Answer the following- 1. What should the SAP brand stand for? What is its brand promise? 2.
To
what degree should SAP position itself as an "Internet" or "e-business" brand? 3. What should be
done with the SAP brand architecture, and what should be done with the logos? 4. What should
Homlish change first- the advertising, website, logos, etc.? 5. How will SAP know if it has succeeded
in its rebranding? What measures should be used to gauge success?
1. What should the SAP brand stand for? What is its brand promise?
The SAP brand should stand for-
Enabling customer success through world-class technology
Turning businesses into best-run businesses
Reliability, expertise, innovation, and product quality
The brand promise that was ultimately selected was- "SAP turns businesses into best-run
businesses." This leverages SAP's proven strengths and customer perception of SAP as a mission-
critical partner for many successful companies.
2. To what degree should SAP position itself as an "Internet" or "e-business" brand?
SAP should position itself as an "Internet" or "e-business" brand to a moderate degree, but not make
it the core of their positioning. The case notes that SAP was perceived as a late-comer to the
Internet, which was hurting their image. However, Homlish wanted to avoid another "wild swing" in
brand perception after the recent shift to the mySAP.com branding.
The tagline evolution shows a balanced approach-
1. "The Best-Run e-Businesses Run mySAP.com"
2. "The Best-Run e-Businesses Run SAP"
3. "The Best-Run Businesses Run SAP"
This allowed SAP to leverage the e-business trend while gradually refocusing on their core strength of
enabling best-run businesses across all sectors.
3. What should be done with the SAP brand architecture, and what should be done with the
logos?
The SAP brand architecture should be redesigned to-
Make SAP the clear master brand
Place product sub-brands (like mySAP CRM) under the SAP master brand
Simplify and unify the visual identity
For the logos-
Replace the multi-colored mySAP.com logo with a simpler SAP logo
Use a clean, professional design (e.g. white "SAP" on blue backdrop)
Ensure consistent logo usage across all materials and regions
4. What should Homlish change first- the advertising, website, logos, etc.?
Based on the case, Homlish should change (and did change) in this order-
1. Stop all existing advertising to avoid further brand confusion
2. Revamp major customer-facing events like SAPPHIRE to signal change
3. Develop new brand positioning and tagline
4. Consolidate and align websites
5. Update logo and visual identity
6. Launch new global advertising campaign
This approach allowed SAP to quickly stop inconsistent messaging, signal change to key stakeholders,
develop a coherent brand strategy, and then roll it out across all touchpoints.
5. How will SAP know if it has succeeded in its rebranding? What measures should be used to
gauge success?
SAP can gauge success through-
1. Brand value metrics-
o Growth in brand value (e.g. as measured by BusinessWeek rankings)
o Brand awareness and perception among target customers
2. Financial metrics-
o Revenue growth
o Profit growth
o Stock price performance
3. Market share metrics-
o Overall market share in enterprise application software
o Share within peer group
o Growth in new market segments (e.g. SME market)
4. Customer metrics-
o Number of customers and installations
o Customer satisfaction and loyalty
o Financial performance of SAP customers vs non-customers
5. Industry recognition-
o Awards for marketing, advertising, and brand management
o Positive coverage in industry press
