because they’ve attached the brand in some way to their self-concept..
Ted Baker really offers that better shirts than the Ralp Lauren or Tunç feels that way?



when I go back and look at the brands & people that I have interviewed it looks like there is no one answer to the formula above. Quite a mix of feelings, benefits...

let's see what I am gonna feel about this after the first week of March:)

Here goes my 5 th interview.

When I asked Seden my standard Wow questions she did not hesitate one moment to reply:

Seden says it's the re-invention of marketing. 98% water...a hidden formula..cost of production is not even on cosiderable level.. everyday consumable..
and
it did not exist in our lifes before.
Can you ask yourself actually what would be all drinking next to a pizza or a burger if Coke does not exist?

Coke not just invented a category but also has brougth big difference to the brand activation realm. I was suprised to learn from her that it's the Coke that created Santa concept with all Red outfits first time. Now entire world can identfy the famous Santa icon with red color easily.

Another interesting fact is that consumers are from every price, value segments..
The rich, the poor, the old, the young everybody drinks the coke.

I guess consolidating the findings after all interviews would be a hard job!

Brand or Product?

This is what Wikipedia refers to when you search for Raki...

Raki (Turkish (language) rakı,^[1] Ottoman Turkish: راقى, pronounced [ɾaˈkɯ]) is a Turkish unsweetened, anise-flavored hard alcoholic drink that is popular in Turkey, Greece, Albania, Serbia, and other Balkan countries as an apéritif. It is often served with seafood or meze. It is similar to several other alcoholic beverages available around the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and in Colombia, e.g., pastis, ouzo, sambuca, arak, and aguardiente.

However when you talk to Osman  you get the impression that Raki is something else. But not any raki brand. a specific one: Yeni Raki..

Yeni Raki is in turkish culture for so long however the spin of the brand as a new generation brand choice is recent follwed by a big FMCG bougth the brand from goverment monopoly.

But is it really the all guerilla marketing activites, fun and different internet campigns, young consumer targetted summer extravaganzas that attracts Osman ?



Don"t we all need a drink sometime?



He says no. It is the taste that he has for the last 20 years without a single drop change. Its the taste that he has associated with many moments in his life. Also he adds the trust to the brand form quality point of view Never a bad product experince of Yeni Raki he has faced in his  entire adut life consuming alcoholic beverages.

After his interview I decided to put a good score below the product itself and the functionality/product features column. Sometimes it"s the product that connects the consumer not the imagery or the value brand represents..

SIMPLE SHAPES FOR STUNNING STYLE

Let"s meet with Tunc..

Ted Baker is one of the fastest-growing leading lifestyle brands in the UK even though As Ted chooses not to advertise...
A quirky sense of humour, so much so in fact that the first stores used to provide a laundry service for every shirt purchased – something that gained the quickly growing brand the title of  "No Ordinary Designer Label"

The approach to marketing the brand remains the same as it was from day one.primarily by word of mouth and out of the ordinary marketing. Brand  remains one of the only brands to be built into an international designer label without an advertising campaign.

The next big thing is already here?

I have asked around the office and out of 10 peers 10 of them said I PHONE to the question below:

What is the best smart phone ever?

Is it Really the product or something else we like about Apple?

Even though the Apple is making you slave to I-tunes and no flash applications, and an expensive price to pay, how come people are waiting 11 hours at the doors of the Apple stores to buy the new model?

Samsung on the otherhand is gaining on the war against the Apple by driving the Android market as well. More and free applications, ease of use compared to I phone and compettive price ..What do you really need from an phone actually?

So how long the legacy of uncle Steve is going to keep apple on the head of the market?

We all see I guess..

The Commercial Twist to traditional taste: A yogurt story!

The Commercial Twist to traditional taste: A yogurt story!
Pink Berry the premium frozen yogurt that reinvented the US frozen yogurt category in West Hollywood, CA in January 2005 .


Guvenc has recently met with the PinkBerry concept through his 9 years old daughter.
The dilemma he has every time he buys some for his girl is how to survive this chain store just by selling frosen yogurt such a traditional product in turkey?

The anwer is the innovation rather than the economies of scale and the power of efficiency..Every time you buy a cup of a frosen yogurt actually you over pay around 105 times per gram compared to regular traditional everyday yogurt..

Is it madness?

No ... It"s the power of the brand.



Quite exciting...
the first blog I have ever created..

It looks like a long journey starts here.
Let"s see where it is gonna lead..