"He who changes nothing lives dangerously, he who changes everything also." (Christian Belz)
Dynamics: Standstill = Regression
Those who stand still in a fast-paced time run the risk of missing out. This also applies to brands. But how much change is actually beneficial? How much dynamism harms a brand? People long for continuity and stability just as much as they long for variety and new experiences. There are astonishing examples of brands that continuously evolve and fascinate with new products - see
Apple and its iPod, iPhone, iPad trilogy. And there are equally astonishing examples of brands that were threatened to be sidelined by a product relaunch - see
Coca Cola and "New Coke". All models and strategies from marketing chairs have not changed the fact that for every successful example of brand dynamics, there is at least one unsuccessful one. One thing is certain: WE-BRANDS manage to maintain the feeling of familiarity in the minds and hearts of their customers, even as the brands evolve. And on the other hand, they evolve rapidly enough to never appear "outdated".
Rules for Successful Change?
Consumer habits and needs, market environment and competition, communication possibilities and technological development, all of this is subject to constant change and forms a complex field of interaction in which brand managers must make decisions. Those who observe how once successful brands lose their shine or squander it through stretching experiments, can guess which ability should never be lost in leading a brand: the gift of recognizing the forest for the trees. Instead of imposing a theoretical model on a complex problem, here are core questions for business practice:
1. What does our brand stand for?
In the busyness of everyday life, this seemingly self-evident awareness often fades into oblivion.
2. What business do we really dominate?
Especially when it comes to licensing, many companies engage in a business field they hardly understand.
3. Who are our customers?
What does a "typical" buyer of the brand look like? What does he value? How does he spend his leisure time? Why does he buy our brand? Brand managers would do well to regularly immerse themselves in the customers' world.
4. What is currently changing?
This question does not refer to elaborate analyses by trend researchers or bold future predictions for distant decades, but to a sensitive self-observation of societal developments.
5. How are our numbers? And what conclusions do we draw from them?
Most companies are not lacking in numerical material; after all, they employ controllers. However, the principle of "Many numbers, little analysis" often prevails. Numbers are only useful when one takes the time to draw the right conclusions from them.
"Thomas Ebeling (ProSiebenSat.1 Media): Numbers, data, facts are the basis, the tools. Good analyses are mandatory."
6. Are we truly a "dynamic" company?
Especially larger companies often resemble sluggish tankers that are slow to change course. An important challenge for leaders is to keep a company fundamentally "agile" enough to be able to respond quickly and creatively to crisis situations. Dynamism is also a question of corporate culture.
7. When was the last time we positively surprised our customers?
"Thomas Ebeling (ProSiebenSat.1 Media): Communicate closely with the people who love your brand."
Conclusion: Dynamics
"It is said quite rightly: Either you go
with the times - or you
go with the times." As plausible as this warning is, it is equally challenging to draw the right practical consequences from it in brand management. Looking at successful and less successful examples of brand developments shows:
- Even successful brands like Nivea fail with product extensions if they ignore what their customers associate with the brand.
- Brands are well advised to carefully observe the values, attitudes, and habits of their customers.
- Successful innovations are often continuous optimizations to better fulfill customer needs and less revolutionary innovations. Innovations are not limited to product novelties - they can also lie in service, sales, or customer communication.
- Brand managers should always keep in mind what the core of the brand is and in which markets they are knowledgeable. They should never forget who their customers are. They should ensure a dynamic, change-friendly corporate culture.
To the profile of Top100 Entrepreneur Hermann Wala: https://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/hermann-wala.html
Articles on the topic:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamische_F%C3%A4higkeiten_von_Unternehmen
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https://www.speakers-excellence.de/se/blog/schoene-meine-welt-hermann-h-wala/
