Ketty, you are head of the Research and Strategic Planning Department in the SNCF's Communication and Image Division, after a decade in the luxury goods industry with Chanel. In today's digital age, do we still have time to investigate our brand equity?
Now more than ever we need to take this time!
It is essential to understand and measure brand equity, which can become a competitive advantage when the brand is one of the leaders in the luxury sector, or a shield against crises when it is subject to public opinion.
It seems to me that the important thing is to work in both the long and the short term; to know your image levers, the emotional, functional and financial value of your brand and to be able to quickly activate the right messages on the right channels with the right targets.
This in-depth analysis of brands in relation to strategic targets is what makes our job so exciting and forms the basis of digital communications.
Younger generations trust brands less, are less loyal...
Above all, I believe that these two notions of commitment are now uncorrelated.
It's a well-known fact that generations Y and Z are less loyal; they explore, they compare, they test and choose their best option at the right moment.
Beyond this zapping behaviour, where the experience goes beyond the brand, they can also develop a relationship of trust with certain brands.
It's an apparent paradox. Young girls and boys naturally have a strong need to belong and brands, or rather their iconic products, can signify this bond (a classic Chanel bag, for example).
Furthermore, the attention they pay to Corporate Social Responsibility in their professional choices is surely a way of demonstrating that trust is crucial and that it is moving from brands to companies.
We're talking more and more about brand reputation and less about image: a semantic shift or a new reality? Do you see the concepts as convergent or complementary?
Some people say that image is something we can control, that it is a means of generating interest in our brand, that it can be the subject of property rights... whereas our reputation does not belong to us, it is the result of the experiences and word-of-mouth of all our audiences.
It's a debate that seems to me to be a little theoretical, even outdated.
For me, what's important is to understand these concepts at brand and/or corporate level in a way that makes sense to the targets concerned and helps to steer the brand strategy.
Ketty Faivre Tchang, Head of Research and Strategic Planning, SNCF Communications and Image Department
