Oct 22, 2015
Your brand should add something to consumers’ lives
The Canadian Business Top 25 Best Brands in Canada list for 2016 says to me that it takes more than size and huge resources to win loyal customers. I admit to being surprised and heartened that brands like Imax, Saputo, Lululemon, Cirque de Soleil and Mountain Equipment Co-op have earned recognition. Movies, cheese, yoga, mountain climbing and the circus… all of them friendly lifestyle brands.
It made me ask myself, ‘What do good brands and good friends have in common?’ They are both honest with you. You can count on both of them to be consistent. They’re available when you need them. They make you believe that you matter. And maybe most significant of all: spending time with them leaves you feeling better for the experience. They add something to your life.
We know, as consumers, that our bank, our gas station, our grocery store and our internet provider are not our friends. They are businesses who are beholden to their investors. But we do have relationships with them and they can strengthen those relationships with us by modelling their ‘behaviour’ on the same qualities we look for in our friends.
As you develop or re-invent your corporate brand, you will be well served by surrounding your customer transactions with honest, reliable, supportive experiences for them. If your customers can count on your brand and trust your brand, the chances are much increased that they will come back and also tell their friends. In the end, a brand relationship is a people relationship forged between your people and your customers. The rules of engagement aren’t really that much different than friendships.
Category: Branding, Spyder Works
