Postmodern brand

Last updated December 23, 2024

In response to shifts in consumer behavior and conditions brought on by postmodernism, many companies changed their marketing approach to address and create more nimble, immersive experience and customer engagements. Postmodern branding are practices of personifying a brand based on a core set of traits. Postmodern branding behaviors understand and leverage technology, space, and mindset of the moment to create an enriched user experience. Brands have found new ways to enter the home and places in the consumers life. Successful branding within the postmodern society rely more on the developments of brand personality.

Description

Traditional brand management has grown increasingly hard and complex within the postmodern marketplace.^[1] A brand in its modernist or traditional interpretation by marketing schools of thought and accredited, professional associations is defined as a, "name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or services as distinct from those of other sellers.^[2]^[3] This definition, argued by Muzellec and McDonagh refers to the brand as a single reality or focus on only one-way addressable interaction partners that in many way are not current with customer communications.^[4]

As a result, many companies have changed the way they manage brand names, terms, designs, symbols and other marketing material on behalf of the brand. The significance here is not only focusing on and tracking the organizational created material, but also identifying, monitoring and tracking the material created or suggested by the enthusiast, loyalist, defectors and the like.

Newly developed systems are in need for a brand to be more nimble and personal with their customers. Although this is an ever-evolving time it bears witness that there are new rules to the "new now" or "new new now" of marketing. And although an organization employs any platforms and processes the brand manager should realize that the brand they are managing is still just a participant in the community they wish to create. With that said, the organization should come to grips with the idea that they may not own the very brand they created.^[1]

Behaviors

As of 2008^[update], brands are becoming more important.^{[ to whom? ]}^[5] Based on the evolution of the media ecosystem—with the developments of Twitter, Facebook, mobile codes and video—a marketer can see that the brand "exists beyond the ads and the products".^[5] As a result, brands have found new ways to enter the home and places in the consumers life.^[5] This newly developed entryway and space usually takes the form of branded content, branded entertainment, branded utilities, and most importantly brand personification (which occurs when the brand is treated and engaged with as one would engage with a physical person (i.e., make appointments with, talk to, touching, etc.).^[5]

Watching scheduled TV programs, utilizing and interacting with voice recognition services like Siri (behaviors predominantly found in the daily life of the postmodern consumer) are examples of how branded content and utilities are becoming more predominate within our current culture.^{[ citation needed ]} Although some examples are eroding away, like scheduled TV viewing (according to JD Power and Associates roughly 45% of cable TV service customer have a DVR subscription, which is up from 38% in 2010^[6]), others are introduces with remarkable interfaces and user engagement protocols.^{[ citation needed ]}

Successful branding within the postmodern society rely more on the developments of brand personality.^{[ citation needed ]} Developing brand personality sets the stage in identifying deeper meaning around "How it, the brand, works".^[7] The formation of studying and defining a brand in this manner hinges on the trait theory of psychology. According to this theory, inherent traits (habitual patterns, thoughts and emotions) are perceived to remain relatively stable over time.^[8] Holding inherent traits constant while manipulating environmental cues and situational stimuli, natural personalities emerge.^{[ citation needed ]} When applied to marketing, this process is called a brand-trait observational research study.^{[ citation needed ]} By performing such studies a brand is able to extract "marketable" personalities; thus creating "livable brand personas".^{[ citation needed ]}

Influential postmodern brands

Coke

Coke is one of the more influential brands within the carbonated beverage industries. Although they have experienced an ongoing soda war with Pepsi dating back to the 1960s, they have emerged recently with an approach, Wendy White implies as agnostic and focused on telling engaging stories no matter where the consumer is.^[9] Additionally, this approach allows the user to take part in the brand, identify with the story being told and engage in the way he or she feels fit.^[10]

As a result of the approach the brand has seen great success in capturing the number two beverage position in terms of units sold while defending their legacy position as number one.^[9]

Starbucks

Although Starbucks has had minor setbacks in navigating the "new now", postmodern marketing landscape (53% drop in profits in 2009),^[11] they are still seen to be a leader in the space. At the current writing of this document,^{[ when? ]} the brand has over 25M likes on Facebook with 279 people talking about their brand online.^[12]

Additionally the brand has also ushered in a sea of change by creating one of the most intuitive and innovative mobile apps in the market. In partnership with mFoundry, Starbucks created a mobile payment application that is in current use nationwide^[13] and within the first two months of the application being live over 3M customers downloaded and used it.

If these two examples are not enough to illustrate the brands commitment to the postmodern model of consumer engagement the use and execution of the branded social network, "MyStarbucksIdea.com" does. MyStarbucksIdea is a perfect example of giving up control of the brand to consumers. The social network allows consumers and loyalists to suggest ideas based on their personal experience with the company. Based on these suggest and the recommendations for the community Starbucks is able to more efficiently plan strategic roadmaps around consumer interactions. To date the brand has received over 120k ideas ranging from ordering, atmosphere, coffee and drinks to new technology.^[14]

Related Research Articles

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process in which a business or another organization administers its interactions with customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information.

