The secret of the top brands

Let’s start with a scenario:

When you are tired, sleepy and have unfinished work, you need to boost your energy, and most people will think of "Red Bull" first.

For some time I have been wondering why a brand like Red Bull has been so enduring. Is it because it has the mysterious substance taurine that makes it so eye-catching? Isn’t the so-called taurine the same ingredient as the top skincare product La Mer Essence?

But these two completely different brands, with different price positioning and target groups, can maintain their leading position in their respective fields. Why?

In terms of social development, in the era of the rise of KOL and KOC, the expression of brand credibility is much more complicated than in the past, and the marketing model of brand credibility is also constantly changing.

The goal of marketing is to promote brand growth. Price is a catalyst for purchasing behavior. The best sales model is not sales, but emotional appeal and dressing sales in the guise of stories. In the era of big data, strong love needs a "sense of distance" to maintain.

Top brands seem to transcend ordinary competition and break the traditional combination marketing model. They not only have a firm stance and superb capabilities, but also can make value play a unique advantage and have great courage and persuasiveness.

I believe that only by finding the "top brand" marketing methodology and integrating it into daily marketing strategies can you quickly stand out in the industry. This article will explain the "marketing secrets of the world's first-line brands" from five dimensions.

1. What changes have been caused by the times?

It remains to be seen whether the era of change we are currently in will produce earth-shaking changes like the changes that took place in the second half of the 20th century.

From a global perspective today, many topics are common, such as: trade between two countries, carbon neutrality indicators proposed by various countries developing new energy, etc. We will not discuss these topics today, nor do we have any authoritative suggestions.

Rather, these changes are changing people's lifestyles and altering our relationship with the brands and products around us. In short, we must pay close attention to the main drivers of economic change and behavioral change. Under this premise, it only makes sense for us to talk about reputable brands and new brands.

When looking at brand reputation from a global perspective, there are six trends worth noting:

1. Culture and business are integrated

In the past, business and culture were incompatible with each other, but now an inseparable connection has been established between the two. They are no longer independent of each other, but are integrated with each other, creating value for each other and are interdependent.

Mr. Clotaire Lapaye, author of "The Cultural Code", pointed out: "If any brand wants to take the lead in marketing, the key is to crack the cultural code" and integrate the brand concept into it.

By achieving this step, during the brand building process, the height of culture will pull the brand to another level.

Brand marketing has to see itself as a medium that can connect with consumers in places other than product connection, ultimately prompting consumers to participate in the scheduled shopping experience.

2. Capitalism creates “evolutionary rebirth”

Business and culture place more emphasis on their similarities rather than their differences, so our interest systems and moral systems are unified and harmonious.

Unilever CEO Paul Polman said: We do not work for capital. Frankly speaking, we work for customers and create value for customers. We do not maintain our existing business model by pursuing profits.

Therefore, we can conclude that we must maintain a value orientation towards commodities, rather than "value packaging" for commodities. We must create truly meaningful projects for the company. We cannot exist just for the sake of existence, but must exist for a higher goal.

Therefore, one of the differences of the new type of reputable brands is that they add humanistic awareness, environmental awareness, social considerations and moral standards to the purely profit-driven model, thus redefining capital.

3. Drastic changes in consumption lead to “sprout regeneration”

In mature markets, consumers are beginning to turn to "controversial products" , preferring user experience, being close to fine processing, and staying away from standardized products. Of course, this also requires sufficient payment ability as a prerequisite.

Most consumers own a lot of things, but in the end they find that the fewer they have, the higher the value; so high-end brand companies began to shift their focus from quantity to quality. In the process of transformation, we tried to find new focuses and gradually change the company to the demand side.

When users consume high-end brands, it is important to pay attention to whether the merchant provides one-stop service and experience. To achieve this, quality improvement and price advantages alone are not enough.

If you want to open up the high-end market, you often need to trade downward, focus on the local market, on things that are easy to market, and on unprocessed raw materials, which are the essence of "green".

4. The Limits of Money and the Importance of Knowledge

In this era where luxury goods are affordable to most people, almost everyone owns some high-priced branded goods. Purchasing power is no longer a means of distinguishing social status, so the strategy of eliminating some people by price and leaving only a few seems no longer effective.

