Unless you happen to be a person who is uniquely introspective or have fully come to grips with your own mortality, most people avoid asking themselves the somewhat morbid question of How do I want to be remembered? One group of people who do not have the luxury of avoiding asking themselves that musing question are brand strategists. Well, at least as it pertains to the brands that they work for.
That’s because as brand strategists, half of our job consists of absolutely obsessing over how we want people to remember our brands.
The other half of our job consists of creating concepts to shape and influence the way that the brands we work for will be perceived. And in order to successfully do that, you must focus on ensuring that your brand is always associated with the right things.
A way of life
Before going any further, I would be remiss if I did not emphasize the power of association in regards to branding. The reason why brand association is so important is due to the fact that to save precious calories, the human brain automatically creates mental shortcuts to help it quickly come to conclusions about people, places, or things.
For example, whenever you hear the word Starbucks, what are some of the first things that you think of? I’ll make a pretty confident guess that some of the first things that come to mind are: coffee, the brand’s distinctive logo, as well their store’s ambiance.
Another thing your mind probably instantly associates Starbucks with are the type of people that you’ll often find in a Starbucks store. “Starbucks people,” are those people that you’ll consistently find sitting inside of a Starbucks store with either a laptop, a book, or a tablet in front of them.
People from all backgrounds gravitate towards Starbucks because the brand represents a particular way of life to them that is relevant and congruent with their lifestyle. And while most businesses would discourage frequenters from hanging out at their stores without making a purchase; Starbucks encourages it! Even offering free WiFi to visitors whether they purchase any items or not.
As a brand, Starbucks understands that those who frequent and hangout at their stores (their tribe) play an integral role in helping to establish the Starbucks culture—an association that much like the Harley-Davidson brand—represents a certain way of life to millions of people.
A solution
When it comes to serving a customer base, attaining top of mind status is something that every brand should aspire to accomplish. Perhaps the most effective way for a brand to go about accomplishing that is by representing a solution to a particular problem for consumers.
Have a small insect problem? Your first thought is probably to grab a can of Raid. Got a headache? One of the first things you’ll likely think of is to take a Tylenol. Need diapers for your baby? Odds are the first thing that crosses your mind is to purchase a bag of Huggies or Pampers.
Consumers have problems. By positioning your brand to be the generic or go-to brand that solves a specific problem—consumers will automatically associate your brand with the solution to their problem whenever it arises. Which needless to say—could be extremely profitable for your brand.
Contemporary culture
Honestly, could you name one benefit that could come from people perceiving your brand as being out of touch with contemporary culture? Don't worry, I'll wait. Couldn’t come up with anything, could you? That’s because there isn’t a single benefit for a brand that could come from being perceived as being out of touch with contemporary culture.
Unless your brand’s target customers consist of senior citizens, those customers will clamor to support a brand that is hip, fresh, and interlinked with modern-day culture.
One brand that was ahead of the curve when it came to understanding this assignment is Sprite. That’s right, the Coca-Cola Company's lemon-lime flavored beverage brand was one of the very first brands to not only openly embrace hip-hop culture—but also highlight hip-hop artists in their advertising campaigns. Which first began back in 1990.
Today, Sprite is still synonymous with hip-hop culture and as a result, consumers within the culture still strongly support the brand because they not only view Sprite as being hip, they also associate Sprite with being a brand that represents where they’re from and what they believe. In other words, Sprite represents their culture.
Superiority
You’ve been misled. That’s right, you’ve been misled. For years, people have probably told you that the best way to beat your brand’s competitors is simply by providing the highest quality product to the consumer and Voilà! Your brand’s competitors will be at your mercy in the marketplace.
The fact of the matter is that a brand being able to win solely on having the best quality of products is the furthest thing from the truth.
However, brands that are perceived as being the most superior almost always go on to become the leaders of their respective categories. Which leads us to the question you may be asking yourself, So what is the difference between having the best quality products and having the superior brand?
A great example that could answer that question would be the success of the Nike brand.
Are Nike products made with higher quality raw materials than Adidas or New Balance? Not likely. But are Nike products perceived by consumers as being superior to Adidas and New Balance? Absolutely! That’s because Nike is perceived as having the superior brand.
Here’s the truth, consumers do not happily pay higher prices for products from luxury brands because they perceive their goods as being of higher quality. Consumers happily pay more because they perceive those brands as being superior to the alternatives. And why is that?
It’s because those brands focus more so marketing their brand—rather than their actual products. And as a result, they go on to sell more products (at a higher price point as well).
Positivity
Last but not least is the simple practice of positivity. Human beings don’t simply like to feel good, we yearn for it. And as the good folks at Disney could attest, if you can associate your brand with positivity and feel-good vibes in the hearts and minds of consumers—they will support your brand for generations.
Need help associating these five things with your brand?
At Decryption, we specialize in helping brands like yours cultivate favorable perception in the mind of their target audience through contemporary culture-focused brand strategies and content. To schedule a complimentary client call with us, simply email us today and we’ll get started on helping your brand connect via culture.
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