The future of branding

    The future of branding


    How many important and familiar things science fiction writers have come up with! Mobile phone, artificial intelligence, helicopter, robots ... The role of science fiction in the formation of technological progress is difficult to overestimate. Entire groups of scientists, called futurists or futurologists, study the future, make predictions and make fantastic assumptions. And the real sector of the economy listens to them.

    But if scientists and science fiction writers of the past put forward their ingenious hypotheses in the light of kerosene lamps and the only wonders of technology they knew were a radio and a bulky TV, then we are a completely different generation. Hints and clues surround us. Science strides by leaps and bounds. High technologies available to ordinary consumers are becoming more and more incredible every day. However, we manage not to notice this, weaving a strong archaic thread into the canvas of the future, advancing before our eyes.


    Risks and limitations
    In the near future, the world will noticeably approach the concept of the information society. The infrastructure of online commerce and custom delivery will develop. Everything will always be available, and it will become more difficult for the segment of consumer goods to compete at the level of representation.
    In an atmosphere of universal access to information, products and services, only two sales tactics will work: non-alternative imposition of a product in exchange for a service or branding with narrow segmentation of target audiences and subsequent “point” competition within segments. Such narrowly targeted brands will become a business tool.


    Key Branding Tools for the Future


    Of course, the “revolution” in branding does not expect us. Sprouts and the first successful applications of the described tools are observed in world practice today. I am sure that in the foreseeable future they will become key.
    Branding, as a science, will rapidly become an integral discipline, covering all aspects of the social life of the individual and social groups. I expect that in the near future, branding will take the lead at the top of the marketing disciplines.

    The brand will everywhere become the main asset of any company. Corporatization and enlargement of businesses is inevitable, but it is precisely the lack of alternative supplier and manufacturer, which will cool consumer interest, will lead manufacturers to the need to create different brands to increase total sales. And since, in fact, there will be no competition between them, because these are brands of one company, the market will gradually come to a situation where the consumer will buy the brand, and not the product itself. And the brand value in the value of the company and the product will grow rapidly.
    Brand materialization

    At the next stage of the development of society, branding, as an activity, evolves into the process of creating a product or service directly. The term “brand” will be inextricably linked with a specific unique product or service.
    Lifestyle Branding
    The shortage of natural raw materials in the world, which is already beginning to be observed today, will change the consumer society. The predominant will be explicit surrogate products that can only be promoted with lifestyle branding and  branded culture tools .

    For many industries the main task will be to create branding and cultivation among the target audience of lifestyle , based on the service / product (lifestyle branding).
    Branded Demands
    In high-tech markets, as well as in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and perfumes, the next stage in the development of applied branding tools will be the cultivation of needs. The main objective of branding in these industries will beinvention and implementation of new needs in society , the answer to which will be given only by a promoted product.

    Brand Socialization
    Megabrands and their closest followers will face the need to socialize brands. Their resources will become "public domain", brands "part of folklore." The first, spontaneous, self-initiated wave of such processes (the beginning of which can already be observed) will lead branding specialists to the possibility of conscious “socialization” of brands, i.e. introducing the brand as an aspect of the socio-cultural life of society .

    Branded culture
    Branding will become more actively regarded as an aspect of cultural evolution. Brands will gradually become producers of subcultures, which, over time, will merge into the “mainstream” culture, creating the basis for branded culture for future generations.

    Future identification


    What is an information society? This is not at all what the Hollywood action movies scare us. First of all, this is the next stage in the development of the Internet. A global network that includes relevant information on any topic. Exhaustively complete and accessible in all parts of the world with the help of handheld, wall and desktop devices. Information, whether paid or free, will be provided upon request. This applies to both video, music, cinematic products, and the live broadcast of anything, inclusion in any webcam on the planet, any commercial and reference data, ordering and delivery of anything anywhere.

    Why are we talking about this? Because the approach of this era is already changing the world. Accessibility of information will become the basis of life for every normal person. In order to survive and succeed in such conditions, brands need to learn how to integrate organically into the requested content, and most importantly, to be welcome guests.

    Global change of environments
    Television in the form of an uncontrolled flat screen image, magazines with paper pages filled with still images, newspapers with once and for all printed texts, 3 × 6 m paper posters - traditional media of 2009. After 15 years, they will remain only in memories. What will replace them will fundamentally change the approach to brand identification.


    Almost a year ago, an event occurred that will definitely be remembered as historical. In September 2008, Esquire magazine came out with an e-paper cover. For the first time in the world, the image on the cover of a magazine from static has become dynamic. For me, this is a sign of the beginning of a new era.


    The interface for the brand
    Information Society is not just a beautiful term. If a society lives in constant interaction with information, if the whole environment becomes informational, what does this mean for a marketer? How do we access information? Through visual interfaces. This means that they will surround the person. If today your laptop and mobile phone have an interface, then tomorrow everything will be there. A simple conclusion follows from this: in the future, the interface in one form or another will become the main carrier of visual identification or, if you like, the brand identity of the brand.


    Any interface is dynamic. From the point of view of the designer, a good global interface interacts with the user, responds to his every movement. Visual brand identification will have to describe not only the appearance of the interface, but also the characteristic dynamic states. This was first demonstrated by Apple designers. Before them, we did not know what would happen if you stretch the photo with two fingers on the phone screen. The tactile interface of the iPhone is the first sign of what awaits branding specialists in the future.





    What does the logo look like on the back?
    Almost a year ago, a historical event took place. In September 2008, Esquire magazine came out with an e-paper cover. For the first time in the world, the image on the cover of the magazine has turned from static to dynamic. This is a sign of the beginning of a new era. In the near future, three processes await us, which will revolutionize the idea of ​​design and visual branding.

    Firstly, all images that are now static and passive will become dynamic and interactive. The development of electronic paper and multitouch technology will change newspapers, magazines, books and posters. Submit your ad in a glossy magazine of the future. It is full-color and dynamic (it can play videos, change, connect to the global network), and most importantly, it responds to pressing and movement. It can’t just flicker or show a video - consumers will get tired of it quickly. So, she must respond to touch, interact with the reader. Is your brand ready for these media opportunities? Do you know how your brand looks in dynamics?




    Illustration of Franz Steiner. www.blutsbrueder-design.com


    Secondly, everything that used to be flat, dynamic and, possibly, reacted to pressing, will become pseudo-three-dimensional and responsive to movement. TVs, monitors, outdoor advertising and handheld devices - everything will begin to show a three-dimensional image. It can be bypassed from behind, rotated to the desired angle, zoomed in and out. You can even enter this picture. Imagine a three-dimensional billboard that you can go around. Are you already interested in the question, what does your logo look like at the back?



    Illustration of Franz Steiner. www.blutsbrueder-design.com

    Thirdly, in the above conditions, even a voluminous commercial will quickly become a commonplace. Traditional visual identification, as well as stylization of dynamic environments and states (interfaces and reactions to actions and movements), which will become key in the first decade after the described technologies appear on the mass market, will not be able to answer the question of what should replace the advertising video. Looking back at the latest progress, it can be assumed that the next stage of branding will be the widespread introduction of sound and tactile identification , as well as identification by smell .


    This is where I finish my forecast. You are warned.
     
    Yaroslav Trofimov, director of the agency " inspire Ukraine ",creative@inspire.com.ua

    PS: "The moped is not mine", a person who, unfortunately, does not have an account on the hub, asked to publish. Therefore, a request - if you find the article interesting and useful - give a person a habraynvayt, and he will write a lot of interesting things here :) Here is his mail: creative@inspire.com.ua

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