Brand is that gut feeling you get when you hear the name of an organization, person, product, or service. It's a reaction of your loyalty instinct.
You know in an instant, whether this brand is trustworthy or not. You either feel at home or you feel suspicious…you get excited or you want to run away…you want to smile or vomit.
Two people can have completely opposite feelings towards the same brand. A brand you love, I may hate. This means that brand loyalty can be polarizing.
Loyalty is a decision, a resolution of the soul. ~ Pascal Mercier ~
Individual people and personalities can build a brand for themselves. Celebrities, athletes, politicians, TV Shows… they all have their own personal brands. In fact, social media has given us all a chance to create our own brand. That’s right, YOU are a brand!
Read the list below and pay attention to your initial impressions and reactions. Chances are, you have strong feelings either for or against each of the brands listed.
Nike/ Adidas
Trump/ Sanders
Friends/ Seinfeld
Starbucks/ Dunkin Donuts
Yellowstone
Coca-Cola/ Pepsi
Apple/ Microsoft
Celine Dion/ Whitney Houston
Betty White
The Office/ Parks and Recreation
Tom Brady/ Colin Kaepernick
Target/ Walmart
Ford/ Chevy
Has anyone ever expressed strong opposition to a brand that you love? In my case, I feel personally attacked when someone says they don’t like the TV show Friends!!!
Now, let’s consider how or why you became attached to specific brands. Much of brand loyalty comes down to values and personality.
Brand loyalty is usually established when personal values align with brand values. As an individual, you have characteristics and ethics that are very important to you. Things like loyalty, honesty, respect, and kindness are values found within many brands.
Other values, like sustainability, innovation, profit, and courage, may not be as universal, but have more power. They set brands apart from one another.
Also, the WAY in which a brand implements and incorporates values plays a vital part in loyalty. Many organizations claim to be green or to be culturally inclusive, but it’s important to find out to what extent. One person's definition of “being green” may be very different from yours.
This is why it’s important to align yourself to values that are authentic to you and your brand. If you are not a green company, don’t claim to be one! Stick to what you know and who you are.
Leaders need to be very intentional about making a list of core values for their brand. These core values will become the backbone of the organization and will be necessary for fostering brand loyalty.
The heart of the vision and mission statements of the organization are the core values. These statements will be benchmarks for things like strategic planning and new hiring.
Most importantly, the core values will be the foundation of the brand. They will bring humanity and feeling to an otherwise cold and mechanical business.
Guess what? Even a big corporation has a personality. Organizations are a hive of people. People who blend together to develop a brand’s personality.
You notice it as soon as you walk through the doors or clip onto their website. As humans we have an almost sixth sense for the energy put off by others.
We all have people in our lives who seem to naturally draw people to them. They light up a room, they make people feel comfortable and at ease. The same goes for a brand. It can be hard to put our finger on or identify in a tangible way, but their energy and personality is tangible.
Top level leaders are responsible for developing this personality. They set the tone, the culture, and the atmosphere of the brand. If not done with care and intention, it may result in confusion and disloyalty.
I hope you’ve had the chance to see how important it is to create and design your brand. A thoughtfully branded organization will attract the RIGHT customers and earn their loyalty. It’s a winning relationship for you both.
If you need help creating a brand package, I’m your girl!
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