After Industry 4.0, with ByteDance's algorithms, Tencent's social networking, Baidu and Xiaomi's AI, etc., people have realized that most economic activities are based on big data and large-scale information processing. Society has begun to use knowledge as the main guide for judgment, and knowledge has become a new type of tool.

Understanding what others don’t understand will be the most critical factor in breaking the cognitive gap between you and others . It is also an effective means of distinguishing one from another, which is far more effective than measuring finances.

5. The transparency of the times leads to “one in a hundred”

In the era of digital transformation, no matter when or who you are, anything you want will appear in front of you at a glance. The capabilities of modern people are gradually enhanced, making social transparency continue to increase, and people's power will participate in social intervention.

The CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Global Research Center found through research that one-third of consumers use social media to evaluate a company's corporate responsibility.

What we want now is not just a pair of comfortable slippers or a cup of coffee, but that the production of goods does not involve child labor and that the environment is not excessively harmed. We want fair transactions between companies and consumers , or at least not present a negative image to people.

Chris Anderson proposed the Long Tail Theory and introduced it into cultural consciousness, giving new meaning to the Internet. He believes that the Internet can not only interconnect mass media, but also provide us with services and empower us.

Mobile Internet has enabled the development of mass customization services. This development has achieved two goals at one stroke: it allows us to feel the authority and design soul of self-customized products, and gives us the feeling of being one in a million.

The Internet has created opportunities for individuals to rise and has also turned brands into "socialites" . More and more people are beginning to question the power of social media in society. For brands to build credibility, such a change means that the well-known path to the upper class has been opened.

Now brands can satisfy both certain unique client media and the general customer groups. After discussing the five major changes brought about by the times, let us understand the evolution of brand marketing in the past few decades and the "meaning of top brands."

2. A brief history of marketing from logo to myth

There are many different opinions about the origins of branding, but from the broadest definition, the history of branding is as long as the history of mankind itself. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it satisfies people's needs for connection with each other and also satisfies our need to distinguish ourselves from each other.

We list our views on brand marketing in chronological order, which roughly fall into five dimensions:

1. The evolution of brand roles

P&G was one of the first companies to use market trends and communication strategies to pioneer marketing and brand marketing, and the original brand meant "quality assurance."

For example:

"The clothes were scented with the scent of legend, mixed with the fragrance of aloe and cinnamon, and outside the ivory palace, everything was made of gold." This quote was the inspiration for Harry Proctor to name his soap "Ivory".

As a devout, confident and shrewd man, Harry Prock regarded God as his ultimate goal and used the "100% pure" strategy to refine it into the selling point of Ivory Soap.

At that time, Coca-Cola's selling point model was based on functional benefits, which was the preferred way to ensure product quality. At the same time, it differentiated its own products from other products based on reality and sorted out good reputation, which enabled merchants to charge for their products at the price of high-quality products.

Therefore, the difference between the two lies in that "the former relies on soul stories" while the latter focuses on the "functionality" strategy.

In the 1960s, brands began to have their own unique identities, and Ernest Dichter, the founder of consumer motivation research, first introduced the concept of "focus group".

He shared the views of Vance Packard in his book The Hidden Lobbyist, both of whom were passionate about the cultural theory of marketing. His research marked the first time that people regarded "reputation brands" as status symbols or social medals.

They believe that: "The products we consume reflect where we are now or where we want to be" , and from then on this concept has become part of our lives.

By the 1970s and 1980s, brand marketing theory had evolved further, the building block theory was widely used, and "brands began to have a complete structure."

During this period:

• Brands began to publicly guarantee to provide consumers with comfort, pleasure, youthful experiences, a sense of adventure and a desire for control.
• A brand is no longer just a badge; it becomes a building block for building ourselves, our self-identity, and even our entire world.

At the same time, people realize that the real owners of brands are not the people who invented the brands, but the consumers who cherish and love them. Only in the hearts of consumers can the true meaning of a brand be constructed.

Brand communication at this stage has three important functions: quality assurance, unique identity, and a complete architecture. But they can't meet our needs, so we added two more functions.

First, the cultural information carried by the brand itself;

Second, the medium for brand marketing.

In the early stages of brand building, P&G used TV series, movies, radio and other media platforms to launch its own products and concepts. At that stage, the brand itself was the "carrier of cultural information and the medium of brand marketing" , which led to the fourth stage of development of "brand as medium".

