A rather special bond connects Eye for Image, New Zealand and Copenhagen. So I was interested to read that included among New Zealanders’ top travel loves and loathes is Copenhagen Airport. As the only specific airport mentioned in the list, which was released by the New Zealand travel agency House of Travel, this level of awareness on the other side of the world is quite something. Add to that the fact that you don’t need to tip in Denmark (which, apparently, New Zealanders love), Copenhagen Airport really is a winner. As long as the beaches, hotels and humid weather don’t ruin the experience, Denmark could be marketed as an attractive holiday destination to New Zealanders!

The internet is free, but music and TV are not. Games are not free, and neither are magazines. People pay for quality content. Now the internet has moved from mere information to entertainment – and consumers are now willing to put up with online advertising if it means they can watch or play for free.

Nowadays, ‘consumers in control’ simply means that consumers can have ‘this much for free, and a better experience for a price’; whether that price is increasing broadband speed or buying a Hi-Def movie on a disc. If consumers can get a better experience in return for being exposed to advertising and being able to continue to play, watch or consume for free, then the trade-off is no longer forced upon them; they actually appreciate it. And even more so if the targeting is relevant and somehow enhances the overall experience.

If you want evidence of advertising enhancing entertainment, take a look at all the TV ads on YouTube that people search for and discuss across social networks. Even Obama worked this medium to his favour! See the lists that people put on Facebook about their favourite films, books, or music, and think of the reaction not so long ago when Amazon first ’suggested’ books to you. Things change and people soften.

Check the research on gaming advertising. If you want a hardcore bunch of modern geeks to crack, then gamers take no prisoners. The fact is, they appreciate the advertising trade-off that gives them free game play, and they feel that brand placement enhances game reality.

Up until 2005, connection speeds prevented quality advertising from being pushed in real-time. The advertising hindered people. But broadband brought online entertainment that is now challenging the TV and music industries. And it has also provided quality content that people are willing to trade for advertising – especially fun, entertaining advertising. We used to forward funny videos around by email. We used to call that ‘viral’. Now we are posting these videos to our Facebook walls – and most of these are centered around a brand.

Thanks to Dean Donaldson
This is based on a blog post written by Dean Donaldson. Dean is Director of Digital Experience at Eye Blaster and has more than 20 years of advertising and digital experience. You can read more of Dean’s thoughts at www.deandonaldson.com or hear his views on the future of digital marketing.

How will digital campaigns develop in 2010?
Dean Donaldson will be speaking at Poets & Plumbers’ half-day seminar on how digital campaigns will develop in 2010 on 11 November 2009. The seminar is almost sold out, but you might be able to get on the waiting list. And if not, there’s plenty more going on at Poets & Plumbers.

Companies in the United States and Canada are increasingly including Twitter and Facebook experience in their job posting requirements. Advertising, marketing and communications agencies are looking for people with a flair for social networking. And some business that are looking to gain instant, cost-effective exposure are hiring bloggers and project managers to build their brand image through Wikis and social media.

Of course, it’s ironic that many companies on the hunt for Facebook skills are still worrying about poor employee productivity levels due to the site…

This fine article on Brand Channel looks at the reasons behind the success of some Scandinavian brands. Interestingly, the article moves freely between Nordic and Scandinavia, often lumping Finland and Iceland into the Scandinavian region. So why is this interesting?

This shows that outside the Nordic countries, most people don’t understand (or care about) the difference. But many Nordic countries do. In fact, many Danish companies are keen to stress their Danish roots. Why?

My guess (and it’s no more than that) is that it’s done for two reasons: (1) national pride; and (2) the first market most Scandinavian companies export to when they start to expand is within Scandinavia.

This is fine within Scandinavia. But when companies begin to market themselves further afield, the country-specific focus loses power. Scandinavia has a reputation. It’s a ‘brand’ people associate with a trust. The same can’t always be said for Norway, Denmark or Sweden.

So why tell someone you use Danish design and not that you use Scandinavian design? By saying Danish design (or Swedish or Norwegian) you have to educate the consumer about what this is. But if you go for Scandinavian, the consumer already has a feeling for what you are referring to - and this creates an emotional link to whatever product or service you are selling.

