Why coherence eats consistency for breakfast
Ambrish Chaudhry
Head of Strategy, Asia
It’s a confusing time to be a marketer these days.
A spontaneously built vibe on social media can be just as effective as years of carefully curated distinctive brand assets. Advertising is fast trending towards surrealism with Seal playing well… a seal and moustaches flying across windows, as evidenced in this year’s Superbowl. DE&I-related, purpose-led branding is becoming a distant speck in the rearview mirror. The cult of personality fast overtaking years of hard-earned brand personas.
To paraphrase a great literary work, these are the best of times and the worst of times. And while it’s not quite yet time to tear up the rule book, it’s worth updating it for sure. So, here’s some food for thought for continued brand growth in a post-branding world.
Consistency has long been seen as the epitome of brand building. Doing the same thing over and over again builds precious brand assets and ensures the best return on presence. And while much of that is true, as many past doyens struggling for relevance will attest, there is a lot to be said for flexibility.
It is empirically proven that an omni-channel approach is the biggest multiplier of return on investment and maximises ad spends. However, implementing the same assets in a similar way across different touchpoints is a sure shot route to being ignored. Brands now need the inherent flex to have different conversations with differing audiences across differing media. And brand assets need to be set up for that.
The best brand guidelines do not constrain creativity and the altar of consistency. In fact, they become sandboxes that allow different permutations which, while staying true to the brand, create varied and delightful manifestations that keep audiences engaged. Think of the best brands and the way they communicate. You don’t have to see their logos to identify their messages. Multiple aspects such as emotional principles, tonality, sonic experience, use of photography etc. are hard at work to bring their messages to life. And here’s the kicker, it’s usually not done in exactly the same way. For example, while Airbnb’s brand identity is centered around “belong anywhere,” the way it communicates this varies significantly for different cultures, user experiences, and market trends and yet it is unmistakably Airbnb.
Much like brands, businesses that own them are also in dire need of flexibility. From moving across price points, to collaborations with other brands and artists, to limited-time offers, businesses have multiple needs to extract value from one of the most precious assets – the brands they own. However, applying said brand in a singular fashion can often stretch credulity beyond repair. Often, the best role that the brand can take is offstage left.
Many long-standing brands are facing death by a thousand cuts. An artisanal product here, an influencer-backed launch there, a competitive innovation and suddenly one is skirting with irrelevance. It is not that trust has become less important but there are many new signifiers of trust beyond heritage. From laser focus on the customer experience to innovative packaging, category-disrupting new formats etc., the route to trust now has many shortcuts. So, if you are a leading brand defending against the rising tide of competition, think legacy and not heritage. Legacy is a reminder of a promise you’ve made and lived up to over the years and while the manifestations of what that looks like may change, the essence does not.
To break the rules, you have to first master them. A rising trend amongst brands is to be selectively sacrilegious with their brand assets. Think KFC’s famous FCK ad or Pepsi’s fast-food combinations; the years of strongly adhering to brand assets can sometimes create gold if you’re willing to scruff up the rules, once in a while.
And there you have it. While as marketers we are trained to hear the siren song call of consistency, coherence is the lesser traveled path to lasting brand relevance. The true North Star, that focuses on the first-principles of brand building to engage and delight audiences. The perfect antidote to AI-induced blandness we are careening towards at break-neck speed.