Brand Management: Research, theory and practice

Summary

Marketers can benefit from cultural branding insight in different ways. The brand
manager can engage fully in the cultural branding model in order to pursue the
path to icon status (or learn from the best). Going down this road, the brand
manager needs to adapt to an agenda of cultural activism and get ready for a rather

Box 10.9 Do’s and don’ts in the cultural approach

Do Don’t

Acknowledge the powerful forces Don’t believe that the brand

in consumer culture communication happens just

between you and your customer

Use cultural feedback – also Don’t ignore critical voices: things

negative – to adjust your brand might spin out of control

strategy

Be open to inspiration from many Don’t focus too much on

different sources spreadsheets from business school

guys

Acknowledge that the brand Don’t believe that the brand is

changes over the course of time made up of consistent associations

Regard your brand’s reputation as Don’t ignore political, social and

a reputation for performing myths ideological changes

Be a cultural activist Don’t just react to the successes of

others

Be open about the profit motive Don’t use stealth branding to dodge

of your business the profit motive or civic obligations

By combining the marketing power of the world’s leading consumer

brands with the accountability, scale and pace of Global Fund grant making,

(PRODUCT) RED has created a new global brand and a new business model.

Even though (RED) was created in order to raise awareness and money for the

good of African women and children affected by AIDS, it is important to

notice that (RED), in its own words, is not a charity. It is a commercial

initiative designed to create awareness and a sustainable flow of money from

the private sector into the Global Fund to fight the AIDS pandemic in Africa.

Sourcewww.joinred.com

234 Seven brand approaches