Ten years ago, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by then-unknown author J.K. Rowling was published in the United Kingdom. Today, Harry Potter is a global brand worth $15 billion. The seventh and final book in the saga, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, was released in 93 countries and broke the sales record for the fastest-selling book ever. Just what makes Harry Potter such a global success?
I touched on the power of stories in my recent post about Starbucks. The phenomenal appeal of Harry Potter serves to underline the fact that a good story engages people like little else. Perhaps it is a trait inherited from our ancestors, who sat ’round the campfire and regaled each other with their exploits, or maybe it is imprinted on us in childhood by parents reading stories at bedtime. I believe the power of storytelling drives the success of many brands, not just Harry Potter.
To my mind, there are four properties that helped boost Harry Potter to become a successful global brand.
First and most important, at its heart, the Harry Potter series is built around an archetypal theme, the battle of good versus evil. Our hero, a mere school kid, takes on his archenemy Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of all time, and, in one encounter after another, beats him back. It is a story familiar to people of all ages in countries and cultures around the world, and one that helps sweep away any reservations people might have about reading a kid’s book about witches and wizards. But then, the subject of magic also has age-old appeal. There are few cultures that do not feature stories of beings imbued with magical powers. More than this, I think that the world of fantasy is becoming ever more attractive as we face an increasingly complex world governed by the rationale of economics and science.
Second, the Harry Potter saga is an engaging read. It adheres to an almost formulaic format, which, far from boring readers, allows them to repeat the positive experience of reading previous books in the series while combining it with completely new plots. Moreover, the content has evolved over time as Harry has aged. The Deathly Hallows is a far cry from the relatively “innocent” adventures of The Philosopher’s Stone. The ultimate success of the series is that it left people wanting more. The fact that J. K. Rowling announced that there would only be seven books in the series gave it a scarcity value shared with TV series like Fawlty Towers.
Third, the world of Harry Potter is unique. Just as J.R.R. Tolkien created a unique world in The Lord of the Rings so too does Rowling. The magical world, characters, and beasties all help create a saga that stands out from others in the fantasy genre, allowing Rowling’s books to carve out their own mental space in the minds of readers.
And finally, the unique content ensures Harry Potter is something people want to talk about and experience in other media. The standard of excellence found in the books has been extended to the movies, which bring the magical world to life for many who have never read the books. And from the movies, Harry has found his way into other forms of entertainment, from video games to Halloween costumes. In the U.K., the Royal Mail even celebrated the release of The Deathly Hallows with a set of stamps featuring the book covers. Sites like MuggleNet.com and The-Leaky-Cauldon.org allow people to exchange ideas and create imitations and parodies of the real thing. Harry is now firmly part of popular culture, a position envied by many brands but shared by few.
If the preceding success factors sound familiar to people at Millward Brown, they should do. Back in 2003, Graham Page, our current global director of innovation, published an analysis that examined the success of brands across a three-year time frame. That analysis identified four basic factors underlying brand success: strong business basics, great brand experience, a unique brand proposition, and projected leadership. It seems to me that the Harry Potter series shares exactly the same properties.
Graham’s analysis applies to all brands, local or global. What, then, makes Harry Potter a global success rather than just a British phenomenon like Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons or Richmal Crompton’s Just William? I would suggest that it is the archetypal nature of the story, which enables it to transcend its cultural origins. Add a measure of fantasy and you have a recipe that ranks Harry Potter with The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Narnia as epic stories with global appeal.
In the world of products and services, the equivalent to the archetypal story is the ability to address a common need or desire. Few brands, however, possess that capability. Gillette’s Fusion, Apple’s iPod and Google are the exceptions, not the rule. Other brands must adapt their offering if they are to be successful. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Colgate are all strong global brands that adapt their offering to suit local needs.
Aspiring global brands can learn a lot from the Harry Potter series. They should not, however, seek to emulate its success on the global stage unless they have the ability to address a consistent need that transcends cultures. When it comes to the world of global brands, one size often does not fit all.
What global brands can you think of that fit the Harry Potter mold? Am I correct that Harry Potter is a global brand, or do you think it’s just an Anglo one? Please let me know.
Tags: Millward Brown, Nigel Hollis, Harry Potter, global brand, brand stories,
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January 11th, 2008 at 3:45 am
The day the last film came out, I emailed friends in China, Russia and the US, who had all just been to see it. I think that makes it a great global brand!