BRANDOPIA

Western Australia - The Real Australia

A creative conversation between Des and Tina, Brandopia's mythical brand developers

DES: So the state of Western Australia is trying to convince the world that it's 'The Real Australia'.
TINA: Not a good idea if you're implying that your fellow Oz neighbours are the 'Fake' Australia.

DES: As one of the world's remotest regions - miles from anywhere - I can fully appreciate 'the real thing' sentiment. But where-oh-where in its vastness should Western Australia look for its big brand idea?
TINA: By digging a tad deeper into the psyche of its people. There it will discover a simmering cultural cauldron - the basic human yearning to capitalise on its relative isolation and independence.

DES: And as Australia's most productive-per-capita state - thanks to its frontier exploration & mining capability - the thoughts of inter-dependence takes on an overarching importance.
TINA: It just so happens that Western Australia is the southern hemisphere's biggest statoid - a rather inelegant description of an administrative area within a country - but a powerful idea nonetheless - bigness - which the state of Texas, USA built its reputation on.

DES: So the words - biggest, isolated, frontier, exploration, and inter-dependent - are the clues to finding this great state's future-focus.
TINA: But at the same time it should start thinking about giving itself a new nickname - Aussies love nicknames - by playing down its unemotional compass name - Western - as well as its anonymous initials - WA (See Footnote: Sandgropers).

DES: I agree. 'Western Australia' is a weak brand extended name and therefore relies heavily on the main brand - Australia - for its future success.
TINA: And as we all now know, Brand Australia is sadly failing to show itself 'in a different light' to the rest of the world.

DES: As for initials, lesser-known destinations tend to fall into the trap of 'what's good for the well-known brands is good enough for us'.
TINA: They forget that the USA, UK and LA are constantly in the media spotlight and their initials have been burned into the consciousness of the global market - thanks to the mega media brands: Hollywood, CNN and the BBC.

DES: No such luck for PNG, BVI or TCI (See Footnote: Initialitis).

'Brand' the Marketect says:
"Upsetting your neighbours is not to be recommended, especially when you need their co-operation, as well as their business in the foreseeable future."
(See Footnote: Stockholm)

Footnote:
Sandgropers is the current nickname for Western Australia and was inspired by a close relative of the grasshopper who loves to burrow in sandy soils.

Initialitis
PNG: Papua New Guinea
BVI: British Virgin Islands
TCI: Turks & Caicos Islands

Click here to find out how Stockholm's big brand idea upset its Scandinavian neighbours.

Co-Branding: Product with Place

Inspired by a BBC Radio interview with Alan 'Brand' Williamson on 5th September 2005 - this is a creative conversation between Des and Tina, Brandopia's mythical brand developers

DES: BBC TV's hit comedy series, The Kumars at No. 42, has triggered the launch of a range of Asian food products on the UK market.
TINA: Whilst celebrity undoubtedly sells, this is a brand campaign that's loaded with potential problems as well as exciting possibilities.

DES: Sadly, the marketplace is awash with celebrity-endorsed product and service brands that have failed.
TINA: David Hasselhof tried unsuccessfully to launch a Baywatch Cafe chain complete with waitresses in red swimsuits.

DES: But arguably the most spectacular celebrity-endorsed failure was Fashion Cafe launched in 1995 by supermodels Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Elle MacPherson.
TINA: However, there have been a number of notable successes such as actor Paul Newman's brand of salad dressings - Newman's Own - and heavyweight boxer George Foreman's Lean, Mean Grilling Machine. Both celebrities have managed to transcend their original media images.

DES: So what key principles should the Kumar's brand focus on to increase the probability of success in what is a highly-competitive marketplace?
TINA: I think the first thing they must do is to find some Asian culinary credentials. Luckily, some of the cast are already involved with presenting an Asian food programme.

DES: A good start, which could be continued on the forthcoming new TV series by having a regular food segment involving one of their famous guests, hosted by Granny Kumar - the matriarch of the family.
TINA: They might also consider building their distribution base initially with specialist Asian and International food gourmet stores.

DES: That would build even more credibility, before deciding to go after the mass market through the major grocery multiples.
TINA: Finally, and I think this is probably the most important principle, they must co-brand with a place, not the entire Indian sub-continent, but perhaps a small part of it, such as the state of Punjab, with its aromatic north Indian cuisine.

DES: Discover the 42-meric fused-flavours of Punjabi gastronomy.
TINA: Starting in Southall, Britain's Little Punjab, located in the western suburbs of Greater London.

'Brand' the Marketect says:
"Co-branding a product with a place is one of the most powerful brand development strategies - for products as well as places."

Note: Learn how IKEA co-branded with Sweden to achieve global iconic brand status. Simply click here.

This posting was brought to you courtesy of Jason Woodford of Academy Internet, the Internet Marketing Agency, and Toby Friedner of BBC Three Counties Radio.