There is a balance to be struck when building a brand. On the one hand, there are brands that have come into being on the back of an experienced eye seeing or sensing a gap in the market. Often this coincides with the belief system of their founder – and the brand becomes a way to fulfil that belief. We call these Magnet brands. On the other, there are brands that are created through a research process, by spotting patterns in the data, by seeing what people are saying or how they’re behaving and working from there – these are Mirror brands.
Both Magnet and Mirror brands are built from a market orientation, but reflect different approaches, different attitudes to risk and different cultures too.
Magnet brands have a confidence in their beliefs. They act with an inner confidence and are set on shaking up or disrupting their market because they believe there is a better way. And these brands aren’t solely ‘purpose’ brands – a purpose may be articulated, it may not, but it’s more about an attitude of if you like what we stand for, how we do things, and what we believe in you’ll be attracted to us. Magnet can be seen across the spectrum from smaller, fleet-of-foot start-ups to some big old behemoths.
BrewDog was built from a manifesto that beer should be interesting, tasty, different and a bit ‘punk’. Dyson believed that vacuum cleaners should actually be able to suck up dust effectively and new technology was needed. Patagonia want to save our home planet. Fat Lad At The Back believe that cycling is for everyone no matter your size. Dacia believe that simpler is better and that you don’t need all the bells and whistles that most cars have.
Crucially, Magnet brands have market orientation; they undertake market research and seek consumer feedback – but they do this through the lens of their principles and red lines. A Magnet brand recognises that because it is forsomething, it is not for everyone. It wants to understand how it is used, perceived, how it is trending, but also is clear around what can flex and what can’t.
A Mirror brand conversely reflects the market. Again, market orientation is crucial, but here the usage is different – Mirror brands look to understand what’s trending, what’s on the way up and build it into their mix. It will want to know the attitudes and perceptions of its current and potential consumers are positive or becoming so. And crucially, a Mirror brand responds to the feedback by altering its course – perhaps only slightly, perhaps quite markedly – and usually because it is following the short-term money. Most household name brands are Mirror brands, and they have been incredibly successful meeting our needs for years and years. Whether this is Persil launching a new variant, Mars stretching their incredible confectionery brands up or down in size to meet different occasions or whether this is Tesco extending their offer so that every little helps.
And this isn’t a case of ‘one is right’. Both directions have validity. Both can lead to success, or failure; both indeed have risk attached. For every Who Gives A Crap there are 10 copy cats struggling to cut through. For every Warburton’s Toastie there’s a competitor covering its packaging in baked beans because ‘that’s when our customers use it’.
It’s best to be honest and upfront about what your brand is. If you have a clear point of view on the world leverage it. It doesn’t have to be grandiose; it just has to be something that the business really believes in. And if you’re a Mirror brand, that regularly audits what consumer think and how they use your category good for you, because you’ll be many steps ahead of those who think that market research is unnecessary.
David Preston is founder of The Crow Flies, a research, strategy and innovation company that helps brands find a direct route to long lasting success. david@thecrowflies.co.uk; +44 (0) 1889 725670 or +44 (0) 7885 408367; www.thecrowflies.co.uk; @crowflieshigh. © The Crow Flies, 2024