How often have you gone out to a restaurant and said, “It’s just not like it used to be?”
If someone (like me for example) would come up to you after and ask you exactly WHAT wasn’t the same, the answer might not be easy. With restaurants, their brands are a synesthetic mix – maybe the food has changed, maybe the décor, maybe the lighting, maybe the seating arrangement, maybe the ambient aromas, maybe the music has been turned up, turned down, or turned on its head.
I require my toaster to make toast.
If my toaster frequently burns the toast, I will replace it without thinking too much. I have a strictly functional relationship with it. Does it do the job it is supposed to? If it is made by Westinghouse, Tefal, KitchenAid, or any other known brand is of much less consequence than its function. This is especially true if I buy one which calls itself “the best”. I will switch it out. No regrets, no forgiveness.
The theory runs something like this: If you have an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters and an infinite amount of time, they will eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare.
People forget about the flip-side, however. If you use the Infinite Monkey Strategy (IMS) you need an infinite amount of account managers sifting through an infinite amount of paper just to find the three or four words which will talk about your brand. And of course, you will be paying infinite over-time for it.
And what’s a typewriter?
A glittering star dressed to look undressed and singing someone else’s songs may become a YouTube or Vine sensation overnight. She may go viral. She may have a million views and a million followers. But is she famous?
Yes. But.
The kind of fame that is useful in personal branding is the kind that endures. It is not about getting people to look but rather it is about engaging a very wide audience consistently. Woody Allen is famous for a lot of things, but the main reason is that he has consistently delivered quality films for nearly 50 years. He gained attention early because of his talent and (it must be said) hard work. Woody Allen’s goal was not to become famous – he wanted to make films.
The only thing you needed to buy was a dozen eggs, but somewhere on Aisle One you were Brand Attacked!
It happens when people, sitting idly around the marketing department, start wondering how they can engage new consumers better and faster.
“Let’s attack them!”
If you look around you, you will see that we are inundated by brands. Things that were only products and services until recently now want to be brands. Why?
As we all know, the major reason is that a brand resonates with consumers. It is not just a product name – it is a series of emotional responses evoked in the consumer. A brand is a best friend. It is the cool guy on campus. It is the thing we all aspire to become one day. People do not buy brands because they need them. They buy brands because they want them – brands express a person’s character and individuality.
“People will buy Nike because that is who they are – not just any random pair of sneakers. People buy Coca-Cola because they know it and trust it.”
But how does your regular product become a brand? Sadly, it is not just a matter of declaring your intentions. A board of directors cannot mandate the change, nor can a creative director simply propose a new logo. A brand is much more than that.