Branded Utility

It is often said that the best products solve a problem for consumers.  The only problem with this mentality is that it can lead many brands and teams to become so focused on that one problem that they forget to think more broadly about their customer’s world outside that problem.  For years, Coca-Cola has known that the “problem” they want to solve isn’t thirst, but the universal desire for happiness – which led directly to their global brand tagline: Open Happiness. This is a perfect example of how brands are going beyond their actual products and services: Coca-Cola cares more about just about beverages: it cares about making you a happier person and giving you a needed boost to your day.

Or take Hilton Hotel, for example, who uses the Twitter handle @HiltonSuggests to answer travel related questions about cities from anyone, regardless of whether they happen to be staying in a Hilton property or not. These types of efforts all fall under the “branded utility” category because they show how brands can increase value and awareness through looking for new, unexpected ways to solve people’s problems.