14 July 2011 | Naouel Zenaidi
BBC3
Tuesdays, 9pm
★ ★ ★ ★
In Secrets of the Superbrands: Food, Alex Riley wanted to find out what kept consumers coming back to the same brands, and how such famous names managed to achieve iconic status worldwide.
While some of his findings were only mildly surprising, Riley identified some interesting trends.
For instance, he found that the most successful products had not changed or improved very much over time. Even when brands did modify their products to suit local markets worldwide – a concept known as ‘glocalisation’ – they remained very similar so consumers would recognise them wherever they might be.
However, effort not spent on product innovation goes into developing a strong personality. The programme didn’t show how to make a brand “friendly” or “fun”,but it did reveal how powerful the association could be.
An MRI scan showing brain activity when exposed to well-known logos or to faces of friends and family was compelling.
The strength of these superbrands lies in their ability to quietly infiltrate our everyday life and become something so familiar that we couldn’t possibly imagine going without.
