The customer is always right Ⅱ

After the introductions, the first panel of the morning, comprising commentator and author Robert Joseph, brand strategy director at Interbrand, Manfred Abraham, and Jillian MacLean, founder of the Drake & Morgan Group, looked at identifying who these new consumers are – and what they want.

Manfred Abraham

Following Joseph was Abraham, who gave a lesson on what the world’s leading brands can teach the drinks industry. His first point was that brands today “cannot hide anything from consumers”. They’re media-savvy and talk among themselves, globally, instantly and online. Companies have to remain relevant and innovate often to stay abreast of developments.

He listed 10 components of what makes a brand strong: among them were clarity, authenticity, consistency and differentiation. “Apple,” he suggested, “is an outstanding example of a brand that is responsive.

"When the iPad came out people were asking, ‘how did Apple know what I wanted before I did?’.” In a similar vein, BlackBerry has given businessmen what they need and want with its smart phones.

"On the other hand, BP has seen its authenticity message slip from its 1998 promises to invest in energy other than petroleum and have an environmental-led approach, to last year’s Gulf of Mexico spill, bad safety records and possible investment in the Canada tar sands."

Abraham concluded by saying that success is only achieved by companies and brands that believe what they’re doing, act on their beliefs and do what they say. “Only if you are what you say will consumers trust you today,” he said.