The Story of Attachment - Presented at International CES, by Larry Vincent, UTA

January 7, 2014

The Story of Attachment

Making tech brands more a part of consumer identity

presented atInternational CES

#BrandDependence@TheBrandStudio


Why I wrote Brand Real:

Too much emphasis on brand identity;Not enough emphasis on brand behavior.

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Positions vs. Promises

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Position Promise

Claims

Consumer

Behavior

Brand

EXPECTATIONS

EXPERIENCES

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Expectations

ExperiencesBrand Equity =

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Conventional wisdom

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Awareness Consideration Purchase Preference

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What it does not address…

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Brand value to employees

Brand value to business partners

Brand value to investors


The truth

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Sales is usually a lagging indicator of brand health.

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Insight OneA BRAND IS A BLAST FURNACE

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Shifting Focus

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We need to look closer at relationships with brands


AttractionRelationships

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Cool FactorBuzzLIKEABILITYTweetableD E S I R E D


InfatuationRelationships

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Quote


WOW!!! What more can I say! I've lusted over this camera for most of this year and finally pulled the trigger as an extravagant early holiday gift to myself.

Amazon.com review of Fuji X100S

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CommitmentRelationships

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LoyaltyStickinessPREFERENCEInvestmentH A B I T U A L


IdentityRelationships

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Connecting beliefs and brands

BELIEF SYSTEM

BRAND AGENTS

NARRATIVE

BRAND CULTURE B R A N D N A R R A T I V E C Y C L E

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71% of US consumers agree:

“I make it a point to buy brands from companies whose values are similar to my own.”

— Young & Rubicam, 2010

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Psychological underpinnings

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Physical

Security

Social

Ego

SelfActualization


IdentificationRelationships

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To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.

NIKE’S PROMISE

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A LOT LIKE ME

SIGNS OF ATTACHMENT

Brand-Self ConnectionPeople see the brand as being a lot like themselves; sharing their values.

ProminenceThoughts and feelings about the brand come to mind automatically; requiring very little conscious effort.

ATTACHED BRAND

Ignored Brand Respected Brand

ConnectedDisconnected

Hig

h P

rom

inen

ceLo

w P

rom

inen

ce

The opposite

of me

I never think

about it

Now that I think

about it

A lot like me

Averse Brand

Brand Attachment

@lvincent

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Attachment and brand value

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Awareness Familiarity Credibility Favorability Attachment

• Recognition

• Recall

• Knowledge

• Understanding

• Differentiation

• Trustworthiness

• Expertise

• Popularity

• Positive attitudes & opinions

• Likeability

• ID Affiliation

• Love

• Loyalty

• Evangelism

High frequency High leverage

@lvincent

@lvincent

Brand Aversion Brand Attachment

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Let’s measure

5,000 US consumers 18+

25 consumer technology brands

Field work early December, 2013

Statistically representative of the general US adult population

Each respondent was familiar with the brands evaluated

@lvincent


Overall, low attachment

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+100-100

A V E R S I O N A T T A C H M E N T

+15Mean score for corporate

tech brands studied:


Two Brand Dependence scores

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I M P A C TI N T E N S I T Y

@lvincent

All things being equal, measures the relative attachment to a brand in terms of brand-self connection and prominence.

Weighted attachment score that considers each brand’s level of familiarity in the population.


Brand Dependence™

Samsung

1

+21Microsoft

+21Google+19

Sony+18

Apple+18

2 3 4 5

Asus

6

+18LG

+17HP

+16Dell

+15Toshiba+15

7 8 9 10

Selected technology brands ranked by Intensity

@lvincent


Brand Dependence™

Microsoft

1

+20Google+19

Samsung+18

Sony+16

Apple+15

2 3 4 5

HP

6

+14LG

+14Dell

+13Toshiba+11

Motorola+8

7 8 9 10

Selected technology brands ranked by Impact

@lvincent


Range of dependence scores

19

15

21

21

13

13

18

18

18

Apple

Google

Dell

Microsoft

Samsung

HTC

Kyocera

Sony

Asus

HP

LG

Toshiba

Nokia

Blackberry

Motorola

16

17

15

11

3

10

-18 54

-12 51

-16 46

-10 52

-10 52

-17 44

-17 43

-11 48

-11 46

-12 44

-11 45

-13 43

-16 38

-23 30

-16 36

A V E R S I O N A T T A C H M E N T

@lvincent

Question One

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Why isn’t Apple’s Brand Dependence score higher?

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Means matters

1Samsung

1

Microsoft2

Google3

Sony4

Apple5

Baseline: All Incomes

Microsoft1

Samsung2

Asus3

Google4

LG5

Household IncomeUnder $50,000

+22

+21

+19

+19

+18

Apple

Samsung2

Google3

Microsoft4

Sony5

Household Income$50,000 or greater

+22

+20

+20

+20

+19

+21

+21

+19

+19

+18

@lvincent


A brand for cultural creatives

@lvincent

Question Two

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Why isn’t Microsoft’s Brand Dependence score lower?

@lvincent

Quote


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“ Despite the inroads made against its position, a dowager brand is likely to enjoy elevated, although perhaps slipping status among its competitors”

Defending the Dowager: Communication Strategies for Declining Main Brands.Sidney J. Levy and Dennis W. Rook

The Dowager Brand

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Windows+21

Windows

I M P A C T

+22

I N T E N S I T Y

Android

I M P A C T

+16Android+22

I N T E N S I T Y

@lvincent


Brands to WatchOn the horizon

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44

Pebble+27

Pebble

I M P A C T

+2

I N T E N S I T Y

@lvincent

45

Kindle+24

Kindle

I M P A C T

+18

I N T E N S I T Y

@lvincent

46

Asus+18

Asus

I M P A C T

+7

I N T E N S I T Y

@lvincent


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Managing attachment

@lvincent

EnrichmentEnticement Enablement

Sensory or aesthetic pleasure that results from brand experiences

Sense that we have more control over our environment and are better able to achieve goals as a result of the brand.

Symbolic and sometimes spiritual meaning of brand—a connection to our identity that can be privately enjoyed or publicly expressed

Brand-Self Connection


Drivers of top 5 brands

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Samsung

Microsoft

Google

Sony

Apple

-9%

-7%

-10%

-6%

-10%

8%

7%

4%

3%

2%

1%

-0%

6%

3%

8% EnablementEnticementEnrichment


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Implications

Brand Dependence has a big influence on many behaviors related to brands

Brand Dependence is a leading indicator that can help managers develop a relationship with consumers beyond product introductions and innovation

The technology category has more work to do in fostering strong brand attachment

@lvincent 50

Marketing

The Story of Attachment - Presented at International CES, by Larry Vincent, UTA