„BEST BRAND MANAGEMENT & STRONGEST BRAND CAMPAIGN“ –
BEST PRACTICE

With a new category and the presentation of high quality entries,the European Real Brand Institute, REB.Institute, takes into account the fact that in times of crisis and intensifying competition, the importance of marketing departments is growing and the relevance of strategic brand management is increasing.

„Nothing sucks like an electrolux“. Before theSwedish company advertised its hoovers in the USA with this slogan, perhaps it should have been explained to those responsible for the campaign what „sucks“ means apart from „to suck“. A Spanis hcourse, on the other hand, would not have hurt Mitsubishi‘s brand manager. The off-road vehicle model „Pajero“ may sound good, but it sold rather badly in Spain; Pajero, Spanish for wanker ... It is not always linguistic finesse that condemns brand campaigns to flop. There can also be weaknesses in market understanding. When „resourceful “marketers came up with the idea of using the logo of a motorbike brand that traditionally stands for masculinity, strength and adventure to also advertise perfume and baby clothes, biker customers rebelled.The campaign had to be scrapped because the image had suffered. 

Besides the flops, there are of course also the tops; one can be mentioned by way of example. Until the1990s, Jägermeister brand herbal schnapps was considered a drink for the 50 plus age group. To expand the target group, so-called „Jägerettes“ -young women in skimpy orange clothing - were sent to bars to offer young guests ice-cold Jägermeisterin plastic test tubes. Jägermeister was then very popular with the younger clientele, and the brand‘s sales doubled in just a few years. A masterful image change.

Campaign criteria
What actually makes a good brand campaign? The question is not so easy to answer, the coordinated interaction of different resources and actors in this thematic field is complex. In any case, it first needs arough concept and answers to the questions of whothe target group is (Who are we talking to? What isthe insight? ...) and what the message is (What do we want to say? Can we make the statement? ...).What is needed is a strong central idea that carriesand inspires all campaign measures and later runs like a red thread through all forms of communication. Logically, the general conditions of the campaign (time, budget, competition, etc.) must also be clarified, which requires a deep understanding of the market as well as knowledge of self-perceptionand the perception of others. The detailed conceptthen deals with the concrete implementation. Which measures should lead to the defined goal and target group? In which chronological and content-related sequence and on which channel? And last but not least: How do you measure success?

New category
What is a good brand campaign and how must it bemanaged - this question has also been asked at the European Real Brand Institute, REB.Institute. And for good reason, as CEO Harald Steiner explains:„In times of crisis and intensifying competition, the importance of marketing departments is growing and the relevance of strategic brand managementis increasing. We want to take this into accountand have not only launched the election for „CMO of the year“ in 2022, but also the created the category „Best Brand Management & Strongest Brand Campaign“.“ In the course of this, suitable evaluation criteria were created, exactly eleven innumber (strategy & brand tonality, target group,message, creation & impact, attention, originality, curiosity & interest, networking, PR support & content, affiliation, authenticity). The questions tobe answered for the assessment thus range from „Does the campaign focus on a clearly identifiable target group?“ and „Does the campaign arouse curiosity to learn more about the product or company?“ to „Does the campaign make a value promise?“ to „Is the campaign connectable to the brand‘s communication?“ or „Is the campaign - in the context of the brand - authentic?“. 

A colourful bouquet of campaigns
The feedback was great. More than 20 campaignswere submitted and evaluated in a multi-stageprocess by the 14-member expert jury of the Brand Board using hard indicators. „What was interesting and striking was the colourful variety of approaches in the campaigns submitted,“ says Ralf Kemmer, marketing and communications expert at SHR Berlin University of Applied Sciences and member of the Brand Board jury. In fact, the type of communication and the objectives differed considerably in some cases, as some examples illustrate. For example, one submission in the campaign for a new Frankfurt neighbourhood focuses on creating a „community feeling“: „Our goal was to positively charge a place that doesn‘t yet exist and transform a forgotten neighbourhood.“ Other campaigns focus on pure property and project submissions, emphasising brand histories or pushing zeitgeisty themes. „One World. One Goal. One Team.“ is one of the slogans. In order to convey an ambitious ESG target image, a 360-degree communication concept was developed to make the ESG challenge comprehensible and tangible for all stakeholders, both internally and externally. The issue of social responsibility was also addressed in a campaign. The content of the campaign is an employee competition in which social projects are put on the agenda and particularly worthy social institutions are presented to a jury within the company, which also includes parts of the management. According to those responsible, the campaign is intended to strengthent he foundation of the company‘s self-image, true to the motto: „We are doing well, we share that.„We do not want to impose any requirements with the AWARD. In this respect, we are pleased about the diversity of the strategies,“ says Ralf Kemmer. Harald Steiner explains what is to be achieved with the new category: „We want to encourage a constructive debate on the topic of brand and communication. Following this idea, we will present five to six works that, in the jury‘s view, distinguish qualitatively outstanding campaign communication as Best Cases at the Brand Academy.“ There will be no final ranking in 2022. Rather, the implementation of strategic goals and creative solutions should become transparent and be on display as showcases. „We are developing learning approaches for the industry. From our point of view, this is more necessary and sustainable in a first step than an award.“ (CL)