How powerful brands can support Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 18 March 2014 01:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

On Sunday, Sri Lanka saw a new chapter unfolding with Femina Miss India staging a part of the pageant in Sri Lanka presented by Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts that received attention the world over, triggering a positive buzz about Sri Lanka. My mind went back to the words of Simon Anholt who mentioned if a country doesn’t like its image – and most countries don’t – then the only way to change, update, enhance or otherwise influence that image is through the things the country does, not by the things it says. Influencing a country’s reputation is primarily a matter of policy, strategy, innovation and investment over a very long period – it has nothing to do with logos, slogans, advertising or PR campaigns. To my mind Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts put into action a set of stimuli out of Sri Lanka as per what Simon Anholt advocates, which was very positive and exactly what the country requires at this moment of time given the challenges we are seeing on the world stage emanating from Geneva. What we need to keep in mind is that countries with a powerful and positive image can export more products, culture, people and services and attract more tourists, investors and immigrants and the attention and respect of other governments. Countries with weak or damaged images find it much harder and more expensive to achieve all of these goals. Power brands There are many power brands in Sri Lanka. The top five categories that these brands come from are telecom, banking, finance and leasing, milk powder and biscuits, but a noteworthy brand that needs special mention is Singer, which was awarded the most popular brand title for the ninth time at the SLIM People’s Awards 2014. The challenge now is how these power brands can support the country so that Sri Lanka can focus on driving substance rather than spin, about real improvements

rather than marketing magic. A point to note is that reputation cannot be constructed; it can only be earned. The question should never be ‘What can we say to make Sri Lanka famous?’ but ‘What can we do to make Sri Lanka relevant?’ Relevance is the only issue that matters: The Miss Femina 2014 pageant brought in relevance and we now need to build on this premise in the year to come. What powerful brands do In this backdrop of macroeconomic challenges and global realities that are unfolding, let me capture some key secrets that powerful brands practice. 1. Principles Powerful brands demonstrate their values in every decision that they make. In fact they go on to make a statement to their customer at different stages of the purchasing process. Such companies carefully architecture the impression that want to leave in a consumer’s mind every time they come in contact with the brand and then they implement it with absolute precision. For example, if we take Colombo Courtyard, the boutique hotel in the city, from the point a customer enters through its stately gates to parking the vehicle and then walking to the restaurant, they leave a clear mark on a customer that makes the experience unique. A point to note is that at each touch point the customer experiences the principle by which Colombo Courtyard operates. This is what makes it a powerful brand. I guess this is why Colombo Courtyard won the Best Luxury Business Boutique Hotel in Sri Lanka award. Hence, the task for a company wanting to practice this ‘science of touch points’ must first identify

these consumer touch points and then do the needful in the recruitment and training of its staff so that gold standard implementation is possible. This is what I would call principles-based operations in a company.

2. Promises Here what we see is that powerful brands analyse the underlying motivation that makes one get into bed with a brand. For instance the reason why someone will go in search of a Siddhalepa balm is because he or she believes that by applying Siddhalepa on can get relief from a nasty headache. This means that powerful brands deliver promises that they are supposed to be selling continuously. Those who do it with impact make the brand take residency in a consumer’s mind, which in turn results in trial and loyalty that results in increasing sales. This is the essence of a powerful brand. However, a point to note is that successful brands are driven by individuals. Their personal motivation fuels the organisation, which is where the importance of brand management comes into play. Money is not the prime reason for a brand to move. It is more the convergence between the qualities of the person who drives a brand and the promise the brand offers to a customer. This means that it will require careful recruitment rather than training. 3. Production Powerful brands create a ‘wow’ every time a consumer comes in contact with them. This involves a careful engineering of the colour schemes, music, temperature, lighting, dress code of the staff and the workers’ attitude to meeting people. The Entertrainers health gym is one of the best cases in point that come to mind. It has done this engineering successfully, leaving a ‘wow’ every time one does a workout routine. 4. Press Powerful brands get strong press coverage. The key is noteworthy press exposure rather than the occasional photography that rolls out in the media. We need to carefully evaluate the avenues that are available and how the information that we release fits into the story/brand. In the recent past we have seen how some focused information has been generated from the Academy of Design(AOD). The information that has rolled out has also been relevant, which tends to add to the brand’s equity. The challenge is how to maintain this trend and then how it can touch a global consumer so that the country benefits at large. The Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) is a case in point that does this task very well. 5. Prizes Evaluating performance and rewarding the right behaviour are hallmarks of a powerful brand. Finding opportunities to recognise and reward those that demonstrate these values tends to bring out the brand promise. Always remember that if you want to change behaviour, then reward the behaviour that is in line with organisational values. In Sri Lanka a

company that does this well is Singer. The brand being crowned as the most popular brand for the ninth time is testimony to this fact. Conclusion The above are some moments that have created powerful brands in Sri Lanka. Now the bigger challenge is how we take these vibes global so that the country can benefit given the challenges it is up against. (The author is an award winning brand marketer and category brand marketer who serves many policy making organisations in Sri Lanka. He has twice won the Best Marketer award in Sri Lanka and is an alumnus of Harvard University Boston.)