Shelly Lazarus, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather explains the true importance of “the brand”

No one knows more about “the brand” than Shelly Lazarus, former CEO and now Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. In our video interview Lazarus explains the true importance of branding.

“In the past, ‘the brand’ was synonymous with advertising,” Lazarus explained to me. “To build a brand you simply made a few TV commercials, ran some print ads, and told the world what you were about. Today, ‘branding’ has great complexity. There are many ‘points of contacts’ where you ‘meet a brand’.”

So what has happened over the years that has altered the value of the brand?

“Brand has almost become the organizing principal for a company, from the way it behaves, operates, communicates, etc.,” Lazarus continued. “Brand has become a large, living part of a company, indeed its most important asset.”

How important to the organization is it, and who is responsible for the brand? I asked Lazarus.

“In the best run companies, the CEO owns the brand. And the CEO can be smarter about promoting and driving the brand. First, the CEO needs to understand what his or her brand really is, and what it stands for. He does this by auditing all the constituents who have a stake in the brand – from members of the company to customers.”

How is social media affecting the brand?

“Social media is an easy way to learn how people feel about a brand,” Lazarus concluded. “You can go online and find out how people are talking about your company and brand; what they think and how they feel. If gives the CEO a good snapshot on how your brand is being perceived by the world.”

Find out more about how  Shelly Lazarus, former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide views the brand in our video interview.

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