The importance of establishing your brand in the era of
Digital Darwinism cannot be overstated. Digital Darwinism occurs when
technology and society evolve faster than one’s ability to adapt. Every brand
is vulnerable, but no business is too big to fail or too small to succeed.
With
customers today being increasingly connected, informed, and ultimately
empowered, their expectations only escalate. In short, they are more discerning
and demanding than ever before. The brand and the brand promise are of
paramount importance. Without it, businesses instead rely on fleeting factors
such as price, trends, events, gimmicks, and other elements that make it
difficult to develop a long-term bond or relationship between a customer and
the product or the brand.
When
someone asks your customers what is it about your product or brand that draws
them to you, what do you want them to say? What do you want people to feel?
As
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos famously said, “Your brand is what people say about you
when you’re not in the room.”
I
spend a portion of Chapter 14 of, The
End of Business as Usual exploring how the
purchase cycle of connected customers is evolving and the important role brand
plays in decision-making. I was inspired by the work of Kirk Phillips and his BrandSTOKE
9 Criteria for Brand Essence (TM). I’m writing this post because
although I do cite his work, I don’t give enough credit to how significant a
role his work plays in the understanding of this changing dynamic.
On
pages 172 – 175 of the book, I adapt his 9 criteria to encompass the various
elements I’ve experienced in working with companies that attempt to become more
adaptive, connected, and social. Because it influenced me, I wanted to dedicate
this post to his work so that it can inspire
you as it did me.
Brand Essence and a Model for Emotive Engagement
The
idea of Kirk’s 9 Criteria for Brand Essence is powerful. It goes beyond the
basic principles of brand marketing. It’s the very essence of what inspires an
organization to move in unison and drives the direction for employees and
customers alike. The fabric, the spirit, the persona, the sheer imagery is
whatever you make it. So when you think of your brand, what is it that you
think or feel? If you had to use just one word to describe your brand’s essence
what would it be? It is this answer that should inspire you to think about how
it relates to a new genre of connected consumers or Generation-C as I refer to
them. As Kirk says in thinking about your brand essence is that it’s “just one
word that sums up how your brand connects emotionally with your customers.”
So,
what is your “one word” that symbolizes all that your brand is or should be? Is
it…?
Evocative
Aspirational
Ordinary
Utilitarian
Necessary
Immaterial
Rewarding
Of
course, these are just a handful of emotional (or emotionless) words I’m using
to get you thinking about what your words would be. See, how you define it and
how your customers define it could in fact be dichotomous.
As
Kirk observes, “articulating how they [your customers] feel about your brand in
an authentic and meaningful way is often challenging. Few get it right. The
reason: essence is an intangible.”
Essence
is intangible and it’s an emotion. Emotions, at least those related to customer
experiences not necessarily the emotions that run rampant in corporate culture,
often steer clear of boardrooms. This is unfortunate as it is customer emotions
that represent the very connection your brand does or does not make. And, these
emotions serve as the foundations for shared experiences and expressions. It is
your brand essence that is the very thing that inspires bonding or causes
friction with customers. As they share these experiences, they impact the
impressions and ultimately the decisions of others.
Essentially,
your brand experience IS the foundation for engagement, emotive marketing, and
word of mouth.
I
wanted to share with you here, Kirk’s BrandSTOKE
9 Criteria for Brand Essence. This is an unedited excerpt from the
post that still resonates with me today as it did then…
To
help those who participate in determining a brand’s essence, here are the
primary criteria. Test your essence against them.
1.
single-minded: One word is ideal. Maybe two. More than two words indicates that
the brand has no focus. As a brand (by design) delivers a unique experience,
having no focus makes for a weak brand.
2.
intangible: One is no more independent on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle than
another brand, but somehow one feels like it. Tap into what the consumer feels.
3.
unique: The essence of a brand is how it is different from competitors in the
same category. E.g., if Apple (and
its products) are friendly and approachable, then it is claiming that its
competitors are not.
4.
experiential: The essence captures what the consumer feels during an experience
with the brand. E.g., “Driving a Volvo makes
me feel that my family is safe.”
5.
consistently delivered: If the proposed essence is not consistently experienced
(e.g, if a trip to Walt Disney World isn’t magical), then it isn’t the essence.
Can your organization deliver?
6.
authentic: The essence must be credible or the brand will be rejected. To find
out what consumers believe about your brand, ask them. It’s okay for the brand
essence to be aspirational, but only if your customers believe you can deliver
on the promise.
7.
sustainable: A brand’s essence is baked in. It doesn’t change. Ever.
8.
meaningful: There is no point in identifying an essence that is irrelevant to
consumers. Essences that don’t connect are the reason behind many failed
brands. Again, research.
9.
scalable: Will the essence work for brand extensions? Will it work as the
brand’s opportunity grows?
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