Oh Lord! Can I not have a Mercedes Benz when all my friends own Porsches?
Is it too much to ask for?
May be not. Unless you dream there is no way you can achieve it.
It’s all about Aspirational Branding. You have to create the dream in order to generate those emotional responses from the consumers.
Have you ever thought what made Apple, Diesel, Virgin and the Body Shop such iconic, powerful brands? What strategies did Microsoft, Samsung and Mattel adopt to stand apart from the clutter? Why are so many people go crazy over Ferrari and Harley-Davidson? Why does everyone hanker after Levi’s or Adidas?
These are the brands that have dared to inspire customers to go beyond brand loyalty. They have transformed their customers into their loyal brand ambassadors. So, what have these brands done to make their customers so obsessed about their products? The key is to adopt an aspirational brand strategy!
Your ‘mediocre is fine’ ‘sab chalta hai’ approach needs to change if you want to come up with an aspirational brand strategy for your business. Your point of focus needs to be shifted significantly. The first thing you need to shift is your understanding. Instead of understanding the actual world, what you need to understand is the consumer’s quality world. This will need some extensive research and a complete analysis of your product line and positioning.
It is time to stop asking questions like:
– How many people are there in your house?
– What products do you use?
Instead, the questions you need to instead ask are:
– What is that product that means lot of value to you?
– What according to you represents the best quality?
Here are a few examples of aspirational marketing:
Raymond: The protagonist is always presented as a global man who is very successful in life. Raymond man is supposedly a complete man that every true-blue male aspires to be.
Marlboro: After ‘Raymond man’, there is the ‘Marlboro Man’ who is supposedly legendary. Click on this link to know how.
Nike: Nike has associated with Michael Jordan. This link will tell you more.
Bata: Bata has been around since 83 years. It has often been mistaken as a local brand. The new marketing campaign of the footwear is all young and scrubbed faces set to appeal to a new group of target audience.
Pan Bahar: Pan Bahar, the Pan Masala Manufacturer, have come up with their premium offering and the most expensive of all pan masalas, the Pan Bahar Crystal.The ad film features Saif Ali Khan and uses the tagline ‘Pehchaan kaamyabi ki’ which means “Identity of Success”.
Vespa: Vespa has come up with an expression of lifestyle with its ‘Life by Vespa’ to draw the attention of young customers. The message that goes home is a stylish life is about Vespa.
The Aspirationals:
‘Aspirationals’ refers to a large consumer segment represented by young and optimistic consumers. They belong to the emerging markets and are greatly influenced by social media and technology. While brands are something that inspire Aspirationals, they also believe that it is their duty to purchase goods that are environmental-friendly. Shopping seems to be their signature behavior. Style and quality are things they look for whenever they buy a product. Nevertheless, they wouldn’t mind changing their brand if the product is equivalent or better in quality.
Aspirations refer to ambitions and hopes of a billion-plus nation. In India, there are a lot of young hopefuls who demand a better tomorrow. Aspirational branding works wonders in such a market.