Mercedes canceled its subscription service, Mercedes Collection. The two-year old pilot offering fee-based access to 30 different models, insurance, roadside assistance and maintenance had about 100 participants. Mercedes Collection gave people a car-driving option other than a purchase or a lease.
Brand revitalization requires finding and satisfying a new, important customer need. Brand success requires being the best at something relevant and differentiated. It means never taking your eye off of changing customer needs.
The chart shown above is an evolution of one that I helped create at Kantar. It is my attempt to summarize as clearly and simply as possible the process by which people choose between brands based on their intuitive and deliberative thinking. I would love to hear your thoughts about it, good, bad, or indifferent. But first, let me lay out my thinking behind the chart.
Fashion is characterized by both flocking behavior and a desire for differentiation. Consumers want to belong to a group, while at the same time asserting their individuality, both as a person and through their style.
Working with brand, we are always looking for informed and intelligent thinking on the key topics surrounding it. Only by constantly learning can we bring new and relevant knowledge and opinion to our work. Here’s a selection of the books that have helped give us a richer appreciation and understanding of the role brand plays – economically, socially, and culturally.