In other words, the combination of the brand itself and media content has created what is now called the "substance content" model, which attracts and gathers consumer groups, with the brand at the core and surrounded by content that is guided by the audience's ideas and interests.

After the 21st century, brands can no longer force substantive content into marketing. The brand itself must become the substantive content of marketing and open up the relationship with consumers, thus giving rise to the concept of "consumer-centric" to drive consumers.

The highest stage is "brand myth creation" , which is the first of the seven functions of modern reputable brands and the main means for brands to enhance their influence through the model of "pursuing clear goals, sharing with each other, and expanding brand myths".

Based on the above four factors, brand planners need to prove to consumers again that they are not just empty shells that only know how to market, but have clear positions and beliefs, and guide consumers based on their core beliefs so that they can integrate knowledge and action. All of this is the transformation of brand marketing.

2. The significance of top brands

Most top reputable brands have a profit margin of only around 10%, far less than the 10-20 percentage points of mass brands. The behavioral pattern of top brands is an important means for them to achieve their market dominance. In summary, this pattern can be divided into four directions.

1) Create a mission and myth

"Ellie Tastarid is the top seller of Thomas in several major markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She pioneered the "one-to-one" supply marketing model. In an interview, she said: We never approach customers with products and commercial purposes, but convey ideas and brand identity."

Top brands are built on great ideas and visions, and it is under this impetus that they forge ahead and continue to create legends."

2) Finding a balance between separation and integration

People born after the millennium like to improve their social value in unique ways. They can fit in among ordinary groups while also being able to stand out from the group. They are used to creating self-cognition, looking for meaning, and achieving a sense of superiority.

In the past, top brands only focused on the social and individual attributes, but now they are more concerned with the way the new generation does things, and try their best to balance the relationship gap between groups and individuals.

3) Find the truth behind the demand

In the era of information flood, individual will is replaced by collective wisdom, the previous single marketing method is replaced by multi-track marketing means, and consumers used to obtain information from professional media professionals, but now users are more willing to learn information from people around them.

Therefore, modern brands and top brands pay great attention to fulfilling their marketing promises. Top brands tend to humbly explain their marketing concepts rather than over-packaging their own brands.

Top brands don’t try to improve their status among customers by belittling others. Instead, they always stay one step ahead and constantly pursue the core of truth.

4) Reorganized old entries

“In 1984, Apple defined the ultimate goal of the company as creating a corporate myth, and then began to build an idol-like business empire.

In the process of creating brand beliefs, Jobs not only focused on excellent design and product innovation, but also put most of his energy into the ultimate mission of the brand.

During the period when brand flagship stores were rampant, Apple remained true to its identity, opening only one store at a time, constantly innovating in music products, and developing an industrial model for single song downloads. This is why consumers have always been loyal users of Apple and users enjoy the lifestyle it has created.

In the 1950s, American sociologist David Reisman created and launched the "lonely crowd" social theory. He believed that the evolution of society and crowds is in three stages:

First, tradition-oriented, people are constrained to live a life consistent with their words and deeds.

Second, people are guided by their inner selves, setting their own social expectations and constantly searching for what they want.

Third, outward-looking orientation, social openness and human flexibility are further developed.

Therefore, in the development of society, top brands are actually "recombining the old terms of society" , which are purpose-oriented, product-oriented, boss-oriented, market-oriented, and customer-centered.

3. Mission, desire and sense of belonging are “not above sales”

Not only do we rely on our experience in brand analysis, shaping and marketing over the past 50 years, we also interview numerous industry leaders and integrate more than 100 cases for analysis.

Finally, we found that top reputable brands have 7 major marketing principles, namely, the highest mission, desire and sense of belonging; non-sales behavior, from myth to meaning; making products unique, pursuing dreams, and growing without end, so that it is easy to understand Zhiyuan and expand them all at once.

1. The Law of the Highest Mission

If top brands want to fulfill their mission, they must first have "a mission" , which may start with an idea or the founder's ideal. A good idea should be "ambitious, breaking the rules" and "daring to innovate".

Secondly, there are two ways for top brands to achieve their mission: one is through "noble obligation" , generally referred to as purpose; let social, economic, political and other purposes become the core of your existence, and treat goods, services and other businesses as fundraising activities.

