A good Brand is more than skin deep

The question is often asked, "What is a brand?". There are many explanations but a quick explanation is that it is like a persons reputation, but applied to a product, service or organisation. It is 'who' they/it is in the mind of the target customer.

Here's a longer explanation:

The first part of building a reputation relies on people knowing that a person (or brand) exists. Many companies think that this awareness is the most important element of a brand, but without any meaning attached to it, building awareness is a somewhat fruitless activity. More important than whether they are known, is what they are known for. Until you get to know someone personally, appearances and first impressions count for a lot. It’s what attracts you to them and drives you to get to know them further. This is one of the reasons why a brand’s identity in terms of its name, visual identity and other elements such as slogans are important. What’s more, they also allow you to be identified and remembered, which is crucial if you want a long term relationship.

When you first meet people, you’ll probably get to know basic facts about them such as their profession, hobbies, hometown etc. These are like a product or organisation's features and together with their identity can provide the starting point for a conversation. Its important to get people interested, but making small talk is not the basis of a strong friendship. Real friendship is about personality. Do you connect with them on an emotional level? Can you relate to them? Do you trust them? How do they make you feel?

With brands, just as with people, everyone will respond differently. Some will be disinterested or dislike the brand, some will become friends and some will fall in love. Too many companies position themselves in the middle of the road thinking that they need to appeal to everyone. The consequence is brands that no one really cares strongly about either way. The most successful brands strike a careful balance. They focus on appealing specifically to their target market, without doing anything so controversial that it might cause offence. In the long term, having a small group of consumers fall in love with you is far more powerful than having a large group of consumers think that you’re okay. These devoted consumers will become your greatest promotional tool, telling their friends, family and colleagues about how wonderful you are and how important you are in their lives. It costs you nothing and is far more convincing than any advertisement.

Like any relationship though, the more heavily you are involved, the more careful you need to be. Betray your customer and their love could quickly turn to hate. Authenticity is essential for long term success. It’s not enough to just create an enticing image, it needs to go more than skin deep. The essence of your brand needs to run through every aspect of your organisation. Factors such as product design, customer service, manufacturing and distribution must all work together to tell a powerful, consistent story about who you are.

This blog is supported by the ethical brand experts, Scamper Brand Strategy