To get an idea of images the word ‘Denmark’ conjures up in the minds of an international audience, you could check out the informal survey in this article.

In Brandchannel’s article celebrating the success of top Nordic brands, it’s excellent to see that this part of the world is not forgotten. Although, I am disappointed to see that Denmark doesn’t really get much individual attention. There’s much more to Danish business than Novo Nordisk and LEGO! But Barry Silverstein is probably right in concluding that Sweden takes the honours as the top Nordic provider of international brands.

Silverstein talks about some powerhouse brands that have demonstrated what can be done with the right combination of determination, vision, business skills, world-class marketing and, of course, luck. There’s no doubt about the quality of design, technical skills and business nouse that Scandinavians can bring to their brands. But does anyone else realise this? Underneath the top performers, there is a whole layer of brands that have so much potential, but have yet to fulfill.

One thing that stands in their way is their ability to find and tell the compelling story that resonates with audiences around the world. Too often, the stories are overshadowed by misplaced modesty, inappropriate messages and technical specifications.

From my own intimate knowledge of Danish business, and years of gathering impressions about Danish brands from people around the world, I see a big gap between what Danish, and perhaps Scandinavian brands as a whole, can actually deliver, and what others think they can deliver. Many brands are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver much more than they promise. So if this gap can be closed, not only will more Nordic brands rule, but the region could become a true international commercial center of excellence.

Recently I was invited to Iceland to talk at a conference about the country’s image, in particular in relation to its current financial struggles. The conference was hosted by the Trade Council of Iceland, the Public Relations Society of Iceland, the Icelandic Tourist Board and others. I was one of several speakers, foreign and local. (Read a report about the conference.)

One of the highlights of the conference was the announcement of the results of a survey about the image of Iceland as a travel destination. In the following weeks, some travel websites reported on the survey findings.

Here are links to some of them:
enewswire
Icenews
Holiday Hypermarket
Travelmole
Travelbite
Opodo

As you’ll see, some of these reports attribute the survey to Eye for Image. However, I’d like to put the record straight by saying that the actual survey carried out in Denmark, Germany and the UK on Iceland as a travel destination was carried out by the Icelandic consultancy, ParX Business Consulting.

My own contribution to the conference was to give an “outsider’s” impression of the brand of Iceland based on what people and media around the world had been saying. I carried out my own research and media monitoring in the weeks leading up to the conference. I then offered some perspectives on what this might mean to the brand of Iceland as the country looks to recover from its struggles.

Despite the confusion about who did the travel destination survey, I was quoted in several news reports. And I can confirm that I did say these things!

If you’d like to know more, you’re welcome to get in touch with me.

Governments have been trying to craft unique, visible and successful brands for ages. But the current Obama administration has been especially creative lately. They recently unleashed a huge rebranding strategy to cover military activities and even the current financial crisis. Here are a few highlights:

- George Bush’s War on Terror, or The Long War, is now Overseas Contingency Operation

- Terrorism is now called ‘man-caused disaster’

- Toxic Assets are now referred to as Legacy Assets

- And the US government will no longer refer to people being indefinitely held in places like Guantánamo Bay as ‘enemy combatants’. I guess they’ll just be called detainees now.

I wonder what their new name for the financial crisis itself will be?

(If you’re really having trouble answering that question, I can tell you he was not. He was a composer.)

In today’s world, it seems that unless you offer solutions then you’re a nobody. But for me, ‘solutions’ is just a most common example of lazy writing. It doesn’t actually tell you anything – and good writing should tell you all you need to know.

Eye for Image is not a provider of communications solutions. We write. And we give strategic advice. And we coach your communications team. We do all those things. And saying we offer ‘communications solutions’ sells us, and the reader, short.

Another thing with solutions: it comes from solve. And you solve problems. So if we offer solutions – and you want them – then you must have problems. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes people just want something written. Or they want strategic advice. Or they want to be coached.

Okay. Rant over.

Wherever you turn (in Denmark, anyway), someone is talking about branding Denmark. Recently, there was even a whole conference about it.

