The 2008 UK Superbrands
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As always, it is interesting to see what people in the know feel are the UK’s top brands, and the latest results have just been announced. The BBC cover it here and the official Superbrands website can be found here.
The results
Ok, Google have put in an impressive performance here, moving up two places from the 2007 poll. What is unsurprising is that the supermarkets, Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons, have all plummeted, probably due to the fact that food is more and more expensive, and that people are wising up to the fact that these corporate behemoths rip off their suppliers and make way too much profit. Asda dropped 253 places - Tesco 230 - Sainsburys 194. That is a serious fall from grace.
So how is this thing judged?
This to me is always essential to know, and this year, the Superbrands council state that:
” A Superbrand is one that offers customers significant emotional and tangible advantages over other brands”
As well as being judged on 3 other factors:
” Quality, Reliability and Distinction”
A nationally represented group as well as the Superbrands council do the voting and come out with the top 500.
Do I agree with the top 10?
8 out of ten I do. However, I’m not sure Microsoft can be called reliable with the Vistaster or offer emotional advantages! As to Royal Doulton, I really don’t give a giraffe’s breakfast whether I eat off a paper plate or fine china as long as the food is good!
Of course, the big brand missing for me, is my beloved Apple, and that folks is at number 11.
Google is the only web-based brand in the top 50 - Yahoo! coming in at 75 and Amazon UK coming at 285. it is interesting to compare the UK list to a global brand list based on value for 2008:
So, only the big G and Microsoft appear in both top ten. One of the big factors for me at least, is not how well known a brand is but how it behaves, looks and “feels”. A small brand can get a huge following by being, well, small. The unknown, the sort of secret factor of these smaller brands can be a very powerful way of attracting people. Combine that with the power of the web, where the word of mouth marketing can spread virally, the community which can be created, and the two way communication that should be encouraged, and you get a brand which will always be successful, not because of being big and all-powerful, but for being small, and well, cool.
A couple of brands that I feel fall in this category are teapigs tea, Howies clothes, Able and Cole food and IC Berlin specs. These are the brands that impress me, although I am a BIG fan of Google too.
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When word of mouth marketing works
Word of mouth marketing is something that makes a huge amount of sense. If you experience something good, you tell someone about it. Word of mouth. On the other side, you experience something bad, and you also tell people about it, possibly even more!
Word of mouth marketing has always been there, but with the rise of the web, and of course Google, it has started to be recognised as a serious part of the marketing mix and even has it’s own association - WOMMA, and they do a good job of explaining what they think it is all about.
What is vital for Word of Mouth marketing is customer satisfaction, (and dissatisfaction in some cases), the ability of being able to facilitate a conversation between customers, potential customers and the company / brand, and transparent communications. The basic elements are laid out by WOMMA are:
- Educating people about your products and services
- Identifying people most likely to share their opinions
- Providing tools that make it easier to share information
- Studying how, where, and when opinions are being shared
- Listening and responding to supporters, detractors, and neutrals
There are a number of key things to understand here.
- If you have a happy customer, they are going to sing your praises
- Encourage them to tell other people if they have a good experience, and give them the means to do so if at all possible
- Listen, learn, get feedback, and actively take on board all postive and especially negative comments, so that you can act and make your product and service better
- Word of Mouth marketing really fits well with an authentic company which behaves in a postive manner with its customers. Word of Mouth is being honest, telling the truth and should not be forced
In fact, as pointed out by the WOMMA, Word of Mouth marketing can be organic (natural) or amplified (I like to use the term, stimulated). I regularly take part in natural word of mouth for certain brands and services because I am pleased with them, and have a desire to share my enthusiasm, with the honest belief that I will be helping someone, making their life better, or recommending something they will also enjoy. (Natural word of mouth could be likened to evangelism). Examples of my organic / natural word of mouth would be:
- Apple computers and the iPhone (I know, a real shock)
- 37 signals services
- Wordpress
- Method Cleaning gear
- Howies clothes
- Hasbean Coffee
- First Direct banking
- IC Berlin spectacles
All of these companies and brands make me smile, provide excellent service and great products. Stimulated Word of Mouth marketing happens when companies actively launch campiagns to facillitate Word of Mouth.
There is one BIG watch out with this seemingly great form of marketing. And that, ladies and gents, is false Word of Mouth, paying people to be positive, spamming people, providing misleading information, I think your get the idea. Word of Mouth works best when you have a great product or service. It really is as simple as that. That’s what your aiming for anyway isn’t it? If you get this right, word of mouth will come along soon enough, you may just want to be able to harness it, and perhaps stimulate it. Just don’t think people won’t notice if you try and do something a little unethical. They will, and it will always come back to haunt you.
PS I nearly forgot about why word of mouth works! Two good examples from yesterday and today. A friend recommended me to his friend, who got in touch and I get a new client. I tell my friend about the great coffee we are drinking, and he goes to investigate online and will order some. Natural, unprompted word of mouth resulting in sales and more business. If only all marketing was like this! But, it could be. Think about it 
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