The end of advertising as we know it​ Erik Mitre

In chapter 2 of Sergio Zyman’s book, he advises against taking your brand awareness for granted. He
states that most companies don’t understand that differentiation just for the sake of it is useless.
Instead, they need to differentiate from competition in a way that is relevant and meaningful to
consumers. In other words, they would benefit a lot if they saw branding or the construction of a
brand as a way of better understanding the consumer and designing strategies to connect with them. In
addition, many brands and companies think that it is best to stick with the perception people have
towards them for a long time and make no changes at all. However, this is proven wrong by Zyman,
who insists on constant renewal of the brands definition due to the fact that consumers always want to
know that the product or service offered is relevant to them and because their needs and values always
keep changing; that is why a brand needs to frequently reposition itself. The central part of Zyman’s
chapter 2 revolves around the steps to follow in order to build a successful brand and I will talk about
them in the following paragraph.

Firstly, he insist on implementing a strategy by understanding the brand’s DNA; deciding on what the
brand is going to stand for, what the goal is, how is it going to be fit into people’s lives and how it
stands regarding competition are all questions to be asked as part of the strategy development. He also
highlights the importance of counting with people who keep always in mind the objective of selling
stuff when working for the brand.
Secondly, it is important to transmit who you are and what you stand for in order to reach the
customers. Sergio indicates that the key is to maintain constant dialogue with the consumer to avoid
the competition from gaining control and also to identify the weaknesses, strengths and competences
of the brand.
Thirdly, the need to differentiate from the competition is crucial. For this, consumers can be offered
more for more; in exchange for a premium, give them more they can get elsewhere, more for less;
give consumers more and allow them to pay less than if they go to national brands, less for less; offer
them products or services as good as the rest but cheaper.
In fourth place, Zyman stresses again the importance of connecting with the consumers and being
relevant to them by taking in account the context and environment.
Finally, Zyman recommends that after following these steps, you go back and do them all over again
because loyalty is a perishable commodity.

In conclusion, Zyman’s steps to follow are crucial in order for a brand to succeed and prevail in the
market. A product that might benefit from following these steps could be the chocolate “cua cua” due
to the fact that advertising wise it has completely disappeared. Even though around 2012 it was one of
the best positioned brands in Facebook, the lack of advertising and renewal provoked that it loses
relevance in the mind of the consumer.