As the markets for consumer goods continue to mature, so the consumer insight arms race continues to grow in intensity. A whole industry is dedicated to developing ever more powerful consumer insight tools to assist in the identification of the next big thing or the next strategic initiative.

I can’t help but feel we’re missing a trick. We’re all buying the same market data from the same small group of suppliers. We’re subjecting it to the same analyses; we’re excluding the same outliers. We’re screening our ideas with the same subsets of consumers and we’re using increasingly similar ‘best in class’ criteria.

Where’s the differentiation? How can we expect to gain a competitive edge in such a uniform market?

A little deviant thinking is called for, something that we at The Value Engineers have always relied on to help break new ground and to crack the hard problems. Competitive strategy is key component of this, a means of side stepping the consumer insight arms race. By understanding our competitors we can spot opportunities that we, and they, have overlooked. Perhaps more importantly, by contrasting ourselves against our competitors we regain our perspective, we shift the focus back to differentiation.

At The Value Engineers we have developed an approach to competitive strategy and war gaming that does just that. We help our clients understand their market from their competitors’ points of view. We focus on facts rather than established truths or rumour and hearsay. We look at the whole value chain rather than the latest market share figures. And we do all of that with our usual flair that helps ensure that we leave a legacy of competitive strategy within the business.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our approach to competitive strategy and war gaming, or our other ideas for breaking out of the consumer insight arms race then we’d be delighted to help. Please do get in touch.

India, the world’s biggest democracy, is rapidly becoming the key market to crack for international brands. In a new series of blog posts Anjul Sharma – fluent in Indian culture and languages Hindi, Punjabi & Urdu - looks at the approach to branding in one of the planet’s fastest growing markets.

Did anyone watch the Commonwealth Games in Delhi this year? Well, there was a colourful and slick opening ceremony showcasing the sheer diversity and rich heritage of the world’s biggest democracy. But that’s probably not what you remember.

You probably remember the coverage in the press in the run up to the games. After all, you could hardly notnotice it, so ubiquitous was the story right across the TV, radio, press and internet.  Incredible pictures of bridges collapsing, badly sanitised athletes facilities (below), participants falling ill and the great names like Usain Bolt not turning up were just the start points. You’d be forgiven for presuming that customer service wasn’t exactly India’s strongest point. But think again!

There are a handful of Indian brands that pride themselves on being the global leaders in customer service. The Taj Hotels and Palaces is just such a brand. Parented by the Tata Group (who also own Jaguar and Land Rover), Taj Hotels has 76 hotels, 7 palaces, 6 private islands and 12 resorts. Spread across 5 continents and staffed by over 15,000 employees, they aren’t exactly small fry. While global in stretch, their most famous properties are in and around India where they have authentic royal palaces in regions such as Rajasthan and, of course, the infamous Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai (below) which was subject to a recent terrorist bombing. 

The 5*+ chain has prided itself on luxury par excellence balancing gracefully on old world charm, homely intimacy and ultra modern facilities. I have been lucky enough to savour Taj hospitality in Mumbai, Varanasi, Delhi and Jaipur. In fact, when I stayed at the Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur I felt like I had walked into a ‘days of the Raj oil painting’ in all its finest glory. All the reception staff were in Jodhpurs and looked as if they had just come in from a day of exotic falconry (not to mention the fact that they were all stunningly handsome!) In Delhi, I was met by an immaculate receptionist at the Taj Palace Hotel who came out to greet me on the forecourt and took me through check-in procedures in the comfort of my own rather sumptuous and magnificent room. Indeed, in some ways Taj is almost unashamedly elitist. Its loyalty scheme is known as the ‘Inner Circle’. If you’re in, you get a silver card – none of this red to start, silver when you have more points and then finally gold. They automatically categorise you as important (otherwise you couldn’t afford the prices).

Taj is a great example of how we, as marketers, must be weary of slipping into the skewed Indian stereotypes often evident in the media. First off, this brand proves Indian companies do know how to put up structures that last – no falling bridges and dog prints on bed sheets here!  Secondly, while global brands are looking to enter India, it is just as true to say that top Indian brands are looking to enter new global markets. I expect to see further international growth from Taj, especially given the expansionist ambitions of its parent, entering carefully chosen global cities rather than blanket-covering all major cities. Thirdly and finally, Indian brands can absolutely be global leaders in customer service. Taj’s focus on service is one of the best I have seen in the world, even outstripping 7* star hotels such as the Burj Al-Arab in Dubai: it certainly does feel like they worship customer service.

Ernest Hemingway once took up a wager proposed by his friends. They declared it was impossible to write a story in 6 words or less. Hemingway disagreed. Thinking for a moment, he wrote his riposte: “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn”. Poignant, powerful, with a beginning, middle and end. Hemingway won the bet.

This story inspired us at The Value Engineers to set ourselves a similar challenge: sum up the essence of our brand in 6 words or less. We thought we’d share some of the results, wonderfully bought to life by our Studio…

This week saw The Value Engineers’ inaugural ‘Engeniously Quizzical’ social evening, with clients, friends and Engineers coming together in Central London for a night of banter, intellectual stimulation and laughter.

Sheltered from the bitter winter temperatures in a snug London pub, teams tackled rounds of questions on Geography, History, Sport, Art & Literature, Film & TV, Science & Nature – each with a branding twist to keep them on their toes. Meanwhile, the quiz master had them racking their brains to identify well-known brands in a cryptic picture round.

After an hard-fought contest one team – Brand on the Run – emerged the deserved winners. Gold-standard trivia tomes for the victors, mini puds and the traditional wooden spoon for the team coming last, and a great night had by all.

For those who missed it, below is the picture round. Can you identify the brands? Answers revealed this time next week….

We often speak of brand consistency as a fundamental way in which brands can deliver their core proposition; as a with people, if brands are inconsistent in their values and practice it becomes hard for consumers to trust them and keep them in mind as familiar and relevant.

We are often asked, however, ‘how can our brand stay consistent amid an ever-changing context?’

We would argue that consistency is valuable when understood in the context of a brand’s core.  Whilst any brand’s products, communications and even visual identity might change over time, consumers look to the core message of a brand – the specific values it cues which are different from its competition – when trying to define it in their minds.

We can help you refine your brand essence and values to ensure  that consistency becomes a natural part of the way you do business.

• ‘Part of courage is simple consistency’ – Peggy Noonan
• ‘Consistency is an aspect of trust that one comes to rely on to deliver expected behaviour over time’ – Jeff Swystun
• ‘Brand consistency is where a business attempts to communicate messages in a way which doesn’t detract or wander away from the core brand proposition’ – Anon
• ‘If you keep changing the message, the message itself never has time to take hold in the mind’ – Derrick Daye
• ‘The best teams have consistency and chemistry’ – Roger Staubach

Borrowed with pride from all over the place.