Is Ehrenberg-Bass just bad communications done really well? Mumbrella360 video

These days, it’s seems there’s only one bona fide way to do marketing: the Ehrenberg-Bass way.

Byron Sharp’s How Brands Grow coupled with the scientific clout of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute has left little room for any other marketing theory to make it off the ground.

But what if you’re not a believer in the wisdom of Sharp? What if your direct experience contradicts the immovable ‘laws of marketing’ laid down by the institute?

In the following session entitled The Antidote to Ehrenberg-Bass, consumer psychologist Adam Ferrier presents a provocative challenge to the orthodoxy of Professor Sharp’s world view, which was outlined in his world-famous book How Brands Grow.

Danielle Uskovic kicks the session off by detailing her work with computer manufacturing brand Lenovo, in which segmentation around Millennial consumers was a massive part of the strategy – a strategy Ehrenberg-Bass advises against.

Adam Ballesty, marketing and innovation director at Diageo explains how perceptions of Ehrenberg-Bass are plain wrong: “People stop believing in this because they think it’s all about mass marketing and therefore ‘I’m a smaller brand, I don’t have the money, I can’t be on TV for 40 weeks, therefore it doesn’t work.'”

Andy Lark is proud to sit on the fence

Simple’s marketing director Andy Lark then takes to the podium to point out that the effectiveness of Ehrenberg-Bass utterly depends on what kind of product you’re attempting to sell. As he points out: “The fundamental issue… we face as an industry is the lack of education.”

The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute’s Director Professor Byron Sharp will present the keynote at this year’s Mumbrella MSIX – Marketing Science Ideas Exchange – conference in November. Earlybird tickets are now on sale via this link.

Josie Tutty

Josie Tutty was Mumbrella's deputy editor. She worked on the publication between 2017 and 2019. She's previously written and edited in the UK for Jungle Creations and Trinity Mirror.

topics Adam BallestyAdam FerrierAndy larkByron SharpDanielle UskovicJim IngramMumbrella360Mumbrella360 videoThe Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

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Comments: 3

JG 1 Aug 17

Sharp clearly enunciates that big established brands need mass distribution and mass media.

Apparently some people who should know better extrapolated that to all brands.

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Dave. 1 Aug 17

Big established brands like Amazon Zara Google IKEA Facebook. Etc.

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Hugh 8 Aug 17

…and what about when your brand already has circa 100% household pen? Extend to another category? What could possibly go wrong?

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