Congratulations to BYD who’ve been recognised as Global Brand of the Year at the World Branding Forum Awards on Tuesday this week.
As a brand we work with, I was naturally delighted, but I have to admit I didn’t know a great deal about the awards themselves.
So I thought I’d have a closer look.
What I found interesting was that, unlike many of the marketing awards we’re familiar with, these aren’t about celebrating a particularly clever campaign or a great piece of creative work (although I am sure each brand has many of those under their collective belts). They’re about recognising the strength of the brands themselves, with consumer research and public voting playing a significant part in the judging.
And looking through the winners, there’s quite a mix. Alongside BYD are some very familiar names, including IKEA, Boots, Costa Coffee, Greggs and Volkswagen.
Local Marketing
for Automotive.
During my career our world has become increasingly focused on performance marketing, where almost everything can be measured, tracked and attributed to a result. And quite rightly, businesses need to know that their marketing investment is working.
But it’s refreshing to see the longer-term value of building a brand getting recognition too.
Many assume that great brands only arrive with heritage, consistency and years, sometimes generations, of building relationships with customers. And that’s traditionally been the case.
Brands like Boots and Volkswagen have had decades to establish themselves in people’s minds.
But times have changed. And these days relatively unknown brands can become household names in a remarkably short space of time.
Of course, recognition and trust aren’t necessarily the same thing, and building genuine loyalty takes more than simply getting your name out there. But looking at some of the winners, it’s clear that the pace at which brands can establish themselves has changed considerably.
There’s another aspect to this that I find particularly interesting, especially when you look at the number of multi-location businesses amongst the winners.
Four takes. One email.
Get our monthly pick of local marketing insights, straight to your inbox.
A brand might be created and managed centrally, with millions invested in building awareness, but so much of what people actually think and feel about it comes from their own experiences.
It’s the visit to their local Boots, the coffee at Costa, the experience at a BYD dealership or simply knowing that a Greggs sausage roll will deliver what they expect, wherever they happen to be.
And that doesn’t happen through advertising alone.
That’s the real reminder from these awards. Building a strong brand isn’t simply about being recognised. It’s about creating something that people connect with, trust and ultimately choose.
And whether you’re a brand with a hundred years of history or a new name in the market, that’s just as important.
In a world increasingly obsessed with short-term results, I think that’s something worth celebrating.
Let's talk.
FREE DISCOVERY CALL
see how we can maximise your marketing.