I was particularly interested to hear what the nation branding expert Simon Anholt had to say. We’re on a quest to find out how Danish companies can base their communications on being Danish. Simon Anholt seemed like the perfect person to provide answers to our questions. But instead of hearing great insights and wisdom into how countries can build and improve their brands, he said that nation branding was quite useless. And that you can’t really shift perception anyway - without some sort of revolutionary change.

A slap in the face to all marketers?

Then he asked the audience why Danes aren’t satisfied at their current ranking of no. 14 in his most recent nation brand index. Isn’t that good enough? He teased the Danes for wanting to move into the top 10, because Denmark is doing terribly well in the big scheme of things. I think it’s since slipped to no. 15 – but it’s still well ahead of a lot of other powerful countries.

Well, I think it’s great Denmark is so ambitious. What better way to break free from the grip that “Jantelov” has over the country? Anholt has a point, however, when he says it’s no use for countries to try to change perception simply by advertising or with a clever tagline (that no-one will really believe).

I wonder, too, if the efforts of nation branding are misguided. Surely, it’s mainly down to the actions of individuals and groups who happen to represent the country. Their achievements and results reflect on the country – and boost its brand.

For example, have you heard of the “All Blacks”? Probably. Know what sport they play? Maybe. Where they come from? Probably not (unless you’re from the UK, Australia or South Africa).

The All Blacks are a strong, memorable brand, which is built on consistently high performance and unrivalled success in the sport of rugby. Since they have a close association with the country of New Zealand, they boost the brand of New Zealand. But New Zealand does not boost the All Blacks’ brand. The brand is not any stronger simply because it comes from New Zealand.

I believe that a country’s brand is made by the individual performance of companies, teams, artists, musicians, writers, politicians, journalists, and the like. And of course people who just travel and interact with others around the world. So instead of Denmark putting so much effort into branding the nation, when even Simon Anholt says it’s not going to have much effect, isn’t it best to invest in the individual efforts of its champions?

What’s a value proposition all about?

The value proposition is a powerful statement that (preferably) captures the mind and the heart, and reveals a unique, highly relevant advantage or appeal. It is usually expressed as a tagline and a clear set of statements that form a platform for communicating a company or product brand.

A value proposition can be thought of as a distinctive position in the “mind’s eye” of the customer, based on perceived emotional and functional benefits. It is often a promise of customer experience. It’s a single idea you own that makes someone more likely to choose you. It’s the essence of the brand’s benefits – functional and emotional – that current and potential customers should expect to receive when experiencing a brand’s products and services.

A value proposition is most akin to a positioning statement. Personally, I prefer to use the words “value proposition” instead of “positioning statement”, since it focuses attention on the number one need – establishing value. After all, what’s the point in blowing big media budgets on promoting something that, even if it manages to capture your target audience’s attention (the ad campaign won a prize regardless of whether the product sold), people don’t feel there’s enough value to bother trying the product or calling you for a meeting?

In search of meaning
There are plenty of ad agencies out there that create pretty meaningless statements about their companies and/or their products. Stuff like: “The preferred professional partner” or “We do it a little bit better”, or “the leading provider of xxxx”. Statements like these are, quite frankly, useless.

A true value proposition can take many forms. For example:
- We’re No.2 – we try harder (reason to prefer: “I appreciate the values of modesty and a will to make things better, and I expect that a company that makes such a honest statement really does go the extra mile”).
- Design for the people (reason to prefer: “I want designer furniture, but I can’t afford top-end brands – here’s a company that appreciates my position”).
- A thousand shades better (reason to prefer: “This hearing aid delivers the best possible sound quality, which I understand is the most important single factor when choosing a hearing aid”).

You can arrive at your value proposition by considering:
- What functional benefits might our customers want from a company like ours?
- What might grab their attention?
- What might appeal to their hearts? Capture their imaginations?

In a world where people are disinclined to give you even a split second of their attention, nailing the value proposition means identifying one key message you can say about your offering that will make people want to know more. Then you need to support it with no more than three sub-messages that make the main message even more compelling.

For example (for a new hearing aid):

Main message:
“The No.1 choice for an active lifestyle”

Three sub-messages:
ReSound Live™ is the No.1 choice when you want to be:
- Physically active – whenever you need to move your body
- Socially active – whenever you’re together with friends or family
- Mentally active – when you want to be at your focused best