| MARCH/APRIL 2007 | VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 |
Coming Next Issue:
Effective Use of Imagery
in Visual Identity Systems
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Although a lot has been written in recent years about growing consumer savvy and mistrust of brands, many brands are delivering authentic experiences. The issue is that now, due to intense competition and the wide range of choices available to consumers, people can afford to be selective. Brand loyalty needs to be earned at every point of interaction with the customer. Therefore, brand owners need to be relentless in managing their brands to ensure an authentic experience in order to attract and retain loyal customers.
Merriam-Webster defines authenticity as “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character; being actually and exactly what is claimed.”
For brands, it all starts with a clearly articulated, believable and achievable brand vision and the development of a brand strategy that supports that vision. We’re frequently asked, “We know that what we’re saying needs to be believable, but shouldn’t it also be aspirational?” Our answer is a qualified, “yes.” A brand vision should be aspirational and attainable. And it shouldn’t promise something that can’t be delivered over a sustained period of time.
At the center of this discussion is one important fact — brands are not things. As we all know, a brand is a relationship that exists between businesses, their customers and the end user. That’s why so much has been written about the “brand experience.” It’s the experience that impacts brand perception and the interpretation of whether or not it’s authentic.
Take Starbucks for example. They realized early in their repositioning efforts that a key part of the coffee “experience” was the atmosphere in which the beverage was consumed. Coffee was a commodity. The quality needed to be good and consistent, but above all they were committed to elevating the experience around drinking a cup of coffee. As Scott Bedbury writes in A New Brand World, “The very vessel from which it [coffee] was drunk mattered a great deal. Even the rolled paper lip and the bright white plastic lid with the little hole in it mattered a great deal. These were not to be messed with!” Starbucks understood then, as they do today, that consistency in the total experience breeds trust, and a brand that can be trusted is deemed authentic by its followers.
There are many authentic brands, those that are true to what they promise. And consumers reward them with loyalty — Apple, BMW and FedEx are a few that come to mind. Unfortunately, many of us can also cite more than a few inauthentic brands.
So, how do you ensure that your brand doesn’t fall into the inauthentic category?
1. Know that you can deliver on what you promise. Organizations must be structured to deliver the experience that is promised. A company with an operational plan emphasizing low cost production and a short list of well-trained customer service personnel will have difficulty delivering a brand that centers around exceptional service and personal attention. In creating your brand strategy and overall promise, be realistic and honest with yourself about what you can truly deliver.
2. Train your people. If your people don’t know what it looks like to deliver on the brand experience, they won’t be able to. Not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know what’s expected. In service industries where customer interaction is a requirement, it’s the people that deliver the brand experience. If your brand is a product, the people designing, manufacturing, selling and delivering the product absolutely must know what it is that the customer is buying. As with Starbucks, are you selling coffee, or the experience surrounding the product? Employees have to understand what the customer expects, and they need to support it. Period. This is not negotiable.
3. Talk with your customers regularly. Finding out how your brand is perceived should be something that you do regularly. You’ll be able to spot problems early and identify strengths that you may not be capitalizing on. Invest in research to find out if you’re delivering what customers expect. Talk with them. Seek feedback. They’ll tell you what they think. And once you’ve listened, use the information to your advantage.
4. Identify and fix problems. Learning about problems is good news — it gives you the opportunity to deliver a more authentic experience that’s true to what you promise. If you have quality problems with your product or service, address them. Ignoring problems will almost always guarantee that your brand image will erode.
Ensuring brand authenticity takes diligence, planning, training, open communication and honesty. And it must be embraced within the organization first, before it can ever be reflected externally. The reward for delivering an authentic brand experience? Customer loyalty, which translates into a myriad of benefits.