Build a Brand with a Human Face
Who is buying your product or availing of your service? Men, women, teens, kids, working women, et al…they are all People. Who is making your product or delivering your service? Employees, salesmen, no matter what you call them again…they are all people.
People centric branding and advertising is the way to go in the new year. Here’s why…
For a very long time now, people…whether they are celebrities or real customers who feature in advertisements and promotional endeavors have made a successful sales appeal, built relationships with customers and built powerful brands. But as times change and we have just had too much of celeb power I would say give your brand a human face.
To do this you need to let people know who the people behind your brand are. In fact I suggested this to a friend who runs a social venture whose flagship product is single flora gourmet honey produced by small farmers across India. I feel her struggle to build a brand might not remain a struggle if the labels on her honey bottles have even a picture, name and one line about how producing this bottle of honey has empowered the farmer and his family.
Tell a Story
Everyone loves a story. Think about your childhood and try and remember your most important and memorable lessons. Chances are they would be those imparted by your mother or grandmother who told you stories at bed time. Story telling is a great way of educating people and getting messages across so why not use it in brand building?
If you don’t have a huge advertising budget you could use puppet shows to tell the story of your brand. Another way could be using You Tube to feature videos that tell little stories about your brand.
Stand For Something
Support a cause because now and in times to come every business will have to give back to society. In fact most economic problems we are facing today are born out of our unwillingness to create social wealth and are unquenchable thirst for more and more personal wealth.
No matter how small your business may be you can always find a cause to support it. A bakery or restaurant that donates excess food to the poor, an enterprise that makes products through disadvantaged groups of people, a courier service which employs the physically challenged, are all doing exactly what I am suggesting…building a brand with a heart.
To win the hearts of customers you need to find a cause, support it and give your brand the social edge!
Think Out of the Box Promotion
Don’t be predictable that’s one thing I’ve learnt from some of the biggest marketing successes of 2011. Kolaveri di, an Indian song which broke all records became a case study in viral marketing simply because it was an effort that didn’t go with the crowd. It stood out.
Branding in 2012 need not be conventional; in fact it shouldn’t be conventional at all. Graffiti, street paintings, tribal art and traditional forms of art and entertainment like puppetry are some out of the box promotional strategies worth trying out. Effective in terms of impact and cost…what more can you ask for?
I’d love to hear your responses to my tips for branding in 2012. Meanwhile my advice for you is be the maverick and hold your own in this very crowded and competitive market place.