Your brand assets may be working against you

This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

 

This week, we're talking with Jenni Romaniuk, research professor at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, about distinctive assets, mental availability, and why most brands are designing for aesthetics instead of memory. 

—Elena  

  

Fame beats uniqueness when measuring distinctive assets.       

Jenni Romaniuk's research shows distinctive assets need both fame (how many people recognize it) and uniqueness (how exclusively it belongs to your brand). Both are important but without fame, you risk your brand not registering at all. 

 

Stop confusing pretty design with effective branding.                     

Based on two decades of marketing science research, here's what actually drives brand growth: 

1. Light buyers matter more than loyal customers. They represent the biggest growth opportunity and drop off first when brands decline. Heavy buyers are already buying as much as they reasonably can.
   
2. Category entry points beat brand differentiation. Focus on when consumers think of your product, not what makes you different. Mental availability comes from being present in buying moments.
   
3. Distinctive assets are tools, not fashion statements. They exist to make your brand easier to recognize and remember. The Cracker Barrel rebrand failed because it prioritized design trends over brand recognition.
   
4. One message per execution works best. Research shows people struggle to process multiple messages in a single ad. Build wider networks over time through different executions, not cramming everything into one.
   
5. Design for memory retrieval, not visual appeal. Your brand assets should trigger instant recognition without conscious thought. If people have to think about whether it's your brand, it's not distinctive enough. 

Listen in on our discussion.

 

"Jenni Romaniuk on Distinctive Assets"   

This interview with Contagious explores how distinctive assets help people effortlessly recognize brands and why treating branding like fashion trends hurts long-term growth.  

Read the article. 

 

 

Marketing is memory-making.       

“The chance to make a memory is the essence of brand marketing." 

— Steve Jobs