“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste” some like to quote¹ to emphasize the positive of getting the opportunity to “build back better” or “create the future now”.  And many of us will have experienced that “we are at our best in times of crises” – at least on occasion, when the mission was clear, the believes were shared and when the sentiment was right…

Crises like those the Globe faced in 2020 not only reveal which companies are built on the strong foundations of a shared purpose and survive but yield some champions that are able to harness the energy created under pressure to further elevate their brand in the experience of their constituents and thrive – or at least create he opportunity to do so².

That was the hypothesis of JP’s talk organized by the the Center of Marketing Excellence at Singapore Management University in collaboration with LVMH. He goes on to show the key steps successful brands have taken to succeed in the crisis.  Steps that him and Wolf Schaefer describe in detail in their new, how-to guide to building strong brands, Ueber-Brands: “Brand Elevation – Lessons in Ueber-Branding”

To watch the video recording of the full talk, click below or read this summary article published by the SMU Center for Management Practice.

NOTES:

¹ This quote and similar versions have been attributed to many strategists and leaders from Machiavelli via Churchill to economist Paul Romer, politician Rahm Emanuel and marketing professor Scott Galloway – which must mean its true.

² A brand that created the opportunity to elevate its esteem in the eyes of society is Heinz as you will hear/read.  Heinz Beans collaborated with the non-profit Magic Breakfast to continue to deliver breakfasts to those who would have gone without as schools closed during the COVID pandemic. The question is if Heinz will make this commitment to feed the needy a permanent and experienced part of its purpose or if it will turn out to have been a short-lived and/or auxiliary ‘campaign’.

FURTHER READING:

“Brand Elevation” features a step-by-step guide to giving a brand meaning and making it peerless and priceless. It features many application examples as well as case studies shared first-hand by marketing leaders from brands as diverse as Airbnb, Acqua Di Parma, Starbucks, TerraCycle or Youtube. Click here to order your copy now.

For deep insights into what drives the success of purpose-driven brands read our book “Rethinking Prestige Branding – Secrets of the Ueberbrands,” and other posts on this blog-cast.  “