Back to the future - What, if anything, can modern brands learn from those of the past?

“The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones” - John Maynard Keynes, 1987

Good brand and organisational process evolution is timeless. Technology, environmental, societal and legislative pressures are forever evolving, and on these aspects specifically, there are significant differences between the 20th and 21st century and how brands executed their respective strategies.

Successful brands will make decisions on the basis of the best information and data to hand, that data can be live/streamed data or historic legacy data, either way, good decisions require good intelligence and understanding – whether this be how do something well or otherwise. On this basis brands are continually learning, continually assessing their performance, and continuing to look back at lessons learned, as well as forward with vision and direction.

Brand evolution, growth and success is wholly dependent on its actions at the time and are independent of dates or milestones. The ability of a brand to adapt to the technologies, societal pressures and consumer behaviour trends are what will ultimately define a brand’s long-term success. Therefore, the statement of brands not being able to learn from the past must be considered in two different aspects:

?1)??The ability and the processes in place within a brand to adapt to changing market forces, societal pressures and cultural ethics (eg – advertising restrictions)

2)??The drivers forcing a brand to adapt, onboard, lever technology advancements and remain relevant with how the brand interacts with its audience (example digital communication revolution)

Organisations should always leverage the wealth of historic best practices especially with processes that remain constant through time. However, history has limited direct relevance to the unique technologies and drivers that feature now and in the future.

There is no tomorrow without a today first

Good process, proactive strategy and creativity is timeless. The ability of a brand to not only react to market forces today but also see ahead to how market opportunities will develop and evolve in future is critical to a brand’s growth, success and ongoing survival. Having the culture, processes and structures in place to encourage forward thinking and to allow the ability to change and reinvent are key attributes associated with successful brands from both the past and today. If brands remain hostages to legacy, they become restricted and anchored in their audience perception, many successful brands will set time frames within which they refresh, reinvent and relaunch themselves regardless of external drivers. Numerous successful brands from the 20th century continue to exist, thrive and hold dominant market positions thanks to their ability to understand the market, react to change and have the confidence to invest in their future vision.

A glance at a non-technology brand like LEGO demonstrates this perfectly. Though it started as a 10-person company making wooden toys in Denmark, LEGO has come a long way since 1939. Over the years, they’ve made the brick design more durable, patented their LEGO block design, exploded their international sales, and become a multi-billion-dollar company. They consistently evolve – in both their products and branding – all the while remaining true to their original brand mission: providing an outlet for a child’s imagination i.e. plastic toys to Hollywood to video games and clothing.

Given the multiple challenges and headwinds that have faced brands over the past 2 decades its particularly important to respect the brands that have not only emerged in this time, but more importantly transitioned through it.

Human being not a human doing – Scatman John, 1995

Human beings are emotive and often spontaneous in nature, the majority of human beings naturally gravitate towards each other either with like minded individuals (clan mentality) or just in terms of wanting to be connected and sociable (pack mentality). Without the benefits of digital pervasion brands in the 20th century had to become very adept at interactive and far reaching broadcast marketing, using experiential events and far more personable strategies.

Apple is one of most successful brands of all time. Since its beginnings as a humble start-up in a garage in 1976, Apple has quickly evolved into the corporate giant we know today. Apples’ success can be, in part, attributed to its ability to understand its audience, adapt consistently strong marketing tactics and deliver personal experiences - an Apple store is not just and retail store it is an experience designed with product support hubs and people interaction points.

As digital connectivity continues to influence and become ever more pervasive consumers are facing a digital “white out” where even highly targeted marketing, derived from personal data trails, is being lost in a sea of saturation and constant bombardment. Additionally, marketing content is increasingly interfacing with people in an often uniform or sterile environment such as their home or other personal environment via a mobile device or personal computer – you can interact with multiple competing brands all whilst sat in your bathroom in the space of ten minutes. In the quest for differentiators brands are looking at how they can connect and engage with audiences on a more emotive level and in this instance the 20th century has plenty of lessons and insights to offer.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/taking-fresh-aim-your-marketing-christopher-lewis

GDPR – the Great Data Permission Rebellion!

In an age of information data is king. However, consumers are wising up and becoming more privacy conscious. Short to medium-term a number of movements and controversies are acting to restrict and curtail the way personal data is harvested, processed and then used to influence our decision-making process. As such, data gathering curtailment presents challenges by restricting the brand marketing automation and associated targeting technologies. Reverting back to aspects of the 20th century where data collection was far more overt and less utilised will provide some mitigation against growing data use legislation.

