Gael Montouchet's List: Marketing theory

• Most Asian firms, however, still view branding as advertising or logo design. If firms are to benefit from branding, they must recognize that it impacts the entire business - the structure, goals, attitude and the very outlook of those in the boardroom. Managers will need to see branding not as an appendage to the ongoing business, but rather as an infusion which seeps through the very spirit of the organization, as a healthy return on investment (ROI). In fact, it will require a shift in focus and priority for every functional aspect of the organization aligned around multiple customer touch points.
• The largest part of the financial value is captured by the manufacturers’ customers - the next player in the value chain - primarily driven by strong brand strategies and successfully planned and executed marketing programs.
• This then is the shift in thinking that is pushing boardrooms in Asia toward creating strong brands to differentiate themselves and consequently realize greater profits. Branding is an investment that must be perceived as such and is required to deliver shareholder value like any other feasible business activity. It is time for Asian businesses to step up and change mindsets and strategies.

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• Cost Leadership: Companies with a cost leadership strategy tend to be more focused on direct response advertising, so the ROI picture is somewhat clearer.  Direct Response is fairly easy to measure.

   

  Focus: Companies that focus on a particular market segment usually have limited marketing budgets.  They are either regionally focused or cater to a particular type of customer.  The marketing ROI equation is somewhat simplified for companies with a focused strategy.  They don’t have that much going on.

   

  Differentiation: Companies with differentiation strategies are the most marketing intensive.  Their success depends on consumers believing that they offer something better than their competitors do.

   

  Brands that seek to differentiate themselves need to build passion and desire for their brand.  This strategy can be immensely profitable because consumers are willing to pay a premium for brands that they love and trust.  Strong brands also tend to have lower acquisition costs.
• They track not only brand awareness, but also “brand attributes” – what people think about their brand.  For instance, McDonald’s tracks attributes such as perception of value, quality, taste, “good for kids”, etc.

• • A single theme, clearly defined  
  • A well developed plot  
  • Style: vivid word pictures, pleasing sounds and rhythm  
  • Characterization 
  • Faithful to source  
  • Dramatic appeal  
  • Appropriateness to listeners 
• • Take the story as close to them as you can. 
  • Keep it brief and simple- especially for younger children - pare down to the heart of the story.  
  • Stimulate their senses so they feel, smell, touch and listen and see vivid pictures.
  • Describe the characters and settings, and help them sympathize with the character's feelings. 
  • Aim your story at the younger ones when telling to a audience of mixed ages!

      
• • Live with your story until the characters and setting become as real to you as people and places you know. 
  • Visualize it! Imagine sounds, tastes, scents, colors. Only when you see the story vividly yourself can you make your audience see it!

      

• • Particular Oral Storytelling Skills:
     A Storyteller’s skills include: emphasis, repetition, transition, pause and proportion.

     

  • Dialog should make use of different voices for different characters and using the Storytelling "V" - where you will shift your facing (or posture) as the dialog switches from character to character.

     

  • Use your voice to create the atmosphere or tension as the story progresses.

     

  • Use gestures and facial expressions add much to the visualization of the story. Be sure they are appropriate and natural. Practice them!

     

  • Pacing involves both the volume and rate at which you speak, and the progression of the action in the story. Dialog slows a story's pace down, while narrating action speeds it up.

     

  • Repetition and Exaggeration have always been basic elements of story telling.

     Experience will hone these skills, and when - and how - to use them most effectively.

      
• • Involvement or participation. Use volunteer(s) from the audience in your story. Or have the audience participate in hand motions or making sound effects. Or responding with "chants" or refrains 
  • A distinct change in your pace, voice, or mood.  
  • An unusual or unexpected twist in the narration.  
  • Throw-away lines or asides work well as does comic relief.

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• ‘Get me a meeting with Houdini!’ ” Unique, memorable and compelling.

• Highly engaged customers can give valuable recommendations for improving quality of offering