Santa - The Brand
by Harry Hoover
Published on this site: December 1st, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Every Christmas Eve, a burglar named Santa busts into homes
around the world, but he has never been charged with B&E.
He has one of the best, most positive brands around and it
continues to inoculate him against any hint of impropriety,
as it has for generations.
Why does Santa's brand remain so strong? Because Santa
is:
- Consistent
- Unique
- Customer-focused
- Viral
Let's examine these to see what lessons we can learn.First
off, Santa has a positioning statement and has used it for
decades to stay true to his mission.
For more on positioning, see: http://www.hooverink.com/think_newsletters/think_may2002.htm
It is this consistency that has helped him build a brand
franchise that is the envy of other marketers. No matter what
kind of communication vehicle he uses, the message is measured
against the positioning statement.
Fed-Ex and UPS also deliver packages, but they don't do it
in the middle of the night in a sleigh drawn by eight tiny
reindeer. Santa has cornered the market on uniqueness.
He has not strayed from the market he identified in his positioning
statement. His target is not every carbon-based life form.
He focuses on kids. End of story. Talk about customer intimacy.
Santa has perfected data mining. Who else knows if you:
- are sleeping or awake
- want a Barbie or a baseball bat
- have been naughty or nice
Santa invented viral marketing. As his customers get older
and become parents, they market to the emerging group of customers
for him. They know that if they deliver Santa's message, they
will benefit from their children's good behavior.
And it's not just the parents. Other marketers help him,
too. Santa has never spent a dime on advertising. He has used
good public relations tactics to develop, manage and maintain
solid relationships with marketers who advertise for him.
Consider the Coca-Cola ads featuring Mr. Claus. Think of all
the newspaper inserts that carry his picture during the holidays.
Then, there are all those helpers in department stores everywhere.
Because of his adherence to simple marketing tactics, everyone
loves Santa. Not bad for an old burglar with a reindeer fetish.
Harry Hoover has 26 years of experience in crafting
and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for
serious businesses. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter
at http://www.hoover-ink.com
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