Using time in branding: reflections and orientations in an increasingly competitive world

Abstract

Deciding when to launch new products has remained the primary influence in considering how time is used for building competitiveness, known as time-based competition (TBC). However, time has also been used as the core brand proposition of McDonald’s, webuyanycar.com and Just Eat. Responding to changes in technology, globalisation and an ageing populace, this practical commentary extends the role of TBC for branding, with implications for targeting, segmentation and positioning. Time should not be measured linearly, but in relation in how it is socially constructed differentially throughout the day based on consumer lifestyles or timestyles. For example, the speed at which knowledge travels online over relatively short periods of time can lead to consumer volatility in brand appraisals, necessitating ongoing online monitoring activities. With timestyle influencing the value placed on time saved or on how time is consumed, consumer preferences in managing time have implications for developing key brand decisions. In managing adoption of new brands, researching social identity orientations can predict likely targets and assist in making suitable brand strategies. The upshot is that time should have a greater strategic role as a central core of a brand’s competitiveness.