industry thoughts from Clarteza

 

People look for relationships. They are essential to us, and to our well-being. Interestingly, people also long for  brand connections…or relationships, which share a lot of similarities of those, with people.  They identify  themselves with those brands.

Like with regular relationships, brand relationships can have their ups and downs. Ultimately though, if you do      have the bonding, you will be more likely to “forgive” if things don’t go right.

People want to be understood by brands. (Not literally, at least yet!)They like to have products and services that are tailored to their needs so they feel as companies that make them are very perceptive.

Some observed commonalities and this year’s favorite examples:

–       They want them to be honest (Smart)

–       They expect brands to own up to “humanity” and not pretending certain “ugly subjects” don’t exist (Fiat, Bodyform)

–       They want to be inspired and moved (Channell 4, Samsung)

–       They want to feel better about themselves where they’re around them (Dove Sketches, Dove Camera Shy)

–       They want to see them do the right thing (Oreo)

–       They’d like them to be captivating (West Jet, Apple, The Story) 

–       Make them laugh or being light hearted (Metro’s Dumb Ways to Die, Evian) 

–       Most importantly they will match their value system (WWF, Dela)

As with any relationships, there will not be one person fulfilling all needs. The same is true with brands. People will have a few needs and brands to which they are most loyal to.

If you are a marketer, think of your brand in relationship terms. What would you like your friends to be?  This should be your guide to capturing consumers’ hearts.