Brand activation is a natural step in the evolution of brands. When all the
necessary brand strategies are implemented, companies just need to execute
them across the organization and in the total offer towards the customer.
Brand activation is looking deeper into the possibilities within the brand, its
strategy and position to find assets that have relevant long-term
consequences for the whole company.
Example…
Activating Demand for Shell VPower
• Strategy: Partnership with Ferrari Cars
• Values:
o Extrinsic: Ferrari partnership
o Intrinsic: Cleaning properties of the brand.
• Result: Brand experience worked to educate and build deep,
meaningful relationships between the Shell VPower and the Consumer.
Example…
Activating Demand for Domestos
• Strategy: Brand activation in ‘hygienic’ venues (Clinics followed by
homes of targeted communities)
• Elements:
o In-home presentation (for spontaneous awareness)
o Clinic presentation (to drive purchase intention)
• Result: Research showed that the clinic and in-home presentations
were more effective when recalling the message of cleaning and germ
killing (versus that of television).
Marketing to Activation
Successful companies evolved with peoples’ changing needs. They listen to
their consumers and perceive them as individuals with specific preferences
and needs. They see persons with individual values, not a mass of
manipulated consumers.
2
Role of Brands
Companies are increasingly getting dependent on their brands as competitive
weapons. Brands have become the carrier of the emotional value proposition
towards the consumers. They symbolize specific competence that builds up
the company’s competitive advantage.
Thus, brands must rise up to the challenge of giving meaning to the
company’s whole relationship with its consumers.
Example…
Avis’ “We try harder”
By positioning the brand as the second brand in the car rental market, Avis
gave meaning to why they had to work harder than its’ worst competitor to
please their customers.
3
The following DSA Brand Activation Model explains the complete activation
process. It explains the complete activation process from manufacturer to
trial generation followed by experience, resulting in customer loyalty.
The model explains, customer loyalty can be established once the product
trail is generated and added with the brand experience which customer is
exposed to by getting involved in various brand activation programs.
DSA Brand Activation Model
Information Motivation
Message
Knowledge Direct
Consumer
Advertising Connection
Brand
Positioning
Brand
Consumption Experience
Purchasing
Behavior Association
Manufacturer
Consumer Linkage
Involvement
Brand Loyalty
Customer Retention
Brand Equity
4
Activation Measurement
P(n1+n2+n3…) x A = T
It further elaborates that each trial has to experience the product atleast
three times and then shall be multiplied by the sum of percentage level
recall of brand activation and/or association.
Therefore;
P(n1+n2+n3…) x A = T
P(2,000 + 2,000 + 1,000 + 5,000) X 0.2 = 2,000 Trials
5
In addition to that company wish to create brand loyalty and conducted two
activation program where brand experience and association was developed.
It was noticed that the first activation program left a recall value of only 5
percent whereas, the later program had an amazing result of 25 percent
recall.