Like most people, Professor Gary Hamel does not make a habit of being a shill for brands.
But…
When a brand reaches out in a significant way, even the most conservative of us will end up saying something about it.
We’ll find the language that helps us express the distance we see between what we appreciate and what we’ve tolerated in the past. And we’ll say it out loud, often couching our comments in a “I don’t usually do this, but…” excuse. That’s the true power of an emotionally meaningful brand strategy – a strategy that creates experiences that rise above the norm, stand apart from the clutter, and get people talking.
When brand lovers talk about the impact of the experiences, they reaffirm the brand’s meaning to themselves, as they provide others with heartfelt – and incredibly believable – testimony.