The second is "propaganda restraint" , also called reshaping; reshaping a type or standard so that the value of your existence between you and your supporters rises to a higher level, based on the standard of principles first and interests later.

"Starbucks is a typical example. It makes Americans willing to pay $5 for a cup of latte, and the average cost of a latte is around $1."

Furthermore, in order to shape the brand's sense of purpose for the cultural middle class, our generation does not actually want the kind of mass-produced products and services of the past, but instead pays more attention to the development of unique products with personal characteristics.

Nowadays, brands pay less and less attention to products, and instead pay more attention to the spiritual shaping of the brand. Under the marketing of reputation, the existence of products has changed from being the center of buying and selling to a means to achieve an end.

When material satisfaction has become a matter of course for most people, only when a brand can bring intangible psychological satisfaction to consumers can it gain a foothold in the world.

Therefore, in order to create the concept of "above me" in conceptual consumption, there are three levels of concept shaping, representing "users like me", "similar to me" and "above me" . So how do we shape it?

First, there must be a basic relationship, second, there must be connection with consumers, and third, there must be an impress on consumers.

2. Desire and belonging

An important indicator of marketing is to spread information and then achieve sales results. However, for top reputable brands, communication also means building brand image and ensuring quality. Therefore, marketing activities must be done with extra care and multi-dimensional considerations. Why is this so?

Because traditional mass marketing activities focus on meeting needs, while the marketing of high-quality brands requires creating market demand. When consumers own a certain product, it is necessary to create more attractive similar competing products to generate consumer demand for newer products.

According to the summary, top brands tend to respect the dichotomy rule:

• Reach high points and win the market
• Keep a low profile and retain the market

The first step of the strategic approach is often to use top-down and bottom-up methods to focus on the "demand itself" , so we can see that many brands, when they are launched, first make friends with some "fashion initiators" or "trend leaders" in related fields, and then grow gradually relying on their original users.

The second step of the strategic approach is to focus on products and services rather than consumers. Top brands will create a sense of scarcity to build uniqueness, and then strategically control supply to stimulate demand.

"Tesla is a typical case. Its strategy structure presents a step-like model . It first reaches the top to win the high-end market, and then develops downstream, using top capital to gradually expand to the middle and low ends, and gradually achieves nationalization."

At the same time, the limited edition theory also plays an important role. The Hermès Birkin bag is said to be the most famous handbag in the world. Why is it so? When it was launched, consumers were told that they could only make reservations in advance and no one could cut in line.

Every person who buys it can push the mystery of the brand to its peak and gradually become mysterious, thereby triggering people's desire to own it and increasing the owner's sense of pride and desire to protect it.

3. Non-sales behavior, above temptation

The biggest challenge for top brands is to establish a brand influence that can attract consumers and create a shopping atmosphere for consumers, rather than relying on touting products and lowering prices to stimulate sales and attract customers. Although this approach can also arouse consumers' desire to buy, it has little effect.

To stimulate consumption, top brands focus on traditional concepts in marketing communication and promotion, that is, non-sales behavior, with four models:

1) “Show pride, challenge consumption”

This is also the most common explanation of the balance between near and far. Top brands do not actively please consumers, but work hard to leave an impression on consumers. They do not accept the state of being "called upon and dismissed" by consumers.

Even in areas that are relatively easy for people to access, top brands must present a superior attitude to distinguish themselves from other brands in terms of price and differences.

2) Avoid overexposure

Promotion without any sense of mystery will not produce effective results. Top brands tend to focus on using suggestive means to create psychological illusions, using hide-and-seek techniques instead of direct brand display.

The information conveyed by mass brands is usually easy to understand, while high-end brands, especially fashion brands, are more subtle in conveying information. This is because high-end brands do not need to vigorously promote themselves to customers . They have their own halo and do not need to humble themselves.

3) Unique artistic techniques

Top brands are usually committed to creating artistic charm in a certain aspect. Today, business and culture are happy to help each other, one brings considerable money and wide appeal, the other provides reputation and audience recognition, and brands can become a bridge to integrate the two.

For example, a brand can participate in cultural activities as a sponsor, and can also play its role as the initiator and participant of cultural activities. Cultural elites are the brand's top target customers and the people the brand needs to maintain close contact with and respect.