A really great example of smart effective content marketing pioneers is John Deere. In 1895, the brand started publishing a magazine called?“Furrow”. It was published during a time when there was no television, radio, or Internet. The purpose was to?educate farmers?on how to better manage their crops. The “Furrow” is now published in over 40 countries and in 12 languages. It has been adapted for online and related content is published over their social media channels. John Deere established their brand as synonymous with farming and that helped grow sales.

Own your back yard – The drive for increased regional relevance

The continued digitalisation of our lives connects global communities and trends, no longer are brands existing within just its high street or regional trade association- today, brands exist within a global eco system positioned alongside same space organisations regardless of geography.

As society evolves, we can look at trends from multiple sources that show a migration of peoples desires to become more regional, more specific and have a greater passion to find personal identity and purpose. Whilst global connectivity brings many benefits it also erodes personal identity and, on this point, global brands need to retain regional relevance. The limited global connection or relevance of 20th century brands once again provides useful lessons and insights as to how 21st century brand activity can retain regional relevance and consideration.

Since its launch, McDonald’s consistent efforts to revamp their brand, products, advertisements, and even packaging has created one of the most successful examples of brand-building in the world, part of this success lies with their “Glocal” strategy – driving regional content as a global brand and consistently remaining relevant at all levels. McDonald’s business has grown significantly through locally tailored products and messaging that has built on the relevance of local tastes and dining preferences.

Where 21st century brands have less direct lessons to learn from the 20th century

The essential differences faced by brands in the 21st century can be defined by advances in technology driving enhanced connectivity and cultural changes that in turn have had significant impacts on the societies we live in, the expectations we set and the behaviours we adopt as consumers and as human beings.

Technology brings us ever closer to the things we want and when we want them. The rise of the “on demand” society is well documented, fuelled by technology, connection and other societal facilitators such as access to financial credit, improved logistics and the rise of connected homes and extended devices (IoT).

Fact is that the most valuable brands in the world are technology brands i.e. Amazon, Apple, Netflix just to name a few. These are also the fastest growing brands and although they can reference brands from the past for inspiration, to move forward they need to “think differently” and build new agile business models to be able to accommodate constant change.

I want the world and I want it right now - 2wo Third3, 1994

Unlike in the 20th century, consumers in the 21st century have access to numerous sources and facilities that now enable a dramatic reduction in the time between desire and purchase. Previously a trip to a retail facility or extended wait for a delivery often meant that impulse buys were restricted, and purchases were far more considered or qualified.

The ability for consumers to now access same day delivery and make impulse purchases within seconds has created a culture where consumers expect what they want and when they want it. This is an entirely new dynamic and a demographic which never existed in the 20th century. As such, 21st century brand success has little or no reference for how they succeed by looking to the past. From TV programmes and meals to same day product deliveries consumer expectation and buying behaviour is dramatically changed from the 20th century.

Future technology enabling brands

Brands in the 21st century have the benefit of being able to use a wealth of technology with which they can analyse, engage with and connect to their markets through. Previously redundant, mundane or disregarded data generated by consumer activity is now being harvested, analysed and then used to predict and ultimately exploit consumer buying behaviour. Access to HPC and data management capabilities empower all brands to scrutinise buying behaviours, market trends and feed business performance metrics. In many ways the essence of chance or intuition is being removed and replaced by metrics and data-based directives.

Chance driven and emotional brand messaging are becoming less commonplace. However, in an information age, where fast-pace change is a constant, 21st century brands can lead with the ability to deliver more effective content and communication to the right people in the right place plus stronger personal experiences based on people’s interests both in online and offline environments.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/free-freedom-choice-influence-marketing-onset-technology-lewis

All we have to do is keep talking – Prof Stephen Hawking, BT, 1993

The way we communicate and connect as human beings has changed greatly since the turn of the century.

Technology has in many ways brought us closer together but in the same breath it has also pushed us further apart and isolated us. Whilst the 20th century relied heavily on direct human interaction and engagement the 21st century has seen the advent of numerous new channels and platforms within which brands can interact and engage with their target audiences – it is however worth considering that these new channels are mostly delivering a limited human experience and point of differentiation to other brands.

Even though brands now have the ability to select from a multitude of platforms within which to connect and align with their audiences, it is worth acknowledging that there are still only two real categories-

1. Intimate (in person)
2. Distant (via a connective medium)

Whilst not dissimilar to the 20th century the difference is that with so many digital platforms to utilise, brands have greater access to, and better definition of, the audiences they wish to connect with. For example, certain demographics will prefer one platform over another and therefore brands have the ability to select which mediums will best serve their outcome goals. Brands will need to “Think Differently” but also reinvent new ways of engaging their audiences effectively.

