Here at The Value Engineers, we set ourselves a task to think about what various rock/ pop/ r’n’b singers could teach a brand director, for example; can we learn something from Bruce Springsteen and the power of over-delivery or Lady Gaga and why you should dare to be different?

Looking at the current pop scene however, it is impossible to overlook the powerful way Simon Cowell and the X-factor platform is able to turn artists into brands and this is absolutely something brand directors should pay attention to.

Let#s takelast year’s finalist Cher Lloyd as an example.  Her new campaign that launched last month delivers against everything a brand should; it is on trend, optimises the multi-channel experience (Facebook, YouTube, Cher’s website, iTunes, all digital music video channels, Android, Blackberry, iPhone, press, posters and outdoor) and has a consistent message across these channels. It also makes the most of the merchandising opportunity.

Unlike ‘Every Dog’ on this year’s Apprentice, she isn’t trying to appeal to the masses either, this is a very targeted campaign, a bit like marmite you either love her or hate her… which, for Simon Cowell, is fine and the proof is in the pudding; this Sunday her first single ‘Swagger Jagger’ went straight to number 1.

Then there is Leona Lewis; from the word go she was ‘positioned’ as a superstar and everyone immediately believed that she was one! Her subsequent appearances following the X Factor helped convey this message; we haven’t seen her falling out of nightclubs or in a sex scandal in The (now defunct) News of the World but we have seen her on the cover of classy magazines (such as Harpers Bazar) and in seamless live performances.

Positioning Leona Lewis as a clean-cut superstar has made her aspirational yet approachable, and this approachability means we Brits feel an emotional connection to this global superstar and it will take a lot to taint this image.

At The Value Engineers we believe that inspiration for new big ideas comes from looking in adjacent categories, different markets and even from the past. We’ve pulled together 40 drink innovations that we believe have been ground breaking and from this we’ve identified nine innovation precepts or principles for innovation.

PRECEPT ONE: NEW PROCESS OR PRODUCT
There are many examples of drinks products that have changed the product features or the manufacturing process to produce something totally new and different.

MOLSON ICE BEER
Ice beer is a marketing term for pale lager beer brands which have undergone some degree of fractional freezing similar to the German Eisbock, which increases the alcohol content. The name originated in Canada. The first ice beer marketed in North America was Molson Ice which was introduced in April 1993, although the process was patented earlier by Labatt, instigating the so-called “Ice Beer Wars” of the 1990s.

How can you talk about the manufacturing process in a new and different way to provide new benefits? It’s time to interrogate your products and processes to identify new consumer benefits.

Seeing this TV ad for Green Flag breakdown recovery reminded me of Giles’ post a couple of weeks ago on the subject of there being no new ideas.

Green Flag are number 3 to AA and RAC in a highly consolidated market so it makes perfect sense to adopt the personality of the challenger. Their strapline “We may not be the biggest but we are determined to be the best” reminded me of another classic challenger campaign.

Avis became famous through the use of their “we try harder” strapline in the 1960s by drawing attention to the fact that they were number 2 to Hertz in the market. The upside of this was that they would go the extra mile to make up for their older cars and fewer rental locations.

Acknowledging a deficiency may not always be a prudent strategy when trying to win over customers, but it can work in brands’ favour when demonstrating how the shortcoming may create a positive outcome. ‘Trying harder’ and ‘being determined to be the best’ are two such positives which derive from their claimants’ comparative small size.

You know it’s a good idea when others are copying it nearly 50 years later.

A fundamental given in life…if you make a promise you must follow it through and branding is no exception to this rule. If a brand makes an emotional promise then I expect both packaging and product to conform. This weekend I came across a natural energy drink that offered a very powerful promise, that is, until I dug a little deeper.

Alibi PRETOX and its strapline ‘It’s all good… so you don’t have to be’ tugged my emotional strings when clutching a cup of tea, at Bournemouth station, in a desperate attempt to nurse the hangover. Had we missed a trick here? With alibi protecting our backs could the dancing really have been even more extreme with even less pain in the morning? Stopping for a moment to consider I found myself fighting off images of jumping bacteria battling against Mr Muscle in the kitchen sink.

Driven by suspicion I started to do a little research into this supposed alibi of mine. The ingredients boasted; numerous anti-inflammatory’s, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals but nothing that screamed take my hand and jump. When comparing alibi’s ingredients with other natural energy drinks in the category, such as wellwoman, there really was nothing, other than its bold claim, to make this drink stand out from the crowd. Aside from the product itself, alibi appears to be expressing a rather mixed message. Alibi actively aligns itself with the festival culture, ‘it’s all good… so you don’t have to be’; However, at the same time alibi is actively involved in cracking down on the production of Heroin in Afghanistan…anybody else seeing the irony here, if not somewhat extreme.

In light of my research I am inclined to believe that this supposed alibi of mine is rather a lot of hot air and no trousers. Pretox is indeed a clever concept but only if the product genuinely does what a detox cannot and in this case I am dubious.

If brands are going to gain genuine customer loyalty as opposed to novelty impulse first time buyers they will have to learn that a promise needs to be more than just the packaging.