4) Communicate with your words and actions

Top brands can not only develop their own branded paid content, but can also act as marketing media . This is the core of modern marketing's focus on moving away from paid media and toward self-media.

Brands don’t want to be seen as overly self-promoting in non-sales activities, but if they have their own media, they can create and control their fan base.

4. From myth to meaning, products are the core asset of a brand

If a brand focuses only on external connections, then the way the brand presents itself cannot guide customers to understand the brand's myth and connotation.

The brand will not improve, and similarly, if the brand only focuses on internal connections, it will not be able to clearly guide and agree on various principles.

Therefore, only the "brand myth" can elevate the significance of brand marketing above the emotional and impressionistic appeals of customers. In other words, the best way to pursue depth is to "deepen into one's own brand history," "deepen into the product mission," and "deepen into customer psychology."

1. Stories are often more human than ever

What customers buy is not just a product, but the empathetic story that the brand builds for this product. For example, once an originally cold product is integrated into a story, it is endowed with certain meanings, emotions, and life.

Daniel Kahneman’s best-selling book Thinking, Fast and Slow contains two important revelations about marketing and brand myth-making:

First, customers’ personal confidence in brand belief is largely based on the meaning they can see in the brand story.

Second, memorable brand stories retain a strong reference in the future.

So, how do top brand stories become myths? Ultimately it depends on your customer base, but here are four features that can greatly enhance the mythic nature of your brand, according to Campbell’s analysis of how to turn a story into a myth:

1) Supernatural functions

The words in mythology never appear in our daily lives, let alone be used for expression. The metaphors and language in mythology can awaken people and connect us with the surreal world to explore the mysteries of life.

2) Cosmological function

Before modern society, the role of mythology was to explain the nature and environment we live in, to explore the universe and the stars, and to explain everything before and after death. In other words, mythology was used to explain everything that people could not understand, such as the Greek gods and their colorful stories.

3) Social Function

Myths guide us through certain specific rules and decisions, a process that is almost natural, smooth and divine. On the one hand, they help us understand and abide by social rules, and on the other hand, they can inspire people to break the rules and bring people together.

4) Educational function

"The Catcher in the Rye" is a good example. The coming-of-age story written by JD Salinger successfully helped teenagers cross the bridge of helpless adolescence. It was widely circulated among millions of teenagers and aroused great resonance.

Myths have the same guidelines for every individual. They can provide a blueprint for specific situations, guide people to seize opportunities and take control of their lives based on specific analysis of the problem. So what are the four key points of creating myths?

1) The importance of listening

If you want to be a qualified myth maker, you must first be a qualified listener.

The mythical Harun al-Rashid, author of the famous tales of One Thousand and One Nights in Baghdad in the eighth century AD, would often disguise himself as a commoner at night and go out in search of material for his writings, because he wanted to know how to lead his people, and only by listening to their stories could he find ways to inspire them.

Every marketer in today’s society should learn from this experience and learn to understand, create and develop brand stories.

2) Choose a name for your brand

Nappa is a well-known high-end sports and leisure brand. Its brand story originated from polar and wilderness exploration. Its name is based on ancient Finnish, but few people trace the origin of its name.

The name has an exotic sound, because its pronunciation is strange, it sounds like Indian, Sami, Inuit or some local language of Japan. Besides, its pronunciation is reminiscent of "nap" and another incredible word "peeley". Of course, there are some brands that are also worth referring to, such as "La Mer" and "Chanel".

3) Learn to create struggle

A boundless blueprint alone cannot achieve the effect of a myth, especially a mythological story. To "transcend myth" or "be guided by myth", one must be down-to-earth and based on reality.

So as a storyteller, we must first outline the main points of the problem, and then show how we solved the problem.

This is why the heroes in myths always have to overcome various difficulties. Of course, myths are full of suspense and unreasonable things, but it is precisely this that makes them unforgettable, and this is also the cornerstone of building a top brand.

4) Questions about the truth

Do myths have to be true? In a material world, the answer seems to be yes, but the myths can be embellished; in fact, you have to exaggerate them to avoid being rehashed.

If you want to inject new trends into your brand and achieve lasting success, you must be brave enough to break through, transcend reality, and seamlessly integrate real life and myths.

