Service-sector branding is a delicate art, akin to theatrical scriptwriting. Overscript, and you risk dehumanisation and audience alienation. Underscript and you risk anarchy and irrelevance.
At Whitbread, the 'Winning Brands' programme successfully addressed this scripting challenge over a sustained three-year period, and continues today. By adopting a 'tight-loose' marketing approach, we are building an organisation that is capable not just of consistent brand differentiation, but also of delivering highly personalised experiences – keeping brands as diverse as Premier Travel Inn, TGI Friday's, Beefeater, Costa Coffee and Marriott (no longer part of Whitbread) vibrant, prominent and up to date.
THE WHITBREAD CHALLENGE
On one hand, all service companies need to ensure consistency of brand experience across multiple channels. But tighten your control of brand experience too far, and you may switch off critical customer segments and reduce your licence to innovate. The danger of market misalignment and the consequent reputation risk increases.
On the other hand, service companies also need to make every experience as unique and personal as possible, allowing front-line staff to flex and...
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