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“You know I got what it takes
And I can take a lot
You and me got staying power yeah
You and me we got staying power”

Branding Sustainability

Those lyrics by Freddie Mercury in a song by Queen surely had something to do with the band’s flamboyant performance. But take that message literally and it’s a true source of inspiration in times when personal, corporate and fiscal endurance are put to the test. Is it something like this that underlies the greatest marketing concepts and the companies that create them? Could those words even describe what keeps superior marketing concepts going – and the companies behind them?

Testing times require staying power. When the going gets tough the tough get going. And that applies to brands as well. But how many companies can invest in nurturing their marketing concepts in times when all costs are under scrutiny? That takes a steady nerve and superior vision. And the planning process takes mental and physical strength.  Then again, it’s probably easier and more cost efficient to stand out when the competition is quiet.

But to be credible and to project the image of a reliable product or service backed by a reliable company, the message that really gets through, especially during difficult times, is not a flashy “new improved”; it’s the reiteration of the values and benefits offered consistently by the sender  – underlining the company’s consistently reliable performance.

A marketing concept and brand that really stand the test of time embody sustainable development in its truest sense – efficient use of resources and marketing efforts and materials. These don’t go out of date; they perpetuate the customers’ engagement process.

So what is at the heart of branding sustainability?

In my experience, the following principles may prove helpful in building a long-lasting marketing concept and maximizing a brand’s life.

During the planning process:

  • Team up with driven people.
  • Make sure you have enough diversity on the team in charge – and be prepared for possible heated exchanges of views. You need to be united, not unanimous, at least not at the beginning of the branding process.
  • Set clear goals – at the start and throughout the project.

After launching:

  • Stay strong, have faith in your thorough, meticulous work; and yes, there will always be discordant voices.
  • Repeat after repeating: And one more time. Brands take time to mature.
  • Keep your nerve. Bale out only when absolutely necessary.

Some examples of sustainable b-to-b brands

It’s probably easy to think of iconic consumer brands and marketing concepts – like Coca-Cola and iMac.

Among Finnish b-to-b brands there are definitely many which meet the resilience criteria, built on many of those principles, marketing concepts so far unknown to the wider public.

From my own experience, I give credit, for instance, to Valmet IQ Quality Management System – the scanners, measurements, profilers, machine vision and control applications. Originally launched as the PaperIQ scanner and the IQ family of sensors and externally launched at the beginning of 1996, when Valmet as a company was perhaps not so confident about the future of its paper quality measurement business line. Today, 25 years after its lauch, the Valmet IQ product family is the undisputed world market leader. And has been that for long.

Work within the same company, Valmet DNA (originally nelesDNA, DNA for Dynamic Network of Applications – long before the network operator DNA – and after the merger of Valmet and Rauma known as metsoDNA and today, after the demerger of Metso known as Valmet DNA): the concept developed in 1999 – clearly ahead of its time – and the product still to this day – and perhaps even more so – a leading distributed control system and information platform for demanding process automation applications. Expanding with new features and further strengthening its market position.

Here are some more examples of endurance and vitality:

Ponsse’s slogan The Logger’s Best Friend (Metsäkoneyrittäjän paras ystävä) deservedly used consistently as the company’s slogan throughout the first two decades of the 21st century.

Insta’s Licence to trust (Lupa luottaa), the concept originated at the beginning of 2006 to promote the group structure.

The essential lesson to be learned from these concepts is that they were more than mere taglines but have undoubtedly constantly guided those companies’ actions. And through difficult times as well. They were credible then and are credible now.

Case: Sitek branding

Case: In Motion customer magazine

Case: Boat hotel iROW

Case: ATA´s Gear Doctor