I want to talk about the topic, developing a brand that provokes repetitive buying. When I was asked to speak on this subject, I had to think briefly about what it was that made the big commercial brands grow.
We invest enormous amounts of time and money into creating brands. If we are not trying to get some edge in doing that, then our discussion will hover around why we are doing it.
What is a brand? When you ask most people this question they normally say a brand is a symbol, a logo, a name or maybe a slogan. Actually, a brand is a bit more than that. A brand has a purpose. The purpose of a brand is to differentiate you in the market place. So if you seek to create a brand, you have to aim it to create some sort of differentiation. It probably goes beyond that also because it is about having some unique feelings, association or beliefs about that brand; something that you believe makes it different. That is fundamentally what a brand is.
If I asked you to give me a brand that is modelled around technology or innovation, you would say Apple or Google. If I asked you to give me a brand when you think about trailers, you would probably mention Nike or Adidas or Reebok. If I asked you about a preferred brand of a luxury car, you would say Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Ferrari. These are media associations. If we talked about beverages you would mention Coca-Cola.
In Ghana, if I ask someone about water brand that they trust, the person would say Voltic. To me that is a privilege because I have been running Voltic for two and half years. It is a real privilege to be in another country where your brand is so strong that when you say water to someone, Voltic is the first brand that comes to mind.
These brands have grown so strong that if anyone for instance decides to buy a pair of trailers, the person thinks of buying Nike. Likewise, if anyone thinks of buying a box of water, the first brand that comes to mind is Voltic.
The important question to ask is, how do you create such a brand to get to such points? There are different strategies, theories, plenty textbooks and lots of professors have done a lot of studies into the subject matter.
I would like to give a simple explanation with a story. At the beginning, a brand life is just a name; an empty space. What happens is that, the empty brand makes a promise with nobility. When the brand starts delivering on that promise, it becomes associated with it.
My story is with a company that many have not even heard about. The company is into fresh food. I went to the market a weekend in Cantonments (a town in Accra). There was a little store where this company was situated. Their proposition to me was simple, “buy local; eat fresh”. They told me that they will deliver local produce to me which was fresh and very well-prepared. They showed me a sample of the box which they would deliver to my house. They said I could buy from their website or order and pay for it. They made a simple promise to me and I thought it was interesting. They made a promise that they would deliver to my house fresh local produce in an easy way.
About a week later I wanted to buy fresh fish. I went unto their site and it was super easy. I put in my address, I put in what I wanted to buy too. They then sent me an email for confirmation and the next day, someone turns up as promised, smiling with my fish as promised.
Why am I telling you this story? This brand started as nothing; it was an empty brand but they made a promise to me; a promise that they would provide my needs and have it delivered to my house which they intended to make simple. All of what they promised was true. As a result, I will buy from them again which is repetitive purchase because I had a first great experience across every aspect of interaction with the company. When I came in contact with the company, the first person I met spoke to me and I had a nice conversation – a nice experience. When I went on their website, it was exactly as they promised. When the driver came to deliver the goods, it was exactly as I expected. Every touch point they had with me, they delivered consistently on that promise. To me that is what needs to be done.
In summary, if you want to build a brand that provokes repetitive buying you start with a clear simple promise or message. With Voltic, our promise is to provide quality mineral water. That is what we do, that is what we have done for the past twenty years and that is what we are going to continue doing because it is core through our business.
So you start with a clear and simple message. If you have a preposition which is difficult to understand, it is probably not going to work. Secondly, you must deliver on your promise at every opportunity you get. Over time, you will build trust and that would provoke repetitive buying. Even the big name companies were not overnight successes. Those companies that have been around and are doing well have always delivered on their promises which has led to repetitive buying.
I would conclude with a simple quote from the CEO of Coca-Cola which states, “A brand is a promise but a good brand is a promise kept”.
Philip Redman,
Managing Director, Voltic (Gh) Ltd