Prevent Defense
It’s the first month of football season, and you know what that means! That’s right, Business Week and Interbrand’s annual list of “Best Global Brands” – like Christmas morning for brand geeks. This is a ranking of the top 100 global brands by dollar value, determined through as objective a process as you could use to calculate a brand’s worth.
Before I share my thoughts on the list, a quick football metaphor (non-football fans bear with me on this – it will all make sense shortly).
In football, when a team gets a big lead in a game, they often start playing what’s called a “prevent” defense. This means they play very conservatively, giving up small chunks of yards but not allowing the other team to score quickly with a big play. The idea is, “Just bide our time until the clock runs out.” They stop playing to win and they start playing to not lose.
Many times this backfires and allows the team that’s behind back in the game. They’re hungrier, more desperate. They start playing more efficiently, more focused, and they start building momentum. A lot of times they overtake the leader who, after playing it safe for a while, finds it hard to get back into the attack mode that got them their lead to begin with.
Okay, metaphor over. All you non-football fans can wake up now.
So what the hell does any of this have to do with the list?
First of all, I think the most important thing to look at on this list is not who’s in the lead (Coca-Cola, big surprise) or who’s falling (financial services, duh). The thing that gets my attention is who’s rising. Google, 43% increase in brand value. Apple, up 24%. Amazon, up 19%. Zara, up 15%. Nintendo, up 13%. What do they know that no one else seems to?
When I read their descriptions in the full report (PDF), one word links them all – innovation. These companies continue to innovate, not just in their products, but in their business models and marketing strategies as well. And innovation is simply the business manifestation of playing to win (and the circle of metaphor is complete, someone cue Elton John).
These five companies are examples of how important it is to maintain a challenger mentality, especially in a struggling economy. So remember, no matter where you are in your marketplace (challenger is a mentality, not a market position, see Google) you can’t get complacent. In the eternal words of John Madden, “All a prevent defense does is prevent you from winning.” But unlike football, in this game the clock never runs out.
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Posted by: Travis Norris in: Words of Wisdom at: 12:00 pm Keywords: Amazon, Apple, business models, BusinessWeek, challenger mentality, Coca-Cola, global brands, Google, innovation, Interbrand, marketing strategies, Nintendo, Zara |
If you can actually get a client to actually keep advertising during a downturn, you’re a GENIUS.
EVERY client I’ve worked with runs and hides, whether it’s Nabisco or any “local”. In other words, you’re right.
Aside: I saw two Aestique :15’s on Friday. They looked good.
Sounds like you haven’t worked with any Challenger Brands. True challengers never “run and hide.”
I saw a couple of the Aestique :15’s at the gym the other day too. I didn’t hear them, but I think they work pretty well w/o the sound. I did miss your voice though.