"Bacardi" is a good example. On the one hand, it records the true story of the brand, and on the other hand, it elevates the story to a mythical level . The key is that "it blends the product rum and the mythical story very well", showing a passionate energy.

2. The most important thing is that the product is the core of the brand

Even the most prestigious or mysterious brand is just an empty shell without its products. Modern reputable brands or top brands must use high-quality products to build their brand empire.

More and more consumers are actively looking for truly high-quality products instead of blindly following the crowd. We are beginning to avoid vulgar things and look for products that can stand the test of time, or goods that are truly worth paying for.

1) A legend of quality

In 2005, the founder A Yuan completely lost confidence in the brand "A Yuan Soap". He felt that he could no longer bear the huge work pressure, nor could he tolerate the brand's previous business model. He then meditated and reflected for a period of time.

Finally, the team went to the workshop to learn about the raw materials and production process of their products. We smelled the natural herbal aroma used in the soap at the production site, including lemongrass, tea, Asian vanilla, rosemary, etc.

We feel that its core lies in "high-quality Chinese medicinal materials genes and the ingenuity of the pharmaceutical factory" , and then we reshape the brand and push it into the market again.

2) Originated from art and charity

Whether in terms of scope or price level, the marketing industry's love for art and charity has exceeded people's imagination.

When it comes to brands like Hermes, Chanel, Dior and Montblanc, people usually think that they have extremely high requirements on production technology. Therefore, it is not surprising that Montblanc built an exquisite and luxurious visual factory .

Chanel bought the handmade workshop when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. This practice makes sense. Top brands regularly learn new sensory languages ​​from the field of high craftsmanship and express them in innovative ways to celebrate their superior quality and craftsmanship.

3) The significance of ritual

In order to avoid cliché and monotony, every brand story needs to create a sense of ritual to bring consumers a sacred experience.

For example, the friction ritual of La Mer is also the same for SK2 and Nespresso coffee. They have not only developed a new roasting method and compiled it into a code alignment with a strong sense of craftsmanship, but also spared no effort to enhance the brand image through relevant marketing rituals.

Mini cars also added a sense of ritual to cars in those days, for example, "you have to register in advance to buy a car, and after registration you have to wait in line before you can find out the remaining time to pick up the car."

This makes customers feel that owning a Mini car is like giving birth to a child, which requires going through a ritual process to gain the happiness of "becoming parents".

Brands need to really invest in their products and develop products that can withstand rigorous criticism and testing, because marketing is the most effective weapon to destroy inferior products.

5. Born from dreams, growth never ends; the ultimate law of balance

In order to increase credibility and meet their own goals and customer expectations, top brands must integrate their brand mythology and brand mission into every aspect of their daily lives.

Such as from company construction, procurement, production to organizational form, corporate culture and marketing, but we often face problems such as heavy tasks, many traps and easy failure in the process of building. This is also the original appearance of top brands, and there is no shortcut.

Zhiyuan summarized the main problems encountered in the process of pursuing dreams and the ultimate balance rules for the future as follows:

1. Three major problems that top brands often encounter in their development

1) Wild as a dream: Learn from other people’s mistakes

Generally speaking, most consumers do not have good discernment, so there are many regulatory tools to regulate the market. The trust standards set by the public are getting higher and higher. Those companies that have worked hard to operate will be ruined if they make the slightest mistake, so caution is necessary.

Yoga apparel brand Lululemon has long been plagued by rumors about its product quality, which became a real scandal in 2013 when it emerged that one of its track pants was nearly see-through when stretched, a fact that alone was enough to make the brand deadly.

Not only does it expose female private parts, it also destroyed the brand's sister complex. The most famous thing is that the founder actually attributed the problem to women's thick thighs. In the end, he apologized due to the influence of public opinion, but he may also lose his market position, and his brand image and stock market suffered a lot.

2) Leadership is the core pillar of the team

The importance of leadership has never been in doubt. When you build a top company, you often encounter two problems: "How to develop the business beyond the founder's vision" and "The brand must have a suitable successor."

For the former problem, a third party can be used as a mentor to assist the development of top brands , such as Nestlé Coffee. The then president Brad Letterman and senior vice president Camilo Pagano worked together to protect the brand through the test of capital.

