Brand Integrity – Learn From Alessi & Avoid The Mistakes Of Mg
In terms of brand awareness, your money would probably be safe if you bet that more people were aware of MG than Alessi. So why then is the later a highly regarded and profitable organisation demonstrating European design flair and quality, while the former spent years as an object of ridicule until it finally went to the wall a few years ago?
It comes down to brand integrity and the fulfilment of the unwritten contract between customer and manufacturer that ‘you continue to produce the great designs and I will continue to buy them and promote them.'
MG were one of the originators of the great British sports car and produced affordable designs that offered a good helping of fun wrapped up in a seductive little body. Dating back to the 1920's this adventurous little company produced a series of designs that won the hearts of many a young character on both sides of the Atlantic with a sense of ‘joi de vive'.
The MG brand was still thought of affectionately by the motoring public in the main until the unwritten contract began to be terminally broken through the 1970's. By this time the ill-fated goliath of British Leyland had swallowed up MG and this gem of a brand became a victim to the industrial insanity that was inherent in the system.
The UK manufacturing sector of the 1970's was as effective as a one legged long jumper. The once great manufacturing base was poisoned with years of bad management, lack of investment, seditious unions and a general malaise from the majority of people involved. The British car industry was the jewel in the crown of this sector of ineptness and the MG brand was left hapless and helpless.
A succession of designs followed that had the capability to sting like a butterfly and float like a bee. These designs possessed all the charm of your Great Aunt Millicent's yapping terrier and were just as likely to leave an annoying puddle. No amount of good will can protect a company from such incompetence and customers began to reluctantly leave this cherished brand in a mass exodus.
Even the renowned German efficiency of a BMW takeover wasn't enough to save what had eventually evolved into MG Rover. BMW decided to cut their losses, jumping ship with the Mini brand and selling Land Rover and Jaguar to Ford. The remaining designs and brands at MG Rover were as appealing as a mangy old cat with asthma and a bladder problem - and the company lasted barely as long. A Chinese company now owns the name and it remains to be seen if they understand the need for brand integrity.
The Alessi and MG brands date back to a similar time period and with origins just as humble and innovative. However, Alessi have always remained true to their original ideals and honoured the unwritten contract with their loyal customers. The Alessi brand is renowned for creating designs that are visually appealing, functionally effective and manufactured to a high quality. They also frequently contain a certain ‘je nais c'est quai' that can cheer the soul, not in an ‘afluenza' manner, but because they have been created by people who wish to enrich the world with beauty and compassion.
The team behind Alessi are fiercely protective of their brand and do not shamelessly throw the Alessi logo on anything that doesn't move in order to increase profits. The same cannot be said for some of those prestigious car manufacturers out there, who are in progressively diluting their brands. Alessi are also very careful about choosing their retailer network and constantly monitor to make sure that their precious brand is not being exploited. This allows their loyal customers to continue to buy with confidence and promote the brand further.
There are many ways to damage brand integrity and the current infatuation with celebrity culture has created an intriguing twist to the theme.
Celebrity endorsement is nothing new and clearly an effective marketing tool. Joe Public can purchase the associated product with a desire to obtain a small piece of the celebrity's lifestyle and associated caché. A good example of this effect is the dramatic increase in sales for Police sunglasses following their association with David Beckham.
However, there has been a recent trend for high quality home ware manufacturers to produce designs that have supposedly been created by celebrities. This could be a range of high quality kitchenwares by a celebrity chef, or a range of designer bedding by a popular TV personality.
The problem is that these designs carry a premium price tag and have more often than not had no more contact from the celebrity than signing on the dotted line to receive their 10% royalty payment on every item. To add the name of current celebrities to a product for a premium price tag, without adding any discernable improvement, seems at best shallow and at worst a rip-off.
A former ‘Changing Rooms' designer (and I use the term loosely) recently quipped that he would be happy to endorse anything, so long as he received a royalty payment.
People are not stupid and the extra costs involved for designs with no discernable advantage over the opposition are frequently left on the shelves, ready for the sales to begin and prices slashed.
It is clear that the only people to benefit from this situation are the celebrities that show a far greater ability for self-publicity than design talent.
Thankfully, Alessi, Menu, Louis Poulsen, Design E etc have not fallen into this trap and credit genuine new design talent for their design ranges. This approach fulfils the unwritten contact for the customer and nourishes the new generations of designers for all to enjoy.
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