Does your Brand tell a story?

A brand is more than a logo. It is more than clever commercials, low prices, or memorable mascots. When done correctly, a brand is just a few steps away from a living, breathing organism. The more tangible your brand, the more likely your customers are to connect with it, emotionally. When consumers make a connection with a brand, loyalty increases, word of mouth evangelism spreads and your sales rise. If you want your brand to stick, it has to tell a story. That story must be compelling and consistent.

It must be compelling

Think about it, behind every great book, TV show, or movie is a great story. Chances are, you are in love with your significant other because of their story. I am not talking about a history, that’s different. A story has feeling, it has emotion, it has driving purpose, a protagonist to root for, and an antagonist to fight against. Your brand’s story must be compelling because it’s your identity. Your brand should drive decisions throughout the organization from the products you develop to the people you hire and more.

It must be consistent

For a good example of the importance of consistency, check out a blog post by my friends at Sprout Marketing. Consumers are not stupid. If your messaging does not match their experience, they will quickly notice and will likely become disenchanted. Or even worse, they will stop believing you. If you are a hotel, and your advertising promises a restful stay, your check-in process better be stress-free, and your beds must be comfortable.

It must be told well

A great story told poorly is not a great story. Ever heard two different people tell the same story or joke? Each account is a very different experience. Nuances in timing, body language and voice inflection (just to name a few) dramatically change the effect. In your company, the way you tell your brand’s story is just as important as the story itself. This is true externally and internally. Externally, you tell your story through advertising, pr, word of mouth, product design, pricing strategies, and customer experience. Internally you tell your story through things like management style, working conditions, training, and compensation. Don’t ever fool yourself into thinking you can simply ignore this. You cannot avoid developing and sticking to a brand by simply not branding at all, because in the meantime you will develop some sort of brand. And just like that last sentence, the brand you create will be disjointed, confusing, unlikable and unmemorable. I can’t imagine any business owner would want those adjectives used to describe his company.

Start today

If you don’t know your brand’s story, it’s not too late. Start developing it today. It’s more than a mission statement—but that’s a start. It has to have emotion and compelling reasons for people to be associated with and do business with your company. And remember, make it compelling, make it consistent, and tell it well.

What Twilight can Teach us about Marketing

Say what you want, the Twilight films have been a huge commercial success for Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the phenomenon. Recent reports claim the Vampire vs. Werewolf saga’s latest release, New Moon, has raked in over $280 million domestically with some sources suggesting a worldwide haul of over $450 million. With numbers like that, even the harshest critics would have a hard time arguing the commercial success of the films. And the best news for Summit is there are at least two movies left in the franchise.

Twilight’s success, however, has not come without some opposition. Husbands and film critics everywhere are smearing the characters and plot line in a whole host of creative ways. (Here are some examples: 1, 2, 3.) Though creative, the naysayers don’t even put a dent in the Twilight machine. In fact, many of the self-proclaimed haters will inevitably end up in the theater along with everyone else. (I saw it just a couple weeks ago with my wife).

And while it is been center stage lately, this polarization between raving fans and adamant critics is not unique to Twilight. We see it all the time in the marketplace. If you bring a successful product to market, or create a recognizable brand, you can be certain you will have opposition. Not just competition, but real, in your face opposition. This is the lesson we can learn from Twilight: You cannot please everyone, and what’s better, you don’t have to.

Know your consumers, know what they want, and then deliver it.

Being Googled

The internet is becoming more transparent. This I know. And there are books being written and seminars being taught on how to build your personal brand online. It's no secret that your name will be searched by potential employers, vendors, sales people or even dates. I search my own name on a regular basis to make sure I know exactly what others will find when they do the same. This makes sense to me, I search other's names before and after interacting with them. Its not stalking, its getting to know someone better in a social media, internets kind of world. So why did it feel so strange to SEE my name being searched by a complete stranger?

