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Dr Nick: In The Brand Surgery

By The Drum, Administrator

March 16, 2010 | 5 min read

From sports stars to politicians, these days life in the spotlight is all about the brand. But when under the scrutiny of a critical public, how quickly can the brand’s star wane? And how can the stuttering brand flourish after a very public display of

What can he do to improve his reputation? Well, keeping his nose clean until South Africa is a must. Maybe he can take a leaf out of James Milner’s book too? That lad is smart, overheard saying the other day, ‘there will be plenty of time for drinking when I stop playing, so until then I don’t drink’. Terry should be himself, but try and keep the extremes to a minimum. Celebrate if he scores, but don’t rush to the other end and kiss the armband. Prying eyes will read into every action with an equal and opposite reaction, so keep things simple and the risk of trouble should fall away.

Now is the time for leadership, so show some, and learn from the great leaders both in football and other walks of life. And last but not least, go out there and win the World Cup. I guarantee you that winning the ultimate prize will reinstate his brand forever.

Dear Dr Nick,

What’s your take on all the discussions around the 2014 Commonwealth Games brand?

Well, its got people talking, which is definitely a good thing. I’m not so sure I’m qualified to say whether its good or bad, original or value for money, but I certainly have a view on some of the tosh flying around last week.

As usual, the focus of attention was on the poor old logo. Designed as a short hand badge to represent what a brand stands for and promises, the logo always seem to get the most stick, as most people still don’t seem to ‘get it’ when it comes to brands. From what I can see, the Glasgow 2014 brand is all about putting on a world class and memorable games, that celebrates the very best of Glasgow and Scotland and leaves a real legacy for the future. It’s about lots of things, including passion, inclusivity, integrity, honesty and endeavour.

Now you don’t need to be Einstein to work out that you can’t cram all of this into a simple logo and that’s why they will also have graphic elements, stories, photographic styles and a tone of voice. But lets be absolutely clear, what is really important is what the brand does rather than all these tools which just help to make its communications recognisable.

So judge a brand on its actions rather than its logo. And before you decide that the cost is too high, do two things to better understand the numbers. Firstly find out what has been included in the project. The £95k may or may not have included all the strategic work or all of the applications. And secondly, don’t judge the cost until you know the return on investment. If they spent £95k and get over £1m in return, that would seem like pretty good value to me.

Dear Dr Nick,

Do you think David Cameron is up to it? And is his brand strong enough the win a general election?

I’ve been saying for some time that the election will be a much closer affair than the polls were suggesting 6 months ago. Early on everyone fancies a change. Everyone remembers the worst of the recession, and the wars, and blames the incumbent, whoever it is. But when it really gets down to choosing between those that have had their chance, ran things and had the experience, or those that are trying desperately to look the part, I suspect a lot of voters will make their minds up very late. I’m expecting a hung parliament, which might not be a bad thing after 13 years of comfortable labour majorities in the Commons. It’ll mean they have to work together, be more democratic and the brand of politicians might even be in for some improvement, at last.

As far as Brand Cameron is concerned, I think it has still some way to really persuade us what it stands for. Yes, we’ve heard the rhetoric. Yes, we’ve seen the Eton Rifles photos. Yes, he’s just spent a week with Trevor McDonald baring his soul. But do we really believe him? Do we believe that Cameron has shoulders wide enough to take the weight of office, of our hopes and expectations? I suspect not. That is why the polls are narrowing and that is why his team are trying so hard to peddle their man.

So that’s the prognosis, what about the treatment? Well, I think he needs to give us some genuine reasons to believe him. Give us some examples of what he is really like, because every now and then he seems to show his inner self and when things are not so stage managed, you get a glimpse of a reasonably decent bloke. Stop the dodgy pre-election TV appearances and start doing things for real. And don’t worry whether the press will pick up on it… trust me, they will.

They are desperate for copy. And try to do something about that tone of voice. Every time you open your mouth, it feels like we’re on the wrong end of a political speech. Give it some soul (if you’ve got any) and tell us what you really think. Look at how Obama did it, there’s plenty to learn from the great man… at least on how to win an election.

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