THE BRAND TRUST AND ICONIC MOVES TOP INSIGHT
Today, more and more companies make their appereance in a world full of well known and successful brands. What is the secret of those famous brands and what small companies should know in order to be a respectfull opponent?
If a brand wants to be different, make people notice it and appeal more and more customers, bold moves have to be made. And that’s something that an average person will find extraordinary. Iconic moves are the key to success.
Iconic moves, are the moves that make a brand differ from the others, present something innovative, that has not heard or seen before, something… iconic!
In order for businesses to establish a new way of interaction with their customers and expand their brand’s success, they make what we call “Iconic Moves” which help transform the brand and make it more desirable and useful. The term “Iconic Moves” is used because it refers to moves, which are actions that ripple across the markets and they are iconic because they help change perceptions, choice and behaviors towards a brand. We talk about bold moves that help create a new normal for the customers, they bring a new commitment between the brand and their audience that requires a specific follow-through and they tend to create some temporary monopolies, enhancing the brand’s choice and reducing its price elasticity. The Iconic Moves are not something planned, but they are products of unique conditions, decisions and timing. Thus, what they need in order to be fruitful is a combination of long-term ambition and short-permeability.
The need for brands to evolve through the Iconic Moves is because people nowadays move faster than them. They have a variety of choices to experiment with, thus the meaning of loyalty towards a brand changes radically. There is also an increase in the speed of the adoption of the innovation, created and brought to the customers by the brands and an important shift concerning the frames of reference of the customers, constantly creating new standards. As a result, it is vital for businesses to be in touch and in tune with their customers, setting new goals, refocusing their efforts and making constant progress.
A vast majority of the fastest growing organization think of their business not as a static construct, but as a brand that follows a specific trajectory which tightens the relations between the brand, its customers and the business. The term “trajectory” is used to define the direction followed by the brand and combines three components such as what needs and desires will be addressed concerning the customers, through what experiences will that be achieved concerning the businesses and with what business model and returns concerning the businesses’ interactions.
But what are the effects of Iconic Moves? First of all, Iconic Moves shift customers’ expectations by creating “a new normal” according to which, new behaviors and standards arise around the product that the brand sells. Secondly, Iconic Moves force an internal commitment to change through strategic moves and not only announcements but real commitment from the brand members. Lastly, iconic moves make the brand the desirable and ‘’the only’’ choice. Sometimes the brands reduce the price or they have a variety that fits all customers.
To make Iconic Moves, the brands need to be synchronized with their customers’ perceptions and continuously improve themselves through innovative ideas. It’s also important for the business to know when the time is right to make an Iconic Move through indications given by its customers, its performance, its competition with other brands and its operations. Following its trajectory, the brand has to try and create an alignment between its customers, the business and their interactions as well as to broaden the options. An Iconic Move is not just a promise. It needs a follow through to be started, constructed carefully and become a reality.
One of the most famous iconic moves has to be the one followed by Netflix which created the phenomenon of binge watching by instantly releasing all the episodes in a series, a move that sets a new standard for the costumer. Through Kaepernick campaign, Nike tried and succeeded to appeal US and non-US audiences. Another Iconic Move made by Lego was that, when the first movie was released, it was obvious the had focused on creating a new generation of ‘’builders’’ and succeeded to uplift the sales to 25%.
