You may recall a few months ago that Apple pulled its new Genius ad campaign. I will briefly use this campaign as an example of a company who momentarily forgot who they are.
One of the core messages that Apple has used in its advertising is just how simple a Mac is to use. The below commercial, titled Choose a Vista, exemplifies the Apple is easy message.
Compare and contrast that ad with one of the new Genius ads below.
The message of the Genius ad is either:
- “You are too stupid to use a Mac,” or
- “A Mac is so hard to use that you need a genius to help you use it.”
Either message is off-brand. As a viewer, I’m either offended or wondering what is so difficult about iMovie that I need help.
Mike Flacy of DigitalTrends.com penned,
“While certainly humorous, it can also be taken as embarrassing to dedicated fans of Apple products.”
The point is that brand managers stand as guardians of what brands mean to consumers. So a few guidelines.
- Have a clearly defined brand architecture that includes a brand positioning statement.
- Write clear creative briefs for agencies to work off of and make sure they understand your brand (especially true when transitioning to a new agency).
- Do a gut check. Does this ad feel on target? If the ad is meant to evolve or change the conversation around your brand, then ask, “Am I stretching my brand? Or risk taking for the sake of risk taking?”
What’s truly ironic, though, is that Steve Jobs never conducted consumer research and yet, he knew what the consumer wanted more times than not.