A brand can be a signal of quality. A friend recently gave me a solo piano album of music by Benny Andersson, from ABBA. The music is evocative, melancholic and soulful. As he handed me the CD, he pointed out the DG logo (Deutsche Grammaphon). Any CD that I have ever listened to from that brand was of exceptional audio clarity and quality. The DG logo is a signal, a shorthand and an easy way to find high quality recorded music. A brand can be a signal of what to expect.
A brand can be a promise to a community. I love strong, dark roast coffee. Not all coffee shops coffee appeals to my taste. When I was in an airport last week, and it was early in the morning, I walked past several coffee shops to find the Starbuck’s logo hanging from one of the storefronts. I knew what to expect and that they could deliver on their promise of consistency. Their French Roast bold blend delivered on that promise. The logo connects me to deep brand loyalty that made me walk past other coffee shops. A brand can be a promise of a specific experience.
A brand can provide a profound emotional experience. One of my non-profit clients asked me to help them develop several concepts to help them reimagine a signature event. The event is already fantastic, but we wanted to get participants even more immersed in the core brand values. I described it as pulling the participants into the deep end of their brand swimming pool. We will do this through more luxurious experience and more neural activation. The goal is for the brand to have a deeper, emotional connection so that the experience endures along with the link to the brand. A brand can provide rich engagement and emotional connection long after the contact exists.
What Makes a Great Brand?
Great brands know who they are. They are authentic and behave consistently with their core ethos when no one is looking. See Patagonia for an example. They have a sense of being self-aware and behave exactly how their community expects them to act.
Great brands follow their own rhythm and timing to move along. They aren’t worried about competitors because they have several scenarios well-planned. They have an intentionality about their work that connects with their core brand essence.
Great brands are agile and adjust quickly, while still staying true to enduring values. Markets shift and they don’t get entrenched in their ways. They endure because they know the world will change. Kodak couldn’t imagine a world without film in yellow boxes even though it invented digital photography. It wasn’t willing to accept that it wasn’t in the film business, but the memories business.
Why Build a Brand?
A brand is a signal, a promise, and an engaged connection. Brands give products and services pricing power, differentiation in the market and unequaled meaning.
Great brands are focused and celebrate their concentration. They aren’t for everyone. They are specific and narrow in their approach.
Brands that matter to certain communities show up when people tattoo Harley Davidson on their body or refuse to drink anything but Herradura Ultra tequila because of its Mexican roots and the connection they associate with the brand.
Brands with layers, levels, and depth, win in the marketplace if they live up to expectations.
A brand lives in the language you use to tell your friend about your experience with someone’s sneaker, craft beer or video game. Word of mouth is how brands travel from person to person.
Is anyone tattooing your brand logo on their body?
Want to discuss your brand? You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo by Alex Hockett on Unsplash
