Brand Utility and You

The simplest definition of “brand utility” is connecting your product with a “cause” in the minds of consumers. Traditional advertising seeks to inform consumers about the features and specifications of a particular product. The brand utility method is concerned less with feature sets and more with functionality. How can your products make the lives of consumers better? That is the question that a brand utility advertising campaign seeks to answer.

One company that has embraced the brand utility message is Nike. You’ll rarely find an advertisement that simply explains the specifications of one of Nike’s running shoes, as an example. Rather, the emphasis is on reaching your maximum potential. This resonates with consumers because we all want to be the best versions of ourselves.

Companies can engage in brand utility advertising through a number of methods. In fact, the sky is really the limit. Any way that you can imagine improving the lives of customers with your products, or even indirect uses of your products, could be a brand utility advertisement.

An example of directly improving the quality of lives with a product could be as simple as a headphone company displaying people using their products and enjoying their music. In contrast, a traditional advertising campaign may focus more on features such as listening comfort or a cool design.

Indirect methods of brand utility advertising could be something along the lines of the same headphone company giving away free mp3 players during the Christmas shopping season. This indirect method of brand utility connects consumers with methods for improving their lives through the use of these headphones as an included gift or just seeing happy people with your products. All without directly representing features and specifications of the product.

If you are wanting to know how consumers perceive your products or how they use your products, begin by asking them. You may be surprised to find that consumers are fully aware of your products and their features, but not really connect what you have to offer with a use that could improve their lives.