| Products, Services, and Brands: Building Customer Value 245

Chapter 8 | Products, Services, and Brands: Building Customer Value 245

A brand can be better positioned by associating its name with

a desirable benefit. Thus, Pampers can go beyond technical product attributes and talk about the resulting containment and skin-health benefits from dryness. “There are fewer wet bottoms in the world because of us,” says Jim Stengel, P&G’s former global marketing of- ficer. Some successful brands positioned on benefits are FedEx (guaranteed on-time delivery), Nike (performance), Lexus (qual- ity), and Walmart (low prices).

The strongest brands go beyond attribute or benefit position- ing. They are positioned on strong beliefs and values. These brands pack an emotional wallop. Brands such as Godiva, Apple, Victoria’s Secret, and Trader Joe’s rely less on a product’s tangible attributes and more on creating surprise, passion, and excitement surround- ing a brand.

Even a seemingly mundane brand such as Amtrak can be positioned this way. Recent Amtrak ads suggest that an Am- trak train ride does more than just get you from point A to point B. In a “spacious and peaceful coach car . . . you can gaze at a pristine landscape onboard a greener alternative to cars and planes.” In “the warm and lively dining car . . . you can meet new friends over a de- licious meal, and savor every moment.” Don’t just ride a train, says Amtrak. “Enjoy the Journey.”

Successful brands engage customers on a deep, emotional level. According to Stengel, “marketing inspires life, and life in- spires marketing.” Thus, P&G knows that, to parents, Pampers mean much more than just containment and dryness: 31

In the past, we often thought of P&G’s brands in terms of

Brand positioning: Amtrak goes beyond attributes and

functional benefits. But when we began listening very closely

benefits, engaging customers on a deeper level. In the “warm

to customers, they told us Pampers meant much more to

and lively dining room . . . you can meet new friends over a delicious meal, and savor every moment. Enjoy the journey.”

them: Pampers are more about parent-child relationships and total baby care. So we started to say, “We want to be a brand experience; we want to be there to help support parents and

babies as they grow and develop.” In the initial days people thought we were nuts. How can a diaper help a baby’s development? But babies wear diapers 24/7 for almost three years. It actually reorients R&D to ask a question like “How can we help babies sleep better?” Why are we concerned about babies sleeping better? Because sleep is im- portant to brain development. It helps relationship skills. Thinking like that, we’re able to help improve life for our consumers. The equity of great brands has to be something that a consumer finds inspirational and the organization finds inspirational. You know, our baby care business didn’t start growing aggressively until we changed Pampers from being about dryness to helping mom with her baby’s development.

When positioning a brand, the marketer should establish a mission for the brand and a vision of what the brand must be and do. A brand is the company’s promise to deliver a spe- cific set of features, benefits, services, and experiences consistently to buyers. The brand promise must be simple and honest. Motel 6, for example, offers clean rooms, low prices, and good service but does not promise expensive furnishings or large bathrooms. In contrast, The Ritz-Carlton offers luxurious rooms and a truly memorable experience but does not promise low prices.