Page 7 - Demo

W O R D S F R O M J U R YB r a n d i n g b y D e s i g nIntegrating Design into a companies' product development process andcommunication strategy creates a stronger brandThe mak ing of a brand inc ludes many fac tor s Design can make thedifference in a world of parity productsMany books, articles and seminars have been published and held on the subject ofbranding and design. Why do I want to add yet another? As a new member of the AwardthJury for the 11 IBDC and a veteran member of the bike industry I would like to sharesome of my views with you on the value factor Design.Over the past 12 years I have gathered valuable experience in various sales and marketingpositions with both Shimano and SRAM. Since 2001, I run my own marketingcommunications agency, which caters exclusively to the two-wheeled and outdoor sportbranch. In my opinion design is one of the most important factors in a successful productdevelopment and marketing mix - it increasingly defines the sustainable success of a company these days, plus itadds a distinct advantage in corporate and product communications in today's ever more competitiveenvironments.As Taiwan, and namely the national bicycle and component industry, by now shares the same fate as mostindustrialized countries namely higher labor, service and production costs, differentiation in a globallycompetitive market demands innovative and inventive strategies to maintain, strengthen or improve a certainmarket position. And this cannot only be achieved in relocating to a lower cost production location and reducingCOG and therefore retail pricing it has to include more facets of what makes a product or brand successful overtime!If we only look at products for now, competition has many faces. New, perhaps better productseliminate old ones; new brands enter your market.These days pricing instead of brand determines many sales decisions, private label and discount concepts areomnipresent and growing fast, ongoing globalization (global manufacturing) to mention just a few of the manyfactors contributing to the stiff sales competition your product faces in an ever-expanding global market.And as demographics and purchase power constantly change, amplified by market saturation and/or shiftsin demand, the necessity for constant control, adjustment and flexibility to maintain sustainable growth of acorporation is clear.One of the most powerful weapons' to fight some of a.m. facts is design or rather the implementation ofstrategic design management in the overall decision-making process within a company's productdevelopment, sales and marketing structure.This becomes increasingly true when we consider that a product isn't only a sum of its parts, including sometechnology, functions and of course profitability. The old formula of form follows function is still valid; thereforeDesign as an 'afterthought' of the product development process is a no-no! Design as a superficial, externalattribute cannot serve as a distinguishing quality.Today's sophisticated consumer shows a strong preference for true originality and innovation. This type ofconsumer will respond to the attraction of a clear contemporary design language accompanying the product(e.g. Apple, Puma, Bang+Olufsen..etc.)On top of this, the 'soft' selling factors such as recycleability, resourceful use of sparse materials and energy,as well as after sales serviceability and low cost repair options rather than discarding it into the global junkyard- are design factors of importance these days.To achieve this (at least continuously strive for it...) modern day designers have to be an essential part of theproduct development process, be part of an interdisciplinary circle of specialists together with colleagues fromthe technical, sales and marketing departments.Designers in this new definition would become fully responsible co-decision-makers, rather than mereconsultants in a milestone-oriented planning process.If these criteria can be met and implemented, matching or re-defining the corporate touch and feel, a companyand its communications to the outside world will only benefit! A dedicated design orientation can thereforebecome an ambassador across the board, pollinating both the own product range/s, but even more so the imageof the whole company. (A case in point, the i-Pod has had a tremendous impact on the product category, and notonly elevated the image but also sales and the bottom-line of of Apple corporation. Not to mention the theinfluence it had for other electronic goods in the industry)Having said this as with all measures a company undertakes any strategic decisions and their consequenceshave to be wanted and lived for to become true and credible. Only then all of these assets create an honestimage, which in a best-case scenario becomes the basis of all branding virtues trust!And it's trust, which makes the difference! If you manage to elicit trust in a brand - a trust transcending theordinary product features - then you will have succeeded in establishing a strong and permanent connection withyour audience, a connection that will continue to strengthen. This strong connection will subsequently translate