Effective Brand Hooks In Turkey

Brand leaders must take the necessary actions that lead to desired customer responses and reactions to the brand, which should result in purchase of the product and foster loyalty.

Brands depend on creating high levels of awareness and positive brand image for loyalty.

As consumers do not buy brands at front of TV, consumer memory of advertising is critical when they are exposed to the product. 

It is essential for the brand to create powerful mental images, which will drive memory the moment the consumer is exposed to the product.

The brand hooks are the mental images that link the branding and sales.

But good advertisers know that the sole purpose of hooks is not only increasing awareness and correct branding.

The hooks have one very important objective for the brand: simplification of its story.

Today consumers are experiencing troubles in processing information from an increasing number of sources, considerable demands of our time and increasingly complex world.

Unsurprisingly, the only way to cope with abundance of information is using information-reduction strategies.

Thus even million of information reaches our senses, we pay no attention to most of them.

The ones, who reach our consciousness, are already overly simplified before allowed to come in.

Advertisers go by a simple rule: don’t let the consumer simplify it, do it for them.

It not only reduces the risk of wrong simplification by the consumer but also decreases the hardship of making a choice for them.

Brand hooks make the decision process short and easy.

So its not only how remembered your hooks (name, logo, packaging design, etc.) are but the meaning they carry.

Hooks should reflect the complete experience customers would have with the product.

Nike has the famous symbol. Coca-Cola has the polar bears.

Both of the cues are good reflectors of the brand story.

We have Çelik, Cellocan, Kırmızı..

They also are good reflectors of the experience their brand has to offer.

Çelik reflects Turkish technology.

Cellocan reflects the “best” mobile signal available.

Kırmızı reflects challenging and beating the status quo.

Even its hooks are more remembered in Turkey, the Telecom category is not the “ultra hook” category.

Credit card category is.

The credit cards business in Turkey is one of the most brand hooked category in the world.

The credit card brands goes by a simple rule: a hook for each and every human sense available.

The credit card brands in Turkey have a color, sign, icon, move, audio, slogan and benefit hooks.

Bonus has the wig.

Maximum has the X move.

World has the Vaddaaa..

Advantage card has moved one step forward by introducing a “taste hook” in its last campaign. Their latest campaign was based on “tasting the advantage”.

The only sense available for the credit cards business in Turkey is the smell. Soon to be filled up.

Here are the secrets of effective brand hooks:

1. Hook is a concept

Hook is not only a communication element but also a whole concept.

Thus it needs to be introduced with a big campaign.

The concept created has to have a high potential of being repetitive, catchy and memorable.

2. The cue should focus on lifestyle instead of only on the business

A great brand cue reflects not only a product benefit but also a lifestyle.

A cue that tells only something about the brand is providing content.

But a cue that tells something both about the brand and customer provides a context as well.

Consumers look for context from the brands. The content should be free.  

The creative hook has to appeal to customer’s self-image and affirm that the brand provides what they’re looking for.

3.  Brand hook should reflect the brand main message

A common mistake is to use an eye-catching visual that has nothing to do with the product being sold.

If the brand has high GRP spending available that might work.

But if the brand has limited budgets, doing so will only confuse the consumer.

People don't like to feel confused.

They will feel insecure if they don't "get it" and can't make the connection with the brand.

No brand hook should make consumer think too hard.

The brand hook should reflect the main message of the brand.

4. Don't let your brand hook take over your brand

A brand hook is part of the overall brand advertising strategy and should stay as such.

Brand should never build advertising over stating the brand hook.

The advertising should have only one hero I it and that’s the brand.

Brand hooks is only a helper in this process not the hero itself.

The brand is the “whole” and the hook is a “part”.

The whole should always be greater than the sum of its parts.

A hero brand hook won't do you any good if no one knows it's for which brand it is.

5. Brand hook should reflect a “promise of great deal” as well

The brand hook has to tell something about the deal you get when you buy the product.

Thus a “good deal” message has to be attached to the brand hook itself.

World card’s Vadaa has the “generosity deal” attached to it.

Advantage card’s jingle “If you have the advantage you have advantages” reflects the “smart choice” deal of the brand.

6. The brand hook has to be eye-catching

You can capture the attention of consumers by creating a visual eye candy only.

Creating a brand hook is more an artistic issue than a strategic one.

Wonderful and artistic showing of the brand hook is a must.

Turkcell’s Cellocans are wonderful shots of beautiful kids.

7. The brand hooks have to evolve over time

As all elements of the advertising, the brand hooks wear out as well.

The more the consumer sees it, the more useless it becomes.

But as the hooks are expensive investments, brands cannot throw them out easily.

The way to solve the problem is to craft the hook once a year.

The hook has to be distilled and refined over time.