Let’s first figure out what ‘popularity’ actually is and what it’s made of. People usually assume popularity means ‘everyone knows who you are’. On the brand level it works in a more complex way than for people.
Byron Sharp, author of ‘How Brands Grow’, wrote that any brand grows through penetration and new customers, not through the loyal base. Three things need to grow:
Mental availability
The brand should come to mind first in the right situation. To make that happen, define your ‘category entry points’: when, where, with whom, and why someone wants your product (‘a snack after class’, ‘evening with friends’) — and tie the brand to them.
Physical availability
The product is easy to find and buy: distribution, shelf placement, delivery, visibility at the point of sale.
Distinctive brand assets
Color, mascot, sound, slogan, packaging shape. They’re recognized in a fraction of a second, and they have to be used consistently for years without changing them.
To grow these three things, it’s important to shift focus toward the brand when allocating budgets and resources. The British ‘founding fathers of advertising and marketing effectiveness’, Les Binet and Peter Field, recommend the 60/40 rule.
The 60/40 rule
60%
Brand
growth and positioning
40%
Activation
promos, discounts, offers
— Les Binet and Peter Field, ‘The Long and the Short of It’
60% of effort and money should go into brand growth; the remaining 40% — into activation mechanics: promos, discounts, and offers. The important point: brand growth happens gradually. There’s no magical plan or creative that turns a brand into a nationwide star in a few months. On the other hand, long and consistent investment in the brand almost always pays off over time.
A good example of long-term brand development and growth in Uzbekistan is TBC Bank. Since 2019, the company has been steadily evolving its communication, talking not only about products but also about the brand’s global position, values, and mission. And it works — because when a brand persistently, logically and consistently tells people what it cares about and what it wants to bring into the world, people listen and follow. They choose it and want to make the brand part of their life.
We build brands people choose
Come to Lokals to build brands the right way and reach popularity — not in a day, but for sure.
