Content Strategy: From Brand Preference to Brand Relevance

Yu Huang

___________________________

Content strategy is a hot topic in Prophet’s 2018 Brand Relevance Index™. An excellent content strategy needs to be relevant, rather than simply eye-catching. That is to say, brands must regard content as a part of their products and services and establish meaningful connections with the consumers, while creating impactful experiences in order to sustain loyalty. In this article, we will explore the different forms of brand content strategy.

The Content Marketing Strategy of iQIYI

When it comes to content, people often think of iQIYI (#49), one of the largest Internet broadcast platforms in China and producer of many popular shows, such as “The Rap of China”, “U Can U Bibi”, and “Idol Producer”. Many unsigned artists have become overnight stars on social media, as shows such as these have caused heated discussions among audiences. Since its inception in 2010, this video website has been at the forefront of content industry exploration. From becoming the earliest paid membership practitioner, to purchasing the first genuine overseas content, and then becoming the pioneer in recording homemade shows, iQIYI has accumulated 76 million PC users and 158 million users on mobile terminals, and was listed on NASDAQ in March 2018.

With an Internet content platform like iQIYI, brands have a unique opportunity to understand and influence consumers, and this impact can also be quantified. Compared with traditional advertising, brands can use stars more directly to stimulate consumption. Taking “Idol Producer”, a reality show known for cultivating male groups, as an example, it has received enormous attention since its launch. The first hour of broadcast on January 29 generated a traffic of 100 million, and over the following 78 days, the program’s website reached 2.8 billion view counts, and 13 billion posts on Weibo. 

Meanwhile, the participating brands reaped great rewards as the show became increasingly popular. Sponsor, Nongfu Spring, increased its online sales by 500 times during the show, by binding its product with the audience’s voting rights. Another sponsor, social network RED, successfully transferred traffic to its own platform by  by setting up an exclusive publishing platform for the aspiring idols. Vivo (#17), the world’s sixth-largest mobile phone manufacturer, signed the show’s winner CAI Xukun as its spokesman. Vivo has never been modest when it comes to celebrity endorsement, which is also a magic weapon for capturing the hearts and minds of young consumers.

Brands participate in popular shows and create social media stars; then use the stars to drive the spending of fans, which seems to be an effective strategy. However, is this the only way for brands to develop content strategy?

The Two Perspectives of Competition by David Aaker

David Aaker, the father of branding and Vice Chairman at Prophet, defines the marketplace with two perspectives, in his book Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant. The one we are familiar with is that brands within the same category compete with each other through various marketing activities, trying to prove that they are superior, thus obtaining consumer preference. This model is called the Brand Preference Model.

1. The Brand Preference Model

According to Aaker, the Brand Preference Model is “the strategy to engage in incremental innovation to make the brand ever more attractive or reliable, the offering less costly, or the marketing program more effective or efficient. It is all about continuous improvement – faster, cheaper, better.” 

Although driving sales with celebrities is effective, such an approach of combining online traffic + advertising is still what Aaker called the Brand Preference Model. However, the differences between brands are oftentimes so insignificant that the celebrity becomes the main differentiator. 

Aaker explained: “This classic brand preference model is an increasingly difficult path to success in today’s dynamic market because customers are not inclined or motivated to change brand loyalties.”

2. The Brand Relevance Model

Are there any other approaches? Of course. 

As Aaker has said in his book, we believe: “The second route to competitive success is to change what people buy by creating new categories or subcategories that alter the ways they look at the purchase decision and user experience.” 

New categories can help a brand to create new connections with consumers, so that when the consumer makes a choice, only this brand is “relevant”, while other brands become “irrelevant”. This is called the Brand Relevance Model.

If a brand leverages content as a new product category, rather than a component of its advertising, then this brand will have the opportunity to create “relevance”.

Building Strong Brand Relevance Through Content Strategy

Brands can create relevance through original content, or so-called Professionally-generated Content (PGC). For example, Bestore (#32), a lesser-known snack company has achieved sales of 5.4 billion RMB (almost 800 million USD) in just 11 years. Behind its rapid growth, Bestore demonstrates profound insight into the consumption of snack foods, which is essentially a product category that satisfies the emotional needs of consumers. Content becomes especially important here, therefore, Bestore has set up a team of 15 people to create various short videos and variety shows, under the brand, “Walnut TV”.

To date, Bestore has released 303 videos with a total playback volume of over 35 million on Tencent Video. In the words of its founder, YANG Hongchun: “We are a technology company first, and a media company second.” Coincidentally, its competitor Three Squirrels has the same idea. Its founder ZHANG Liaoyuan once said: “Brand implantation in film and television is just the beginning. We also want to make our own movies and TV series with Squirrel Pictures, and invest in blockbusters in the future.”

The form of PGC can be varied, but the goal remains, that is, to pull at the heartstrings of consumers. 

Take NetEase Cloud Music (#16) as an example. How do they impress everyone in the face of highly personalized music consumption demands? The collaboration between NetEase Cloud Music and Nongfu Spring is a classic case. From their 400 million reviews, NetEase selected 30 to print on Nongfu Spring water bottles, so that each water is given its own theme song and story. Additionally, NetEase also worked with Hangzhou Metro to print 85 music reviews on the train, touching the hearts of those lonely urbanites. Check out these reviews and see if you too are touched.

• “It is a lie to wish you both happiness, but to wish you happiness is real.”

• “When I was young, I used to lie to my parents that I had no money. Now, I tell them that I have enough money.”

• “May all good-nights be responded.”

Brands can generate “relevance” through User-generated Content (UGC). NetEase tells us that what truly touches people is not necessarily the celebrity, but the consumers themselves. Linking the users' personal stories to the brand is also the strategy of Airbnb (#17). To this end, Airbnb launched “Stories”, where users can share their unique experiences of staying in Airbnb homes around the world: living in a Hollywood star's house in Kenya; my host in Dubai was also the captain of my flight; finding the template for my future house in Taipei; climbing into a high tree house in Chiang Mai… The experiences of users from 158 cities across 43 countries are the best articulation of Airbnb.

Final Thoughts

Content that resonates with consumers on an individual level - regardless of if content was created by brand or user - is what helps brands truly enter consumers' hearts. This is the essence of “relevance”.

Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb, once told a story: a girl and her sister had been living in a treehouse built by their parents since childhood, without any connection to the outside world. Until they became a host of Airbnb and welcomed interesting guests from all around the world. Their lives became more colorful. Later, the elder sister died of cancer, and the younger sister wrote a letter to Chesky, thanking him for the experience he had brought to them. Chesky was greatly touched by the story. He wrote: “…technologies will change our lives in ways we can’t imagine, and yet people are as lonely, isolated and disconnected as ever.” He believed that Airbnb’s legacy is to connect people with each other – “It is a small world – one world, one people.”

And that is what brands must do.

Learn more about our Brand Relevance Index™, and how Prophet can help transform your business and capture the heart of consumers.

Click [Read More] to download the full report

Click the Images to Read More

Prophet Drives Growth in Asia Winning 7 Transform Awards

Prophet x Suning International | A Global Community of Curators