Summary: We all have our favourite brands, whether it’s Sony BRAVIA flat screen TVs, Louis Vuitton hand bags, or Lexus vehicles. Even people are brands (think Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, or Martha Stewart, just to name a few). The term ‘brand’ is one that everyone knows—or at least think they know. But brands are more than merely a slick logo, a new name, or a sexy advertising campaign. It’s what’s under the flash and all that marketing that truly counts. If you don’t deliver on your promise of what your brand offers, it means nothing, and you’ll find yourself without a customer base. It’s as simple as that, says author Laurence Vincent in his new book, Brand Real. Vincent has worked with Coca-Cola, MasterCard, Microsoft, the NFL, Sony Playstation, The Four Seasons, and many more, and currently heads The Brand Studio at United Talent Agency. After many years of coming to the aid of globally recognized brands, this time he’s here to help you! Golden Egg Making It Stick “How well a brand is retrieved from memory is a critically important factor when you play the memory game. We forget about a lot of brands we encounter, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get stored in memory. It just means they aren’t top of mind. An effective brand is easy for us to store in memory and hard to forget.” Brand Real, page 30 Why do certain brands remain in the forefront of our minds, while other recede and are quickly forgotten? If you’re running a book store, how will you ensure that a potential consumer who wants a copy of The Hunger Games goes to you rather than order it online from Amazon? The answer is simple, if not easy… create a brand that won’t be forgotten! Our brain can’t possibility remember all of the data it’s exposed to on a daily basis. When we fail to connect it with something concrete, it’s easily forgotten into the abyss of our minds. So at the outset, Vincent requests that you consider the following questions: - “What is it about my brand that will allow me past the brain filter? - What can I do to ensure my brand sticks in a consumer’s long-term memory? - How do I encourage a consumer’s brain to recall my brand at relevant moments in time?” (page 30) The two following GEMs will help you answer those questions and create a brand that will be remembered. GEM # 1 Make It Concrete “Concrete ideas are specific. They connect to concepts we already know and understand. They are tangible, not abstract.” Brand Real, page 30 To ensure that your brand is not forgotten, associate it with a concrete idea. Vincent writes about working with a company who described their brand as being “all about wonder.” What? That’s so vague! Would you purchase a product that promised wonder? Laurence Vincent wouldn’t, and neither would I. It doesn’t tell us anything about the brand, and leads to even more confusion. Many believe that associating a brand with a concrete idea is restrictive. This isn’t true. Vincent offers Nike and Amazon as examples. Nike was originally all about shoes. But now they sell bags, workout wear, gear for skateboarding and snowboarding, and even women’s bras. But people still associate them with shoes, and chances are that’s the first thing you thought of when I mentioned the Nike brand. The same is true of Amazon. Originally they presented themselves to the world as an online book retailer, but since then have grown to include the following categories: movies, music and games; electronics and computers; home, garden and tools; grocery, health and beauty; toys, kids and baby; clothing, shoes and jewelry; sports and outdoors; automotive and industrial—and that’s just the beginning! Each category then expands further to reveal sub-categories. So, don’t be afraid to allow your brand to latch onto something concrete and expand from there. You’re not limiting yourself; rather you’re giving your brand the potential to expand by allowing it to be identified with something tangible in your consumer’s minds.
