Video Age International October 2015

50 October 2015 V I D E O A G E W here does branding come from? What does it stand for nowadays? And what will it stand for tomorrow? The technique of branding is probably as old as the world. It was surely developed and grown in the military and political fields. Branding has changed a lot over the centuries and will change even more in the next 15 years. Since the beginning of its existence, up until the Web became our daily playground, branding has relied on a few simple rules. Some of them are still true today (and will be in the future); others have changed significantly. As life is becoming more and more complex, simply recognizing a brand will not be enough. A big, bold, well-known logo will only be the starting point. Brands will have to become more and more an expression of values and way of living: an entity consumers can easily relate to, not just a commercial transaction. Wearing a brand means expressing a specific way of life, or joining a tribe with specific rules. Brands must come with life-wide values and statements. In the hyper-connected world of tomorrow, the old-fashioned hedonistic way of proposing brands doesn’t work. Having a fancy shirt with a crocodile on the chest only works if the crocodile means more than just quality and design. Being a good product was enough in the old world. Tomorrow, consumers will want to know more about this flag. They want to know what kind of values are represented and proposed by that brand. In order for a brand to emerge in a growing competitive scenario, it must have a strong personality, a point of view on everything and it has to answer: • Is the way the product is produced aligned with the consumers’ lifestyle and beliefs? • Is the producing company respected by its employees? •What is the position of the company on some strategic themes, likeenvironment or inclusion? Traditionally, brandswereall about consistency, color palettes, fonts and dimensions. Marketers believed that this consistencywas needed to show authority and get respect. In the future, context will be everything and the more the brand aligns with a specific situation, the better. Brands will no longer pretend to be accepted as they are. On the contrary, the same logo will be different in different places, on different targets, on different media or in a different environment. In the future, every consumer will have the chance to relate with the brands one-on-one. While in the past it was “special” to get in touch with your favorite brand beyond the consuming experience, now the expectation is a relation on the same level. Every day, consumers will become more aware of their power. The growth of social media will bring extra pressure on the companies, as customers will expect real-time reaction to their inputs. If the brand is about a lifestyle, we’ll see the brand’s presence in as many fields and markets as possible. It’s more than just brand extensions, it’s living the specific moment according to the brand’s personality. The brand will be built in harmony with the company and the customers. Indeed, the brand must belong to both the company and the consumer. It’s the same path as moving from monarchy to democracy. The marketing department will be less focused on defining the product guidelines and more on understanding the customer’s sentiment. So, 15 years from now, will branding still be key in the media world? Yes, and even more so than today. This is because the commercial and relationship world will become more and more complex. Platforms, languages, systems; everything will be multiplied and our brands will need to be everywhere. If linear (or appointment) TV still exists or is still viable in 15 years, it will be thanks to branding, which will contribute to its continued existence by signaling identity, positioning, benefits and roles of this service, compared to all the other entertainment offers. With VoD (in all its forms: SVoD, Pay VoD, etc.) expected to be the main form of TV consumption, brands will be even more important, since consumers will have to easily find titles or shows to watch. Therefore, not only the brand of the service will be important, but also branding of the show (or at least, some shows). Plus, in the future, the monetization of branding will be a routine exercise: How much value producers get in helping viewers find their products and choosing to watch them will be an integral part of any marketing decision. Producers can develop the best show on earth, but if consumers don’t know about it or don’t recognize it, success is impossible. Today, branding seems an extra cost that can be spent only when producers can afford it, while in the future it will become part of the production cost. In conclusion, in a complex world, consumers need simplified navigation tools, and for TV viewers of 2030, a strong brand will be like a GPS in the desert. By Luca F. Cadura Ten Steps to 2030 Brands to Become Expression Of Values And Way Of Living Luca Federico Cadura Luca Federico Cadura , leads Kenturio, a Rome, Italy-based media and marketing strategic consulting company he founded. Previously he spent 15 years at NBCUniversal Italy, producing and distributing the Company’s branded networks (Studio Universal, Diva Universal, Steel, E! Entertainment, Syfy, Style, Calle 13, Hallmark Channel in Italy and Universal Channel in Spain Greece and Turkey). Before joining the television arena he worked at advertising agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ayer and Grey. In the hyper- connected world of tomorrow, the old-fashioned hedonistic way of proposing brands doesn’t work.