The visionaries were actually from the R&D and marketing departments, but these two people had long been regarded as crazy in the parent company. Although they were often accused of being "unsociable" and "spending money recklessly", the then president supported them. Fortunately, this innovative pair withstood the pressure and ultimately won a ten-year development period for the brand.

As for the issue of successors, either they build a dream team themselves or sign a contract with a larger organization and find stronger professional managers.

3) Internal and external communication, everything is culture

Top brand companies that take on social and ecological responsibility don’t really have much choice; they are usually run by people with strong convictions and their goals are usually more cautious.

All the highly respected brands in today's society are built on their own missions. Only in this way can a truly top brand be created. So for a brand, the operator must keep the mission in mind and then convey it to everyone in the company in a variety of unique ways.

As Angela Ahrendts said: "Everyone talks about building relationships with customers, but what they should actually do first is build relationships with their own employees." Only in this way can the brand's mission and myth be spread from the inside out.

2. The Ultimate Law of Balance in Development

To achieve “never-ending” growth, top brands must balance two needs: the need for profit and visibility with the need for mystery and scarcity.

Most mass-market brands develop along a linear foundation model, while top brands grow exponentially. To achieve their goals and balance their needs, top brands usually adopt five strategies:

1) Load-bearing development and reverse development

Why can top brands remain successful and not be eliminated by the trend of the times? Why do they achieve their goals while gaining respect? For example, Apple, Red Bull, SK2, Estee Lauder, etc.

The answer is simple: “balanced development” , which requires brands to focus on the curves of “sales”, “marketing” and “loss” to keep the exponential function growth as stable as possible.

It is particularly important that top brands are innovative, maintain strong R&D capabilities, and constantly improve themselves and innovate.

Reverse development generally curbs excessive growth and is a healthier and more natural development strategy for top brands. In a nutshell, it can enhance brand credibility, while excessive development will raise the brand image, mission and goals too high.

2) Sideline development and upward development

Most top brands tend to express themselves in all aspects because they have their own mission and image. Whether this image meets environmental standards or meets aesthetic requirements, they all hope to fulfill their mission and make the brand image shine.

Armani has sub-brands such as Casa, Hotel, Dore, and No. ÖLi. At present, the advantages of the sideline development model are far greater than their disadvantages because it releases the power of the brand's mission and myth.

Compared with brands that over-market in certain fields or markets, the way of exploiting benefits can obviously benefit the brand a lot.

In the late 1960s, Iv Saint-Loron and Valentino introduced the concept of "wear manufacturing" into the fashion industry, and added the Left Bank clothing fashion production business in addition to credit card companies, hotels and other industries, which triggered many companies to follow suit. This model is called "upward development."

Generally speaking, many top brands are willing to carry out downward development, so that they can maintain the top position of the main brand and hold it tightly when unfolding the reins, so as to improve the brand’s popularity while maintaining an appropriate distance.

3) Passionate development and "non-entity development"

In short, passion development balances brand strategies through the positioning and distribution of target groups.

For example, Estee Lauder’s beauty brand Meike, its largest group is makeup designers. It has established a brand preparatory customer group and provides special discounts for professional makeup designers to help them carry out personal marketing on the brand’s official website.

Secondly, in brand exhibition halls and stores, the brand invites makeup artists as teachers or semi-known people to attend, and the brand also joins the Foundation for the Fight against AIDS. It is these measures that have enabled Meike to gain a firm foothold in the industry.

From the perspective of passionate development, the marketing activities of top brands must be closely around the elite group. They are not necessarily social elites, but they must be the target business group, because they are the standard for realizing the brand's mission.

The growth of non-physical brands is generally reflected in the "network" . The network can unconsciously develop the communication strategies of top brands to the maximum, prompting top brands to achieve real "non-physical growth" with the lowest cost.

This is also what many brands are using now, such as KOL, social, cross-border cooperation, event marketing, celebrity endorsement and other strategies. Therefore, when top brands use the Internet, in addition to sales, they are also creating their own brand myths.

3. Summary

As the basic origin, the top brands are a combination of old entries.

Start with the mission and story, control desire and sense of belonging in marketing, use "non-sales behavior" to increase the brand rank, and then the myth.

Manage the dream rules well, balance the tensions of "marketing", "loss" and "sales", so that growth is endless.

Author: Wang Zhiyuan

Source: Wang Zhiyuan