Branded utility has been a hot button of mine for a while. Even before I knew that Branded Utility was a growing trend, my war cry was, "always add value" (in fact, some called me Ad-Value...get it; Adam, Add...okay, not cool).The fact remains that, due to rapid advancements in technology coupled with the global nature of production (and the low barriers to create a globally sourced network) the idea of quality has become a commodity; quality is now the rule, not the exception.
Today, more than ever before, I am adamant about the critical need for brand marketers to create value driven marketing. At a time when quality has become a commodity, the only way to truly differentiate your product is through the addition of services, entertainment and tools that enhance the lives of our consumers.
This is not an inexpensive proposition. The budget for branded utility should be coming from transient and passive advertising.
Admittedly, I have worked on campaigns that do not fit the popular definition of branded utility (since there is no Wikipedia entry; there is no agreed upon definition in my mind)--but one can make the argument that entertainment can be utility. Given that the concept of branded utility (or brand utility) is still ill-defined, I decided to write a piece about branded utility for iMediaconnection in hopes that the research done would lead me to a plausible framework for the creation of branded utility. I have to admit, I am having some trouble formulating a bulletproof construct. While I am quite certain I know what the end state should be, the path to glory is still not clear.
Since iMedia is a community that helps one another, I am putting an official request for ideas out to all of you (yes, you too!)
I have begun an outline for a framework for branded utility. I am looking to all of you to help to fill in the blanks. Feel free to send me ideas, comment on this blog, take the concept to your own blog and trackback to this post; whatever you like. Here are a couple of points to get you going:
3 Ways Brand Can Be Useful
- Entertain
- Assist
- Connect
Attributes of Branded Utility
- Reusable (no finite end)
- Customer Tailored
- Extensible (can be extended to various situations)
- Applicable
- Interactive
And so the journey begins. I will be putting together my next article for iMedia on this topic. As I begin to write, I will be looking out for feedback on this topic. Perhaps you want to contribute an example or a passage--it is up to you.
