Great Companies Tell Great Stories
May 13, 2011
Yes, I know. Brand advice is passé. So say the marketing to marketer gurus. Preaching to companies about branding is like pointing to the surgeon general’s warning on a pack of cigarettes. That may be so, but about 47 million people in the United States still smoke, and 6,000 kids start smoking every day, so we better keep looking for new ways to get through to them.
The same can be said for companies. Ignoring sage branding advice can be the kiss of death. Today, thousands of companies will puff up their cheeks and spit shine their logos, believing deep in their hearts that this logo serves as a glowing beacon of trust and success. Yes, even smart companies confuse their logos with their brands, so it bears repeating. This new decade is a new consumer era. The mighty fell and took with them the public trust and economic stability. There is no logo big or shiny enough to shield companies from the consequences of a broken promise.
We all need reminders, like a CPR refresher course. Here are three things you should never forget about your brand.
- Your logo is not your brand. Your promise is your brand. The fact is, you are not who you think you are. You are who the public and your customers think you are. So, if you don’t know what they think, then you have a real identity crisis.
- It isn’t about you. Even your promise can’t be about you. You have customers because they need something from you, not because you have something you want to sell to them. Imagine a wedding vow that says, “I promise to love, honor and cherish you as long as you do exactly what I want you to do.” Well, ok, there are probably people who take that vow, but customers won’t. They’ll leave you in a heartbeat, because they can.
- It isn’t true if nobody knows but you. Ok, so you do care about your customer, and you do meet their every need and desire. Or, at least, you would, if you could only get more customers. To get attention and attract new customers, you need a compelling story that’s as warm and inviting as songs around a campfire. If you’ve got customers, you’ve got stories. The way you craft them and the channels you use to deliver them will depend on the needs and desires your company fulfills.
In summary: You exist because somebody needs you. The way you fulfill the needs of your customers and the extent to which you keep your promise to them is your brand. How you do it better than your competitor is your value proposition, or as some like to call it, your ASA (articulated sales argument.) Personally, I don’t like the word “argument,” for obvious reasons, so I substitute “agreement.” Right away, it puts you on the same side as your customer, and isn’t that the ultimate secret to success?
Come back next time for “Romancing the Customer.”
