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“ Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Apple’s “Think Different” advertising campaign, 1997
The words of Apple’s 1997 “Think Different” campaign seem, in many ways, prophetic as we head into 2012—and it is no coincidence that it also marked a pivotal moment in the brand’s evolution to the fastest rising Best Global Brand we see today. Indeed, bold and visionary thinking has never been more vital than right now. Today’s average consumer experiences a torrent of information coming at them at every moment. Twitter, Facebook, WikiLeaks, Google+, YouTube–blink and you might miss something. In fact, the influx has become so overwhelming that aggregators that filter the information for us (popUrls, Videosift, The Hype Machine, just to name a few) have become businesses in their own right, growing and evolving to meet the needs of those who use them. Ultimately, for Brand Managers, all the noise means one thing: standing out from competitors is becoming increasingly challenging, even as it is increasingly important. Yet, despite the obstacles, some brands are finding ways to do it–and they are not just creating a short-term impact, but even more importantly making a relevant and differentiated promise that they can sustain for the long term.
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Google and Pixar: Workplace innovation It may be counter-intuitive for some to think that an internal endeavor could elevate a brand’s presence externally, but for Google and Pixar, this has proved to be exactly the case. Google’s workplaces around the world—replete with a slide that shoots to the cafeteria serving gourmet food, local expressions in each location (murals in Buenos Aires and ski gondolas in Zurich), bicycles and scooters for travel between meetings, massage chairs, large inflatable balls, yurts and huddle rooms—have been a successful way for the organization to drive home its positioning as innovative, experimental, and fun. Similarly, Pixar’s Willy Wonka-esque headquarters,featuring secret panels and work-sheds that resemble tiny houses, garners “oohs and ahhs” in the media. Pixar and Google’s internal culture has been an unexpected way for them to stand out from competitors. Devotion to employees and attention to the workplace puts them in a position to hire the best talent for their fields, setting both companies up for the delivery of a superior product. An innovative and fun workplace also encourages employee loyalty, reducing costs typically associated with these aspects of business. Overall, both organizations' internal culture have made their brands the powerhouses that they are—and allow us to be forgiving when they blunder. Gap: From pop -up to food truck After its embarrassing logo rebrand misstep at
the end of 2010, Gap has spent the past year rethinking its strategy and positioning, with a new CMO, Seth Farbman, at the helm. This year, it moved forward with a number of highly innovative experiments. First was its pop-up store on Fifth Avenue in New York that was curated by the popular blog “Cool Hunting.” Taking cues from young, edgy brands like Opening Ceremony, the store infused the Gap brand with a hefty dose of cool by offering the latest in innovative design, artisan craftsmanship, and social and environmental consciousness. The small space was filled with products ranging from Grado headphones to the latest Jonathan Adler pieces. Even more recently it launched a campaign for its 1969 Denim Collection. In addition to featuring a bird’s eye look at GAP’s innovative workspace and employees, it has rolled out a roaming “Pico De Gap” gourmet taco truck with a menu orchestrated by Top Chef contestant Ryan Scott. The food truck is set to launch in major cities across the U.S. in the fall. The creativity is yielding a wealth of positive buzz. IBM: It is all about positioning While retail brands have the advantage of a direct consumer audience, it can be more challenging for a B2B brand to stand out from competitors and generate chatter. And yet, IBM integrates its “Smarter Planet” messaging into everything—and elicits awe for the incredible way it weaves the long-term positioning into the many spaces it works in, be it consulting, software, cloud computing, or anything else. While what IBM actually “does” may not be as clear to consumers as it is to its B2B core audience, there is still an innate understanding of the brand and what it stands for because of the spot-on nature of its messaging. Change the world It is true that creating a unique and lasting positioning in today’s brand landscape is no easy feat, but a number of brands are proving what’s possible if you think outside the box. So start taking some risks–and start changing the world.
Google's office in Zurich (Credit: Google) 11 Best Global Brands 2011 by Interbrand