We (as consumers and marketers) hear the term brand all of the time, but what exactly does that mean? Brand experience is conceptualized as sensations, feelings, cognitions, and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of a brand’s design and identity, packaging, communications, and environments. Brand experience affects consumer satisfaction and loyalty directly and indirectly through brand personality associations (Brakus, Schmitt, & Zarantonello, 2009). This blog post will highlight three examples of commercial that are not literal by creative choice. These three examples focus on the brand experience and not the product itself.
#1 Nike
The story (the plot):
In this Nike commercial, a young boy is jogging slowly in the middle of a road. The young boy is overweight, but he appears to be determined to lose weight (or to be great as the commercial suggests). He is jogging on a road in what appears to be mid-west America with nothing but land on both sides of the road and rusted mailboxes on the left. He also appears to be in possibly a middle or lower class family wearing a dull white T-shirt and dull white average shoes and possibly basketball shorts- Nothing fancy.
In the commercial, the boy is a good distance away from the camera and as the narrator describes how greatness isn’t anything more than average and that “we are all capable of it”, the boy continues to jog closer to the camera.
The strategy:
This is a great example because Nike did not highlight any of their products (that I could tell anyway). If the boy was wearing Nike clothing and shoes, it was not obvious to me. The producer concluded the commercial with the brand’s positioning statement and the Nike logo.
This commercial was shot to emphasize the brand. It reinforces how Nike represents all of us who want to strive for “greatness”. It touches on emotions too as it shows an average boy determined to beat what so many Americans struggle with—Obesity
The Brand Positioning Statement:
Nike made the brand positioning statement in this commercial obvious (to me). It was “Find Your Greatness”. It seemed obvious to me because of the narrator’s emphases on how we are all capable of greatness and the commercial ended with the phrase “Find Your Greatness” and a Nike check mark.
#2 Bernas
This company is a partner in the paddy and rice industry who is involved in the importation, warehousing, distribution, and marketing of rice in Malaysia (Berhad, 2016).
The Story (The Plot):
In this commercial, the viewer is presented with a dramatic scene of a mother begging her son not to leave. Then the viewer is taken on a three minute and seven-second journey of a very traditional Asian father resenting his son for being a teenager and not following traditions such as respect and hard work. The teenage boy is staying out late, doesn’t care about family time with his father watching tv as he is on the phone with friends instead. The father and son have a huge fight, the son leaves the house, and then falls at the work site losing the ability to use his legs. The father remembers how he had to teach his son to walk as a baby and begins to help his son walk again.
The Strategy:
The producer of this commercial doesn’t show the rice importing company name or describe the importation process at all until the end. The producer created a short drama to really draw viewers in and connect with them emotionally. Thought the commercial the family is brought together by dinner time and it shows the traditional Asian meals being served with rice as the main staple.
The Brand Positioning Statement:
The commercial ends with the phrase “Gong Xi Fa Cai” on the screen and a narrator saying “Family is forever”. Then the company name and logo is presented.
#3 Chevy
The Story (The plot):
This commercial starts out showing the viewer a girl in the veterinarian office with an aged dog. Her under eyes are red from crying and she is affectionately petting her dog. Next, the commercial takes the viewer on an intimate look at her life with her dog. The producer shows you how her dog was there when she started college and when she graduated. The dog was there when she had her first kiss, and when she experienced a break up. It shows you how her dog has always been there for her.
The Strategy:
Thought this commercial there are subtle shots which include a vehicle, but the Chevy symbol doesn’t appear until 44 seconds into the commercial. When she first learns to drive, the camera catches a glimpse of the steering wheel with the gold Chevy Logo. The focus of the commercial is not on the car, it is on the girl’s life events and how her dog was by her side through all of them.
Brand Positioning Statement:
The commercial ends with a prominent shot of a Chevy, a little girl taking home her first dog, and a phrase that reads “A best friend for life’s journey”. The brand positioning statement could be seen as “A Reliable Car”.
Conclusion:
Creating a brand requires creating an image, a thought, a feeling, an experience for your viewer. Most of us end up thinking too much about primary product features or benefits. We don’t think enough about the brand experience. This is the real world of how consumers experience your brand, which includes far more than the features or benefits that attach to a given product or service (Greenfield, 2003). These three examples show how people experience the brand (i.e. the average person striving to be great, dinner bringing a family together, and a girl experiencing life with her reliable best friend by her side). They are not literal by choice because they want the viewer to experience the brand not just see the features and benefits.
Reference:
Berhad (2016). Bernas.com. Bernas at a glance. Retrieved from: http://www.bernas.com.my/
Brakus, J. J., Schmitt, B. H., & Zarantonello, L. (May 01, 2009). Brand Experience: What Is It? How Is It Measured? Does It Affect Loyalty?. Journal of Marketing, 73, 3, 52.
Greenfield, A. (January 01, 2003). Brands That Get Noticed: Want to know what makes a brand stand out? Try looking through a consumer’s eyes. Marketing Research, 15, 28-31.
Integrated Marketing 
August 27, 2016 at 3:59 pm
Great job. And you are correct Brand building is about so much more than what many creatives are making it out to be today. It isnt just about pretty colors abd fonts, its about company values, brand building is about the message you want planted into those who come across the brand, and it is very much about strategy.
While pretty colors and fonts are great, what message are you planting in the eyes abd ears of those coming across your brand?
That is the most important part of the Branding Process that many miss out on.
Again, great piece.
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August 28, 2016 at 4:46 pm
Awesome!!!
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