Let me explain. Today I spent a few minutes on the phone with a potential vendor. As part of our conversation, he offered to show me their product via the GoToMeeting software--For those of you unfamiliar with GoToMeeting, the software essentially allows the user to “show” their desktop to whomever they want through the gotomeeting website--. About 5 minutes into the presentation, I noticed something interesting in the search box of his google toolbar...my name. Although I should expect that he might have searched my name, it took me off guard to actually see it on the screen. This really drove the point home —ANYTHING YOU PUT ON THE WEB CAN AND WILL BE SEEN BY COMPLETE STRANGERS. I've got nothing to hide, but there is a certain sense of vurnerability that comes from actually seeing someone search your name.

The Relationship Between Brands and Consumers

Today I had the opportunity to attend a short seminar put on by M2 Results. The topic was branding, and I had several great epiphanies. PLUS I won an Ipod. Thanks M2!

During the presentation/conversation, I had the following thought:

Friends are our friends because we are emotionally attached to them. Because they provide a benefit in our lives, and we can trust them. The same is true with the emotional aspects of a brand. Why are Mac-aniacs so forgiving when the new Mac Book Air has poor battery life or when their iphone breaks? Because Apple is their “friend”. Sure, sometimes friends make a mistake, sometimes they let you down, BUT they are your friend. You forgive them. They have invested in you, and you in them.

Customer loyalty is one result of a well built brand. Like a group of close nit friends, Apple customers feel connected to the brand, and they almost immediately accept anything Apple puts out because Apple has demonstrated that their consumers can trust them. On the flipside, however, if you let your friends consumers down too often, they may start to reevaluate your friendship and look for the kid with a bigger trampoline or a boat.

Pringles: Don't call me a potato chip!

In an interesting case, a British tax court ruled that Pringles are, in fact, not potato chips (or crisps as the British call them). Proctor and Gamble, the company behind Pringles fought for the ruling in order to avoid at 17.5% tax on “potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch”.

Ok, so what are Pringles made of? Only 42% of the product is made from potatoes. And what makes a potato chip a potato chip?--Apparently more than just being made from potatoes. According to the high court’s decision, shape and crispness must also be considered.

Aside from the, ahem, deep soul-searching questions about what actually makes a potato chip a potato chip, the interesting thing here is that Proctor and Gamble fought to essentially prove that their product is not a potato chip. Now I don’t know all of the details about Pringles’ sales internationally (will the tax savings in the UK off-set any decline due to the new “we are not a potato chip” revelation?) or whether consumers already didn’t view the chip crisp potato flavored circular snack as a potato chip, but I certainly hope P&G considered the potential brand erosion by fighting this case.

What do you think? Was this good business strategy, or did Pringles just take a step toward being stuck between the pork rinds and yellow zingers on the bottom left hand corner of your grocer’s shelf?

Kentucky uh....Grilled Chicken??

USA Today reported today that KFC is about to undergo some major transformations. What’s new? Oh, just an overhaul of their brand image. According to the article, in the plan is a makeover of the famous bucket as well as a new “Now Grilling Sign.” The goal is to give grilled chicken equal billing. It will be interesting to watch this transformation, and how well the company maintains its brand identity.

Here is the article: (Click for the entire article)

KFC goes to the grill
LOUISVILLE (AP) — What in the name of
Colonel Harland Sanders is going on at KFC? The chain built by his secret recipe for fried chicken is about to give equal billing to, gulp, grilled chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken customers will be greeted eventually by lighted "Now Grilling" signs, starting in coming weeks in select U.S. cities. Storefront signs will be altered to promote the new product — called Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Even the brand's ubiquitous chicken buckets will get a makeover.
HEALTHIER OPTIONS: KFC plans 'important' trans fat 'milestone'
RELATED: KFC asks for papal approval of new fish sandwich
ORIGINAL: KFC 'secret' recipe locked away
"This is transformational for our brand," said Doug Hasselo, KFC's chief food innovation officer.
Louisville-based KFC, a subsidiary of Yum Brands (YUM), hopes grilled chicken will lure back health-conscious consumers who dropped fried chicken from their diets, or cut back on indulging.
KFC announced last year that fried chicken at all its U.S. restaurants had zero grams of trans fat per serving after the chain switched cooking oils. KFC says the grilled chicken has significantly fewer calories and fat, plus much less sodium, than its Original Recipe fried chicken that launched the brand more than a half-century ago.