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I was watching television a couple days ago when a new Sears appliance spot came on…and it was really creative and broke through the clutter. Frankly, I’ve been pretty impressed with the creativity in Sears commercials for several months now and have to give their advertising team credit for making a valiant effort to get the store back on its feet. (Can’t say the same for its sister store Kmart, however.)
Unfortunately, I don’t believe any advertising—no matter how creative or well placed it is—can make up for the lack of a meaningful brand strategy. Despite all of the aggressive ads, Sears simply isn’t a factor to the consumer anymore. In many of the groups that I present to or work with, I ask the question “How many of you have shopped or considered shopping at Sears over the past 6 months?” The answer is almost universally a resounding “None!” It’s hard to believe, but what was once the #1 retailer in America is no longer a factor for most customers these days. If you wonder why this happened, I suggest considering what Dr. Len Berry of Texas A&M wrote many years ago about what successful store have in common. The number one trait that the hot stores shared then—and now—is that they have a reason for being. And that reason is not just because there are other retailers who offer the same merchandise and services in a similar box. It’s a real reason for existing and for being firmly entrenched into the shopping lists of many consumers. Ask yourself (unless you work there) if Sears disappeared tomorrow, would you really miss them? Would you wonder where you were going to shop for appliances, tools, paint, automotive supplies and service? All of these were distinguishable strengths that Sears once maintained in the marketplaces. They not only were top of mind, but they were almost synonymous with these categories in their heyday.
The problem is that Sears forgot what its brand was really all about way back when they tried their “Softer Side” and other failed formats. It forgot why people shopped them and ignored what the competition was doing in their own backyards with the categories I mentioned above. With all the negativity surrounding JCP these days, I suspect that despite some really creative print and broadcast advertising, they have moved away from what has made them a factor with customers in the past and their once loyal shoppers aren’t rejecting them. They simply are not considering because they have no reason to.
The first step in an effective brand strategy is to determine what your value is to your target customer and how will you differentiate your store or product from the competition. It is not just running a great ad or campaign. It’s providing a reason for being everyday.
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