Branded Utility: Interview With Benjamin Palmer of Barbarian Group

For the first stop of our search to find out more about Branded Utility we called Benjamin Palmer of the progressive digital shop Barbarian Group based in Boston. It’s his quote about Branded Utility in an Advertising Age article that gave us the inspiration to explore the idea.

Where did the concept of Branded Utility come from?

Initially the idea came from two ways: Firstly, the production side - in terms of how much work we put into an interactive experience: whether that was a game, a microsite and so on. This can be a copious amount, in fact as much work as you would put into writing a software application. The result of all this work normally has a lifespan of the average marketing campaign. – about three months.

While these sites and apps are expensive to set up, the work to keep these sites running is minimal – hosting and upkeep normally. At Barbarian Group we are often struggling for permanence. We want to keep the sites and applications up we build for clients live but once the campaign ends, sites get taken down even though there are visitors still visiting.

The idea of brand utility also comes from the fact that it’s no longer a one-way street when it comes to creative and strategy in advertising today. That’s been the case for online for a while. Consumers want dialog.

What is Branded Utility?

It’s where the brand creates a commitment to a relationship. It’s where the brand creates something useful to you, something that’s a utility in your life. The consumer will feel more confident with the relationship if the brand will continue to be part of your life.

Branding has been about cultural relevance – what we’re saying is that it’s not so much about relevance as usefulness. Brand messages need to be in a useful format.

Give us an example.

A traditional one works in paper format in Europe. It’s the Via Michelin – maps and guides to places from the guys who make tires. The guides are tangential to the product but they were developed when people started to own cars and were beginning to travel outside their towns and villages.

Branded utility can cover social events, software, maybe even free printing from Kodak.

Are you working on any branded utility projects at Barbarian Group?

I can’t say much but do look out for our work at M&Ms in 2007.

OK. So just because a brand tries to create a service that is useful, does it mean it be good?

Of course there will be crap. The unspoken rule at Barbarians is that we have to do a good job. That’s not necessarily a requirement with TV if you have lots of money. You just blast out a message time and time again, hammer it into people’s heads. You can’t do that for much longer. We’ll all have to do good work to succeed.

Don’t you think that brands will get involved in areas people don’t really want them involved in. Would we see a backlash?

People understand the need for advertising. What we have to remember is that the best thing about advertising is it makes our entertainment free – TV, low cost print magazines. It’s part of the economy of the Western world. Our cost of entertaining would be huge without advertising. In fact I would argue that a free thing with an ad in it is usually more superior that one you have to pay for without advertising.

If we took money from the TV budgets and created something useful, created a relationship, acted favorably towards the consumer, then the consumer will act favorably towards the brand. Consumers will actually thank brands for helping them out.

It’s a great use of our industry. I feel responsible. Brands in the US have more power than government and I feel they should take some responsibility. We’re not talking philanthropy or altruistic – it’s business. This is a new way to accomplish your goals.

How do you think people working in advertising and marketing will react to this theory?

So many people who work in advertising hate what they do. It didn’t always be this way and it doesn’t have to be true today. It is super important that we find a way to develop the notion of branded utility just for our own sake. We need to do right for the people and for the brand.

The key is to create something that is of fundamental difference. Not making more spin.

How does this impact the agency relationship with the brand and the consumer?

Barbarians doesn’t see itself as an agency. We believe that we need to continually need to have a great relationship with the audience. We don’t have accounts with clients – our clients change, but what remains constant is our audience. We need to entertain our audience, we need to engage them. When we do something, we know immediately about it. Barbarians is responsible for the audience before the brand.

In ten years time, will Branded Utility be part of the marketing mix?

Any way to communicate an idea will stay around. Priorities will change.

www.barbariangroup.com

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