According to some branding experts, we see and hear more than 15,000 messages a day.
Yes, you read that correctly – more than 15,000. Between our computers, TV’s, radios, e-mail, smart-phones, broadcast advertising, print advertising, friends, business associates, strangers, road signs, our own internal messaging circuits, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Kickstarter, and a thousand other sources, we are virtual noise-sponges in a world in which the most notice often goes to the loudest (or most-often repeated) message. And if you’re looking to get your product or service noticed in this cacophony of chaos, traditional “advertising” just doesn’t cut it, anymore.
As consumers, of course, we try to distinguish the “noise” and the “advertising” from those messages from which we can actually benefit. And as marketers, we try to sharpen our own messages accordingly. Hence, the concept of “Branding.”
Amidst all the shouting out there, many of us now realize that the brands to which we’re attracted are not attracting us because of “sales” or one-and-done purchases. Instead, it’s because they’re actually trying to establish a relationship with us. They’re trying to establish brand loyalty by listening as well as talking. And by listening before they talk.
Yes, many companies still try to woo us with sales or discounts. But these companies just don’t get it. They’re missing the boat. And they’re blind as bats. One-time discounts may get us…one time. But they won’t generate brand loyalty.
Consumers are demanding more control. And companies ignoring this new paradigm do so at their own peril. In these ever-changing times, brand strategy has to be as ever-changing as the wants and needs of our consumers.
The food industry, for instance, has had to incorporate healthier choices in its offerings, from organic to vegan, and from paleo to non-GMO products. Consumers – the people we’re asking to buy what we’re selling – continue to evolve in their tastes and needs. We’d better be evolving with them. And we’d better be keeping both ears to the ground, not just one.
As custodians of our brands, this is the question we should be asking ourselves: “How do I establish a brand that generates loyalty, when the desires and demands of the consumer are always changing, and the shouting of the competition is always getting louder?”
The answer: WE MUST BE CONSUMER-CENTRIC! We must understand that it’s not about how “great” our product or service is. It’s not about how “state-of-the-art” it is. And it’s certainly not about trying to shout louder than the competition. The consumer couldn’t care less about how great we are! He/she cares about one thing – and one thing only: WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME? AND HOW CAN YOU MAKE MY LIFE EASIER?
Even while displaying flexibility, it will always be important to have a clear mission for your brand, and to explain this mission in consumer-centric terms. BUT – AND IT BEARS REPEATING - THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF THE CONSUMER. AND TO SHOW HOW YOU CAN MAKE HIS/HER LIFE EASIER!
Quality and value for the consumer is the root from which everything else grows. Without it, you don’t have a chance. Interacting with those consumers - and the flexibility to adapt to their constantly-changing consumer demands - must be an integral part of your brand strategy.
Your product or service can drown out the shouting by offering a palpable advantage over the competition…in its quality, in its customer-service, and in its value. Your brand-messaging can drown out the shouting by being about the consumer…not about how wonderful you are. And your brand can drown out the shouting by evolving as consumer tastes and needs do.
From Gilt Groupe to Off Saks Fifth to bulk grocers like Costco and BJ’s, the brands that triumph in the current environment are those who can respond to the fickle tastes of their consumers, and make the lives of those consumers easier. That’s why, even though the rules of the game are always changing, certain companies always seem to be prospering.
Re-branding can be a daunting task. And changing perceptions can be a gargantuan one.
But it’s better – and in the long run, less expensive - than getting lost in all that shouting.