The new tools, attitudes and approaches to guide brands from linear to exponential growth

Brands are experiencing their traditional value-creation tactics being increasingly disrupted. Whilst complexity, uncertainty and change have been on the agenda for some time few companies have taken the bold action that success requires. In 2014, Altimeter Group reported that only 71 companies remained from the original 1955 fortune 500 list. Pro-active or visionary change is often required to survive, reactive change often arrives too late.

Some of the key assumptions that have shaped the consumer product and retail industries for decades such as the best ways to organise a business to the products and services to sell are becoming increasingly irrelevant/ineffective. Instead, customer orientated solution selling is driving massive changes in how a brand relates and engages with its audiences, this customer first approach has replaced the complacent and often ignorant "what we have" ultimatum with a more considerate and empathetic "what you want or need" proposition.

It is critical that brands ensure not to be complacent with regards what an organization achieved in the past: legacy baggage can feel too much like useful heritage. Organizations need to find a better balance between leveraging heritage, protecting what they have today and investing in what they need to become in the long-term future. Brands need to constantly evolve their organisations to remain relevant, Amazon and Netflix provide good examples of this.

Over the past decade, consumers around the world have changed how they discover products, where they shop, as well as what and how they ultimately buy. Key drivers for this have been new technology, innovative business models and disruptive brands. We are already on the verge of a new economic revolution where disruption will be exponential, unfolding in compound leaps and bounds, not as a step by step gradual evolution as has been previously. Brands are already experiencing this change and a resultant urgency to adapt and the Covid-19 pandemic has only accelerated and exacerbated these drivers further.

Brands must learn to reinvent themselves by designing, planning and strategizing their future now.

• Prepare for the next revolution now – Be able to anticipate what will happen next – customer first approach.
• Create value from data – Setting up today for a flexible technical infrastructure model that supports to deliver the value you need from your data.
• Create a super-agile & scalable organisation – Build an ecosystem that can help seize opportunities faster. Enable the brand to adapt and change with the world around it – both inward and outward facing. Be able to communicate with relevance to the right person at the right time, in the right tone and in the right place!
• Find new ways to navigate – Have a clear future growth strategy supported by agreed business priorities and goals – invest in the analytics tech and people to identify where investment can create growth.
• Understanding where the value and opportunity can be found – Constantly be aware of markets, trends, peers and customers, build on success and mitigate weaknesses or competitive disadvantage. Don't be afraid to Kill, Cure or Curate regardless of legacy or historic inertia.
• Balance what it takes to be relevant – If it is not profitable, it is not sustainable. Balance short-term?and?long-term actions, growth?and?cost-cutting, innovation?and?efficiency, centralisation?and?decentralisation. The age old balance between tactical and strategic is as relevant today as it always was previously.
• Be realistic with what can be delivered and aspired to - Many organisations are guilty of aiming to high and then becoming paralysed by the lack of talent or resource required to deliver, work towards continual growth, improvement and evolution. Whilst it is important to have direction and goals, the journey today and what can be done is equally as important as where you wish to end up, and even then, we never end up anywhere as we are constantly building and evolving to stay relevant.
• Stress test every assumption – Challenge complacency & think differently. If it doesn't work - Kill it, if it can work - Cure it, If it works well - Curate it!

Conclusion

What can good brands can learn from the past? The answer is that brands have a lot to learn from the past especially when it comes to processes, the vision to change as well as the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and market forces. Brands that successfully transitioned the millennium provide us with great inspiration and advocacy with regards brands that face similar revolutions in the future.

However, it is true that few “direct” lessons can be learned from the 20th century with regards factors, such as the advances in technology and its wider implications. These are factors that have profoundly and uniquely revolutionised the consumer behaviour of the 21st century. Broader changes in behaviour and society though are not unique to any one period of time.

As a result, companies need to pro-actively address the need to change in order to survive, reactively adapting to what’s happening "now" is not enough. New forms of disruption have the potential to truly revolutionize the world of the consumer. Brands will need to adapt new ways of thinking and working in order to succeed by stay aligned to technology and consumer behaviour, and to be able to grow and remain relevant going forward - This is as true now as it was 70 years ago.

Having a clear vision and direction based on qualified research, data and insights is crucial for all brands to understand where they are and then create the credible vision of where they want to go - having the right strategy, processes and pathways in place to link that vision and direction to delivery and execution is essential. Whilst markets and customer trends may change, the brand processes and infrastructures required to accommodate and lever these changes remain robust and constant. It is not the change itself that is to be feared, its whether we have the right systems and processes in place as a brand to foresee and exploit those changes for the best that should be our main focus of effort and investment.