Giant brands are inspirations. They’re not inspirations because of what they produce but how they market what they produce. Their marketing experience has enabled them to become the well-known brands they are today. As you can see, there’s a lot to learn.
CCG is one digital marketing company that has learned a lot of marketing lessons from Giants brands and use it for their clients. They have worked with companies such as MTV, Beats Headphones, and British Gas. While learning from brands they have been able to make their company a success.
This guide is going to introduce you to some of the big marketing lessons you can learn from these giant brands.
University of Southern California (USC)
The University of Southern California is a private university that has quickly grown to take on thousands of students every year. It’s all down to how they use visual content marketing. It should come as no surprise because studies have shown that visual content increases the likelihood of reading a piece of content by 80%.
This was seen when USC completely revolutionized their Trojan logos. It led to it becoming more mainstream and more appealing. And it all happened because they brought together outsiders to help them with their brand.
Jeffrey Stewart, the Chief Executive Officer of CCG, said, “As a business grows, the question of hiring an agency or building an in-house team becomes a big point of discussion.”
Bring in an outsider or even your customers, to help you to come up with fantastic visual content. Great visual content is one of the most valuable assets you can have.
MTV
MTV is one of the oldest and most well-known brands around today. The majority of the current generation grew up with MTV as it got off the ground. Even though music streamed through the TV has dropped in popularity, this is a brand that continues to make its name.
Jeffrey Stewart says, “The best agency is an extension to your team, one that acts as a hybrid between management consultant, creative director, and chief marketing officer in helping craft the narrative, digital assets, and strategy execution that drive immediate and scalable results.”
This is what MTV has always done. They have adjusted to the trends and they have changed their strategy to drive immediate results. Today, MTV is a long way from its roots. It’s more like a reality TV channel than a simple music player, and that is what has allowed it to evolve.
Beats Headphones
Beats Headphones is probably one of the most recognizable brands in the world today. And it all started because of Dr. Dre’s influence. He followed the idea that Jeffrey Stewart promoted, “Great branding and thought leadership should not be reserved just for the biggest brands.”
Dr. Dre had yet to become a big brand in the headphones industry, but he used great branding through leveraging his former career as a rap artist. It was an early example of what’s been popularly known as influencer marketing.
Through using a well-known face, brands are able to reach an entirely new audience. You can reach further than you’ve ever reached before. That’s what has made Beats Headphones such a big brand today.
British Gas
Beware of what you post on social media!
This is a marketing lesson every brand has to learn from. The incident happened in 2013 when British Gas announced that its prices would be rising by 9.2%. Less than 24 hours later they announced a live Q&A session with the customer service manager. It provided a wide and public platform for angry customers to trash the company.
A lot of thought must be put into any attempt at marketing. You need a real meeting of the minds. Jeffrey Stewart says, “Too often, the brand/agency relationship doesn’t begin with a true meeting of the minds. Both parties may technically have the same goals, but by design, they have different roles in pursuing these goals, and even talk about them in different languages.”
This is where every company can learn from big brands. Some organizations become so bloated that they don’t discuss ideas before launching them. British Gas’s experience wasn’t the first time something similar happened, and it certainly won’t be the last time.
Last Word – Branding from the Big Brand
Companies of every size can apply these principles to their operations. The big brands have taken the time to test everything out, so it makes sense that you can take their findings and apply them to your own company.
The most important lesson you should take away from this guide is that collaboration is a must. Run your ideas past others before launching them. It could save you from some costly errors later on.
What do you think is the most important lesson you can learn from the big brands?