MARKETING AFRICA MAL 18/17 mal 18:17 online | Page 42

BRAND CONSISTENCY
BRAND CONSISTENCY
AND COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE
By Tabani Moyo
A
s the curtain of the troubled
last year touched down,
putting closure to 12 months
of manmade socio-economic and
political crisis – projections on the
posture and stature of 2017 remained
blurred and a daunting task for the
majority of the companies.
While engulfed in that thought
process and the mind running riot on
the future of Zimbabwe, a promotion
‘‘ Brand consistency is
critical in that it keeps
track of the brand
across the clutter
of communication
channels. This is
critical in maintaining
its strengths, which in
the long run translates
into customer
acceptance and
ultimately the much
sort after sales.’’
40 MAL 18/17 ISSUE
by one of our very own local brand
Lobels Biscuits and Sweets caught
my attention on the social media.
It rolled out a nine (9) second video
clip of a sky-blue biscuits tin of the
company’s assortment of the biscuits
that have defined Zimbabwe’s
market for decades. The company’s
campaign was branded: Limited
Edition targeting the festive season
in stimulating sales.
promise to the multitudes of its key
stakeholders.
Put in the simplest terms, “When
you open a bottle of Sprite to
quench your thirst, it must not taste
like Fanta …” This is the level of
consistency that must be maintained
especially as the online channels are
developing at a runaway pace.
Coca Cola has mastered the art and
science of this approach! Its like
a forte! As I enjoyed the creative
wizardry by our own Lobels, Coca
Cola as its tradition had its own
Limited Edition, of the festive
season special bottles – a collector’s
edition so to speak! These are the
creative proses that should anchor
competitive brand management
going forward. This imperative proposition requires
that marketing should ensure
consistency of brand content
regardless of the media channels.
Such an approach leads to a strong
and profound communication
thrust which feeds to high customer
engagement and the highly
anticipated and yearned for brand
value. Brand value is an asset that
equips the company with unique
and distinct edge over competing
offerings.
In realizing these creative exploits,
the branding sixth sense was
triggered which stimulated the
focus of this installment. I asked the
profound question of how brands
will survive going forward! My
answer was that: brands need to be
consistent in delivering the brand As the brand grows, in this case,
Lobels Biscuits and Sweets, chances
are high that consistency across the
platforms might be compromised,
if there is no strategic framework to
guide the engagement process on the
multiple channels especially in the
digital arena.