In marketing, brand management begins with an analysis on how a brand is currently perceived in the market, proceeds to planning how the brand should be perceived if it is to achieve its objectives and continues with ensuring that the brand is perceived as planned and secures its objectives. Developing a good relationship with target markets is essential for brand management. Tangible elements of brand management include the product itself; its look, price, and packaging, etc. The intangible elements are the experiences that the target markets share with the brand, and also the relationships they have with the brand. A brand manager would oversee all aspects of the consumer's brand association as well as relationships with members of the supply chain.

Viral marketing is a business strategy that uses existing social networks to promote a product mainly on various social media platforms. Its name refers to how consumers spread information about a product with other people, much in the same way that a virus spreads from one person to another. It can be delivered by word of mouth, or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet and mobile networks.

A strategist is a person with responsibility for the formulation and implementation of a strategy. Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. A strategy describes how the ends (goals) will be achieved by the means (resources). The senior leadership of an organization is generally tasked with determining strategy. Strategy can be intended or can emerge as a pattern of activity as the organization adapts to its environment or competes. It involves activities such as strategic planning and strategic thinking.

Marketing communications refers to the use of different marketing channels and tools in combination. Marketing communication channels focus on how businesses communicate a message to their desired market, or the market in general. It is also in charge of the internal communications of the organization. Marketing communication tools include advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sponsorship, communication, public relations, social media, customer journey and promotion.

An advertising campaign or marketing campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and concepts into one large media base. Advertising campaigns utilize diverse media channels over a particular time frame and target identified audiences.

In marketing and consumer behaviour, brand loyalty describes a consumer's persistent positive feelings towards a familiar brand and their dedication to purchasing the brand's products and/or services repeatedly regardless of deficiencies, a competitor's actions, or changes in the market environment. It can also be demonstrated with other behaviors such as positive word-of-mouth advocacy. Corporate brand loyalty is where an individual buys products from the same manufacturer repeatedly and without wavering, rather than from other suppliers. In a business-to-business context, the term "source loyalty" may also be used. Loyalty implies dedication and should not be confused with habit, its less-than-emotional engagement and commitment. Businesses whose financial and ethical values rest in large part on their brand loyalty are said to use the loyalty business model.

A lifestyle brand is a brand that attempts to embody the values, aspirations, interests, attitudes, or opinions of a group or a culture for marketing purposes. Lifestyle brands seek to inspire, guide, and motivate people, with the goal of making their products contribute to the definition of the consumer's way of life. As such, they are closely associated with the advertising and other promotions used to gain mind share in their target market. They often operate from an ideology, hoping to attract a relatively high number of people and ultimately become a recognised social phenomenon.

The target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to the previously intended audience. In marketing and advertising, the target audience is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message.

Engagement marketing is a marketing strategy that directly engages consumers and invites and encourages them to participate in the evolution of a brand or a brand experience. Rather than looking at consumers as passive receivers of messages, engagement marketers believe that consumers should be actively involved in the production and co-creation of marketing programs, developing a relationship with the brand.

Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online-based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services.

Customer engagement is an interaction between an external consumer/customer and an organization through various online or offline channels. According to Hollebeek, Srivastava and Chen, customer engagement is "a customer’s motivationally driven, volitional investment of operant resources, and operand resources into brand interactions," which applies to online and offline engagement.

Visual brand language is the intentional use of design elements- such as shape, colour, materials, finish, typography and composition- to subliminally communicate a company's values and personality through imagery and design style. It is intended to create a first impression of the brand for the consumer. It is considered by some to be an essential part of gaining both a substantial customer base and work force. Successful visual brand language creates a memorable experience for the consumers, encouraging repeat businesses.

Targeted advertising or data-driven marketing is a form of advertising, including online advertising, that is directed towards an audience with certain traits, based on the product or person the advertiser is promoting.

Customer experience, sometimes abbreviated to CX, is the totality of cognitive, affective, sensory, and behavioral customer responses during all stages of the consumption process including pre-purchase, consumption, and post-purchase stages.

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and store value as brand equity for the object identified, to the benefit of the brand's customers, its owners and shareholders. Brand names are sometimes distinguished from generic or store brands.

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers.

Virtual engagement is a metric to determine the level of affinity between a company and its customers.

Omnichannel is a neologism describing a business strategy. According to Frost & Sullivan, omnichannel is defined as "seamless and effortless, high-quality customer experiences that occur within and between contact channels".

Postmodern marketing is a term derived from postmodern philosophical movements where there are cultural tendencies of inherent suspicion towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodern marketing takes this same philosophical perspective and applies it to the way advertising initiatives are handled in the current post-World War II era. Postmodern marketing is approaching or has passed through a new era in advertising, branding, and strategic brand thinking. Postmodern marketing is inherently focused on customized experiences where broad market generalizations are no-longer applied or implemented on behalf of branded communications. Instead, the technique requires marketers to remove "new aged adlandia" trends and developments to focus on how the consumer prefers to be messaged to.

References

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↑ Muzellec, Laurent and Pierre McDonagh "Post-Modern Brand Management: The Virtual Case of Red Apple Cigarettes" in Halldór Örn Engilbertsson (Ed.), Proceedings of the 36th European Marketing Academy Conference, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik.
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↑ Saul Kassin (2003). Psychology. USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
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