ROI isn’t just sales and Net Promoter Score. If one tries to build a social media strategy around fans, likes, click-through and sales – one ends up with a social media experience that no one wants to participate in. And after all, isn’t participation what social media is all about?

Brands cannot force only traditional KPIs on social media, because unlike most other forms of communication, social media is more about brand than it is about anything else. The problem with elevating the role of brand is that it’s hard to measure ROI – hard, not impossible.

There are many ways to measure the ROI of brand. Qual/quant studies, brand valuations and tracking studies are our traditional methods. Our latest addition to this is Brand Playback– our method of listening in on online conversations to understand brand insights.

Some may think of this as "social listening," but it’s much more than that. The idea that we can use this capability to understand the effectiveness of our social media presence and tie that back to brand performance is just one way that ROI of social media can be determined for brand.

The greatest hurdle to effectively measuring this ROI is that most brands forget brand when they enter social media. Brand architectures are ignored, brand voices are forgotten and brand messages are overshadowed by unnecessary content.

2013 could be the year that changes, if in 2013 more brands take a brand-focused approach to social media that:

- Reinforces the brand strategy

- Aligns with brand/ product architecture

- Speaks on voice

- Communicates key messages

- Employs visual consistency

- Creates a holistic brand experience

- Is set up for measurement

Somehow, somewhere too many brands forgot about who they were and what they were trying to accomplish when they entered the realm of social media. If we come back to brand in 2013, then we can start to measure our success and prove that there is ROI in social media.

David Trahan is a Verbal Identity consultant for Interbrand New York.

Last Friday, I finally managed to have dinner with a good friend of mine. We hadn’t seen each other in months, so we had lots to talk about. I was particularly interested in hearing about his new job in Amsterdam’s flagship Apple store.

During the starter course, I discovered that my friend had been on Apple’s payroll since January -- more than two months before the official store opening in March! This was the case because my friend had been involved in extensive training sessions since the beginning of the year.

Before being faced with hordes of Apple enthusiasts in Amsterdam, my friend was required to work alongside international colleagues in the Apple stores of Covent Garden and Regent Street in London. During the rare occasions when he was actually in Amsterdam, my friend spent his days in a Hilton hotel participating in employee engagement training. In those two months prior to the Amsterdam Apple store opening, my friend learned everything about the Apple brand, its products and services, its communications, its retail environments, its channels and, of course, its people.

As our main course arrived and my friend continued to discuss how helpful his training time had been in London, I realized why Apple employees have such strong internal clarity around -- and great commitment to – the Apple brand itself. Apple seems to innately understand that great brands start from within.

As dinner continued, I brought up another leading brand, Nike. I asked my friend if he knew what an ‘Ekin’ was (Nike spelled backwards). He did not, so I explained the story about Nike and its ‘Ekins.’ To be an ‘Ekin’ means one is a true Nike brand ambassador -- someone who spreads the gospel of Nike around the world. After intensive training, each ‘Ekin’ is invited to have the well-known Nike swoosh symbol tattooed on his/her ankle -- a true sign of devotion to the brand.

After dinner, my friend and I parted ways. We agreed to meet up again in a couple of weeks. I won’t be surprised in the least if he shows up sporting Apple tattoos, one on each ankle.

Big hair, big stores, big business. According to Euromonitor International, the U.S. hair care market generated revenues of $10 billion in 2010. Of that total, shampoo sales accounted for $2.1 billion and styling agents were $1.5 billion. A large proportion of these sales took place at mass-market retailers such as supermarkets/hypermarkets, drug stores, and club and dollar stores.

The mass hair care market, an extension of the traditional salon market, often features products that are mid-tier versions of high-end, celebrity-inspired grooming solutions. These mass-market products offer a sea of colors, scents and ingredients to attract consumers with the promise of benefits similar to higher-priced salon staples.

Growth of the mass hair care market is being fueled by consumers’ desire for value in their personal care products, particularly in the face of continued economic uncertainty. Yet, consumers don’t want to sacrifice performance for price; they expect these products to possess attributes such as sustainability, high performance and accessible functionality.

‘Mass’ Arena Allure
The mass hair care market reaches large numbers of consumers of different ages, genders and needs, from the solution seekers to the personality expressers; the high-hair-involved to the “KISS” adherents; the budget-conscious to those willing to spend a bit more on their hair. It’s a forum for brands to talk to these diverse consumer groups in an accessible, non-intimidating environment.

