Topics

Brand Behavior

How Strongly Do People Want Your Brand to Be Meaningful?

July 3, 2014 —

How Strongly Do People Want Your Brand to Be Meaningful?

Based on our conversations with brand-owners (including our own clients), brands need to work harder than ever. There are many reasons for this. Brands want to get their employees aligned to a new vision, but their employees are unengaged. Brands want to attract new customers, but can’t find ways to break through the clutter. Brands want to hire good people, but don’t seem to attract people with passion. This list (which goes on and on) speaks to the gap between a brand’s rational business needs and the emotional human desires of people. When brands are self-absorbed, stuck...
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Is Your Brand’s Biggest Threat…Your Brand?

June 25, 2014 —

Is Your Brand’s Biggest Threat…Your Brand?

  Someone once asked Larry Page what presented the single biggest threat to Google. “Google”, he said. That’s right. Larry Page believes his own company is a threat unto itself. Is your brand’s biggest threat… your brand? It is, if people don’t understand why your brand matters. It is, if people don’t feel your brand is emotionally important. It is, if by “people” you mean not only your customers, but also your employees, partners, suppliers…indeed all the people vital to your brand’s success. Turn what might possibly be...
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Connecting the Dots Between Brand Strategy and Brand Moments

June 5, 2014 —

Connecting the Dots Between Brand Strategy and Brand Moments

In one of our white papers, “Brand Behavior Drives Results”, I write about how emotive branding extends from high-level aspiration (that is needed for differentiation and appeal) to down-in-the-trenches action (that is needed to generate ideas, product,s and profits). Rather than being precious about the strategy element of our offering, we seek true brand transformation by delving deep into the interactions between your brand and the people vital to its success. We dig in, get our hands dirty, and invest considerable time in deconstructing the many ways in which your brand and...
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How Your “Brand Vibe” Can Change Your Brand’s Fortunes

May 13, 2014 —

How Your “Brand Vibe” Can Change Your Brand’s Fortunes

We humans are very proud of our ability to think rationally. This cognitive power not only lets us understand and use facts, it also helps us build elaborate creations and fantasies. We use our rational brains to conduct business. Cognition helps us sort stuff out, compare options, and rank priorities. Our rational, conscious brain is so “upfront” in our day-to-day work lives that we begin to believe it is our only way of thinking and acting at work. Yet, as neuroscience is finding, it is now clear that this cognitive ability is not a stand-alone factor in how we perceive, sense,...
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Brands That Celebrate Beautiful Human Values Enjoy Well-Earned Respect

April 10, 2014 —

Brands That Celebrate Beautiful Human Values Enjoy Well-Earned Respect

Steve Fuller of The House agency in Bath, UK kindly told us about this fantastic video about the rewards of giving. Steve demonstrated generosity by sharing it with us, we are doing the same with you, and now we hope you do it as well with everyone you know and love! And while you’re doing that, think about how your brand could contribute to the social good by promoting human values in lovely ways like this. Thanks Steve! To view “Unsung Hero” please click the following link: https://youtu.be/uaWA2GbcnJU Want a more emotive brand? Learn more here....
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Five Key Differences Between Emotional and Emotive Brands

April 10, 2014 —

Five Key Differences Between Emotional and Emotive Brands

It’s not too hard to spot an emotional brand. It uses emotions tactically to either make people laugh or to gently tug at their heartstrings. These brands typically only do this through their advertising. Emotive brands are far more rare. These are brands that forge meaningful – and valuable – emotional connections through everything they do. So while someone may happily buy a brand based on its emotional advertising, they are likely to be left bemused when dealing with the emotional brand’s crass customer service people. The resulting brand dissonance will, no doubt, prompt them...
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We All Know the Value of Collaboration, So Why Isn’t There More of It?

April 7, 2014 —

We All Know the Value of Collaboration, So Why Isn’t There More of It?

When people, departments, offices, and divisions collaborate, beautiful things happen. New product ideas are born. Smarter, more efficient processes emerge. More effective policies are developed. New energy is created. The rewards of collaboration are many, yet the spirit of collaboration is dimmed in many enterprises. There are many reasons for this, all of which add up to costly consequences. Human potential is unrealized. Capital isn’t effectively deployed. Resources are squandered. Growth, development and innovation are stymied. Enlightened organizations counter the forces that...
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The Power of Brands Doing Good

March 19, 2014 —

The Power of Brands Doing Good

One has to applaud how the Dove brand, under the guidance of Ogilvy & Mather, has become a vivid example of emotionally meaningful branding. They seized a fertile ground – women’s insecurity about their own bodies – and, rather than exploiting it as the industry typically does, set out to do something about it. In this brilliant film, Dove reveals two drawings by a forensic detective to each woman featured. The first is a drawing based on how the woman described herself to the detective. The second shows the drawing the detective drew of the woman, based on how another person described...
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Turn Your Brand Around Through Emotionally Meaningful Behavior

December 15, 2013 —

Turn Your Brand Around Through Emotionally Meaningful Behavior

Turn target audience members into hot prospects Turn hot prospects into customers Turn customers into regular users Turn regular users into loyal customers Turn loyal customers into brand advisors Turn brand advisors into brand recruiters Purpose: Do it by embracing a purposeful intent for your brand – a high order idea about how your brand makes life better for individuals, society and/or the planet. Empathy: Do it by taking on an empathetic attitude to all the people vital to your brand’s success – see the world through their eyes, walk a mile in their shoes, come to understand what...
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Meaningful Brand Strategies: The Consumers Perspective

October 31, 2013 —

Meaningful Brand Strategies: The Consumers Perspective

Consumers are expecting a lot from businesses, according to the 2013 Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study. Consider these findings relative to the role of a business’s social responsibility: “As global citizens become increasingly aware of businesses’ behaviors and CSR initiatives – in part because of social 
media, they are also becoming more astute about both corporate and consumer impacts. Around the world, the majority 
of consumers feel both individuals and corporations are having some degree of positive influence on social and environmental issues; however, just one-quarter feels...
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