Page 33 - Strategic Marketing Complete

BUILDING BRANDS

the brand has kept steve Jobs ‘alive’,

showing an authentic person with a
strong, uncompromising vision.

Fourthly, the brand has kept influence our lives in the most units in the hope of reducing their
Steve Jobs ‘alive’, showing an intimate manner. The FAANGs today influence.
authentic person with a strong have a market equivalent of 19%
uncompromising vision, and of US GDP: As Toby Shapshack, To reflect on the world of the mobile
through this, note the researchers, Publisher of Stuff magazine phone, a decade ago Nokia and
‘historically Apple has made users puts it, “it’s ongoing confirmation Blackberry, the pride of Finland
feel that they are different or stand of how digital has become the and Canada respectively, were in
out from the crowd; [that] we’re in it centre of our lives that these tech rude health, whilst Motorola was
together”. behemoths are the most valuable hanging in there. No more. One
– and dangerously most powerful has to wonder, then, what the scene
And finally, Apple always starts with – firms in the world.” These firms will look like in 2027, when Apple
the customer and works backwards. not only have fantastic brands (and reaches its half century. The Chinese
“People often respond to Apple remember these brands have the and Koreans are intent on chasing
products because they seem to sort of influence and power that is the Americans down, but arguably
be built with an understanding of changing the world and our lives) the biggest threat to these tech
what the user wants to get done – but in addition, are financially giants comes not from potential
sometimes even before the user engineered to pay as little tax as competitors, but rather from the
does,” say the researchers. Today possible. There is even talk of the various regulators who have been
Apple has over 1.3-billion active need to break them into smaller caught napping.
devices.

Giants today, gone tomorrow? eremy Sampson started his
We have known for some time that design company in 1973. It grew
the so-called FAANGs (Facebook, to be one of the top design
Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) companies at that time. In 1992 he
are the standout brands in this established and built the Africa arm
new world. They are agile, quick to of global brand and design group
respond to the needs of consumers, Interbrand, stepping down in 2014.
and are causing disruption on a
massive scale. They have GDPs Today he is doing for London-based
greater than many countries, taking Brand Finance what he did for
advantage of the lack of legislation Interbrand, building its presence in
and inability of regional global Africa. (Brand Finance was formed
bodies to work together in concert. by ex-Interbrander David Haigh
Their power and influence are some 22 years ago, and today has a
immense, as they touch and presence in over 25 countries).

Marketing the Future is a means through which the IMM Graduate
School reconnects with past and present students. Moreover, it
provides a platform to stimulate thought and discussion around
some of the critical challenges and opportunities emerging from
the marketing industry today.

The first event featured trend analyst Dion Chang, advertising
and brand expert Pepe Marais and communicator Jay Badza.

For further details: www.immgsm.ac.za

The IMM Graduate School of Marketing is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a
Private Higher Education Institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997. Registration Certificate number 2000/HE07/013. Strategic Marketing - p31