Sometimes the brand chatter at shelf can be overwhelming. Mass-market hair care companies produce multitudes of multi-benefit products – think botanicals to “big hair” – for multiple consumer demographics. That’s a lot of shampoo, conditioners, and styling products crowding store shelves and vying for attention.

Ways In
How can a hair care brand break through the mass-market clutter and achieve success at the checkout and in the home? By adopting a brand and design strategy that focuses on identifying a target consumer, delivering valued end benefits, and creating a brand experience and expression that connects with that consumer at multiple touch points.

Three brand strategies that are being successfully leveraged in the mass hair care market are 1) going beyond function; 2) driving connection through personality; and 3) creating a holistic look and feel.

Going beyond function: Find something you can deliver remarkably well and stick to it. However, know that this means more than function. Determine the essence of what your brand stands for in the hearts and minds of consumers because it will guide the entire consumer experience with your brand. Yes, a reassurance of function is necessary because consumers want to trust their purchase’s worth. But with so many brands in the market today, basing your brand messaging on technology or performance functions without giving consumers a meaningful emotional benefit is not a long-term strategy.

Also, keep in mind that the purchase decision process is more emotional than rational. In hair care, brands like Rockaholic and got2b speak to consumers’ need to express themselves. These brands’ products aid in achieving not only the look, but the feeling of living (or, at least, aspirationally living) a rock-star lifestyle. Similarly, Yes To’s brand strategy includes a unique positioning of organic elements that are functionally and emotionally beneficial, brought to life in a simple, fresh aesthetic and whimsical personality that makes “natural” hip and desirable.

Driving connection through personality: What’s your tone of voice? How would others describe your brand’s personality and attitude? A brand’s character allows it to communicate and connect with audiences on a more personal, emotive level. It gives people the chance to get to know the brand and helps to differentiate its messages from competitors’. A unique personality elevates consumers’ understanding of the brand proposition and creates a stronger connection, especially when its functional benefits are at parity with competitors. BedHead and Aussie are examples of brands that leverage their playful personalities to create an ownable voice in the market. Also, Herbal Essences features experiential positioning and a playful personality reinforced through color, graphics, collection naming and label copy.

Creating a holistic look and feel: To achieve a holistic look and feel, a brand should bring to life its unique essence and personality in a manner that inspires a multi-sensory world. This world, along with distinctive assets, enables a brand to convey itself distinctly, consistently and cohesively. Keeping in mind how people engage, buy and commit to a brand and its products is important when considering how to create a holistic experience. Herbal Essences and Fructis reinforce their positioning and personality by consistently leveraging key elements such as color, graphic style, and tonality to link communication across touchpoints. Aussie leverages consumer insights and its unique brand essence to bring its look-tone-feel to life. Holistic and consistent communication has been key to the success of this brand.

The Outlook
Euromonitor notes that the U.S. hair care market growth is projected to increase just 1% from 2010-2015; to sustain and grow share in this challenging environment, hair care brands will need to create a powerful brand experience and expression that connects with mass-market consumers at multiple touchpoints. The process starts with truly understanding their brand strategy and leveraging it via the tools and techniques described in this article: going beyond function, driving connection through personality, and creating a holistic look and feel.

This article originally appeared in the October/November 2011 Issue of Beauty Packaging.

Part 3 - How did a luxury brand do so well during a downturn?

One of the most fascinating stories to emerge from Interband’s 2011 Best Global Brands report was the rise of Burberry. Burberry ranked #95 with a brand value that had increased an astonishing 20% in the past year. In fact, of the 2011 Best Global Brand report’s top five risers, Burberry was the only non-tech brand. In this podcast, listen as Burberry’s CEO, Angela Ahrendts, explains how she has successfully transformed the Burberry brand by carrying out such initiatives as going after the Millennial consumer, making Burberry’s online presence a top priority and investing in developing markets.

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Part 2 - Where do you go from #1?

The day the 2011 Best Global Brands report launched at the New York Stock Exchange, Interbrand was delighted to host Joe Tripodi, the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer of Coca-Cola — this year’s #1 brand. In part 2 of this special podcast series, listen as Joe discusses managing the Coca-Cola brand with Interbrand’s Global CEO, Jez Frampton, and The Wall Street Journal’s Simon Constable.

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